HADIEH SHAFIE

Hadieh Shafie, Magenta (Ketab Series), 2012

I'm fascinated by the hand-dyed, rolled paper works of Hadieh Shafie (1969-), an Iranian artist who studied at Pratt.  Reminiscent of ancient scrolls, and inspired by Abstract Expressionism, the works resound on multiple levels.  When a friend sent me the above image of myself, which was enhanced using the iPhone app Percolator, I was delighted by it's affinity to the mesmerizing sculptures.

[Shafie image from artsy.net; image of me by Brett McKenzie.]

OUT OF OFFICE: Maine.

Alex Katz, Ada Seated, 1963

I'm currently on vacation in the favored painting location of figurative artist Alex Katz: Maine.  The landscape here is beautiful and I'm taking cues from Katz's wife and muse, Ada, featured in many of his paintings.  I love the simple ensemble pictured here, and the slower pace of life here in Maine.  I'll be back next week with new Art to Wear and outfit posts.

Happy Fourth of July!

Image via.

ART TO WEAR: Unbuttoning the Met.

Ji Eon Kang, Dress, 1997

It's a sad day for collectors of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's iconic metal admission tags, which have been discontinued.  In memory of the colorful pins, here is a look at Ji Eon Kang's dress made of the ubiquitous mini medallions, a class project-turned-memoriam. The pins have been described as "a kind of coin minted expressly for entry into the museum" and represent, to many, the identity of the Met and the cultural identity of New York City.

 How Shocking: Met Unbuttons.

Via.

ART TO WEAR: Boyarde Messenger x Charlotte Olympia.

I'm not sure how this project has eluded my attention for so many months, but I just came across these painted shoes by artist Boyarde Messenger.  Messenger hand-painted Charlotte Olympia pumps to look like famous works from Art History, and they're just beautiful!  Now I have a serious desire to make my own.

What do you think: would you DIY?  Which shoes are your favorite?

 Via.

MAGRITTE: Cloudy with a Chance of Symbolism.

It's been a few years since my last outfit post inspired by Magritte, but there is so much within the artist's oeuvre, visually and symbolically, that I often return to it for inspiration.

René François Ghislain Magritte (1898-1967) was born in Brussels and eventually traveled to Paris, where he became affiliated with the Surrealists such as André Breton.

In addition to his surrealist works, Magritte produced painted forgeries of Picassos, Braques, and Chiricos, and ultimately forged money as well.  I find this extremely intriguing, given the play between reality and alternate reality in his works, such as those depicted here.

Many people are familiar with at least a few of Magritte's works, particularly for their imagery within popular culture.  His recurring surrealist themes, evidenced symbolically, have become synonymous with the artist himself.

In Magritte's opinion, painting was "the art of putting colors side by side in such a way that their real aspect is effaced, so that familiar objects—the sky, people, trees, mountains, furniture, the stars, solid structures, graffiti—become united in a single poetically disciplined image. The poetry of this image dispenses with any symbolic significance, old or new."

Dress: Diane von Furstenberg (same print, different dress available in a limited quantity here)

Heels: C'N'C Costume National Patent Leather Pumps (available here, over 50% off!)

Photos by Kathy Paciello at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden.

Les Robes Géographiques

I've fallen in love with the paper series Les Robes Géographiques by London-based artist Elisabeth Lecourt.  Though these pieces are not meant to be worn, I feel the need for something similar in my closet and on my wall. 

"The vulnerability of the human being, the fragility of the bodies exposed by Lecourt proposes a painful beauty as well, as much by the emotional thing of the topic like by its own necessity to understand our body and what there is within us."

via

More maps here.

ORLY GENGER at MADISON SQUARE PARK

The first time I encountered Orly Genger's Red, Yellow, and Blue during its installation at Madison Square Park, I wasn't sure I appreciated the 1.4 million feet of repurposed rope, equal to more than 20 times the length of Manhattan, undulating amongst the grass and trees.

At first,  the sculptures seemed to detract from the respite of the lush park in the midst of hurried Flatiron, but I soon appreciated their presence as I watched the public, encouraged through interaction with the works, to experience the park and their surroundings in a new way.

Fashioned out of nautical rope gathered from the East Coast and then meticulously knotted by hand, the massive installation Red, Yellow, and Blue encompasses multiple layers of meaning, both literally and figuratively. 

Genger’s installations have been described as “aggressive”, and almost appear to man-handle the spaces in which they reside. At the same time, there is a calming quality to the repeated links and knots.  Genger's work is inspired by Minimalism and interaction in work by artists such as Richard Serra and Felix Gonzalez-Torres.

Dress: W118 by Walter Baker

Jacket: Doo. Ri

Shoes: Rachel Roy

Photos by Meri Feir.

Concurrent with the Madison Square Park project, you can buy Genger's MSP collection, inspired by Red, Yellow, and Blue, through Grey Area.