hey there,

I looked at the wifi icon and it was full, beautifully black, with three bright eventail stripes. My subconscious and fingers were pouncing the clavier trying to google something. But the screen wasn’t loading. Frustration was the last word that would come to mind. Not disappointing: it hurt me physically. A bit like walking close to a sharp cliff. We were staying at an Airbnb in Joshua Tree accompanied by those loud instincts of a fast life you can’t switch off vacationing in a desert: we wanted to see and do and eat everything in 2 days while checking our emails and each other's looks. Here's how to bring your body, your heart and your wildness online instead of living in your head & your phone >

A botticellian wavy blonde who plays cello, makes beanbag chairs and probably codes. She's just turned 12. Likes to observe and make candid remarks about adult relationship dynamics. Her curious mom with no bullshit sense of reality flips some great wisdom while cooking the best hamburgers. A fierce and very competitive energy bunny with short wavy hair, who's keen on hiking at 6 am, likes having a proper schedule and a mapped-out itinerary, all packed and ready 3 hours before we leave. And me - a genuine dreamy internet junkie with emotional volatility due to a recent hormonal disbalance after the first round of egg freezing - sandwiched in-between. We wore flower pendants while playing with feminine energies and all things esoteric. And the whole thing with a healthy side of Goop recommendations.

Learning from other women via resonance is something I discovered from Michaela Boehm a couple of years ago. I call her my teacher. The one that people say - "will come to your life when you are ready." She is this inspiring cross between a reputable Jungian analyst and a mysterious sexy tantrika. With Kashmir Shaivism lineage, more than 30K therapy hours under her belt and a colorful ranch in Ojai full of disheveled adopted dogs, goats and always famished swines, Michaela is the archetype of an empress who is sovereign, unyielding and unapologetic, but she calls herself a wild woman and initiates all her students and clients to dive deep into it, because this untamed aspect is the true authentic side of all humans, our core self that we pile up and patch with societal expectations. Can you be grown-up and wild? “Oh, YES, you can!!”

You are probably wondering what I want to learn from a 12 year old girl who plays cello?! Actually a lot. Or re-learn, to be more accurate. Because when I was her age I was the same curiosity (still eager to ask a lot of questions), soaking everything up by observing and playing impossible imaginary situations aloud (“what will happen when I pass my drivers license and get into my first accident?”). I think rewilding is a bit of traveling back in time to your inner child. Here I will leave you wondering what else I've learned or re-learned from my wild women circle, but resonance phenomena is so powerful. You just have to feel into it and act it out. All those different personas you can be (I am working on diva and seductress) - what could be more intoxicating than a woman who constantly changes like water flowing through fingers?! Isn’t that wild? Everything we see in others is in us already, you just have to ignite it. Give it a try. Play with this reverberation. And the more it triggers you, the more interesting the exploration will be. Adore your fierce girlfriend - taste that flavor. Not fond of your mother?! Guess what, there is a lot to unpack there as well.

ELEMENTS OF REWILDING:

WILD WOMEN ARCHETYPE. What the heck is that?! Paraphrasing Michaela Boehm, wild woman archetype is a portal into “just being yourself.” That’s who we are before being conditioned into collective constructs. “Each of us is born with a natural genius” and it’s great when you can hear it talking. And it speaks through your body - the best way to rewild is being in the nature and - embodiment. It will help you understand what’s yours and what’s not - in the noise of everyday entanglements with the world.

“EMBODIMENT is the new sexy”, says somatic sexologist Dolly Josette. Almost all life I lived in the head. My body was this sac of bones that helped me to go from point A to point B, and to model my fashion looks. Until I learned how to translate different archetypal energies, enjoy myself more and harness intuition using my bodily sensations thanks to this Austrian goddess. Not sure where my bodily ignorance came from but I was convinced that all the most interesting and important experiences are happening up there, in neural connections (a good brain is so sexy, too, right?!). Although embodiment practices through movement, feeling into the body, touching yourself to map sensations are not only good tools for sensitization or pleasure - it’s foundation for general well being and works as a therapy. Michaela compares it to “flossing” - when you release pent-up energy generated by all kinds of stressors.

GENEROSITY OF THE HEART. This was why I fell in love with Michaela first of all: she kept repeating generosity is the secret of all successful relationships. And I kept nodding in agreement. It’s really fulfilling to live a life with love in your heart. For it to be so abundant that it overflows. Find happy and generous people and get addicted to each other. Because you don’t want anything less than that! Generosity is also a good way to judge people’s character - always keep closer those who make an extra step for you. I often use this practice - give more at first, and then see if it’s reciprocated back to you: a simple experiment to see if that’s a person you want to find yourself with in difficult circumstances. Always curious to meet those who add a little bit more on top when returning your favor. Those are a rare breed!!

