Deux Frontières

Visit me at Vitrine!

2010-06-24T16:50:00.002+02:00

As is evident, I have not been posting regularly these past few months because I have been working on my new website, www.thevitrine.com, which is a web boutique for objects for the home-made by hand or small production, as well as artists books, unique artwork and personal accessories.

Vitrine was inspired out of this blog- through my developing interest in design and craft as well as contemporary art- on the website you will find designer profiles and a regularly updated NEWS section to include guest bloggers.

Work ships from the USA and France- combining my ongoing schizophrenia of living in and between the two! I hope you enjoy.

Thank you!!

La Revanche-Designer Market

2010-05-05T12:45:00.005+02:00

Until Sunday, the 9th of May this great market of upcoming designers-textile designs on cloths, books, posters, kids toys, lamps and so on, is happening at 28, rue Beaurepaire in the 10th.
Lots of goodies to be found.

Fresh Air Project

2010-04-09T12:13:00.003+02:00

This had to be shared. In doing a web search on a friend of a friend's work I came across this project by Dino Sanchez, a New York based artist and designer called "Keep Air Fresh." This is an ongoing installation and public art piece in which Sanchez places an installation of boxes of matches in bathrooms around the greater New York City area. About 5000 pieces will be installed. The idea- Keep our air fresh. I love it. Super smart and funny. Here is a link to the blog of his Keep our air fresh gallery that documents the sites.. http://www.keepairfresh.com/

And a photo of the match boxes from his site.

Brocante:Batignolles

2010-03-31T11:23:00.004+02:00

On through April 5 around the square of the Park Batignolles. It seems smaller this year then last, but always worth a walk through. Buy some incredible pasta or panini's to go at Da Zavola and have a picnic in the Park as well!

connections

2010-03-26T20:04:00.003+01:00

I have not been blogging of late, not for lack of cool things experienced-for example a delicious dinner at L'Office in the 9th and La petite sirene de copenhage. Fresh, delicious, mellow atmospheres. Highly recommend.

What I really wanted to share was this great website I just stumbled upon, www.goodnessgreatness.co.uk. Started as a blog by a couple, Pete and Parusha, in which they interview friends and then friends of friends and so on has now turned into a website with a zine. everything is in interview type format with photos and the people involved all seem to come from a wide range of creative activities. Fabulous concept and fun to read! It is going to be cold this weekend in paris so something to read inside.

Plastic Fantastic

2010-03-11T14:12:00.005+01:00

In the latest issue of the French Marie Claire Maison, I came across some really beautiful work by Les Filles de Factuer, hanging curtains and screens made up of twined, colorful plastic. I went to look at their website this morning and discovered that it is in fact a French organization whose mission is to help people in need, particularly in developing countries and notably women and children, to help realize or develop certain skills or use of materials that could help them to earn an income and aid their social environment. Since 2008 this has been specifically to set up a link between France and Africa in a project called 'recyclagesacplastique' (recycled plastic bag), in which they focus on the material of plastic bags, to transform them into interesting objects for sale.

The work is for sale on their website. Check it out.

Of Carrot Cake and an exhibition

2010-03-05T16:38:00.002+01:00

Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac, 7, rue Debelleyme, has a nice exhibition on the top floor called "Infinite Folds," which is based around the simple notion of artists transforming a paper's surface by folding it. Though I am alrady paricularly partial to works on paper, I found this exhibition poetic and thought provoking. It explores some basic ideas of art, namely form and possibilites of a material, and the question of how can the simple act of a fold can create another layer or dimension to a work of art. This gallery is huge and there are two other exhibitions on view, including a few monochrome, shaped, paintings by Jason Dodge in his characteristic, though lovely, large, strokes of paint and a larger show by an Iranian artist named Ali Banisadar.
Following a little art viewing I unconsiously made my way to Coco Cook, a great new take out food shop on rue Charlot, across from the Marche des Enfants Rouge. The carrot cake and iced lemon cakes are to die for, let alone their delicious selection of salads, sandwhiches and plats du jour. It is a needed and wonderful addition to the upper marais.

Atelier Les Quatres

2010-02-28T16:41:00.003+01:00

Atelier les quatres is a studio/shop consisting of four young, talented textile designers creating fun and funky prints, designs and illustrations for pillows, napkins, dishtowels as well as t-shirts, baby clothes, canvas bags and one-off ideas like masks and found ceramics. The studio includes Eve-Marie Bousquet, Rachel Pelquin, elsako, and Hélène Georget, and on Saturdays they open their doors to the public to see what they are making and of course, to shop. They all work independently but a couple of them collaborate on other projects including Duette Design, and A Wolf at My Door. Most of the work is made in a limited edition and all of it by hand. It is ambitious yet fresh and fun- it seems they work hard but don't take things too seriously. Bright colors, birds and other animals, sunglasses are silkscreened onto their respective objects giving them a new life and attitude. 36, rue du fer à moulin, 5eme.

Hello & Goodbye

2010-02-26T16:20:00.004+01:00

I am declaring the countdown to spring officially on. Some of you in Paris today might think I am a bit premature, but you have to admit that in between the coolish gusts of winds, the sun feels warm and the days are noticeably longer. Walking home today I noticed little signs: the pods hanging off trees and small bursts of yellow and lavender flowers in the parks. Maybe I am feeling inspired from the Jan Dibbets exhibition I just saw at the Musee d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris (this place needs an acronym). I have been a fan of Dibbets, a Dutch artist born in 1941, for awhile. I love his use of simple landscapes of the ocean and green reedy grass which are turned into geometric constructions suggestive of Frank Stella or Ellsworth Kelly. This exhibition compares his early 1970s work to work made in the late 2000s, using the same techniques and landscapes. It's earth art or land art à la Smithson, with less machismo and more poetic. Maybe I am partial to landscape painting in general, and Dibbets in many ways seems like the proper extension out of 17th century Dutch landscape painting--but of course photography and conceptual. It is a small exhibition and worth a quick visit.

Omnivore

2010-02-24T10:27:00.003+01:00

As an American living in Paris one question I seem to be asked relatively often, by French and non-French alike, is "oh, France, don't you love the food?" or "Isn't the food amazing?" To which, perhaps being a bit of a rebel inside but also not able to be dismissive and flattering, reply something like, yeah; it is ok-cheese, butter, magret de canard are great, but what about diversity? And then I go into a tirade about how Asian food has been bastardized here and how shameful that sushi restaurants put cheese on their menus in what must be a way to ease French culinary anxiety. My point being that yes, French appreciation for good, slow food is wonderful but it is too insular and living in this city after New York seems sleepy food-wise.

In the weekend Financial Times Arts & Leisure section was an article titled "Ripe for Revolution," about the Omnivore festival in Deauville this weekend, and it's founder, Luc Dubanchet, who started the monthly magazine of the same name with the goal of trying to shake up the French food world which he found boring, stuffy and complacent. The author of the article, Mike Steinberger, has written a book titled, "Au Revoir to all that:Food, Wine, and the End of France," (yikes!). Apparently I am not alone in my sentiments and it was fun to read about Dubanchet's horror for Michelin stars and Sarkozy's petition to place French cuisine as a UNESCO cultural treasure. As art, music and dance keep up with changing times, shouldn't food? Spain being the most oft cited having led the first decade of the 21st century in food.

Dubanchet says that it is time for his French compatriots to see that food is a global phenomenon and who cares about being number one. No doubt French chefs have talent and it would be fun to be at the festival this weekend to see the incredible offerings and perhaps it will lead to some revolutionary (we know the French love revolution), ideas in the kitchen.

Michelberger Hotel

2010-02-23T14:40:00.003+01:00

The Michelberger Hotel is all things good and hip about Berlin. I had the pleasure of staying here for four days last week and I have to say I totally dig this place! For 70 euros a night (including an amazing breakfast), for a single, the price is quite right as well. Set in the East, in Kreuzberg, in what was once a factory-- and from the exterior certainly retains this coldness, inside is like living inside an animated film. Drawings and quirky construction abound, but not over the top--simple, funny and well thought out, the rooms are simple, plywood dominates. I referred to my bed as my pod, as it was tucked in the side wall and felt cozy from the outdoor cold. I somehow deleted my photos just now so I copy some here but for the full experience a visit to their site is a must. www.michelbergerhotel.com/

The Tangier 8 in Berlin

2010-02-17T22:24:00.003+01:00

From sunny rooftops and mint tea to icy streets, freezing air and beer-- but we are pleased to be presenting The Tangier 8 at the Forum expanded section of the 60th Berlin Film Festival. First screening Thursday at 12noon at the Arsenal 1 for any one reading this in Berlin, and second this Saturday at 1530.

Bird on the Wire

2010-02-12T11:55:00.003+01:00

Bird on the wire is a cute little boutique in the 4th, on the river side of rue St. Antoine, which I happened upon the other day. Filled with great gift ideas including notebooks, jewelry, knitted objects, fun Japanese candy and gadgets. I loved the tights from Les Queues de Sardine with handprinted clouds, flowers or rain and the retro mobiles from petit collage. They have a good selection of the lomo cameras as well and an hysterical game called "are you a bitch".
The boutique is perfect escape from chilly weather or just to unwind for a bit and get lost in all of the fun, quirky, cool objects on hand. www.botw.fr

Shakespeare & Co.

2010-02-09T10:31:00.003+01:00

I have attended a few of the 7pm Monday night readings at Shakespeare & Co., recently and last night's talk by Wendell Steavenson about her recent book, The Weight of a Mustard Seed was really incredible. The book is about an Iraqi general, Kamel Satchet, but seen through the eyes of family, friends and former war colleagues, as she never met Satchet himself. It is a portrait of a man, but also a look into Iraqi life. Last night she read a nice portion of a chapter and really allowed you to get into the story. Sometimes it seems authors are anxious to read through and get to the wine or something and you don't get a strong sense of the writing. This was not the case. I have read the book, but awhile ago so it was great to "re-enter" it, so to speak. Second; often I find the q&a session following a reading a bit painful and akward but this one flowed and was full of engaging and good questions about Iraq and the war, something of a news item that we (I) seem to pay less attention to these days with the focus on Afghanistan and Pakistan and poor Obama's republican battles.
In any case, it was a reading that left you wanting more and I love that kind of thing.

Talk It Out: Half Empty, Half Full

2010-02-02T11:23:00.001+01:00

Talk It Out: Half Empty, Half Full

I don't usually, if ever grab another blogger's posting, but I occasionally read the Decor 8 website for design ideas and last week she posted this entry asking her readers to "talk it out" and write about their own half full/empty experiences/realities, etc. I found it made rather interesting reading-like a mini-therapy session or something, to read about what some of these people are feeling in their lives. I didn't read all the comments, but many I did read had to do with winter or working from home, things that I think about a lot as well-as it's gray and early February, things feel darker and isolating, but one discussed her husband's deployment and several others about forced relocation, and many about work/life juggling. Anyhow, I wanted to pass it on for other people to enjoy/relate/empathize/laugh/etc.

