‘Boutique- Where Art Meets Fashion’ opens at Embassy of Finland

Picture by Valentina ‘n Me

I had the opportunity the other day to attend the opening of the Boutique – Where Art meets Fashion exhibition at the Finnish Embassy- a real treat since this is not your average art exhibition and I had a chance to channel my inner ‘Gallery Girls‘ persona. Yes, there is a dark bohemian artist deep down under the pearls and sometimes pink on pink outfits.

There is so much art and definitely a lot of fashion in DC but rarely do we get to see and experience the two combined. Boutique – Where Art Meets Fashion will be on display during the weekends at the Embassy of Finland in DC until November 3rd. The exhibition is a pared down version of the original Helsinki based exhibition at the Amos Anderson Museum back in 2012 and features works produced in pairs by traditional artists and fashion gurus.

Picture by Valentina ‘n Me

At the opening event we heard from curator Annamari Vänskä that the idea for the exhibition came from her desire to merge art and fashion and discussing ideas how to do so over a cup of coffee with the Director of the Amos Anderson Museum. When big minds meet over a cup of coffee, big things can happen.

Check out the free exhibition in the cool space that is the Embassy of Finland across from the Naval Observatory. I would suggest combining the visit with a trip to the pop-up pumpkin patch down the road at Wisconsin and Garfield or lunch in Glover Park. Public transportation by bus will take you pretty close but you might also find parking on 34th Street.

Link love to read more:

http://www.dekadenssi.com/boutique-where-art-meets-fashion-at-amos-anderson-art-museum-helsinki/

http://valentinanme.tumblr.com/post/31329208658/boutique-where-art-meets-fashion

Boutique – Where Art Meets Fashion

Embassy of Finland

3301 Massachusetts Avenue, NW

Saturdays and Sundays 11 AM through 4 PM

October 12-13, 19-20, 26-27 and November 2-3.

Exhibit: DC

My new year’s resolution was not to ‘see and do more artsy things’ in DC, but somehow I have checked out 6 exhibitions in the last few weeks. I wanted to make sure you get to see them too before they close!

The Renwick Gallery

40 under 40 @ Renwick Gallery

Free, closes February 3rd (near the White House and Farragut West metro) Skinny Tip: Grab lunch at Old Ebbitt, stroll past the White House to digest lunch and then enter the Renwick. Plan to spend 1.5 hrs to browse and admire! 

The art work of these young guns under 40 are categorized as ‘crafts’ but this is not your grandma’s knitting gig we’re talking about. These are uber cool crafts! Below a few of my favorites:

• A marble pillow (by Sebastian Martorana) that doesn’t look like marble at all, amazes me and I almost cry at the sad story behind it
• Cut paper by Mia Perlman hold my eyes hostage, the intricacy of the work is dark, beautiful, cascading…
• Watching a war documentary (by Cat Mazza) through a lens of knit stitches blows my mind (yes, this classifies as a ‘craft’)
• The insane knitting of Agata OIek makes me smile but also prompts me to ponder about the deeper message behind the work.

Read more: Washingtonian Washington Post  Arts Observer  Washington Glass School Blog 

Detroit is no dry bones & Detroit Disassembled  @ National Building Museum 

$8, closes February 8th ( near Chinatown/Verizon Center/Judiciary Square metro). Skinny Tip: Start by doing the Inaugural Ball tour or the historic building tour, grab coffee+pastry at the cafe, check out the gift shop, then hit the exhibitions. 

Set aside your love/hate relationship with the car industry and politics to marvel at the ruins that now make up Detroit city. The large prints, first person narratives and the overwhelming proof of nature’s sheer force in this urban setting will not leave you unimpressed. The work of Camilo Jose Vergara and Andrew Moore is not to be missed. Anybody who fancies photography, design and urban adventures in particular will really dig this.

Multiple exhibitions @ Corcoran Gallery of Art 

$10, exhibitions close January 27th, February 10th & 24th (near Farragut West metro). Skinny Tip: Sign up for ‘Namaste at Corcoran‘ in January and enjoy the exhibits after doing yoga in the museum. Cool, right? I did it, you should too!

9:00 am Saturday morning. 15 yoga mats are scattered under the marble arches of a museum that is still asleep, closed to visitors. The echo of a chanted ‘OM’ lingers in the grand hall between the exhibition space, the humid museum air envelopes the yogi in their individual, dedicated practice. You won’t find yoga like this anywhere else but at the Corcoran. Bonus: breakfast and admission to the exhibitions is included. Don’t miss these:

• Taryn Simon- A Living Man Declared Dead and Other Chapters I-XVIII. Haunting stories of people, history, tradition, culture, war and peace are outlined through massive collections of individual portraits. The accompanying text make the people in the pictures come alive while casting a heavy shadow on the already expressionless faces. Make sure you take the time to read, explore and study each story.
  
• Ivan Sigal- White Road. Pictures that put a human face on the ‘stan’ countries that we so often ignore in the face of  news coverage of the troops in Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan. Don’t just look at the faces of the subjects- discover the barren and threatening land behind the people to get the full effect.
• Modern and Contemporary Art since 1945  Whimsical and almost silly works share space with colorful triangles and studies inspired by the Washington Color School. This is what makes art fun. To be ingested in small doses.