BEING UNAPOLOGETIC. Kind but unyielding. Honestly, I have a tendency to apologize first, to appease and placate if the situation requires but voicing opinions and standing up for what I believe in is really important for me. Want to have more of that? Train yourself to trust your body deeper, further, faster - to make a difference between your childhood wounds and your gut. Then your decision making skills will become as sharp as my ceramic chef’s knife (which, honestly, is very acute). In addition, exploring your dark side is insanely interesting. Traversing into the magical wickedness from being a good girl for ages was a revelation: now I schedule days for my dark goddess, where I storm, squirm, and curse like bad weather dealing with lost Fedex packages, uncooperative situations or just burned pancakes. Obviously, getting what you want is really sexy, makes you feel good and attracts more of that energy from outside.

DISCIPLINE + TRUSTING THE WORLD. Focus and concentration are crucial when you cultivate the qualities you are seeking to embody. Want more sensuality but never set aside time to romance your senses? Simple five minutes of palo santo ritual makes me more alive and aware. Want more beauty but proceed with the real life things when you have an opportunity to create or observe it? For the whole month I told myself I would go to see Jonas Wood exhibition but never did, though I would pass by the space multiple times a day. Or would wear my usual shorts and t-shirt uniform for 3 months straight without slipping into a dress or an orchestrated outfit for sensual delight. Want a beautiful body but never give it your attention? I am the worst, let’s not even go there or I will start crying with despair! And then the radical opposite strikes - a wise woman or man guru tells you to trust the universe that everything what’s happening to you is for your greater good. Personally I often get confused when to give up and when to persist, but, hey, no one gave me the script for my life, or even sent a memo on the dress code. So I undulate between directing and surrendering. With the average degree of precision, pinch of procrastination, lots of will power, stubbornness, optimism and immense desire for always experiencing pleasure while encountering hardships of life I train myself everyday to alternate between go and flow on my own command.

Hope this is resonating with you. If I can’t confuse you even more, then why don’t you explore your untamed essence? Find people who seem wild enough for you to follow. Need support in your rewilding? You can reach out to me for personalized recipes. We are starting a wild woman group soon! But in the meantime, just put on a piece of music and start moving. Moving what you are feeling (I feel tense when I write this). Start swaying your hips. In circles. Close your eyes. Feel your body. Wiggle your toes. Feel the breath going up and down. Follow it. Just follow your breath. Then squeeze all the muscles and keep them there for a second. Release and feel the tension go away. Then do it again. If it’s after 6pm, I end it with an epsom bath. Then, I sit on top of a clay or pink colored fortress which is my bed, and observe aliveness: feel my head releasing the clench, jaw letting go of the stress, massage feet until they start tingling with pleasure. Splash oily cream onto thighs. Upper arms. Get some homeoplasmine on my lips. Envelop hands into this weird almost made - for automobile engine balm in a metal can that I found in Pioneertown. And move a bit more, to the side of naughty. It doesn’t matter if it results in a more adventurous you (think of vacationing in your pjs), better orgasms (and more of them) - or simply able to enjoy a bouquet of flowers - this wild thing is a step towards a more exciting life.

#wildgrownup #theparadoxoflife

Yurga

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Have you ever tried to dance through your weekend in a nightgown?! Wild at heart. Seeking goodness. Sharing powerful connection with the nature, with the earth you stand on. Inhale the sky, give your creativity space to grow, feel it in your body.

Love being trapped on the long flight in my seat. I get a lot of things done there - this weird mix of go and flow modes makes me very productive. I lose it in everyday chaos of never ending to-do-lists and what’s up messages that need a quick answer. Need to work on my discipline.

