Shanghai, water bottles and Gucci

My son has moved to Shanghai, China. He’s been sending the random note.

“I found my brand of water. NONGFU SPRING, the one liter bottle comes with a convenient handle. I love it. “ I googled the brand and found these beautifully illustrated water bottles, not the bottle Nik was referring to, but I so enjoyed the visual. Banged around online and discovered the illustrations are by Brett Ryder. An illustrator based in the UK. I went down the rabbit hole!

The illustrations on the bottles are based on fairy tales from Changbi Mountain’s four seasons.

From what I gathered online, looks like Brett also realized his illustrations as an installation in the visitor center of Nongfu headquarters. I love the fish like leaves on the tree…

And then, more Art!

“I was on a Gucci organized group tour of the new Maurizio Cattelan show. The exhibition was surprisingly fun, lead by the assistant curator. There were several moments, at the transition of rooms, where uncanny and interesting effects were created because the spaces were so totally worked on, creating physically unsettling illusions. As you moved from, for example a room lush with plants, into a detailed recreation of the toilets of the European Union offices. “ Really. Toilets. Hmm.

Here’s what Gucci has to say about the show: “Titled after Marina Abramović’s ‘The Artist is Present’ show in 2010, the new exhibition curated by Maurizio Cattelan explores the age of copying that we live in, highlighting the practice of appropriation in the many forms it takes in contemporary culture. Featuring a selection of more than thirty international artists, the show explores how originality can be reached through the act of repetition, and how originals themselves can be preserved through copies.”

All this, including my son’s move to China, leaves me wondering. Just what is going on over there?!