The very talented Dutch photographer Robin de Puy set off across the United States in May 2015 in search for peace of mind. Her most vital equipment was in her saddlebags: a couple of lamps, two cameras and a lighting umbrella. She followed no set route but toured the country looking for distinctive faces to photograph – people of all ages and both sexes whom she just happened to meet on her travels. She specifically did not want to record social contrasts or the antithesis between urban America and the country’s endless empty spaces. The result is an incredible series of portraits, reminding of Robert Frank and Richard Avedon, which will be presented by the Hague Museum of Photography in the photographer’s first ever solo show in a museum setting. The exhibition with the title 'If this is true… 8,000 Miles on a Motorcycle in the USA' will open for the public on the 19th of March. De Puy's remarkable talent and eye for detail is undisputed by now, but the American arena and setting clearly inspired the photographer to take some of her most compelling images till date. Don't miss this remarkble exhibition.  [ Continue reading ]

We are big fans of the work of artist Ashkan Honarvar, being among the most thought-provoking collage artist working today. At the end of February the Iranian-born, Utrecht-schooled artist celebrated another milestone in his career with the opening of his very first solo exhibition at CES Gallery in Los Angeles named 'Sometimes I forget myself'. The exhibition features new works on paper from two recent bodies of work. The first series titled 'Denial of Death' is inspired by the writings of cultural anthropologist Ernest Becker, in particular his Pulitzer Prize-winning book of the same name. The second series titled 'King of Worms', which we premiered online, references radical feminist filmmaker Jane Arden’s 'The Other Side of the Underneath' and its exploration of corruption, abuse of power, and gender inequality. Working exclusively in hand-cut collage Honarvar presents a mythic and visceral vision of humanity and its qualitative constructs.  [ Continue reading ]

We first encountered the remarkable work of photographer (and painter) Lorena Lohr last year, when she released the third self-published photographic book of her travels throughout the United States named 'Western Nights'. Before that she had already released 'Palm Desert', published in 2011 and 'Desert Sands' a year later. This month, Lohr returns with another inspirational chapter of her on-going personal love affair between traveling and photography. It is clear that the photographer can't get enough of her journeys by Greyhound bus, train and on foot, taking herself throughout the Southwest, the West Coast and the Gulf of Mexico. We on the other hand continue to be intrigued by the isolated imagery it inspires her to take, ranging from deserted diner kitchen, unkept garden, empty pools and neon signs. Although the images clearly evoke some sense of sadness and the feeling of former glory, mostly excluding humans in the frames, the color palette reminds of the seventies and is inherently attractive, making the images bittersweet in the truest sense of the word.  [ Continue reading ]

Last month, a new outdoor light festival named Lumiere London debuted in England's capital. For us the undisputed highlight of the 4 day event was the impressive 'Spectra-3' installation created by London-based creative studio FIELD: a 3 meter tall sculpture surrounded by animated lights and spatialized sound. Based around a mirror disc moving on two axes, the 'Spectra-3' created a choreography of movement, light and sound, and illuminates its surroundings with dancing reflections. In the words of FIELD: the project celebrates humanity’s inexhaustible optimism to advance technology, all with the aim of understanding our place in the universe. Although, regularly criticized for its reliance on style over substance, there's an undeniable intrinsic quality in the practice of creating technology based aesthetic projects which we really appreciate. Obviously, even the greatest cynic can't deny the inherently (positive) constructive quality of the field, having strong roots in the modern times we live in. Being one of the most elegant creations in its genre 'Spectra-3' is in our eyes not just a highly eye pleasing piece, but also a relevant frame to contemplate todays ever-growing reliance on technology and its quality to stimulate self-reflection. [ Continue reading ]

In 2005, two years after the members of the Swiss Cycle Regiment - riding the longest-serving bicycle in civil and military history; the Ordonnanzfahrrad MO 05 - went on parade for the very last time in a town named Sempach, a young guy from Basel; Christian Wernle found the inspiration for what ten years later became a fascinating brand. He spotted a Swiss army sleeping bag while browsing in a flea market, and realized it would make the perfect basis for a range of original, contemporary outerwear. After the minimal yet technical line was introduced last year, Sempach has found a new source of inspiration in another mainstay from the same tradition: the field tent. For their second collection, Sempach has developed a very elegant collection of men’s and women’s waterproof jackets using the same design specifics as the Swiss Army field tent, which form the perfect hybrid of military technical elements and a minimally designed aesthetic. We love it! [ Continue reading ]

After the impressive Cleon Peterson exhibition closed in Antwerp last Saturday and the Panos Tsagaris' 'apocatastasis' closing in Brussels this coming Saturday, the next reason to visit the country already arises on Friday the 4th of March, when another thrilling exhibition will open its doors, this time at the Stedelijk Museum voor Actuele Kunst in Ghent. The Antwerp-based 'Crown prince' (after heavyweights Tuymans, Dillemans and Borremans) of Belgian contemporary painting (and Paul Smith's favorite); Rinus Van de Velde created a new extraordinary series named ‘Donogoo Tonka’ in which he draws himself as the leading player in the biography of an imaginary artist for the museum. Inspired by an existing French novel, Van de Velde presents nine new life-size drawings in S.M.A.K. The works in his signature charcoal looks are as virtuosic and light as ever, demanding total engagement of its spectator to find the layers beyond just the highly impressive aesthetic side, showing great visual intelligence, cutting irony, a free imagination and great sensitivity. Without a doubt Van de Velde, who's work reminds us strongly of another favorite of ours; Marcel van Eeden, is the next Belgian painter in the Hors catégorie.   [ Continue reading ]

It is always special to meet an artist you admire. Especially when that artist is the incredibly talented Cleon Peterson, who is one of our undisputed favorite contemporary artists - both because of his highly distinctive style and unfiltered observations on the world around us. Not to mention the turbulent life he has lived before he got where he is today. So therefore last week was an exciting moment, to say the least. In 2015 the American artist seems to indefinitely have joined those who work on a global level, having moved all over the globe for shows and projects; from Paris to Detroit, followed by Hong Kong, before setting foot in Belgium for a 5 day stay in Antwerp where we sat down for a little talk. Parallel to this development, or maybe because of this new level of worldwide interest in his work, Peterson has been stretching the scope of form he creates in, debuting in Antwerp with a life-size sculpture, next to several new paintings and a black rendition of his porcelain sculpture he created with Case Studyo, together forming the exhibition named after the large sculpture; ‚The Judgement’, presented in the last year opened PLUSONE gallery of Jason Poirier dit Caulier. [ Continue reading ]