Marc Hundley, a Canadian mixed-medium artist currently based in New York, was commissioned by Helmut Lang to reinterpret its own logo for its Resort 2020 collection. Having attended a Helmut Lang show in Paris while still a teenager, Hundley opted for a retro-style interpretation. This nostalgic theme was emphasized in the design, where the brand’s name was deconstructed and jumbled into a new funky composition and hand-stenciled across a series of staple garments including denim pieces, t-shirts, and a hoodie — the latter pieces feature another printed graphic reading “Printemps/Été,” which is French for Spring/Summer, further emphasizing the relationship between artist and designer.
The Helmut Lang x Marc Hundley collection is available online now.
Helmut Lang has partnered with German multimedia artist Josephine Meckseper on a limited three-piece collection. The new capsule includes a t-shirt, trucker-style denim jacket, and cuffed dark-wash jeans. All three items have a hand-painted graphic inspired by the designer’s three-striped trucker jacket from 1997.
For the collection, Meckseper, who is known for large-scale installation pieces, incorporated a hand-painted technique through an intensive screen-printing process that emulated the original design while adding 3D effect. The print is placed on the side of the t-shirt, back of the jacket, and inside the cuff of the jeans. Helmut Lang has a long history of collaborating with artists, including an earlier Pride capsule with Artforum and t-shirt collection with Russian artist Slava Mogutin.
The Helmut Lang x Josephine Meckseper collection is available online now.
For its latest collab, skateboard brand Palace has partnered with Moroccan fashion designer Jean-Charles de Castelbajac, whose playful designs have amassed critical and commercial plaudits and been worn by the likes of M.I.A. and Madonna.
The capsule collection features all the summer necessities, including graphic tees, hoodies, bucket hats, caps, and printed button-downs. de Castelbajac’s signature artful pertness is woven seamlessly into the skatewear — the Palace pyramid logo is updated with hand gestures and a card-game theme is integrated into several other pieces. There’s even a card deck that really drives the theme home.
The Palace x Jean-Charles de Castelbajac summer capsule will launch this Friday at select Palace stores and online. Check out some more pieces below.
As part of Ruinart‘s annual artistic initiative, Brazilian artist Vik Muniz worked on a project named “Shared Roots” which debuted at Frieze New York. Muniz took a metaphoric trip to the origins — the origins of the bubbly wine and of the vignerons who shape the vines to ultimately produce the sweetest juice.
Muniz initially became known for his portraits made out of garbage in the movie Waste Land, which chronicled his mission to find materials from the world’s largest landfill. In 10 years he has circled the globe, collaborated with a multitude of brands on more social issues, and experimented with new mediums. The enthusiastic man, with a glass of golden Ruinart in hand, remains a proper social butterfly, especially when Brazilian friends approach when we meet at the Frieze Art Fair. “I think I have the best job in the world,” he remarks.
Images: Courtesy of Ruinart
“If you work with pencil or oil paint, you stay in the studio your whole entire life,” Muniz explains. Instead, he works with known materials, objects, and things that inspire him, whether found somewhere in the middle of Central Brazil or Reims, France. With so many unknown components in paints (like mummy powder and rabbit goop,) his unorthodox material approach may actually be more orthodox.
Working with Ruinart, Muniz was immediately attracted to trees, vines, and dead tree stumps which he had wanted to photograph for a while. “These vines tell a story of curiosity and suffering at the same time. They are very resilient — stoic. Vines are storytellers,” he explains why he chose to focus on vines for his project. “In a way, it’s a little bit of the dance because their form is a gesture that is being done together with human beings,” Muniz added another human element to this relationship: his own as an onlooker and artist conveying their secrets. He finally compiled 11 images into 5 different photographs, a time-lapse, and an art installation in Reims adding up to seven artworks altogether.
Muniz created a giant chardonnay leaf time-lapse out of actual chardonnay leaves found in the Ruinart vineyards.
Vik Muniz “Chardonnay Leaf”
His “Flow Hands” piece features the hands of Frédéric Panaïotis, Maison Ruinart’s Cellar Master, holding a vine stock. The hand blend into the wood as one with the same color trajectory and direction.
