CARMEN HERRERA @ THE WHITNEY

"I began a lifelong process of purification, a process of taking away what isn't essential." --Carmen Herrera

Carmen Herrera is a Cuban American artist, and her work is the focus of an exhibition at the Whitney Museum of American Art which opens today in New York City.  When I began investigating her work, I found that there is a lot to learn from the 101-year-old artist, who was a pioneer of Geometric Abstraction.  She has said that her "quest is for the simplest of pictorial resolutions", which struck me as a valuable way to approach art as well as life.

I made a dress inspired by her painting Green and Orange from 1958.  It was surprisingly refreshing to work on something so direct, and it was fun to mix colors to emulate Herrera's palette.

Carmen Herrera: Lines of Sight opens to the public today, and is on view until January 2, 2017.

Photos by Sarah Meller.

LET ME BE FRANK

"I don't like to say I have given my life to art.  I prefer to say art has given me my life."  -Frank Stella

As I was perusing the textile rack at a local secondhand store a few years ago, I came across what I could only describe as the most beautiful piece of silk I'd ever seen - which I immediately recognized as a Frank Stella print.  Upon closer inspection, I found Stella's signature and the date, and clutched the scarf to my chest as I raced for the cash register, thinking the beautiful piece of silk would vanish from my hands before I could buy it.  I did a bit of research and found that the scarf was one of a limited edition of 500 produced by Stella for Barneys in 2004.  One of my prized possessions, I couldn't wait to wear the scarf for the opening of Frank Stella's retrospective at the Whitney Museum.

Stella is one of those art world luminaries who has been living and creating art throughout so many different time periods and movements, that it is difficult to categorize his work.  He is most well known for his Minimalist works of the 1960s and 1970s, but his more recent work (which I can comfortably describe as Maximalist) has become more and more interesting over the years.  The Whitney retrospective gives a high level overview of the artist's oeuvre and delves into some of the pervading themes and just touches on some of the others.

Silk scarf: Frank Stella Limited Edition for Barneys

Silk blouse: Yves Saint Laurent

Jeans: Hudson Barbara

Shoes:  Walter Steiger

Photos of me by Meri Feir; other photos by me.

INFLATABLE

It was the fall of 2008, and I was a young, questioning graduate student.  I eagerly queued outside the Museum of Modern Art on a Tuesday evening for a chance to hear Jeff Koons speak, with the hopes of asking him a two-part question I'd been dying to hear his answer to:

"Do you ever feel guilty for taking the credit, fame, and fortune for your work that is created by your studio assistants?  Could you comment on the removal of the artist's hand from the creation of work and what that means for young artists today?"

I anxiously listen to Koons speak about his work and its relation to contemporary art, and when Q & A time came round, I raised my hand, prominently waved, and loudly asked the question I'd come to hear the answer to when he called on me.  Instead of providing a response, he mumbled something about the artist's right, and moved on to the next question.  Disappointed by his response (or lack thereof), I wrote a paper about the experience and my thoughts on artists like Koons and Damien Hirst who profit from the work of their assistants.

Koons' retrospective at the Whitney Museum of American Art features work from every stage of the artists' career and oeuvre, and I couldn't help but think about the studio assistants behind the larger-than-life artwork.  Did you see the exhibition?  What did you think?

Dress: H&M

Inflatable flowers: Amazon

Shoes: Keds

Handbag: Jeff Koons for H&M

Photos by Hannah Kauffman; assistance by Maureen Nacy.

YAYOI KUSAMA: Love Is Calling

Dubbed "Rain Room, Part Deux", Yayoi Kusama's I Who Have Arrived in Heaven at David Zwirner in Chelsea has been drawing sizable crowds to 19th Street.  A big fan of Kusama's work (in particular, her infinity rooms), I set out to Chelsea on Saturday afternoon, unprepared for the amusement park-like queues that greeted me.

Since Fireflies on the Water at the Whitney Museum last year, I skipped the line for the similar work Infinity Mirrored Room -- The Souls of Millions of Light Years Away, which commanded the lengthiest line.  The separate line for Love is Calling, moved fairly quickly, and after about 20 minutes, I was admitted into the room for my one minute of viewing.

The experience is delightfully overwhelming, and includes a soundtrack of Kusama's voice penetrating the chamber.  The beautifully luminous tentacles form an environment almost like a seascape, but the sound and infinite reflections make it a bit unsettling.  Endlessness, a theme explored throughout much of Kusama's work, is most notably embodied by these installations, calling to mind the triviality of an individual within the universe.

If you've never experienced one of Kusama's infinity rooms, I recommend a visit to 19th Street, preferably on a weekday.

Have you had a chance to see the exhibition?  How did it make you feel?

Dress: Vintage

Boots: Ash

Handbag: Marc by Marc Jacobs

I Who Have Arrived in Heaven

David Zwirner Gallery

November 8 - December 21, 2013

Photos by Kathy Paciello.

ARTFULLY AWEAR + PANTONE: Green Glow.

I decided to save the best for last in the final post in my Artfully Awear + Pantone series: my favorite dress and my favorite color.  Pantone's Green Glow is showcased by this Oscar de la Renta gown and captured by these tromp l'oeil paintings by Tauba Auerbach.

Born in 1981 in San Francisco, Auerbach now lives and works in New York City.  I first came across her work in Vitamin P2, one of my favorite painting books, and became better acquainted with her story via The Gentlewoman.

The canvases shown here are just one part of her artistic oeuvre, and I've found them extremely powerful in their use of the canvas as well as paint, to create a two-dimensional/three-dimensional dialogue.

The unique rumpled, wrinkled effect is achieved by folding or crumpling the canvas before stretching.  Finally, Auerbach adds paint using a spray gun.

According to Auerbach's profile on the website of the Whitney Museum of American Art, "By creating an object in which two supposedly discrete states—flatness and three dimensionality—are merged, Auerbach confronts the limitations between these states, revealing an ambiguity that is often overlooked."

I love the way the unique fabric of this dress holds beautifully imperfect wrinkles, and the color and texture reminded me of Auerbach's gorgeous canvases.

Auerbach will be signing a limited edition issue of The Thing Quarterly at the New York Art Book Fair this Saturday!  Details here.

Dress: Oscar de la Renta

Embroidered clutch: Vintage, belonged to my Grandmother

Shoes: Brian Atwood (also worn here for one of my most popular posts to date)

The Artfully Awear + Pantone series has been a dream for me.  One last thank you to Pantone for the opportunity!

Photos by Kathy Paciello.  Auerbach images from taubaauerbach.com, pictify.com, and wiels.org.