Sandra‘s Closet

Last week, while visiting the Salone di Mobile in Milan as guest of Louis Vuitton, I also took the opportunity to explore the newly opened MARNI flagship store at Via Montenapoleone 26. The new boutique, coinceived as multi-disciplinary creative hub, presents an unprecedented design concept, allowing for an immersive brand experience across three levels. To mark its opening, a site-specific installation by one of Iceland’s leading contemporary artist Shoplifter was presented and clients had the chance to delve into Marni’s imaginative world through ART JAM, a series of workshops and customizations courtesy of artists Shoplifter and The Aluminum Group.

I have been a huge fan of the work of Shoplifter / Hrafnhildur Arnardóttir, who is living between New York and Reykjavik, and I was looking forward to meeting her in person. Working with both synthetic and natural hair, her sculptures, wall murals and site-specific installations explore themes of vanity, self-image, fashion, beauty and popular myth. For Shoplifter hair is the ultimate thread that grows from our body. Hair is an original, creative fiber, a way for people to distinguish themselves as individuals, and often an art form. Humor plays a large role in her life and work, sometimes subtly, but at other times taking over.

Shoplifter represented Iceland at the Venice Biennale in 2019 and her installation Chromo Sapiens opened at the Icelandic Pavilion in May 2019 in Venice, Italy. The installation later traveled to Iceland opening at the Reykjavik Art Museum in January 2020.

It was a true pleasure getting to know her during the art session at the MARNI boutique where she created a beautiful charm for me as a gift.

Below you can find many more photos of the really cool new flagship.

Phone: +39 02 76317327

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht
DISCLOSURE: We may earn commission from links on this page, but I only recommend products I love. Promise. 

This year, for the 20th anniversary of Art in the Park at the Baur au Lac in Zurich, Hauser & Wirth presents five bronze sculptures by celebrated artist Camille Henrot, one of the most influential voices in contemporary art today. The outdoor installation of major bronze works is organized in partnership with the Baur au Lac and Gigi Kracht, curator, collector, writer and founder of the Art in the Park.

With Gigi Kracht 

Born in 1978 in Paris, France, Camille Henrot lives and works between Berlin and New York City. She is married and has two little sons that are 4 and 1 year old. The practice of the French artist moves seamlessly between film, painting, drawing, bronze, sculpture, and installation. Henrot draws upon references from literature, psychoanalysis, social media, cultural anthropology, self-help, and the banality of everyday life in order to question what it means to be both a private individual and a global subject.

With Camille Henrot during the lunch.

A 2013 fellowship at the Smithsonian Institute resulted in her film «Grosse Fatigue,» for which she was awarded the Silver Lion at the 55th Venice Biennale and that was also on show at the Gucci Museo in Florence in 2014. She elaborated ideas from «Grosse Fatigue» to conceive her acclaimed 2014 installation »The Pale Fox» at Chisenhale Gallery in London. The exhibit, which displayed the breadth of her diverse output, went on to travel to institutions including Kunsthal Charlottenburg, Copenhagen; Bétonsalon – Centre for art and research, Paris; Westfälischer Kunstverein, Münster, Germany; and Tokyo Opera City Art Gallery, Japan. In 2017, Henrot was given carte blanche at Palais de Tokyo in Paris – a beloved location for fashion shoes – , where she presented the major exhibition »Days Are Dogs,» She is the recipient of the 2014 Nam June Paik Award and the 2015 Edvard Munch Award, and has participated in the Lyon, Berlin, Sydney and Liverpool Biennials, among others.

Next to «Mon Corps de Femme» (2019) displayed in the Baur au Lac gardens

Henrot has had numerous solo exhibitions worldwide, including the New Museum, New York; Schinkel Pavilion, Berlin; New Orleans Museum of Art; Fondazione Memmo, Rome; Tokyo Opera City Art Gallery, Japan, among others.

«Undelivered Message» (2016)

In the Baur au Lac gardens, three sculptures from Henry’s Monday series (2016-2017) are on display, as well as the impressive «Mon Corps de Femme» sculpture (2019) from the Attachment series (2018-2022) that is a resembling a body caught between two opposite forces; the rising flames reminiscent of Flamboyant Gothic architecture and the meting, heaviness of a sagging belly.