Vik Muniz “Flow Hands”
The “Flow” pieces finally bring forth a certain idea Muniz wanted to play around with. The pieces draw vines with pieces of charcoal, essentially a dead tree drawing a tree.
Vik Muniz “Flow Diptych”
The final installation is housed in the Ruinart house back home in Reims where empty champagne bottles glow with LED lights. For Muniz, a partnership with Ruinart is not his first but truly cherry-picked as he loves to work with individuals focused on sensory pleasures — like perfumers and winemakers. “I like collaborating with people that help me see things differently,” says Muniz. “The moment you start asking questions you’re not just looking at something, you’re actually wondering why you’re seeing something else. This is important for me.”
Five of the seven pieces will be available in an edition of eight copies. Additional, the artist design 30 numbered limited-edition jeroboam gift boxes (SRP $5,000) available starting May 1st. Vik Muniz’s work is on view at the Ruinart Lounge at the Frieze Art Fair through Sunday, May 5th on Randall’s Island.
Jean-Michel Basquiat remains a pivotal New York figure whose work will continue to inject itself into many aspects of contemporary design for years to come. Further feeding the demand for all things Basquiat, American photographer Richard Corman is releasing a book of exclusive never-before-seen portraits of the seminal artist exclusively via Vero. Basquiat – A Portrait is an intimate glimpse of the eponymous artist, providing a lens to the man behind some of the most recognizable artwork of the 20th century.
“In 1984, I was asked to photograph Jean-Michel Basquiat for L’Uomo Vogue,” Corman said in a statement. “When I walked into the artist’s loft I was engulfed by a wave of creative confusion. The room was a swirl of people, paint, canvas, color, and smoke. Off in the corner was Basquiat submerged and almost invisible. My initial instinct was to remove him from all the distractions and place him in front of a thin four-foot wall of grey seamless paper. I wanted to see behind his eyes and allow him to tell the most elemental part of his story – the human spirit behind the art. It is tempting to second guess the decision I made that day at 57 Great Jones Street, but I was interested in a simple portrait of a complicated genius.”
Designed in partnership with NJG Studio and Ruedi Hofmann, the book’s design allows it to fold out into a 13-foot banner. The limited-run of 500 books are each signed by Corman and available online on April 24.
American artist Nick Moss prefers to work with stretched out steel sheets, in lieu of traditional canvas, manipulated under extreme temperatures with a welding gun-kind of “brush” to create 85-90 lb. paintings in his upstate New York studio. His latest work is now on view at Leila Heller Gallery, in a solo exhibition, Rigorous Perception, which includesnine nudes, three abstract pieces, and four of the artist’s emoji works.
Photos: Courtesy of the artist
I asked Moss if he ever wants to experiment with other materials and his answer was quite simple. “There’s all kinds of steel.” He was essentially cast into a steel-involved career path since childhood, growing up on a Michigan farm and fixing heavy-duty equipment. His favorite material then became his obsession at a barbecue equipment company that he founded and worked as a design engineer. But his relationship with steel was always a deeper metaphoric one — Moss loved the challenge in working with something so unwilling to be manipulated.
“Steel is very temperamental. You have to fight with it,” he says. “You have to know it. It’s like a love-hate relationship and when you understand it, you can manipulate it, but it also manipulates you.” Easily affected by light and atmosphere, the material warps in often unpredictable ways. Even after Moss welds an image onto his canvas, before it is framed on a steel frame, it can roll up into a U-shape. It is then a rigorous job to achieve the desired result.
With his collection of nudes welded directly onto the steel, there is no margin of error. Hours of meticulous work then turned into flawless silhouettes of the female figure, looking seemingly lightweight from afar. However, upon closer look, they are textured and dimensional. Moss’ abstract patina on steel pieces is a bit more forgiving because they offer him a chance to manipulate color and distort design.
Moss is also exhibiting his older pieces of texting emojis. While so ephemeral and lightly used in our realm of the online, here those “emotions” are set in steel, literally. The artist admits that his favorite might be a smirk.