Holiday rental in Southern Spain!

2010-02-01T16:04:00.003+01:00

A good friend who is from Motril Spain but now living in Los Angeles, is looking to rent out their apartment for holiday visitors. It's a beautiful town, close to the beach- this text is taken from a UK holiday site that is advertising it, but if anyone reads this and is interested, please let me know and I can put you in touch with Maria directly. More photos on request!
This luxurious apartment is 1 mile walking distance from Motril downtown - Great shopping, restaurants & Tapas bars, five minutes by car to the beach, beautiful Los Moriscos golf course of Playa Granada, popular Harbor & Plaza De Toros. ONLY 35 minutes from GRANADA and SIERRA NEVADA - well-known by its great skiing and beautiful villages of Las Alpujarras. PERFECT LOCATION!!! Very close to other beach towns. Everything is in GREAT CONDITION…Why stay in a tiny hotel room when you can FEEL AT HOME in this INCREDIBLE apartment? Top of the Line Appliances…beautifully furnished and decorated…Two Bedrooms... Full Bath w/ Tub and Shower… Sleeps 5 comfortably… Parking garage… Brand New Kitchen… Outdoor Terrace With Breath-Taking Views Of The City, Brand New Flat Screen TV And Stereo, Air Conditioner/Heater... Great Nights Await.. Many Festivities And Amenities.

TenOverSix

2010-01-30T12:39:00.003+01:00

If you are in Los Angeles I recommend a visit to TenOverSix, a funky, quality boutique with a great selection of men's and women's clothing as well as accessories and objects and art. If you are not in LA you can check out their online store. A mix of cutting edge labels like Rachel Comey, Vena Cava, as well as their own line, TenOverSix, is combined with choice accessories including jewelry from Aesa and objects for the home such as this great Ursa the Bear toy. It is an open and inviting store to browse through slowly as M and I did over the holidays.

Maison + Objet

2010-01-25T17:16:00.002+01:00

I just returned home from an afternoon scouting around the twice annual design salon, Maison + Objet. I hit the fair on Friday when it opened and spent about four hours cruising around to check out the situation. It is an enormous fair that includes heavy hitters like Villeroy & Boch, Le Creuset, Esprit, Alessi and way more, as well as younger, smaller or mid-sized designers featuring everything from textiles to candles to spa to everyday. It was my first time with this fair as it is only for professionals. But the big news is that I am now officially an LLC and on my way to opening an online retail store to be called, Vitrine! Despite the global economic crisis (another possible name), I am starting a boutique online only-with a presence in Europe and the USA, to feature objects for the home and accessories such as scarves, artists books, and paper, by independent designers from around the globe whose approach to their work and design is tactile, thoughtful and smart. Most of the work will be handmade, but not all, and much will take into consideration a sustainable or low-impact approach. Most of the designers will work in a limited edition or small scale production.

In the next few weeks as I make the push to get this baby up and running I will be blogging about it and soon this blog will be filtered into the new website to include features about the designers I will work with as well as other topics from travel/food/culture. For now, some highlights from the show were my engaging and encouraging encounter with Normann Copenhagen, meeting the designers from Adonde?, who I blogged about awhile ago, and gushed around them like they were George Clooney or something, the yummy textiles of Donna Wilson, and the great line of dishes at Hana Blomst. These are just a few of the people I hope to be working with on thevitrine.com in a couple months!

Seeing is Believing

2010-01-16T13:01:00.006+01:00

"Seeing is believing" is the title of a solo show by mounir fatmi opening tonight at Galerie Hussenot, 5 bis, rue Haudriettes, in the 3rd. This eagerly anticipated exhibition is fatmi's first show with the gallery and his first solo show in Paris in nearly 2 years. "Seeing is believing" continues fatmi's exploration of the connectivity between large social structures such as architecture, religion, politics and art history,as well as the minute relationships found in everyday existence. This is perhaps most evident in a series of prints that line the wall with statements that read, "Minimalism is Capitalist," or "Futurism is Facist." They are semi-joeky but at the same time, imply other readings of classic art historical movements. The visual language of Russian constructivism, such as Malevitch's iconic "Black Square" is referenced in works such as the large square set high up on the wall, built from black VHS cassettes and in the video piece showing censored text of FBI files of interviews with the black panther's that has been reduced to the essential forms of black and white.

In a new piece titled "les assassins," about 80 hookhas are placed in the center of the room, their coils for smoking layed out for viewers to take a puff. The title comes from a historical link tracing the etymology of the word assassin-believed by many to come from the word hasish or Haschichiyoun, the name of people who smoked Hasish which was frequently smoked in the hookhas or the french word, nargile. This translation of the name was made popular in the West during the time of Marco Polo, although other readings exist inlcuding a link to the Assassiyoun, or those loyal to Assas, or the foundation of law. Whatever may be the case, the work is both beautiful and haunting and is purposely placed in view of a photograph from fatmi's latest (still in-progress) project, "Sleep," which spins the famous Andy Warhol film of John Giorno sleeping for 6 hours to show the author Salman Rushdie, a Warholian type personality most famous for once having a fatwa against him, in vulnerable repose and in view of "les assassins."

In all of fatmi's artwork and installations we are at first attracted by the graphic, aesthetic quality, but soon we get drawn into a deeper understanding of his intentions and the subversive nature of the work which always presents various layers of interpretation. The exhibition is on view through February 20.

Paper Goods

2010-01-12T11:06:00.002+01:00

Lagom, which means "perfect balance" or "just right" in Swedish, is a design collaborative that emphasizes, as the website says, thinking about the greeting card from a new perspective. Among many things, the group is focused on innovative design approaches but also resources and methods of printing. But the website is more then just greeting cards, it presents a selection of great cards and stationary as well as notebooks, trays, tote bags, wrapping paper and other small, stationary type accessories. It provides a fresh selection from independent designers from Europe-mostly the UK and Scandinavia. They also have a news section outlining some interesting finds and places. Lagom Design seems to have succeeded in striking that perfect balance between smart design and functional, allowing you to spice up your office or home with fun, aesthetic and affordable products.

Travel debacle

2010-01-11T11:40:00.003+01:00

Tyler Brule, media and branding genius, and editor of Monocle magazine, gives a weekly column on the back page of the Arts section in the Weekend edition of The Financial Times called, "The Fast Lane." In it, he discusses his own travel experiences, suggestions for certain airlines or routes, cities, hotels and gives tips and suggestions for better service, style, and all around re-branding and updated ideas for an industry that is somehow, ironically, dying. With the latest gem now called, "the underwear bomber" to emerge over the holidays, there was a global sigh of "ughhhhh," now what hell awaits us at the airport. Rather rally or rebel, most of us sat back in passive acceptance at the inevitable further downward spiral of air travel, resigning ourselves (myself) to the truly unacceptable reality of body screening and whatever else the government decides to deem "safe." But Brule's column from this weekend woke me up to the fact that this situation goes beyond the humiliation in the face of strangers and underpaid airport staff, and more profoundly, rights to privacy, which we would all eventually get over, (what else could we do?). This is of course, a political issue, dems vs. republicans, what isn't these days? Obama must appear strong in the face of terrorism to avoid bad press, but this needs to be looked at as an economic issue as well, in this recession, business travellers will avoid the US and plan events in places like Canada or Mexico (Brule's idea for Mexico and I have to say, a good one to help that country), tourism will falter and the US airline industry will decline even more. I get it that there is a gross issue of security that needs to be addressed but the US needs to get their screening and communications in line before subjecting all of us to public strip searches and punishing those who just want to get from a to b.

2010

2010-01-08T11:17:00.003+01:00

It is exciting to be in a new decade but the reality is, it's still cold and January with no spring in sight for a few months, and I am off to a slow start on the blogging front. So what to do? I am going to start cooking more and experimenting with my repetoire. New soups and stews and foods that I can reheat the next day as I am on mega budget. Jamie Oliver is my new friend in the form of a cookbook (thanks sis), and last night I made thai green curry. Not bad but I forgot a key ingredient- the coriander seeds. Oops: It was still good.

One food issue I have here in Paris is: where are the beets? By beets, I mean the non-cooked version that still have their leafy greens attached. I have searched all veggie markets in my hood and they all have the pre-cooked type. What is this? I don't get it and it doesn't seem to fit in with the French approach to foods. Maybe I need to hit the Raspail or Bio Batignolles market, but I wish it was not so out of the way. I love beets and the greens for an all around beet meal. Hélas.

Happy New Year.

Good Theater

2009-12-20T23:03:00.004+01:00

"A Bright Room Called Day," was written by American playwright Tony Kushner in 1984. It presents a group of young German artists and activists in the dawn of the Nazi regime as well as flash forwarding to a side character in current 1980s who is an activist against the Regan administration. It is a powerful and engaging play and for the first time ever will be presented to a Parisian audience thanks to the collaborative efforts of Hillary Keegin, an American actress living in Paris for several years and French actress Pauline Le Diset, who co-translated the work. Keegin, who stars and directs the play, was inspired to reactivate this work in part through her own frustrations and anger to post 9/11 government policy in the United States. For the last couple of years she has since been working with a cast and crew to put the play together. There will be a screening on the 31st and 1st as well as the week of January 12-16 at La boutonniere theater in the 11. Check out the website for full details. It's a must see. www.brightroom.fr

Galerie d'objets sensibles

2009-12-16T11:04:00.005+01:00

Clémentine Dupré is a young, talented ceramicist with an atelier in the 20th arrondisement. Through the 23rd December she has opened her atelier to the public and has invited three other artists/friends to show their work to create an intimate and interesting salon where you can do some last minute gift shopping. What better then a handmade, limited edition object to give as a present? Clémentine Dupré's light as air ceramic bowls, vases, sake cups are both functional and beautiful. Working mostly (or what was on view now), in white porcelain, with finishes that seem transparent, matte, natural in colors ranging simply between white, black and navy blue. To compare to another ceramic aesthetic I would say Japanese, in its restrained elegance, and not surprisingly, she told me that she exhibits and sells quite well in Japan. In one series, which really grabbed me, she applies a trail of tiny, ceramic beads to the surface, creating a bulbous shape that might sit a the rim of a large bowl or grace the surface of a vase.

Of the oher work in the galerie, were a series of more industrial type plates with images printed on the surface, metal wire mobiles, hand sewn bags with vintage type textiles, and some cool notebooks, pins and magnets. Through December 23. Atelier Clémentine Dupré, 20, rue Etienne Dolet, 75020.

