‘MAKING THE CUT’ WINNER YANNIK ZAMBONI

Swiss designer Yannik Zamboni introduced the world to his brand maison blanche on the current season of Amazon’s MAKING THE CUT and immediately viewers knew that his approach to fashion would stand out amongst the other contestants.

Zamboni works primarily in white, and his gender inclusive designs are based around conceptual social and political themes. Despite his decidedly avant-garde tendencies, Zamboni‘s appearance on the show showed a softer side of the designer: His sense of humor, sensitivity, and warmth towards the other contestants even surprised judge Heidi Klum, Nicole Richie and Jeremy Scott who commented on an early episode on the contrast between his intimidating designs /personal appearance and his endearing vulnerability.

In an interview with Iris Covet Book just days prior to his debut during NYFW, Zamboni explains his unique take on fashion and how he serves as a guinea pig to his own collections.

ICB: Your entrance on season 3 of Amazon’s Making the Cut is the first time many people became aware of you. What were you hoping you convey to the audience about you and your outlook on fashion?

YZ: I hope people see and feel my positive energy, the will to address socio-political themes, to create social change and the love for sustainable and fair fashion.

ICB: On the show, more so than any other contestant, your personal style mirrored the designs you created. Would you say you are your own muse?

YZ: I see myself more as a guinea pig than a muse.  I believe that improvements to my fashion can only be made if I wear them myself and thus feel the clothes. In addition, I create things that I would like to have on the market, which I miss or simply do not exist yet.

ICB: Prior to establishing your label maison blanche, you worked as a model and a Swiss-certified marketing specialist. How have your previous occupations influenced your designs?

YZ: My commercial training, my studies and work in marketing and modeling have made me what I am today. Each of these steps was necessary to create and run my fashion label maison blanche.

ICB: How has being Swiss contributed to your work (e.g., culture, language, geography, etc.)?

YZ: Swiss people learn at an early age that everything must be perfect, regulated, and orderly. This certainly spurred me on to test boundaries and do things differently, as I always had the feeling of being different and not fitting into the system.

ICB: What other designers past/ present do you look up to?

YZ: Martin Margiela, Rey Kawakubo & Rick Owens

ICB: Why have you committed to only designing in white? What about this color holds special significance to you?

YZ: I find white to be an extremely calming color but more importantly I wanted to set myself the task to design, cut and surface design / change to create a silhouette so exciting that the color no longer plays a role. I noticed that a lot of designs with bold color or prints worked because of the good composition and not because of the design itself. By not using color, I am able to focus on pure design.

ICB: Your work also seems to blur the lines between traditional women’s and menswear. Gender fluidity undoubtedly is the future but how does a brand address the very real physical limitations to doing a unisex collection (e.g., biological men and women have differing body characteristics)?

YZ: Basically, I don’t want to think in binary terms. 2% of our society are intersex people. Moreover, there are very different ways to live and feel gender. Gender has never been binary. I rather approach designs that I create them on a body. A body with a bulge, or a body with breasts, or finding a way to make designs work on different bodies.  I don’t see it as a limitation but as a liberation.

ICB: Do you view the future of your brand as being mass market or boutique?

YZ: I see maison blanche comprising of three lines to satisfy both mass and niche customers. An accessible line that is suitable for every day, a fashion line which is suitable for everyday but   more fashion driven and a high-end line for special occasions or stage wear.

ICB: What is the best part of being on Making the Cut?

YZ: Through Making the Cut, consumers understand why something is made and what its purpose is directly from the designer by watching the entire creation process. I increasingly feel the need to be understood and reach the masses.

ICB: As of this writing, you are in the semifinals of the show. If you win, what would you do with the prize money?

YZ: I would put everything back into the company. Grow slowly and invest in the right people to build a small maison blanche family.

MADONNA KICKS OFF PRIDE WEEK WITH ‘PRIDE X BOOM’ PARTY AT THE STANDARD HOTEL

THE QUEEN! photos by Matteo Prandoni/BFA.com

The Standard, High Line kicked off Pride Weekend and celebrated the re-opening of New York City on June 24th, 2021 with an appearance by Madonna in the notorious Boom Boom Room, for one night only.

The evening featured the debut of an original three-piece multimedia art installation inspired by 90’s underground culture and in a thought-provoking layout for people to be who they are, love themselves and stay fearless. This collaboration with Madonna, Ricardo Gomes (who also creative directed the video) and Sasha Kasiuha is inspired by the commitment to make sure every voice is heard and celebrated. The 3-minute installation also took over the jumbo video screens in Time Square at 10pm and 12am.