Photo by Imogen Cunningham (1929). Looks like a story about your inner feminine and masculine personas. Who is gentle and who can also be rough? And how this all works in life, when one little seed blooms into this beauty.

subscribe to JUNETHINGS SUBSTACK, it’s our interactive experiment, where we can talk about all these things in real time!!

my latest fascinations >

1) “Talent: How to Identify Energizers, Creatives, and Winners Around the World” book by Tyler Cowen and David Gross. Fascinating read despite your relationship with the startup hype. Helps to evaluate your own talents and definitely a good guide if you are dating (think how do I choose my next husband).
2) Doing flower arrangements. The best recipe for your feminine explorations. Bring 5 different kinds of flowers that go together from your groceries shopping and start making a bouquet. Consider it your creative exercise of the week!!
3) Flea market run. Obviously because what else can make your Sunday more exciting if not this undiscovered yet vintage slip. Who wants to lose the thrill of the hunt by just going to the store next door?
4) Junethings Flower Pendant. I am still obsessed with it - small one every day and bigger version on weekends and special moments. Astrological one is the best gift ever!
5) Did you know that porn makes the 1/3 of world’s internet traffic! Blows my mind! Swedish creatrix of ethical porn Erika Lust speaks at TED Austria conference advocating for porn created by women for women. She has forever embarrassed her mom with the slogan: “life is too short for bad porn" headlining her weekly newsletter. Explore!!
6) Ted Lasso series. Watch it every time I feel sad. Smart and funny, soothes me. I strongly believe in goodness and kindness.
7) Weird camodogenic desert balm that smells like vacation for legs and hands. Can’t do anything about it! Addicted.
8) Cranberries to avoid Alzheimers. Did you know a cup of cranberries a day can help you avoid getting dementia?!
9) Best lubrication for play or sport or anything else with nonstaining silicone & moisturizing vitamin E. “Uberlube is everything it promises to be: it is colorless, odorless, tasteless, temperature neutral - and will last as long as you do. There is no residue - no feeling of having something there that needs to be washed off. We could not possibly find anything better” state this outstanding and embarrassing product’s review on Amazon.
10) Short silk dresses. Because the long ones need to rest. Savor the end of the summer, even if you already need leggings and boots with them!

 

Embodiment is the key for understanding yourself, your wounds, your kinks and your addictions. Jason Partnoy (from Paypal mafia) wrote a book on his addiction to pornography: “Silicon Valley Porn Star”. While discussing it on Tim Ferriss podcast he kept mentioning body’s intelligence and his wish to be more embodied as a way to get to his true self, to go down from his head into the body and to grasp its messages. Embodiment is super useful to anyone.