By Mutation

2009-12-11T12:06:00.002+01:00

By Mutation (a great name, by the way), is an atelier-boutique of several, young French creatrices, or independent fashion and accessory designers who are working with fabrics that are either "abandoned" or already been used in another format and "mutating" them into a new design. I found the tiny storefront during my amble in the 20th last weekend and was greeted by a very friendly woman, one of the designers, who said that it was the first week open. There was a selection of great looking capes-a look that seems to hang in there as an ok fashion choice, which is a good thing, and headbands-a look that seems to be making a comeback, perhaps not such a good thing? There were also a selection of handbags and other clothing pieces, tunics and shirts, all made in small editions, with good prices. As their website states, it is a "project that was primarily based on an aesthetic of transformation, now has the principles of ecological and social awareness at its forefront," and how can you beat that? By Mutation, 30, rue Etienne Dolet.

Fabulous holiday rental apartment in Paris!

2009-12-08T19:17:00.004+01:00

Pass it on: A good friend is renting her apartment for the holidays. It is a great apartment and a great deal for your paris trip!
"A very cosy and bright 45m2 apartment close to Gare de l'Est in the 10th arrondissement. Renovated recently. 1 bedroom and living room furnished with Scandinavian designer furniture, bathroom with a bathtob. Well equipped kitchen. The apartment is available for weekly rentals . Perfect for 2 or maximum 3 people. 600€/week"

Quel Plaisir

2009-12-07T09:30:00.007+01:00

I love that feeling of discovering something new and unexpected. Saturday afternoon found me wandering in a small part of the 20th-between Menilmontant and Jourdain. It's an area I rarely get to despite knowing there are plenty of things happening. Following a reading at a friend's studio I took rue cascade over to rue de la mare where I ventured into Beau Travail,, a studio/storefront of several, young French designers featuring printed t-shirts, handmade purses, lamps, jewelry and a few other small items. I had set out to find this atelier, only open on Saturday afternoons from 14-19:30h, and as I was working Saturdays for the last couple of months I finally had a chance to visit. I read their blog from time to time and was curious to see the work in vrai. I didn't end up buying anything, yet, but loved the spirit of the place and will be back: great gift ideas. Afterwards I decided to continue down the street, just wandering with no set objective but eventually to make it back to a metro as the sun was setting and it was cold, when I saw a light on, in an otherwise pretty quiet street and made my way across. In the window were several handmade hats (a minor obsession of mine), and I got a little rush of excitement as I could tell it would be something interesting.
I walked inside and into what felt like and which was, an atelier/boutique and living room. I asked to try on one and then another and then the owner came up to help me and play around-we started trying on various hats, many of which had a 1930s feel with a contemporary edge. They were amazing. A friend stopped in and as I eavesdropped on their conversation I heard her say that they were finishing up the hats for the costumes of the national opera. I noticed then, in the back space some incredible, sculptural hats made with felted fruit and feathers, perfect for a stage. Feeling like I was lingering and afraid I would make a purchase of passion when I needed to be buying Christmas gifts, I took a card, said thank you and made my way back out into the night, pleased to have found such an incredible designer and space--and sorry not to have had my camera! Estelle Ramouse, Chapeau sur mesure, 64 rue de la Mare.

OFR

2009-12-03T15:53:00.003+01:00

Librarie OFR is one of my favorite bookshops in Paris. Every time I walk by I am drawn in and spend a minimum of 15 minutes (usually way longer even if I am late somewhere) browsing their selection of books and magazines covering all ranges of design-graphic, textile, furniture, object, fashion, as well as art books and monographs. They also have artists books, including "Paris" by Ami Sioux in which the artist asked friends to draw a map of their favorite place in Paris and then she used the map and went and photographed the site. Maps range from minimal sketches to elaborately drawn treasure-like maps with personal instructions and added splashes. It's a clever and creative idea and has become a regular gift item to friends. In the back of the shop is a big space dedicated to art installations as well as fashion designers for a salon or fair. OFR, 20 rue depetit thouars, 3rd arr.

Camarena Photo

2009-11-28T17:49:00.003+01:00

Chris "Cam" Camarena is a photographer with not only a great name, but great talent. He has an amazing gift with portraiture-which stems in part, I think, from his open and friendly attitude with all sorts of people from Brooklyn cops to sassy NYC chicks to Ecuadorian Indians. People are drawn to his good energy and therefore are not afraid to let the guard down and allow him to let his skills with the camera fly. He seamlessly fuses the worlds of fashion and contemporary photography- moving comfortably between the two without any compromises. Cam works in the genre of "street photography," capturing the essence and soul of his Brooklyn neighborhood, or his travels around the world, but he has also done studio shoots, where he styles his models in goofy get ups including his latest series of staged "athletes" perfectly posed but with unsightly cuts/blood/bruises. You can see his portfolio on his website, www.camarenaphoto.com

Paper goods

2009-11-27T11:13:00.003+01:00

I realized I never blogged about Intaglio, an amazing printer (imprimerie) in Batignolles and now just opened on rue de Fleurus in the 6th. Intaglio does custom cards, stationary, business cards and invitations for all occassions (we had our wedding invites done there), as well as selling individual cards for the holidays, new year, thank you's, etc. They also have a selection of cards which have recipes for madeline's, chocolate cake and other French specials, and little boxes which look good just as objects if not used to offer a small something to someone.

They do engraved press as well as regular printing and though they can do the traditional cursive style, their overall look is bold, graphic, contemporary design. Their website is very helpful, showing the range of colors and typefaces possible if you are creating invitations. I highly recommend checking out their holiday cards this year which I saw decorating their vitrines the other day. If you have any attraction to paper goods you will be drawn in like its candy.

Discovered: Shirley Craven

2009-11-23T15:22:00.003+01:00

Browsing around the Librarie 7L the other day I saw this book about British textile designer, Shirley Craven and Hull Traders, the post-war textile company she served as leading art director and designer for about 20 years. She started working there in 1961 and stayed until the end of the business. Her designs are big, bold, colorful abstract designs, very much grounded in the spirit of abstraction in the post WWII years. The designs are very rhythmic, at times painterly, using inventive motifs and aesthetics that would become more mainstream by the late 1960s-70s.

Hull Traders was in itself and interesting company-fusing collaborations with painters, sculptors among designers. It was known for innovative concepts and designs. It's heyday was in the 1960s and you can feel the vibes of "Swinging London," in many of the patterns they produced. For more information see: Hull Traders

Tereza Vlckova

2009-11-20T12:34:00.003+01:00

An exhibition of photographs by Tereza Vlckova, a young artist from Czechoslovakia is on view at Galerie Lefebvre. This is the first contemporary exhibition for this gallery, which specializes in French Art Deco. The furniture and paintings from the early 20th century have been cleared away for these colorful and engaging photographs. On view are a selection of images from four different series she has been developing over the past several years; the title of the exhibition, "A Perfect Day, Elise..." takes its inspiration from the Lewis Carroll classic, Alice in Wonderland. The images portray young women jumping, flying or running in a landscape in the countryside, the same landscape photographed by the famous Czech photographer, Josef Sudek. The figures seem ethereal, like apparations in their own fantasy. In another series she photographed young twins, standing side by side, again placed in a nature, although it feels an artificial nature. Something seems off, almost creepy the way the young children, identical including their dress, stare out at you. For a more recent body of work, Vlckova photographed her young cousin, wearing a bathing suit in a landscape, with llamas. The colors are super artifical and saturated, a la David Lachapelle and Pierre and Gilles, but the provactive yet innocent impression of the work calls to mind Sally Mann. You can the references to other, older photographers including Anna Galskell, Justine Kurland, and that mid 1990S Yale Photography school aesthetic, as well as Rineke Dikstra and Loretta Lux with the twin photos, but the work is not derivative. Vlckova clearly has her own voice and will no doubt continue to engage and entice us as she moves forward. 15, rue Pre aux Clercs, 75007. Tues-Sat. 11-6pm

Astier de Villatte

2009-11-19T10:54:00.003+01:00

I stopped by Astier de Villatte yesterday thanks to the recommendation of my friend, Emilie. What a beautiful shop- a visual escape from the city. The interior is all wood and country home like, but the home of a super creative spirit. The store is filled with variation of their trademark ceramics, white glaze over a gray earthenware which slightly shows through. Plates, glasses, vases, bowls, etc. Also on hand were gorgeous notebooks and calendars, candles, and a selection of beautiful decoupage plates and paperweights from NY based designer John Derian. The impression leaves one feeling dreamy and creative. 173, rue st.honore.

FOR SALE!

2009-11-11T18:05:00.003+01:00

First ever deux frontieres sale! Well, basically I was doing a clean out of the shoe closet and I have had these great pairs of high heels which my life no longer provides for, perhaps sadly, because I do love these shoes--I hate ebay and instead of going around to the depot-ventes in Paris I have decided to try and capture an interested party via the blog. They are both in good condition--Not ever heavily used. The Gucci's have a little fraying at the toe and the Lulu's a little on the heel/talon do to (i think) stepping into a grate...not important.
Check them out!

GUCCI's: Size 7.5 Price: 50 Euros or $75

LULU GUINESS: Size 38: Price: 50 Euros or $75

Prices may be negotiable--especially if you want both of them!

The lowdown: If you are in Paris-free hand delivery-- If you are in the USA and can wait until the holidays I will ship them from California for free...otherwise I will need to charge shipping. Please email me at bdessent@gmail.com or leave me a comment if interested. More pics can be sent as well.

Adonde?

2009-11-11T15:45:00.003+01:00

How much am I loving my new Adonde ceramics? A lot. I first came across their designs at a great boutique in williamsburg, ny called MC&Co, and then came across them at the Bon Marche during our wedding registry outing. This was exciting and I wanted to put all of their ceramic dish collection down on the list but it was clearly not the most practical idea--although I may end up slowly adding on as the time goes by. Their products are all about modular configurations-lids, bowls, vases, plates, cups, pots that can be interchanged, stacked on set alone and just look great. When I finally googled them I was sort of pleased to learn that they work on my street in Paris! I walked by of course, but no storefront, so it must be tucked away in the building. very random however. We are happy to now have this ceramic teapot and two mugs as well as a salad bowl all in the creamy sandy tones. Adonde is the brainchild of a Spanish-French design duo: Javier Gutierrez Carcache and Laurent Serin. They also make wooden utensils, funky wooden vases, a great fruit bowl, and clearly the spanish influence, a hammock. They sell worldwide. Check it out. www.adonde.fr

Anna Rivka-Jewelry

2009-11-09T16:28:00.002+01:00

I came across Anna Rifka's new boutique at 67, rue Vieille du Temple, at the end of summer. I loved what she had in store, but had perhaps unfortunately, already bought what I was going to wear for my wedding and could not justify another purchase at the time, so I saved her catalog for future reflection. She had just moved into this space, from rue Condorcet in the 9th. The look is very 1920/1930s-- a bit art deco mixed with pre-raphaelite, but not overly romantic. She mixes the right combination between a more hard edge/urban look with antique aesthetics. Using metals and semi-precious stones, her designs are quite lovely, and handmade in Paris. Her prices, very reasonable for the quality. Frankly, I have not come across many jewlery designers in this city who have made a big impression--At the big stores you see a lot of the same and prices that are way off the charts, or specifically meant to be cheap and fun. Where is the middle ground? Perhaps here, with Anne Rivka. Go have a look.

