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“Not even they can stop me now
Boy, I’ll be flying overhead
Their heavy words can’t bring me down
Boy I’ve been raised from the dead
No one even knows how hard life was
I don’t even think about it now because
I’ve finally found you
Oh, sing it to me
Now my life is sweet like cinnamon
like a fucking dream I’m living in”
Not always true, but true as of late. My absolute favorite song on Born to Die.
New Year’s Eve is one of my favorite holidays. I love how the holiday brings forth a sense of introspection, reflection and anticipation of what’s to come in the new year. However, the hype that surrounds the holiday tends to also create anxiety over what to do/wear, where to go and the stress that’s attached can sometimes ruin the holiday all together.
That’s why I was ecstatic to hear that the LACMA was presenting The Golden Stag New Year’s Eve party at the historic Park Plaza Hotel. It was exactly what I wanted in a party: classy, low key, and hassle free. On top of that, the Roaring 20s theme made the whole experience feel as if we were all stepping into a glamorous time warp as many of the attendees truly committed to their outfits, which made the people watching fantastic.
Although the party was not without it’s kinks- i.e. ridiculously long bar waits, late performance starts, and confusion over the midnight fireworks (where were they!?), the good company and nostalgic environment made the experience completely worth it.
Now that 2011 has been wrapped up, I’m looking forward to all the new adventures & interests that 2012 will bring. Cheers!
<3 - gracebot
P.s. I got myself a Twitter! Follow me @gracehsiang
{Images: Iphone 4 with Instagram}
List-o-mania - http://www.listsofnote.com/
Like many girls, I have a fond obsession with lists. I use them to chronicle everything from grocery lists, “to do”, ”to buy” lists to my goals, my feelings, and even my fears. I guess you could call me a list-o-maniac.
I recently stumbled onto the website Lists of Note and immediately fell in love with the nostalgia that surrounded these notes. A few of my favorites below:
“A lovely, handwritten list from Johnny Cash.”
“As filming of Giant came to an end in September of 1955, Elizabeth Taylor gave co-star James Dean a Siamese kitten that he named Marcus. A week later, Dean travelled to Salinas to race his Porsche; en route, he died in a car crash. The night before he left — September 28th — he gave the following list of instructions, and Marcus, to a friend.”
“Eero Saarinen — the late architect responsible for, amongst other things, the Gateway Arch — compiled the following list in 1954 and gave it to his new wife, Aline, as a romantic gesture. It’s a handwritten, 13-point breakdown of her best attributes.”
* That last one inspired me to do a little late night listing of my own ;)
“A Perfect Past” by Tony Hong
As I try to do in my art, tree rings do quite naturally. They have nothing to hide. Everything in the life of the tree has made it what it is now; and I won’t apologize for it. However, what I remember most about this piece is what happened when I showed my mother this print for the first time. She got it. She got it immediately. She understood that the life of the tree was exposed and evident for everyone to see and there was beauty in that.” - Tony Hong
When JL introduced me to Tony Hong a while ago, I immediately felt drawn to the clean lines of his work. He continued to pique my interest when I saw his name pop up on the Viva La Art event ”Art Drinks & Music” and since E is a new member to the organization, I was sad that I couldn’t make it. Art and philanthropy being two of my big interests as of late, it’s always great to see an organization combine the two to produce something amazing.
Singer Lana Del Rey at the Bowery Ballroom
Visit Vogue.com for more from her New York performance.
Chuck Close Up Close @ Blum and Poe
On my recent trip to New York, I was sorely disappointed when I arrived at the Museum of Modern Art only to see that the Chuck Close painting I’d seen on my last visit (and fallen in love with) was no longer there. Imagine my surprise when I found out only two weeks later, that I didn’t have to go all the way to the East Coast to see Chuck- he was coming to me in my own backyard of Culver City! Even more incredible was discovering that this would be the artist’s first West Coast solo show in 16 years.
Held at Blum and Poe, this was truly one of the most amazing shows I’ve attended as of late. Close’s work is a brilliant mind trip. One can stand in front of his painting for ages with their mouth hanging open in awe, trying to figure out how this man does what he does. For those unfamiliar with his work, Close is known for creating photo-realistic paintings that up close, reveal themselves to be a seemingly abstract grouping of crazy patterns and colors. The incredible thing is that from far away, the “photographs” look identical but up close, no pattern is quite the same.
What made this even cooler was that the artist himself was present at the opening. I’m no art expert, but I’d consider Chuck Close to one of the leading modern American artists of our generation. To get to see him in all his pajama wearing glory was truly a privilege and an incredible experience that I’ll not soon forget.
<3 - gracebot
{images via Iphone4}
Boom sha clack clack boom sha clack clack
Zee Avi- Concrete Wall (+ Sesame Street)
This past week, a group of 15 of us breezed into New York City to wreak havoc on the city that never sleeps (and for five days - neither did we!). We were there primarily to attend Plate by Plate NY and support our sister chapter Project by Project- NY, but it was also a great excuse to eat/drink ourselves silly. The awesome thing about rolling with a bunch of food enthusiasts (don’t even try to call them foodies) is that I didn’t have to plan a single thing. Our crew knew exactly where to go and what they wanted!
Now, onto the food porn…bon appetit!
(L)Uni With Soft Tofu (R) Diver Sea Scallops Topped with Caviar, Plate by Plate NY at Skylight West, Midtown West
Halal Guys - 53rd and 6th
(L) Chicken/Lamb & Rice Combo, Water & Wall St (R) Eataly, Flatiron
(L)Kahlua Pork & Grits (R) Baked Eggs w/ Truffle Leeks, Lani Kai, South Village
(L) Incredible Bo Ssam @ Momofuku Ssam Bar, East Village (R) Baked by Melissa, Midtown West
(L) Doughnut Plant, Chelsea (R) Maison Laduree, Upper East Side
Totto Ramen, Hell’s Kitchen
<3 - gracebot
[images via Iphone4 + Marianthefoodie]
KAWS- Hold the Line @ Honor Fraser
When we decided to spend a Saturday hitting up the Culver City Art Galleries, I had no idea what was currently showing. And so when we stumbled upon a KAWS solo exhibition at the Honor Fraser Gallery , it was a very pleasant surprise (almost as awesome as seeing Audrey Kawasaki at Thinkspace!). You’ve seen his toys, you’ve seen his BAPE collaborations, and since a man like KAWS really doesn’t need much introduction, I won’t bother to provide one.
Honor Fraser is pleased to present “Hold The Line,” KAWS’s second solo exhibition with the gallery. In a new group of paintings and sculpture, Brooklyn-based artist KAWS delivers stylized adaptations of visual icons in American animation. Along with the existential emotive and psychotropic narrative avenues KAWS opens up for his altered versions of iconic animated characters, the artist’s works also provide the viewer with a richly rewarding and expansive formal consideration. Non-naturalistic color takes on new meaning in the case where there is no living, breathing, original referent for characters born of cell animation (such as SpongeBob SquarePants). Nevertheless, the unconventional palette in KAWS’s paintings–from high impact contrasts to monochromatic use of fluorescents, primaries, and darker tones–simultaneously defamiliarizes the ubiquitous characters while accentuating the reductive geometric play that abounds in their volumes and surfaces. “Hold The Line” opens September 10, 2011 at Honor Fraser Gallery in Los Angeles. - via Honor Fraser
Even though KAWS is all over the place, I never realized how vibrant his work really is and how much everything pops in person. It’s like visiting a giant playground more so than an art show and was definitely one of the highlights from my walking tour on Saturday.
<3 - gracebot
[images via iphone4 + pana360 app]
