I adore this kind of tiredness and artistic overload that La Biennale d'Arte in Venice can offer. It's always so inspiring, touching, engaging.

This year's theme - Strangers everywhere - not only gave the possibility to discover different ways of thinking and portraying reality but also raised so many things to reflect on and learn from.

Sometimes I'm mostly interested in the technical aspects of works of art, the colors, the mood. Other times I feel an urge to know everything about the artist or the historical and sociological background of the project. And it's so great to feel stimulated, intrigued and educated by the art.

It's really hard to pick just a couple of favorites but I spent a lot of time at the Italian exhibition Due qui/To Hear by Massimo Bartolini. I was fascinated by the whole experience of sound and the meditative movements of Conveyance - a kind of sculpture with rising and falling conical wave.

When it comes to sound, I also think about the very touching Polish exhibition, created by Open Group. Watching people repeat the sounds of war after the refugees, in a karaoke manner, was truly powerful.

The surreal and fragile nature of fruit and household objects in the Japanese pavilion (Compose by Yuko Mohri) made me smile, and sitting inside a giraffe (and feeling like I was in a universe created by Michel Gondry) in the Czech pavilion made me melancholic (The heart of a giraffe in captivity is twelve kilos lighter by Eva Koťátková).

The International Celebration of Blasphemy and The Sacred in the Netherlands pavilion stayed in my mind for a very long time. The sculptures made of cacao were not sweet at all...

The music and ambiance of the French pavilion were dreamy and soothing (although the subject was much more than just creating ambiance). Big bravo to Julien Creuzet for his poetic project Attila cataracte ta source aux pieds des pitons verts finira dans la grande mer gouffre bleu nous nous noyâmes dans les larmes marées de la lune!

As you can see, the list is very long. And long were the Venetian prosecco nights when we discussed all of this.

Bisou bisou, Jo 🖤

Photos: Joanna Gniady

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Ciao from Italy! New summer playlist is on!

Prosecco in my veins, Biennale art in my heart 🖤

And the cover illustration comes from one beautiful estate in the south of Italy, you know the vibes.

Enjoy the music and have a phantasmagorical summer!

Bisou bisou, Jo 🖤

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Today, still in bed, I read and looked through a book about David Hockney's travels to China.

I love seeing artists' travel diaries, sketches, and rapidly captured moments. And I'm always frustrated that I usually don't have enough time just to sit and draw while traveling. To pack lightly, I only carry a pencil and a black pen, so my travel sketches are as quick and simple as possible, and colorless.

David, you have convinced me - next time I'll take a two-color pencil, at least.

Bisou bisou, Jo 🖤

Photos: Joanna Gniady

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From „Brancusi? Nah, not my style” to sketching frenzy. His sculptures at Centre Pompidou had me hooked like a kid in a candy store!

And did you know that at the age of 27 he walked on foot to Paris from Bucharest?

Bisou bisou, Jo 🖤

Photos: Joanna Gniady

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Iris van Herpen is a pioneer in the use of modern technologies in fashion and a real visionaire. Seeing her exhibition at MAD Paris was like strolling in another, decadent world - where futuristic visions and the well known beauty of nature intertwine, engage in dialogue, play together and transform into stunning works of art, the wearable art: dresses.

I was really touched by the fragile beauty of Iris's creations and in awe of her creative process, inspirations, and way of working. What a blast!

Bisou bisou, Jo 🖤

Photos: Joanna Gniady

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Today, in the middle of a busy street, I met a man whose work I admire, a legend: Yohji Yamamoto. I gave him a knowing smile and later made a quick portrait to remember that day.

Check out the documentary, starting with this great quote:

-What is gorgeous for me?

-My gorgeous is creating.

Take a look when you have half an hour:

Bisou bisou, Jo 🖤

Photos: Joanna Gniady

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Bourse de Commerce is always a good idea, especially in the afternoon when the sun creates its own work of art up there. And now we can observe this spectacle while lying on a mirror floor designed by Kimsooja.

The new exhibition Le monde comme il va is a must-see this spring in Paris!

At first sight quite Instagrammable and pop, in reality it's a reflection of our human condition in this somewhat artificial and weird yet also very complex and difficult world. Jeff Koons' sweet pink ballon dog juxtaposed with thirteen hyperrealist figures representing contemporary heads of state, very old and sitting in wheelchairs by the Chinese artist duo Sun Yuan and Peng Yu - just get the picture.

Bisou bisou, Jo 🖤

Photos: Joanna Gniady

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Coucou ! It’s time for the new playlist! Since I’m spending this spring in Paris, I’ve chosen the songs in the language of love - French, baby!

My studio? It’s everywhere now: sometimes in bed, mostly in cafés - definitely not on the Parc Monceau bench this time, way too chilly!
I’m working on a very special thing but, to be honest, it goes slower than I planned. Too many distractions 🍷👨🏻🖼️

As a cover of this playlist I drew a cool artwork by Kiki Kogelnik „Sleepy head” (1974) that I saw yesterday at Bourse de Commerce.

