2 x 2 Prjojects was one of the galleries that caught our eye at the recent L.A. debut of Pulse. They were showing a very intriguing collection by Torsten Ruehle. Additional looks after the jump.

Photography: Matt Schow for Curated

Biarritz is internationally known as one of France’s most premier surf spots. Apparently the city embraces the skate and surf culture so much that the Cité de l’Océan et du Surf Museum was designed with lines taken straight from the skate park. From a kidney pool shaped skylight, to quarterpipe-style walls in the garden, Steven Holl dialed in the skate/surt aesthetic flawlessly when designing this place. More looks after the jump.

Saturday, October 15, 2011, the Herbert F. Johnson Museum at Cornell University will open renovated spaces in its landmark I. M. Pei building and a 16,000 square-foot extension inspired by Pei’s original museum plan, designed by the original architect-in-charge, John L. Sullivan III (Cornell Class of ’62) of Pei Cobb Freed & Partners Architects LLP.

“The mission of the new wing is to serve the collection and the public by inviting our visitors to use more of the collection more intimately and in new ways,” said Frank Robinson, the Richard J. Schwartz Director of the Johnson Museum from 1992 to 2011. Stephanie Wiles of Oberlin College’s Allen Memorial Art Museum was recently named as the next director of the Johnson.

Additional looks at the renovated space after the jump.

[via]

Core 77 turns us onto “EL Vochol” Mexican art.

Combine the iconic Mexican culture expressions of the psychedelic Huichol and a Volkswagen Beetle or El Vocho as Mexicans have nicknamed it—and you get El Vochol, a beaded VW bug. This dynamic manifestation of indigenous folk art is being used to promote the artisan heritage of the indigenous Mexican communities to an international audience.

El Vochol was first commissioned by the Association of Friends of Museo of Arte Popular in Mexico City to elevate the work of traditional artisans in the public sphere both nationally and internationally. The project took on a greater message to the world: indigenous work is not to be forgotten, and in fact, celebrated. Sonya Santos of the Museo says, “People all over the world are responding in a fabulous way….They are all surprised by the magnificent work.”

After the jump, watch a video tour of the beaded VW Beatle.

New York’s Curtis Kuilig, better known as “Love Me” is opening a joint installation with L.A.’s SKULLPHONE, this evening at Mallick Williams. The collection is entitled “Scripture.”

Curtis Kulig decamped to New York where he splatters the words “LOVE ME” across the city’s sprawl. Shouting from dripping red rooftop rollers to a uniform sticky message reigning over the cityscape… is his message an honest plea, or just a self-conscious hypocritical statement that is filled with self-doubt? Inverting the I heart NY slogan to the most basic of human desires, “LOVE ME” is becoming a New York icon by being virtually everywhere you turn; confronting onlookers with their most primitive human needs when they least expect it.

Best known for his witty black-and-white image of a skull holding a cell phone, Skullphone began installing artwork on city streets in 1999. In addition to his overlapping appropriation outdoors – reworking, enlarging, and repeating imagery – Skullphone’s oeuvre has expanded through calculated re-contextualization indoors. His new work examines contradictions in digital media, demonstrating cause for both wonder and concern over the increasingly ubiquitous medium. Skullphone has recently shown at Subliminal Projects, New Image Art Gallery, the Riverside Art Museum, and was featured in MOCA’s 2009 FRESH Auction.

“Scripture”

Mallick Williams & Co. Gallery 150 11th Avenue, NYC

From October 6th to November 6th

Additional looks after the jump.

Belgian artist Roa recently put up some work in Gambia, including the giraffe above.  The video after the jump features another one of his pieces in the Gambia series.

The design gods over at ISO50 are apparently working on a new logo for CN. In the process, they unearthed a ridiculously cool collection of vintage photos featuring the “CN Turbotrain.” View the entire set after the jump.

Blu recently completed a new mural in Greece. The piece depicts the ancient Greek temples with columns built of stacked coins, tumbling over. Pretty poignant commentary on the current financial situation in that country. More photos after the jump.

Last week, West was on hand at Environment in Los Angeles to celebrate the launch of their Freedom Suite. We were on hand for the kickoff event to check out the work created for the event. Take a look, after the jump.

Photography: Matt Schow for Curated

For those who are curious to see Olek in action, she has now released a video documenting her recent work on the Astor Place cube. Watch the video after the jump.