An Exhibition as an Elegy of Resistance

California-born artist Kehinde Wiley talks and walks through his show at the de YoungTitled “An Archaeology of Silence,” 2021, Kehinde Wiley’s 17.5-foot-tall bronze sculpture depicts. Photography courtesy of the de Young Museum.Kehinde Wiley could use some rest, he says, and not only because he is a self-described workaholic. Kehinde Wiley: An Archaeology of Silence—on view at San Francisco’s de Young Museum through October 15—is “heartbreaking work,” he shares as he leads a group through his latest exhibition. Indeed, the potential for the subject matter to overwhelm is such that the museum created a “respite room,” where visitors can reflect, grieve and collect themselves. The body of work, making its U.S. premiere after debuting at last year’s Venice Biennale, draws on Down, Wiley’s 2008 solo exhibition in New York. During the pandemic, he had time to think about “revamping” that show. The result is “an archaeology of silence,” he says. “An archaeology of those presences that are no longer with us.” Specifically, the Black lives lost around the world, including those lost to systemic violence.Previously, he notes, “much of my work was about taking portraits from the past—from kings, leaders, aristocrats, nobility—and taking their body language, taking their settings, and lending that power to people who happen to look like me.” In 2018, the Los Angeles native and San Francisco Art Institute alum painted the presidential portrait of Barack Obama; Obama is depicted surrounded by greenery and symbolic flowers.With An Archaeology of Silence, Wiley continues, he moved “in the direction of the fallen, the language of the broken.” Among the 25 pieces are vibrant billboard-size paintings and figurative bronze sculptures presenting bodies in repose—some wounded, others dead—with religious, mythological and historical references. He is quick to add that the show is not “entirely a downer, though….There’s a kind of growth within the decay. So that explains a lot of the landscapes that are sparkling with life, that explains a lot of the decorative filigree that is demanding in space and sort of crawling over the bodies.” In one painting, Reclining Nude in Wooded Setting (Edidiong Ikobah), a woman in a white top and denim shorts lies on a patch of grass amid baroque flourishes.The exhibition’s namesake is a 171⁄2-foot-tall sculpture of a lifeless man draped over a horse—his braids and Nikes intricately detailed. “Originally, when I was walking down Monument Row in Virginia, I noticed all of the Confederate officers mounted on horseback,” the artist recalls. “Number one, I was deeply offended. Number two, I was deeply affected. And number three, I was deeply inspired.” His response: Rumors of War, featuring an African American equestrian in a heroic pose, has resided in front of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts since 2019. Central to the de Young show is “the notion of the magical,” says Wiley. He elaborates, “This is a kind of magical realism that posits both the ugly truth, but also a beautiful and flawed possible future.”The post An Exhibition as an Elegy of Resistance appeared first on California Home+Design.

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Luminous Laurel Canyon Home By A Pioneering Black Architect, $2.85M

Robert Kennard AIA [1920-1995] was one of LA’s pioneering– and underappreciated– black professionals. A Los Angeles native and USC graduate, as a talented young architect he worked for both Richard Neutra and Paul Revere Williams, going on to build dozens of handsome Modern homes on his own before moving on to civic and commercial projects in 1960. This sterling example of late ‘50s Modernism on Wonderland Park Avenue is just down the street from Kennard’s best-known work, the Zeiger Residence, a handsome Post+Beam that has been designated a City of Los Angeles Cultural-Historic Monument.Skillfully rescripted and renovated, the 3-bed/2-bath home is now both timeless and up-to-date.Photo Credit: Engel StudiosPhoto Credit: Engel StudiosPhoto Credit: Engel StudiosThe heart of the home is the spectacular central kitchen with open views to the outdoors.Photo Credit: Engel StudiosPhoto Credit: Engel StudiosOne bedroom is currently used as an office; like the primary bedroom, it has direct access to the pool.Photo Credit: Engel StudiosPhoto Credit: Engel StudiosPhoto Credit: Engel StudiosMore: Go to the listing for additional images and details, including floor and site plans. An outstanding opportunity ot own a thoughtfully updated and private historic modern home in a coveted neighborhood, represented by architecture specialist Tori Horowitz of Canyonhaus at Compass.Photo Credit: Engel StudiosThe post Luminous Laurel Canyon Home By A Pioneering Black Architect, $2.85M appeared first on California Home+Design.

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Shop the Look: Luxe Lounge by R/terior Studio

Photo by Jess Issac Photography“Some rooms immediately feel inspiring,” says interior designer Rydhima Brar of R/terior Studio about “The Garden Room and Terrace” she was assigned to design inside this year’s Pasadena Showcase House. The light-filled room merged with the home’s sprawling back garden. Photo by Jess Issac PhotographyShe saw it as a sexy lounge that would be inviting all year round—a meditative spot from which to enjoy morning coffee, the ideal backdrop for afternoon tea and a glass of wine, and the perfect setting for a fun cocktail party. “My design process is equal part intuition, psychology and imagination,” she shares. Here, she lets loose color, pattern and unique shapes, converging them into a sophisticated and vibrant space that vibes laid-back luxe. “I had fun experimenting,” she laughs. Shop the look of The Garden Room and Terrace now:Photo by Jess Issac PhotographyThe Tranquility Serenity curved back sofas are by Miranda Kerr HomeThe Peony chandelier is by Studio M LightingImage by Sarah Nelson PhotoShiny, hardworking new knobs from Baldwin Hardware are the perfect choice for doorsImage by Sarah Nelson PhotoThe console table can be found at HD ButtercupIt’s balanced by a photograph found at Art Wolf; the smaller framed piece was also found there. Image by Sarah Nelson PhotoInterior design Rydhima Brar of R/terior Studio stands in front of the custom outdoor bar; the beverage coolers can be found at Zephyr as can the integrated cooler and kegerator. The Painho Club Lounge chairs are from Tidelli Photo by Jess Issac Photography The custom bar is by Bone StudioC.W. Stockwell’s classic Martinique pattern, an exuberant banana leaf design that’s become synonymous with L.A. and summer, covers the custom outdoor ottoman. The post Shop the Look: Luxe Lounge by R/terior Studio appeared first on California Home+Design.

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