The Artful Life: 5 Things Galerie Things Love This Week
From a new home accessories collaboration between Adam Lippes and OKA to a mini edition of Dior’s ultra-chic book tote
1. Fashion Designer Adam Lippes and OKA Collaborate on a New Decor Collection
As a follow up to their debut collection of tableware, fashion designer Adam Lippes and OKA, the British interiors brand helmed by Sue Jones, have introduced a new array of furniture and decorative objects. “Sue and I speak the same language; it’s comfort, style, and quality competing in a way that works,” says Lippes. Inspired by a piece of vintage fabric Lippes discovered in a French market, the Magistry stool, pillow, and vanity items offer notes of romanticism with an all-over Chinoiserie-style pattern of birds and foliage. Beech wood carved to resemble bamboo, leather, and brass define the gentlemanly Avery desk, nesting tables, and desk accessories, while the Avery accoutrements boast sartorial stripes in dashing red, green, and black shades. “Adam’s inspiration very much comes from the antique aesthetic but, like me, he likes to bring that into the 21st century,” says Jones. “To make people feel comfortable and pleased about their surroundings is his ethos, and that’s very much mine, too.” —Jill Sieracki
2. Dior Releases Mini Edition of Famed Book Tote
A staple of Dior’s timeless collection of accessories, the brand’s famed Book Tote can often be spotted at least once while taking your morning commute or walking down the street. Now, the haute fashion house has released a special surprise that channels the elegance of their timeless piece in one compact treasure. The mini book tote from Dior, available starting April 25, is enveloped in supple macrocannage leather and comes in three different color varieties including black, latte, and trench. For those who say bigger is always better, think again. —Shelby Black
3. Shu Lea Cheang Receives 2024 LG Guggenheim Award
For the LG Guggenheim Art and Technology Initiative, a collaboration between the technology giant and the global arts foundation, Net-art pioneer Shu Lea Cheang was presented with the 2024 LG Guggenheim Award. This $100,000 unrestricted honorarium celebrates artists working at the intersection of art and technology. The Taiwan-born artist was presented with the award at the recent Guggenheim Young Collectors Council Party, where the Guggenheim’s famed rotunda was transformed into a tech wonderland with mesmerizing works by artist and programmer Rachel Rossin. With a career spanning over 30 years, Cheang’s oeuvre includes installation, film, and performance, blending sensorial experiences with technology by using unconventional tools like gaming engines and hacking strategies. “Shu Lea Cheang was one of the first to recognize the liberatory potential of the digital realm,” says Naomi Beckwith, Deputy Director and Jennifer, David Stockman Chief Curator at the Guggenheim. Cheang will be in conversation with Noam Segal, LG Electronics Associate Curator, for a special performance-lecture at the museum on May 2. — Stefanie Li
4. Jean-Georges Restaurant abcV to Open at The Mark Hotel
Celebrated chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten is bringing his plant-focused restaurant, abcV, to the Upper East Side on April 15, popping up in The Mark Hotel throughout the spring and summer. Just steps from Central Park, the space was most recently home to the seasonal Mark Chalet, also from the Jean-Georges team, which served up a lavish fondue experience. Taking after the original location on East 19th Street, The Mark’s abcV outpost will serve organic dishes with farm-sourced ingredients, including mushroom walnut bolognese with carrot paccheri, celery, and mint, as well as whole roasted cauliflower drizzled with turmeric tahini and date molasses. The rustic-chic patterns and fur throws of the former Mark Chalet have been replaced with tumbles of amaranth cascading from the ceiling along with fresh pops of pink and green. —Geoffrey Montes
5. Lehmann Maupin Debuts Seasonal Gallery Space in Milan
Blue-chip art gallery Lehmann Maupin—which counts locations in New York, London, and Seoul—is set to unveil a temporary outpost in Milan just in time for city’s Miart fair as well as the 60th Venice Biennale. Located within Circolo, a contemporary exhibition space helmed by Nicole Saikalis Bay, the gallery will stage a group exhibition from April 12 through June 21 featuring six artists on the gallery roster: Hernan Bas, Loriel Beltrán, Mandy El-Sayegh, Todd Gray, Alex Prager, and Nari Ward. “Milan holds a unique position in the arts and culture industry,” says Rachel Lehmann, co-founder of the gallery. “Our decision to open a pop-up space in Milan aligned first and foremost with the needs of our artists and our commitment to always looking for new avenues to introduce wider audiences to our rich program.” Notably, Ward is the subject of a retrospective elsewhere in Milan, at the Pirelli HangarBicocca, through July 28. —G.M.