ARstudio

Stages of Decay

admin — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 02:49:59 +0000

We are very happy to announce that Stages of Decay by Julia Solis will be published in Spring 2012 by Mark Batty Publisher.

Taken in locations throughout the United States and Europe over the course of more than a decade, Stages of Decay is renowned investigator of ruined spaces Julia Solis’s most ambitious project so far. One of the most accomplished contemporary artists who uses abandoned spaces as both subject and site for creative activity, Solis’s perspective is that of a last audience member, viewing the final spectacle of decrepitude. All of the photos focus on the theater stages and the secondary ornamentation they acquire from the patches of mold, crumbling plaster, rotting stage curtains, and collapsing roofs. Stages of Decay provides a view to what happens after the final curtain has dropped.

Numerous theaters depicted here either no longer exist or have since deteriorated or been vandalized almost beyond recognition. This series not only documents the various sites of entertainment in Western culture, but also serves as a historic record of numerous formerly famous places.

The Hope Chest

admin — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 21:54:25 +0000

Cig Harvey’s The Hope Chest is a visual autobiography populated by the photographer’s central relationships over the course of more than a decade. Through quietly stately and richly allusive photographs, Cig transforms quotidian objects that reference time, childhood, and femininity into totems that mark key moments in her life.

Alvorada

admin — Mon, 24 May 2010 00:18:38 +0000

A dynamic economy, unprecedented social mobility and increasing international political and cultural clout are turning Brazil into a 21st-century superpower. Alvorada, Portuguese for “dawn,” looks at this rising nation through the lives and works of its product and furniture designers. Going beyond a mere survey of Brazilian design, this exploration demonstrates how the thinking and making of consumer goods reflect a country in transition.

From modernist veteran Sérgio Rodrigues to young jeweler Mana Bernardes and from Imaginário’s local projects in the Northeast to global superstars Fernando and Humberto Campana, Alvorada features over 30 individuals and collectives from different generations and regions of Brazil. By addressing the role that identity, class… more