Madonna auctioned off three new original Polaroids that were shot by her and Ricardo Gomes at her home in New York in June 2021 and are inspired by the art born in the city that never sleeps. Each were individually framed and personally signed by Madonna. The auction raised over $100K for The Ali Forney Center and Haus of Us.

Three additional new original Polaroids that were shot by Madonna and Ricardo Gomes at her home in New York in June 2021 are also now part of a silent online auction to benefit the Hetrick Martin Institute. Link to the auction can be found HERE (https://app.galabid.com/hmiprideoasis/items/).

Strike a pose!

 

“It is crazy, but with all the sacrifices, all the marching in the streets, all the protests, all the compromises, all the lives lost, all the relentless negotiations and all the bills being passed by legislation, the LGBTQ community is still fighting for their rights and their freedom. It is at this very time, as Republicans in the Senate are trying to set us back by stalling bills being passed, that we must never let our guard down and think, “Oh it’s done. The fight is over.” I made those videos to continue to inspire people to be fearless, to continue to have courage, and to continue to be brave and to continue to fight not for special rights but for equal rights. That has always been my mission statement, that we should all, every human being on this planet, be treated with human dignity and respect, regardless of our race, gender, sexual preference or religious beliefs. Nothing has changed for me since day one. I started the minute I landed in New York, and it has not ended. The videos were my way of inspiring people in an artistic way that is fun to watch and eye-catching. They are fun to watch in an elevator or in Times Square, if I should be so lucky to have that privilege. I consider those videos made by Sasha Kasiuha and the whole party that was organized by Ricardo Gomes to be a great success and I am just going to keep fighting, fighting for what I believe in and helping others to give them a voice and fight for what they believe in.” – Madonna (source New York Magazine/The Cut)

Symone

Dreamed up by Misshapes’ Geordon Nicol, The Standard’s Corey Tuttle, and Creative Director & Photographer Ricardo Gomes the celebration, dubbed Pride x Boom, took over the entire eighteenth floor of the hotel, from the iconic Boom Boom Room to Le Bain and its rooftop.  The night featured a special  line up of LGBTQ+ DJs with music by Grammy Award winning producer Kaytranada, DJ and global fashion muse Honey Dijon, iconic New York DJs the Misshapes, and one of the true vanguards of New York disco and house, Eli Escobar.

Lourdes Leon

The evening featured the debut of an original three-piece multimedia art installation inspired by 90’s underground culture and in a thought-provoking layout for people to be who they are, love themselves and stay fearless. The installation was projected around the windows of the Boom Boom Room. This collaboration with Madonna, Gomes (who also creative directed the video) and Sasha Kasiuha is inspired by the commitment to make sure every voice is heard and celebrated. The 3-minute installation also took over the jumbo screens in Time Square at 10pm and 12am and will be shown throughout The Standard, High Line for the rest of Pride Month.

Zachary Quinto

Following the premiere of the installation, a brand new remix of Madonna’s iconic “Vogue” – entitled “Vogue Ballroom Function” – began playing and featured voguing performances atop the circular bar and throughout the room by leaders from the city’s most influential ballroom houses. Madonna then took to the stage in Boom Boom Room with an incredible, intimate and energetic performance of “Hung Up” and “I Don’t Search I Find” – her 50th #1 Billboard Dance Hit. Madonna performed in a look created by Hood by Air, Vintage JPG denim corset from Procell Vintage and Vintage TRIPP NYC mesh tee from Procell Vintage; with hair by Andy Lecompte and makeup by Kali Kennedy.

Leah McSweeney

Following the performance, Madonna auctioned off three new original Polaroids that were shot by Madonna and Ricardo Gomes at her home in New York in June 2021 and are inspired by the art born in the city that never sleeps. Each were individually framed and personally signed by Madonna. Zachary Quinto took the stage to help with the auction, which raised over $100,000 for the The Ali Forney Center and Haus of Us

Ziwe

Pride x Boom also kicked-off a 4-day silent online auction with three additional new original Polaroids that were shot by Madonna and Ricardo Gomes at her home in New York in June 2021. Additional covetable items curated by Geordon Nicol from brand favorites like Supreme, Hood By Air, The Standard, Moschino, Jeremy Scott, Louis Vuitton, and more. The fundraiser concludes on Sunday, June 27th with all proceeds going to the Hetrick Martin Institute.  Link to that auction can be found HERE (https://app.galabid.com/hmiprideoasis/items/).

