Harry Winston has introduced Belle, a new bridal collection. Its design was inspired and named after Arabella Belle Huntington (1850-1924) – a personality known in her time as the richest woman in America, and as the force behind an extensive collection of art, jewelry and antiques. In 1926, Mr. Winston purchased her entire array of pearls and diamonds, marking the beginning of his legacy.

Echoing the style of estate jewels, the collection’s geometric bezel is hand-set with diamond micropavé that frames a round brilliant centre stone. Each diamond is carefully selected and graded by experts to ensure it meets the same quality standards as the centre stone. Every setting is constructed by hand from platinum using a minimal amount of metal in order to maximize the brilliance and scintillation of each individual stone.

Materiality and design – precise atemporality.

Dashi Namdakov's new exhibition at the Halcyon Gallery, in New Bond Street, is definitely one to see. One of the biggest, if not the biggest, artists in Russia, his name is perhaps lesser known in the public realm. But with this current exhibition and a sculpture having gone up in conjunction with the exhibition in Marble Arch, the 5ft high Genghis Khan, I don’t think this will remain the case for long.

Brought up in the South Eastern part of Russian Siberia near Lake Baikal Namdakov came to art via a less than conventional route. At 15 he fell ill, and for seven years no one could discover the cause. Finally his parents found themselves at a shaman who via ritual cured his illness and prophesied his huge success in his ability to create the world around him in metal. Afterwards he worked under G.Vasilyev in Ulan-Ude, and in 1988 was admitted to the University of Fine Arts in Krasnoyarsk and the rest, as they say, is history.

Namdakov’s subject matter derives from Buryat folk law and other mythologies. The forms, he claims come to him via dreams. Stylistically there is a clear oriental character and charisma to his work, but there is also the hint of Russia in some of the faces and monumentality of the bigger pieces. This is blended alongside a more recognizable western aesthetic. Michelangelo and Bourdelle, who Namdokov has historically sited as references, are apparent in the sculptures sense of movement and animation. Some of the work such as ‘She’ also has an unmistakable surrealist look, through this is unsurprising considering their shared subject matter and reference points. Technically there is no mistaking you are in presence of formidable master of his craft. The smooth black, high finish of ‘Queen’, or ‘Abduction’ counterpoises the irregular surface and patternation of the likes of ‘King Bird’ and ‘General’. Namdakov executes these variant surfaces via bronze, gold, silver and mammoth tusk with equal accomplishment, inserting the smaller pieces with semi-precious and precious stones (he’s also does jewelry!) And this is to say nothing of the drawings which are remarkable. All the pieces have real character and animation. You can fathom their voices, chattering and grunting; their movement, welding swords, prowling, or simply deep breathing while they have a snooze on the back of some mythical creature with a long nose. These sculptures, Namdakov says, are totems and talisman, mantras that challenge our western conception of liner time, and historical chronology. They attempt to open up the realms of Buddhism and Taoism, striving for a state of totality, the designation of an eternal oneness of things, beings and events. This spirituality of materialism may be a bit for some people, I personally love it, and it is really what images and art have been all about for the majority of their existence. But whether you derive enjoyment from spiritual exploration or not, this is a display of great technical talent, and if you like terracotta armies, graphics, shiny things, or simply just a fan of war hammer and fantasy this is definitely, definitely worth seeing.

Review by Freya Wigzell

Dashi Namdakov: A Nomad's Universe

Halcyon Gallery, New Bond Street, London

May 16 - July 7 2012

Images courtesy of Halcyon Gallery

Architecture and visual representation have developed hand-in-hand. The conceptual and technical effects of perspective (dating from the fifteenth century) based on algebraic formulations, have been compared to the possibilities that computational tools have brought about. This exhibition explores this relationship: can these images be considered art based on architectural representation? Or are they architectural representations with expressive intent?

 

Until June 23 2012

Buchmann Galerie, Berlin

www.buchmanngalerie.com

www.zaha-hadid.com

 

Photographs by Roman Marz, courtesy of Buchmann Galerie

 

 

Cleveland, Ohio, July 16, 2010 . The Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland (MOCA) today released the design for its new facility, following its presentation and approval at a meeting of the City Planning Commission. The project is designed by the internationally renowned firm Foreign Office Architects (FOA), London. The Museum anticipates that it will break ground for the $26.3 million project in fall/winter 2010.

The nearly 34,000-square-foot, four-story structure is FOA's first major building in the United States and its first museum. It will provide MOCA with street presence for the first time in its forty-plus-year history, and will enable it to present a diversity of innovative exhibitions and programs, while appealing to both current and new audiences. At the same time, it will give the city of Cleveland and its cultural community a signature building for contemporary art and ideas.

Located at the intersection of Euclid Avenue and Mayfield Road, the new MOCA is a flagship project of Cleveland's emerging Uptown district, a major urban-revitalization project undertaken by Case Western Reserve University; developer MRN, Ltd.; and other institutions in the University Circle neighborhood. The Museum will serve as a catalyst for creativity and growth in the area-which is home to one of the country's largest concentrations of cultural, educational, and medical institutions-with greatly expanded educational and public programs, as well as imaginative collaborations with neighboring organizations and cultural partners.

In addition to Foreign Office Architects, the design team for the new Museum includes executive architects Westlake Reed Leskosky, headquartered in Cleveland and designers of more than fifty cultural buildings throughout the United States.