Sunday Six 12/18/22

The New Bend at Hauser & Wirth: I have always loved the work of Gee’s Bend, a group of enslaved women from rural Alabama who have been making some of the most incredible quilts since the 19th century. Piecing together worn-out work clothes and fabric scraps to create geometric and abstract designs for each quilt, their work is not only an exceptional example of resourcefulness and textile craft but it is also symbolic of the times in which they were being made, during the Civil Rights Movement and Jim Crow.  Gee’s Bend continues today and an exhibition at Hauser & Wirth in LA pays homage to their work. ’The New Bend’ features textile art by 11 contemporary artists including Sojourner Truth Parsons, Ferren Gipson, and Myrlande Constant – the Haitian artist whose embellished and sequined pieces are utterly captivating.  

mermaid quilt

The Cosmic Dance: I’ve been following researcher, writer, and image collector Stephen Ellcock since the early days of Instagram and am always blown away by his endless curiosity and ability to tap into the essence of his subject.  I’ve been exploring his latest book, The Cosmic Dance, and it is both awe-inspiring and illuminating.  It’s filled with a “collection of remarkable, arresting, and surprising images drawn from the entire history of art to explore the ancient belief that the cosmos is reflected in all living things.” 

DeVera Skulls: Designer Federico de Vera has created a world that his entirely his own, filled with curiosities and objects and some of the most arrestingly gorgeous jewelry made from antique fragments and natural materials, all one-of-a-kind that can be found in his New York store.  Visiting De Vera is an experience like no other and it is one of the few stores in the world where I leave wanting more. What I am really coveting right now is his large horn skull necklace with diamond eyes and carved blackened tagua nut beads.  

Reath Design in AD:  Frances Merrill is one of my favorite interior designers working today.  Her recent Gloucester project styled by my dear friend Mieke ten Have in the January issue of Architectural Digest is a purple and yellow dream scene and I can’t stop thinking about it.  The warmth of each room brought out by the color scheme and layers of texture and textiles is totally brilliant and completely original.  

WERK Magazine No. 17, Eley Kishimoto: High on my Christmas wish list is this new book from Singapore-based WERK Magazine and London-based fashion brand Eley Kishimoto, a collaboration conceived as a ‘textile work-in-progress’ with actual fabric pages – each a unique production with a limited edition of 1,000 copies.  It’s a visual scrapbook with family photographs and an archive of Eley Kishimoto prints, as well as looks from artist Sophie Calle and actress Catherine Deneuve.  

book with patterns

The B-52’s on SNL: One of my besties sent me this video of The B-52’s performing Rock Lobster on SNL in 1980 and it blew. my. mind.  Performance art at its finest that includes Ricky Wilson, the original guitarist, showing us all how it’s done.