Andy Cohen & Anderson Cooper

This singular reopening of the famed Boom Boom Room heralded an epic return of New York City back to the dancefloor, and an unprecedented Pride party that brought a diverse group of guests together to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community with an electric lineup of talent both inspired by and eternally influential to the fabric of New York City.

Kandy Muse

The Charities:

About Ali Forney Center:

The Ali Forney Center protects homeless LGBTQIA+ youth (ages 16- 24) and empowers them with the tools necessary to be safe, live independently, and thrive. There are 18 sites across NYC operating 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

 

Violet Chachki & Gottmik

About Hetrick Martin Institute:

Hetrick-Martin creates this environment for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) youth between the ages of 13 and 24 and their families. Through a comprehensive package of direct services and referrals, Hetrick-Martin seeks to foster healthy youth development. Hetrick-Martin’s staff promotes excellence in the delivery of youth services and uses its expertise to create innovative programs that other organizations may use as models.

 

Aquaria

About Haus of Us:

Haus of Us’ mission is to create safe and expressive spaces and experiences for the LGBTQ community and allies within the KIKI Ball community, with a focus on young people between the ages of 12-24. The Door’s mission is to empower young people to reach their potential by providing comprehensive youth development services in a diverse and caring environment. Since 1972, The Door has helped a diverse and rapidly growing population of disconnected youth in New York City gain the tools they need to become successful, in school, work and in life. As the needs of New York City youth continue to shift and change, they work hard to shift their services in response. Haus of Us is an example of all that encompasses The Door, in creating their own culture, own experiences and community gatherings with the goal of one day having their own space to enhance their mission and visions.

 

Billy Eichner

Bowen Yang

All photos by Matteo Prandoni/BFA.com

DEATHBYROMY BY JOSEF JASSO

Dress by House of Mua Mua, Head-piece and crucifix by Mariana Harutunian

DeathByRomy

Photographer + Creative Direction Josef Jasso

Styling + Creative Direction Adrian Joseph

Style Assistant Carlos Posadas

Makeup director Nicky Andrea

Hair Stylist Ana Estela

Interview by Izabel Rose

Weird Brain Creation pvc plaid look, Boots by Dolls Kill

Singer, songwriter, and dark-pop provocateur DeathbyRomy pays attention to every last detail. She pours both pain and euphoria into her catchy but heavy music, pitting electronic melodies and propulsive beats against hypnotic vocals and deeply personal lyrics. Now 20 years old, the Los Angeles-born Romy Flores wrote her first song at age 5 and began releasing her music at 15, mining inspiration from the iconoclastic artists she was raised on (The Beatles, Björk, Kanye West, to name a few). With her 2018 debut album Monsters, she soon drew an avid following and found countless fans turning up to her shows adorned in her signature eye makeup. Her Capitol Records debut, 2019’s Love u — to Death EP, was short but sickly sweet, emphasizing her unique interweaving of rap boldness, electronic innovation, and raw rock ‘n’ roll passion. As Romy’s sound has taken shape, so has her DeathbyRomy persona: the Harajuku punk fashion, the corpse-like makeup, and her hard-earned, utterly badass confidence. Stay tuned for more new music coming soon.

How did you find out that you wanted to be an artist? 

I was raised in a home covered in art, by two people who were not only artists themselves but who honored and valued art in all mediums. My mom would sing all the time to me when I was little, and museums were a regular outings during my childhood. I started writing at five, but it wasn’t until I had experienced what I knew was real pain, did I know that I wanted to console and touch others who had felt the same. My best means to do so was through my art.

Where do you pull your musical inspirations from? 

My biggest inspirations are Bjork, Kanye West, Bring Me The Horizon, and Lady Gaga. But I pull my own inspirations to write from everything around me. From the void, to mania, to pain and love.

Describe the creative process behind your music? 

It constantly varies and is not limited to one set formula. I write everywhere. My favorite place to write is on the plane.

How would you describe your fashion aesthetic? 

hmmmm…bi-polar? Just kidding, Japanese Lolita meets goth hype beast and a sprinkle of Renaissance witch.

From the editorial shoot, which are your favorite designs?

I loved the Weird Brain Creations outfit best. I love her work.

Black Dress by Michael Costello, Glove by Mariana Harutunian, Earrings & Necklace by Coutorture

What is the best advice you’ve ever gotten?

To never take anything personally. To not let compliments and high regards to be the only reason I am happy with myself or the only thing that makes me feel good about myself. And in hand, to not let negative energy or comments about me be the reason that changes how I see myself.

