CRASH x Tumi

by Rachel Schwerin
Last week the luggage brand Tumi launched its Tag Limited Edition Collection with a line of suitcases designed by John Matos, aka CRASH. They'll definitely be easy to find at baggage claim, but does bringing a CRASH suitcase onto an airplane make anyone else a little nervous?

Check out the full Tag Limited Edition Collection by CRASH on Tumi's website.

Harmony Korine x Die Antwoord= Umshimi Wam

Harmony Korine has just released a 16 minute film starring our favorite South African imports: Ninja and Yo Landi from the incomparable Die Antwoord. Fresh, bizarre, and totally entertaining, this collaboration of the South African rappers and the American underground art cinema director follows the pair as they roll around in wheelchairs, squatting in the bush, shooting guns, smoking huge joints, and planning their big score in a unique and engaging interpretation of the thug lifestyle. If you loved 'Gummo' and you still miss ODB, then 'Umshimi Wam' is indeed the video you have been missing.

JR: the Inside Out Project

by Rachel Schwerin
Recently, JR announced his plan for a large-scale participatory, global art project that could turn the entire world into a socially conscious graffiti collective. He has invited anyone and everyone, worldwide, to upload a photo portrait for free to his project site. His team will turn these digitally uploaded images into posters and send them back to the participants, to exhibit in their own communities. JR encourages participants to place posters anywhere, from a solitary image in an office window to a wall of portraits on an abandoned building or a full stadium. “It is about making invisible people visible,” JR said.

His street art since 2004 has staged dramatic interventions of social justice across the globe. The TED foundation, which awarded JR $100,000 to execute the Inside Out project, described JR as a “true humanitarian,” whose art inspires people to look at the world differently.

JR says, “It is about taking the virtual world back to the streets.” To prospective participants he advises: “If you are going to paste it in the streets, then choose a good wall…If you choose the wrong one, get ready to run.”

To submit a portrait and get a poster, go to www.insideoutproject.net.

Maxwell Colette Gallery and Pawn Works have joined forces to bring internationally lauded contemporary artists to Chicago, who are known for their involvement in the Street Art movement. The first of these joint ventures, GAIA: Resplendent Semblance, launches this month with a series of projects showcasing the artist Gaia. The events will include a show of new, large scale paintings and decollage on wood art works at Maxwell Colette Gallery, a site specific installation and show featuring additional pieces at the Pawn Works space and a massive window installation at State Street and Adams presented in conjunction with The Chicago Loop Alliance's Pop Up Art Loop initiative.

Maxwell Colette Gallery and Pawn Works will co-host an opening reception for GAIA:Resplendent Semblance on Friday, March 25th from 6 - 9 pm in Maxwell Colette's space at 833 W. Chicago Ave, suite 200.  

Keep an eye on our Flickr and our Facebook page for further details and photos of the projects, the new work, and the installations.