Will recreating classic fairy tales and children’s stories in photo shoots ever get old? Probably not. Photographer Elena Kalis took this amazing series of underwater photos in which her 10-year-old daughter plays out scenes from Alice in Wonderland in the clear, blue ocean surrounding the Bahamas, where they live. We’d like to take a trip down this saltwater-filled rabbit hole. [Elena Kalis via NOTCOT] Keep reading »
Sometimes it’s hard to remember that folks back in olden times (a) had a sense of humor and (b) had dirty minds just as bad as ours. But it’s true. An art restorer at the Louvre was tasked with restoring Nicolas Poussin’s 17th century painting “Hymenaios Disguised as a Woman During an Offering to Priapus,” which shows the god of marriage (Hymenaois) giving a gift to the god of fertility (Priapus). Underneath many layers of paint, she found that … Priapus has an erect penis that’s, well, basically porn-star sized. The restoration team thinks that the peen was probably in the original work and that, years later, another artist covered it up after getting complaints from the Catholic Church. An alternate theory is that, back in the day, artists would paint their subjects nude and then paint clothes on top so as to make them as realistic as possible. Who knows which theory is right, but if you happen to be in Brazil next week, go check out the unveiling of the restored painting at the Museu de Arte de São Paulo. [The Art Newspaper] Keep reading »
At this point in my life, I have enough memorabilia from broken relationships to fill an entire museum. As a writer, I tend to heal after a breakup by writing about it—helps me understand what went wrong. But there aren’t always words to express how painful, sad, annoying, or existentially confusing a breakup can be. And what about the physical, tangible objects left behind—the ones that you come across every so often in the garage that make you laugh, cry, or both. So, after hearing about some of the awesome projects at the Museum of Broken Relationships, a conceptual art museum in Croatia that attempts to create a space of “secure memory” and a safe place to get rid of “controversial objects” that trigger momentarily “undesirable” emotions, I started rummaging through some of my old broken-relationship booty to see what kind of project I could make. Here are my top 10 items. Keep reading »
Think arts and crafts projects are all about camp activities and innocent fun? French artist Marianne Batlle causes us to think again. While her handmade beaded broaches are super crafty, they also channel the world of haute couture with portraits of cute Coco Chanels with signature pearls, cartoonish Karl Lagerfelds, and a flamboyant John Galliano.
Things get weirder with Batlle’s other objets d’art, which involve some equally crafty, um, crocheted penises. While she makes some tamer Christmas-themed sculptures (a fuzzy red penis with a green bow), on Batlle’s website there’s a whole animated fashion show of penis dolls conceived in different themes like Chanel, “Bora Bora” (blue with an exotic purple flower), and “How to Marry a Millionaire,” which is a gold and silver phallus. Who would buy these, you ask? No clue. But if you’re dying for a look, check after the jump for a picture of one of the concept pieces. [CoolHunting.com]
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Admit it. From time to time, you browse Craigslist’s Missed Connections, secretly hoping that you’ll recognize a description and realize you are the “girl on the A train.” What could be more romantic than someone experiencing love at first sight? Artist Sophie Blackall brings these moments to life. Using striking “New York Missed Connections” posts, she creates whimsical and colorful illustrations based on the words and scenario. Some are poignant—in one, a waitress at a diner stares longingly at a boy drinking a strawberry milkshake along with the script, “I bought you that milkshake, you just didn’t realize it.” Others are hilarious, like the man looking for a hipster chick who passed gas: “You passed wind rather loudly and started chuckling. I’d like to see you again. The flatulence wasn’t a turn-off.” Check out the fun blog, or purchase a print on Etsy. You never know … you might find something familiar. [Missed Connections] Keep reading »
Some artists choose to see life through rose-colored glasses. Then there are those who see gritty reality, and still try to make something pretty out of it. Take Tristan Zimmermann, a designer who created these bonsai planters (pretty) and incorporated the concept of what parks are really like (reality). The white porcelain pottery depicts disturbing scenes of what goes on after dark—two men having sex in a corner, a pervert flashing an unsuspecting lady. Then there are also the just-plain-sad scenarios of a man getting mugged or a lonely fellow who has lost his way. In a way, these pieces are a poignant metaphor—not even the youngest, most innocent sapling is immune to the dark realities of the world. Or they’re just totally hilarious. Depends how you see things. [$100, CharlesAndMarie.com] Keep reading »
No, that’s not the slang term for a hoarder, although it would totally fit. Junk monsters are the strange suits London-based photographer Danny Treacy crafts from items he finds in “lonely places,” like the woods, parking lots, and landfills. Once the junk monster suit is completed to Treacy’s satisfaction, he wears it in his life-size self-portraits for his ongoing series Them. The suits and series are described on his website as “nightmares of the catwalk, prowling around the outskirts of style’s dumb extravagance.” Although these found items morph into one collective piece, each garment has a story to tell on its own — “It seems that something that happened to its former owner emanates from each piece of fabric,” wrote photography blogger Isabelle on Cyana Trend Land.
Some, including myself until I took a second look, may argue that this isn’t art. But I’d advise them to look a little closer. Don’t you want to know the stories behind each piece of fabric? It’s a good thing Treacy doesn’t tell us what he knows because then our imaginations would be stunted. Plus, we can also try to figure out what his message is. I think the above junk monster is trying to warn us against the dangers of global warming. It’s saying no amount of protective clothing will ward off the inevitable body bag.
After the jump, two other junk monster photos. Keep reading »
Calling all artists and creative types—and those who just think they’re the next Da Vinci! Social Designer, a company that strives to get people thinking and creating differently, has started a colored pencils of the month club. Well, sort of. After you sign up, once a month you get a batch of 25 different colored pencils delivered to your door. So, just when you’re over the colors you’ve got, a new shipment arrives with loads more pigment possibilities! This so beats the mega box of Crayola crayons. [$33 per month for a 20-month subscription, 500 Pencils] Keep reading »
Installation artists Jason Krugman, Stella Kim, and Ben Chao have got balls! Their latest piece of work is a giant replica of a scrotum. And much like your man’s fun bags, the Teste Touch responds to a gentle caress and, er, rises to the occasion. Check out this vid of the interactive art in action. From the looks of it, while we Frisky girls have been reminding dudes what not to forget during sex, the men finally got someone to represent their desires in the sack too. [WOW] Keep reading »
We here at Der Frisky are loving these amazing carved fashion magazine artworks by Nate Page. We’re not entirely sure how he reconstructs these deconstructed glossy pages, but it involves “drawing and assemblage,” and the results are beautiful and haunting. Here, he appears to have carved the face out of Naomi Watts on the cover of Vogue Australia to creepy cool effect, leaving nothing but the eyes staring out. I used to keep all my magazines, until they stood in towering stacks. It’s lovely to see someone make art out of what we stare at that stares back at us. (See also: Nina Chakrabarti) One more, after the jump… Keep reading »
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