Christo & Jeanne-Claude, The Gates, NYC, 1979-2005

Despite the pretentions and cold, rainy weather, the event was genuine and uplifting. Speakers reminisced about her whit and will.  One of my favorite stories was told by an art critic and close friend who was acquainted with Jeanne -Claude just before her first marriage.  He recalled how she fell in love with a poor Bulgarian artist assigned to paint her portrait while she was already engaged to a high society Parisian.   Jeanne –Claude’s whit and will purveyed and one evening shortly after the honeymoon her husband returned home to find that all of the locks had been changed.  Jeanne Claude called out from a window “your locks don’t fit in my key.”

Christo and Jeanne-Claude: Valley Curtain, Riffle Colorado, 1970-72 Photo courtesy of Wolfgang Volz

That was the end of that, and the start of a passionate 51 year relationship with her Bulgarian artist / husband Christo. Together the duo Christo Jeanne-Claude would revolutionize the contemporary art world, becoming infamous for their monumental scale wrappings and other public works.  Between 1958 and 2009 (Jeanne- Claude died in November due to a brain aneurysm), the couple created 20 projects – two of which are still in progress.  They also proposed 39 that were refused.  Of the 18 completed many took years of persistency to receive permission – Wrapped Trees took 32 years 1966-1998.

Christo and Jeanne-Claude Wrapped Trees, Fondation Beyeler and Berower Park, Riehen, Switzerland 1997-98 Photo: Wolfgang Volz

Christo and Jeanne-Claude Wrapped Coast, One Million Square Feet, Little Bay, Australia, 1968-69 Photo: Harry Shunk

Despite their controversial commissions, the works have no hidden agendas, and are meant for aesthetic enjoyment and to provide new ways of viewing familiar landscapes.  Their wrappings are gifts to the world, meant to be treasured and remembered even after they are unwrapped.   When viewing their work it is important to remember the number one rule of gift giving /receiving– the funny shaped ones are always the best.

April 9

Flush Faces: Bands that are THE SHIT!

Presented by: yeahdef.com

Rubber Gloves

411 East Sycamore Street Denton, TX

(Doors @ 9 $10 OR $5 dollars if you bring a canned food item for donation to North Texas Food Bank)

DAMAGED GOOD$ / S.A.I. / POWER ANIMAL / FLORENE / UPTOWN BUMS / OLD SNACK / DJ’d by FUR /

April 10-11

Oak Cliff Art Crawl

10AM-10PM

Event will include an unveiling of the Seventh Street mural project, “The Perfect Block” Art Installation at Seventh and Tyler, the Urban Bazaar in Bishop Arts, music at the new Kessler Theatre, an outdoor art gallery at Nova, presentations at the Turner House, Bolsa’s outdoor market, and more! The event is free, but you can pre-purchase a special button for ten bucks HERE that will give you discounts and drink specials at local bars, restaurants, and retailers.

Saturday, April 10 – 6PM – midnight

Modern ’til Midnight: Andy Warhol: The Last Decade Featuring live music by WARPAINT!

Museum of Modern Art Ft. Worth: 3200 Darnell Street Fort Worth, TX

$15; Free for Modern members KXT Members $10

Have a night of 80’s themed fun at the MOMA! There will be live performances outside on the reflecting pond by locals Seryn and The Orbans, and of course, the band everyone is talking about, Warpaint. You can also see a special screening of I Shot Andy Warhol, a film tracing the madness of radical-feminist genius Valerie Solanas, and her life leading to the moment she shot pop-art icon Andy Warhol in 1968. Experience the special exhibition Andy Warhol: The Last Decade by taking part in special activities throughout the evening including conceptual projects, interactive events, spotlight tours, and art explorations in the galleries. Cash bars will be available from 6 p.m. until last call at 11:30 p.m. Grub at Café Modern the outdoor Modern Grill from 6 to 11 p.m.

Now – April 18

Dallas International Film Festival

The DALLAS Film Society partnered in 2006 to create the AFI DALLAS International Film Festival. The DALLAS International Film Festival is one of the fastest growing film festivals in the world. Named by Movie Maker Magazine as one of the “25 Festivals Worth the Entry Fee,” the Festival has gained the reputation as the Filmmaker’s Festival for its stellar hospitality and dedication to the art.

Check out the festivals website for a complete list of the 200 films and other events. Full festival passes and individual event tickets are available.

