Surrealist Laser-Cut Handbags

Never heard of them before. Never thought such things even existed until I saw these images from James Piatt in my inbox. As James mentioned, all handbags are beautifully crafted, detailed, and do not contain any stitching. Tabs and slots are laser cut in the leather which allows each piece of leather to interlock together. It's a combination of old-world craftsmanship and high technology. Hm.. yes, I have to agree with him. A clever combination.



Looove the Pursuader™, but I wonder if it could pass through the airport security without lengthy, repetitive screenings and checks, yes? no? Well, I'd say, if you had this bag with you, you'd definitely turn many heads, and perhaps, have some onlookers gasping, or.. screaming (excitedly, or frantically), or simply have ppl being so wonderfully generous, friendly, then run away from you. Aah fun, just by imagining it. :) Pursuader™ comes in Copper Mirror (as shown on top), Blue Alligator, Black, and Natural Skin. I'd go for the Copper Mirror. It's shiny, it's reflective. :) Click here to see more of James Piatt handbags.


Thanks, James!

Louis Vuitton: Art, Fashion and Architecture (Hardcover)

by Valerie Viscardi (Editor), Jill Gasparina (Contributor), Glenn O'Brien (Contributor), Taro Igarashi (Contributor). Release date: September 22, 2009. Available for pre-order at Amazon.

Swatch Young Illustrators Award 2009

Registration for Swatch Young Illustrators Award 2009 is now open internationally for illustrators, visual artists, graphic designers, animators, book artists, as well as students and apprentices.

As mentioned on earlier post, the shortlisted nominees of the Swatch Young Illustrators Award will be invited to Berlin and get the opportunity to exhibit their work at the Illustrative 09 in Berlin. One winner will also be invited to design a Swatch watch. Click here for more info on the prizes.

Illustrative artworks, art projects with graphic influences, animations, and book art objects are qualified for submission. Please read the registration and artwork submission details here, and(!) here. Deadline for submissions is September 30, 2009.


Good Luck! :)

Illustrative 09, Berlin

A note from Katharina of Illustrative was received yesterday, telling me about the Illustrative festival happening in Berlin this coming October. I felt like I had seen that festival logo before, but I couldn't recall exactly when and where. Anyhow, if you're just as confused as I am on what the festival is about, Katharina was kind enough to share some information.


Illustrative is an annual international festival for contemporary illustration and graphic arts, founded in Berlin, in 2006. After great success of Illustrative' past festivals in Paris and Zurich, the festival will return to Berlin this year for 17 days, commencing on October 15.


With 600 works from more than 80 artists, Illustrative 09 showcases an inspiring density of contemporary illustrative art and graphics, selected by a curatorial committee lead by Berlin-based curator Pascal Johanssen. The show will be supplemented by an exhibition of the winners of the Swatch Young Illustrators Award 2009 (more details on next post).

So mark your calendar people, it's October 15 for Illustrative 09!

(images are from past Illustrative events)



Thanks, Katharina!

Agus Suwage's Solo Exhibition

An invitation to Agus Suwage's "Still Crazy After All These Years" (Selected Works: 1985 - 2009), curated by Enin Supriyanto, will be officiated by Biantoro Santoso on opening night Saturday, July 4, 2009 at 7.30pm, and held at Jogja National Museum. The exhibition is organized by iCAN, and will run until July 31, 2009. You could click on the image above, or here to read the details. I was told this major exhibit will occupy the whole 3-level of Jogja National Museum. It's surely an exhibit you wouldn't want to miss. So be there! ;-)

update (July 18, 2009): For those who can't visit the exhibition, Agus Suwage's website is now up for you to enjoy! yay! :) Click here to view the exhibit.

Suwage's Abode

Agus Suwage is one of top Indonesian contemporary artists, based in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Friends and I visited him last month and had a home studio tour. * yay!* I took some pictures while we were there without any intention to post them here at first. But hey... good things are meant to be shared, aren't they? So I asked Suwage yesterday, if it's alright to post some pictures on the net. And he agreed. :) Here are some of them, you could find more here.



Stepping into his light and airy 2-level home, you would know that Suwage obviously appreciates space and modern living. While the main level catered to family living and his music studio, the upper one is mostly for his working area, enviously spoiled with high ceiling, a real wide open space and plenty (!) of natural light.

If you'd like to know more about Agus Suwage, you might want to visit his solo exhibit opening tomorrow, July 4, 2009. See the details on a later post.

Koons in London

Boca do Lobo, Portugal

Here's one company out of Portugal that offers some drool-worthy furniture, Boca do Lobo. Their furniture are all handmade in Portugal by the best artisans, aiming to satisfy even the most demanding admirers. *oooh yes..., I looove what I see. :)*





From all my years in blogland, I honestly have to say, Boca do Lobo has the most fashion-forward furniture collection I've seen so far. Their designs, their chosen colors, details and finishings are all high(!) on style. Wouldn't you agree? :)

For those of you in Milan, you could visit Boca do Lobo at the collective exhibition of Portuguese brands, to be held at Zona Tortona, Via Tortona 32, Milan, during Salone Internazionale del Mobile, until April 27, 2009. And for all of you in US, they'll be at ICFF, New York, from May 16 till 19, 2009. Enjoy!




Thanks, Rute!

