The Weight of the World

The Weight of the World

The Weight of the World

The Weight of the World! What a beautiful titel, full of impact. It´s the title of a recent exhibition of Etel Adnan in London I luckily had the chance to visit.

And this 91 years old lady does know a lot about the world and its weight. She´s a Journalist, Writer, Poet, Painter, Activist. Born in Beirut, she´s been a true cosmopolit troughout her whole life.

 

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Etel Adnan in her studio. Photo by Fabrice Gilbert, courtesy Galerie Lelong, picture by Artspace

 

At the tender age of 87 she became famous for her brightly coloured and abstract paintings of landscapes. And the colours! I have very seldom seen such amazing compositions. I think she is one of the few artists who have access to a deeper state of mind and being. And this is visible in the stunning beauty of her pictures.

Etel says about herself: „I paint in a state that is half-awake and half-asleep, deeply engrossed within my own mind. Trusting your own instincts is key. You trust that what you’re doing is not just colors and shapes but the construction of something that transcends them. Painting, like music, is its own language, so you trust it and let go.“

 

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Never mention age or colour

Never mention age or colour

Never mention age or colour

Recently I overheard a conversation at a gallery opening. He was a lawyer and suddenly made this clear and decisive statement, which really impressed me:

He said: „I never mention age or colour.“

Ok. As a lawyer this might be a crucial decision for doing a good job.

But I think this to be a very inspirational thought to integrate in our every day life.

Some time ago I personally decided for myself to not join those endless conversations about age any longer. Because the longer I used to think about growing older, the more important it seemed to be.

And since I made that decision to NOT feed this thought with attention anymore, it just vanished.

By the way, I am 46. And will get older, hopefully ;)

 It´s often just a conscious decision to make:

Why talk and discuss or complain about things which just happen to be?

Why not just accept them?

This might be a good introduction for…tadaa…!

The one and only Iris Apfel, who calls herself a geriatric starlet!

 

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photo by Gabriel de la Chapelle

 

She has not only a wonderful unique way of styling herself. Most importantly she´s really being her true self.

Iris is 94 years old, living in New York and has had a very creative and fulfilling career as an interior designer ( she even worked for the white house!).

She came to international fame after her hugely successful exhibiton at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 2008. People just couldn´t get enough of her and since then adore her as a fashion icon.

There´s also a documentary about her called IRIS, whose style mantra is: „More is more – less is a bore!“

 

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