MUSEMAGAZINE.IT

Legendary artist Ed Ruscha shot outside of his studio in Culver City in California last January 31st, wearing Band of Outsiders. Born in 1937 in Nebraska, he then moved to LA and he took part to the show "New Painting of Common Objects" curated by Walter Hopps at the Contemporary Art Museum of Pasadena in 1962. The show is considered to be the beginning of Pop Art in America.

Cutting edge fashion designer Bruno Pieters introduces a new concept, "Honesty in Fashion". The new luxury brand Honest by lets buyers see every part of the process. From thread prices, to information on all materials their environmental impact and the business practices under which each garment was made, in order to have a total transparency and to allow conscious decisions.

Arriving at the location where the shooting for next Toilet Paper issue is going on means living an interactive experience. The “creative engine” started by founders Pierpaolo Ferrari and Maurizio Cattelan is in full swing, a horde of creative people surrounds the two of them in every move, everybody has a say in this, no one does, everyone contributes.  

Sarah Grittini greets me, screaming: “Here comes inspiration N. 1” – I felt slightly embarrassed as it made me feel a little bit âgé – that’s true, Maurizio and I produced Permanent Food in the privacy of our bedroom with very few collaborators, everything is completely different here: the imaginative process is immediate, a friend modifies the set moving an object she doesn’t like, the discussion around a plastic phallus reaches the levels of an anatomy class. You get the feeling of an on-going collective performance out of control, where participation is total and nobody is out of it, not even the dog that accidentally walked in the studio, immediately dressed up with an over-size sweater and shot with a pipe in his mouth.  

Toilet Paper is some sort of contemporary “Factory” where the difference with Andy Warhol’s can basically be found in the fact that here no serigraphs and lithographs are produced (as for the use of amphetamines I cannot guarantee), but I counted about thirty laptops in 30 square meters connected to the paradise, obsessively chasing ideas, nobody wants to be left apar and the curiosity is rewarded by the final outcome of issue #5: a screwball, ironic and terrificly pop thing.
Not to mention the TP party that took place at Plastic in Milan – in collaboration with Disaronno that also produced a limited edition laber on purpose– you could think the message there is the most suitable response to the Youth Emergency national press keep talking about.  
Dress code says: “demenza senile” (senile dementia). Guess who was the person who came up with the idea? Perhaps just retired Cattelan, or the no more upcoming photographer Pierpaolo, but rather established gifted child, walking as well towards the inescapable decline. The management denies any and all responsibility.

(For more images from the party click here)

Lead and Felt (Pictured above), 1969, from Robert Morris' second solo exhibition at Sprüth Magers Gallery in Berlin, opening on February 9th. On view until March 17th.

Images from Rewilding, the debut book released by New York-based photographer Cass Bird, set in an artistic community by the name of Sassafras, Tennessee. Known for capturing many elements of fringe culture, Bird continues this theme in Sassafras by combining unique characters in unconventional settings.

A couple of weeks ago, Francesco Vezzoli’s 24 h Museum created in collaboration with Prada and AMO lasted only 24 hours, the non-existent museum was actually a big event but ephemeral like most of the most awaited things now days are. So not to let the huge scale installation being forgotten so soon Prada has edited a lovely little pinky book with a collection of reference images of artworks that iconize the idea of museum, see those of Candida Hoefer or Robert Polidori among them, a few pages dedicated to the postmodern, dazzling sculptures that were exposed at the museum. But above all you’ll love reading – at your choice, in French or in English – the thoughtful conversation between Hans Ulrich Obrist and Francesco Vezzoli. Following you can enjoy an extract from what Francesco says  in the book -

FV: “ I’ve conceived a series of statues that light up from the inside. So they look like disco lights rather than sculptures, turning from white to pink and red. One of my wildest obsessions has always been the fact that we see ancient sculptures without their original multi-coloured appearance. Our idea of classic artworks is inevitably linked to the whiteness of marble. It’s as if Calvin Klein had washed out all the colour from the History of Roman and Greek sculpture. On the contrary, the Parthenon was painted, those sculptures we admire at the Louvre had colours and gold leaf and faceted stones. So, I thought: let’s bring some colour back! Anyway, disco culture has always deeply influenced my aesthetic vision. […] Art meets fashion. Fashion meets architecture. Architecture meets performance… I am obsessed by tropicalism, I am obsessed by the musicians from that culture.”

In conjunction with the heavily anticipated exhibition, Louis Vuitton/Marc Jacobs at Les Arts Décoratifs in Paris, (March 9 - September 16, 2012) there will be a book by the same name that examines the life of the two influential men that built and are continuing to grow this fashion powerhouse.

On Wednesday night, Susanne Kippenberger discussed her newly released (February 1st) biography of her late brother and famous artist Martin Kippenberger entitled Kippenberger: The Artist and His Families at 192 Books. The book was published in Germany a number of years ago, but after much persuasion was published in English by J&L Books.  Book signings proceeded afterwards where Susanne not only signed her name in each crisp copy, but offered a stamp with Martin Kippenberger's famous phrase, "Bei Nichtgefallen Gefühle zurück".

A few images from "What I Need to Do Is Lighten the Fuck Up About a Lot of Shit" an exhibition of new work by artist Marianne Vitale. This marks the artist's first solo exhibition at Zach Feuer Gallery in Chelsea on view until February 25th.

Images from New York-based artist Joyce Pensato's insanely dark, but ever so interesting "Batman Returns". While Batman was the predominant inspiration behind the exhibit several iconic cartoon characters make an appearance such as Homer Simpson, Groucho Marx and Mickey Mouse. On view until February 25th at the Friedrich Petzel Gallery in Chelsea.