{"id":27709,"date":"2016-01-22T12:12:37","date_gmt":"2016-01-22T17:12:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.artloversnewyork.com\/zine\/?p=27709"},"modified":"2016-01-22T19:44:47","modified_gmt":"2016-01-23T00:44:47","slug":"kana-togashi-adriana-mioliti-saffron-brooklyn","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.artloversnewyork.com\/zine\/the-bomb\/2016\/01\/22\/kana-togashi-adriana-mioliti-saffron-brooklyn\/","title":{"rendered":"~KANA TOGASHI . . ADRIANA MINOLITI \/ SAFFRON BK – BROOKLYN \/ Porn and back."},"content":{"rendered":"

so, here we go . . .
\nfrom KANA’S FLOWER SHOP . . . to PORN !!
\nin 5 seconds !!
\nwith a quick stop in Buenos Aires, and landing finally in pop star – Japan.
\nyou know, connect the dots – artlovers style !!
\nhold on to – your seats !!<\/p>\n

you just never know what’s going to happen when you walk into a flower shop !!
\nwalk on the wild side, Brooklyn !!<\/p>\n

I mean, we were<\/strong> just talking about porn.
\nand the current, mostly ‘void of’ — state . . in the contemporary art scene. except for:
\nLISA YUSKAVAGE & her fantasy nudity.
\nLANDON MORGAN & his water tower tattoo bondage.<\/p>\n

SAFFRON<\/a> FLOWER & DESIGN SPACE
\n31 HANSON PLACE, BROOKLYN, NY – FORT GREENE<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\nso my friend, KANA TOGASHI . . runs a very cool & very special flower \/ design shop in Brooklyn.
\nshe also shows art work sometimes, and hopes to show more.
\nshe’s an artist herself, and long story short . . I’ve known her, seriously: as in deeply understood . . . ever since she meet my Kate at LaGuardia High School, back in the late 90s – 2000 years.
\nMillennials !! kids grow up fast – in New York City.
\nthey are so . . put together, so smart.
\nso Indie fierce, yet so able to function, & excel from within the system.
\nthe first real<\/strong> digital generation – I wonder if that, has something to do with it ?<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\nI mean, does Grumpy Bert<\/strong> have a fridge for storing flowers . . in his shop, no !!
\nyep. that’s my reflection in the glass door – busted, lordy. and by – own<\/strong> self.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\nKANA, and her husband TETSUJI sell the most gorgeous, unusual and fresh flowers. you can custom order, big and little events. they deliver, as well as input on design. they did the remarkable flowers for our show, ‘UNDER THE VOLCANO’ last June.
\nthey are the go-to flower artisans – for many private events, such as weddings y’all – and special events in public places, esp in Brooklyn.
\nname one, one word: FRANNY’S . . !!<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\nthey also design gardens, big and small, indoor & outdoor – corporate & private.
\nand . . maintain them.
\ncheck out: SAFFRON-BROOKLYN<\/a>
\n@saffronbk<\/p>\n

they are also the go-to florist for many local artists – who actually use flowers in their work, or want to stage photo ops with the freshness of well, come on guys – stay with me, the velvet-y power of . . bloomin’ hyper realist flower . . ‘porn’.
\nname one: KAREN AZOULAY, who presented the well received . . ‘The Perennial Sunday’ at THE GRECIAN SHELTER, Prospect Park, Brooklyn last August 2, 2015, using flowers custom-provided by SAFFRON.
\nKaren also used Saffron flowers for her beautiful catalog, ‘Flowers and Their Meanings – A Guide for deciphering’.
\nsee: KAREN AZOULAY project – on the SAFFRON WEBSITE <\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\nSAFFRON also sells a curated selection of local D.I.Y. including hand-knit items, ceramics, cutting edge jewelry design items, and . . a few pieces of vintage here and there – just to mix it up. <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\nit’s a bit of a movable feast, quite literally, with the store evolving over time, and changing seasonally, just like the flowers do. Kana opened the store in 2009. <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\nthey also sell art, on a casual basis right now – but watch out, world !!
\nand yes, that’s KANA, peeking out – the ancient ancestor eyes, give her away.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\na hand-knit kitty at SAFFRON, made by local artisan, DIY artist\/crafter: MIHOKO . . who just happens to be Kana’s mom. love that little pink<\/strong> nose.<\/p>\n