Ukrainians celebrated Orthodox Easter on April 24. I found this Wall Street Journal image so powerful, it made me cry. As well as this Facebook post of a former journalist Algirdas Bakas who runs a charity helping Ukrainians go through this nightmare: “I'm not terribly religious, but waking up in Kharkiv somehow makes you want to say thanks God. Every single night I am awakened by the rumble of a shelling. We are winding along a tank torn road towards the occupied territories. I'm trying to keep up with a Hyundai filled with soldiers leading the way. "We will take you there, and then you are on your own." Soldier Kolia declares with a slightly twitching eyebrow. We are headed south east to Shestokove, where, despite the government's calls to evacuate, some civilians still remain. On board we have ~80 bags of food and medicine + 150 fresh baguettes. After passing multiple check points we arrive at the first house. "And where should we go? Are you saying we should go to Europe and beg for help there? Even if we had the means to get there, which we don't, where am I going to put all my farm animals? Cow, ducks, chicken? Okay, we don't have a dog anymore, it was torn apart by a missile that landed there. Many people have left, they want to return, and army won't let them in. Or they have nowhere to come back to because their houses are destroyed. You see, there are buckets of water everywhere around my place, a rocket fell somewhere nearby, it caught fire, I run out of the basement and put it out quickly, if we weren't here, our house would be gone too.” Nikolai shows the garden full of craters, he counts at least ten holes, I try to understand how it is possible to live like this while constantly waiting for "grace" from the sky. "Yeah, we’re not bored! You have 4-5 seconds to hide. You hear a loud HUP, fall to the ground and pray that rocket doesn't land anywhere near you. If our boys shoot down a russian drone - pizdiec, the shelling can go on for a half day or so. Let's go, I'll show you where we live." We descend into a damp, cold village cellar. Bed is made, walls are lined out with various kinds of preserve and water. “If we ever go out from the shelter, it’s to grab something from the garden or feed the animals. Thanks to the volunteers, we will be able to survive till winter, I really hope that this nonsense will end soon. As soon as possible." […] We drive deeper into the village and find some more people. Two ladies greet us in Ukrainian. Today is the sort of harvest day celebration so we are gently forced to the table. The hostess pours fresh honey from the bucket, the husband (also Nikolai) cuts the baguette we brought. "We haven't tasted fresh bread in a long time!" Sitting under the grapevines, artillery pounding around us, the front line is about 10 km away, smoke on the horizon, but no one from the team is paying attention anymore, let the war wait. Since I don't eat flour anymore, I ask if they have any cucumbers. Of course, the garden is full of them! Are you mad, cucumber with honey?! Yeah, thats how we roll in Lithuania. Nikolai shows part of the Grad rockets that fell in his garden. "We have so many that I am planning to build a fence out of them". We continue to explore the village, we still have a good third of the food to give away. Next stop is the broken Agromol farm. Serhij tells how he has built up the farm with his own hands since 2005, the farm produced about 30 tons of milk per day from 5000 cows. Now, among the fallen, there is a handfull of survivers. Im not going to start to describe the smell. We find out that there is a blind old man left in the village, have to try and find him before it gets dark. No one knows the exact address, go straight, then to the right, behind a big birch you will cross the stream, then up the hill in front of the broken shop will be the third house on the left. Okay. We focus all navigational forces, oh, here is the shop! But this cannot be the right place, there are no windows, everything is overgrown with grass up to the chin. The door is closed, we knock and try to call. As we’re about to turn around there’s some noise behind the door. Next is a scene from a horror movie, one black hand comes out, the door slowly opens. Black, all black man, only his eyes sparkle. It takes a second to start acting, we bring food, Viktor sits down in the doorway, he can't believe that someone has visited him. Despite the shock, Natalia Fesyuk rushes to clean his hands, one wet napkin after another, crying and rubbing until the color of the skin starts to show. “I’ve lost my sight around three years ago. Now I can only tell the darkness from the light. Before the war, people used to stop by, but probably everyone ran away when the explosions started, I'm glad you came, because the rainwater I drink has already run out." My colleague Aleksandr Panteleev goes out to bring clean water for Viktor, I go inside, and everything there is black, smoky with soot, probably a chimney got clogged but Viktor kept using it for heating and food prep. We are discussing evacuation plan, the curfew is fast approaching, we need to get him out of here. Victor smiles sitting in the doorway. "Don't hurry, I won't go to the city now anyway, I still need to shave, you brought me food and water so I'll stay and wait, and you can come when you can." So be it. Natali calls through the institutions, finds someone who can give him shelter and take care, arranges a visit to the ophthalmologist. We drive towards Kharkiv in silence. On the way we watch slowly passing cows that have escaped from the farms and are marching towards the City. Almost like in India. A realization that this is the epilogue of this mission seeps in. Time to go home.”
To donate to his charity “Lasas Juroje” >
Banking: LT217300010171482486
Paypal: Algirdas.bakas@gmail.com

Guillaume Diop - Opéra de Paris dancer, photographed by our dear friend Bojana Tatarska for Mixte magazine. Check out our potato necklace he wears in the photo >

Michaela Boehm - sorceress, empress and a wild woman. A warm, smart, gentle high achiever. A wonderful example of a feminine and a masculine perfectly working together. Her book Wild Women Way is a must read to add to your motivational and inspiration shelf. Photo by M + J

Gold choker made from our Weimar beads. The one that Courteney Cox wore throughout her new tv show press appearances.

Li Edelkoort founded a forecasting service in Paris in 1986. She advocates for textiles longevity. Wrote much-talked-about and thought-provoking anti-fashion manifesto. This is Issey Miyake quote from her newsletter after he passed away in August: "I've been thinking about the challenges we'll have to deal with in the 21st century. Most of us feel some kind of uncertainty, with the population increasing and resources decreasing. It's important to make clothes for long-term use now, not just one season. We can't keep throwing things away. We have to face these issues. Many people repeat the past. I'm not interested. I prefer evolution.” I find Edelkoort and Psyche’s mission lead Elkins-Tanton so similar in their depth, idealism and wanting to “make a dent in the universe”.

Baltic independence way in 1990. That’s how we broke ex-soviet union - by standing hand in hand and singing. // Photo

Vintage JUNETHINGS necklaces - to be rented in LA area soon!!

+ visual board for fall:

What else can you learn from a twelve-years-old? To be better at phone pictures (just try instinctively all the settings in the row), to be in the moment without problems and worries, to have this idea of all life still in front of you, and believe in it genuinely (which I do and then I don’t, and then I do).

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Pioneertown, California, is a weird place. It was built in the middle of the desert as a film set, only one you can live in with so coveted Georgia O’Keeffe aesthetics. Vacationing there, our gang of women embraced it. With very contrasting energies, sharing socks and ad hoc consensus on having two breakfasts (one home made and one out) instead of hiking since 5am 🤪, we enjoyed it to the most. Despite contributing to gentrification of this amazing desert.