«Retreat From Investment» (2025)

As every year, Gigi Kracht invited us to her wonderful Art in the Park luncheon in the two Michelin star Pavillon restaurant during which we could talk to the artist. Before the lunch, we had the chance to stroll through the wonderful gardens and preview the pieces beforehand.

With Kenny Schachter, artist, critic and curator based in New York City, at lunch.

The show can be enjoyed at the Baur au Lac garden until July 17, 2022.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht
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Ten years after its global collaboration, Louis Vuitton launches chapter two of its partnership with Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama, hitting stores worldwide in January 2023.

Since the creation of Louis Vuitton in 1854, the Maison has nurtured strong ties with the art world, collaborating with a series of artists who have brought their unique vision to Louis Vuitton. These close relationships have produced often radical reworkings of the Maison’s most iconic creations, in the process rewriting the rules of creative collaborations between luxury brands and artists. Yayoi Kusama’s collaboration in 2012 (Part one in July 2012 –  Part two in October 2012) flourished through various universes of the Maison, from exhibitions, products and a series of unique window installations, which included a startingly life-like mannequin modelled after the artist herself.

Finale at the Louis Vuitton Cruise 2023 show in San Diego and some detail shots:

Yayoi Kusama, born in March 1929, is an avant-garde artist whose perspective is expressed through myriad techniques from sculpture, painting, installation, filmmaking, photography, and happening, to writing in a variety of styles. She is regarded as a precursor to Pop and Minimal art, yet her diverse art practices resist any singular classification. Yayoi Kusama’s artworks originated from hallucinations such as where the red flower patterns on a dining table’s tablecloth started to spread across the walls, floor, and even across herself…She has been battling her inner fears and obsessions and pursuing the mysteries of life by depicting the hallucinations she has experienced since her childhood. Please click here for a post about her retrospective in Berlin last year.

Look 51 Louis Vuitton Cruise 2023

As a celebration of the Maison’s relationship with the artist and to mark the 10-year anniversary of the first collaboration, a handful of leather goods were premiered during Artistic Director of Women’s Collections Nicolas Ghesquière’s Cruise 2023 fashion show at the Salk Institute in San Diego. These exclusive bags feature a reinterpretation of the artist’s obsessive dots across Louis Vuitton signature shapes as well as on new models. A true first taste of a transversal collaboration that, come January 2023, will radiate through all Maison categories.

More information will be disclosed at a later date.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Louis Vuitton
DISCLOSURE: We may earn commission from links on this page, but I only recommend products I love. Promise.

A fresh talent reflecting new horizons and showcasing different perspectives. Prada collaborates with the artist Cassius Hirst – known as Cass – to imagine the Prada America’s Cup sneaker anew, through a customised capsule collection of four styles, in 22 variables.

«I was painting shoes, taking photos, and turning those photos into complex vinyl stencils that became abstract designs. I would mask off part of the body of the shoe, and then wrap the whole shoe in the stencil. It looked crazy. I sent a photo to my dad [Damien Hirst], and then he sent a photo of that to Miuccia [Prada]. And she said, «This looks amazing, let’s do something» The best part about this project – this collaboration – was how willing Prada are to invest their time, to be open to ideas, to challenges. And to really commit to something new.» said Cassius Hirst.

Cassius Hirst painted his first pair of sneakers when he was 14 – a gift for his father, the artist Damien Hirst. Growing up in a household where exposure to art was inevitable, sneakers became his canvas: sculptural objects whose topographies were reworked through hand spray-painting, no two pairs exactly alike. His work has garnered a cult following, purchased by the likes of A$AP Rocky, Playboi Carti, Offset, Rihanna, AJ Tracey and the late Virgil Abloh.

«The Cass x Prada collection finds parallels between the bold work of this fresh talent and the heritage of Prada – the sense of the hand, an excellence in manufacture, a constant search for innovation, a restless urge to re-examine and reinvent our history. Here, the iconic silhouette of the Prada America’s Cup sneaker becomes a canvas for creation, offered in a special capsule. Something unique, something new.» said Lorenzo Bertelli, Prada Group Marketing Director and Head of Corporate Social Responsibility.