Back to the Old House by C86

I'm loving this graphic art by C86 (Matt Lyon), a UK-based digital and mixed-media artist. Drop. dead. Psychedelic.

Available at L'Affiche Moderne.

Zeng Fanzhi's new studio

Have you seen it? It was published on The New York Times early this month. I thought I should make a comment on it. :)


This could be the grandest artist studio I've ever seen. Well, just by looking at this picture, you can tell that he has a great taste in home furnishings. Why can't NYTimes give us some studio tour, or at least, publish more than just one picture.. puh-leaseee? This is killing me, I need to see more. Can Vogue Living or Interior Design ppl pay a visit to Mr. Zeng Fanzhi's lush studio? I beg you.


(image is copyrighted The New York Times Company)

I heart Small

Matt Small is a UK-based urban artist who paints on found objects, like metal, wood, or even a VCR. His portrait paintings have kept me mesmerized ever since I stumbled upon his works in www last year. The splash of paints, the texture, the energy, the passion, the boldness. And yet, you could still sense the loneliness of his subjects, young kids on the street.


Matt will be having his solo exhibition "Youngstarrs" at The Black Rat Press, London, UK, from March 27 till April 17, 2009. Preview will be held on Thursday, March 26, 2009, 6.30pm to 9.30pm. Lucky Londoners. I wish I could fly to the Youngstarrs.


Click here to see more pics on Matt Small artworks.

Christian Faur

Crayons in a way that I've never seen before. Simply breathtaking. Images taken from Christian Faur's website and Sherrie Gallerie, where he's currently exhibiting till Feb 28, 2009.



(via DRAWN!)

PawPaws Urban Retreat, Australia

This would be my second post on hospitality industry, with this being the first. Well, as the name suggested, this time is about an accommodation. for. dogs. A fabulous one to be exact.




PawPaws is the premium dog boarding and dog daycare in inner Sydney, just opened last December. It's founded by Mandy Richards, assisted by her lovely Siberian Husky, Kishka. Above are some images taken from their photo gallery. Seriously, with great pictures like those, even a non pet-owner like myself would loooove to visit and see them in person. Plus(!)... they have other services, such as Puppy Preschool, and guess what... Puppy Parties. Right on. fabulous.ness.

Gone Antiques?

Well, okay, this may not be the best first new year post, but hey..., these pieces caught my eyes when I got them in my inbox. So the next reasonable thing to do is to share them here. :)


I've never been to an antiques shop, let alone a whole antiques show. But, I guess sometimes you could find great pieces at your least favorite place. So keep your mind and eyes wide open. :) The Winter Antiques Show will be held from January 23rd to February 1st in New York City. Read more details here.


(top) "Sandhamn" Daybed from Antik
(bottom) Embroidered Tree of Life bed curtain from Cora Ginsburg LLC


Thanks, Peter!

Merry Christmas!

Just a quick note before husband and kids wake up. :) This is our first Christmas together with all our families in Jakarta, Indonesia. It sure is one memorable moment for us. Hope you are having a great time with your family too.

Have the merriest day, everybody.

12 Days of Xmas

Have you ever wished to be in 2 different places at one given moment? This is one of those moments I wish I could.


12 Days of Xmas is an urban art showcase hosted by Steal From Work featuring over 70 local and international street artists. Strictly no preview before the opening night, which is today Dec 12, 2008, 7pm at 15 -19 Stokes Croft, Bristol, BS1 3PY, UK. Plus all the work will be available firstly to all those who make it down to the show. No online sale until after the opening weekend.

Click here for its list of artists, and here for more details on the event.



Have a blast tonight!

L'AFFICHE MODERNE, France

L’Affiche Moderne is an art posters online shop based in France, featuring works of young photographers, graphic designers and children’s illustrators. Below are their new arrivals, Nod Young's Puti Tree series, which I adore.



And as I browsed around the shop, I found my other faves, like this, and this, and this, and this, and uhm... maybe this one too. But this one by Pierre Wetzel stole the thunder, with shadows as his subjects, it gives a whole different visual experience. Happy Browsing. :)

Qatar's Museum of Islamic Art

Breathtakingly designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect I.M. Pei. Unveiled Nov 22. Read more here and watch more here.


(image: WSJ.com)

Design by the Book

I might be the last one in the blogland to learn about this. But I've just read a friendly email from Grace, informing me about her latest project, a collaboration between design*sponge and The New York Public Library.


They are following 5 artists (Julia Rothman, John Pomp, Mike Perry, Moontree Press and Lorena Barrezueta) as they create collections inspired by the library's collections. And they've just launched the first video. And yes, you must. must. must. watch the video above. I surely hope more and more creators, designers, artists, or students would get inspired to visit local libraries. There are exciting things waiting to be found. No kidding, go see yourself.

Get the full story of Design by the Book here.



Thanks, Grace!

3D Wallpapers by Studio Pirsc, Czech Republic

Studio Pirsc Porcelain was founded by Daniel Pirsc in 2005. Their 3D Wallpapers are currently being featured on DesignMagazine.cz (another great design magazine, btw), as they were exhibited at designblok 08 recently.



Don't you just love them? :) I adore their lively combination of raindrops and airplanes. What a perfect wall of art. More pictures here and here. Enjoy!


(via DesignMagazine.cz)