SIGGI EGGERTSON /

m// When i was in BERLIN a few months ago I met SIGGI EGGERTSON through a mutual friend. SIGGI is an ICELANDIC graphic designer with amazing computer illustrational talents! As he puts it himself; "In My Childhood, Drawing And Computers Were My Biggest Hobbies. I Found Out That I Could Combine Those Two Into A Profession Called Graphic Design". Well, he most certainly has, in more than a decent way! SIGGI also spoke at last years VISUELT, a design conference held in OSLO annually.

I had trouble picking which pieces to show, so please visit his SITE for more digital delights!

la biennale di Venetzia 2011 /

m // ...of course I couldn't go to VENEZIA without visiting this years BIENNALE, the 54th International Art Exhibition! It was absolutely fantastic! One ticket gives you entrance to both of the pavillions for two days. This was not enough time at all and we were left a little overwhelmed and almost a bit drained by all the art at the end of it.. however it is absolutely worth it! I believe I will find myself visiting both VENEZIA and the BIENNALE several times in the future.

ribbonesia /

m// How cute. Ive been loving all the paper craft that has flourished over the last few years, but this is a great idea too. Kind of like origami but with ribbons.. The work is called RIBBONESIA and is by JAPANESE illustrator BAKU MAEDA.

city for chicks /

L// Went for a walk in my hood the other day and snapped some shots. Of Particular interest was the bird city I stumbled across. Made from 300 individually designed wooden houses, it's tenants may include birds, bees and insects. The design still allows the tree space to grow and change and is inspired by the georgian style houses surrounding the park. It is the brainchild of London Fieldworks, they are amazing...

zac freeman /

m// don´t trow out any of your odds and ends. This artwork by ZAC FREEMAN is a great example of how to use it...amazing!

dale frank /

m// I love some of the work by AUSTRALIAN contemporary artist DALE FRANK. Its paint poured onto canvas, but it kind of looks like photography with bleeding chemicals.

Charles LeDray / (& sorry for the essay)

t/ Hi I am reluctantly back in Melbourne, but happily posting on Fruity again. The trip was great - first proper holiday in about three years. No doubt you will hear more about it in the coming posts.

Firstly, I just had to share with you an artist I discovered whilst visiting The Whitney Museum of American Art (easily the best gallery I went to during my stay).

Born in 1960, Charles LeDray lives and works in New York, creating these small-scale sculptures of astounding detail.

I could have wandered around the exhibit all day, finding new things every time. Miniature hand-painted pottery filled a few glass cabinets in the exhibit; another room contained pint-sized garments carefully laid out like a store with dingy fluorescent lighting, and even dust purposefully scattered on top of the light-fittings. The clothes are distressed to look worn, so you get a very real impression that tiny people actually owned and lived in these clothes. He also had a few sculptures made out of human bone, the most incredible one being an old-fashioned model of the solar system.

Not too much is known or published about LeDray. Apparently he is a bit of a recluse, but I feel like you get a sense of who he is after viewing the work. The amazing detail, plus the fact he has absolutely no help during the process, points to quite an obsessive nature. He is a probably quite eccentric too - who else would spend years crafting tiny items of clothes?! I could imagine him working away in his studio, hour upon hour, labouring over his tiny creations. The love for his craft was self-evident.

Knowing nothing about this artist, I felt like I had discovered a secret treasure when I first walked around the exhibit. It was so refreshing to see well-crafted work, when so many young artists today seem to be making pieces that are highly conceptual but lack actual skill. I wondered what inspired him to make miniatures. There was something really poetic about the works. Like he was creating a whole world. At the same time though, it wasn't a fantastical world. It all seemed very real. I often found myself imagining what the people were like that used to own these clothes! I felt like he was commenting on the objects we surround ourselves with - how we attach ourselves to these things, customise them, attribute meanings and unintentionally create life-stories in the process. It wasn't overly sentimental, it was just like LeDray was saying "This is life. This is what we do. We're small but fragile. Things are important and unimportant at the same time. It is the people that own, and inhabit things that give them meaning." He literally put it all into perspective for me.

Watch a video about the exhibit 'Mens Suits' here

marion bolognesi /

m// I came across NY based designer and painter MARION BOLOGNESI on the cool hunter today. Her watercolour paintings are just so beautiful and sad. My favourite is the blue scull like face. she has inspired me to paint today. Thanks marion!

Speed Creating

t/ Dominic Wilcox is an artist/designer/thinkeruper. He recently did this 'Speed Creating' project - 30 mini art pieces in 30 days. It reminds me of projects we tried to do at Uni, but the difference is, this guy is a proper artist! The results are all unique and surprising. I love the immediacy of the work, and being able to get an insight into someone else's thought process. None of them seemed to fail which is a bonus! If I tried something like that I could see myself getting frustrated, punching a wall, and giving up half way. Anyway, take time to have a look at them all - it's worth it!

a splash of colour /

m// ...to brighten the day.

lingnes rouges /

m// Interresting street art/installation by LINGES ROUGES. rouges has a background in grafitti but his signature style is as you can see here, red and white tape. sadly he passed away last year of a heart attack only 27 years old. you can see more of his work on his website/ www.lignesrouges.com