In a unique project with Prada Linea Rossa, Cassius collaborates to reinvent the America’s Cup sneaker across a full range of special pieces, reconfiguring its distinct surfaces to rework a 20th century design classic for a 21st century generation. The capsule is showcased in a still and motion- image campaign by Axel Morin – a surreal performance invading a pristine space, showcasing the Cass x Prada sneaker styles and custom-made, one-of-a-kind masks – each character simultaneously anonymous, yet unique. The soundtrack to the campaign film features music specially created by Cass.

The four Cass x Prada sneaker styles draw their names from the world of music, reflective of the interests of Cassius and the passions of his fans. ATT4CK, D3CAY, SUST4IN, REL3ASE are all named after the ‘envelope‘ or life of a sound, the stages of its evolution, reflecting this new evolution of the America’s Cup sneaker. The title of each style suggests their look and feel: the hard-edged, molded spikes of ATT4CK, sprayed with neon; the distressed leather of D3CAY, stripped and intentionally faded; the solid brights of SUST4IN, with overpainted white relief details; and the neon- spray finish of REL3ASE.

All styles are hand-worked in Italy by Prada in a meshing of traditional craft and cutting-edge imagination – wholly unique, no two pairs exactly alike, with signature labels each with a distinct CASS signature. Each pair is sold in a co-branded Prada box, featuring the logo of Cassius Hirst – a scan of his brain.

«The brain scan represents hope and knowledge in a world of shadows and uncertainty. The brain is where the thoughts happen – for me it all became about creativity and the creative process. I’ve learned that sometimes we have to look inside ourselves to see what’s really going on. We shouldn’t be afraid of that.» declared Cassius Hirst.

At the core of each of the Cass x Prada styles is the iconic America’s Cup sneaker: invented in the late ’90s for the sailing crew of the Luna Rossa, in all-leather, or leather with distinctive cross-hatched breathable bike fabric inserts. Ergonomic, technically innovative, the silhouette is immediately recognizable – the perfect canvas for seemingly endless reinvention.

The Cass x Prada collection is an edition limited to 3,000 pairs globally, sold through a selection of Prada boutiques and via prada.com.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Prada
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PRADA THE SYMBOLE

Subjectivity, interpretation, perspectives. For the campaign celebrating the Prada Symbole handbag, three artists approached the same subject matters – the Symbole, and the actor Hunter Schafer – in a series of divergent and distinct portraits. Three artists, three sides of Prada, three points of view.
A triptych in its conception, the campaign is created by three of art’s modern masters: Catherine Opie, Thomas Ruff and Carrie Mae Weems, symbolic and powerful names, whose work has rarely, if ever, been printed in the form of a fashion campaign. While respecting the processes and meanings inherent to both art and fashion, each questions and challenges the other, to create works that explores the blurred boundaries between these disciplines through mutual exchange.

Catherine Opie

Each artist regards the same figure, and the same object, but their practices, methodology and results are wildly individual. Like the Symbole itself, different sides – different facets – are discovered. Each series of images connects to a cannon of artistic expression: Opie’s work revolves around the body and identity, new codes of beauty – her images seem to sculpt Schafer into a series of triangles, fusing woman and object, Ruff’s reinterprets ready-made images, distorting and manipulating reality – the objective value of a photograph, it questions our ideas of image. Weems connects her imagery to concepts of identity, representation, projection – notions of transformation and courage.

Thomas Ruff

Before each of their lenses, Schafer transforms – an act that, through the art of its creators, reflects her own craft as an actor. The campaign images become character studies – of Hunter Schafer, and the Symbole – composed of triangles, a graphic representation of the codes of Prada.

Carrie Mae Weems

THE PRADA SYMBOLE HANDBAG

A new type of logo, a new concept of an emblem – the Prada Symbole handbag is inspired by Prada’s iconic Triangle. Precise, direct, meaningful, it is a shape that resonates without words. Drawn from Prada’s heritage, it is reinvented for today – where the Triangle, alone, says Prada.
The Triangle was first used by Mario Prada – founder of the brand – in 1913, as a mark of quality and craft, a symbol of luxury. Today, it has become a shape immediately associated with Prada – echoing the shape of the ‘A’ of the brand’s name, a distinct and unique marker intrinsically tied to the history and identity of Prada.