Denise Colomb

2009-11-06T12:58:00.004+01:00

Part of the Hotel de Sully, a beautiful hotel particulier in the 4th, just off of rue St. Antoine, is an off-site for the Jeu de Paume. Tucked off to the side from the beautiful garden is a two-level space devoted to modern/contemporary exhibitions. It was my first visit actually, when I went to check out the photography exhibition of vintage photographs by Denise Colomb taken in the West Indies between the late 1940s-1960s. Colomb, a French photographer(1902-2004) was invited by poet and politician, Aime Cesaire to come to the West Indies for an "ethnographic mission" organized for the centenary of the abolition of slavery. The works are all in black and white except for a slide show at end of the show that shows some work transfered into color in the early 1960s. Colomb does not exoticize nor pity her subjects, but presents a fairly straight forward portrait of life for the citizens of Martinique and Guadeloupe, and the dispartity between the vestiges of colonialism and reality of living on a remote island. It was interesting to see the difference between an image in black and white and then in color. One of her later images captures a woman nude, sitting in the ocean. In b+w, the image is powerful for the isolation, the simplicity of her form and a sense of innocence in nature. In color, you see the skin tones of the bather set in the crystal clear blue waters and you cannot help but think of all the tourist posters splashed around town for cheap flights to the island. She is not a sexy, posing model at all, but she has been replaced by one in today's advertising world. This exhibition coincidentally falls almost a year after the strikes and violence that shook these very islands for a few months, which makes one wonder how developments have been made between the countries in the post-colonial world. www.jeudepaume.org

Liz Deschenes-Sutton Lane

2009-11-02T10:23:00.004+01:00

On view at Sutton Lane Gallery is an exhibition of work by New York artist Liz Deschenes. The series, titled Right/Left, presents four large photograms, the results of leaving photo sensitive paper outdoors during the night. After the exposure she applies a layer of silver toner to create a slightly reflective surface that resembles an antique mirror or the results of some chemistry experiment, which in a way, these works suggest. At first glance, you have a hard time gathering what it is you are seeing. You almost get an urge to wipe the surface to see if it changes. The usual skepticism with abstraction kicks in and then quickly dissipates when you learn the techniques and practice of the artist.

Set in the tiny, gray and white space of Sutton Lane, the show looks very elegant, timeless in way. It is simple/minimal work, while also engaging. Deschenes has a way of manipulating the photographic process of development, or post-picture taking (here no camera was even used), and pushing the boundaries of what this medium can represent. Man Ray brought the use of the photogram to a sort of acceptable medium/mainstream but Deschenes is taking it to another level. This seems certainly to be a fitting abstract art of the 21st century. On view through November 28.
www.suttonlane.com

Salon du Livre et Papiers Anciens

2009-10-27T15:38:00.003+01:00

Following the contemporary vibe of FIAC, we decided to head to the twice annual Salon du Livre et Papiers Ancien (Books and old papers), in the rather dreary site of Porte de Champeret. This salon is quintessentially french in a very old school way: picture little, slightly hunched, and red nosed men and women, lots of wool and plaid, lots of dry sarcasm and loud joking to one another fueled by lots of wine. All of the vendors maintain a week-long buzz, as evidenced by the 1/2 full bottle on each table.

M and I have been a couple of times now and each year we walk away with some good finds. It is mostly older French material: letters/cards/photos/books but there is also a fair amount of modern things to be found. I was not psychologically as psyched up to go this year because usually we go in the winter, when it is cold, so being indoors and scavanging through dusty paper sounds more appealing. The motivation on my part also stems from the number of incredibly delicious pop-up restaurants. Typically we go for the charcuterie and cheese with red wine, but this year we took in 12 amazing oysters and some petit chablis. Helps smooth the sales. Unfortunately we both foolishly forgot our cameras because there were some good photos to be taken.

Also a shout out to Sartoni Prints, run by Jader Sartoni, my friend Zoe's husband, and who really has the classiest booth of them all!
Through November 1.

FIAC

2009-10-22T17:43:00.004+02:00

Starting yesterday and on through Sunday is the FIAC art fair. The Grand Palais plays host to the more blue chip galleries such as Gagosian, Galerie Lelong and Paula Cooper while the cour carre shows galleries that are more "edgy" with perhaps a younger age group of artists. I went to the opening at the Louvre last night and really do not have much exciting to report--it is an art fair after all and tends to make one without a large pocket of money to spend, feel dizzy and overwhelmed. Good booths at Galerie Hussenot and Lombard Freid, as well several funky galleries from Amsterdam and Brussels. www.fiac.com

gift ideas

2009-10-20T18:18:00.002+02:00

It is my 200th post. Cool. Clearly today has been a day of internet surfing, seeking inspiration and ideas from the good old (new really), WWW. With the holidays coming up soon (insane but true, although it does feel like winter in Paris already), this website, greenergrass, might be a good source of gift ideas. The site is clean, simple to use and has a great 'curated' selection of items. Keep it in mind.

Great Ideas

2009-10-20T16:34:00.001+02:00

Great website for things design, but really liked this project from a San Francisco based artist:
http://observatory.designobserver.com/entry.html?entry=11257

lovely things

2009-10-17T16:39:00.003+02:00

The most amazing furniture designers, Bokja, from Beirut, fuse modernist furniture with old textiles from the Middle East, Turkey, China, etc. Vintage textiles in all the color, pattern detail covering the simple lines of a scandinavian designed chair or sofa is combing two of my favorite things. What a genius idea and since I can't afford to but one, I hope to sample the idea for a personal project someday. The company was founded by two women, Hoda Baroudi and Maria Hibri in the late 1990s and has reached an incredible and deserved level of success internationally. www.bokjadesign.com

All Saints

2009-10-16T14:45:00.004+02:00

I was late to work today because I got caught up in (what I thought was a new) boutqiue called All Saints, at 49, rue Etienne Marcel. I was wandering down towards the Louvre after having paid a visit to a newish concept store called Hotel Particular. I had read a couple of reviews of this swank fashion outlet but was not wholly impressed by the selection, more impressed by seemingly friendly staff. Hotel Particular stocks high end threads such as Gaspard Yurkiervich, Vivienne Westwood and Jean Charles Catelbajac. It is men's and women's and very unisex at times as two items I was looking at were apparently for men. The store itself is lovely, boudoir meets hotel costes, sort of. It was easy to walk out empty handed. It's not my scene but I do appreciate the attempt to do something different in Paris.

So back to All Saint's, which I stumbled into, as it is sort of tucked back on a corner right near Place de Victoires. The store in fact has been around for a year, and talk is for a new store in the Marais soon. You enter into a huge, darkened space full of distressed metal and wood furnishings, everything in muted tones of beige, gray, black, navy and cream. The lighting is low, not clublike low which can be anoying, but dull, requiring concentrated focus to get what is happening. I was skeptical at first and not even in a shopping mood when all of a sudden, I wanted ten things. The cuts are, generally speaking, deconstructed but with form/shape. A few jackets that reminded me of Vivienne Westwood, with the gathered necklines and diagonal cuts, but prices are quite reasonable. New approaches to cardigan sweaters that reminded me of the Danish designers Best Behavior, draped around the body to be worn open or wrapped closed, layered tunic like dresses, great options for winter wool coats. Prices seemed to range between 80€-€400 depending on the item.
Everyone is probably in the know about this place, but if you are not, go check it out. www.allsaints.com

Chocolate

2009-10-13T11:01:00.002+02:00

Puerto Cacao is a fair-trade chocolate store and cafe in the 17th arrondissement, 53, rue de Tocqueville. Many chocolate stores in Paris feel like jewelry boutiques, pristine and full of glass vitrines and modern displays, with the chocolate costing almost as much. They are delightful to behold but Puerto Cacao feels more grounded-particularly with their fair-trade chocolate and coffee products from Africa and Latin America that fill the store with delicious dark, milk and white chocolate bars, individual chunks that are paid by the kilo, bags of cacao powder, and other yummy chocolate-based offerings. In some cases I think the chocolate is directly imported and in others, the cacao is imported and transformed into chocolates of various sorts by an in-house chef. There is a cafe attached which offers a selection of spiced hot chocolate, teas, home made ice cream, and on the weekends a brunch is offered, with salty crepes and galettes.

Love Tree

2009-10-12T10:37:00.004+02:00

We received this "Love Tree," as a wedding gift from family friends, and I am loving it. It was made by Craig Kane, the son of my parents friends. He is an artist based in New York and his work is all miniature and beautifully crafted. This tree with the floating felt "LOVE" catches shadows at various times of the day. We went for a vertical hanging for a better shadow. This was a morning love.

Cities x Design

2009-10-10T12:19:00.003+02:00

I found this website the other day on a wander through the web, Cities x Design. Conceived by a couple of young journalists/designers/sociologists, the website documents their travels across America, conducting interviews and taking video footage about how the financial crisis has affected certain areas. But the site really focuses on what the future holds and how innovative design thinking can help build up towns and cities that may be on hard times. A recent entry about Detroit features an interview with an AIGA educater who discusses how this city could be a laboratory for innovative and sustainable design. They also feature burgeoning social and art movements by local activists, artists and designers in Detroit, such as the powerhouse project and plot 63, encouraging and inspiring happenings.

Eventually the findings will be compiled into a film and book but it is fun to follow their adventures, and keep informed about local movements in the States.

Textiles and Tunisia

2009-10-05T18:55:00.003+02:00

Check out these beautiful fabrics handmade in Tunisia, found at Le Comptoir de Tunise, 30 rue de Richelieu. The colors are fantastic-bright pinks and oranges mixed with soft greens and blues. There was just something different. Also-gorgeous hand blown glass jars and bowls. This lovely boutique just opened a small cafe upstairs which looked worth a future visit.

Three gallery shows:

2009-10-04T18:11:00.003+02:00

Many galleries have rented out their space this week as fashion showrooms, but a few have kept their doors open and merit a visit.

Galerie Xippas: Vera Lutter, This German born, NYC based artist shows eleven large, black + white photographs taken during the last 10 years using a pin hole camera. The works focuses on urban landscapes, industrial sites, and architecture-including old factories and skyscrappers. The images are kind of ethereal and ghostlike despite the subject matter not being super interesting.

Galerie Chantal Crousel: Fabrice Gygi- The Swiss artist presents, as the press release states, "works that can be related to three catagories: jewels, machines and signs." The exhibition consists of several sculptures, a few large, mainly steel or metal works that have a sort of violent,industrial (with slick production value), and fetishistic vibe.

Galerie Almine Rech: Another Swiss artist though now based in NYC, Ugo Rondonine presnts several large scale paintings that resemble the milkyway, dark, starry, luminecent, as well as two large, wood doors which have been covered in black wax or resin and upstairs is a cast wax, large hanging lightbulb. His work is frequently a melange of media and meanings, often referring to fantasy and desire. This show gives a feeling of Grimm fairytales or perhaps German romanticism in the 21st century.

