Home Design Events, Spring 2014

Where to go and what to read for your spring design fix.

bunnies hunt slonem

Courtesy of Glitterati Incorporated

Hop to It

Maine-born artist Hunt Slonem’s whimsical rabbit paintings—on display at Boston’s DTR Modern Galleries through mid-June—fill the pages of Bunnies, which features contributions from writers John Berendt and Bruce Helander.

Out 4/7, $63, Glitterati.

transmissions jo sandman

Courtesy of Gallery Kayafas and the Jo Sandman

Face to Face

Local painter turned photographer Jo Sandman experiments with light and the human skull in her work. For her new Gallery Kayafas exhibition, “Transmissions,” she focuses on prints of faces derived from X-rays layered with natural objects like coral.

4/13–5/24, 450 Harrison Ave., Boston, 617-482-0411, gallerykayafas.com.

elizabeth alexander

Courtesy of Elizabeth Alexander

Paper Trail

Elizabeth Alexander’s haunting sculptures combine repurposed wallpaper and everyday objects to create pieces that are anything but ordinary. The Lowell-based artist, a MassArt grad, exhibits her work at the Boston Sculptors Gallery in February and March.

2/5–3/9, 486 Harrison Ave., Boston, 617-482-7781, bostonsculptors.com.

tezh modarressi

Courtesy of the Chase Young Gallery and Tezh Modarressi

On the House

This March, the Chase Young Gallery showcases two artists who have made home the heart of their work. Sydney Licht’s pieces are defined by abstract studies of household items, while Tezh Modarressi’s oil-on-gessoed-paper works (pictured) focus on interiors, with depictions of empty rooms and furniture.

3/5–3/30, 450 Harrison Ave., Boston, 617-859-7222, chaseyounggallery.com.

Dreaming Small: Intimate Interiors, Douglas Woods

Photograph by Melba Levick Courtesy of Rizzoli

Cozy Chic

In Dreaming Small: Intimate Interiors, Douglas Woods celebrates smaller homes (all under 2,000 square feet) that pack a big punch when it comes to architecture and design. In 200 stunning color photos, diminutive yet daring works from architects such as Irving Gill, Richard Neutra, and Paul Williams serve as a muse for the space-conscious design lover.

Out 3/4, $45, Rizzoli.

Jee Hye Kwon jewelry

Photograph Courtesy of Mobilia Gallery

In Good Hands

Using architecture and topography as inspiration, South Korean artist Jee Hye Kwon crafts stunning baubles that call to mind the urban environment. Her jewelry—composed of multiple gauges of gold and silver wire shaped by hand into tiny geometric shapes—will be on display at the Mobilia Gallery this spring.

5/1–6/23, 358 Huron Ave., Cambridge, 617-876-2109, mobilia-gallery.com.

EXHIBITS

“Fired Earth, Woven Bamboo”

This collection of contemporary Japanese ceramics and bamboo art at the MFA highlights artists who use traditional methods to create abstract, architecturally inspired sculptures.

Runs until 9/8, 465 Huntington Ave., Boston, 617-267-9300, mfa.org.

“William Kentridge: The Refusal of Time”

Multimedia artist William Kentridge collaborated with filmmaker Catherine Meyburgh and composer Philip Miller to produce this 30-minute video installation, which features a moving mechanical sculpture, music, and animation, all created following years of discussion with Harvard professor Peter Galison about the nature of time.

2/5–5/4, 100 Northern Ave., Boston, 617-478-3100, icaboston.org.

“Works on Glass” by Tyson Andree

Adelson Galleries hosts the first exhibition of former graffiti artist Tyson Andree’s bold, geometric paintings on glass.

3/7–4/18, 520 Harrison Ave., Boston, 617-832-0633, adelsongalleriesboston.com.

Beth Carter

The Axelle Galerie displays fantastical bronze sculptures and charcoal drawings by Beth Carter, who is known for bringing the classics and mythology to life.

3/29–4/26, 91 Newbury St., Boston, 617-450-0700, axelle.com/boston.

BOOKS

The House with Sixteen Handmade Doors: A Tale of Architectural Choice and Craftsmanship

Henry and Catherine Petroski explore architectural secrets of the past through a step-by-step examination of the design choices, and secret passageways, of a handbuilt coastal Maine home.

Out 5/5, $28, W. W. Norton.

Nordic Light: Modern Scandinavian Architecture

In this volume, Henry Plummer explores the ways in which innovative modern architecture plays off the ethereal natural light found in Scandinavian countries.

Out 5/20, $40, Thames & Hudson.

Art Deco Mailboxes: An Illustrated Design History

This photographic tome, compiled by Karen Greene and Lynne Lavelle, is the perfect coffee-table book for lovers of architectural details. It explores how mailboxes have been design focal points in places such as high-end hotels and businesses—as well as landmarks like Grand Central Terminal—throughout the late-19th and 20th centuries.

Out 7/21, $27, W. W. Norton & Company.