In the Symbole, the Triangle becomes a luxurious jacquard – woven into the very fabric of the handbag. Geometric, modern, multi-faceted, it is a wordless assertion of Prada’s unmistakable persona. The Symbole couples this to a versatile tote, trimmed in Saffiano leather and proposed in a variety of sizes – a style as multi-faceted as its surface. Here, the Triangle retains its century- old role as a stamp of approval, expressing the highest level of craftsmanship synonymous with Prada.
The Symbole – like the Triangle itself – is a symbol of the ethos of Prada. Past, present, future.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Prada – Talent: Hunter Schafer
Artists: Catherine Opie, Thomas Ruff, Carrie Mae Weems Creative Director: Ferdinando Verderi

This year, Jani Leinonen, a world-renowned artist, is responsible for the impressive floral Easter egg in the Steinhalle of the Dolder Grand. The installation «Seed in Their Pocket» can be enjoyed alongside it, whereby Leinonen implemented themes of current social issues for both the installation and the Easter egg design. The Finn has a long-standing relationship with the traditional Zurich hotel, which made this art coup possible.

Jani and the finished floral egg installation.

He is one of the most sought-after artists in the world and his works always captures the pulse of the times. The Finnish artist has recently completed a particularly special project for the Dolder Grand – he created the design for the annual 2.5-meter-high Easter egg, which can be enjoyed at the main entrance.

Decorated with over 12,000 carnations by the in-house florist team of four ladies over several days of craftsmanship, it bears the incomparable signature of the artist.

«When the Dolder Grand approached me with this Easter project, I was amazed by the fact that it was made of real flowers. These colourful and beautiful organisms are of great cultural importance,» says Leinonen.

Inside the Dolder Grand on display: «Chapel of Remorse» by Jani Leinonen.

120 famous works of art, including Dalí, Murakami and Tinguely, enhance the ambiance of the Dolder Grand. The Finnish artist’s works have been exhibited at the hotel since 2009, and there are currently six pieces on display. Getting the 44-year-old artist to design the Easter egg this year was a major coup, not least because Jani’s unmistakable style and his unique ability to create pieces that reflect societal issues in a provocative way have made him famous across the globe.

«I’m not particularly religious, but I live in a Christian culture and grew up with stories from the Bible,» says Leinonen.

For him, the story of Easter is one of the most fascinating. For Jani, Jesus’ last words on the cross are the most important aspect: Forgive them, for they know not what they do.

«These words are as relevant today as they ever were, as he says these words to the soldiers who are blindly following orders from their superiors.»

He therefore decided to bring across this message on the Easter egg with just a single word: FORGIVE.

The «Seeds in Their Pockets» installation is also on display alongside the egg. It comprises dried flowers the artist collected in war zones, each with a tag bearing the name of the country in which Leinonen found it. On the day Russia invaded the Ukraine, the Finn read a newspaper article and wrote a poem. It is the story of a Ukrainian woman who meets a Russian soldier and tells him to put sunflower seeds in his pocket so that flowers grow at the place where he dies. «For me, this is a really strong image of war. I discovered that flowers grow on many of the battlefields in these war-torn countries, and it’s mostly the national flowers of the countries.»

With lovely Christina (NewInZurich) and Laura (PR/TICULAR) at the lunch.

I had the pleasure to explore Jani’s works and the making of the installation life at the Dolder Grand this week, followed by a lovely luncheon on the terrace in the presence of the artist.

The egg installation will be on display until Wednesday, April 20, 2022.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Dolder Grand and © Sandra Bauknecht
DISCLOSURE: We may earn commission from links on this page, but I only recommend products I love. Promise.

«Coming of Age», in loving memory and honour of Virgil Abloh, is unveiled at the Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris, France. An extension of the original global «Coming of Age» exhibition, the arrival in Paris will play out over a two-week period, from 13th April, at the Frank Gehry-designed space.

In 2019, Virgil Abloh curated a group exhibition titled «Coming of Age» in Los Angeles, California. Presented in creative partnership with Little Big Man Gallery, the exhibition centred around the concept, diversities and complexities of male youth and boyhood – traversing class, race, social economics, subcultures, isolation, and camaraderie. «Coming of Age» travelled to Paris, Beijing, Milan, New York, Munich, Tokyo and Seoul, allowing students, artists, and local communities access to a DIY «copy center», to build and create their own zines with their favourite artworks from the exhibition.