Vintage Fashion hits the 17th

2009-09-29T18:04:00.003+02:00

Towards end of spring a new boutique opened up in the 17th, Bastien de Almeida. It is a gorgeous shop, it's slick, dark interior is more typical of the Marais then Batignolles, so all the more lucky for us up here that it arrived. It stocks impeccable vintage threads that would make any Mad Men fashion victim swoon with envy. Yves, Sonia, Balenciaga are some of the big names, but many items here are not of the designer label, but classic dresses and suit/jacket ensembles that were popular and elegant in the 50s, 60s and 70s. Bastien de Almeida, 46, rue La Condamine.

There is also a great selection of photography based books and the cherry on the cake is they offer sewing courses once a week. I can't wait to get started! I have been wanting to take a proper class in "couture" and here it falls two steps from home.

Fall in Paris: Let's Begin Again

2009-09-28T10:15:00.006+02:00

Fall in Paris- Although the leaves started changing in our neighborhood at the end of August and I was nervous we wouldn't get any fall weather this year, September has turned out to be a lovely month-minus a few hyper-gray days here and there. I side with the Jewish calendar with having the new year begin in the fall rather then the Roman calendar of January. Since childhood, unless you went to one of those year around schools, we go around with the notion that September is the new "school year," and then as we get older, the feeling of September, following a nice summer, feels like a time to start fresh. In the arts and culture world, September starts the "new season" of exhibitions, shows, books, etc.

If we are lucky enough for an Indian summer like we had here in Paris last week, then you still feel the energy of summer and feel motivated to start new projects and be productive--at least until winter fully takes hold. Whereas in January, unless you are in the southern hemisphere, it's much harder to feel rejuvenated and inspired to begin anew, make resolutions, etc. In reality, most of us feel bloated from holiday drinking and eating and depressed at the cold weather in store for at least 2-3 more months.

Bref, It's fall and Paris has regained its momentum after a sleepy August. I have to say I loved being in Paris in for a couple of weeks in August. People were friendlier, riding a bike was a joy and there were never lines at the market--even if only 2 vendors were working. But it is hard not to be affected by the energy of the new art season. Posts coming tomorrow for some worthwhile shows.

Momentary Hiatus

2009-07-12T11:31:00.002+02:00

Clearly I have not been properly updating recently therefore I am declaring my momentary hiatus this summer in order to get ready to be married in September and ponder new and updated ideas for blogging. Happy Summer! Back mid-september.

Rooftops in Tangier: The 8

2009-06-06T11:48:00.005+02:00

I think I prefer Tangier from above, observing the scenes and sounds around me. Of course being inside of it all is exciting and sensory in a different way. Four filmmakers and four poets/writers pairing off to film the sights, scenes and sounds of Tangier in Super 8...what will develop?

Back in paris

2009-05-25T18:52:00.003+02:00

Bodega-me-lovely

2009-05-12T23:48:00.004+02:00

I am in New York City for the week and the ease and convenience of things is amazing. Not that I can't get most things most of the time in paris, especially as we have Avenue de Clichy nearby, but the ease of New York is perhaps best summed up in the bodega, also referred to as a korean deli or just deli and I forgot how much I love these places. On just about every block in Manhattan is a bodega, some better than others, but every staple can be found in these magnificent little mom and pop shops. From fresh cut flowers to tampons to laundry soap to ice cream to a variety of canned soups, cereals, sodas, beer, occasionally fresh fruit, muffins, bagels......................its all there and more... Truly a wonderful thing and classic NYC.

Pauline Bordeaux

2009-05-03T13:08:00.004+02:00

I first encountered Pauline Bordeaux about a year or so ago at the flea markets in Vanves. She was tucked in between two larger vendors and I heard her telling off another vendor about something or another. I have no idea what she was saying but I was struck by this tiny, maybe 4'7", 70 (at least) year old woman in her soon to be familiar fur hat, holding her own against the younger, arrogant men. I went in for a closer inspection and saw that she was selling her own paintings. She turned on the charm as I walked up, becoming experienced saleswomen she clearly was. Using small 4 x 6" pieces of cardboard, she paints small landscapes of countryside scenes, perhaps with a disproportionately sized cow or horse floating in the background, or scenes of children playing on a beach (but wearing the sailor type uniforms and bow ties reminiscent of the early 20th century), or sometimes just close-ups of animals or flowers. The colors are usually muted due to the cardboard support which sucks all the shine, but they are sweet and folky and I was smitten. For 10 Euros I took home the first of my now four Pauline Bordeaux paintings, for after that, any brocante or antiques fair, whether it was 5 degrees or 20 degrees (Celsius), there she was, working away, on her feet for probably 6-9 hours. I couldn't help but build up fantasitc ideas about her: maybe she lived in some grand hotel particulieur in the 8th, maybe she had numerous lovers including de Gaulle, but in reality I imagine she lives a pretty hard life as an artist, considering her dedication to her craft. Recently I worked up the courage to talk with her and at the last brocante around the Parc de Batignolles I had M take some great photos. So keep an eye out for her on your next flea market or antiques fair and spend that extra 10 euros--you never know she could be the next great thing.

Two cool projects worth knowing:

2009-04-30T13:01:00.004+02:00

Contemporary art is viewed as an international field, but usually the reference is to the billions of biennials or art fairs around the globe, or the amount of travel an artist may do in one year getting to all these events. But reading in yesterday's nytimes.com about Ross Bleckner being nominated as the UN Goodwill ambassodor, following in the heals of Angelina Jolie and Mia Farrow among others, I was pleased about seeing a painter who could be said to define the 1980s art market gold rush tackling serious global crises. Bleckner traveled to Uganda and worked with children who have been victims of rape, war, disease, etc., giving them materials to paint and draw. The drawings will be auctioned at a benefit dinner in NYC to raise money to continue the project. I know Angelina did a lot to raise awareness to war crimes and poverty and one or two lucky kids now have Brad Pitt as a dad (pretty sweet for them), but this project seems really hands-on, perhaps providing a small source of therapy for these young kids.

Later in the day yesterday I read about an exhibition titled "Human/Nature: Artists Respond to a Changing World," developed by The Contemporary Art Museum in San Diego and the UC Berkeley Art Musuem which invited contemporary artists to make a project in response to a World Heritage Site. www.artistsrespond.org Similar to the Bleckner project, Xu Bing, an important Chinese artist, visited the Mount Keyna National Park in Kenya, and decided to do a project about the fragile eco-system and asked the children from the area to create drawings about the trees and de-forestation that also incoporated the use of chinese lettering and symbols. He then created a website, www.forestproject.net, proceeds of which go back to the national park.

Charles Riva Collection

2009-04-23T11:08:00.001+02:00

If you are in Brussels this weekend...

unusual monuments

2009-04-19T14:50:00.004+02:00

Paris is full of monuments as we well know-particularly and most prominently are the war memorials. It seems you can turn a corner and see some stone or (or bronze) faced "hero" on their horse or in strapping pose reminding us of some war "well fought." Napoleon and WWII monuments seem to be the most prevalent, but after living here for awhile now I have to confess I barely pay attention anymore. However this smallish bronze pedestal that I cam across in St. Ouen, a small "suburb" just outside the north of Paris, near the flea markets of St. Ouen, grabbed my attention. I was on my way to see M's new atelier and was kind of taking in the area when I saw it tucked into a small park full of blooming cherry blossom trees, the only sign of beauty in what seemed to be a rather gray, industrial town. The monument is dedicated to a small convoy of French citizens who were deported to Auschwitz, but I don't think the only French victims of this horror? Why here in this tiny little park just off of nowhere? Was it because it was a road leading outside of Paris? Maybe the small convoy they mention in the plaque were of people who once lived in this area which now, coincidentally I guess, seems to be a very Arab neighborhood. I couldn't grasp it from the text here, but in any case found it all quite strange and interesting.

color color

2009-04-11T10:55:00.003+02:00

Springtime-my favorite flower store and nouveauties chez Yoming, www.yoming.fr

Trash to Treasure

2009-04-09T09:40:00.002+02:00

Today in the New York Times: House & Home section is an article about an artist/contractor, Randy Palombo's house in Joshua Tree, CA. It's "green architecture," done DIY.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/09/garden/09joshua.html?pagewanted=2&ref=todayspaper

Galerie Impaire

2009-03-30T17:50:00.004+02:00

A new exhibition is up at the Galerie Impaire, the galerie started in association with the Center for Creative Growth in Oakland, CA. The 2-person show includes work by Donald Mitchell, an artist at Creative Growth paired with a contemporary artist, David West.

Mitchell makes wonderful drawings that present various little faces and figures in various floating formations. The forms look re repetitive but in fact they are always slightly differentiated and never repeated. They work is very graphic and a major stretch of an analogy could be made to Jean Dubuffet. The drawings are rendered in a frenetic manner, often overlaid with watercolors or acrylic paint, though most are black and white. David West's work is slightly varied-figurative imagery mixed with landscapes-mostly paintings, very colorful. Make sure to look at the wonderful store attached to the gallery space full of little treasures made by Creative growth artists. 47, rue Lancry 75010. galerieimpaire.fr

springtime hoorah

2009-03-21T13:47:00.002+01:00

One glorious week of sunshine in Paris. It may get chilly again but spring is here...

MERCI

2009-03-12T11:09:00.003+01:00

Merci could be seen as a anti-crisis endeavor. It may--read is-- a reflection of the new retailing times that seems to consist of unique, "curated" concept-esque stores that provide a new type of service and aesthetic. As we know, the big banks and big names are failing-leaving it to more individualized business to perhaps start the new market going. I am no economist, but Merci was certainly thriving with people throughout its huge, 1500 sq. meter space--formerly a wallpaper factory, on blvd. Beaumarchais in the 3rd.

Founded by Marie-France Cohen, the founder of children's luxe brand Bonpoint, Merci includes on the front end, a gorgeous flower shop and a warm cafe surrounded by books. The interior space is a 2-floor shopping fun house filled with things from a special line of artisan parfumer, Annick Goutal, designer vintage threads, a small fabric shop for the crafty-types, and small collections by mens, childrens and womens designers including Isabel Marant, Stella McCartney, APC, Paul Smith, Bonpoint, and others; a house and home section that stocks crystal chandeliers as well as colored glassware, a whole range of chairs, tables, etc. Here is the catch. Mde. Cohen, who made such a good deal on the sale of Bonpoint some years ago is not in the business now to make a new retail empire. Rather everything sold at Merci is given to charities that support impoverished children around the world. It functions as a non-profit. It is truly a feast for the eyes and wake-up call to shoppers who can feel perhaps less guilty about spending some money! Merci: 111, boulevard Beaumarchais 75003. 01.42.77.00.33

Funny

2009-03-10T10:29:00.002+01:00

This is the promotional poster for French comedian Thomas Ngijol. He is hysterical. A bit dry and biting but pretty good and I love this image. I saw him once on the Grand Journal on Canal+. He came on to do his routine on a day when Sarkozy was the invited guest and before he started he went up to le president and showed him his legal french papers...just to clarify and issues or concerns he may have, Ngijol said. It was great.