Donald Judd made his own beds. I am always fascinated by creative people who design their own world. Visiting Donald Judd house and studio in Marfa was a huge wake up for me. To see that he basically engineered his whole life after his aesthetic and beliefs. That’s how I want to live. Pondering that big time. //

The Wild Child, in French: L'Enfant sauvage, released in the United Kingdom as The Wild Boy - is a 1970 French film by director François Truffaut. The film opens with the statement: "This story is authentic: one summer day in 1798, a naked boy of 11 or 12 years of age (Jean-Pierre Cargol) is found in a forest in the rural district of Aveyron in southern France. A woman sees him, then runs off screaming. She finds some hunters and tells them that she saw a wild boy. They hunt him down with a pack of dogs who chase him up a tree and attack him when he falls. He fights them off leaving one dog wounded, then continues to flee and hides in a hole. The dogs continue to follow his scent, eventually finding his hideaway. The hunters arrive and force him out using smoke to cut off his air supply. After he emerges, the men grab him.” This was the first Truffaut movie that I saw being teenager and it struck me with an incredible power. I felt (& sometimes I still) like that wild child inside who doesn’t know what the shoes are for or who prefers to crawl on all fours instead of walking with a straight spine. And the more I live, the more people confess to me that they feel the same.

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JUNETHINGS emerald journey continues. These soothing green gemstones are really exciting.

While I was gone summering and 2022-ing, brothers Haas made some cool porcelain dishes. Fantasy world inspired by little monsters with green asses, or the otherworldly landscape of Joshua Tree, the Los Angeles-based artists Simon and Nikolai Haas worked with L’OBJET “to create a family of characterful creatures with the highest quality of finish and function”. Or in other words, just fun stuff for your eye to be happy in the moment when you are wandering around your home with real life worries.

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A good book before bed. Rated Adults Only, it has beautiful drawings of infinite desire, and texts on this magic world that she (for some reason I think the author is a woman) says “is play based on hedonistic indulgence and sensual gratification”.

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LES FLEURS, 2009, by Louise Bourgeois. At the end of her life, Bourgeois created several series of red gouache drawings depicting family, birth, the mother-child dyad, and flowers. She painted directly onto wet paper, which diffused her lines and created diluted fields of red and pink. Artist liked the element of chance this process provided, as random drips and stains often occurred as she worked. For her, red was symbolic of blood, pain, and the body, but also of the intensity of “the emotions involved.” You can see her show Drawing Intimacy 1939 – 2010, in London from October 2022 through January 2023.

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Silver Flower Pendant with Astro details: this one is for dearest someone who has sun in Aquarius (innocent deep down), moon in Taurus (stubborn + sensual), Venus in Pisces (creative and mystic in relationships & profession), rising in Libra (stylish - diplomatic) and north node in Sagittarius (“take more risks, be a teacher and get rid of low Gemini vibrations”).

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Embodiment and flow are often used in correlation with all things feminine as opposed to the masculine and the go mode. Although traditional perceptions of submissive feminine and dominant masculine are dated, this duality concept is still valid in context of a couple where tantric teachers encourage you to learn which energy is natural to you to play it polarizing with your partner. But even more interesting aspect of energy play is your personal energetic effectivity. In everyday life Michaela Boehm optimizes it by masterly switching from go to flow and back, and bathes in creativity while harnessing her life force to the utmost, being an example that we adapt the energies we choose to. True creativity, in my opinion, is not only conceiving ideas - but also successfully managing those two modes: how you “make money by pulling energy upwards and then come back into your hips swaying in the bathtub with candles, incense and flowers.” Optimizing your daily energy output isn’t easy but fun as hell and requires discipline as we already mentioned here. One more point in favor of learning to alternate between the go (focus) and flow (relaxation) modes: article that Srini Pillay wrote for HBR (2017) says, “excessive focus exhausts it’s circuits in your brain. It can drain your energy, make you lose self-control, impair your decision-making, and make you less collaborative. The brain operates optimally when it toggles between focus and unfocus. When you unfocus, you engage a brain circuit called the default mode network (DMN). The DMN activates old memories, goes back and forth between the past, present, and future, and recombines different ideas. Using this new and previously inaccessible data, you can imagine creative solutions or predict the future, and more. There are many simple and effective ways to activate this circuit in the course of a day, such as positive constructive daydreaming, napping, and consciously thinking from another person’s perspective”, says Pillay. And I 100% agree! I know so well how valuable is procrastination for my creative process.