With an unusual material and approach, Nick Moss remains entirely in his own league.
Before Mira Nachman‘s solo-exhibit at MADE Hotel in Nomad closes tomorrow, there are a few (16 to be exact) pieces to be seen and an entirely new concept of awareness and consciousness to take away through her signature photography.
Images: Courtesy of the artist
Titled “Strip,” her latest exhibit invites the viewer to engage with the work on a philosophical level. The Israeli artist herself found her artistic path deep into her corporate financial career — she first showed her work under an alias. As she further accepted her own talents, Nachman finally presented her first solo show in New York last year. Now Nachman wants her viewer to experience a similar revelation, a sort of process of symbolic awakening to recognize the simplicity and job in one’s existence. Her photography works underline just that: a mysterious space of possibility, beauty, and seeming familiarity.
MADE Hotel celebrates the closing reception of the artist (tonight) Tues Nov 6th 6:30 – 8:30. See more of Mira Nachman’s work on her website MiraNachman.com.
Reaching back in the depths of their archive, Helmut Lang pays tribute to their Spring ’94 runway show as part of the relaunch of Helmut Lang Jeans, Under Construction. Designed with artist Sarah Morris, the limited-edition collection features 25 hand-painted pairs of Nocona Cowboy Boots. According to Morris, each boot will “appear readymade, but [is] dipped and stamped in my colors.” Morris’ artwork is known to focus on urban, social, and bureaucratic themes.
Alix Browne, the label’s new editor-in-residence, furthers the Helmut Lang ethos to incorporate contemporary artists, like Morris, into their collections in new and unexpected ways. The cowboy boot achieves just that and adds a dimension of fun and unconventionality to the designer brand. The Nocona Cowboy Boot company was founded by Miss Enid in 1925 and started a long tradition of unconventionality and bold expression — the legacy continues by way of Helmut Lang.
An artist of all trades, Alexander Mijares describes himself as “that one artist who uses too much color” on his Instagram. Paradoxically, his first NYC show is entirely devoid of color after an inspirational three-day rumble through the city. No Distractions, Mijares’ new exhibition at Hub Seventeen is open to the public through November 4th, with several pieces already sold prior to the opening.
Photo: Courtesy of the artist.
For someone who seems to have a way with color, Mijares confesses, “I have a hard time expressing myself with emotions and feelings and stuff internally. My way of expressing myself is that my paintings are journal entries. Every time I sell a painting, someone tears a page out of my book.” His journal pages are full of travel inspirations, spiritual hikes, Latino background influences, and, of course, Miami, where he is based. But he also knows how to work the market. With over 300k Instagram followers, he says that 90% of his sales happen via social media. So how does one acquire that sort of engagement?
Mijares’ path to success wasn’t necessarily paved from the beginning — he earned a degree in business seven years ago. Out of desire to decorate his empty bedroom wall and unable to afford expensive art, Mijares decided to make a piece himself (a flashback to days of school doodling with ADD.) And so he made a piece. “I literally took the display and price tags, and I drove home.” Mijares recalls about his first visit to an art store. “I set it up so I had the display of all the brushes, display of all the things, and I just started painting.” Fast forward to seven years later and Mijares is selling artwork to Maluma, collaborating with David Beckham and his MLS soccer team, Pitbull, Luis Fonsi, Kevin Hart, and many more. “I kind of just know how to play the market — this is where my MBA comes in,” he says. “I know that if I want to sell art over here, I need to work with these guys over there so that people take me seriously.”
Alexander Mijares | Photo: Courtesy of the artist
Versatile with his clients and approaches, he is just as adaptable to new styles. “I think the moment I finish the show [in NYC] and I go home, I’ll learn how to carve marble,” Mijares jokes. But he’s done just that and then some. He’s carved clay, painted a 5,000-square-foot mural, Ferraris, ginormous blowup ducks, a cellulite reduction machine, and more. Still, the practice does not come easy to the artist as he always starts a new piece frustrated. He doesn’t sugarcoat that it is hard work for him and in those moments he travels to places like Cuba, Thailand or Brazil to soak up inspiration that he incorporates in his signature style of stark lines, vibrant colors, and seeming intentionality.