What song(s) would you most likely sing in the shower?

Anything that allows me to belt because you sound better with the bathroom acoustics. Maybe “Cry” By ashnikko.

What’s to come from DeathbyRomy?

More music, and infinitely more life.

Queen of hearts dress by Helen Anthony, Jewelry by Couturtore

SCREEN TEST: TREVOR SIGNORINO

Photographer: Brendan Wixted @brendanwixted_
Model: Trevor Signorino @trevorsiggs
Stylist: Charlie Ward @charliewardstyles
Agency for model and stylist Good Talent Management @goodtalentmanagement
Hair: Taichi Saito @taichi424
Make-up Artist: Megan Kelly @megankellybeauty
Kimono – Vintage, Pants – Versace
Jacket – Alyx Studios, Pants – Givenchy
Jacket, pants and boots – TEDDY VONRANSON
Jacket – TEDDY VONRANSON
Tank – Sunspel
Jacket – Alyx Studios
Shirt – CMMN SWDN, Pants – Dries Van Noten, Suspenders – Brooks Brothers
Gloves – Saint Laurent

WILLOW SHIELDS STAR OF NEW NETFLIX SERIES SPINNING OUT

Dress and Coat by Versace

Photographers: Fionayeduardo @fionayeduardo
Art Direction: Louis Liu @herecomeslouis
Styling: Marc Sifuentes @marc.sifuentes
Hair: Austin Burns @austinkburns
Make-up: Agus Suga @Agus Suga
Production Assistant: Benjamin Price @benprice4real
Location: Colony Studios @colonystudios

Interview by Regina Moretto

Top by Marc Jacobs

Hunger Games alum Willow Shields deftly navigates her acting career with the confident beauty and grace of an ice skater. 

The beguiling illusion of easy jumps and spins requires many hours of handwork and tenacity; quite similar to the dedication, preparation and training expected of an actor, which makes watching this young star transcend new roles all the more intriguing.  Starting out with a box office smash at the early age of 12, surrounded by the likes of Jennifer Lawrence, Julianne Moore, and Philip Seymour Hoffman, the precedent was set for Shield’s strong work ethic which helps drive her blossoming career. 

We sat down with Shields amidst her busy schedule to talk about her latest project; Netflix series Spinning Out.  Spinning Out, created by Samantha Stratton, is a series based on a figure skating Olympic hopeful struggling to balance her dreams of competition and the state of her family’s battle with mental health all while her dream of winning takes a dizzying hold.  Never one to remain idle for too long, Shields shared with us a few additional projects her fans can look forward to seeing her in soon. 

Sweater by Proenza Schouler White Label, Hat by Dara Senders

When did you know you wanted to be an actor?

I started acting when I was about seven but working on my first big film and experiencing the creativity and tight knit community involved in the acting world was when I knew I would love this job.

What was your first big break into entertainment?

I did an episode of a show called In Plain Site when I was about eight and that was my first experience on set. But I guess my big break into entertainment was two years later when I did the first Hunger Games film.

Fans know you from your role as Primrose Everdeen in The Hunger Games, can you tell us the best part of working on these films?

I truly feel like I learned so much from working on these films. I grew up on set for five years learning from the most brilliant actors from Jennifer Lawrence, to Julianne Moore, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and so many more but aside from being able to watch and learn from them everyday I was also able to witness other brilliance from the technical side of filmmaking watching our director Francis Lawrence working. I feel like after those films I had more of an understanding about filmmaking and every detail that goes into making a great film.

Being cast in Hunger Games at age 12 and being surrounded by a cast of seasoned actors, what are the most important lesson you learned on set with this crew?

To work hard, show up on time but to also give yourself room to be creative and have fun at the same time.

Do you have any funny or memorable Hunger Games stories you could share?

We had so many cast members as a part of our whole series that there was always so many fun stories being told everyday on set. When you’re in a room with Jennifer Lawrence and Woody Harrelson, you know you’re gonna be laughing all day with those two.

Jacket by Zadig & Voltaire

 

Tell us about your new Netflix series Spinning Out and how did you land the central role as Serena Baker?

Spinning Out was a very exciting project for me after reading the script. The story elements are something I’d never seen in a show before and it deals with a lot of pivotal emotional and physical stories that I feel need to be seen.
I fell in love with the character of Serena because she feels like a real teenage girl who’s very complicated. She has a very unusual home life and deals with a lot of emotional ups and downs between her family life and her time in competitive figure skating. It felt like a bit of a dream come true to play a figure skater as well.

