Don’t miss it. Go see the bricks.

Intimate, honest and sometimes raw. The images printed in the relatively new bi-annual interiors magazine Apartamento (issue 7 is on sale now) tell stories of real life interiors and to me, are quite reminiscent of Jürgen Teller’s photography (Teller being featured in this very issue is purely coincidental, I’m sure of it!).

No mis-en-scène, no gloss, no lavish or “casually” arranged minimalistic displays but inspiring interiors from all over the world which in their unique and lived-in state show us that style is at its most natural when it isn’t staged but when it occurs almost haphazardly, from our own particular individuality. Whilst this is not as easy to achieve as you may think, it certainly looks that way on the matte pages of this simplistic publication. Famously described by The New York Times as “the first post-materialistic interiors magazine”, Apartamento shows us that interiors are nothing without the people living inside them.  Strong and fascinating characters such as photographers, authors and other creative eccentrics are the perfect companions in these (their) featured spaces.  A clear emphasis on colour and simple composition, makes for some powerful imagery and brilliant reference material for either domestic dwellers or design lovers. Since its launch in 2009 the Barcelona-based magazine has regularly presented cultural and promotional events in line with its international distribution in cities such as Tokyo, New York, Berlin, London and Milan.

The concept for October’s event in Barcelona was conceived by Ana Dominquez and Omar Sosa and features a unique and exclusive collection of photographs shot by Nacho Alegre, photographer and founder of the magazine. The Apartamento Bricks Still Life exhibition brings to life a basic object like the builder’s brick and turns it into a surprisingly delicate and evocative sculpture. Don’t miss it. Go see the bricks. Go meet the people and get yourself a copy of Apartamento.

Exhibition runs from 29^th September to 21^st October 2011 at Otrascosas de Villarosàs, Via Laietana 65, Principal, Barcelona.

While in Barcelona, go see another honest and intimate gem in the city, White Line Hotels edit Hotel Omm. Don’t miss it.

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Contributing writer: Stefanie Soar

Photos courtesy Apartamento

Pandemonia – a self-made PR machine

A plastic, inflatable body. Shiny curves, long bouncy locks, a hint of a waste, and a conspicuous 7feet tall figure. This is how London based artist Pandemonia has marketed and branded herself, as a reflection of today’s consumerist society and unhealthy celebrity obsession.

Pandemonia was conceived in 2008, as an answer to the increasing amount of celebrity filled tabloids, though it wasn’t until 2009 that she  made her first public appearance. Within a short period of time and a few sightings at gallery openings and exhibitions, the self-made, eye-catching  personage began to receive invitations to the front rows of all the main London fashion shows.

Any questions about the person behind the mask are unimportant and  unnecessary. Everything there is to know is visibly displayed and appropriately labelled on the outside. Pandemonia has thus turned into the ultimate celebrity, unaffected by the imperfections of ageing celebrities and with complete control over the manufactured product that she intended to be.

Her birth could be read as a criticism, or perhaps ode, to today’s superficial society. Whereas once fame was the well-deserved result of a series of successful achievements, it is now clear that nowadays a glossy reconstruction of the unanimously approved, stick-long female figure is enough to get you noticed and praised.

Words are  unable to appropriately describe Pandemonia’s accurate reflection of today’s values. The rigid moral grounding that once formed the basis of our civilisation have been inflated and air brushed through Pandemonia’s latex outfits.

Are you headed to London this week for The Frieze Art Fair? Maybe you’ll catch a glimpse of Pandemonia, and we’ll catch you at Town Hall Hotel and Apartments, White Line Hotels’ London edit.

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Contributing writer: Fier Management

Photos: Fier Management

Dr. Helmut Marko on Schlossberghotel’s Art Collection

At the beginning of the 70s he was a Formula One racing driver. Later he became a barrister, and as if to never be accused of not having lived a life diverse enough, he’s even opened 2 hotels in Graz. Even a brief glance at Dr. Helmut Marko’s CV is an inspiration to go after the things in life that you enjoy. Recently we caught up with him to ask a few questions about his art collection in White Line Hotels edit Schlossberghotel — wait, did we forget to mention he’s an art collector too?

Racing Driver. Barrister. Hotelier. Art collector. You’ve certainly been known by many titles. What do all these things share for you?

That’s easy to answer: passion.

When you started planning the Schlossberghotel, was the concept of it as an “art hotel” there from the beginning, or was that something that evolved?

We never had a concept of an „art hotel“. It evolved during the time.

Obviously a hotel is a very different space for viewing art than a museum or gallery is. What are the best things about this kind of atmosphere for art? Are there any drawbacks?

Not at all! It is pleasure for me to see the art every day and to make it possible for our guests to enjoy them with me.

Schlossberghotel has been called Europe’s finest art hotel, and your collection housed in it certainly is impressive. What was the first work of art you saw that inspired this passion?

My first picture was from Hans Staudacher, with the title “Spuren”. In English I would say “to leave one´s mark”. There is so much inspiration and lightness combined with a kind of craziness in the picture. It is still in the Schlossberghotel and it reminds me all the time of this passion.

