Paolo Ventura: Winter Stories

by CH Contributor

by Anna Carnick

Photographer Paolo Ventura’s new book "Winter Stories" follows an old circus performer’s visions as he looks back on his life during his final moments. Wonderfully, Ventura built the protagonist’s haunting and melancholy world with his own bare hands, constructing incredibly detailed miniature sets from props he collected at flea markets, and then photographed them to appear life-size. The result is a dark but beautifully evocative narrative series—and a fantastic follow-up to Ventura’s last book, War Souvenir—that will keep its audience coming back again and again. The book includes several plates, as well as Ventura’s pre-build sketches and polaroids, along with an essay by Eugenia Parry.

What the circus performer remembers are not moments of great drama, rather, they’re fleeting glimpses of his day to day. Some are particularly unique to his own existence—scenes occupied, in turns, by a tightrope walker, a sword swallower, a stilt walker, a clown, and a fire-eater—but many are universal: the early morning light washing over a bare room, the view of a street corner after a movie lets out, the first snow of the season, the full moon’s effect on a dark corner.

Limited to just 2000 copies, the book is available now at Amazon and Aperture for $89. Also check out New York’s Hasted Hunt Kraeutler Gallery, which will exhibit Winter Stories in December 2009.

Made & Sold: Toys, T-Shirts, Prints, Zines and Other Stuff

by CH Contributor

by Jeremy Brautman

Made & Sold, a new book from Laurence King Publishing, collects the work of over 90 artists who make and sell art products, taking on the role as both entrepreneur and designer. Curated by Agathe Jacquillat and Tomi Vollauschek of Fl@33, Made & Sold cleverly takes the form of an online store, dividing the content into shopping cart categories such as clothing, toys, fonts and zines.

For the artist, the pursuit of an ISBN is of less importance than artistic expression, which is why the chapter on Books, Magazines and Zines is particularly rich, kicking off with Masahi Kawamura’s self-published Rainbow In Your Hand flip-book. Stefan G. Bucher started the DailyMonster website to promote his Upstairs Neighbors book and although that didn’t work, people fell in love with the Daily Monster project, which was published in book form as 100 Days of Monsters. Retaining creative control is the most desirable feature of self-publishing, urging Bucher to say “He who signs the checks, controls the type size.”

Indeed, nowhere is control more evident than in the independent publishing of posters and prints. With the popularization of high-quality digital production methods, the mark of the artist can seem almost antiquated. But not among this group. Hand-pulled screenprints and labor-intensive letterpressing leave the resulting print with an artist’s stamp that just can’t be rendered digitally. Scien and Klor of 123klan were among the first to mix graffiti and graphic design. “I think we release our own products because of our graffiti background,” they said. “We just can’t stop writing our names everywhere on everything. The cool side of goodies, though, is that you get money back from your hard work.”

As we’ve seen with recent books like Stuffz: Design on Material and One Day of Design, artists are increasingly turning to 3D platforms. Made & Sold catalogs an array of toys, including hand-cast resin figures by Jon Burgerman, hand-carved wooden figures by Tado, screen-printed inflatable toys by DGPH and whimsical hand-knit plushes by Kate Sutton. Many of the designers in this chapter also make limited and mass-market production toys, but as Sutton puts it, “Even if I had a range of manufactured products, I would continue to make small runs as I love all things handmade, and it’s just part of what I do.”

Made & Sold is 240 pages with 1000 illustrations, available from Amazon and Chronicle.

ABCyz

by CH Contributor

by Ariston Anderson

As more and more art galleries regrettably shut their doors for good around Chelsea, one perk we've seen out of the recession is the increasing number of salons popping up around town. The current climate has left many artists feeling isolated, and one organization, ABCyz aims to bring together New York's collective creative juices into one whirlwind of a show, creating community and shared practices. Last Friday marked the mother of all group shows, ABCyz, as 40 of New York's top art collectives take over Chelsea's Silvershed, an artist-run indoor and outdoor space.

The event aimed to create a new sense of community and dialogue amidst the somber spirit of the current art world. The collectives, all of which have formed in the past few years, converged together into one guerrilla self-funded show to to showcase their best new art, posters, publications, video, and performances. The entire event was free and run by volunteers. For one night it wasn't about individual artists, but the collective spirit of what groups can accomplish when working together.

Highlights included an interactive documentary project from the arts/science collective DecadesOut, the one-year anniversary show of the Yes Gallery, the streets coming to walls with Peru Ana Ana Peru, and a special performance by art rockers WET ROPES. Other groups participating include English Kills Art Gallery, Whitney Does Chelsea, Brooklyn is Burning, Art Social Club and Tompkins Projects.

Through 7 November 2009

Silvershed
119 West 25th Street, Penthouse
New York, NY 10001 map
tel. +1 646 322 3324

See more images after the jump.

Gan Rugs by Gandia Blasco

by Brian Fichtner

Gandia Blasco, the Valencian design company now widely recognized for its mainly white, outdoor furniture, began over sixty years ago as a textile manufacturer. In recent years, the company returned to its woven roots with a diverse collection of rugs for the home. Produced under the brand moniker Gan, the rugs come in hand tufted and hand knotted varieties, with designs influenced by a multitude of cultures including Persian, Arabic and Mediterranean.

A highlight from this year, the Mangas collection (top left) by the ubiquitous Patricia Urquiola, makes up a 100% new wool series that marries varying bands of pattern and color into a surprising whole. The design received the ICFF Editors Award at this year's fair and New York's MAD Museum also displayed it in their lobby in May. The Furtive Persan (top right) by Jean-Marie Massaud, a dark, pixelated riff on the Persian rugs of yore, stands out as a perfect meld of classic and contemporary. Other notables include Marie Mees' Arabesque (above left), Mario Ruiz's Room (above right), Jose A. Gandia's Grafito (below left) and Sandra Figuerola's Catania, Palermo (below right) and Siracusa. Click any image for an expanded view.

With an aggressive championing of talented designers, Gan looks positioned to take the interior world by storm. Already established brands like Nanimarquina might wish to take note; there's a new rival looming on the horizon.

Converse at the Hotel Chelsea

by Josh Rubin

To showcase their Spring / Summer 2010 line-up Converse presented each collection in different rooms of NYC's famously bohemian Hotel Chelsea. Visiting the homes of long-term residents Man-Lai Liang, event planner; Zaldy, clothing designer and Steve Willis, film director was a unique opportunity to to take in the creative material these artists choose to surround themselves with. Beyond placing their product in a unique setting, Converse introduced us to a bit of what inspires them. We'll write about the best-of the line in due time, but wanted to share our delight with this format right away.