Flip: Seiva Bruta

by CH Contributor

by Ariston Anderson

Felipe "Flip" Yung has been painting in the streets and in the galleries of Brazil, Europe and the U.S. for over a decade as part of notorious art collective Famiglia Baglione. The Carmichael Gallery in L.A. is presenting his first West coast solo show, Seiva Bruta.

Flip, while working on the streets, interprets a more natural world. He paints an earth-toned palette of trees, roots and the matter between them in broad strokes across planks of wood and swaths of fabric. He contrasts plant sap with the blood of animals, commenting, "I make a parallel between the fluid and the blood. Nerves, veins, and roots…feelings, diseases, patterns all mixed up."

While using many of the techniques that make Brazilian street art unique, such as Asian calligraphy, Flip's style in combining graphic elements with naturalistic scenes is all his own. It's a show that's not to be missed.

Seiva Bruta
Through 26 March 2009
Carmichael Gallery of Contemporary Art
1257 North La Brea Avenue
West Hollywood, CA 90038 map
tel. +1 323 969 0600

More images after the jump.

Shen Jingdong

by CH Contributor

by Ariston Anderson

One can't help but smile at artist Shen Jingdong's take on propaganda, as his happy, larger-than-life characters fill up his canvases with bright colors and round, easy shapes. But, the artist, born in China in 1965 and having served in the Nanjing Military for sixteen years, takes his inspiration from real life.

By painting soldiers as plastic toys with plastic emotions, he's hinting at the deeper humanity and skepticism toward the government that lies beneath the façade. But by depicting the soldiers as heroes, they take their place in both cartoon and post-pop art, in the realm of Takashi Murakami.

See a collection of paintings and fiberglass sculptures of his infamous volatile characters at Volta this week in New York or check out his work on his gallery, ChinaSquare's site solo show this past summer.

Shen Jingdong
5-8 March 2009
ChinaSquare at Volta NY
7 West 34th Street
New York, NY 10001 map

Annie Kevan: All the Presidents' Girls

by CH Contributor

by Ariston Anderson

At first glance, the collection of portraits FAS Contemporary's Volta booth appears to be a wall of extremely beautiful women throughout the ages, each one quickly created in delicate strokes of oil paint. But then Monica Lewinsky's face pops out at you and is that Paula Jones?

British painter Annie Kevan's solo show features every Presidential girlfriend on record. Although the majority of the wall belongs to John F. Kennedy, a whirlwind of exquisitely painted historical standouts includes William Rufus DeVane King (James Buchanan), Venus (George Washington), and of course Kennedy's Marilyn Monroe. The style of the paintings speak to fantasy rather than realism; each face projects both feelings of delicate innocence and feminine power.

View the full collection on the artist's site.

All the Presidents' Girls
5-8 March 2009
FAS Contemporary at Volta NY
7 West 34th Street
New York, NY 10001 map

More images after the jump.

Ulysse Nardin Hybrid Smart Phone

by Watchismo

Partnering with the European firm, SCI Innovations, the celebrated Swiss watchmaker Ulysse Nardin (one of the vanguards in the field) will be unveiling the world's first hybrid smart phone, the Chairman, at the upcoming Baselworld. (Click image for detail.)

Inherently green, the phone pairs cutting-edge kinetic technology with the pedigree of the 163-year-old timepiece innovator. It incorporates a Ulysse Nardin-designed kinetic rotor system into the mechanical and aesthetic design of the gadget that will be hand-assembled under the strictest guidelines mandated by Ulysse Nardin. While there are few details currently available, it has been confirmed that the Chairman will be able to use any mobile phone service provider in the world and includes several components never seen before in a smart phone.

Until the Chairman's launch at the end of March at Baselworld 2009 at Ulysse Nardin's booth, we'll all have to hold tight.

Tweet-a-Watt and Other New Energy Monitoring Devices

by CH Contributor

by Laura Neilson

The design competition at this year's Greener Gadgets Conference showcased ten innovative finalists, each utilizing technology to facilitate greener lifestyles. By and large, the majority of the conceptual gadgets functioned on energy "metering" ideas, including the winning design, The Tweet-a-Watt (pictured above right), a power meter that automatically publishes your power usage wirelessly via Twitter for friends and followers to see. The Power-Hog took second place with its own unique "metering" concept: it's an energy-consumption piggy bank that teaches kids the monetary value of electricity.

Both gizmos are indication of the growing "eco-metering" market—perhaps soon-to-be mandatory in some countries. (Germany recently proposed a new energy law requiring all new and remodeled homes to be equipped with smart meters by 2010 with other European countries taking similar measures.) Rising to meet the overwhelming demand, other energy-savvy gadgets include the Home Joule (above left), an i-device which plugs into a power outlet and displays energy usage data transmitted wirelessly from your energy meter. Combined with information from the energy company, including the real-time price of energy (which fluctuates over the course of the day), the changing color-coded monitor tells you when you might want to reduce your levels of consumption to keep costs down.

There's also the U.K.-manufactured Wattson (pictured above), an energy monitor that receives information from a transmitter device attached to one's power meter. It displays current usage data—either in watts or currency (British pounds)—on a stylish little screen about the size of a photo frame.

Umbra Tie Clock

by CH Contributor

by Tisha Leung

The Tie Clock is Umbra’s latest repurposing design taking up well-worn ties from Goodwill and giving them new life as a clock. Designed by Alan Wisniewski for U+ Collection, Umbra's higher-end division, twelve ties act as the hour indicators with a pewter-faced timepiece. The cravats, scoured from the thrift shops in Canada are outfitted with wire frames slipped inside to keep them taunt, making them big on presence and light in weight. The clock runs on a single AA battery and measures 44" across.

Umbra's efforts at repurposing before, all of which they define as "good design," include last year's Cassetta, also designed by Wisniewski with cassette tapes stacked around a mirror’s perimeter.

The Tie Clock will be available through Umbra in mid-March for $275.

The Green Depot

by CH Contributor

by Laura Neilson

The much-anticipated Green Depot finally opened its doors three weeks ago on Manhattan's Bowery. Given the current economic climate (and the grim predictions concerning consumer spending freezes), it seems pretty risky for any new retail venture start up, but environmentally-focused stores/products seem to be one of the few exceptions. Reuters recently reported that despite the despite the recession, four out of five Americans are still buying green—even at sometimes higher costs.

Amongst the usual cleaning supplies, energy-efficient light bulbs and low-VOC paints, we spied some seriously fresh furnishings, especially in the lamps and fixtures department. The Nest Pendant Lamp, made by XY Decor, is a beautiful tangle of shaved maple strips (also available in walnut), while the Florid Pendant Lamp utilizes the same materials for an altogether different effect with the wood strips undulating in and out like delicate ribbons.

Another favorite is the exclusive Scaffolding Floor Lamp, designed by New York-based artist/designer Rodger Stevens. Stevens constructed the wiry body from carefully-picked scraps of exotic wood, all cast-offs from an eclectic range of sources, including demolition projects and piano manufacturers (also available as a desk lamp). What we love so much about these lamps is how they simply demonstrate that good design and eco-mindedness can exist on the same level.

The Green Depot
222 Bowery
New York, NY 10012 map
tel. +1 212 226 0444