Participating Theatres:

Angelika Film Center: 5321 East Mockingbird Lane

Studio Movie Grill: 11170 North Central Expressway

Dallas Museum of Art Horchow Auditorium: 1717 N. Harwood St.

Landmark’s Magnolia Theatre: 3699 McKinney Ave.

The Deep Ellum Arts Festival

Fri., April 2, 5:00pm-10:00pm, Sat., April 3, 11:00am-10:00pm, Sun., April 4, 11:00am-7:00pm

Six blocks of Main Street between the Good-Latimer Expressway and Hall Street

Three-day, free-to-attend outdoor “street party” features over 120 decorative and visual artists selling original works, over 90 original bands, a 720 Action Sports BMX & Inline Stunt show, and of course, great street food and beer.

Follow the fest on Twitter for more info: HERE

Hockey

April 3

The Loft - 1135 South Lamar Street Dallas, TX

Doors @ 8:30 w/  $12 Admission

Hailing from Portland, Oregon, Hockey look artfully scruffy yet their sound is the polar opposite.They sound emits similar to that of their fellow countrymen the Strokes, but with a much more deeper and a seemingly effortless purr. Their deceptively sparse yet, incredibly infectious beats add a certain post modern sensibility to their sound that makes listening to their music an experience that must be indulged in. Song to check out: “Song Away”

Mótus

The first movement of underground art exhibits. Four distinct artists cultivate their artistic passions to create dynamic, unique and inspiring visual experiences, that is sure to quench your every inner artist’s thirst while stirring an undeniable lust for more.

Saturday, April 3, 2010

7:10pm – 9:05pm

CrossFitDeep.com (across from Adam Hats Lofts)

Entry cover: What’s the artists’ art exhibit worth to you? The cover will go to venue’s charity of choice.

215 Henry St. Dallas, Tx

The day started out with a press preview attended by all walks of media life, I mixed and mingled with press superstars from NYT,  BBC World News, Vogue, Paper Mag, just to name a few.

That evening the fair open for the lucky few who held “collectors circle” gold VIP cards.  And by few I mean a couple thousand of the best dress people from all over the world.

After several hours of drinking free champagne, I built up the liquid courage to try and sneak my way into the Harper’s Bazaar after party.  The party, apparently the hottest ticket around, had even most sophisticated VIPS groveling for tickets.  Maybe it was my blonde hair or the fact that the fact that I said “Ya’ll sure my name isn’t on the list?” – I managed to sneak in.  On the roof top of Madinat Jumeriah overlooking the beach, with a fully stocked top shelf open bar, art world A- listers (and me hehe!) danced until the wee hours of the morning.

It was an glamerous 24 hours – almost like stepping into a fairy tale – but wait I didn’t even get a chance to see the art! Thank god the fair continues all week.  It will take me a good couple of days to nurse this hangover – I can’t figure out is my head still spinning because of the 4am crown & sodas or the fact that I shared the dance floor with Hans Ulrich Orbist (or so I think, his name was on the hush-hush guest list)

But now its back to reality – time to put in another long day of assisting VIP relations – which means hanging out at the beach all afternoon making sure everyone is enjoying their afternoon – I could get used to this job

PS for some coverage of the fashionable people at the party check out this blog, redvelvetnation.

Because I like my curry like I like my art – I traveled to the middle east where the contemporary art scene is hot, hot, hot!

New Middle Eastern artists are emerging everyday, and Middle Eastern collectors are cashing in their oil rigs for arttistic treasures from all of the world.  I had to get in on the action, so I hopped over to the UAE and nailed a gig working in the VIP relations of the world’s most elaborate art fair.

Participating in 2010 Art Dubai, I have access to over 70 galleries from 30 countries.  Not to mention a front row seat at the Global Arts Forum which involves discussions with highly influential people from all over the art world.  I will also partcipate in tours of local galleries, and private collections, and enjoy artists talks from some hoooot middle eastern contemporary artists.  To top it all off I get invites to the preview and opening night, which are some the most extravagant and exclusive art parties this side of the gulf.

I kicked off the gig this past weekend with a trip to Doha, Qatar, where the newly constructed Islamic Museum of Art resides.  This stunning building was designed by none other than I.M. Pei – for you non architecture people out there this is the guy responsible for the famous Louvre pyramids and Dallas City Hall.

I arrived a day late to the event due to technical difficulties, so I missed a private tour of the collections.  Lucky for me, the Global Arts Forum was held in the same building, so I managed to take a peek at some of the art during my lunch break.

