Slow Art is a contemporary art movement that celebrates craft, technique, materials and the process of creating.

Since its beginnings, the Slow Movement has been spreading at an appropriately slow and steady pace across disciplines and geographical boundaries. You’ve probably heard of Slow Food, Slow Money and Slow Fashion, but how does this movement’s principles apply to art? A recent exhibit at Stockholm’s National Museum of Fine Arts was entirely dedicated to the concept of of Slow Art, celebrating this contemporary movement where technique, materials and process are considered especially important.

“Broken Shadow” – raw silk & leather dress by Helena Hörstedt, 2008

Silk & linen embroidery by Suzy Strindberg, 1999

Over 30 pieces from the museums permanent collections were included in a curated showcase of unique, handcrafted silver, textile, glass and ceramic artifacts by artists from the past three decades. The slow process is characterized by a certain respect for the audience — something often lacking in our society dominated by mass production and consumption. “Few people remain unmoved by an artwork that demonstrates superb craftsmanship. The care that goes into producing the work and the persistence of the artist are a source of fascination to many.”

“Ur Anor” – steel necklace by Lotta Åström, 2010

“Red” – paper & glue bowl by Cecilia Levy, 2011

“The considerable time required to make these works has not always been a cause of frustration for artists or craftspersons,” curator Cilla Robach writes in the exhibition catalog. “On the contrary, they have valued time and regarded slowness as a central element in their artistic process. Many practitioners have put special emphasis on shaping certain details, without having to fear the mental boredom or physical pain of repetition. Instead, the viewer suspects that they have found tranquility in the monotonous and slow work stages that were required to create a specific piece. Several of the practitioners have developed their own techniques to achieve the particular expression they were after. Others have chosen to use the same methods and tools as artisans and craftspersons have been using for centuries.”

Paper & steel wire necklace by Janna Syvänoja, 2003

“Shadows” – machine embroidery by Malin Lager, 2004

Spending considerable amounts of time making something using time-consuming techniques and processes can often be seen as somewhat provocative. We’ve become so accustomed to always taking the path of least resistance that we may have forgotten that it is not always merely about the end-result.

Eggshell, 24k gold & sweet water pearl necklace by Helena Sandström, 1997

Cotton & linen embroidery by Pasi Välimaa, 2001

“The fact that a few people have nevertheless chosen to develop their artistic creativity by devoting themselves to one or more crafts could be hard for the world at large to understand, or even a bit frightening or provocative,” says Robach. “For what is it these slow artists accomplish with their relentless, slow and complicated work, full of repetitive movements that frequently cause physical pain? What drives Helen Dahlman to make her monumental embroideries in thin cotton thread, despite having to wear double plasters to prevent the blood from her pricked fingertips from staining the fabric? What does Renata Francescon get out of thumbing porcelain clay into rose petals hour after hour, day after day? Why does Tore Svensson continue, year after year, to forge bowls out of cold iron, when his body can’t take the immense strain for more than a couple of hours a day? What does Lotta Åström achieve by winding wire into a tight spiral that she then saws into tiny rings, which she links together to make jewellery resembling chainmail? Why does Sebastian Schildt spend several weeks on shaping a flat silver plate into a jug with a hammer, instead of using a machine to create the same object in a fraction of the time? There are no simple answers to these questions — apart from the certainty that the artists get a satisfaction from something other than profitability through rational manufacturing.”

“Boa” – silver necklace by Petra Schou, 2000

“Sub Rosa” – porcelain sculpture by Renata Francescon, 2004

Common to all the artworks featured is a sense of playfulness and spontaneity. These artists have developed a deep, genuine knowledge of the materials and processes they utilize to create their art, and this enables them to experiment and organically adapt their works as they progress. This way of surrendering control and not being solely focused on a specific outcome is not possible in mass-manufacturing, and it’s what gives these pieces soul and character. The slowness in production itself becomes an artistic value.

