Visiting Kim MacConnel’s artist studio and private residence was always going to be a colorful affair. How hands-on it turned out to be made a few guests step out of their comfort zone: indeed, when confronted with Kim’s painted furniture – in his very own functional living room – you literally want to take a seat and ponder (in the picture below, all chairs, sofas and tables have been painted by Kim MacConnel). Yet we’ve all wanted to get a little too close to touch the art in museums but there was always that little voice (or the museum guard’s voice!) telling you to step back. At Kim’s house, touching the art is allowed and encouraged, making us feel right at home. This house was turned total work of art thanks to the equally touchable art created by his wife Jean Lowe (a blog dedicated to Jean will follow). More than a house, it is a decorative duet and an ode to Color, an entire art history conversation, right there. Two artists putting their artistic visions towards creating their very own make-belief vie de château, in which doors are as tall as in Versailles itself, furniture is adorned with chinoiserie […]
It comes as no surprise that Iris van Herpen interned with a fashion genius like Alexander McQueen. What is more surprising is that, Iris, age 36, a young Dutch designer who has been making fashion for the past 10 years, is already the subject of an exhibition/ retrospective at the Phoenix Art Museum. I use the word retrospective here due the sheer magnitude of her body of work and the unique creative mind she brings to each and every one of the dresses she conceives and creates. Fully at the intersection between couture, sculpture, science and technology lies…the art of her fashion!