With an increasing profile in the industry, Mijares has his familiarity and sensibility to thank. “You can put me anywhere — you can put me in a favela,” he says. “I’ll be best friends with every single person until I come out.” His art conveys a similar emotion — it isn’t a cold, but instead cozy and inviting. Whether the audience knows from his social media or feels an amicable connection in the art, Mijares is a good guy. He works with orphanages, non-profits, and international organizations for constant collaborations and fundraising. He’s a good guy that makes good art, and it works.
Alexander Mijares’ first NYC exhibit titled ” NO DISTRACTIONS” is open Oct 12th – Nov 4th at Hub Seventeen (114 5th Ave inside the Lululemon Flatiron store).
Known as The Invisible Man, Chinese artist Liu Bolin is collaborating with France’s oldest champagne house Ruinart at this year’s Frieze New York. This moniker came about when his office was demolished and he created the almost perfectly seamless blending-in of himself into photo as a protest. He wanted to demonstrate the coexisting relationship between construction and humanity — a concept that also appealed to the champagne magnate. In his final eight pieces with Ruinart, Bolin elegantly illustrates the meticulous process of champagne-making by masking himself and the workers of the house into the landscape of the everyday champagne production. We sat down with the artist at Frieze to find out more about the collaboration.
Angelika Pokovba: How did you go about choosing Ruinart to collaborate with?
Liu Bolin: (per translator) For me it was important to know about the company. When I had communication exchanges with the team I felt their passion about their work, their company’s culture, and I focused on reflecting this aspect in the artwork.
AP: Did the idea to incorporate yourself into the “landscape” come naturally, or did you set out looking for backdrops to blend into?
LB: Before I came into it I didn’t actually have something in mind. It was not very clear. After I walked around the premises and I learned about the entire production process from the beginning to the end including production, storage, filtering, etc., I found it to be a beautiful process and I wanted to record this beauty.
(Each of the shots demonstrates a different part of the champagne making process. )
AP: Would you elaborate of how you actually made these pieces and how many people were involved?
LB: The first photo is at the winery and I invited Frederique, who is the production/technology expert. He is someone that would have a record of when the grapes were first collected and then the weather, the temperature, all of these things… He is someone who has the control from the first steps. So he is the first photo. That first photo is related to the source of production and I also included him in others so that he is involved in the entire process from the beginning until the end.
AP: What do you believe you accomplished with these pieces?
LB: That touches on the core of my artwork. I think that all artists do these things and have a discovery of certain issues and questions. Through the collaboration with Ruinart, I feel that I have deepened my understanding of the winery culture and of European culture. From my collaboration and communication with these people who are very clearly passionate about wine and the heritage of this company, that has really touched me and made me more deeply appreciate the European craftsmanship– what kind of effort their are willing to go through to create such a brand and such a heritage. This is something that also helped me and gave me nutrients for my work.
As an artist I like to keep challenging myself in my work. Regrettably the public has acknowledged and liked the photos so far, but not the other things I have done. I think I will put more effort for my other forms of art to be liked as well.
Find Liu Bolin’s pieces at the Ruinart Champagne Lounge at Frieze until May 6th.
COS is partnering with Dia Art Foundation to support Dorothea Rockburne’s installation at the upstate New York this spring.
A major influence behind the brand, Dorothea Rockburne, the eponymous exhibition celebrating the abstract artist, will feature monumental pieces from the late 60’s and early 70’s. These are heavily influenced by the social environment of those times, her experience with dance, and also math. The large-scale installations include deconstructed paper in torn, folded, reassembled, and even brushed over with tar.
COS’ creative direction Karin Gustafsson has been heavily inspired by the minimalism in Rockburne’s pieces and continues to translate this idea into ready-to-wear — the brand’s Spring/Summer collection features pieces with papery qualities, drapery, and colors that invoke those of the artist. Take a look at the pieces below:
Dorothea Rockburne will be on display at Dia:Beacon at 3 Beekman St, Beacon, NY starting in May.