Bisou bisou, Jo 🖤

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Today I'd like to share with you a bit from a very beautiful and inspiring book - The Creative Act by Rick Rubin:

Our thoughts, feelings, processes, and unconscious beliefs have an energy that is hidden in the work. This unseen, unmeasurable force gives each piece its magnetism. A completed project is only made up of our intention and our experiments around it. Remove intention and all that's left is the ornamental shell. (...)

Not all projects take time, but they do take a lifetime. In calligraphy, the work is created in one movement of the brush. All the intention is in that single concentrated movement. The line is a reflection of the energy transfer from the artist's being, including the entire history of their experiences, thoughts and apprehensions, into the hand. The creative energy exists in the journey to the making, not in the act of constructing.

Bisou bisou, Jo 🖤

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Chicago, a destination where I finally stood before the awe-inspiring sculptures of Picasso, Miro, and Calder. The fulfillment of a long-held desire, the vibrant red hues of Calder's creation, the dreamy forms of Miro, and the artistic genius of Picasso left me utterly enchanted. Sketching away, I couldn't be happier to have experienced these masterpieces in person!

Bisou bisou, Jo 🖤

Photos: Joanna Gniady

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A long-held desire of mine was to witness the grandeur of Hopper's Nighthawks in person. I get it, it's become a bit of a cliché, popping up on umbrellas, mugs and even face masks all over. But there's an undeniable allure to it—a poetic quality, a mesmerizing emotion that keeps drawing me in. And there's a personal soundtrack, too; Coltrane's A Love Supreme always accompanies my mental exploration of the painting.

Finally, the moment arrived at the Art Institute of Chicago. Standing face-to-face with the painting, I couldn't resist the urge to step into its world, to absorb the atmosphere and perhaps enjoy an imaginary cup of coffee. I had envisioned it as this massive artwork, the characters almost life-sized. However, reality painted a different picture—it was small, intimate, and oh-so-beautiful. Funny how our mind's eye can sometimes magnify the art we adore.

Bisou bisou, Jo 🖤

Photos: Joanna Gniady

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Working at night and music discoveries? They're my jam! Ever had a song on loop until you've memorized every beat? That's me! And when my people share their top tracks, it's like getting a musical high-five!

By the by, I crafted an emoji—heart ears!

Yesterday, I stumbled upon "Gatsby" by Joan as a Policewoman. I’m passing it on to you as a little musical gift! Enjoy!

Bisou bisou, Jo 🖤

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Sarah Bernhard has been my fin de siècle inspiration, popping up in literature, art, and even my past adventures—like that time I sent a tour guide into a spin at Père Lachaise Cemetery just by asking about her grave.

Fast forward to the present: Petit Palais in Paris hosts an entire exhibition dedicated to this icon! It was like stumbling upon a treasure trove, with her portraits, shoes, dresses, and sculptures drawing crowds like bees to honey. Finally, she gets the recognition she deserves!

Ah, and just look at this bat in her hair!

Sarah Bernhard, Et la femme créa la star / Petit Palais, Paris, 14 April 2023 to 27 August 2023

Bisou bisou, Jo 🖤

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There is no summer without watching a sublime short film Du côté de la côte (1958) by Agnès Varda.

This cinematic gem is an indispensable part of my June ritual, and despite knowing it almost by heart, it never fails to mesmerize me with its hidden treasures - new details, stunning color and pattern combinations, and witty observations that unveil themselves with every viewing.

It makes me smile, it makes me dream, it gives so much inspiration.

Here are three illustrations I created une canicule nocturne to celebrate its beauty.

Ah, and this quote.

The carnival burns. The earth shakes. The sun goes mad. The water takes its shape. The carnival is dead, silence is golden. Silence as an answer to so many questions, to volcanoes, to swirls. Eden exists. It is a dawn. Eden exists, it is an island. Heaven was a beach, and a pine cone. But the nostalgia of Eden is a garden. (...)

These are fake Eves, fake Adams, fake Cupids, misleading Venuses, fake caves and fake nymphs. Reveries are shared, but not the garden. The fake Eden is not for us, neither is Eden.

And worse, the summer season comes to an end.

Bisou bisou, Jo 🖤

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“The heaviest of burdens crushes us, we sink beneath it, it pins us to the ground. But in love poetry of every age, the woman longs to be weighed down by the man's body. The heaviest of burdens is therefore simultaneously an image of life's most intense fulfillment. The heavier the burden, the closer our lives come to the earth, the more real and truthful they become. Conversely, the absolute absence of burden causes man to be lighter than air, to soar into heights, take leave of the earth and his earthly being, and become only half real, his movements as free as they are insignificant. What then shall we choose? Weight or lightness?” 

The Unbearable Lightness of Being, Milan Kundera (1929-2023)

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Please meet Elisabeth Stuart (1596-1612), reine de Bohême who greets the guests of the exhibition Des cheveux et des poils at Musée des Arts Decoratifs in Paris.

This painting is one of my favs in the whole show. Nothing special at first sight, a typical portrait from the XVII century. But look closer, at Elisabeth's earring. Yes, it's a lock of hair - the lovelock!

In the late XVI and early XVII century England the lovelock was a fashionable way to display a lock of hair belonging to a loved one. The lock was worn as an earring, usually on the left side, where the heart is.

How cool is that?

Bisou bisou, Jo 🖤

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