Let me answer that question for you … PAPER. Yes, this PAPER installation, titled “Model Home” is the work of American artist Sara E. Farrington. It is absolutely stunning – from the overall effect to her craftsmanship. But wait, it gets better:

“Model Home” is an installation of staged domestic space using heavyweight drawing paper to create everything from furniture and light switches to electrical outlets, rugs, picture frames and baseboards. Every piece is the same color, off-white.  The overwhelming amount of this color from floor to ceiling creates a sense of sterility, conformity, blankness, a clean or erased slate. The model home is a reference and a metaphor for the American ideal, the perfect domestic space marketed specifically for status, an unattainable goal for many. Rooted in a strong foundation in traditional drawing, this work expands the definition of drawing beyond the two-dimensional picture plane and into three-dimensional space, where the space functions as image rather than reality, much like the model home. Both the installation and model homes are staged to appeal to many; a space onto which one can project their desires. The “American Dream” of getting married, owning your own home and having 2.5 children and a dog becomes a failed promise due to economic insecurities. This installation embodies this empty promise.

Beautiful and brilliant.

Ceramic ‘Happy Meals’ … LOVE. These pieces are the work of Mexican artist Ana Gómez, and are all part of her “Disposables” series. Here is part of the description of this work from her website:

Consumption as a synonym of happiness. The disposable as synonymous with modernity. The adoption of new habits as an illusion of progress. Three ideas that shaped, almost unconsciously, a consumer society after the war. Three ideas that, almost consciously, are suggested in the work – and the discourse that sustains it – that Ana Gómez presents to us in Disposable .
Knowing the role of food in the game of added value of consumption-in which the nutritious and healthy go to the background-Ana Gómez dissects our relationship with food and how it has been transformed from its Good interchangeability condition. A cultural, economic and nutritional exchange that, while leaving behind tons of garbage, children and adults with overweight problems and the perception that “for four pesos more” one feeds better with “potatoes and large soft drinks”, allows Ana Gómez to play with the idea that these waste, physical and emotional, can also be transformed and transited in the same plane in which consumption moves: the symbolic. 

If you happen to be in the Bay Area in the next few months, you can see some of these pieces in “Tradition Interrupted” at the Bedford Gallery in Walnut Creek, CA. The show runs from April 11 until June 23, 2019.

Dream? Nightmare? Perhaps a fine blend of both. These pattern-covered, contemporary yet historical, highly narrative paintings are the work of American artist Kyla Zoe Rafert. Yes, I said paintings… hence including the closeups as proof. This is Kyla’s description of this latest body of work:

I see my current work as the truth bent to perfection. Set within a meticulously designed world of vanity, beauty, and abundant pattern, recent works evoke a carefully crafted stage rather than the happenstance of real life. Echoing fairy tales and Dutch genre paintings of the 17th century, my paintings illustrate adolescent girls and young women in scenes that play on Romantic notions such as the peril of curiosity, the potency of beauty, and the inevitable fall of innocence. Despite their childlike references however, these works are meant to embody the prophetic perspective of an adult looking backward to an overly romanticized, fictive past. As an adult, one can look longingly at this world of innocence, and whether it existed or not, they have always fallen from it: they have traded their naiveté for the role of a diviner. 

Beautiful.

Stunning photographs, no? NO, because THEY’RE OIL PAINTINGS! I’ve written about the hyper-real work of Australian painter Victoria Reichelt before, but these new pieces are very timely both figuratively and literally… the subject matter, of course – from “Takeaway Horror” to “Corrugated Horror”- speaks to current eco issues, AND all four of these pieces happen to be hanging at Art Basel Hong Kong right now, through this weekend. If you’re there, look for This Is No Fantasy,  the Australian gallery that represents Victoria’s work.

Oh. My. God, indeed! All of these fashionable ladies are part of an ongoing series, titled “Girls”, by London based artist / illustrator Frida Wannerberger. Ah, so beautiful and bizarre … one of my favorite combos. Also, that fabulous Jurassic Park outfit? YES.

Plants on EVERYTHING! This is the bold and beautiful work of Swedish artist Linnéa Andersson. Clearly, she has found her creative voice, from subject matter to color palette. Also clear… I’m quite sure there’s not a surface in the world she would shy away from! Gorgeous.

These “one-minute-nudes” are the work of Hudson, New York based artist Gretchen Kelly. Now, anyone who’s ever taken a life drawing class will know about these quick exercises… the model changing positions every 60 seconds so you have to work fast and make decisions on the fly. I did hundreds of these in art school. Um, NONE of them looked like this! Elegant lines, washy wonderfulness, and a fabulous celebration of – not only the female form – but also the creative process. Beautiful and confident.

ps. These lovely (affordable) pieces are available  in Gretchen’s shop.

Gasp! Delicate, bizarre, and beautifully made … yep, that describes the work of Cuban born, US based artist Elsa Mora. Elsa does all sorts of things – from ceramics to painting – but she is also a master of paper! These images are just a small sampling of her series, titled “One Hundred and One Notions”. I’ll hand it over to Elsa for the explanation:

“This series is about perception, and it consists of one hundred and one small paper sculptures, each of them representing a mental disorder. Along the process of creating these pieces, I did research about the different mental disorders, some of which I had never heard of. For example, Fregoli delusion is a rare disorder in which a person holds a delusional belief that different people are in fact a single person who changes appearance or is in disguise. This installation is an homage to the human mind and the endless ways in which it expresses itself. It is about the darkness, light, and mysteries of our human condition.” 

Beautiful. And in case you’re wondering, Fregoli Delusion is the peanut-looking piece up there!

ps. Elsa, her work, and her story are in the follow-up / evolution to A BIG IMPORTANT ART BOOK, which will be released in the Fall of 2019!

Each tiny show starts off with an opening reception, where anywhere between 200-500 people wait in line to check out the tiny art, meet the artist, and snack on miniature treats. Since this project began in October of 2018, every single one of our eight shows have sold out.

*photos found on their Instagram feed, taken by various people 

Oh my word… she’s looking into my soul. This is the beautiful and surreal work of Parisian born, New York based artist Patrick Pietropoli. His latest show, titled ‘Coincidences’ , opens this Saturday March 23 at Hugo Galerie in New York. Here are their words about Patrick and his work:

“Pietropoli was a teacher of political studies for several years before becoming a professional artist. Trained as both a painter and a sculptor, his oil paintings on linen have both an antique feel and a very contemporary freeness. Drawing inspiration from the style of old masters such as Titian and Velasquez, Pietropoli creates grand figural compositions and cityscapes. With small amounts of paint and restricted palette, he brings an intimate texture and space to his paintings. His nudes capture a moment in time where he defines the relationship between form and freedom.”

The show runs until April 21, 2019.