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Scenes of Jamaica, Painted by Hurvin Anderson |
 | | From left: Hurvin Anderson's "Jungle Garden" (2020) and "Flat Top" (2008).© Hurvin Anderson. Courtesy of the artist and Thomas Dane Gallery. Photos (from left): Richard Ivey; Hugh Kelly |
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The British artist Hurvin Anderson is best known for his "Barbershop" series — colorful, nearly abstract paintings inspired by the parlors he visited with his father as a child — which earned him a nomination for the Turner Prize in 2017. His new show at the Arts Club of Chicago pairs a handful of these works with newer paintings made after a trip Anderson took to Jamaica, where much of his family is from, four years ago. These works depict the lush Jamaican landscape: Eruptions of foliage are rendered in shades of emerald and avocado, marigold and fuchsia, and envelop abandoned-looking structures of concrete and limestone — modern ruins hidden behind jungly overgrowth. Anderson, the youngest of eight children, was born in Birmingham (he now lives in London) and grew up listening to his family reminisce about their lives in the Caribbean before they moved to England in the 1960s. The exhibition's title, "Anywhere but Nowhere," was lifted from the Jamaican musical artist K.C. White's 1973 hit, and provides an emotional through-line, suggesting the longing and loss that keeps certain geographies alive in us, elusive havens of memory and imagination that, over time, become almost mythical. "Anywhere but Nowhere" is on view at the Arts Club of Chicago through August 7, 201 East Ontario Street, Chicago, artsclubchicago.org. |
Summery Scarves Made in Como, Italy |
 | | From left: M. Finley's Camille and Violette scarves.Bono Melendrez |
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By Angelina Venezia T Contributor |
In these scorching summer months, accessorizing can be a challenge, which is why the recent launch of M. Finley — a line of silk scarves produced in Como, Italy — by the artist Meghann Stephenson is particularly exciting. Having noticed that existing brands weren't making scarves that befit her style, Stephenson saw an opportunity to create her own: Think Hermès but with a palette and aesthetic influenced by, Stephenson says, "California's poppy super blooms and the color field paintings" of the 1950s and '60s, along with the art of Ellsworth Kelly and Katrin Bremermann. The line comprises four delicate patterns in sumptuous swirls of mauve, burnt orange, pale pink and soft white that are perfect for any season. Like Stephenson says, M. Finley scarves infuse any outfit with "playfulness, intrigue and glamour." $96, mfinleystudio.com. |
5 Books That Celebrate Emerging Artists |
 | | The inaugural set of books from Just an Idea.Yorgo & Co. |
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When the Parisian concept shop Colette closed its doors in 2017, its co-founder and creative director, Sarah Andelman, launched a new project called Just an Idea. Its aim, says Andelman — who is known for championing emerging innovators, from a young Virgil Abloh to Shayne Oliver of Hood By Air — is to "introduce talents from around the world and to give them support to present their work." To that end, Just an Idea facilitates collaborations between big brands and fledgling designers. And it has recently ventured into the world of publishing, issuing a set of five books that each explore the vision of a different creative. The fashion designer Nicole McLaughlin, for example, transforms discarded clothing and objects into sculptural garments — from chunky shoes made of tennis balls to vests stitched together from Ziploc bags — while the Parisian florist and former art dealer Louis-Géraud Castor creates sublime floral compositions that explore the poetic shapes and forms of the botanical world. Other creatives highlighted in the collection are the novelist and artist Douglas Coupland, the Sydney-based illustrator and sneaker collector Eric Ng and the graphic designer Sho Shibuya. Andelman plans to release two sets of these books per year: "They're like a visual portfolio for each artist," she says. About $60, justanidea.com. |
 | | The F04 Table Bench from Simon Barazin.Ido Adan |
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By Gisela Williams T Contributing Editor |
For the Tel Aviv-based architect Simon Barazin, the past year has been one of change. Tired of designing big commercial high-rises, he quit his firm to start his own small studio, which focuses on interiors and furniture. His most recent project, which he developed alongside graphic designers Tal Baltuch and Tom Melnick, started with a simple need: a bench that would double as a table for their shared work space. But the limited-edition F04 Bench is more than just a piece of furniture: It's also somewhat of an optical illusion. At nearly four feet long, the object is made from translucent panes of treated plexiglass (a material that reflects and refracts surrounding light) so that it emits a spectrum of technicolored shadows. Barazin — whose work plays with this idea of what's real and what isn't — is also releasing an NFT version of the piece later this year. About $2,500, simonbarazin.com. |
 | | Adam Selman's Sandbar bikini top and Synchronized bikini bottom.Adam Selman |
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By Sean Caley Newcott T Contributor |
The designer Adam Selman isn't afraid to experiment with cut or color: His sporty yet flirty athletic wear, from his namesake label, is made with confident women in mind. So it felt like a natural extension of the brand when he debuted a swimwear collection that promises to outfit those looking forward to what the designer himself hopes to be a "wild summer." The line, which features a variety of styles — from plunging cutaway one-pieces to sporty scoop-neck bikini tops and high-waisted bottoms — comes in bright, punchy hues as well as dazzling patterns, and also includes beach towels, totes and a zipper pouch. Without sacrificing design for support or comfort, the suits are made from recycled nylon and spandex and designed with different body shapes and shades in mind. (An accessories collection of cover-ups and hats is also in the works.) "Adam Selman Swim is not for wallflowers," says the designer. "It's made for women who want to stand out." From $60, adamselman.com. |
The Visual Artists Inspired by 'Invisible Man' |
 | | Gordon Parks's "The Invisible Man, Harlem, New York" (1952).© The Gordon Parks Foundation |
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In 1952, the photographer Gordon Parks worked with Ralph Ellison to translate the writer's novel, "Invisible Man," published earlier that year, into a series of images for Life magazine. One of the photographs depicts the book's nameless narrator in his retreat beneath the city, amid the 1,369 light bulbs that, he tells the reader, "illuminated the blackness of my invisibility." In Parks's photograph, the lights are arrayed on the walls behind the figure in a modernist and rhythmic arrangement that reads as an extension of the music emanating from his two turntables (presumably Louis Armstrong, whom the narrator listens to while eating vanilla ice cream and sloe gin). The world up above — represented by tiny lights nearly swallowed up by the night — barely exists by comparison. This sort of creative overlap wasn't unusual for Ellison, who occasionally worked as a photographer himself, was steeped in the arts of his day — and whose novel proved to be a potent source of inspiration for a wide variety of artists. To read Nicole Rudick's full essay on how "Invisible Man" has influenced not just writers but photographers, sculptors and painters all grappling with what it means to be seen, visit tmagazine.com — and follow us on Instagram. |
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