Obsessions "Out There" featuring Karen Robinovitz
Karen Robinovitz is an exceptional woman. EXCEPTIONAL with capital letters. I'm not even sure why it took me so long to meet her. She is a girls' girl; an amazing wife; a supporter of all women who run businesses; a fashionista with an exquisite taste; an art collector; an entrepreneur, an internet whiz and the Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer of Digital Brand Architects
I asked her about her art, design, travel and shopping obsessions and this is what she told me:
Contemporary Artists You Are Obsessed About:
Jose Parla (1) the layering and hidden language in his work is truly poetic
Dzine (2) his nod to Puerto Rican culture mixed with modern-day glamour give the work such depth and beauty
Luis Gispert (3) love the overt homage to our culture's logo and brand obsession with his car series kill me and his photography is crisp perfection
Marilyn Minter (4) raw, dirty glamour at its finest
Matthew Brandt (5) the way he turns landscapes into colorfully dynamic abstractions is stunning
Rachel Howard (6) the movement of the paint, the saturation of the colors, the glossiness and the darkness – she is a master
Mickalene Thomas (7) the cultural references, the 70s appeal, the crystals and her vision of women are unabashedly rich and powerful
Tracey Emin (8) simply put: I will follow her to the sun
Wangechi Mutu (9) the feminism and feminist statements along with the nuance of her collage work are mesmerizing; that along with the juxtaposition of cultural and political commentaries of her native Africa and references to fashion and materialism make the work other-worldly
Kevin Francis Gray (10) I love that he is working with classical sculpture and old master techniques while giving the work a decidedly contemporary twist in its subject matter (goth girls with skull faces covered by a veil of Swarovski crystals; ballerinas with mohaws). There is a darkness and lightness to everything at the same time.
Favorite Furniture/Object Designer
Campana Brothers (11) those sofas and stuffed animal chairs kill me. I covet their mix of luxury, art and playfulness together.
Place where you like to go to escape and why:
Any city where there is an Aman resort (12) the second you arrive, every ounce of whatever stress you carry escapes you. Heaven.
One fashion item that's currently obsessing you
Mary Katrantzou's biker jacket (13) her graphic prints are my obsession.