Frieze London 2018 - Farcical.

I went to the very first Frieze when the concept of pop up and art fairs were still novel.

I enjoyed my first Frieze and the last few years I missed out because I was always in Asia -off topic best time to go to East Asia!

I was quite excited to go and the English autumn was just perfect the day I went.

It is located in Regent's Park and they had an external installation of sculptures.

Not much to share but this was the only thing I liked because it reminds me of the billboards in small towns and neighbourhoods in the States.

I will cut to the chase.

These were probably one of the few pieces I liked.

I only went to the main Frieze - not the Frieze masters which was another pavilion.

But most of the work was worse than this painting below.

Doesn't it look like the rough draft for the Pink Floyd album?

This frog ballerina is just horrid.
No composition, no technique, no color blocking.
Not even a statement regardless of political leaning which is boring but at least there is a naivety in those works.
Just crap.

Summer 2018 and this and that

Hi all!

I swear this is the 5th time I have tried to post.

Mercury retrograde-tastic.

I am still on IG mostly for the memes.

They are on point.
I thought I didn't like botox and then now i prefer that to these filters.

Went to Berlin and it was one of the most disappointing cities ( personally of course).
How utterly not as cool as it was meant to be.
Yet it had none of the German efficiency so I don't see the point.

By the third day, 
my friends said,
"What is the point of seeing this city when we don't like it?
Let's just hang by the pool."

I replied,
"I don't think I am coming back unless there is a proper reason so I wanted to see as much as Berlin as possible."

I did take pictures but not worth fighting Mercury retrograde any longer.

Oddly, one thing I realised is that I am over boutique hotels with the exception of about 5 in the world I still love.

But I absolutely loved the anonymity and lounges and not having to make polite conversation with the hotel owners.

I went to a friend's place near Genoa in July and I was intending to go back because the food there is fantastic but the bridge collapsed.
It is too sad to return for the moment.


Speaking of Mercury retrograde...

I have been studying astrology.

Not sun signs but deeper.

I am concentrating on Vedic aka Hindu astrology but do plan on learning the tropical school which is more dominant in the west.

I am finding it utterly fascinating.

It is a subject where you learn something and 
can test it on charts of people I know.

Plus Vedic philosophy through the guise of astrology delves 
into philosophy and all matters of life.

It is coming up to 21 years 
to the death anniversary of Princess Diana.

This came up in class.

( Yes I am taking proper classes. )

Princess Diana was known to frequent astrologers, tarot readers, and spiritualists.

She was quite broad in her spiritual interests and was rumoured to convert to Catholicism before her untimely death as well.

But we all know that she wrote letters for ol' butler Paul Burrell 
to keep where she writes that 
she fears she will be killed in a car accident.

That fear didn't just come out of thin air.

Vedic astrologers predicted this.

I can't share my class video and to be frank it will go over your head unless you are an astrology student.

But I did find a blog post unrelated to my course that writes it down.

http://horasarvam.blogspot.com/2013/07/princess-of-wales-dianas-horoscope-was.html?m=1

Just a post script.

I don't even know if I believe in all this stuff but the coincidences are uncanny.

Anyway, just wanted to pop in to say hi.

Sorry for the lack of pictures.

Hope summer is treating you well xx

PS if anyone wants to be my guinea pig for astrology,
you can give me your time
( must be as accurate as possible) 
and date and place of birth
 so I can figure out your chart for free of course as I am still learning.

Name is not needed so you can send me privately!

email is couldshouldawoulda9@gmail.com

Beginnings of Summer 2018 Miscellaneous

This weekend was a few days of misunderstandings and clashes.

Apparently, this summer is meant to be rather volatile and heated in more ways than one.

Going by this past weekend, I am going to try and lay low.

Our summer mews party was fun as usual 

but there was a bit of drama.

I am going to sage the street later tonight 

so no one confirms I am nuts.

(You see what I did there?)

London has been so hot the past week and you can really tell the heat wave bc the parks looks parched.  

I really wish London had better outdoor pools at times like this.

 I love the Connaught.

 Everything about it and their dosas for breakfast.

 Mexican for me is a summer food.

 But I can get carried away with the margaritas - salt and ice please.

Been doing all kinds of study this year with no plans to stop.

 It is like my second wind of university but 

this time it is purely for the love of learning 

rather than gaining a certificate.

You know how some things just look good but taste terrible?

 This cake was like an Eton Mess inside and so delicious.

You know what I really dislike?

Bad facials plus those entrapment freebies 

like beauty treatments at department stores 

which are only veils to bombard you with sales pitches 

while you have goo on your face.

 My brother gave me this gag gift.

I couldn't even feign gratitude for this Clarins gift voucher.

They all laughed at lunch at my reaction.

My real present came later.

Phew.

 Avignon where I went to for a quick Provencal getaway has some world class museums that are practically empty.

 Really like the town more and more.

 In fact, I think that from here on end I will most likely go at the beginning of summer to say hello to the three towns I like.

 Here is a beautiful bathroom in Arles.