Your character is training for ice-skating  competitions, did you have any formal training in your past?

I did not. I came into this show with zero ice skating abilities but I trained for about two months everyday prior to filming the show. My goal was not only to be able to do as much of my own skating as possible but also experience what it was like to train that hard everyday. I came home black and blue all over my body from falling everyday but it helped me understand my character Serena and how figure skaters train.

The show brought on Sarah Kawahara, a former figure skater and Emmy winning choreographer who has worked on “Blades of Glory” and “I, Tonya”…what was it like to work with Sarah on this series?

Sarah is phenomenal. We were all so excited to work with someone so brilliant in this specific field. She helped us train in Toronto and choreographed all of our routines. The coolest thing about Sarah is she was right there with us on set when we filmed these scenes so any detail that was off she was able to help us fix in order to pull off all of the intense skating involved in our story.

Coat by Kenzo, Top by Zadig & Voltaire

 

Did you have any difficulties learning to ice skate or learning the choreography for the series and how did you work through these challenges?

It’s definitely one of the most challenging things I’ve ever done. I trained for hours everyday and was so determined to learn as much as I could. But one of the most challenging things I did was for the final episode of the show I did a portion of my routine in front of an actual crowd of about five hundred extras so it really felt like a performance for me. Which is both stressful and exciting.

In what way is the character you play in this project different from the roles you’ve played in the past?

Her athleticism is unlike any character I’ve played in the past so that’s very different for me. But just like any young woman she’s full of so much life, emotion, drive, and confusion in her teenage life so those were similarities that I’ve seen in characters I’ve played in the past.

The series seems to focus on mental health.  What steps did you take to ensure your role was true to her character when handling her mother and sisters disorders?

My first step was to allow room for Kaya and January (my sister and mom in the show) to dive into those emotions and have room to experience that. I tried everyday to approach playing Serena in a very honest way, I thought through a lot of what she would go through on a daily basis living with her mom and sister who are both bi polar and how hard that truly is for a young woman who is struggling herself with things. But at the end of the day they love each other more than anyone and that was most important to portray.

Top and Skirt by Marc Jacobs

How have your fans reacted to your role in Spinning Out?

They are so excited! It feels great to have fans that follow and appreciate any project I’m a part of.

Can you tell us anything about your upcoming projects When Time Got Louder and A Fall From Grace?

I am currently filming When Time Got Louder in Vancouver and it’s been an incredible experience. Our story is complex and raw following my character Abbie and her family including her brother Kayden who has non verbal autism. Abbie leaves home to go to school and falls in love with a girl named Karly while at college but struggles with being away from Kayden after being there for him his whole life.

Do you have any other projects coming down the pipeline that you can tell us about?

Nothing I can talk about yet haha

Do you have a daily mantra?

Just to be open minded and open to learning from your accomplishments and mistakes throughout everyday.

Coat by Kenzo, Top by Zadig & Voltaire, Turtleneck by Victoria Hayes

 

STUDIO 54 ON TOP OF THE WORLD!

STUDIO 54 ON TOP OF THE WORLD!

On Saturday, December 7th the New York glitterati from the worlds of Art, Fashion, and Nightlife mingled with the society set from Zurich in a Studio 54 themed gala atop One World Trade.

The event, to celebrate the Swiss beauty innovators Haleh and Goli Abivardi, culminated with a private concert by Boy George.  Transforming the entire floor of the event space ASPIRE, MAO PR outfitted the cavernous space with 15 foot high disco ball inspired islands, a 25 foot LED wall projecting pulsating lights which synced with the retro disco music played and even recreated Studio 54 famous Moon with the coke spoon (replacing the spoon with a toothbrush with a nod to the Abivardi sister’s dental care brand).

Guests, who took the 70s dress code to heart, included Lynn Ban, Michael Musto, Peter Davis, James Aguiar, Gabriella Forte, Grazia D’Annunzio, Edmundo Castillo, Stephen Knoll, Shannon Hoey, Christopher Makos, Mathew Yokobosky, Miss Jay Alexander, Susanne Bartsch, model Dara Allen, Dianne Brill, Romero Jennings, Victoria Hayes, Joey Arias, Freddie Leiba, Amanda Lepore and the original Studio 54’s very own Carmen D’Alessio.