The discussions at the Global Arts Forum were fascinating and resonated far beyond the Middle East.  In the morning we talked about public art and how we define public, or should I say “publics” which is the new term to describe the numerous types of audiences who may or may not pay attention to any specific art project.  In the afternoon we had an exciting discussion led by the renouned curator, Anton Vidokle, responsible for the coolest thing to hit the art world this millennia; e-flux.

If you are not familiar with e-flux, they are a website dedicated to promoting the arts and do so with out any typical marketing avenues.  The idea started when Vidokle held an one night only exhibition at a Holiday Inn in Chinatown NYC 10 pm- 10 am. Sending out a press release to 40 friends using email ( it was 1999; Twitter didn’t even exist yet), the document became viral & over 600 people attended the exhibition – pretty cool.

If a one night stand at a Holiday Inn isn’t spicy enough for you then I don’t know what is; ask Ludacris.  Stay tuned for more features as I continue to get oh so curry-ous in the Middle East.

The Flaming Lips @ NX35 this year were amazing — I’ve never seen them live but their performance was one of the best I’ve ever seen, and the crowd was intense. On Sunday we went back to Denton for the end of the NX35 weekend. We saw the 8-track museum, a rooftop hip-hop show, and enjoyed some free pizza. We ended the night at Rubber Gloves where we saw Neon Indian, Ishi, French Horn Rebellion and others.

What a weekend, here comes SXSW!!!

Photos By:  Dustin Hollywood

Now – May 16

Andy Warhol: The Last Decade @ Museum of Modern Art, Fort Worth

Showcasing 55 works from Andy Warhol’s last eight years of life.

Museum of Modern Art Fort Worth, 3200 Darnell Street Fort Worth, TX

For More info Click: HERE

March 7 – Sunday @ 6 pm

Live Screening at the Angelika: A Starry Night with GordonandtheWhale.com

Free Prize giveaways all night including passes to The Dallas International Film Festival.

Angelika Theaters, 5321 East Mockingbird Lane, Dallas, TX

Fore more info Click HERE

Now – May 1st

Hidden Treasures: Photographs Do Not Bend Gallery

Showcasing 14 different artists, including Neal Slavin’s large format Polaroid’s.

1202 Dragon Street, Ste 103 Dallas, Texas 75207 – 214.969.1852

For more info Click HERE

NEXT WEEK: March 11-14, 2010

Denton, TX  (City Wide)

Friday: @ The Boiler Room – Health – Presented by Dallas Observer

Saturday: @ Denton Fair Grounds- The Flaming Lips / Midlake

Sunday: @ Andy’s - DJ MomJeans (Danny Masterson) / Damaged Good$ / YeahDef

@ Hailey’s - The Walkmen

@ RGRS – Neon Indian / ishi

Fore more info Visit NX35.com

I got the chance to go by the BODIES EXHIBIT in West End in Downtown Dallas today.  This was one of the best scientific exhibits I have ever been too — as well as artistic.  The means by which these bodies were obtained and used for the exhibit is highly controversial, as they were not donated to science but rather Jane/John Doe’s.  How they created some of these controversial presentations is as amazing as it is intricate.  I advise everyone to check this out if you ever get the chance!  Thanks to the Museum for letting us come by and share what we saw with you all.  See the rest of the photos from the exhibit HERE.

Photos By:  Dustin Hollywood

By far the one piece I wanted to take home from the fair:  Kiki Smith Turtle, 2009 @ Pace Prints NYC

@ only $6,000 for the single why not make it a set and buy all three for $15,000 ~ I’m not a math wizard but I am half Jew and that sounds like a deal to me ….

Butterfly…..

Bat…..

Kiki Smith ~ Butterfly, Bat, Turtle, 2009  ~ Dimensional iris print with collage ~ 1 of 22 editions

Pace Prints 32 E. 57th NY, NY or 521 West 26th NY, NY

Two launch parties combined into one:

STANDARD Magazine celebrates the launch of its 25th issue, “Architecture & Utopies urbaines”.

Institut Français de la Mode (IFM) celebrates the launch of the “2009 x 20 Catalogue”, a collection of creations by 20 international designers.