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Caramelize yourself without frying too much, or exposing to sun at all. Tanning Foam >

One and only Chanel look for your second, third or fifth wedding.

Phoebe Philo for The Gentlewoman in 2009. We are still awaiting for her debut collection! The scoop is that she is not well??!! We wish you all the health in the world!! // Photo: David Sims

Continuing our home page story: Psyche was the goddess of the soul in ancient Greek and Roman mythology. Born a mortal woman, her beauty rivaled that of Aphrodite (Venus) and inspired the love of Aphrodite's son - Eros, god of desire. In 2022, a real life Psyche (16 Psyche) is an M-type asteroid made of metal (& also a dwarf planet because it's about 220 kilometers (140 mi) in diameter). Referred to as 16 Psyche because it was the 16th minor planet discovered. This amazing illustration by Peter Rubin for NASA was commissioned to make the Psyche 16 project more emotional and engaging. The spacecraft heading to Psyche will reach it probably around 2026, and "what you're seeing when you're looking at the visualization is every imagining that [Elkins-Tanton's team] had about what Psyche might be,” told Rubin. "Some of those things may or may not exist. If they do, they may look nothing like my art, but we were working with the best information we had, from spectrographic analysis, the reflective properties of the surface, and radar shape models."

Afternoon tea with computer pioneer Max Palevsky. Philosophy and logic student before becoming computer scientist, then art collector, activist, movie producer, founder of SDS that he later sold to Xerox, early investor in Intel and other things he was, including being one of the main Malibu mafia instigators. He draw Los Angeles into Silicon Valley myth by establishing Bell Labs Computer Division here in 1957. Love this image above, maybe because I also love putting my feet on everything! He died in 2010 at 85, of heart failure at his home in Beverly Hills. // Photo: D. Gorton / NYT

Order your Junethings dog tag with a special engravery.

Just make that wall green, he said. // Photo: artwork by Katharina Grosse.

For Roof and Walls series Augustas Serapinas obtained a dilapidated wooden house located in the southeastern village of Rudninkai. In his past bodies of work Serapinas focused on the walls and windows of agricultural sheds in rural Lithuania, here his attention turns towards the shingled pine roof of a residential house. When detached and removed from the building, Serapinas sectioned the roof into segments and exposed them to fire. The ashes produced in the process of charring the shingles were then burnt into glass panes, recirculating the material transformations of the Rudninkai house. Finally Serapinas collected soot and other dust from the process of turning the roof cut-outs into black monochromes and used it for etching cloud-like non-images into window panes reclaimed from the same house through yet another process of burning. These ghostly glass negatives are the ‘photographs’. // Anders Kreuger Augustas Serapinas: Roof from Rudninkai, Segment 1, 2022, charred reclaimed wood, nails.

“La Pelle - Luc Tuymans” exhibition in Palazzo Grassi, Venice, 2019. Curated by Tuymans and Caroline Bourgeois. “Tuymans is known for searing figurative paintings (often in a washed-out palette of grays, blacks, and sepia tones) that appropriate images from the media to offer dark commentary on recent history. The marble mosaic, Schwarzheide (2019), appears to be a simple rendering of pine trees but is based on drawings that Holocaust survivor Alfred Kantor created in a concentration camp.” (Artsy) “The larger reason is that with the Second World War we lost nearly everything in Europe. And I took that on as sort of a building block of [my entire] oeuvre. Instead of saying ‘I’m going to make art from art’… I decided to work from the real and a history which is close,” he says. “And the consequences of that specific era [stretches] all the way to what we are living now. The fact that anti - Semitism is cropping up in France; that there is a parade in Belgium that portrays Jews like they were portrayed in Nazi Germany.” This is a dark time, Tuymans says - in March 2019. […] In the face of this, it is important to study not just our history - “people forget, that’s one thing,” Tuymans says - but the way we construct it and misremember it. // Artsnewspaper

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Judy Chicago, Submerged / Emerged #1, signed, titled and dated 1976/2005, acrylic spray on molded cast paper. An Iranian terracotta figure of a woman, Soutwest Caspian area, early first millennium B.C. And Penny Slinger Bitter Lemons - Homage to Lawrence Durrell, painted wax life cast, executed in 1973. Image above is from Sotheby’s show A Woman’s Right To Pleasure, curated together with the BlackBook. It features work by both pioneering and contemporary women artists who give us this unapologetic look at female pleasure through their artistic practice. Erica Jong discusses how “the female experience itself is - and always has been - political” and how the womanhood, like the idea of freedom itself, is subjective & is showed here through the eyes of different artists. “If we could truly depict women’s desire, we might come to understand how it secretly rules the world.” And here is the book if you’d like to see all the artwork yourself.

