We don’t particularly enjoy screaming ‘One not to miss!’ at you but seriously, if you have the urge to catch an exhibition and you find yourself in London then hit the newly opened Yayoi Kusama retrospective at the Tate Modern. Obsessed with repeating patterns, dots and intense colour, the 83 year old has accumulated a body of work that includes just about every media you could think of. Apart from being an incredible talent, she also looks like an 80’s Hollywood movie idea of a conceptual artist, which makes us feel like we really are in the presence of greatness. If you need any encouragement spare a couple of minutes and watch on.

“The nine decades of Yayoi Kusama’s life have taken her from rural Japan to the New York art scene to contemporary Tokyo, in a career in which she has continuously innovated and re-invented her style.”

Louis Vuitton announces their new ‘Louis Vuitton Voyages’ exhibition, which opened on May 31st at the National Museum of China in Beijing, with the above animated video.

“The “Louis Vuitton – Voyages” exhibition retraces the crowning moments in the history of the Maison, which since 1854 — the date when it was established — has beautifully paired form with function, creating travel items that bear witness to the French lifestyle.”

The exhibition runs until August 30th, 2011.

Washington, DC’s Apartment Zero regularly puts together fine design exhibitions. Their latest, a collaboration with Civilian Art Projects, is the first solo exhibition of work by Atelier Takagi. The working name of Jonah Takagi (a RISD grad), Atelier Takagi specializes in simple, functional home goods. “New American Design” presents one-offs, prototypes, and limited editions representative of Takagi’s aesthetic.

On view through January 8, 2011.

Civilian Art Projects
1019 7th Street NW
Washington, DC 20001

Installation views, via DesignBoom, follow on after the jump.

More fashion related art this Friday.

On view through November 27, 2010 at Osaka’s CAS, Mitsuhiro Okamoto’s “Batta Mon” sculptures raise questions about the relationship between authenticity and imitation. The locust shaped works are produced from fake designer bags – with logos prominent – and the name plays off of the slang term for knock off.

Okamoto’s work was previously displayed at the Kobe Fashion Museum, but removed after Louis Vuitton protested pieces containing their brand logo. (via DB).

More “Batta Mon” after the jump.

Groundbreaking in its analysis of contemporary Western European design, European Design Since 1985 focuses on the everyday. Objects surround us, they help us do most everything. And, designers help make them more functional. While not the central thesis of the exhibition, functionality is at its essence. Political tension, post modern ideals, and more also play a role in the narrative.

The final leg of the exhibition opens on October 9, 2010, at the Milwaukee Art Museum. It runs to January 9, 2011.

I saw European Design Since 1985 in its initial installation at the Indianapolis Museum of Art. It is fantastic.

After the jump, you can watch a video – featuring my friend and graduate school classmate Melissa Buchanan – about the installation. (Some terrific images follow as well).

Despite earlier suggestion that we are sick of coffee, that couldn’t be farther from truth. (To confirm: Selectism LOVES coffee).

We love coffee so much that we are genuinely excited about learning as much as possible about the “powerful influence of coffee on the environment, human culture and economies worldwide.” Coffee: The World in Your Cup, on view through September 19, 2010, at Yale’s Peabody Museum, shares over 1000 years of caffeine fueled stories. Informing consumers is the core goal… something we can get behind.

Jews on Vinyl, opening February 6, 2010, presents a unique take on identity in American history.

Co-curated by Roger Bennet and Josh Kun (who wrote And You Shall Know Us by the Trail of Our Vinyl: The Jewish Past as Told by the Records we have Loved and Lost) the exhibition exposes Jewish American life through images and sounds of American popular culture. The duo are also behind the blog trailofourvinyl.com and operate a non-profit record label dedicated to releasing forgot gems of Jewish popular music.

Jews on Vinyl will run through late Spring at the Contemporary Jewish Museum in San Francisco.

More Jews on Vinyl after the jump.

Celebrating ten years of the National Design Awards, Design USA: Contemporary Innovation at the Cooper-Hewitt covers all the prize winners in a retrospective exhibition. The National Design Awards program was founded in 2000 with the aim of helping to increase national awareness of design in education and promotion of excellence. The exhibition is divided into five themes – CRAFT, EXPERIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, MATERIALS, and METHOD – all of which are fundamental elements of design disciplines. In total, the exhibit works to explore and explain the changes and shifts to American design over the last decade and highlight where its moving in the future.

Design USA: Contemporary Innovation runs through April 4, 2010. The web component is worth flipping through.

You’ll recognize the above design by Jonathan Ive & Apple. More winners after the jump.

There is no questioning the depth and scope of The Morgan Library & Museum’s collection. Among the terrific holdings are some fascinating documents outlining the development of modern set design. 50 drawings from this portion of the collection make up Creating the Modern Stage, which over 4 sections reveals how modern technology led to new theories about the role of actor and stage set. Enriching the drawings are photographs, musical scores and more. Worth going even if you’re not into the theater, the building itself is a marvel.

It’s time for a change for MoMu – Fashion Museum Province of Antwerp. After seven years of showcasing fashion exhibitions locally, they are now planning on putting two of their most celebrated shows on the road – “6+. Antwerp Fashion” and “Maison Martin Margiela (20) The Exhibition.” 

Munich and Tokyo is where they will land. “Maison Martin Margiela (20) The Exhibition/ Die Austellung’ will open on March 19th 2009 at Haus der Kunst in Munich and will run from March 20th until June 1st 2009. ‘6+. Antwerp Fashion’ opens on April 10th 2009 at Tokyo Opera City Art Gallery, Japan and runs from April 11th until June 28th 2009.”

More information is available at www.momu.be.