A 40 foot wedding cake in the English countryside

Portuguese artist Joana Vasconcelos is known for her ambitious, large-scale sculptures that often elevate everyday objects. His contribution to the 2005 Venice Biennale, “A Noiva” (The Bride), was a chandelier made from 14,000 tampons and “Valkyrie Miss Dior,” the towering, fabric-draped tentacle installation that formed the backdrop for the fall show. from 23 Maria Grazia Chiuri for Dior, took over the show space at the Jardin des Tuileries in Paris. Vasconcelos’ latest project is his most ambitious yet: “Wedding Cake,” a nearly 40-foot-tall, three-tiered wedding cake pavilion in pastel shades of pink, green, and blue, was installed this spring in the grounds of Waddesdon Manor in Buckinghamshire. England. The whimsical creation is clad in 25,000 ceramic tiles (made in Vasconcelos’s native Lisbon) and adorned with ceramic cherubs, dolphins and a water fountain. Commissioned by art collector and philanthropist Lord Jacob Rothschild, the “impossible project,” as the artist describes it, has taken five years to complete and is the culmination of Vasconcelos’s fascination with the dynamics of weddings: “Weddings they are the most important moment in the life of some women,” she says. “It is the transition from one identity to another. All transition moments are marked with symbols. This is my way of working with these symbols and asking myself if they still make sense ”. “Wedding Cake” premieres on June 18 waddesdon.org.uk.

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A resort reinvented in the Philippines

When a typhoon swept through most of the Philippine island of Siargao in late 2021, Bobby Dekeyser, owner of his Nay Palad Hideaway resort and founder of the Dedon furniture company, helped relocate residents and financed the rebuilding of his homes. Then he and French architect Daniel Pouzet headed to the storm-battered hotel on the southeastern tip of the island. “We decided to completely rethink the design of Nay Palad,” says Dekeyser. The previous property had 10 villas made mostly of wood and bamboo; the new villas are reinforced with steel and have several floors and large terraces. Pouzet designed unexpected spaces in the public areas. A hidden rooftop lounge bed is accessible by a ladder, a U-shaped communal sofa looks out over the sea, and outdoor “nests” hang from palm trees. Most of the furniture was built on site by the Filipino craftsmen Dekeyser had hired for Dedon. However, they kept the all-inclusive concept of the old resort, meaning that everything from massages to cocktails to activities (including boat tours and guided surf trips to Cloud 9, the island’s famous break), is included in the rate. daily rate. . From $890 per person per night, naypaladhideaway.com.

Finding the perfect beach bag can be a lifelong search. Ideally, it should be casual but tasteful, waterproof but not plastic, not too stiff or baggy, and can go from chaise longue to lunch table (and even back to town) without a hitch. Unable to find something perfect for her, Melissa Morris decided to design a set of beach-ready tote bags for her London-based accessories label, Métier. The new Cala collection offers handbags in a checkerboard straw weave that Morris developed with artisans outside of Florence. “We wanted to elevate the classic raffia bag, which can be heavy and stiff,” says Morris. “Our straw is incredibly light, smooth and thin, but not fully collapsible, so it holds its shape but also has that perfect curvature.” Available in three styles: a small crossbody and a medium and large rectangle shape, the exterior of each bag is trimmed in light or dark brown leather with handles braided into a fishtail braid. Featuring Métier’s signature arsenal of perfectly shaped pockets for phones, SPF and other valuables, the interior is made from a water-resistant cotton twill and has a detachable pouch with a crossbody strap that’s “perfect for on the go.” running to the beach bar to buy rosé wine”. or sit down to eat,” says Morris. Starting at $1,250, available for pre-order at profession.com.

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RF Alvarez’s paintings of queer intimacy in the American West

In “Eros,” a solo show at SoHo’s Alanna Miller Gallery, the artist RF Alvarez locates and expands the theme of queer tenderness in two expansive, hyper-masculine myths: the Greek Odyssey and the American West. The son of Texas ranchers for seven generations, Alvarez left his hometown of San Antonio for college on the East Coast in 2007, never thinking he would return to a state he viewed as hostile to LGBTQ communities. . When her husband entered medical school in Austin and they moved back to Texas, Álvarez, a graphic designer at the time, found solace in painting. The 10 works in this exhibition present a reinterpretation of Homer’s famous homecoming. “Dinner with the Phaeacians” (2023) shows friends gathered comfortably around a table, wearing cowboy hats illuminated by candlelight. Other, more intimate works show a couple in bed, their nightstand festooned with poppers and bottles of PrEP. “There is no place for me in the West,” says Álvarez, “but multitudes can exist.” Fans of Álvarez’s work can also find two of her paintings printed on T-shirts, released by the queer-owned swimwear brand. sean and val earlier this year, with proceeds benefiting the Hetrick-Martin Institute, which supports homeless gay youth in New York City. “Eros” will be available until June 24, alannamiller.com.

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A bright boutique hotel in an art-filled neighborhood of Athens

While travelers have traditionally skipped an extended stay in Athens in favor of the famous islands of Greece, the city has been quietly transforming in a contemporary art center. Nowhere is this more evident than in the central Psyrri neighborhood, home to open-air art galleries and many of Athens’ most sought-after bars and restaurants (Linou Soumpasis & Co., for example, landed in the Michelin Guide last year). This creative spirit inspired the design of the Apollo Palm hotel, a new 48-room boutique property just steps from Platia Koumoundourou. The hotel’s interior designer, Mariette Sans-Rival of Studio Sans-Rival, has a background in set design; Apollo Palm is the first architecture and interior design project of her firm. Inside the property’s two buildings, one built in the 1930s and the other in the 1990s, Sans-Rival opted for a palette of whites and creams with hints of bronze in the rooms. She also reflected these elements in a bespoke furniture line she created for the hotel. Common spaces include a landscaped courtyard with a wine bar and a rooftop cocktail bar overlooking the Acropolis. A music venue and soundbar called Studio Olala is scheduled to open in September. Rooms from $170 a night, apollopalmhotel.com.

After World War II, radical artistic experimentation, the rise of consumerism, and social movements against nuclear weapons were some of the forces that reshaped Japan’s national identity. They’re all on display in the 73 astonishing works currently on display at New York’s Poster House, a museum dedicated to poster art. There are a number of Tadanori Yokoo posters from the 1960s and 1970s in the artist’s signature psychedelic collage style, including promos for the Beatles, books by novelist Yukio Mishima, and Suntory whiskey, capturing the designer’s efforts to blur the boundaries between commercial and commercial. and fine arts. Curators Erin Schoneveld and Nozomi Naoi, both academics researching Japanese visual culture, selected most of the posters on loan from the Merrill C. Berman Private Collection, a treasure trove of art and graphic design. Among the most striking works are two from the Hiroshima Appeals project, a poster series started by Japanese graphic designers in the 1980s to promote peace: Yūsaku Kamekura’s 1983 flaming butterflies poster, an iconic image of anti-nuclear sentiment and the 1990 poster for Eiko Ishioka and Charles White III. Mickey Mouse covering his eyes. The last room of the exhibition draws the viewer’s attention to the climate crisis with works by Nagai Kazumasa, part of his environmental series “Life” from 1993 that is made up of eccentric animal illustrations: in one, a lion’s head with a tongue joyfully spread out she sits atop a blocky humanoid body, later imprinted on Issey Miyake’s clothing. “Made in Japan: 20th Century Poster Art” is on view until September 10, posterhouse.org.

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