I love it so, because it reminds me of MUURZ’s work, her ‘bunny’ sticker.
\ntranslate: cutting edge. not just cuddly.
\nand the street artist GOATBUNNY, from Montreal – too. animals – rule the streets these days. whether in stickers, or in logos. lots of critters, mostly warm & fuzzy – as opposed to predatory \/ jungle. and esp canaries, and little chickies and, yellow ducks. hello . . Abe Lincoln, JR.<\/strong>
\na lot of them are riffs off traditional Japanese woodblock print art, the flatness, the line work – meets Snoopy by way of Looney Tunes, if . . you know what I mean.<\/p>\n

it’s also super funny, and great. how some of the really far-out and yet unrecognized artists of my<\/strong> generation – are finally getting some time in the limelight, thanks to people like Kana.
\nskills. and imagination.
\nway ahead of the pack. and I’m not just talking about Outsider Art. Mihoko, and I – could have been sticker artists – if born in a future tense.
\nI coulda been a sticker artist – put that on my tombstone. <\/p>\n

ps: MIHOKO means RICE FLOWER, and KANA means . . vegetable flower, so. so sweet. and so . . apt. <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\nso, the store was closing, and we still had a lot to talk about – so we moved over to Kana’s place in Bushwick.
\nthat’s ADRIANA MINOLITI. Kana calls her Adri, she’s just arrived for a 2 week visit from Argentina, and she’s an artist . . whom Kana has known for quite some time. I got the feeling right away, even though she was so low key, that there was a bigger picture just around the corner, the tip of the iceberg, as they say.
\nand, long story short: yes.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\nthis was an early painting by ADRIANA on Kana’s wall.
\none quick glance at her IG – and you can see how far – her work had come.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\nnew work by ADRIANA MINOLITI – via Instagram @minoliti
\ncheck out: @minoliti<\/p>\n

and OMG – there it was: ABSTRACT PORN<\/strong> . . . . on her website.<\/a>
\nI can’t explain, it’s just a full-on<\/strong> CGI animation.
\nyou have to just watch it – for yourself !!!!!
\nif you missed that link: ADRIANA MINOLITI – ABSTRACT PORN VIDEO CLIP – ON HER HOMEPAGE<\/a><\/p>\n

I mean, here I was, I had just walked into a flower shop & I was hot on the trail, unknown to me . . of what I had just written about – the day before: NUDITY, and . . BONDAGE.
\nI mean how often do things line up like that.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\nbench by ADRIANA MINOLITI – photo via artist<\/a>
\nthis piece wasn’t typical of her work, one reason it grabbed my attention, but, besides the beautiful forms, gorgeous light, and function – it dialoged with me and the recent work . . NYC-based PETER SUTHERLAND . . had exhibited in London. those concrete minimalist benches with the far-out desert landscape photo screens.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\nand then this project from her 2015 show: ‘PLAYPEN’, 2015 – curated by CARLOS HERRERA.. at the CENTRO CULTURAL RECOLETA in Beunos Aires – jumped at me. so, retro.
\nimage also from her website<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\nretro, did someone say: retro ?!!
\nmeanwhile<\/strong> back in Kana’s apt, ADRIANA told me she was into . . RETRO PORN !!
\nand, she pulled out a zine she had made.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\nI was . . speechless.
\nYuskavage to Landon Morgan to .. Adriana Minoliti.
\nthe classic . . art world ‘bread crumb’ trail – unfurls.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\nretro porn collage – by ADRIANA MINOLITI.
\nwow, suddenly I was confronted by more naked art<\/strong> in 2 days, than I had seen in years.
\nat one point it was all over: Soho, Chelsea, uptown.
\nfrom JEFF KOONS to THOMAS RUFF . . to JOHN CURRIN.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\nthat got us starting to talk about the bondage<\/strong> art that’s all over the IG, esp the riffs . . on traditional Japanese bondage art.
\nLordy, if KANA doesn’t pull out . . the LINDA YAMAMOTO – BOOK !!
\napparently, besides the traditional ‘art’ forms – it’s quite the norm for young Japanese music pop stars to put out what amounts to glamorized selfie – nudie . . books.
\noften quite racy, well it’s naked photos, duh . . including a little ‘bondage’.
\nin a word: dig that plastic – covered body.
\n‘LOVE HOTEL’ – by MARIKO MORI does come to mind.
\nher expression – is priceless.
\nsomeone else can write . . the Masters thesis.<\/p>\n