Zoum-Zoum

2009-03-03T15:15:00.003+01:00

Zoum is my new favorite sneaker shoe store. I am probably one of the last to know of it, but better late then never. There are several locations around Paris-I stumbled upon one in the 12th and came out with a sweet pair of Tiger hightops with orange laces. It was an impulse buy and I must of thought I was 21 in terms of the style I picked, but whatever- for 50 Euros they'll go a long way. I know there is one in the 9th, south of Pigalle, in the 18th and the 17th as well. I can't find a website tho.

Beer-o'clock

2009-02-27T10:34:00.003+01:00

A new Cave a Bieres opening in the neighborhood-near the market street rue de Levis. It is a boutique beer cave-filled with select brews from Belgium and Holland mostly, as well as a wall of English and international beers-including my favorite Mexican beer, Negro Modelo. I saw one guy buying Red Stripe, the Jamaican lager-which is good, not really compared the Belgian and Holland beers-but clearly was chosen for its origin.They also have the American customer system of points and if you reach 100 you get a free large bottle or a six-pack of you choice. Not that I need any encouragement to buy more or anything.

cupcakes in paris

2009-02-23T12:21:00.004+01:00

They have arrived. The cupcake trend that blasted its way through major cities across the USA in recent years (thanks in part to Sex + the City of course), has landed in Paris in the guise of Cupcakes & Co., a tiny, pink tinged storefront on a funky street in the 11th. The bakery is run by two French women and it is cleary an ambitious endeavor in a city filled with such magnificent pastries. They offer a wide range of flavors-which is sort of where the concept goes French-options such as vanilla with fleur d'orange and vervene, Chocolate and violet, pistache and framboise. Like the mecca of cupcakes, Magnolia Bakery, they could stick with the basics-vanilla + chocolate + use the magic of pastel food dye for effect. The results were a little dry and average. I was also a little dismayed by the big plastic container they put it in to-go--when people clearly scarf them down upon exit-a napkin would do fine in place of plastic, and they need to import the cupcake doily here as well because the paper holder is hard to remove and takes half the cake with it as well. All and all I think it is a fun and clever idea-why not have the mother of American sweets in city of macaroons and mille feuille? Cupcake & Co., 25, rue de la Forge Royale.

John Giorno:

2009-02-20T15:00:00.002+01:00

American poet and artist, John Giorno presents a series of new work, including drawings and paintings and wall installations. It is a fun, bold and brash exhibition from one of the early leaders of the beat generation. On view at Galerie Almine Rech through February 25th.

Pass Navigo

2009-02-19T13:06:00.003+01:00

I have to rant a moment on the Pass Navigo-Paris's version of NYC's Metro card or London's Oyster Card. After much procrastination I finally dealt with myself and got the Navigo. I was so excited to charge her up and not have to think about those damn little carnets anymore. But how disappointed I was, after several minutes of denial/cursing/frustration when I realized that (mid week and mid-month), you can only charge week (16.80 Euros) or month (55+ Euros)--and this doesn not imply say Wednesday to Wednesday or Mid-Feb to Mid- March, but at the first of each. How can this be? If anyone reads this and can enlighten me I will be grateful. Frankly with this system I will loose money because I don't commute everyday and try to avoid metro's when I can, especially when it is nice out. I want to put 30 Euros on the Navigo and use it for 2 months if I want to. Why is this not the case as it is in NYC and London? Another false trap of French bureaucracy. Tant pis.

Medecine Douce

2009-02-17T11:05:00.004+01:00

As much as I love the feel of Canal St. Martin, I can't help but be a little disappointed when, from time-to-time, I wander around there. Nothing much has developed during the last year and it still feels at a cross-roads-verging on something but remaining kind of flat. There is the new, beautiful APC store which no doubt caters to the well-off 30s-40s crowd that always seems to float around there, and there are some good restaurants; plus the opening of Galerie Impaire on rue, Lancry last year was a nice addition. Maybe I expect the New York pace of things when in a year a neighborhood or street is in and out. I should relax and just keep checking things out, hoping to discover something interesting, like I did last week with the small jewelry store, Medecine Douce, 10, rue Marseille. A beautiful store with workshop/studio attached, offers lovely everyday-pieces ranging from long, loopy gold chains, dangling earrings with small smooth stones, patina rings with semi-precious stones. The items are well priced, particularly considering they have a new stand at Bon Marche-- so now might be a good time to pick something up--before that changes.

Raymond Depardon + Paul Virilio

2009-02-12T11:11:00.004+01:00

On view at the Fondation Cartier,www.fondation.cartier.com is an exhibition titled "Terre Natale," or Native Land and features a collaboration of sorts between French photographer Depardon and French architectural theorist and sometimes architect, Paul Virilio. The whole thing is very National Geographic and better suited for a Museum of Sciene or Man than a site of contemporary art. The exhibition brings together a slice of their grand vision on the status of man in the world, particularly migration and displacement through economic and environmental reasons, and the disappearance of native peoples.

On the Depardon side we have two non -narrative portrait-films: one is titled "Hear Them Speak," and shows a series of interviews with people from fading populations around the world who discuss, more or less, the status of their people and lands. There are nine different people: two from Chile, Bolivia, France, Brazil and one from Ethiopia. It is beautiful and tragic, or as the description states, "poetic and political." It also seems a little dated and made-for-TV, in 1979. His other films is called "Around the world in 14 days," and shows silent streaming shots of landscapes and people in several international cities. huh? It was like watching bad photographs of a friend's vacation. Pure concept no proposition.

In the basement is the installation by Virilio with the help of architects Diller, Scofido & Renfro, Laura Kurgan, visual artist and sound designer, Ben Rubin and statistician, Mark Hansen. You'd think with this power group we might experience something new, witness new ideas or propositions, but instead what we get is Paul Virilio on video walking on a street in Paris expounding his theories of globalization, about 50 TV screens spread in rows and suspended from the ceiling showing clips from news and nature shows, and in the final room there is a video that shows statistics and their graphic counterparts about such subjects as Population Shifts, Natural Disasters, Rising Seas, Sinking Cities, Political Refugees and Forced Migration, and Remittances: Sending money home. The presentation was all very star trek-y with images moving along the concave wall, including an image of the earth from space that seemed to pass through in between each subject. It was relevant and current information, albeit nothing that seemed very revealing beyond the fact that in 100+ years the earth is fu**ed. Thanks: I think I see that whenever I read the news. I would like to know what these 'genius minds' might propose to do about it-even if far fetched. Give me something beyond what I can google.

It is hard to know how to sum it all up. Disappointing? Flatulent? Lots of regurgatated information stuffed into a $50,000 or more budget? I don't know but I feel like the money could have been better spent by directly giving it to the fading populations and lands then to these installations. On view through March 15th.

Winter in Paris

2009-02-02T15:47:00.004+01:00

Fairly decent snowstorm last night but unfortunately by the time I could get out and try to photograph this mini winter-wonderland, the rain had started and 75% of snow was now gray mush. Here are some images from Parc Monceau. They closed off the sides of the park, only allowing a straight thruway--with signs, as seen below, of closed due to snow. huh? WOuldn't this be a nice time for children to play in a winter park and make snowmen? Apparently not. I also noticed that the small Batignolles park was closed as well...must be the French way. My other favorite sign of the day is "Pelouse au repose," which translates as the grass is resting. Is that really to mean the gardiner is on strike? Who knows? Finally, the first photo (the order got screwed up), is my ode to Casper David Friedrich, 19th century German Romantic artist famous for his solitary man in nature photos.

Pre-fab:So-fab

2009-01-30T16:36:00.002+01:00

As many know, pre-fab housing is is having its time in the spotlight right now--and likely into the future. Thanks to Dwell Magazine, an early champion of pre-fab, hosts of young architechts and designers took to the drawing board (computer) and have put out some fantastic, original modernist designs that can be quite affordable and of course, easy to move! The February 2009 Dwell is "the Pre-Fab Issue," with a cover of architect William Massie's American:08 prototype, which is now on display at Cranbrook Academy of Art in Michigan(where is currently architect-in-residence). There are many features in this issue that I like, but American:08 is truly outstanding (and the most expensive at this point). Computer programmed laser cutters which he helped develop, are able to essentially sculpt your average building materials to create surprising dips, curves, and ellipises, that redefine the idea of what an elongated white rectanglular structure can be. Check it out:

Andrew Sean Greer

2009-01-29T11:10:00.002+01:00

Great reading last night at the American Library(is it intentional that this library feels like a public library in 1978 in small town Kansas?). Anyways, Andrew Sean Greer read from his book "Scenes from a Marriage," a novel set in 1953 San Francisco about a couple and an old friend who comes back into their lives. He read some beautiful, very sensual (as one audience member noticed), lines-repressed 1950s dialogue, but full of mystery and detail. I have not read the book yet, but it has been on my list and listening to the reading last night confirmed my imminent reading. The book before this one was "The Adventures of Max Tivoli," praised by John Updike in the New Yorker when it was released. Updike was also honored last night at the beginning of the reading.

Exhibitions around town

2009-01-22T17:00:00.003+01:00

A few shows worth taking a look at this weekend:
"Le Futurisme a Paris," at the Pompidou Center, closes on the 26th. Timed around the 100th anniversary of the Futurist Manifesto by Italian poet/artist/facist and masochist Filippo Tommaso Marinetti published in Le Figaro (February 20th, 1909), this thorough exhibition brings together the a selection of the "classic works" from the Futurist movement and how it spread into France/London/Russia and of course within Italy. The paintings are amazing windows into history and the passion of the early 20th century. Man and machine, politics, architecture, urban planning...it was macho, pompous, sincere but short-lived due to the advent of WWI. Most of these burly men so in love with machine and war all enlisted only to very soon die or become traumatized and trivialized by the reality of war and death. It is perhaps a small lesson about the need for balance and of course, women--whom most of these men felt were irrelevant and painted either as prostitutes or being engulfed by machines...a subject typically overlooked in the general study of Futurism but clearly worth pointing out...which they do not in the brochure.

A couple of gallery shows of note:
Fiona Rae-a London based, abstract painter, who was linked back in the day with the Young British Artist and was a Turner Prize nominee. At Galerie Nathalie Obadia.
Kay Rosen-an American artist who explores the possibilities of text and language in her paintings and prints and wall installations. very poetic and smart. At Yvon Lambert,

Americans in Paris celebrate the inauguration

2009-01-21T21:17:00.002+01:00

Americans in Paris celebrate the inauguration....