“Egypten” – titanium, 18k gold 18k & silk collar by Helena Edman, 1983

Although the National Museum’s Slow Art exhibit closed at the beginning of February, you can experience it from right where you are by downloading both the exhibition app and catalog. On the app (available free for iPhone and Android) you can view pictures of all the art, read the texts and listen to exhibition curator Cilla Robach talk about each object. The exhibition catalog is available to download, also for free, and gives you an incredible overview of the Slow Art topic, as well as beautiful photographs of and statements about each artwork. Give yourself some time, because you definitely don’t want to have to rush through this one.

All photos courtesy of National Museum, Stockholm

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 Carry the weight.

“An artist may have burdens the ordinary citizen doesn’t know, but the ordinary citizen has burdens that many artists never even touch.”

-Patti Smith

Image:SLPTWRK

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seriesLuxurious silk and sharp acacia thorns as a human fingerprint.

Another EcoSalon favorite at Art Basel Miami Beach in December was Italian artist Giuseppe Penone. From afar (image above), his untitled piece on display at the show looks like a blown up image of a human fingerprint. Upon closer inspection (image below), we find thorns like weapons ready to wound, jutting out from the large canvas covered in beautiful silk fabric.

The juxtaposition of the dangerous acacia thorns with the luxurious, silky material is beautifully executed, tempting us like children eager to come closer and touch.

Editor’s note: This is the latest installment of Kim Derby’s new art series at EcoSalon, The Heart of Art. We heart art, and there’s nothing nicer than a midday dose to offer a moment of contemplation.

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seriesThe sea as “boundless liquid energy” caught frame by frame.

The ocean will support, calm and cleanse; it can also crush, destroy and drown. Keegan Gibbs attempts to capture this complexity in his grainy, moving photographs of the sea. A surfer and photographer, Gibbs has a deep reverence for the ocean and its “boundless liquid energy.”

His images convey a range of emotions from pensive to energetic, but his intimate relationship with the sea stems from the balance it brings to his life:

“I go to the sea to surf, to bond with friends or to be alone, to let out aggression or to find inner peace. The moving ocean is my solid ground. The moment one stands up on a board, propelled by a wave racing across the sea, one is only aware of the present – nothing else. I have never found any other way to achieve that absolutely pure and meditative mindstate.”

Gibbs’ collection of images for Open Space, and some of his other pieces reflecting oceanic visions, can be seen on his blog here.

Editor’s note: This is the latest installment of Kim Derby’s new art series at EcoSalon, The Heart of Art. We heart art, and there’s nothing nicer than a midday dose to offer a moment of contemplation.

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SeriesIt’s what happens when lush plants become wall decor.

EcoSalon was at the most recent Art Basel Miami Beach, and caught a glimpse of Doug Aitken’s Sex. A terrarium bursting with exotic flora representing a veritable Garden of Eden, this piece leaves plenty to the imagination. Just don’t tell that to Adam and Eve.

Editor’s note: This is the first installment of Kim Derby’s new art series at EcoSalon, The Heart of Art, offering a glimpse of artistic inspiration from artists around the globe. We heart art, and there’s nothing nicer than a midday dose to offer a moment of contemplation.

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I worked for a year in an art gallery while I was in design school. The hours were great – 10am to 5pm Tuesday through Saturday – and I got to hang around cool people and look at art all day.

We sold pieces by lesser-known but up-and-coming artists, as well as stuff from greats like Ruscha, Rauschenberg and Rothko. Learning the ins and outs of the LA art scene was fun, especially since I’m a sucker for a starving artist and LA has more than its share.

Art collecting is a hobby for some, a necessity for others. It requires a serious cash flow, but starting small (and when you’re young) and building slowly is the way to go. My only regret is not starting sooner.

But the art scene can be intimidating – an incestuous pool of who knows who and why and how much. So if you don’t know the right people or the relevant questions, shopping for art might prove to be an overwhelming pursuit.

But don’t hang up your collecting shoes so fast. There’s a new kid in town and its name is Art.sy. That’s right – without the .com or .net. Just Art.sy.

It is being pegged as Pandora for fine art, which makes sense since Joe Kennedy, the CEO of Pandora and the Music Genome Project, is involved. Kennedy, along with a computer science engineer from Princeton and a former Christie’s executive, are three of the geniuses behind Art.sy.

