TheArtGorgeous HOUSE News - No. 2 - May 2020

New Moon - May 2020

...so these numbers above are kinda arbitrary but it is month 2 for TheArtGorgeous HOUSE. That much is certain! We tremendously enjoyed getting to know some of you in the past weeks over Yoga and global check-ins, during Tarot and through emails and DM's. It is maybe - but who is counting anymore - week 15 in quarantine, depending on where you are in the world and while we are typing and occasionally mistyping the word quarantine I am wondering how often spell-check had to remedy the word say in November last year vs. now....Yet still, somehow we are slowly settling into the new reality, delightfully we get some good news from members around the world, it's looking up, there is an after and a beyond and we just gotta soldier on a little longer. This month we will, as always, look into the cards with Sarah Potter, to figure out what is in store on that front.. We will learn a soothing new skill from 4th generation embroidery master 

Lizzy Vartanian Collier

( and here we are as so often annoyed by the fact that the word mistress is somewhat sexualized or weird, whereas master just means super skillful -  more on that in what's bringing us joy (*and rage*) this month). We will also polish our financial skills by adding bitcoin knowledge to our repertoire, the amazing Olive Allen will share with us a bit about her practice between art and technology and shed some light on how to sell virtual art, and lastly, we will highlight some of our HOUSE artists on Showfields in a curated sale next week. So onwards and upwards, sending much love into all corners of the world and we're excited for the coming 4 weeks with you!Cordelia, Maja & The HOUSE Girls       

Friends, that's what the stars say this month- New Moon, May 22nd

The New Moon in Gemini offers us a moment to think more clearly and focus on communication. Are we truly saying what we mean? Are we really listening and hearing others around us or simply waiting for our turn to speak? Communicate clearly and honestly, even when it presents challenges. The energy around this New Moon brings in a much needed air of clarity. The fog is lifting, and now we can see.  Allow your mind to be flexible as you welcome in new information, unique thought patterns, and fresh ideas. Circumstances are different now, and with clarity, new priorities and ideals are illuminated. Remember...it is ok to change your mind.By Sarah Potter 

Lizzy Vartanian Collier 

Writer and curator Lizzy Vartanian Collier is a fourth-generationembroiderer, a craft passed down from women to women in the Middle East.She has given workshops at Darat Al Funun and Manara Culture in Amman,Jordan, as well as at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London. Her work has been exhibited at Green & Stone Gallery and Catford Mews in London, as well at The Lab, Darat Al Funun in Amman, Jordan.Embroidery insta:@lizzyvartanian 

Olive Allen

Olive Allen (OA) is a New York-based artist working at the intersection of art and technology. Her art, sardonic in nature, explores current cultural shifts through deeply personal experience. Olive’s abstract paintings were exhibited at several group shows in New York and Los Angeles. She did an art residency in Iceland where she spent a month in Westfjords collaborating with artists from all over the world. Her artwork from the Protest series was a part of a critically acclaimed show “One Year of Resistance” at The Untitled Space, an art gallery based in New York. Working in Silicon Valley tech space was a profound experience and allowed Olive to create unique new media art. Right now the artist is focusing on creating digital character-based artwork fractions of which could be owned by several people. Olive believes that an artist has to be driven by the urgency of modern life, reflect and comment on the current state of affairs in the world while engaging the audience.https://oliveallen.com/@olive_allen

What's bringing us joy this month...what do we think about...

1. Words - female and male  - Writing the intro to this newsletter, we wanted to convey Lizzies skills when it comes to embroidery and the word master sprang to mind. Well, the female version mistress no longer means strength, power, authority and yes mastery of a skill, but all of a sudden becomes demeaning, even belittling if not even sexual. How rather annoying, therefore we went down the rabbit hole of words and their gendered meaning. And I remembered this fab article by Amanda Montell who wrote: Wordslut: A Feminist Guide to Taking Back the English Language with the great quote: "If you want to insult a woman, call her a prostitute. If you want to insult a man, call him a woman." So yes sometimes things that anger us also bring us joy, because it forces us to think, to be angry with the status quo and think about ways to change it. 