All photos courtesy Andrew Werner

Dara Allen

Robert Christy as Divine

Amanda Lepore

Lynn Ban

Corey Grant Tippin

Miss Jay Alexander

Agent Wednesday

Jonte Moaning

Kyle Farmery

Cheng

Michael White

Nadja Giramata

Dianne Brill

Susanne Bartsch

Kenny Kenny

Connie Fleming

Yana Dobroliubova,Valou Weemering, Luisa Laemmel, Grace Valentine

Goli Abivardi, Boy George, Haleh Abivardi

All photos courtesy Andrew Werner

MAC PRESENTS: POWDER KISS CABARET WITH SUSANNE BARTSCH AND ALAN CUMMING

M·A·C POWDER KISS CABARET

A party that united the Fashion industry and New York’s Nightlife Scene in a night not soon to be forgotten!

On April 9th, the spring event season kicked into high gear with the celebration of M·A·C COSMETICS Powder Kiss Lipstick collection. Sony Hall, the former site of the decadent WWII era nightclub Diamond Horseshoe was transported to it’s hedonistic roots with the one night only M·A·C POWDER KISS CABARET MC’d by actor Alan Cumming and New York Nightlife Icon Susanne Bartsch with a dozen decadent performances including Amanda Lepore, Dirty Martini, Joey Arias and Julie Atlas Muz. Over 400 attendees consisting of artists, fashion editors, models, celebrity stylists, and top makeup artists mixed with the crème de la crème of New York nightlife, mirroring M·A·C’s ongoing commitment to celebrating diversity and inclusivity.

As part of the various Pro to Pro Events held internationally throughout the year, last night’s event celebrated M·A·C COSMETICS’ origins as a company that produced product specifically for the professional make up community.

ABOUT POWDER KISS:
Matte, totally reinvented. Delivering a romantic blur of soft-focus color, this weightless moisture-matte lipstick was developed to replicate a backstage technique: blending out edges of matte lipstick for a hazy effect. Its groundbreaking formula contains moisture-coated powder pigments that condition and hydrate lips. The result is the zero-shine look of a matte lipstick with the cushiony, lightweight feel of a balm.

Shop the new line of Powder Kiss lipsticks here!

Performance at MAC Powder Kiss Cabaret Hosted By Susanne Bartsch at Sony Hall on April 9, 2019 in New York. (Photo by Jared Siskin/PMC)

Amanda Lepore attends MAC Powder Kiss Cabaret Hosted By Susanne Bartsch at Sony Hall on April 9, 2019 in New York. (Photo by Jared Siskin/PMC)

Alan Cumming attends MAC Powder Kiss Cabaret Hosted By Susanne Bartsch at Sony Hall on April 9, 2019 in New York. (Photo by Jared Siskin/PMC)

Performance at MAC Powder Kiss Cabaret Hosted By Susanne Bartsch at Sony Hall on April 9, 2019 in New York. (Photo by Jared Siskin/PMC)

Susanne Bartsch and Performers attend MAC Powder Kiss Cabaret Hosted By Susanne Bartsch at Sony Hall on April 9, 2019 in New York. (Photo by Jared Siskin/PMC)

CELAYA BROTHERS GALLERY

Celaya Brothers Gallery (Mexico City), in collaboration with INEZ SUEN (Brooklyn)  is pleased to announce its first participation in TX Contemporary Art Fair

Celaya Brothers Gallery is presenting a selection of artworks by Agostino Iacurci (Italy), Camila Rodrigo (Peru), Josh Reames (USA), Juan Carlos Coppel (Mexico), and Mathew Zefeldt (USA) at Booth 517 at George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston, Texas October 4-7 with special exhibitions by Houston’s own, Rene Garza (USA).  TX Contemporary will begin with the Opening​ Night​ Preview (Thursday, October 4, 6-10pm) and will open to the public October 5-6 (11am-7pm) and October 7 (12-6pm).

The exhibition pieces discuss the relationship between man and nature by way of still lifes, burning landscapes and eroded mountains. The artists explore -in various disciplines such as photography, sculpture, and painting and in a wide range of styles – how capitalism has driven societies to perceive progress as a (de)construction and to understand humanity as the opposite of nature.

Agostino Iacurci – Through his work with synthetic forms and bright colors, by means of an essential language, Agostino Iacurci is able to manage multiple layers of interpretation. This approach sets his tales on the perennial threshold between innocence and artifice, serenity and catastrophe; on a magnetic tension that is the interpretative key to our very existence. His recurrent themes include self-perception, uncertainty, imagination, and play. His work has a cynical and critical vision of reality —pessimistic at times— setting the stage for drama, and at the same time sublimating it, alleviating it. Iacurci’s work challenges the limits of sinuosity by presenting an image that seems familiar and innocent but is, fundamentally, malicious. And in that uncertainty lays its richness, a half-open door that leads to other interpretations.

