Blog — Page 91 of 283

powerHouse Books – Art of Sneakers and Art on Deck

powerHouse Books is one of the more interesting publishing houses as with its diverse portfolio, it covers a range of areas from pop cultural phenomena via books zeroing in on celebrities to fine art, with the common denominator being the endeavour to break through the stasis of the publishing industry and to challenge notions and perceptions.

With over twenty-five years and an array of fantastic release under its belt, powerHouse Books has firmly established itself on the firmament of quality publishers in the realm of illustrated books on culture.

One of the areas that powerHouse has been covering since 2002 are sneakers and by partnering directly with the respective brands, has been key to the success of their emissions, with specifically taking things to the next level when it comes to visual appeal and aesthetics. In essence, it felt like powerHouse was closer to the core than other publishers that were merely documenting what was already out there.

An example par excellence for the craft powerHouse Books channels its alchemy in is the Art of Sneakers, which is in essence an homage to the creative minds of sneaker creators, who took cues from the Jordan generation to push the envelope further. What makes Art of Sneakers interesting is that it tackles the sujet not only from a fashionist viewpoint but elaborates from angles such diverse as sports, music and art and how the design and influences of sneakers have been informed and influenced by other art forms like e.g. sculpting and origami.

A two way street really, as The Art of Sneakers showcases how sneaker art is in turn influencing other art forms and by that not only makes for colourful eye candy on your coffee table, but serves as a source of inspiration not merely for sneaker heads but for anyone remotely interested in art at large.

Art on Deck is another excellent powerHouse Books, which exemplifies their strengths when it comes to brand collaborations. The focus in this case is on Supreme and how their approach to the creation of their unique skateboard range created a new genre. Art on Deck not only documents all the rare decks, but also shows them in action in their natural habitats.

Supreme’s collaboration are being shed light on via interviews with artists including names like Kaws, Damien Hirst, Takashi Murakami, Jeff Koons, and Raymond Pettibon, framed by contextualised essays and photography.

High Adventures in the Great Outdoors – I scream “ice cream”!

There is a reason why many is song is dedicated to ice cream and more often than not literally, and not merely metaphorically. There is not only the classic “Like ice in the sunshine” by Beagle Music Ltd., which became synonymous with Langnese, but Van Halen’s, Blur’s and Tom Waits’ odes to the “Ice Cream Man” as well as Raekwon’s, Master P’s, Lil Pump’s and other hip-hop artists’ thinly veiled ice cream related allusions to less savoury pursuits.

There are regions on this earthround where there is never not ice cream season. Not unlike pizza, even if it is not great, ice cream is usually still good, tasty and usually indulgent, full of calories, sugar and other nasties.

When you scan your supermarket of choice these days and peruse the pints, bars, pops, sandwiches, and other frozen treats, the range of offerings has never catered to a bigger spectrum of tastes, quality of ingredients, packaging claims, and even nutritional value.

While it is usually easy to avoid the worst offenders in terms of lame product claims, it can get tiring to look at the details and largely, healthy ice cream still sounds like contradiction per se.

However, ice cream has come a long way and healthier options are becoming more commonplace and the pointers I usually go by is to look at fewer and more recognizable ingredients and the sugar versus fat trade-off.

After quite a bit of trial and error, I came across FroPro, which does not sacrifice flavour, the creamy and rich experience that is tucking into a pint, yet pretty much eliminates nasties.

What I like about FroPro is that it is much less sweet yet less grainy and bland than other ice cream brands that pride themselves with being healthier alternatives.

The FroPro “singles” come in an array of flavours, with the salted caramel being a favourite, and despite the full flavour it lacks artificial sweeteners and sugar alcohols – instead it gets its filling and satisfying qualities from the high protein content.

While ice cream will remain to be a sometimes food, the flavour rich FroPro formula nalls what a healthier ice cream experience can look like.

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image from company website

Water of Life – Seppeltsfield Road Distillers

With gin distilling having exploded in both demand and offerings and no end in sight when it comes to mushrooming, methinks we are nearing two hundred gin distilleries on terra australis.

It is always nice to come across a new one that adds new nuances when it comes to channelling their alchemy in the creation of bright, fresh, exciting, and delicious craft gins. – made with forbearance, assiduity, and the highest quality additives.

Incepted by the Durdins, i.e. a juniper-berry juice loving couple, and named after the picturesque, palm-lined stretch of road in the Barossa valley, Seppeltsfield Road Distillers have firmly established themselves on the firmament of premium gin crafters.

Merely two years after the release of its first emissions, Seppeltsfield Road Distillers are drowning in accolades and awards – both on national and international stages, so it was high time if their gins live up to the hype.

Now, for the uninitiated The Barossa Valley is one of the most renowned wine-producing regions in the Southern part of Australia, with shiraz being their pre-eminent grape variety.  Needless to say, I was intrigued about what Seppeltsfield Road Distiller’s Shiraz gin was going to be like.

In a bid to create nuances of soft tannins resting on a backbone of complex and rich shiraz fruit flavours, macerated shiraz grapes are infused with hints of juniper, cinnamon and orange along with botanicals like starflower and lemon-limey cilantro.

Having tried and road-tested the Seppeltsfield Barossa Gin both in a Negroni, G & T and neat, I must say that it is an excellent sipper and dangerously more-ish.