2. Music - sometimes we dive into obscure corners of the internet to find something fab. This week we learned about this project: https://norient-beta.com/ on the radio and went and discovered amazing music from around the world. Currently sitting under a beach umbrella for screen shade in my garden listening to Soap Kills an indie-duo from Beirut while typing this. While we cannot visit new places to get the inspiration on-site traveling with music is a nice alternative for us. Play Herzan and travel in your mind :) It's on spotify, you tube...

3. The Forest - The forest has always been a source of great relaxation for us. Especially in these trying times we want to remind you of that easy way to get anxiety levels down, reduce stress and get that calm sense of mind some of us are missing these days. Here are a bunch of scientific explanations why it works, if you are nerdy and into the why and how, but generally speaking now that we are allowed to leave our cities again, grab a large water bottle, a blanket, good shoes and a snack and find out which line of public transport, bike path, road or whatever means of transportation you choose will deposit you near or ideally in a forest. Shinrin-yoku as it is called in Japanese ( transl. "taking in the forest atmosphere") or Waldbaden in German (transl. "forest bathing") will for the price of a train ticket probably do you as good as an expensive massage or a day at the -still closed- day spa. Spread that blanket under some trees, look up into the sky and breath!  

What's on...

GROUP TAROT WITH SARAHSunday - 24 May

4pm (CEST, Lubumbashi and Berlin)10am (NYC) ; 3pm (London); 10pm (Hong Kong) 

SHOWFIELDS SALE 

Wednesday - 27 May

6pm (CEST in Lubumbashi and Berlin)12PM (NYC); 5pm (London); midnight (Hong Kong) 

ART X TECH WITH OLIVEThurday - 28 May5pm (CEST in Lubumbashi and Berlin)11am (NYC); 4pm (London); 11pm (Hong Kong) 

EMBROIDERY WITH LIZZYThurday - 4 June5pm (CEST in Lubumbashi and Berlin)11am (NYC); 4pm (London); 11pm (Hong Kong) 

#GoodNews from the art-world this week via TheArtGorgeous: 💆 Can`t sleep at night? Maybe a bedtime story read by Cattelan or Murakami can help you to snooze like a baby. 💃Contemporary dance and choreography is something that we all should really be paying more attention to. Let us introduce you to our favourite dancer.👩‍💻 How Claude Monet can influence your home office set-up. 

Member Spotlight

Name: Wing-Yun ChanProfession: Head of Special Events and Partnerships Asia, Sotheby’sLocation: Hong Kong 

What do you bring to the HOUSE: Sharing insights on unique client event experiences; all the stories behind the scenes of a successful event; where to wine & dine and find a good coffee in Hong Kong! Favorite women dead or alive you would want to have lunch (boozy lunch maybe) with and why: My BFFs (best friends forever) of course, but I also would want to lunch with women who enjoy their food and booze and worried about working the calories off later. Best advice to give your 20year old self: Have faith and believe in yourself. Embrace the experiences and the path that’s ahead of you. Alternative career if you had to pick one: Ummm….probably something independent and be my own boss or a baking career, a hobby that I found interesting during this pandemic! What are you currently most excited about:Can't wait till the world is back to normal and people could start traveling again. I cannot wait until I could go on my next adventure.

Partner Spotlight 

Return of the mummy... 

...when you look down on your hands, what do you see? And when you say they look exactly like they always do, you either completely missed the boat on that rigorous handwashing regime we all been subjected to or have amazing skin and we want it.Most of us will see the return of the mummy or at least a cracked, dry, sad version of the hands we used to have.Our friends over at Magicstripes have a marvelous solution and generously offer you not only 15% on those magic gloves that return your hands back to their young, better, happier selves, but their whole product range. And because we care about those things, the company is female-led, the product paraben-free and PETA certified cruelty free.And as they put it: "We believe in magic – it’s time you do, too." Go get some skin magic ;).Enter HelloGorgeous at check-out for the discount. 

Community Fix 

Writers wanted!!Anna is looking for an art writer engl/german [email protected]for her ventures at artpowherVideo/Trailer for Paris Gallery Weekend wanted!Marie Delas (PGW) needs someone with video skills. Catch her at[email protected]