CHRIS OFILI | NEW MUSEUM

If you're in New York City this weekend looking for something to do, I highly recommend that you check out the Chris Ofili exhibition at the New Museum before it closes on February 1st.

Ofili made a name for himself with his controversial work in the Sensation exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum in 1999.  His work is imbued with cultural references, from his heritage to Hip Hop music to the Bible, and his work spans across media including painting, drawing, and sculpture.  In some ways reminiscent of cave painting, the works also have a decorative aspect and an arts and crafts feel brought on through the use of materials such as glitter, studs, and even elephant dung.  The exhibition fills the entire museum and is a surprising journey through Ofili's career; proof that he has covered a lot of ground in his twenty years as an artist.

Dress: Givenchy (SIMILAR HERE)

Belt: Vintage

Shoes: Hussein Chalayan (exact shoes in patent leather HERE)

Photos of me by Kathy Paciello; other photos by me.

DAMIEN HIRST | OLAF BREUNING

On a recent weekend, I pulled out my Olaf Breuning x Damien Hirst dress for a Panda Bear concert at MoMA PS1.  Combining Hirst's LSD painting with Olaf Breuning's photo of a nude (entitled Damien), the dress combines the work of two artists and was executed by designer Cynthia Rowley.  I love it when art and fashion collide.

Dress: Damien Hirst x Olaf Breuning by Cynthia Rowley for Colette 

Coat: Tracy Reese (same style in a different print here)

Tights: Joe Fresh

Boots: United Nude (similar here)

Breuning image from jeremyriad.com; photos by Kathy Paciello.

PHILIP TAAFFE

On Friday night I made the familiar trek to Bushwick for the Philip Taaffe (b. 1955) opening at Luhring Augustine.  I've long been a fan of Taaffe's work (peep my ancient blog post inspired by his work), and the way he is able to combine so many elements into a large canvas.  His canvases feature a myriad of processes, including silkscreen, collage, stain, and paint, and imagery drawn from broad sources such as religion, popular culture, and media.  According to his gallery, "Taffe strives for an optical vibrancy and visual energy that integrate the decorative with the narrative, the natural with the man-made, the ancient with the modern - entwining cultural lineages and histories to create something authentically new from these interwoven sources."

The exhibition continues through April 26th at 25 Knickerbocker Avenue in Brooklyn.

Vintage Dress: No Relation, NYC

Leather Boots: Goodwill, VA

Poncho: Brooklyn Flea

Photos by Kathy Paciello.