well. it’s not so far fetched. one word: KARDASHIANS. <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\nfrom flowers to porn. what can I say. hop, skip & just a jump away.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\nthe ‘girl’ next door.
\nthe girl in the flower shop. and, the girl from Buenos Aires.
\nhop, skip. and jump.<\/p>\n

PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH <\/p>\n

Adriana Minoliti<\/strong> is currently represented by the AUGUSTINO FERRERIYA GALLERY – in Puerto Rico, and that’s where she’s heading to, after New York.
\n
\nAdriana<\/strong> is also a part of a (famous) woman’s art collective based in South America: PINTORAS.
\nyep, check them out: Pintoras on the web<\/a>,
\nand . . PintorAs on FB<\/a><\/p>\n

SAFFRON FLOWERS & SPACE DESIGN . . <\/strong> will selling FLOWERS at MAGASIN POP-UP<\/strong> . . a monthly event organized by CASEY McVIKER, at BAR MATCHLESS in Brooklyn – 557 Manhattan Ave, just off McCaren Park . . in the band room.
\na yard sale & DIY \/ artisan showplace . . in a bar – love it !!<\/p>\n

it’s this Sunday Jan 24, 2016 \/ from 12 noon until 9 pm.
\nthat is, if it don’t get . . snowed under.
\nfingers crossed.
\nit will happen monthly, anyway. so let it snow, or let it . . not.
\nsee: @magasin_popup
\nsee: BAR MATCHLESS <\/a><\/p>\n

not, not. KNOT.
\nart is a big big knot<\/strong>, right now. fine art. porn art. photography. calligraphy. design. social media. DIY. CGI. stickers. water towers. street art. traditional art. global art. flower art. digital art . . to egg shell stickers. canvas to kits. ephemeral to carved in stone, burned into buildings, and flicking on your screens all night long.
\nand in the heart of that knot – ?
\nall roads lead to . . Brooklyn.
\nBrooklyn is the new Black.
\nBrooklyn is the new . . SILK Road.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

so, here we go . . . from KANA’S FLOWER SHOP . . . to PORN !! in 5 seconds !! with a quick stop in Buenos Aires, and landing finally in pop star – Japan. you know, connect the dots – artlovers style !! hold on to – your seats !! you just never […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[4],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.artloversnewyork.com\/zine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27709"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.artloversnewyork.com\/zine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.artloversnewyork.com\/zine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.artloversnewyork.com\/zine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.artloversnewyork.com\/zine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27709"}],"version-history":[{"count":46,"href":"https:\/\/www.artloversnewyork.com\/zine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27709\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27794,"href":"https:\/\/www.artloversnewyork.com\/zine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27709\/revisions\/27794"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.artloversnewyork.com\/zine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27709"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.artloversnewyork.com\/zine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27709"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.artloversnewyork.com\/zine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27709"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}