Last week we became familiar with a soon to be released art project which continues to haunt us ever since - and very likely will continue to do so - because of its seldom seem hybrid of sheer beauty and mind-boggling concept. In this collection of sculptures named 'Papaver Rhoeas', the British artist Paddy Hartley has created a series of highly emotive and thought provoking handmade poppy sculptures using pathologically preserved lamb’s heart tissue (!). Drawing on the poppy’s synonymity with the commemoration of World War One, 'Papaver Rhoeas' consists of finely crafted artworks produced by a unique team of art and science practitioners that address contemporary notions of remembrance and the cultural phenomena of memorialisation. Every poppy varies in colour and composition, and each will be installed in a thematically diverse range of institutions covering topics such as the military, science, social history, theology and contemporary art. What a truly remarkable project! [ Continue reading ]
Last year we discovered the beautiful work of Esme Winter, who works under her namesake label together with husband Richard Sanderson since 2008. The British designers/pattern makers create some of the most elegant decorative paper - for instance their 'Paper Collection' - being produced in this part of the world. The latest Esme Winter collection is a collaboration with Jemma Lewis, a marbled paper artist, who creates through traditional techniques, with everything she produces made in her garden shed in rural Wiltshire. Using the same techniques as the earlier Esme Winter hand-drawn geometric designs, the trio created a series of bold printed marbled papers which combine the extraordinary Esme Winter color palette and technique with Lewis' beautiful free hand marbling, forming a tremendous hybrid of their individual strengths into the great 'Marbled Paper' collection. [ Continue reading ]
It is no secret that Ramon Haindl is one of our favorite photographers out there and he keeps on creating beautiful work to continue being just that. We discovered the German - who also creates with mixed media and collage in his free projects - through his captures of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra Academy some years ago, after which he has been creating a body of work of both autonomous projects as for clients showing his relentless approach (sleeping very little) and extraordinary multiple talents. His latest series brought Haindl to the famous tracks of the Nürburgring where he shot another gem for the Lufthansa Exclusive Magazine. With a somewhat similar approach and aesthetic as that very first series we discovered, the new work shows how Ramon has grown in the couple of years that have passed: every image being nothing short of iconic. Whether he portrays the oldtimers (both cars and drivers) in shiny monochrome images or the toned down classic color palette: we love every single image of the series. [ Continue reading ]
After releasing a preview in May, our friend Olaf Hussein returns today with the official release of his Autumn/Winter 2015 collection. Through his latest designs, one of the most promising names in Dutch menswear clearly shows his global ambition by moving beyond the foundational inspirations of denim and the Amsterdam heritage, embracing influences from the North and on the other hand the realm of elegant sportswear. Titled 'Ø L Å F' - the moniker which has given the label a growing visibility in the fashion world through the popular caps, socks and recently released graphic tees - the collection embodies an oxymoronic idea of nuanced boldness. Athletic details, combined with a strong black and white color palette and forward-facing materials, exemplify the outdoor world colliding with the inward-bound hectics of a city. With 'Ø L Å F', the brand continues its pursuit of an expressive yet sophisticated aesthetic and doing so in a highly promising way. [ Continue reading ]
Amsterdam-based luxury travel bag brand Travelteq is one of those brands we have had a very close relationship with for the last half decade, both online in our writings as in the real world. Following a string of shared projects - like visiting the Travelteq factory in 2011 - we are very proud to present the latest and largest collaboration in which we worked together to redefine the strategy, rebuild the brand and restyle the complete identity. In the new vision for Travelteq a direct-to-consumer model is introduced. Key in this new ecosystem is the cutting out of the middlemen, through which Travelteq is able to eliminate high markups - passing the savings to the customers, offering highest quality handcrafted Italian bags and accessories at a revolutionary price point. In line with this new direction an updated aesthetic for the communication of the brand Travelteq was created and introduced in all its different elements on the newly launched website. [ Continue reading ]
On the 25th of September the inspirational 'Van Gogh+Munch' exhibition opened at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, after it had been on display at the Munch Museum in Oslo. The exhibition - for the first time - explores the similarities and connections between the two influential artists; starting with alignment in aesthetics and stylized kinship to their connections which exist on a deeper level. Rather than uncritically accepting established perceptions, the exhibition takes a closer look at their artistic point of departure, the influences they were exposed to, the development in style and technique and what artistic goals they set for themselves, and in this way create a deeper understanding of why these artists are so often compared to each other. When in Amsterdam make sure to visit. [ Continue reading ]
Artists Jarmila Mitríková and Dávid Demjanovič, now based in Prague and Košice, had their breakthrough in the Slovakian art scene after they graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts and Design in Bratislava in 2011 with their paintings created through pyrography. A traditional technique in which one burns motives into plywood and colors it with wood stains. Their use of pyrography forms a direct reference to a folk amateur art, being the most popular technique during socialism in the former Czechoslovakia. In their case it is not only the reinvented visual attraction they are working with, but mostly a medium through which they are joining a critical discours with different cultural contexts. Mitríková and Demjanovič's art inhabits elements of folklore, through religion and mysticism typical for geopolitic region of Central Europe, to national history and identity all translated into a dark aesthetic. We are particularly drawn to their most recent works in which the duo has created extraordinary ceramics with a haunting political, mystical and ritualistic mood. [ Continue reading ]
