Erwin Wurm Makes Art Really Weird

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Erwin Wurm is an Austrian artist who makes some of the coolest art I’ve seen in a while. His approach seems rather random and funny to me, like his one minute sculptures where he poses people with random objects, redefining the notion of what sculpture is. What I’m really loving though are his fat cars, these bulbous, mutated versions of cars that are completely insane. These are made using polyurethane foam and styrofoam covered with lacquer, once painted look exactly like a real car gone plump. He’s got some other really great pieces I had to post as well like the house which is perilously tipping over the edge of the Moderner Kunst Stiftung Ludwig Wien in Vienna. To me it feels like Erwin is really having a lot of fun making his art, and in turn, makes it that much more fun to see.

Dior Autumn/Winter 2011 Show Goes On Without John Galliano (PHOTOS)

The Dior show went on as part of Paris Fashion Week on Friday without dismissed designer John Galliano in attendance.

Chief executive Sidney Toledano made a speech on the runway beforehand, Women's Wear Daily writes. He said, "It has been deeply painful to see the Dior name associated with the disgraceful statements attributed to its designer, however brilliant he may be. What happened last week has been a terrible and wrenching ordeal for us all. So now, more than ever, we must publicly re-commit to the values of the House of Dior."

Forbes has the full text of the statement. Another excerpt:

Christian Dior founded his House in 1947.

His family had been ruined in the Crash of 1929 and his own beloved sister had been deported to Buchenwald. In the aftermath of the dark years of the war, he sought to free women, to give them back their sparkle and joyfulness.

Christian Dior's values were those of excellence in all that he undertook, of elegance and of craftsmanship reflecting his unique talent. His mission was not only to make his clients -- indeed all women -- more beautiful, but also to make them happy, to help them dream. He saw himself as a magician who could give women confidence and make them ever more feminine, more sublime. He believed in the importance of respect and in the capacity of this fundamental value not only to bring out the beauty in women, but also bring out the best in all people.

His values, his genius and his legacy have contributed to enhancing France's image and culture around the world for more than sixty years.
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The values that Monsieur Dior taught us are unchanged today. Those values are carried on by the wonderful and diverse group of people within the House of Dior who devote all their talent and energy to achieving the ultimate in artisanship and femininity, respecting traditional skills and incorporating modern techniques.

Karlie Kloss was the first model to hit the catwalk, which was filled with capes, frilly frocks and furs. The Associated Press notes that few famous faces were on-hand for the occasion:

Dior officials unveiled a meager list of celebrity attendees expected on Friday -- seven names, mostly little-known French starlets including actress Melanie Laurent and Vanessa Paradis' sister, Alyssob Paradis.

Security at the show was unusually high, with television teams being told they couldn't speak to any of the celebrity guests.

At the end of the show, the Dior atelier staff took the final bow in their white lab coats. They received a standing ovation.