D E S I G N
Maison&Object’s Paris Art Fair was held January 17th - 22nd, the theme being regeneration. Two of my favorite concepts are as followed.Marking the 10th anniversary of the Brokis Muffin lights designed by Lucie Koldova and Dan Yeffet, the lamp now comes in options of mahogany, palisander, and marble. Tom Dixon’s series Swirl marries psychedelic patterns and Italian post-modernism.
“A family of candleholders, bookends, vases and tables, each with their own distinct silhouette, colouration and personality. Substantial in weight, smooth in texture and bold in pattern, Swirl will inject a fresh pop sensibility into any setting.”
L I T E R A T U R E
ArtReview is a contemporary art magazine with a long-standing history beginning in 1949. The January & February 2020 issue covers an array of topics. VALIE EXPORT is displayed on the cover where inside you’ll find a video piece of hers converted into written poetry. Topics of art and linguistics are considered throughout conversations with and about Thu Van Tran, Adrian Lahoud, and Lari Pittman. Yet, most intriguing to me is ArtReview’s columnist Carla Young’s reporting on, “a current trend of quoting landscape and ecology in runway shows, and wondering whether nature has become the ultimate luxury.”
“In 1967, she changed her name to VALIE EXPORT—written in uppercase letters, like an artistic logo—shedding her father’s and husband’s names and appropriating her new surname from a popular brand of cigarettes.”
L O C A L
Aroma
Society by Jackson Vaughn is a boutique shop in Dallas’s Bishop Arts District centered around handmade candles. I reacquainted myself with their range this month and found four particular aromas I was drawn towards. I picked up West Third Brand’s Eu de Toilette, Old Bourbon because of my bourbon bias. A mixture of sweet, citrus, woody, and warm notes are merged into a summer scent for those of us who enjoy wearing earthy fragrances year-round. Sydney Hale Co’s Woodsmoke + Amber comes in the form of a home fragrance and candle. The woodsmoke isn’t too overpowering because the amber balances it out softly. The two candles I enjoyed most are from Jackson Vaughn’s Proprietary Collection which is numbered 01 through 12. The description of warm ginger root and sun-dried hemp immediately caught my attention persuading me to pick up number 08 and smell. I found it to be beautiful and sunny but not in a citrus way. Finally, we have 01 which seemed most experimental in its conception by using eggplant, sandalwood, and basil. To my pleasure, this candles gives that feeling of spring without following conventional influences such as “clean linen” or “oceanside”.
P E O P L E
Kobe Bryant
In memory of Kobe Bryant’s vigor, dedication, and passion I’ve linked a poem he wrote titled Dear Basketball upon announcing his 2016 retirement.
John Baldessari
Although for whatever reason, I was never too keen on John Baldessari’s work, I respect him as an influential force in the development of conceptual art. Baldessari passed away January 2nd and I urge those that are both familiar and not to reflect on his work.
Aaliyah
Aaliyah is a timeless style and musical icon who we all tend to collectively celebrate ever so slightly more on her birthday, January 16th. This year she would have been 41. In a 2001 New York Times article, Kelefa Sanneh describes the power of listening to Aaliyah, “Where some divas insist on being the center of the song, she knew how to disappear into the music, how to match her voice to the baseline - it was sometimes difficult to tell one from the other.”
Sade
Sade’s birthday was also on January 16th. She’s someone I look towards when I question the value originality holds. “I only make records when I feel I have something to say. I’m not interested in releasing music just for the sake of selling something. Sade is not a brand.” - Sade.
Susan Sontag
Susan Sontag, again born January 16th, was a prolific writer and philosopher. She was also a filmmaker and activist. Roughly seven years ago I read her essays On Photography and Regarding the Pain of Others. Reading her explain such complex ideas felt mind-bending but, eventually in a good way. I would recommend giving it a go.
Dolly Parton
Dolly Parton celebrated her 74th birthday on the 19th. Parton’s philanthropy work shouldn’t be undermined, I aspire to achieve her ability to make things happen.
Martin Luther King Jr
January 15th marked what would’ve been Martin Luther King Jr’s 91st birthday. While I do appreciate the quotes, speeches, images, and writings we share on this specific day, I wanted to research something I haven’t learned before. In my findings, I read an article that a woman in Arizona unknowingly purchased a tape recording at a thrift store for $3 that was a rare speech of MLK’s recorded in 1964. It took place on Arizona State University grounds and the school has the recording now open and linked to the public here.