A good way to keep your savings. My favorite Kelly is a 32 Retourne Vibrato in chocolat with the gold hardware. After the “Sac à Dépêches” was renamed into Kelly (1977) it became the best investment for lovers of all things rare and beautiful. It has been updated only once: the Kelly II, released in 2000 has a double ring at the top handle, designed to attach to a shoulder strap. Coming back to VIBRATO: according to the scoop (Hermès is very secretive about their craftsmanship), it is made of leftovers - how sustainable!! - fusing them into this patchy colorful leather. Isn’t this special?!

Weekly embodiment practices start soon. Follow us on Instagram to know when. Or subscribe to our rare wild newsletter and then get invited. Here is more about what’s coming >

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As the body is a potent source of power and feeling - sensual and sexual happiness within yourself - is unleashed when you are relaxed and in your body, not in your mind. Also, who knew that an orgasm is better for your brain than doing crossword puzzles?! Image: Penny Slinger Read My Lips, chromogenic print, executed in 1973, this work is from an edition of 3, plus 2 artist’s proofs.

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Jenny Morgan, The Lineage, 2022. What a fantastic use of color!!

Remember that rainbow color Pluto image from a couple of months ago? This is the original one who was then treated by the infrared spectrometer of the spacecraft. According to NASA, New Horizons scientists made the false color image of Pluto using the principal component analysis technique that highlights the subtle color differences in the distinct regions of Pluto. The spacecraft's Ralph / Multispectral Visual Imaging Camera collected the image during a flyby of the dwarf planet on July 14, 2015, at 11:11 AM UTC from a 22,000-mile (35,000-kilometer) range. The linearly-varying infrared filter shows a stained glass window effect as it looks for reflected chemicals, wherein the dark bands from the methane ice of Pluto absorb those materials. The scientists plugged the results into colorful channels and created an almost festive mix of red, green, and hints of blue colors. Pluto has a remarkable surface that ranges of distinct colors that tell complex geological and climatological stories that have just been recently decoded. // Sciencetimes

Inspiration: little mirrors for your inflamed imagination. Alaia ballerinas. For fun because life is too short. Who doesn’t want a multiple mirrors situation on their feet.

How is this messy or not? Let’s discuss this >

90 is the new 40?! > a man who swims all his life leaving problems at the shore, says going with the current makes you see the progress better. You can also get a water baby boyfriend instead. Or just Elektro Otsoa “Afterlife” on a loop!!

Some great underwear for you to enjoy this seasonal transition. Flowery straps and blue lace under a thick cashmere - what can be nicer?!

Yana Movchan was born in Kiev in 1971. And this is her auto portrait. “Her whimsical still lifes draw from the genre's rich history, while also reflecting the artist's unique sensibility. With the lush detail, rich tones, and classic objects - fruit, flowers - of Dutch still lifes from the 17th century, her tableaux are more playful, even disheveled, than didactic. Flower vases have toppled over, fruit has been eaten, and cats and birds often appear amid her tablescapes.” Reviewers have compared Movchan’s work to Velasquez, Colville and Magritte. // Artsy

Really cool beaded bag from Zara > summer is gone but you can still wear vacationy accessories. Especially if they remind of the 90’s nostalgia. Beaded, embroidered, weird small, silky or sheer bohemian bags without a proper closure (looks like some kind of kindergarten pouch) are the best!! At least for fun parts of the week, like going out! Or sitting all scarfed in an outdoors cafe.

From the series of “my favorite couples” > Russian refusnik - like he calls himself instead of oligarch - Evgenij Chichvarkin and his partner in life and business Fokina. Together they run a Michelin starred restaurant in Mayfair, London, travel the world and campaign against Putin. // Photo: Getty images

Snapping my outfits in le Marais. I used to be a sucker for Saint Germain, but the more I wander in Marais, the more I love it.