They created the Art Genome Project, “an ongoing study of the characteristics that distinguish and connect original works of art” which will work in tandem with search technology that collects your preferences. The goal is helping you discover art that speaks to your taste.

The Art.sy database will include art currently for sale in the hottest galleries, as well as art on display in museums and private collections. It works in three ways – “discover, learn, connect”. You can discover new art, learn more about it and the artist, and finally be connected or introduced to galleries where you can purchase the art, if that’s your goal.

The entire process is streamlined, simplified and confined to the privacy of your own computer. That is, until (and if) you want to buy something, when it’s crucial to see a piece of art in person.

It’s the ideal way to introduce fine art to the masses. Kind of like an art encyclopedia (if you remember that far back). I wish it existed when I was taking Art History in graduate school.

Art.sy is currently accepting requests for an invitation (You don’t need an invitation code, just name and email). I eagerly await its launch, expected this March.

Image: See-ming Lee

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I’m a down to business, cut through the clutter, don’t beat around the bush type of gal. So when it comes to the home and “collecting” I agree with Mies (van der Rohe, that is) that ‘Less is More’.

That is unless we’re talking art.

Collecting art is not an elitist activity, nor is it frivolous and petty. The need to beautify our sacred spaces is innate, going back to cave drawings and chinoiserie.

The well-known Pollacks and Warhols, Rembrandts and Renoirs are lovely to look at, but surrounding ourselves with expensive art isn’t the only option.

Many contemporary artists work with found objects and recycled and local materials. They’re conscious of inks and waste and number of reproductions. And some of them are actually good.

Although art is a very personal thing and your tastes will differ from mine, I’ve selected a few of my favorites for your perusal. Go ahead – discover, explore, find inspiration and start your own collection.

Italian artist Fabio Zanino (image above) takes old road signs, breaks them apart and reconstructs them into visually interesting, graphically pleasing. His work is rough around the edges with a twist of hip and cool. (via Junkculture).

Another favorite, but expressing a completely different attitude is Alyson Fox (image above). She “makes things from paper, fabric, books, ceramics, thread, wallpaper, office supplies, photographs, old tattered things, new polished things, furniture, and cement.” (via Little Paper Planes). Lovely, petite, precious, precise and especially emotionally charged.

Marlo Pascual (top image and images above) is another talent who works with existing items. But she takes the typical and adds the odd or random – a rock, pushpin, plant or candle. She rolls on the side of strange and probably isn’t for everyone, but you must admit she’s clever, witty and resourceful. Her work just does something to me. (via The Jealous Curator).

Last, but hardly least, is South Korean designer Soojin Kang (image above). Gotta love a girl who wears her conscience on her creative sleeve. Here she expresses the inspiration behind her Patched Chair:

I believe that the lack of consciousness with which people easily throw their objects away will increase in the future even more. It is important now therefore that we need to consider our basic needs and what we already possess, and to use these materials wisely and beautifully. (via Dezeen).

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Can paintings live outside? Would it be possible to have a garden live within a painting? In an exhibition called Inside Outside, Fabric 8 challenged local artists Daniel James Burt and Romanowski to re-think painting from an outdoor perspective. The artists jumped right in (jumped right out?) in creating unique indoor and outdoor found object and plant assemblage and sculptures.

Beautifully integrated into the artwork are bits of chia pet plants and air plants that derive their water from the air, requiring little to no maintenance. The artists collaborated with Flora Grubb Gardens to determine exactly what type of plants would be best suited to this new art environment. “We do not have green thumbs,” Fabric 8 co-founder Olivia Ongpin explained, “So we knew that if we could keep these pieces alive, anyone could.”

Fabric 8 started out as an Internet business selling unique items by urban independent designers. Their small retail store located beneath a San Francisco Victorian residence in the Mission has now expanded to include a gallery in the back as well as a backyard garden gallery. When I stopped by earlier today, they were preparing the space for a wedding reception over the weekend.

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