Paris: David Hockney’s iPads

Artist David Hockney writes that he may have been the first person to ever e-mail an exhibition to the Pierre Bergé – Yves Saint Laurent Foundation. While this is true, the very idea that an exhibition can be e-mailed at all is compelling. Showing until the 30^th of January the exhibition sheds a new light on the way we view an artist’s work and process. More than that, “Fleurs Fraîches” is simply an ingenious way of utilizing contemporary technology to show an ages-old process.

The luminous screens of the 20 iPads light up the room showing a slowly rotating series of drawings done by Hockney. Even more enlightening are the iPads that replay the steps Hockney took to create the drawings. The chance to follow not only the artist’s eye, but also his brush, or in this case, finger, on the iPad is simultaneously both a personal and impersonal process. The viewer has the feeling of being in his mind, while being completely separated from any physical presence.

The process started when Hockney created drawings for the iPhone and sent them to friends; he later suggested that the friends get iPads so he could send them larger pieces. In the end, roughly 250 works were created for the digital screen and distributed freely. Variations only occur when there are blemishes on the screen of the recipient. It has to be said, some of the drawings look more like a child’s finger painting than an established artists perception of his world, but consider the advancements: there is something unhingingly delicate within the technology hung on the walls. The majority of the images are flowers, hence the name of the exhibition, but others show outdoor scenes as well as the rare portrait or two. A second room shows projected rotating enlargements of several of the works. The enlargement is not the format they were meant to be seen in, and the odd pixel shows up here and there.

One amusing and unexpected, but not unwelcomed, aspect of the exhibition were the visitors who chose to research the exhibition online as they were in the museum. iPhones were ringing and there were faces glowing from their screens all around. Also interesting to note – if you’re reading this on the internet (and of course you are) your view of the works on the luminous screen of the computer, is truer to the actual works of art then someone seeing images of the exhibition in a magazine.

Ahhh, technology.

To immerse yourself in the luxuries of art, without the glowing screens of technology, a stay at White Line Hotels edit Hotel des Academies et des Arts is a must. They’re offering 3 nights for the price of 2 in January and February. (Hint hint.)

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Categories: Paris, Art, Exhibitions

Contributing writer: Alicia Reuter

Daniel Firman, Paris

Paris-based artist Daniel Firman’s sculptural works exist somewhere between fashion, humour, récuperation, and sculpture, challenging the viewer to question the seriousness of the work. Even if the pieces are presented with a wink, the hybridity of contemporary art forms is done with panache and style.

The sculptures are considered to be part of an “environment system,” approaching the field in a broad sense. A code of signifiers within the work, gives clues as to it’s meaning, but interpretation is left open to the audience. Firman is interested in energy and movement, which he skilfully communicates through surprisingly minimal sculptures. He was noticed early by critics and has exhibited at world-renowned galleries and institutions in the past 10 years, every one a little bigger than the last. The fashion aspect of his works has not gone unnoticed by designers; Firman has also created haute couture atmospheres, such as in the Louis Vuitton store in Lyon, and the Christian Lacroix boutique in Paris.

All images courtesy of Daniel Firman. More information on his website at www.danielfirman.com

The fusion of fashion, wit, grace, and intellectual savvy is part the beauty of experiencing art in Paris. Live it at the Hotel des Academies et des Arts. After the excitement of a new year dies down, things tend to be slow for the first few months, take advantage of the Hotel des Academies’ special offer for January and February – book three nights and pay for two.

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Categories: Paris, Art

Contributing writer: Alicia Reuter

Gavin Turk: En Face

Almine Rech Gallery, Paris

There are those who say that having a generously sized ego is a prerequisite for being an artist, if only to stomach the countless rejections involved in establishing a career while still maintaining an attitude that their work has unique value. That unique value, or at least since the advent of a capitalist art market, is, of course, that it came from that unique artist. So, to go with some “chicken or the egg”-style philosophy, what came first? The artist’s ego? Or the value attached to that ego? The concepts of fame, authorship, and originality that will inevitably pop up in that conversation have been the basis of Gavin Turk’s practice. In a slightly new twist for an artist known for using his own image – perhaps most famously on the figures of Sid Vicious and Che Guevara – to makes these points, you might not recognize Turk. You also might forget all about the chicken and the egg in favor of another well-known expression: with friends like these, who needs enemies?