I harbour a weak spot for distilleries that are committed to provenance and the way Seppeltsfield Road Distillers are distilling grape spirits and enhance them with idiosyncratic locally sourced botanicals is an example par excellence for not merely swimming fairway in the waves of the gin craze but take things to the next level not only with their gins but also their gear, with their still having been custom-made for their operations.

I cannot wait to visit and sample their Barossa Brandy.

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image from company website

Gallery Lévy Gorvy

Gerhard Richter and Roy Lichtenstein

Being a stalwart in the realm of both contemporary as well as post-war art, Lévy Gorvy is one of the galleries that has been on my radar for the longest time. I never got to visit one of their galleries while holding court in NYC, Paris, Mailand and Hong Kong and as the pandemic will not allow for a firsthand visit in the foreseeable future,  it is high time for me to shed light on what has been created by Dominique Lévy and Brett Gorvy.

Founded in 2012, the gallery not only represent a diverse array of high calibre contemporary artists but has with its exquisitely curated exhibitions and multidisciplinary events established itself on the forefront of cutting-edge tastemakers in the art world. Needless to say, when I last visited the new Monocle HQ in Zürich, Lévy Gorvy was one of the topics that was touched on as they offer bespoke private advisory services to collectors and institutions with their local office.

For the yet to be initiated, mentioning that Lévy Gorvy’s area of expertise in the secondary market included luminaries such as Willem de Kooning, Roy Lichtenstein, Pablo Picasso, Cy Twombly, and Andy Warhol, should give an indication of the league they are have been playing in for close to a decade now.

With a diverse and immensely qualified team, Lévy Gorvy offers their services in areas going far beyond selling and exhibiting art, one of them being the art historical research and original scholarship, which informs the publishing of their exhibition catalogues, monographs, and other publications.

I have been an avid follower of Gerhard Richter’s oeuvre – be it sculpting, photography or painting, and have witnessed incarnations of his art and met the man in person, however, Lévy Gorvy’s publication on selected paintings from the artist’s original nineteen Colour Charts, i.e. Farbtafeln,  produced in 1966, exceeded expectations. Expertly tracing Richter’s experimentation with a variety of non-compositional styles ranging from pop art via the emulation of colours based on the Ducolux sample card, the exhibition and accompanying catalogue is an example par excellence for how he toys with and questions conventions of abstraction and socio-economic implications.

I doubt that anyone remotely into art has not been exposed to the cost-effective dot printing technique that publisher Benjamin Day has pioneered, which has served as an immense source of inspiration and stimulus for the triumvirate of artists that are Sigmar Polke, Roy Lichtenstein and Gerald Laing. Given these circumstances, it should not come as a surprise that the name Source and Stimulus was chosen for an exhibition of the trio devoted to the “Ben-Day dot”.

Published in conjunction with the exhibition, the catalogue showcases the common denominator of the three artists, i.e. living and the moment and themes that were prevalent in the 1960s. The opulently illustrated catalogue not only focuses on the exhibition but is framed by expert essays and substantiated with detailed chronologies of each artist’s career.

Go check it out for yourself.

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images from gallery website

High Adventures in the Great Outdoors – Footwear

We covered how much boots and specifically Dr. Martens coined underground couture in the 1970s and throughout the 1980s. However, with the advent of hardcore and straight edge, punk got a long needed overhaul – down to below the heel.

While the youth crew movement limited itself to brands that made a commitment to animal free products like New Balance and an all-out athletic look with non-leather Air Jordans, other started wearing skate shoes or Chuck Taylors.

Minor Threat and the Dischord family always had a faible for breaking away from punk’s strict style codes and started wearing boat and tennis shoes in the sole department, a style of shoes that since the early 1980s has come a long way.

An example par excellence for a classic tennis shoe is the model that Davis Cup winner Adrian Quist created in 1939: Based on an idiosyncratic herringbone grip on a soft rubber sole, what was to become the immensely influential Volley shoe was born and has graced not only tennis courts ever since.

With a commitment to ethically sourced apparel and footwear, Volley has created its own lane and accomplished the art of maintaining the DNA of their brand yet incorporate subtle adjustments in a bid to create a stylish, contemporary portfolio of comfortable shoes.

What I like about Volley’s range is that they can be effortlessly and seamlessly combined with any wardrobe, be it formal or informal. Remastering e.g. models like their 1982 Volley High Leap in form of the Heritage model, pays homage to the styles of the 1980s while incorporating nuances that are at times reminiscent of contemporary sneakers like Yeezys while staying in classy territory.

Over the last couple of years, Volley has branched into creating more sturdy boots, like their Overgrip Leather as part of their premium Black Label capsule, which has been designed for rocky and concrete terrain.

Again, the DNA of Volley, i.e. the iconic herringbone outsole and rounded rubber toe cap are still there yet the boot is enhanced by Napa leather, a DAMPENERTECH10 shock absorbing footbed and a reinforced webbing heel tab, the sum of which not make it a boot with an edge but one of the most easy to wear and comfortable set of kicks.

Volley’s new "Ours" unisex apparel capsule is yet to bear fruits in differently styled garments, but if their first emission is anything to go by, they are on the right track. Right in time for the local Mardi Gras celebrations their relaxed fit 100% cotton loop back French Terry shirt with the trademark rainbow coloured blind heat embossed Volley logo, does not only feel great but serves as eye candy was well.

Cannot wait to see Volley explore venture further into creating different styles while with their quality approach. 

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images from company website