A physical embodiment and homage to Virgil Abloh’s world, «Coming of Age» in Paris regroups, reimagines and expands this original exhibition and its narrative story. A tribute to a hands-on creator, the exhibition encourages activities and participation, combining physical events with digital activations. Visitors become participants, alongside artists, photographers, musicians, directors, and animators. Diverse but united, the participants serve as an illustration of Virgil Abloh’s mission and achievement to democratise the dream embodied by Louis Vuitton, rendering it a domain open to the aspirations of people from all walks of life, all ages, all genders and all races.

The exhibition is open to the public, free of charge, from 13th to 27th April 2022.

Address:
Fondation Louis Vuitton
8 Av. du Mahatma Gandhi
75116 Paris

Opening hours:
Monday to Sunday
12pm to 7pm

Registration for tickets: www.fondationlouisvuitton.fr.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Louis Vuitton

Looking to make a statement? Do you believe in love at first sight? You might just after seeing those amazing pieces by Christian Louboutin. Those amazing fetish illustrations and Pin-up prints were created exclusively for the French House by artist Doctor Bored.

Fetish de Desert 100 leather sandals

A leather accessory is definitely one of the quickest way to my heart.
SAY IT WITH A RED SOLE!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Christian Louboutin
DISCLOSURE: We may earn commission from links on this page, but I only recommend products I love. Promise.

Hublot and Takashi Murakami unveil the second timepiece of their collaboration: the Classic Fusion Takashi Murakami Sapphire Rainbow. This new watch takes the smiling flower, the iconic theme of the Japanese artist’s work, and transforms it into a whirlwind of transparency and colour. Hublot loves Art!

After launching the first timepiece at the beginning of the year – an All Black watch, which became an instant collector’s item – Hublot and Takashi Murakami are continuing to transpose the Japanese artist’s Kawaii world into horology, by introducing the Classic Fusion Takashi Murakami Sapphire Rainbow watch. This new piece, still based on the smiling flower, the iconic theme of Murakami’s work, has moved from black to colour with transparent effects.

The technicians in Hublot’s workshops have created a unique setting with this new work of art, a transparent background through which we can contemplate both the artist’s work and the intricate mechanics of the watchmakers in Nyon. Reusing the characteristic features of the Classic Fusion model, this 45mm-diameter case is cut from sapphire crystal, a technological feat pioneered by Hublot.

«This partnership with Hublot has enabled me to express my creativity in what is a totally new medium for me. The mastery of the watchmaker’s technicians has opened up new fields of possibilities for my inspiration. The result is this new watch in the colours of the rainbow.»
Takashi Murakami

The smiling flower presents a mischievous smile on a three-dimensional face that literally emerges from the watch dial, extending out beyond the sapphire crystal. 12 colourful petals rotate around this face, and their polychromatic effect is achieved by setting 487 stones representing the colours of the rainbow: rubies, pink sapphires, amethysts, blue sapphires, tsavorites, yellow and orange sapphires. Thanks to an ingenious ball-bearing system specially developed by Hublot’s engineers, the petals start turning under the watch crystal and bring Takashi Murakami’s smiling flower to life.

In the beating heart of the watch, the Nyon watchmakers have placed the company’s HUB1214 calibre, here without the stopwatch function. This movement has a power reserve of 72 hours.
Targeting Contemporary Art insiders, the Classic Fusion Takashi Murakami Sapphire Rainbow watch is available in a limited edition of 100 numbered pieces.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Hublot
#Hublot #ClassicFusionTakashiMurakami

Tiffany & Co. has released its new Advent Calendar – the second-ever – celebrating Jean Michel Basquiat’s Equals Pi which was most recently seen in the House’s About Love campaign.

Transforming the traditional holiday countdown into a canvas spotlighting the same masterpiece featured in About Love, Basquiat’s 1892 painting, Equals Pi (1982) is the centerpiece of Tiffany’s latest Advent Calendar which includes 24 blue boxes filled with the most extraordinary Tiffany jewelry and objects and will be available worldwide now. Each Tiffany Blue Box® in the Advent Calendar features a custom-numbered hangtag.

As part of its ongoing efforts to bring art to more communities in its founding city, Tiffany & Co. is proud to announce a new partnership with Free Arts NYC. The House will donate $250,000 from purchases of the 2021 Advent Calendar to the organization and the funds will support a series of programs that will give children from underserved communities in New York City greater exposure to the creative arts.

Limited edition. Priced at $150.000.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Tiffany & Co.