In a move ostensibly aimed at the idea of authorship, 72 clay busts of the artist were subjected to an interactive performance at the artist’s studio earlier this year. While you might not group Turk’s previous works under the genre of self-portraiture, this new series is certainly not. The alterations, and in many cases severe disfigurations, to the still wet clay were made by friends and acquaintances invited to the performance, known as The Bust Party.

Who really made the work? What value does it have? And who would do that to a depiction of someone else’s face? Take a friend on a visit to Almine Rech Gallery and see what other questions come up. Maybe just don’t ask what they would do to a wet clay bust of you…

Until December 18, 2010 at Almine Rech Gallery, 19 Rue Saintonge, F-75003 Paris.

The Hotel des Academies et des Arts - with illustrations from artist Jerome Mesnager adorning its walls, makes the perfect Parisian base for any visit.

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Categories: Paris, Art, Exhibition

Contributing writer: Melissa Frost

Grow Little: Miniature Magical Worlds for Adults

Like many children of the 80′s, I begged my parents for a Sea Monkey kit. I envisioned myself teaching the little brine shrimp to jump through hoops on command, as was promised on the packaging. Of course, none of my dreams of being a Sea Monkey ringmaster came to fruition, and they quickly just became an amusing decoration on my little desk.

Somehow I see the Grow Little Terrariums as being a more fruitful, not to mention stunning, room adornment for adults. The Paris based creator of Grow Little, Kali Vermes, crafts beautiful original works of living art.  Each terrarium contains a unique landscape of tiny unfurling plants designed to “bring nature’s poetry into the home.” They’re the perfect alternative for city dwellers with the desire to cultivate and care for a little piece of land. They’re also ideal for daydreamers like me, who could spend hours creating miniature stories for the lush forest within.

Each glass globe is hand blown, then Vermes, fills it with the miniature plants of your choice. You can find out more and order your own terrarium on the Grow Little website: www.growlittle.blogspot.com.

If you’re like me and enjoy escaping to unique worlds filled with creative wonders, a stay at Paris’s Hotel des Academies et des Arts will enchant and delight you. It’s located on a street lined with artists studios, in the beloved Latin Quartier, with rooms designed in lush textures. Give your imagination a few days to run free by booking a room.

Paris: Marché de l’Olive

It’s no secret to my friends and family, I love cooking. I love the slow process and art of combining fresh ingredients to create dishes that (hopefully) bring pleasure to those tasting them. However part of this process comes in selecting the ingredients, and there’s nothing better then the slow careful exploration of a food markets.  The smells of fresh bread, the call of vendors, the enticing displays of produce, the cheese samples! Among my favourites are Stockholm’s Ostermalmshallen, Barcelona’s Boqueria, and London’s Borough Market.

I’ve found that sometimes it’s better to go to a market, that while central, is still a little off the beaten path. This goes for Paris’s recently renovated Marché Couvert La Chapelle, or Marché de l’Olive to locals.  It’s in the 18th Arrondissement, but it’s completely worth the trip.

The Marché de l’Olive is located just off the boulevard Marx Dormoy, in a quaint café filled square.  The Art Nouveau architecture has been maintained, but modern touches such as automatic doors and a glass pavilion roof have been added or refurbished.  The variety of cultures in Paris can been see here, in all of its delicious variety.  Stalls filled with traditional Parisian delicacies and meats mix with the savoury flavours of North Africa and Asia.  If you want to see the real Paris, and take a taste of it home, this is the place to go.

Immerse yourself in the Parisian lifestyle by booking a few nights in the Hotel des Académies et des Arts.  Enjoy afternoon tea and creative macaroons in the Chez Charlotte, stroll by artists hard at work in their studios just around the corner from the hotel, and enjoy some of the most comfortable beds on the Left Bank.