Tag Archive "k-fai-steele"

Pifas is the place to redefine DIY

As jumble sales and neighborhood carnivals go, The current Pifas Place exhibit (at Pifas, doh) is a bit surreal. But as art goes, it’s a barrel of fun–a mix of performances and installations.

Rem Koolhas CCTV tower on FIRE!!!

Breaking News from K-Fai Steele A building located next to the construction site of the new China Central Television is seen on fire in Beijing, February 9, 2009. REUTERS/China Daily. Here is the reuters report. Hi Roberta and Libby,  I don’t know if you heard about this yet or not, but part of the CCTV building complex in Beijing is on fire. The TVCC, or the Television Cultural Center, is a public structure housing a state-of-the-art broadcasting theater, cultural facilities, and The Mandarin Oriental, a five-star hotel. It was designed by Rem Koolhaas, head of the OMA (Office of Metropolitan ... More » »

Digital Printing and Fashion in Philadelphia

Post by K-Fai Steele Lobo Mau (“Big Bad Wolf” in Portugese) is a new Philadelphia-based textile and fashion design company. It is the brainchild of Nicole Haddad and Renata Certo-Ware, Philadelphia natives who specialize in digitally printed textiles – one of the newest, most environmentally-friendly forms of printing. On December 13th, Lobo Mau launched the design of their newest creation: 3-D digitally printed dresses at Bacai Boutique in Manayunk [at 4228 Main Street, Philadelphia, PA 19127]. As you approached the store, you saw some of the models dancing in the store’s window (see the video at the bottom of the ... More » »

Delirious architecture at MoMA

Post by K-Fai Steele The Dreamland show in the Architecture and Design Drawings Gallery (third floor, MoMA) celebrates the 30 year anniversary of Delirious New York, written by Rem Koolhaas in 1978. The show features drawings and models dedicated to utopian experimentation since the 1970s. Unfortunately, the show was lacking in explanatory text, so one had to either have some knowledge of Koolhaas and architecture history, or be able to gumshoe information out. Koolhaas (b. 1944) founded the OMA (Office of Metropolitan Architecture) in 1975 with his wife Madelon Vriesendorp, and another husband and wife team, Elia and Zoe Zenghelis. ... More » »

Obsessive collectors convention this month at Copy

Post by Brandon Joyce Installation shot from Collections Show at Copy. Image features Neon Pink Things collected by Callie Konane Rickards (center), Andrew Jeffrey Wright‘s Family Circus books collection (left) and Erica Prince’s Best Friends photos collection (right) This month, at Copy Gallery, Luren Jenison curated a Collections Show, with entries gathered from the private caches of various New York and Philadelphia obsessives. Slews of ski masks, records, stationery, squeaky toys, succulents, weirdo children’s videos, Family Circus Books— pinned up and spread out like cases of dried butterflies. Leslie Rogers’ paper bag collection Three or four entries, in particular, really ... More » »

Hello Fashion! Kansai Yamamoto at the PMA

Post by K-Fai Steele Kansai Yamamoto, Bodysuit, 1971. Photo courtesy of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The Hello Fashion! Kansai Yamamoto 1971-1973 show at the Philadelphia Museum of Art is hidden in the Costume and Textile Study Gallery on the 2nd floor of the Perelman building. Yamamoto, a Japanese fashion designer known for his bold, extravagant stylistics, can be described with the Japanese colloquial word hade, meaning gaudy or something that stands out. He draws inspiration from Japanese national culture and tradition, specifically Kabuki theater, kimono, art from the Azuchi-Monoyama period (1568-1603) and marries it with Western (as in Amero-European) ... More » »

Each One Teach One at PIFAS

Special Report on the lecture/discussion series organized by The Temporary Department for Academic Research (TDAR)  By K-Fai Steele  TDAR, The Temporary Department for Academic Research is a collective of Sarah Jacoby, James Weissinger, and Oliver Wunsch. For August 2008 they are PIFAS’s Artists-In-Residence. The Eric James Johnson Memorial Artist Residency coordinated by PIFAS faculty member Constance Mensh, has brought both national and international artists to Philadelphia since 2007. TDAR is the first group to hail from Philadelphia itself. The front of the dioramic classroom: Richard Davis, Oliver Wunsch (on screen), Brandon Joyce, James Weissinger, and Sarah Jacoby (all with name ... More » »

There Will be Animals at Bambi–of course

Alan Prazniak, Protect the Moondog A gallery that calls itself Bambi is bound to have a soft spot in its heart for a show about animals. And here it is at last: There Will be Animals. Alan Prazniak, Women and Children First, Oil on Canvas Artists Tory Franklin, Alan Prazniak and K-Fai Steele were chosen by Gallerist Candace Karch from the 18 artists at the recent Bambi Biennial show (which Roberta and I juried). I mention our role in the interest of full disclosure (see Andrea’s post reviewing some of the artists in the Biennial). What these three artists have ... More » »

What we want to see Friday

Here it is First Friday again. Things are hopping all over town and here are a few picks for you. Hope to see you out there. Heather Jo Wingate, paper doll VALLEY OF THE DOLLSHoneymilk at Topstitch Boutiqueopening reception friday april 4th, 20086-10 pmtopstitch boutique311 market stphila pa, 19106215 238 8877 A variety of dolls by, holy honeymilk! look at this list! derek ihnatabigail brulyheather jo wingatejames ulmersteven dufalajoslyn newmanmarta abrantessue whitevida russellj.l. shnabelgerold mooneysarah huntcarrie powellamy millererin sweeney by Amze Emmons World Headquarterspaintings and prints by Amze EmmonsInLiquid at the BridePainted Bride Cafe Gallery, 230 Vine Street, Philadelphia, PAFriday ... More » »

Bambi Biennial and In the Beginning

Alan Prazniak Revenge of the Innocents (detail), 2007, charcoal on paper, photo courtesy of Bambi Gallery, © Alan Prazniak Two juried shows are currently on view in Philadelphia with different aims and in different contexts. Bambi Gallery in Fishtown is showing it’s tongue-in-cheek titled Bambi Biennial through March 16. The 18 artists were selected by Roberta Fallon and Libby Rosof – yes – Artblog‘s Roberta and Libby. Lest this seem like an insider job, I’m planning to discuss the artists, not the selection, except to say that Fallon and Rosof favored artists whose work they didn’t know and had lots ... More » »