Above you can see Luc Tuymans paintings of the eyes and the hands of concentration camp prisoners that were used for medical experiments by nazi doctors. When I saw this exhibition in 2019, the echoes of WW2 and Holocaust were gently shocking to me. Little I knew then that war hardship is not something we have eliminated in our lifetime. NYT interview with the painter during the lockdown: “I work from a reaction upon images that are already represented,” […] “because I believe nothing is really original. But then I have to make my take on it - and figuration in that sense becomes rather abstract, because everybody can have different connotations.” And this is the way I work: I really premeditate, so that when I start painting I don’t have to think about it anymore. I’m not going to think on the canvas. I have to prepare myself mentally, but there’s a moment where the intelligence goes from my head to my hands. I need that intensity, and when I don’t have that, I can’t do it. And that’s not something I have every day. I go to the studio, with a set mind, probably one day a week, usually Thursday or Friday, and then the work is made in one day. How do you know when you’re done? > When I get the feeling that I’ve done what I could have done - when I’ve reached my limits. A painting has to stay fresh, decisive. When you work on the painting too long, you kill it. And that happens. There are paintings I had to paint 10 times to get right. How many assistants do you have? > Three, but nobody paints with me. Painting is something I can only do myself, in isolation. Also without music - there has to be silence. Is there a meal you eat on repeat when you’re working? > I make three or four sandwiches before I go to my studio.” (NYT)

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I honestly think intimacy helps to disconnect from all of the burden of life. Unless you are in this power couple who works together on challenging projects. Also, you have to watch AD exploring 80 years of Capped Crusader’s home evolution - here.

Lithuanian-American filmmaker, poet, and artist who has been called the godfather of American avant-garde cinema on many occasions, one of the founders of Fluxus movement is portrayed in a documentary “Fragments of Paradise” that just debuted in Venice film festival, and won the award for the best documentary on cinema. Mekas name brings to mind a particular type of autobiographical filmmaking — one that prioritized the immediacy of a given moment over context or sometimes even narrative coherence. “Mekas wrote with his camera and obsessively documented everything in his life decades before people at large started to do so in the era of smartphones and social media. The prevailing attitude of Davison’s film is one of generosity, empathy, and understanding: Mekas was not a perfect person, but he wouldn’t have expected you to be perfect either. What makes him worthy of a sensitive documentary portrait is how he was as interested in filming a cockroach as he was an ex-Beatle. How he championed the work of others even more than his own. “Fragments of Paradise” isn’t interested in the myth of Mekas but the man. After a lifetime of him making introductions, this is the film that allows us to say goodbye.” (Indiewire).

Olympic gold medalist Ruta Meilutyte swims in blood-red pond in front of Russian embassy in Vilnius to protest against the war in Ukraine. Such a powerful imagery. The water was colored with sustainable dye. Idea and execution: Berta Tilmantaite, Neringa Rekasiute, Ruta Meilutyte, Aurelija Urbonaviciute.

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Sofia Coppola married Phoenix front man Thomas Mars wearing a lilac, knee-length, chiffon dress by Azzedine Alaia. Just a reminder that 11 years just went by. Wear your most beautiful dresses and create events that you will remember. // Photo

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Tattoo’s artist Saira Hunjan ("girl with the golden needle") made this jaw dropping deck of oracle cards!! Simply magical: “the hearts are protective beings or talismans, each set in a heart temple. Using these cards to activate your heart centre, you can forge a bond with the Divine and open yourself to healing and transformation. The labyrinthine doorways, steps and passages depicted on the cards indicate the potential of passing through the heart temples into new opportunities and understanding. Saira practises a devotional path. Her practice is channelling and creating artwork, which comes with pure love straight from the Source. To bridge the gap between the physical and the metaphysical worlds, she uses meditation to reach a deep transcendent connection that allows her to translate her experiences into her unique work. Her aim with this deck is to pass on the love, support, strength and courage she receives from the Divine masculine and feminine – with Shiva and Shakti. When you sit with Saira’s oracle card deck, you'll feel the cards alive and pulsating with information and potential.” Yay!!! The best Christmas gift ever.

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Judy Chicago What is Feminist Art?, signed, titled and dated 1977 (numbered 15/120). Lithograph on paper.

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Marilyn Minter works on editing and matching prints for her book on Elder Sex coming in March 2023.

The last wild card is Brad’s outfits from Bullet Train debut screenings around the world made by Haans Nicholas Mott. Loose, disheveled, workwear inspired - they were laconically explained by Mr. Pitt “we all going to die, so let’s mess it up a bit!” // Photo: David M. Benett / Wire Image

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If someone is planning to bite you, use this pomade.

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How to sample the feminine facets we see in each other - by feeling them in your body. Or try on the qualities you are yearning for. Also, pay attention to the archetypes that are difficult to access for you - I am struggling with the Diva. And universe sees it - I am working on it. Sometimes by borrowing outfits from museum exhibits.