●  Agostino Iacurci’s work has been exhibited at the MACRO Museum in Rome, Italy; the Italian Cultural Institute of New York, USA; the Media Library of Orly in France and the Biennial of Urban Art in Moscow, Russia.
●  Has collaborated with Adidas, Urban Outfitters, Penguin Books, La Repubblica, TBWA, Mailchimp, Laterza, Minimum fax, Herman Miller, L’ Unità, Orecchio acerbo, Sugar Music, Edizioni Lapis, , Cielo Tv, Smemoranda, WALLS_Contemporary Public Art, Rat Creatives, Roma 3 University, B5 Production and more.

Camila Rodrigo works with photography, sculpture and installation to reflect on the effects of erosion and wear, focusing on the idea of progress as a (de)construction, a contrast between past and future. Her images examine the passage of time, the transformation of the natural space parallel to the reorganization of society.

●  Finalist in the 2010 Lacoste Elysée Prize
●  Exhibited at the National Museum of Lima, Peru; the Museum Rosphoto in St. Petersburg, 
Russia; the Musée de L’Elysée in Lausanne, Switzerland; and the Palais de l’Árchevéché in Arles, 
France
●  Part of several private collections such as Juan Mulder (Lima, Peru), Eduardo Hoeschield (Lima, 
Peru), Jorge Villacorta (Lima, Peru), Fola (Buenos Aires, Argentina)
●  Published in: 77 Artistas Peruanos Contemporáneos by Mario Testino, YOUTH by: Prestel 
(Random House), Re Generation: tomorrow photographers today (Aperture foundation), and E l Placer es más importante que la Victoria (Tasneem Gallery), among others.

Josh Reames’ paintings use contemporary tools available on the Internet to create surreal patchworks of contemporary signs and symbols that portray the flattening of artistic hierarchies in our postmodern world. Reames employs computer drawing applications and Google images to create assemblages of “modern hieroglyphs.” His work considers abstraction and painting in relation to the Internet and is informed by the strange, new space where a majority of viewership takes place: online through blogs and websites. His conceptual framework functions as a kind of filtration device for cultural byproducts and its attending relativism, flattening signs, text and symbols, cultural objects and icons to the same-level composition, thereby removing their hierarchy.

●  Represented by industry leading galleries.
●  Named one of the 30 Emerging Artists During Frieze Week by Artsy
●  Juror’s pick in the 2011 New American Paintings, Midwest Edition #95
●  Was artist-in-residence at Ox Bow (funded by Joan Mitchell Foundation)
●  Exhibited at the Museo Di Capodimonte in Naples, Italy; Urban Institute of Contemporary Art in 
Michigan; Luis de Jesus Gallery in Los Angeles, The Hole in New York, and Guerrero Gallery in 
San Francisco, among others.
●  Published in Artcritical, Artnews, Artsy, Hyperallergic, New American Paintings, Chicago Tribune, 
Chicago Art Review, among others.

Juan Carlos Coppel 
The burning of tires is a practice carried out by farmers to raise the temperature of the fields and avoid the crops to frost during the winter preserving months of work, one of the main economic activities of the state. This procedure poses an ethical and environmental problem related to the ecological devastation of the agricultural field, even in the context of a rationalized production. The images, taken in a field to the north of Sonora, play ironically with the nineteenth-century painting by pondering, on a romantic mood, a concern of our time.

●  Took specialized courses in photography with Jay Dickman (Pulitzer Award winner) at the National Geographic, in Paris with Manuel Abellán and at the International Center of Photography in New York.
●  Won the Acquisition Prize in Fotoseptiembre and the Acquisition Prize in the XV Bienal de Artes Visuales del Noroeste.
●  Exhibited in the National Center for the Arts CENART (MX), Sonora Museum of Art MUSAS (MX), the Santa Barbara Museum of Art (USA), among others.
●  He was invited to the 4th edition of Salón Acme (MX), the XVII Biennial of Photography in Centro de La Imagen (MX), the VII Biennial of Visual Arts MIRADAS in Tijuana (MX), Guatephoto (GT) and Foto España (SPA).
●  He was member of the 2016-2017 Young Creators Program of the National Fund for Culture and Arts FONCA and the Contemporary Photography Program in North Mexico.
●  He is part of the private collections of the Santa Barbara Museum of Art in California and the Sonora Museum of Art in Mexico.

