David Choong Lee

Landscape photos resemble traditional Chinese paintings

Chinese born Don Hong-Oai spent most of his life in Saigon, where he apprenticed with a photography studio. He stayed in Vietnam through the war, before fleeing by boat to California in the late 1970s. While living in San Francisco, he went back to China every few years to create new negatives. He remained largely unknown until the final years of his life when he was finally discovered by the wider public. He died in 2004. Read more

Oasis Clubhouse: a new project by Chef Felix

Any tried and true foodie in Buenos Aires is an assiduous follower of Chef Diego Felix’s’ closed door restaurant, Casa Felix. Typically, however, his inspired pescatarian eats are only available a few months out of the year in Buenos Aires while the rest of the time, the Felix clan travels through Argentina, San Francisco, New York, Puerto Rico, and Latin America, generally, hosting closed door diners around the world. Luckily for all of us here in Buenos Aires, his contemporary yet distinctively regional fare can now be found in private events around the city as well thanks to the super exclusive Oasis Clubhouse. Read more

Large scale mural by Hugh Leeman for Art Basel Miami

This is my new 8′ x 20′ hand painted mural in Miami, Florida, for Art Basel week. The mural is of Tracy and Raymond. Both are friends of mine from San Francisco. Raymond stopped by my studio to chat the other day as I was finishing up his portrait, on the right. He had cut his hair and shaved most of his beard, but was really excited to see his likeness so large. I told him it was to be part of a large mural installed in Miami. He said: ‘That’s great. Years ago I was in the slammer there’.

Jon Todd solo exhibit in Los Angeles

If ever there was an artist more deserving of critical acclaim, it’s Toronto-based, Jon Todd. I first came across his work a number of years ago at an underground art exhibit at the famed Niagara Bar in New York City: it was a painted skateboard deck. Who would have thought four years later that he would be staging his first solo show in the hotbed of Pop Surrealism. Read more

Fornasetti wallpaper

I am in love with the new Fornasetti collection of wallpapers from Cole and Son. If you’re into Damask patterns, oddities, and a hint of the early surrealists, this wallpaper has your name written all over it. Cole and Son has been around since the 1800s and has become one of the oldest and most respected wallpaper companies in the industry. I’m ready to cover my walls in the new Fornasetti already. Merry Christmas me!

Tifenn Python

I recently came across the work of French illustrator Tifenn Python. She is also showing at the current Young Blood show at New York’s Opera Gallery. What I love about her work is that it has a certain vibe to it that reminds me of some of the great masters like Lautrec and Shiele, which I’ve been drooling over these past weeks. Her work calls focus to the line, encourages simplicity, and bathes our eyes in colour. It also has a certain sense of comfortable melancholy, which feels familiar to me.