It's probably best not to bitch and moan about the weather (yet again), but seriously, the heat is murdering me! I have bookmarked a few things to blog about, but as I'm someone who's very sensitive to heat (and who tries to refrain from AC usage), they'll have to wait till the weather turns cooler (or at least less brutal).

For the sake of some levity in our drama-filled worlds though, here's a quick post on something I think is 可愛い.




What, the picture not doing anything for you? Teehee. That's cause you have to visit here to see why it's so special.

I imagine only a handful of those individuals who stop to smell the proverbial roses would be able to spot them. Harried folks hurrying by would surely (albeit unknowingly) give it a flying kick :-)

via Colossal.

Diem Chau

Head over heels with these works by Diem Chau, beautifully intricate with a slight nod towards whimsicality. There are plenty more to gawk at in her gallery, where I've been blissfully spending time. Also, be sure to check out her crayon sculptures!

via day of practical awakening.

// A fun link for you, it's a little silly, but hilarious nonetheless. Or maybe I'm just easily amused :-) Besides, haven't everyone sort of thought about it? -- A photography project entitled "What if You Lived at Ikea".

Homage to Beauty II

I've always been a huge fan of Agnes Martin's work. I find her work so ethereal, sublime and romantic. When I looked at it up close, I found myself drifting from the smallness of a being to that of being part of the world at large. Even from the monitor screen of the computer, the idea behind her work magnifies itself to become somehow both meditative and contemplative, if that makes sense.

When I came across Jill Sylvia online, I thought her work was evocative of Agnes Martin's spirit. The intricate cut-outs also invoke a sense of fragility that reminds me of lacework, so pretty!

Homage to Beauty

Life has been giving me lemons for the past months. Times like these make me become the person who doesn't believe that there is a pot of gold at the end of rainbows.

I don't mind being that person. In fact, truth be told, I'm probably more that person on an average day than the one who clings to ideas of unicorns, tooth fairies and the likes.

But silently cursing at the sky doesn't take away the poison that becomes you as cynicism begins to reign. About the only thing that saves the day, and you might want to avert your eyes if you are adversed to idealism, is beauty.

I think beauty will always prevail in our troubled world. All kinds of ideas of beauty. Beauty will save souls and nourish sickened hearts. Beauty is the superhero of our times.

I'll be sharing some beauty here that my eyes wish they could feast on up close but will unfortunately have to settle for the pixel-based representation. Don't get me wrong, I'm very grateful. But put it this way, if I have money to spend, these beauts are what I would like to be lapping up.

First up, via Teenangster, this piece of surrealistic beaut by Julia Randall. I love that the image titillates just enough to keep me interested yet doesn't make me feel uncomfortable.

What is art about?

Yeah, on that, I'm still looking for answers :-) However, I do know that what it does do for me, today, is give my blue soul a bit of an uplift. Case in point -- Friederike Hamann, whose work is bringing the corners of my mouth north-wards.

via Come Darkness, a small exhibition of art pieces curated by Maria Vettese.

Panos 2013 at Lyon

Digging this collaborative street art - Panos 2013.

Sorry I'm Late

Loving this stop-motion animation! I'm a big big sucker for all kinds of stop-motion. 

Sorry I'm Late from Tomas Mankovsky on Vimeo.

via changethethought.

Um, is it wrong to covet axes?

Id: Course not, not when they are these pretty. Come to mama, bad boy #2 aka Jim Dandy!

Azuma Makoto

Is it obvious, this need of mine for some color? ;-) 

From Spoon & Tamago, (a really cool site I stumbled upon recently), I learnt of Distortion x Flowers by Azuma Makoto, a floral-slash-musical installation in Harajuku that hell-o! would give my right arm to go see???

James Roper

Finding inspiration from the colors in James Roper's work. I love how he's unafraid to use bright bold hues in his work. So much more to see, at his site. Would love to be able to see this in person.

Another awesome short

Gary from Gary on Vimeo. Via Drawn!

Max Hamilton

Admiring the work of Max Hamilton. I've always had a thing for photography that is part documentation, part art. My favorite from his sets.

via featureshoot.

A happy video

EepyBird's Sticky Note experiment from Eepybird on Vimeo.

via swissmiss.

Andrés Marroquín Winkelmann

Am so in love with the work of Andrés Marroquín Winkelmann. People with talent like that are so inspiring, don't ya agree?

via featureshoot.

Marc Monzo

At first glance, Marc Monzo's site seems to be that of a game designer's (I felt like I was playing some version of the memory game when I was there), but I was pleasantly surprised once I started clicking around -- the most delectable pieces of contemporary jewelry hiding behind 3D-rendering-looking images. Ooh la la! Pictured below is a taste of what you'll find at his site.

via dear ada.

Trever Hoehne

Enjoying "Blurry Things" by Trever Hoehne. I'm no pro when it comes to photography, but I do think beautiful blurry photos are harder to achieve than it seems. 

via The Best Part.

Bonus! Here's a couple of links that I thought you might also like to visit. 

• Charlotte Tollstén, a jewelry maker from Gothenburg (I haven't checked out her jewelry yet, her blog is winning me over though!); 

and

• Mark Rodda, a visual artist based in Melbourne. There's a playfulness to his images that is striking the right chord with me. 

Michael Laube

Something beautiful after that last somewhat somber post -- German artist, Michael Laube's work.

via The Post Family, a site totally worth bookmarking. Go on, you won't regret it.

Elsa Mora

If like me, you have a fascination with papercutting, you'll most probably enjoy a visit to Elsa Mora's papercutting blog, where she showcases some of her truly magnificent work. Her talent is wide-ranging – so be sure to visit her main blog to check out her other creations. 

Tehching Hsieh

A friend alerted me to an article in the NY Times of Tehching Hsieh, a performance artist whose work is being displayed by MoMA. I have not known of him prior to this but I find his work extremely remarkable because he utilizes himself and his life with such intensity and in so unequivocal a manner. I have the highest regards for that kind of immersion, I find it's something worth aspiring to.

This is my favorite quote from him in the article: "Living is nothing but consuming time until you die" -- a tenet the existentialist in me had never let go of, probably to my very own detriment.

Photo by Tehching Hsieh, from his work, "Cage Piece".

Book/Stair Case

A staircase that is also shelving for books -- looks so good. It's by Levitate, an architectural firm in London. 

via Lost Bird Found.