The highly anticipated release of The Red Book of C. G. Jung has propelled the publication to #71 on the Amazon best seller’s list. Not too shabby for a book with a $195 MSRP. The 199 numbered copies of the deluxe edition, hand tooled in red leather like the original, were made available only to members of the Philemon Foundation for a donation of $2,450. Had we known the book would virtually sell out in less than a month, we would have capitalized on the pre-order or October 19th initial offering. Captivated by Red Book fever we combed the net to no avail and were finally relegated to calling individual book stores all over the country in an attempt to snag a first edition copy. We are happy to report it’s in the mail and we just can’t wait.
It’s worth mentioning that the original Red Book may be seen in its first public exhibition at New York’s Rubin Museum of Art until 25 January 2010. Next year it will be on display at the Library of Congress from 17 June to 31 July. To compliment the book release and public viewing the RMA is hosting a choice group of cultural icons for The Red Book Dialogues. Speakers include musicians David Byrne and Billy Corgan, designer Stefan Sagmeister, and novelist Gloria Vanderbilt among others. Guest speakers will be paired on stage with a psychoanalyst and invited to respond to and interpret a folio from Jung’s Red Book as a starting point for a wide ranging conversation.
Each of us has a special place in our hearts for the illustrations of Maurice Sendak. This month is filled with exhibitions of his work in anticipation of the “Where the Wild Things Are” feature film debut on October 16th. The largest and most in depth at The Animazing Gallery in Soho displays over 200 sketches, etchings, and a limited edition bronze sculpture based on his most popular characters. “Sendak in Soho” will be on display until November 8th at The Animazing Gallery 54 Greene St NY, NY 10013.
Visitors to Houston Street and the Bowery in Manhattan will be rewarded with a wonderful mural. The piece, painted by brothers Otavio and Gustavo Pandolfo reflects their Brazilian roots. Street illustration is combined with characteristically Brazilian vibrant colors. The two brothers work under the name Os Gêmeos which in Portuguese translates to “the twins.’ Measuring about 15 feet by 50 feet, the mural will be up through next April.
This weekend Souther Salazar opened his much anticipated solo show at Jonathan Levine Gallery in New York. Entitled “Last Year’s Man,” the exhibition exploded with a menagerie of paintings, sculptures, and mixed media installations in Souther’s signature style. From intricate line drawn empires to utopian cityscapes, Souther has unleashed the inner workings of his imagination and sprinkled in hints of social commentary. Personally I’m constantly enthralled by the detail in each piece finding it difficult to tear myself from the diverging narratives and charming characters. On view until June 16th, “Last Year’s Man” is a must see if in the NY area.
Creative Time presents Playing the Building, a sound installation in which the infrastructure, the physical plant of the building, is converted into a giant musical instrument. Devices are attached to the building structure — to the metal beams and pillars, the heating pipes, the water pipes — and are used to make these things produce sound. The activations are of three types: wind, vibration, striking. The devices do not produce sound themselves, but they cause the building elements to vibrate, resonate and oscillate so that the building itself becomes a very large musical instrument.
The insanely inspiring Takashi Murakami continues to keep us in absolute awe and apparently we aren’t the only ones. Murakami’s retrospective at the LA MOCA has been so successful its moving to New York at the Brooklyn Museum, April 5th through July 13th. If you’re in New York and want to catch a glimpse of what’s coming check out our feature on the LA MOCA show. No word yet on whether or not Kanye West will make an appearance at the New York opening but get your venetian blind sunglasses ready.
Architects Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa of the Japanese firm Sanaa are responsible for the New Museum of Contemporary Art which opens tomorrow in New York. The institution has moved from SoHo to the Bowery, turning its back on an upscale environment and embracing its gritty roots. The 60,000-square-foot museum was built on a $50 million budget.
You can expect this to be huge. Japanese retailer MUJI, which has stores in many other parts of the world, makes its US debut this November. The store will be located in New York at 455 Broadway. A flagship in Midtown Manhattan is slated to open next year. MUJI products are minimal (in form and color), unbranded, and extremely inexpensive. Literally translated, Mujirushi Ryohin, MUJI’s original name, means “no brand quality goodsâ€. To get an idea of their products you can visit the UK online store. The images shown are of MUJI stores in Tokyo. A limited number of MUJI products have been available domestically through the MoMA Store but the new store will offer over 2,000 items. Many of them come from the minds of design greats such as Naoto Fukasawa, Jasper Morrison and Enzo Mari.
MUJI represents a return to modernism’s roots in mass produced low cost goods. The website offers these seemingly ironic thoughts, “Because there is complexity in purity. Elegance in plainness. Intricacy in streamlining. Richness in reduction. Depth in minimalism. Surprise in uniformity. Innovation in re-use. Cool in the avoidance of cool. And there is true sophistication in simplicity.”