Mathew Zefeldt – His work uses representational imagery as an element within a larger composition. It’s less about what the repeated image represents necessarily, but rather the interplay and relationships of the parts to the whole, and each other— reflecting the pluralist landscape we find ourselves in today. Zefeldt uses images from our life and culture, to reproduce them in an almost lifeless, systematic way. His interest in the aesthetics of digital collage is addressing the multiple visual languages and bringing them together in one plane, creating an overlay of styles and gestures that echo the fragmented, heterogeneous nature of contemporary reality.
●  One of two national recipients of the Dedalus MFA Fellowship in 2011
●  Exhibited at the Santa Monica Museum of Art, the Contemporary Art Museum of St. Louis, the 
Minneapolis Institute of Arte, the Minnesota Museum of American Art, the Marin Museum of 
Contemporary Art, Circuit 12, Joshua Liner Gallery, and Lisa Cooley among others.
●  Published in LA Times, Art Ltd., New American Paintings, and Art Fuse, among others.

Rene Garza is a New York based Artist that is in residency in Houston, TX where he was raised. Garza has spent over 15 years as a fashion and celebrity stylist traveling the world in a business ruled by visceral aesthetics. Using this time to create a body of work that reflects his long standing love of conceptual art. As an artist in many mediums, Garza notes his inspirations usually comes from travel, minimalism, geometry, dark gothic and romanticism. Garza currently has a public art installation in Houston, Texas called “A Moment” that covers an entire building’s facade and is meant to inspire calmness in our busy lives. “A Moment” follows up the exhibition of a drawing of graphite on paper at The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

ABOUT Celaya Brother Gallery – IG @celayabrothers

Celaya Brothers Gallery (CBG) is a unique space that challenges the creative limits of the participating artists. A contemporary art gallery with a proactive offer that invites international artists to develop unique concepts and defy the parameters of their time.

ABOUT INEZ SUEN  –  IG @inezsuenart

INEZ SUEN is a multi-service international creative company for a changing art market. INEZ SUEN offers a wide range of services such as strategic planning, advising and consulting, and art exhibition production.

ABOUT TX Contemporary

Texas Contemporary, Houston’s leading contemporary and modern art fair, brings top galleries to the area’s discerning collector base. Now going into its seventh edition, Texas Contemporary 2018 will feature 65 exhibitors and an innovative program of special projects and public installations.

RICHARD BERNSTEIN: STARMAKER

Kicking off New York Fashion Week, the Richard Bernstein: STARMAKER book launch party was celebrated at PUBLIC ARTS at Public in New York City earlier this month.

The venue walls were plastered with enlarged artwork of and cut outs of Interview Magazine covers spanning from 1972 to 1989. Legendary cover stars came to life on stage in a Studio 54 VIP Room setting while being catered to by a bevy of hunky bus boys. Performers who resembled Divine, Liza Minelli, Halston, Pat Ast, Jerry Hall and Grace Jones danced and partied the night away.

Celebrities in attendance were the creative director of the new Interview Magazine Mel Ottenberg, Pat Cleveland, Halstonette Karen Bjornson, famed Studio 54 publicist Carmen D’Alessio, Gaultier muse Stella Ellis, Angie Everhart, Amanda Lepore, Miss Jay Alexander, Dianne Brill, artist David Croland, Michael Musto, head of Warhol Enterprises Vincent Fremont and Jeffrey Deitch.

The private event was hosted by authors Mauricio and Roger Padilha whose book Richard Bernstein: STARMAKER Andy Warhol’s Cover Artist is now available in all major bookstores worldwide and is published by Rizzoli International Publications Inc. and presented by Alcone Company with FHI-Heat, Oralgen, Svedka and PUBLIC ARTS at Public.

Performers as Liza Minelli and Halston

Performers as Divine, Pat Ast, and Grace Jones

Stella Rose St. Claire

Mel Ottenberg, Stylist and Creative Director of Interview Magazine

John, Ellen, and Rory Trifon, family of Richard Bernstein

Jeffrey Deitch, art dealer and curator, and Mauricio Padilha, co-founder of  MAO Public Relations

Amanda Lepore.

Journalist Michael Musto

Angie Everheart, model and actress

Jonte Moaning, performer, dressed as Grace Jones

Dianne Brill, Queen of New York nightlife

Stylist Wouri Vice

(left) Chris Makos, famed photographer, (center) Shelly Fremont, film director and producer, (right) Vincent Fremont, film producer and head of Warhol Enterprises

Legendary models Karen Bjornson (left) and Pat Cleveland (right)