 While others diet for the summer, I do the reverse. 

 I eat at the pool.

Why do I do this!? 

I blame my sugar levels.

Vicious circle...

 

I love a terrazzo floor.

Whatever you do on top just seems to work even better.

 Inadvertently went to a pool party as the hotel 

I was staying at was hosting a disco.

Discovering new music ( for me - love Tyga now by the way), 

figuring out who is gay ( for my friend), 

seeing which people are getting pushed into the pool and 

observing desperados try to pick up was entertaining.

Plus the party ended at 8 pm. 

So my style!

 Nimes has a museum of Roman antiquities.

I would recommend that people interested in gladiators and the like go visit Nimes instead of Rome.

 Reason being, Rome has so much that the museums are stuffed but not curated.

In Nimes, there is a lot of explanation and information about the objects.

 Also Nimes, has a lot of Roman artefacts of museum quality.

 I also found a home decor store just by the 

Temple of Venus in Nimes.

 Old school and they had items that aren't easily seen on the high street or online stores.

 I bought a straw cushion but now I don't know where to put it.

 Apparently, Nimes isn't that popular but I still love it.

 It has one of my favourite restaurants.

 It looks like Lisa Vanderpump copied the decor.

 Food is ridiculously simple and good.

I love art as you all know but I am ambivalent about this structure in the middle of the Serpentine. 

 It just jars the greenery and the artifical colors are not what I need living in an urban area.

I want more natural green.

 This is the annual temporary Serpentine museum structure.

 It is what it is.

 This was a part of the floor where it went from to wet floor.

 I did a quick walk through but will go back to "feel" it.

 Still thinking of Masterpiece.

 I just love walking around the stalls.

 I did a few kilometers in there.

 Imagine only have a drawing like this to remember your loved ones if they went away on a trip?

Masterpiece London 2018 Highlights

I am still steadfast on my opinion on preferring 

Masterpiece London over other art fairs.

To be fair, 

I haven't been able to attend Frieze the recent years 

because I am out of town normally 

but I do hope to be able to compare this autumn.

It is a beautiful setting in the Chelsea Barracks where the 

Chelsea Flower Show is also held.

There is a complimentary van shuttle from Sloane Square and a golf buggy ride from the gates to the building too.

Fantin-Latour may not have street cred but looks good in real homes

18th century Italian silk fans

Modern wicker combined with fine jewellery

And good ol' Moussaief rocks 

But the stands aren't too niche and repetitive.

It has the select stands of modern art, classical art, antique furntiure, and various styles of jewellery.

Each passing year, there seems to be more pop up eateries too.

It really is a full day out.

I went to the preview day today.

It officially opens tomorrow June 28 until July 4th.

Please do note that 

there is a daily programme of talks and lectures all day.

Some are intense talks at the official lecture theatre and 

there are also informal talks at stands.

It is a mini Sotheby's Art Course.

 Not sure if that botanic Swedish cabinet is a new one of the same one this stand had last year and the item sold on the preview day.

I didn't ask.

This is a very special piece that is being sold by the 

Grosvernor Estate for undisclosed reasons for 10 million euros.

 It took 10 years to make and was done by the 

Renaissance artist Giorgio Vasari.

Adrian Sassoon always has a special stand and brings out some of the Sevres porcelain and has some of the future Sevres pieces. 

 While everything seems more beautiful than the next, 

there were two artists that blew my mind.

 These pieces are metal pieces lit from an angle so its shadows demonstrate words on the wall.

 Fred Eerdekens is the artist's name.

Considering I was there midday on the preview day, I was surprised at how many items were already sold.

Mind you, if I could afford it I would have bought the turtle too.

 I did have to smirk at how many private lounges and events were being held on the preview day.

 Because preview isn't special enough LOL.

But there were lots of seating areas such as this dotted all over as walking around does give you a workout.

 Interestingly, this year, there weren't as many curated/designed rooms.

 Out of all of them this might have been the pick for me.

 That period of furniture which is highly collectible and the wallpaper was specially designed for this room by De Gournay.

 There were some others but it seemed to be simple but nothing extraordinary.

\

 The other artist

 I loved was the husband and wife team Rob and Nick Carter.

 One was a film maker and the other was a fine art artist.

These were either iPads or screens that would transform a scene on a loop.

So the flowers would deteriorate slowly on a timed loop.

 The Frick Pittsburgh has bought a few editions.

I hope you get to see it at Masterpiece or at the Frick because it is hard to really convey the beauty of these pieces.

 I do love seeing pieces 

that would normally be tucked away in a private home 

or in storage at a museum like 

this match stick holder by Carl Faberge.

This was the front for Rose Uniacke who was wearing a beautiful yellow dress.

 I didn't take a picture of her as she was talking to someone and I didn't want to interrupt her to ask her if I could take a picture.

But I must say that I loved what people were wearing and in my old age rarely bother to people watch but Masterpiece London is better than fashion week for watching people walk by!

I really hope you do make it but if not please do check out their website.