Performance: Anne-Laure Keib & Max Krefeld of Appaloosa

DJ Set: Jean Marc Rabemila of Tricolore Paris

The IFM is located on the Quai d’Austerliz, along the river Seine

Photos By: Le Baron

]]> http://www.helloooooo.com/2009/10/standard-magazine-institut-francais-de-la-mode/feed/ 2 http://www.helloooooo.com/2009/10/didier-ludot-la-petite-robe-noire/ http://www.helloooooo.com/2009/10/didier-ludot-la-petite-robe-noire/#comments Sun, 11 Oct 2009 13:13:33 +0000 Le Baron http://www.helloooooo.com/?p=8145

She puts her back to me, pushes her hair to the side, and turns to give a look out of her left eye which demands only one thing and one thing only-

After a few steps, my hand arrives upon the middle of her back and her shoulder blades begin to display a show of their shape and form. My fingers slide down to perform the demanded task, and so the little black dress is unzipped.

This pleasurable moment, a moment most precious for many men, is à grâce de Monsieur Didier Ludot and his les petites robes noires.

This past Wednesday, fashion historian Ludot celebrated the 10th anniversary of boutique in the Palais Royale by displaying his vintage haute couture collection of black dresses for the eye pleasure of the Paris Fashion Week society.

Two nights later, the celebration continued as the also dress designer decided to turn DJ for the night at Buvez Madison’s Curio Parlor.

Creation: Naco Paris

Photos By: Le Baron

A couple pages left to read in Lolita.

This calls for a quick stroll in the gardens of the Château de Versailles before making my way back into Paris centre…

After a quick 5 minute drive from school, I landed upon a cool surprise – Veilhan Versailles. Set against the typical lines and mazes of French landscaped gardens, combined with the epiphany of palatial baroque architecture, Veilhan’s installations add a certain peculiar twist to the royal grounds which is most unsuspecting.

For those of you not familiar with the French modern artist, Xavier Veilhan’s trait artistique is his generic conversion of complex figures, reducing his subjects into basic geometric forms and leaving interpretation up to the observer.

What is most striking about his style is that even in their essentials forms, his works of art don’t fall short of curious details, which leaves us wondering, “Do we really need realism and actuality to understand a piece of work?”

See for yourselves…

The highlight of my day? Jarrod and Valentina entering the gardens on mini-cooper (totally illegal), and taking me for a ride around Le Domaine de Marie Antoinette

Photos By: Le Baron

Wednesday evening, the team had the fortune of meeting Michael Gross, author of Rogues’ Gallery – a revealing, unauthorized look at the 138-year history of the nation’s greatest museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The even was hosted by Dallas designer and best-boss-ever Laura Hunt, in her dreamy and well-chronicled office above the Regent Theater in Highland Park Village. The cocktails were flowing, the atmosphere was spirited, the books were being signed and the guest of honor was all smiles. The head chef de cuisine of Craft, Jeff Harris, was even on-site preparing hors d’oeuvres ranging from duck pâté to mini reuben sandwiches (“I’ll take another please!”).

The Metropolitan, as Gross writes, “is a huge alchemical experiment, turning the worst of man’s attributes—extravagance, lust, gluttony, acquisitiveness, envy, avarice, greed, egotism, and pride—into the very best, transmuting deadly sins into priceless treasure.” On this night however, the only sin patrons were guilty of was having too much fun.

Author Michael Gross discussing “Rogues’ Gallery”

Photos By: Shok

The past year I have visited a plethora of exhibits and museums in Paris, but none can compare to this one.

The Cartier Foundation for Contemporary Art has just transformed their premises into a three-part exhibition called Né Dans La Rue – Graffiti (Born in the Streets – Graffiti), which follows the history of the street art movement.

The first dimension of the exhibition consists of ten enormous installations, each created by famous international graffiti artists specially for the exhibit. The massive size of these installations are intended to make observers feel as if they are looking at actual walls or building façades covered in graffiti.

The second dimension of the exhibit is a theater room which features different documentaries on the graffiti movement in Los Angeles, New York, and Paris, to name a few.

The last dimension of the exhibition, and perhaps the most interesting, takes place literally on the glass or wooden façades of the museum– every first weekend of the month, the Fondation Cartier welcomes Parisian graffiti artists to create art in the presence of the public. Unreal.

Sun 7’s Written Faces

At the exhibit you will also find original and historic periphenalia such as police reports dating from the 1980’s crack-down on the graffiti movement. Above is a disguise worn by a New York graffiti artist during his night raids in subway stations.

Photos By: Le Baron