On a very sad day. Here's a few pics from Katrina's copy of Prince Alter Ego Comic from 1991, that sits on our bookshelf - loving preserved for 25 years by a true fan.
RIP Prince Rogers Nelson (1958-2016)
Got may hands on this fantastic postcard set from Jake and Dinos Chapman's - Injury to Insult to Injury. It's a lovely boxed reproduction their now infamous (a label that applies to almost everything they do) 2004 piece of the same name (see here). What I love most about this is how by reproducing it in postcard form, as well as in wallpaper it continues the 'insult' upon the art world. The Chapman brothers have a long standing history with Goya but when they decided to buy a mint collection of his Disasters of War and then set about 'improving' them they went straight for the Art world's most sacred taboo - "don't fuck with the art".
Goya's etchings are incredible, harrowing images of war. The 'improvements' are rather great, but the act of this, the 'insult' is even better. Here's a piece from The Guardian about it from 2003. Interestingly there's a dark history of artists as vandals and saboteurs. From Pissarro and his 'burn down the Louvre' to those who sneak into galleries and their own additions to the masters, ultimately reclaiming the works as their own. As Picasso said:
“Every act of creation is first of all an act of destruction."
Anyway here's a few more close ups. And check out the Jake and Dinos Chapman online shop for more goodies. http://shop.jakeanddinoschapman.com/
Got a pack of the Oblique Strategies cards by Brian Eno and Peter Schmidt. I've known about them for a while but was reminded of them recently after seeing this pic of David Bowie's deck.
I was so happy to discover you can still get these from Brian Eno's site. They are the perfect tool for overcoming creative block and reinvigorating any project. The set contains over 100 (103 in my pack) of simple yet perfect nudges to open your mind - far more useful than the many convoluted 'frameworks' that consultancies like to flog.
Recently I was given this bumper bundle of the amazing Science of the Secondary, an atlas of things not yet discovered from Atelier HOKO and I've just spent a very rainy Sunday in SF devouring each of them. I have the first six issues and each one tackles a single object. They are beautifully indulgent and poetic design exercises. From the stock to the print quality, they have a wonderful tonality that perfectly balances the way each topic is handled.
The six issues are: Apple, Cup, Clock, Window, Door, Pipe.
Here are a few shots of the spreads. But it's more than the wonderful design, it's the tone of the content and the depth at which each idea is explored that makes them so exceptional. Truly wonderful, much thanks to Donald Farmer for sharing them with me.
Included along with the last three issues was Another Mad Afternoon at Home. This is a pack of 20 postcards or "instructions" for things to do and then send back to Atelier HOKO. My 20 (a random selection from 60 created) include the gems (an adults rainy day playbook):
#06 Open a window and let this card fall out of it. Describe its flight
#22 Without permission, touch a stranger's door for an extended period of time
#50 Press your ear against an exposed pipe. Listen. Imitate sound.
Should make for a loverly mail art piece when they collate the returned postcards.
I've been toying with getting a Gary Taxali print for a long time, no idea what held me back. Anyway I finally grabbed Wild Forever for Katrina for Christmas as it fits her perfectly.
The illustration was originally commissioned by The New York Times' for a tribute to the great Maurice Sendak, upon his death in 2012. It's a fantastic print, large (19.3″ x 24″), richly coloured and will look stunning on the wall (alas we will need to find a new home with enough walls first).
Up until now the only other Taxali piece we had was a very small postcard and catalogue from his 300 show (I posted the card and cover back in 2010). I think what I love the most about his work is the layering and texture. All the rubber stamp, overprinting and notation really hits the spot for me, especially when combined with the commercial colours and cartooning.
Here's a little more from the 300 catalogue:
Check out his work here: http://www.garytaxali.com/