The Weight of a Mustard Seed

2009-01-20T14:31:00.001+01:00

The Weight of a Mustard Seed, by Wendell Steavenson, is a book about Iraq, but it is not your typical war/journalist horror story. The book traces the life of a former Iraqi general during the Iran-Iraq war named Kamel Sachet. Through years of meticulous research and interviews Steavenson puts together a unique portrait of a man, who also happened to be a ruthless general and served as one of Saddam’s military stooges during the 1980s, who inflicted torture and worse on many a civilian. The Weight of a Mustard Seed sheds light on the times before the US invasions in Iraq, the realities of this country and the countless fighting, devastation and suffering that the Iraqi people have endured. Her interviews with Sachet’s family, friends and associates allow the reader to grasp a more profound psychological portrait of how people deal with war, death and dictatorship, particularly how average citizens, doctors, lawyers, etc. can enter into brutal circumstances and the real price of loyalty. It’s certainly not a romantic book but it is real and insightful, and definitely worth a read.

no groove

2009-01-16T12:48:00.002+01:00

I just can't seem to find my blogging groove post-holidays. I think I need to re-bond with Paris, but winter blues are making it difficult. Even with a sunny day yesterday and the mega-sales everywhere...well, it will come. So for now, just some photos from california...

Ode to Phillips

2008-12-17T16:52:00.003+01:00

As those who are reading this from Paris know, the last few weeks have consisted of some pretty serious gray weather. Even if the sun shows itself, it's generally after 9am. In addition, our bedroom has very little natural light (tho in these weeks this doesn't exist anyways), therefore, if you love to sleep, as I do, it has been very hard waking up in the morning. I found myself slapping off my alarm and rolling over in pure denial. Late mornings were becoming the norm and this is not a good habit to form--even if you work from home and don't have a boss yelling at you for tardiness. In anycase, it is more of psychological thing and so last weekend we headed to FNAC and purchased the Phillips Wake-up light, an ingenious lamp which slowly lights up in the morning to mimic natural sunlight. (Leave it to those nifty Dutch to think of it).

That first night I went to bed feeling like the next day was Christmas morning...couldn't wait to see these magical results. We set the alarm with birds chirping to give it full effect. Around 755 I saw the light beginning to light up (it starts 30 minutes before your alarm goes off to give a smooth transition). I smiled and closed my eyes when soon after I heard the chirping sounds, a bit disorienting when there are no birds in Paris this time of year but pigeons, but indeed, this was a nice wake-up call. Light and birds. I started to close my eyes and pretend I was in the country, but clearly that fantasy soon ended.

I highly recommend the Phillips for those of you deprived of morning sunlight. We switched off the birds for FIP radio, but that morning glow really helps get you up and at'em. yay phillips.

If you are in Berlin...

2008-12-15T11:01:00.004+01:00

If you are in Berlin this holiday season, go see the exhibition by Sarah Crowner and Paulina Oloskowa titled "Ceramics and Other Things," at the DAAD Galerie. This collaborative project is an investigation into the medium of ceramics. Each artist explores their own approach to the idea of ceramics, both working predominately with one of its basic forms, the tile. (press release). Much of this work on view is informed by a residency the pair did together in Greece this fall. The two artists work well together and share an artistic sensiblity, but they both also convey an individual artistic practice each has developed over the last several years.

Goumanyat

2008-12-12T11:07:00.003+01:00

Goumanyat & son royaume is a specialty store featuring teas, spices, essential oils, some cookbooks and cooking products and utensils. The business started in 1809 as a father and son venture, which I believe has continued throughout the generations up to the present. They have expanded to include special cooking classes and of course modernized kitchen utensils, but many of the spices and oils retain the artisanal tradition. Saffron was an early import for this company and there are still many saffron based items. The best thing about this lovely shop is they are friendly, helpful and not ridiculously expensive, like Mariage Freres, which has amazing teas, yes, but insanely overpriced. 3, rue Charles-Francois Dupuis, 3rd arr. www.goumanyat.com

Jeanette Winterson

2008-12-08T12:14:00.003+01:00

I had the great pleasure to see the author Jeanette Winterson read from her early novel, The Passion, on Saturday, at Shakespeare + Co. It was truly one of the best readings I have ever been to and feel lucky to have attended. Winterson is an author who is always on my list of "to read," but somehow, I never bought a book and did so. I now realize my error. Fortunately, I can now start to benefit fully from her gift, and perhaps it will be even better after glimpsing her personality and incredible reading performance. Her website is pretty fun as well. www.jeanettewinterson.com/index.asp

Sorry for the bad photo.

Thursday afternoon

2008-12-05T11:16:00.004+01:00

Seeing a slice of sunshine peek out late in the afternoon yesterday, I ventured down to the Carrousel de Louvre to check out the Salon des Creaturs, (design/craft fair), thinking it might be a good opportunity to buy a birthday present for a friend's party on Friday and Christmas gifts as well...well, was I wrong.. wow. it was really horrible. I knew it from the moment I walked in and saw large frosted glass things, and then proceed to do about a 7 minute tour of the whole thing with mouth open at where they even found these people and who selected them to participate? I was so disappointed and now had two-hours to kill before meeting up with friends in the neighborhood. So, I decided to head to the Musee d'Art decoratifs, where they had an exhibition about the history of Sonia Rykiel, who is celebrating her 40 years in the business this year. I am a fan of her work, which seems to only get better with age. The show was a little lacking, the clothes didn't even look that great, condition wise, and they keep it so dark in there you can't really see the posters and magazine tear sheets very well. The best part was a collaboration she did with Andy Warhol TV, where he talks about being in Aspen skiing and all the beautiful people he saw.

After wandering aimlessly for a bit longer, I headed to the quaint wine bar on rue, Richilieu, Juvenilles, where the author Robert Camuto was signing copies of his new book "Corkscrewed." A bit tongue-in-cheek, but the book is a fun read about French terroir and the rise of small wine producers who avoid chemicals/additives/etc. to their wine, sticking to the pure methods of production. The bar had some amazing wines, from some of the producers he met on his journeys in the French wine region.
Books onsale at the lovely Red Wheelbarrow bookstore.

Here comes the sun...

2008-12-02T12:01:00.002+01:00

I am calling it: (reference to the election night terminology).. Paris has sunshine. 12:00 noon on Tuesday, Decmber 2. Hooray: As I went to sleep last night I composed severa haiku poems about grayness, which I was prepared to share today. But let's not sour the mood. Likely tomorrow will provide the occassion.

Salon Light #5

2008-11-29T17:02:00.003+01:00

Beginning yesterday through tomorrow is a great little book fair featuring artists editions and small press publications...mainly art related. The salon is located at the Point Ephemere, in the 10th and includes about thirty indie publishers of books, magazines, CDs, DVDs, journals and editions. We went last year and really enjoyed it. Because it is such an intimate space and setting, you get a chance to talk to people and learn about the various projects involved. The salon is sponsored by CNEAI, an arts space located just outside Paris that is dedicated to artists' editions. Check it out: http://salonlight.wordpress.com/

Just a rant

2008-11-28T13:38:00.003+01:00

I have noticed something unusual...or maybe not, about the French and their use of old names to countries or cities and not the said country's desired change of name. For example: I know in the USA, we now refer to the large Indian capital city as Mumbai, not Bombay, which it was called for hundreds of years. According to trusty wikipedia, Mumbai officially changed its name to Mumbai in 1996...In fact Bombay was a name imposed upon by the Portugese in the 16th Century, and Mumbai has deep Indian roots as a word. Yet the French still, up to today's paper reporting the atrocious killings there this week, as Bombay.

Another example: Peking or Pekin--now known as Beijing. Throughout the entire olympics it Pekin this and Pekin that. No, I thought...Beijing! On a quick wiki search I see that in fact the name Peking originated from French missionaries in the country 400 years ago...so that could be one reason for the holdover, and also that Peking is still recognized by Chinese postal authorities, but that Beijing is otherwise the new name..apparently this capital has changed names frequently.

The last one I noticed is Burma or the French Birmanie...since 1989 (wiki) has asked to be called Myanmar. Now I realize this name change is military imposed and this country has series government issues but, if they want to change it...? I know that US papers refer to it now as Myanmar...
I do think at least the French refer properly to Istanbul and not Constantinople, but I am now curious if there are other geographical name-based holdovers and also, why?

Emerging Fashion Designers at Le 104

2008-11-21T14:50:00.003+01:00

I received this email flyer from a young designer and wanted to pass it along. Looks promising!

Eileen Quinlan

2008-11-20T12:12:00.003+01:00

An exhibition of photographs by New York artist Eileen Quinlan is now on view at Sutton Lane Gallery, 6, rue de Braque. www.suttonlane.com
A small show of nine photographs, all but one of which is from her body of work that is developed out a unique, self-made system that uses mirrors, smoke, fabric and lighting to create an abstract, of the moment image. She doesn't manipulate the photographs post production, but achieves quite interesting and complex imagery that looks very painterly. It is impossible to know what you are looking at without any references to the "real world," which makes you appreciate her creative methods even more.

Collaborative Efforts

2008-11-14T13:09:00.006+01:00

I am stealing this blog idea from a favorite blog, fibercopia. I was really impressed by this project, which looks like some wild folk art piece, but is actually the results of a unique and successful collaboration. Jennifer Marsh, an artist based in NY, started the International Fiber Collaborative and invited people to submit panels of fabrics, as she stated on the website, "stitch, crochet, knit, patch a 3-foot square panel, and help point out the extreme dependency of our country on oil for energy. Simply by designing and creating these panels and participating in the project they are showing their concern [for this issue]." She received hundreds of crazy, beautiful, multi-colored panels, which she then used to cover the whole of an abandoned gas station in central New York State. The website documents everything, including all the artists and community groups involved.
www.internationalfibercollaborative.com

Maison Rouge

2008-11-12T17:24:00.002+01:00

"Mexico:Expected/Unexpected. The collection of Isabel and Agustin Coppel," is on view now at the Maison Rouge. The exhibition is a small selection of this vast contemporary art collection, and consists of some interesting pieces by contemporary artists from Latin America including Jorge Mendez Blake, Pablo Reyes,Maruch Sàntis Gomez and Miguel Calderon, while also highlighting some artists from a generation earlier including Gabriel Orozco, a few great films by Ana Mendieta, strange paintings by Francis Alys, and works by Helio Oticica. There is also work by US artists John Baldessari, Pae White, Gordon Matta Clark and Ed Ruscha. Well, this is just a selection. It is a nice exhibition of good work by leading artists--nothing beyond this, but that is fine. The Coppel's are great collectors and this gives us a chance to see that. The real treat here is to see some good work by Mexican and South American based artists who are not often shown in Paris. Maison Rouge, 10, boulevard bastille, 75012 www.lamaisonrouge.org

Le Laboratoire

2008-11-08T12:08:00.006+01:00

About a year ago I visited Le Laboratoire, a new art space which opened in October 2007. The space was still undergoing construction but the concept of Le Labo was immediately intriging--as a place where science art would converge in installations and multi-media projects. I finally got back there last week. The space is beautifully finished, staff welcoming and helpful with information (and free coffee). The current exhibition is between Japanese electronic composer and visual artist Ryoji Ikeda, and Benedict Gross, professor of Mathematics at Harvard University. As in this case, the founder of Le Labo, American novelist and scientist, David Edwards, brings artist and scientist together to develop an idea, which is then featured in the museum.