From what I understand, the collection isn’t just in public spaces at the hotel, but in the rooms as well. Do people ask when making a reservation to be placed in a room with a work by a favorite artist? Do you think that chance for real intimacy with a work is one of the draws of the Schlossberg?

The art is everywhere! In all rooms, breakfast area, lobby etc. as well as sculptures at the roof top terrace and inner court yards. Sure, we have guests who prefer some special rooms!

Your collection is very focused on Austrian art. Do you feel a particular connection to local art and artists?

I combine art with all my travels around the world. If there is a fantastic picture, for example, in China – I buy it as well. The focus is on Austria, especially on young talents.

What’s next for you?

Let’s see. Step by step. Nothing special in mind…

Forget Romanticism

Let’s suspend reality for a minute: if Jean-François Millet were still with us, he’d be turning 197 years old today, and we’d probably be waiting to see if he’d hold out another 3 to celebrate the BIG 2-0-0. Truth is, he’d probably hate that sentence. As much as anyone would be flattered to still be spoken about well over a century after their death, Millet wasn’t one for the suspension of reality, and the legacy of the Barbizon School — of which he was a founding father — is still with us to prove it, even if Millet himself isn’t.

150 years later, it’s hard to look at the works of the Barbizon School as having been even in the least bit controversial. If anything (and particularly in the case of Millet), they now appear like the forerunners of Social Realism, a movement that due to its state functions makes “controversy” a little difficult to attach to it. However, this is now and that was then, and back in the early-middle of the 19th century some painters were growing dissatisfied with the dominant trend of Romanticism that had gained popularity in reaction to the Industrial Revolution. It wasn’t just painters growing weary. however. The Revolutions of 1848, although largely considered failures, broke out in 50 countries in response to the new working conditions the Industrial Revolution had ushered in. If any further example of the of the social-political climate at the time is needed, The Communist Manifesto was first published in that year as well. Within that context, it’s easier to see a painting depicting the common worker as being something entirely different than it is today.

Still, you can’t exactly call the Barbizon School a political movement of art. Although many of the Barbizon School’s key painters took the occasion of the Revolutions of 1848 to leave Paris for the nearby village of Barbizon, once there the focus of discussion lay on the natural representation of nature, and not necessarily on the natural representation of the working class. Millet, however, extended those ideals of naturalism to include the people of the countryside, most famously in his 1857 canvas The Gleaners. The Gleaners depicts 3 women gathering what remained from the wheat harvest, or with some metaphorical interpretation, the poor being left with the scraps the wealthy allowed them. Their lack of clear faces further underlined their marginalization. You can imagine how well that went over with the upper and middle classes of the Parisian Art World, who were still reeling from the Revolutions of 1848, and French Revolution before that.

The world’s political climate may be different now, but Barbizon remains a refuge. Here there’s space to think, to be inspired by the same landscapes that have inspired artists since the Barbizon School took up residence, and — dare I say it — even get a bit romantic. Make Hotel Les Pleiades, as chosen by the team at White Line Hotels, your place to suspend some reality.

Head’s up NYC! It’s Art Book Fair Weekend!

Maybe you’ve noticed too, but in the last year or so, it seems there was a noticeable shift in the way people use Facebook. Suddenly my more exhibitionist friends stopped posting updates of every move they made, and the ones who had always been more social networking reticent started posting more regularly. The sudden lack of status updates like “Just fed the cat, sitting down with the newspaper.” was at first an incredible relief, and then incredibly illuminating. No one was typing that anymore because no one was doing it anymore, and that was partly because Facebook itself had turned into a news and human interest Reader’s Digest of sorts, compiled and edited by our online friends. Why kill a tree when all the stories you need to stay up to speed with your friend-circle are right there on your screen?

So, yesterday, when one of my Facebook friends made a contribution to the Daily Digest of a photo of John Waters with the quote caption, “We need to make books cool again. If you go home with somebody and they dont’ have books, don’t **** them”, I had to smile. If you’re in agreement about the fast-disappearing tactile experience of holding a book, if you love smelling the ink, feeling the quality of the paper on the edge of your thumb, or the irreplaceable suspense of turning a page to discover who-knows-what, oh, AND YOU’RE IN NEW YORK CITY THIS WEEKEND, head straight to the NY Art Book Fair at MoMA PS1 between today and Sunday October 2nd.

Apart from 200 exhibitors of contemporary art catalogs, monographs and art periodicals, this year introduces an outdoor tent of 60 zinesters to the mix of international presses, booksellers, antiquarian dealers, artists and independent publishers that make up the NY Art Book Fair. This year also includes special projects, screenings, book signings, and performances, details of all of which can be found on their website. One not to miss is e-Flux’s presentation of Liam Gillick and W.A.G.E. launching the new e-Flux reader Are You Working Too Much? Post-Fordism, Precarity, and the Labor of Art with special readings October 1st and 12noon.

Just as irreplaceable as the feeling of physically holding a beautifully made book, make White Line Hotels edit The Greenwich Hotel your place in NYC.

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all photos http://nyartbookfair.com/