Staff Pick: Duro Olowu

With the weather in New York tending towards the dreary, rainy, and slushy in late February, our Vitamin D-deprived minds are longing for sunnier climes. In lieu of a week in the Caribbean, the next best thing is to walk down the block from RxArt’s space to the Duro Olowu exhibit at Salon 94 Freemans. The show, beautifully curated by the Nigerian-born, London-based fashion designer Olowu, is a treasure trove of contemporary art, furniture, fashion, jewelry, books, and photography by the likes of Juergen Teller, Hamidou Maiga, Laurie Simmons, Philip Kwame Apagya, and Lorna Simpson among others, all of which is set against brilliant pops of colorful vintage West African textiles. All of these elements coalesce to transform the small space into a cabinet of curiosities that makes lingering indoors a pleasure.

Some of our favorite pieces include handpainted book covers by Glenn Ligon created specifically for Olowu, mirrors by architect David Adjaye, glazed ceramic milk crates by Mattias Merkel Hess, and the arresting studio portraiture of Malian photographer Hamidou Maiga. Of the eclectic mixture, Olowu states on Salon 94’s site: “My work, like my eye, is certainly international in its aesthetic, offbeat yet focused. As such, I am always open to the surprise of the new, the technique and skill of the past and the ability of fashion and art to challenge preconceived ideas of taste and culture.”

See photos below the break and better yet, check out the show before it closes March 31! All photos courtesy of Salon 94.