Terence Koh: Flowers for Baudelaire

by CH Contributor

by Ariston Anderson

Last night France's first brother Olivier Sarkozy hosted an unusual opening in his swank Upper East Side abode, which also happens to be Richard Avedon's former studio. Budding art dealer Vito Schnabel (son of painter and filmmaker Julian Schnabel) curated the show featuring Terence Koh, who formerly worked under the alias asianpunkboy. Known as much for outlandish high-fashion statements as for his shocking works often covering pornographic themes (not to mention his apparently guileless approach to it all), everyone was abuzz about what kind of paintings he would show.

In keeping with a common Koh all-white trope, the studio has been turned into a smoky white room, the floor and walls gessoed into a white landscape of slopes eliminating the right angles of the room. After removing their shoes to enter the room, guests are treated to the "flowers," gorgeous readymade canvases, simply constructed from corn syrup and powdered sugar. The results are sweet and mesmerizing in their simplicity, a delicate tribute to the French poet's Les Fleurs du mal.

Flowers for Baudelaire
Open Tuesday-Thursday, 11-6pm
Through January 2009
407 East 75th Street
New York, NY 10021 map

Refinery29 Fall/Winter 2008 Playlist

by CH Contributor

After a long wait, our friends at Refinery29 bring us their latest seasonal playlist. If you're like us, as the sun begins to set earlier and earlier, you start to become a bit of a homebody and listening to music is a big a part of that. So, we hope these 16 tracks inspire you to have some friends over and pass around the sounds of some of these incredible bands, including Flying Lotus and Final Fantasy.

We Have Band: "You Came Out" Kind of like if an early '80s post-punk group decided to get rid of all their equipment and just use a Casio keyboard. There probably were bands who did that, but we like that these guys are doing it now.

Leila: "Little Acorns (featuring Khemal and Thaon Richardson)" We wish that more Iranian women would make weirdo hip-hop tracks. Is there some government department we could write to about that?

Flying Lotus: "Parisian Goldfish" We always thought that Parisian goldfish just smoke Gitanes and hang around county fairs. It turns out they also make drum and synthesizer future jams...learn something new every day.

Morgan Geist: "Ruthless City" It's all about the bassline in this one. Perfect for headphones and aimless wandering around Manhattan.

Air France: "Collapsing At Your Doorstep"We were going to keep this one off the Playlist because it's so hard not to put it on repeat. "Sorta like a dream...no...better."

Read (and hear) more...

Drawing by April Lee

Artware Vinyl Christmas Trees

by Jacob Resneck

NYC-based artists Markus Linnenbrink, Fred Tomaselli, Marilyn Minter and Phoebe Washburn collaborated with Artware Editions on an environmentally-sound (and avant-garde) alternative to the living Christmas tree.

Each artist came up with a die-cut vinyl wall sticker of the life-sized trees that are the mainstay of the yuletide tradition and the results bear the mark of their creators. Tomaselli's tall and skinny version (above left) is overloaded with a riot of shiny ornaments; a hardware store assemblage makes up Washburn's contribution (above right); Minter's, a reissue from 2007, features her characteristic opulence and comes with extra ornaments (below right); and Acharliebrownchristmas (below left) by Linnenbrink remakes the pop culture reference in the image of his candy-colored works for a neo-tribal effect.

Perfect for those of us living in cramped quarters who can do without the tree-trimming tradition, simply unfurl it and stick to the wall. The two-dimensional Christmas tree can be easily repackaged and rolled out again year after year.

The designer trees are available for $100 and can be had by sending an email (info [at} artwareeditions [dot] com or calling +1 212 463 7490. Place your order before 15 November 2008 and it's guaranteed to arrive before Turkey Day (27 November 2008).

Les Ateliers Ruby: Custom Helmets

by Brian Fichtner

Most any style geek will recognize Les Ateliers Ruby as the brand that's made the motorcycle helmet an object of desire. Earlier this year, founder Jerôme Costes' flagship collection, Pavillon, was popping up on most every design-conscious blog in existence. Now, for riders looking to up the ante, Les Ateliers Ruby has launched the Costume line, a special order personalization service. Costume offers two paths to crafting your dream helmet: an a-la-carte matrix that allows for thousands of style variations or a made-to-measure personal consultation, for the ultimate in head gear.

Courtney Wotherspoon

by Lost At E Minor

Canadian illustrator Courtney Wotherspoon layers delicate image upon image to create the most captivating, colorful kaleidoscopes, an effect only enhanced by her trademark multimedia, everything-and-the-kitchen-sink execution. The result of this approach is particularly refreshing. We can rest assured that something wholly new and exciting will emerge from Wotherspoon's studio each and every delectable time.