PLACES | a gaudi tour: sagrada familia

I was really excited to bring Roman to the Sagrada Familia. I've always told people that Sagrada Familia was one of those sights that just exceeds all expectations. At least it did for me! I think my jaw nearly dropped to the floor the first time I stepped foot into the beautiful space.

Photos rarely do the structure any justice. The way the light shines through the stained glass was otherworldly and unlike that I've ever seen in any other church thus far. We were also extremely lucky that the sun was shining the morning we decided to go (this was the same morning as our trip to Park Güell).

PLACES | a gaudi tour: park güell

Finally finally finally made it to Park Güell.

The last time I was in Barcelona I caught some sort of cold or flu midway through my week there. I was so ill I couldn't even leave my hostel bed. As a result I completely missed Park Güell, one of the must-sees in Barcelona.

But because the park is such a popular tourist destination I was a bit worried about the crowds, which is why we ended up going at 8 in the morning. I had read online that if you showed up before doors officially open, the park is completely free for visitors. It seemed a bit too good to be true but I can confirm that the tip is actually sound. Not only was the park relatively empty (about 80 other people got the memo as well) but we got to catch the sunrise on the hill too. Was almost worth the tiring-as-hell bike ride up, but I think I'll probably take the bus next time.

PLACES | british museum

When musuem spaces are just as beautiful as the artifacts it holds

EXHIBITIONS | white cube: evian - sergej jensen

Glad I stopped by White Cube's amazing space a few days before the end of Sergej Jensen exhibition.

Here's a Jensen's bio excerpt from White Cube:

"Sergej Jensen’s work draws on a wide range of materials and formal references. Primarily known for his textile works, his lyrical compositions incorporate a variety of fabrics, from burlap and linen to silk and wool. Working within the idiom of minimalist painting, Jensen takes its material support – the canvas – and sews, bleaches, stretches or stains the cloth to create works that waver between abstraction and representation. The principle of the readymade and recycling also suffuse his practice; off-cuts from previous works often re-appear as motifs for new paintings; hand-knitted lengths are sewn or pulled over stretchers; sections of fabric are left outside to let the weather alter its surface. His practice draws attention to seemingly incidental details such as flecks of wool or frayed edges, and his muted palette and gestural mark-making, whether applied in paint or stained with bleach, point as much to negative space as to delineated forms. Although the imagery can be hard to read, the titles given often allude to their point of origin in recognisable forms, such as ‘Tower of Nothing’ made from recycled moneybags, or ‘Eye of the maker’ featuring various banknotes of different currencies, which point to his unabashed relationship to the commercial market."

More information regarding the exhibition on [ White Cube's Website ]

PLACES | gagosian gallery

Jumper - American Apparel // Scarf - Weekday

Had a lot of fun goofing around/taking pictures inside the { Gagosian Gallery } in Chelsea. Their current exhibition features an artist by the name of Richard Serra, whose known for working with large-scale assemblies of sheet metal. I know that there has been some { controversy } in the past with Serra's work--and a little part of me agrees his installations do look rather odd/in the way in outdoor settings (to each their own, I guess), but I think they look magnificent in the minimalist spaces of galleries.

photo_004+_005 by Kelly

PLACES | musée du louvre

The Louvre is best seen in the morning when the courtyard is deserted and the pyramids are bathed in the soft glow of the morning light. I woke up groggy and grumpy at 6am Saturday morning to make my big trip to the Louvre. I arrived by 7 and basically had the whole space to myself save a few early risers who, like myself, had planned to take photos while the crowd is still low. While on the metro I couldn't stop asking myself "Why am I doing this again?", but in the end it was all worth it--nothing really beats watching a city wake up and catching the first ray of lights before anyone else does. I also included a few snaps* from last year's trip to the city of lights since I didn't get a chance to share them before.

*photo 5 + 6 + 7

PLACES | père lachaise cemetery

Père Lachaise Cemetery is the largest and most famous cemetary in the city of Paris. It was a an interesting experience to visit Père Lachaise. In fact, I think this I think I can count this graveyard as one of the most beautiful spots in Paris.  

"The gravesites at Père Lachaise range from a simple, unadorned headstone to towering monuments and even elaborate mini chapels dedicated to the memory of a well-known person or family. Many of the tombs are about the size and shape of a telephone booth, with just enough space for a mourner to step inside, kneel to say a prayer, and leave some flowers.

The cemetery manages to squeeze an increasing number of bodies into a finite and already crowded space. One way it does this is by combining the remains of multiple family members in the same grave. At Père Lachaise, it is not uncommon to reopen a grave after a body has decomposed and inter another coffin. Some family mausoleums or multi-family tombs contain dozens of bodies, often in several separate but contiguous graves. Shelves are usually fitted out to accommodate them" (via wikipedia)

Père Lachaise Cemetery is also the gravesite of many famous men and women. Here you’ll see the graves of celebrities like Antonio de La Gandara, Honoré de Balzac, Sarah Bernhardt, Frédéric Chopin, Jim Morrison, Édith Piaf, Camille Pissarro, Gertrude Stein, and Oscar Wilde.

PLACES | tate modern

It was a quick visit to Tate Modern. I was feeling under the weather that day (sniffles, cough, the whole shebang) so I arrived, had some soup at the cafe, snapped some photos and left. In hindsight I wish I had enough energy to walk around a bit more. The Tate Modern had a marvelous interior, I think I might have enjoyed inspecting the building more than the exhibitions themselves.