spatial design

a rather fantastic combination of white scaffolding, plush pink carpet and mirrors. almost the way someone in the 1950s would have imagined the setting for the dior spring fashion show to look in 2015.

image: by alessandro garofalo from here

it's coming up*

with new exhibitions opening this week it really feels like we are getting back into the swing of things.

daniel malone has a solo exhibition opening at hopkinson mossman,

and michael lett is showing 'implicated and immune' an exhibition of artists' responses

to HIV, AIDS, desire and loss... see you there!

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'implicated and immune'

28 january - 28 february

michael lett

312 karangahape road

'I&I'

29-28 february

hopkinson mossman

level 1, 19 putiki street

*this is meant to be a quotation from bjork's 'big time sensuality'

goodyear

as anyone who has a blender can testify, it's quite easy to become smoothie-centric.

what magical combinations can there be? combining leafy greens with chocolate cacao

bananas, oats, honey... london-based glasshouse journal is home to a '12 months of smoothies' section. you have to flip the months for the southern hemisphere but it's worth it. it also doesn't hurt that the recipes are styled by jumpsuit enthusiast and art director extraordinaire victoria spicer. smooth and shiny and sweet... august is my favourite with banana, coffee and almond milk.
october includes pumpkin (genius!), and november involves peanut butter! 

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ps I also enjoy occasionally blending up a shot of coffee with a teaspoon of coconut oil and a teaspoon of coconut sugar. it blends into a creamy, frothy, intense and long-lasting brew.

emboldened

'A brand-new feeling of power surged through me. I had done something extremely ill advised, and it had worked out. I had survived. What else could I survive? I’d spend the next decade trying to find out.'

this great new essay by artist-filmmaker-writer miranda july on 'how a river phoenix look-alike lured a 13-year-old miranda july into an unexpected adventure.' looking forward to her new novel 'the first bad man' and also into her crazy 'somebody' app. my name is paw-paw.

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image: by stella berkofsky from here

la primavera

although I was recently dismissive of floral prints, I do actually really love florals, especially very fine tracery-like designs. celia birtwell, the woman behind ossie clark's florals in the 1970s is the woman behind these very intricate prints for the current valentino collection by the wondrous duo maria grazia chiuri and pierpaolo piccioli. the dresses, part amish, part empire, part 1970s columbia, the outrageous boots, the slouchy cardigans and also camouflage.

images: from here

setting forth...

alas I missed the lovely areez katki during his brief soujourn to auckland.

he's resumed his european adventure leaving behind some tantalising

images. who would of thought such lovely images could be taken in matamata

and there is a delicious sense of the relief of homecoming,

the perpetual return of a new-zealander to the beach. see here. 

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all images by areez katki, taken from here

in the off-season

although towards the end of last year I was beginning to suffer from art-fatigue

I'm definitely ready to start going to openings again, there is the chance to see new work, 

catching up with friends and the free alcohol doesn't hurt either.

in the meantime I've been sniffing around the city trying to find important moments.

isobel thom has some works at te uru in titirangi. you must go and enjoy the views, the staircases

and the yellow linoleum. also melbourne-based art historian jan bryant has written a catalogue essay.

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kathy barry and isobel thom

homeworld

6 december - 4 february

te uru

420 titirangi road.