The exhibition is visually minimal. In the first room, the space is darkened and two long, rectangular photographs are suspended about a foot above the ground. At first glance it appears to be just black and white tiny checkerboard print but when looked at with magnifying glass or really close up, you see that in fact it is a long series of random numbers. The other photograph consists of prime numbers. Mathematical minimalism. In the next room, also dark, is a very brightly florescent lit chamber of sorts that has a humming vibration. It felt like a UV sun bed and on the foggy day helped brigten my mood, though not sure if that is the point. Ikeda states that he has here conceived a work where the definition of the sublime blends with the immateriality of infinity.

When you leave the exhibition rooms, you are invited to browse the media center filled with books and a couple of videos related to the installation. Coffee is offered and it is a really nice, comfortable space to take few extra minutes to learn about the show and Le Labo's mission. Definitely worth keeping on the radar.
www.lelaboratoire.org. 4, rue Bouloi, 75001. Open Friday-Monday 12-19h.

YES WE CAN!!!!!

2008-11-05T14:32:00.005+01:00

YES WE CAN!!!!

Wild Salmon

2008-11-04T10:47:00.003+01:00

I don't ususally do this but I was inspired by this article in the The New York Times and on election day it seemed appropriate to focus on the future, in some way...I hope this link works, if not, go to www.nytimes.com and Science Times--Her name is Alexandra Morton
Watch the video as well.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/04/science/04prof.html?ref=science

The Berliner

2008-11-02T15:57:00.005+01:00

Just back from four days in the hipster haven of Berlin. For some time now I have been curious and intrigued to visit this city so frequently praised and cited in terms of art/fashion/cutting edge bars and so on. With all the hype I was bound to be somewhat disappointed by the real thing, but I wasn't. I was surprised by how large of a city it was and realized 4 days is too short-though I did get a flavor for it. W

We arrived late afternoon on Tuesday and M went off to finish his installation at Art Forum Berlin- so I was left to wander for a few hours by myself. I was psyched to hit the Berlin pavement, but it was already pitch black at 5:30, so I kept my stroll to a small circumference around our groovy pension, the Weltempfaenger. (Carry the card with you should you need a taxi to take you back as there is no way of trying to pronounce this if not German). This small pension is located a little up from the Mitte. Rooms are sparse and concierge type service basically nil, but the bar/resto is a great hangout with good food. I was immediately enamored with the Mitte--i felt like I kept hitting cool, little galleries followed by young designer shops-often with workshops onsite. It was exactly what I imagined. Some cool highlights from this were Fiona Bennett-www.fionabennett.com, a fabulous hat shop; JA Designkonzepte-www.j-a-designkonzepte.de, whose konzepte is vintage and new fabrics transformed into beautiful scarves/eye shades/pillows/decorative items, etc.; Wolfen- www.wolfengermany.com, a lovely boutique, simple clothing, but simple in the sense of elegant designs done just right. kind of like APC does it; and Swert, www.s-wert-design.de, another fabric based concept store tho this time with an architectural//kind of retro look to the designed fabrics used as curtains, pillows, and also on clothing.

We ate (too) well in Berlin. I love the German or Dutch style cafe with the big bar, soft lighting and great coffee served with cookies. In the cold/wet weather we had for a couple of days this is essential to keep up tourist stamina. One night we had Russian food at Gorki Park and another night ate at an old-school restaurant called Einstein’s that had big, high ceilings and kind of a German-1920s vibe to it. We also had the requisite hotdogs or currywurst-(hotdog with curry spices) which left me semi-nauseous but satisfied. The weirdest thing about Berlin is how fast it can change to become a wasteland of strange (bad) architecture and void of sentiment. At the same time this also reminds one of the newness of this city and the scars that are still apparent.

Art highlights were seeing the Neue Nationalgalerie (a Mies van der Rohe building)at night; KW Institute of Contemporary Art; the Casper David Friedrich paintings on the top floor of the Alte Pinacotheque, the new Capitain Petzel Galerie located on Karl-Marx Allee-which was the long route to Moscow out of East Berlin, once upon a time, and of course, M's installation at Artforum Berlin.

Here are some pics. M took better one's so I have to wait until gets around to downloading....

A few exhibitions...

2008-10-26T16:35:00.002+01:00

If you are out and about in the Marais, a few recommended exhibitions to see:
Marcel Broodthaers-Sutton Lane Gallery, 6, rue de Braque: A beautiful, small exhibition that includes 8 plastic cast plaques dating between 1968-1970, from his "Industrial Poems" series, and a small sculpture titled Pools, form 1966. Provides a small glimpse into this diverse, interesting Belgian artist.

Tobias Rehberger "I spent a lot of money on booze, birds and fast cars. The rest I just squandered."-Galerie Husssenot, 5bis, rue Haudriettes. If you like lighting design, you'll like this exhibition. Rehberger, a German artist whose work always crosses the divide between art-design-craft-and DIY, has hung about 40-50 light fixtures in this great, lofty space. Some are made from flat strips of plastic-in various colors and semi-translucent, some take colored Velcro looped around a long neon tube, and others are made from colorful strips of Velcro shaped into loose, twisting forms with a neon tube running through it.

Janaina Tschape-"Dragoons," Galerie Xippas. This exhibition by Brazilian/NYC based artist Janaina includes photographs and a new video taken from a recent residency in Arizona, as well as some drawings and a painting that have a very organic/oceanic quality about them. Tschape is better known as a photographer having started with performance, she often inserts herself in the photographs wearing a self-made costume that might include angel’s wings, latex bubbles or other Matthew Barney-esque accoutrement. The results are very fantasy/romantic/surreal...intriguing. You always have a sense of wanting to know more.

Le 104

2008-10-16T16:34:00.003+02:00

Paris keeps pushing right….right bank that is. Moving out from the central core that nestles both sides of the river (the Marais and St. Germain specifically), the 19th arrondissement is now the go-to destination for cutting edge culture. It’s been happening slowly over the last few years thanks to such gallery spaces as Jocelyn Wolff, Cosmic Galerie, and Castillo Corrales… But with the grand ouverture of Le 104, we can safely say that this area is solidly on the map. Awhile-back Avenue Louise Weiss in the 13th made an attempt to open up the Paris gallery scene, but it never had an anchor and was just too far off the map. The 19th makes sense. It’s really not a far leap from the Marais, especially with the Velib, and the cementing structure of Le 104 is not going anywhere anytime soon.

Spanning 39,000 m2, which is like 450,000 square feet, Le 104 will serve as artist residency, performance space, arts and education center for children, and will host a series of events and is open every day of the week. Come spring 2009 there will be a café and bookstore. It intends to a meeting place for the public and contemporary culture—a realm often thought elitist by many will now have a chance to connect with new people and new contexts. It’s exciting and I hope it succeeds. 104, rue Aubervilliers. 75019 www.104.fr

Help Wanted: New coach needed for large national team

2008-10-13T15:27:00.003+02:00

Sometimes I find that being abroad makes me more American in small, strange ways. Take for example, sports. I was a big sports fan (playing and watching) up until about 14, when teenage angst took over and other things seemed more important...Seventeen magazine for instance. Since then I would occasionally watch a game with my sports fanatic father when home visiting, or maybe attend a super bowl party, but for some reason I had an affection for the World Cup, when the soccer teams of the world unite in a battle for victory--the first time I caught the fever was in Mexico, in 1998, I happened to be living in a small town for the month that the world cup took place and everywhere and anywhere you turned was a TV and a group of people glued to the screen. Then, coincidentally I was in Barcelona in 2002 and the same energy was all around. So here I am in France, and yes, there is rugby and tennis, which are good sports, but the obsessive nature of Le Foot, as they say here, is addicting. I have become a true blue fan of Les Bleus, (the French national team), which is why I must chime in with a call for the resignation of their apparently out of work theater producer coach, Raymond Domenech. I suffered through the summer's Euro Cup tournament, in which Les Bleus came in about 2nd to last. It was frustrating to watch, particularly after their great performance in the 2006 World Cup. Again, I never excelled in soccer and I am not a coach, but I think I could do better then this guy. His starting players can be all over the place, changing star positions, like he did on Saturday for Thierry Henry in the first half, and he stands on the sidelines with his thick eyebrows and a finger upon his lips as if he were pondering Descartes (or maybe where he should send his resume now). He has none of that jazzed up coach sentiment, and claims to need to watch the tapes after loosing a match, as if he weren't there the last 90 minutes to comment on what went wrong. His attitude could almost be a French cliche. The last couple of matches his job was on the line..if they had lost then he would have been fired. I think that if it is even such an ongoing question it should no longer be an issue. If Les bleus pull it off and get into the 2010 World Cup, which at this point is a maybe, they had best find a new coach and fast.

Buenos Aires in Paris

2008-10-10T16:02:00.004+02:00

I have to admit I have become addicted to facebook this week, which I finally joined and have now entered the phase it appears everyone goes through when they first join...finding all the people you know on it..and often finding people you don't want to remember you know! However, before it ends tomorrow I wanted to mention
that up on the 2nd floor of The Bon Marchè is a special presentation of things Argentinian. On one side is a cafe that is selling Argentinian style food and wines and offering classes in Tango. On the other side is a selection of clothing, shoes, pillows and throws, as well as books showcasing the natural beauty of the country, classic novelists like Borges, and a selection of food products. I thought they would have found sightly more interesting designers, but rather they seemed to go for the sterotypes of the country, selling such items as vintage, 40s dresses (à la Eva Peron?), gaucho type riding boots, tango-like shoes and lace tights, and earthy looking knit jackets and scarfs. There is also a nice photo exhibition of street scenes from the 1980s by Mario Pignata Monti, who studied science in France in the before turning to photojournalism. A couple of shoe designers really stood out, Mish and Divia. It is a cool concept but kind of fails to offer anything unique. Rather it looks like an exibition organized by the toursim board of Argentina. Lovely, but typical.

Textile Design Library

2008-10-04T15:06:00.002+02:00

Reading the quarterly Hand/Eye newsletter from Aid to Artisans, www.aidtoartisans.org can be so creatively inspiring-I just learned about the incredible Desgin Library for Textiles located along the Hudson river about 60 minutes from NYC. Wow. If I had known about it when I lived in NYC I think I would have moved up there and into the vast holdings which are housed in an old textile bleaching factory. The library includes fabrics, embrodieries, yarn dyes, wallpapers and paintings from 1750-present, numbering near 5 million samples in 900 catagories. The library was founded 30 years ago by Susan Meller and her late husband Herbert. She has produced a comprehensive image catalog covering 200 years of European and American Patterns, and recently published a book about Russian Textiles. What an impressive and truly rich resource. enjoy. www.design-library.com