Hasta La Ideas

Conceived around three readymade objects—a pulley, clamp or caster—design shop The Future Perfect is curating a show to take place during ICFF called “Lift Hold Roll.” They’re currently taking submissions of ideas that incorporate one (or multiples of one) of the useful devices in a piece.

The boutique will provide one of the objects of your choosing with the initial concept due 31 March 2010, including a rough sketch that shows how the pulley, clamp or caster will figure into the end result. Final pieces are due 1 May 2010. Send entries to kiel [at] thefutureperfect [dot] com.

NYC-based artist Christopher Chiappa’s first solo show in eight years, “High Fructose Corn Syrup,” boldly explores themes of cultural degradation, anxiety and industrialized sweeteners. Now on view at NYC’s Kate Werble Gallery through 10 April 2010, the show includes a variety of media, including photography, sculpture and video to describe a personal narrative on the loss of innocence. Chiappa notes, “It’s sort of all a big self-portrait somehow, from the obvious pieces that have me in them, to the other pieces that are more philosophical self-portraits. The over-arching connection for me, is me.” (“I Always New It Would Come To This,” 2010, pictured right)

A self-confessed Coke addict, Chiappa uses the brand’s 1985 transition from cane sugar to high fructose corn syrup as a thematic foil to these personal explorations, noting, “It’s kind of how I see history, the way things degrade. New rules get made, and the new norm always seems to be some sad reflection of the old norm.” While the artist admits that equating himself with high fructose corn syrup is something of a self-annihilating strategy, the subsidized sweetener makes an apt symbol for the disappointments in life.

Chiappa obliterates the purity of a white gallery space, seemingly at odds with this theme, by sheathing the entire gallery in sheets of black plastic garbage bags to a somewhat shocking effect. Some works surge into view (like the highlighter-yellow “Cornball,” a statement on America’s corn gluttony), while others become dangerously hidden in plain sight (such as a sculpture of cartoonishly-sized ice skate blades). The latter piece—heavily laden with conflicting notions of violence and utility, aggression and poetic expression—heightens a creeping sense of dread brought on by the black plastic environs. Desensitized as we are to the endless parade of art today, the feeling is oddly refreshing.

As collectives go, the loosely-organized, street art-focused Barnstormers stand out as much for a global scope—they count chapters in New York and Tokyo—as for a growing roster that reads like a who’s who of the genre. The group exhibit opening this Thursday, 18 March 2010 at Joshua Liner Gallery will feature the work of some 35 of these all-stars in a show that highlights each artist individually.

Swoon, David Ellis, Ryan McGinness, KR, Chris Mendoza, Kenji Hirata, Mike Ming, Doze Green and Maya Hayuk, to name a few, all will participate in the massive event which will include painting, video, printmaking, and other mediums.

The Barnstormers formed in 1999 after Ellis led 25 artists to the small town of Cameron in his native North Carolina to paint barns, tractor-trailers and farm equipment. Inspired by the initial collaborative energy, the clique continued working together with phenomenal synchronicity to construct large-scale murals that they describe as “motion paintings.”

While they’ve exhibited as a group before at Cincinnati, OH’s Contemporary Arts Center, the Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico; The Contemporary Museum in Honolulu, HI and North Carolina’s Southeaster Center for Contemporary Art, this Group Exhibition marks the largest to date and the first to celebrate the solo careers of members who’ve made major strides in the past decade.

One of the most well-known of the bunch (who’s lately been getting more attention for his weekly themed events), McGinnness will conduct his “Confessional Booth” via Skype at set hours from Spain where he’s currently working. If this one wildly creative, post-Warhol example of Barnstormers work is any indication, we can say this show isn’t to be missed.

Inspired by budding French fashion photographer Sandrine Castellan’s passion for oddly composed photos, CH asked the up-and-comer who currently inspires her work. While the three that top her list reflect her interest in unusual poses and unconventional settings, each photographer has their own distinct style and compelling way of visually crafting a story. We caught up with each of them to get a fuller understanding of their approach.

Sandrine Castellan

Raised in Aix-en-Provence, Montreal-based photographer Sandrine Castellan has been working her way around the camera since her grandfather gave her first one nearly 15 years ago. Castellan considers collaboration her “biggest thrill,” finding inspiration in unexpected ideas and people but recognizes that it begins with a meticulously-selected team.

After switching her focus from still to motion pictures during college, Castellan returned to the medium upon graduation. She is continuously pushing herself, finding her most interesting project is “the next one.”

Jonathan Waiter

Known for creating photos that show a model’s vulnerability, Jonathan Waiter‘s stunning black-and white-images simultaneously reflect both sensitivity and empowerment. Intent on creating as visceral a feeling as possible, the Netherlands-based photographer’s images are a raw interpretation of beauty.

Waiter essentially considers photography a predatory form that, by seizing the scene from reality, ultimately transforms the meaning.

David Aaron Morett

NYC-based photographer David Aaron Morett has been obsessed with taking pictures ever since the night a “guy named Hwa” gave him a “wonky old Nikon with a broken light meter.”

The style of Henri Cartier-Bresson sparked Morett’s interest in photography—making him determined to find those indescribably beautiful moments in time and “capture them like rare butterflies.” After years assisting, printing and retouching, more recently Morett has become focused on the craft of photography, finding nuances in lighting techniques and well-conceived projects.

Red de Leon

Preferring an “invisible” style of photography, NYC-based Red de Leon successfully depicts models in awkward poses using understated lighting and simple framing. His contemplative nature shows up in each image, and, while he finds the industry limiting in regard to full creative potential, his resulting thought-provoking photographs are full of energy.

Inspired by Michael Haneke’s film “The White Ribbon,” de Leon regards transitional periods in history as a relevant interest. Concerned with highlighting essential human elements, he hopes to explore an anachronistic story that teaches him about “design, human nature, fashion and progress.”

Adding to Le Book‘s already impressive roster of artistic superstars, this year the New York edition of the influential publication tapped the work of late photographer Robert Mapplethorpe to “dress” their covers.

For a resource widely serving as the media maker’s yellow pages, the inspirational choice draws on the instrumental role that the native New Yorker’s highly technical images of nudes played in elevating photography to a major art form.

Embarking on its 28th year, Le Book isn’t just a definitive reference, but compelling covers featuring works by the likes of Stephen Sprouse, YSL, Alaia, Hermés and others, has made it a collectible in its own right.

This year the massive book extends its brand to include a complimentary iPhone app dubbed Le Tag as an additional informative resource.

Get your copy of Le Book from their site for $250.