Category: Art/Culture
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Artist a Day Challenge No. 20: Kehinde Wiley
Los Angeles born artist Kehinde Wiley has developed his career in New York as a portrait artist whose work is being celebrated in an exhibition that recently opened at the Brooklyn Museum. In “A New Republic” his work depicts men and women placed in traditional forms of portraiture fusing that history with a present day aesthetic. It is…
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Artist a Day Challenge No. 15: Samella Sanders Lewis
Artist and historian Samella Sanders Lewis does not shy away from confrontation. As a child she found her voice through artistic expression and she was staunchly protective of her voice, fighting any force that tried to intimidate her into silence. Her career, particularly her art history education in the 1940’s was fraught with hostility and confrontation, but…
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Artist a Day Challenge No. 12: Naomi Sims
I don’t know how it is possible, but each picture I see of Naomi Sims is simply flawless. Designer Zac Posen posted some pictures of Naomi Sims today on Instagram, and this one was truly gorgeous. An original street style artist if there ever was one. Bonus: I am obsessed with capes but I live…
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Artist a Day Challenge No.5: Retna
One day, I will crack the code to Retna’s personalized alphabet that is a skillful fusion of Old English, Hebrew, Asian and Arabic calligraphy. In the meantime, I enjoy his work in abstraction. I love the symmetry and repetition in his murals. This particular one was painted for Jeffrey Deitch when he was at MOCA circa 2013.
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Today’s Google Doodle: February 1, 2015
Today is Langston Hughes’ 113 birthday, and Google has posted a beautiful doodle in tribute to the writer. I am smitten with the animation by doodler Katy Wu and how the illustration captures the vibrancy of the jazz age and the beautiful message in his poetry. Hughes deftly recognized our stark, painful realities while artistically transcending the pain…
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Keith Haring & The Political Line: Timeless Observations on Politics and Power
I was in San Francisco during the holidays and was able to experience The Political Line at the De Young Museum. This retrospective of Keith Haring took a curatorial deep dive into the artist’s creative psyche. The show highlights his portfolio of work that addresses race, power, sex, political conflict, the environment and technology. This is…
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Designer Con 2014
I adore Designer Con. Every November, artists descend upon Pasadena’s Convention to celebrate Pop Art of all forms. DCon is a mind boggling bonanza of collectible art including paintings, illustrations, plush toys, vinyl toys, street art and one of a kind clothing. With close to 350 vendors on site, there was a lot to take…
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Zeros and Ones- Existentialism, Innovation and the ZERO Network
“I AM NOT A NUMBER!” ~The Prisoner, 1967 It’s funny where your mind goes when you see a piece of art. The Guggenheim featured some incredible images of “White Balloon” by the late Otto Piene. The piece is installed in the Guggenheim’s rotunda as part of “Zero: Countdown to Tomorrow”, the museum’s latest exhibition exploring the Zero movement. When I saw White…
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The Subversive Trickster: Kara Walker on Creating a Pretty Curse
In anticipation of the Broad Museum’s opening in 2015, the museum is hosting a lecture series called the Un-Private Collection. The sessions are designed to introduce the public to the Broad’s collection and the corresponding artists behind the works. The latest installment in the successful series featured a discussion with Kara Walker hosted by Director Ava…
Colony Little, Culture Shock Art 