Toulouse Lautrec is one of my favorite artists, and confetti is a favorite graphic of mine. It seems fitting to bring in 2008 with some of my favorite things wrapped in warm wishes for you for the new year. May it be full of inspiration to light the way forward.

All the best and thanks to all of those for helping me bring life to TrendBites. If I’ve any words of wisdom to share from 2007, it’s that no man is an island.

See you in 2008!

Kim

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Suzani, which means needlework in Persian, is the name given to large, embroidered textiles from Central Asia that were used as hangings or bed covers. These textiles were made of several panels of cotton or linen cloth that were embroidered with silk thread. To create the piece, the designs were first drawn on the panels in ink by either a family member or a hired professional. Several women in the family would then embroider different panels, and after the embroidery was complete, the panels would be sewn together to form the finished cloth. (Text from the Textile Museum.org: textile of the month)
Suzani were made in cities and towns in Central Asia; the different motifs on the textiles indicate where they were produced.

The image above was graciously brought to Trendbites by Maryam from My Marakesh blog who is well on her way to opening (February 08) her online store, the Peacock Pavilions Shop, where you too will be able to get your hands on suzanis like these as well as many other exotic goods from mysterious and exotic far off lands.

Maryam’s blog, My Marakesh, is full of images and tales of the interesting life she leads in Marakesh and upon occasion shows us the type of goods that the Peacock Pavilions Shop will be offering. Maryam explained that the suzani in these images are part of her personal collection and are not for sale but she is traveling to Kyrgyzstan where she will be shopping for her store. Maryam explained that Kyrgyz embroideries and felt rugs are also stunning and similar in inspiration. but will also buy Uzbek suzanis - if she finds a good stash and will offer them for sale. (click on the above highlighted Central Asia to get a feel for the geography we are referring to)

Ethnic embroideries are quite the thing these days and being able to get a hold of some of these directly from the regions the craft was historically honed is nothing less than breathtakingly exciting!

I am pretty sure a suzani is just what the daybed on the covered porch of the house I keep by the shore in Kennebunkport, Maine needs to make the room complete (well I can dream, can’t I?).

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by Sabine Rothman.

The explosion of venues has naturally led to an explosion of VIP lounges…so many fantastic vehicles for sponsorship upon sponsorship. It was hard to figure out which card would get you in to the innermost circle…wherever that was…and how you would pay for the $30+ salmon salad once you got there!

Some visitors had silver cards. Some had black. Some had black with special holes punched in them. And so on. (I particularly wanted to see a standoff between UBS guests and the HSBC invitees.)

Last year, Eric Doeringer, a very clever young artist, created a replica of the VIP card—you might call it a “fake i.d.”— in a limited edition of 15. Art, it was.

This year, his Bootlegs were the buzz. Doeringer exhibited his affordable—and hysterical—appropriations of work by contemporary art stars at GEISAI Miami, yet another satellite exhibition. He has been making Bootlegs for a few years now, and selling them on the streets of Chelsea. One of the things I love about them is that Doeringer’s editions are unlimited at a time when limited editions are a surefire way to drive prices for just about anything right through the roof. Who took note this week? Alix Browne AND Horacio Silva in their blogs for the New York Times’ T Magazine.

I went for the Hirst in the end. But I might track Doeringer down for a Richard Prince.

GEISAI is the offspring of a Japanese event founded by Takashi Murakami (of Vuitton fame) in 2001. And it was not the last we’ll see of these young artists!

Some links:

www.ericdoeringer.com

www.geisai.us

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by Sabine Rothman.

We came down to Florida for two shows: Art Basel Miami Beach and Design Miami. Or so I thought. At the end of our four-day trip, I could totally identify with the woman I heard wailing: “It’s almost over, and I haven’t seen everything yet!” Of course, we’d seen a lot, but with the proliferation of art and design exhibits—Pulse, Scope, NADA, Aqua, Photo MIAMI, Zones, Casa Décor, etc., etc., etc.—there was no way to do it all. Which got me thinking about multiplicity. Often, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. With that in mind, take a look at some of the installations and pieces that struck our fancy…

Steve Powers’ Signarama, a collaboration with Studio Gangster, presented by Deitch Projects and Paper Magazine.

and…

An untitled installation of line drawings by French artists Jean-Francois Moriceau and Petra Mrzyk at French Kissing in the U.S.A, an exhibit of work from the emerging art scene in France

And, what we saw in Miami makes me think of:

Barry McGee, another of Jeffrey Deitch’s artists

and…

Urs Fischer’s Jet Set Lady, a tower of drawings installed to stunning effect at Franois Pinault’s Palazzo Grassi in Venice

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