We all have those realer-than-life dreams that you want to last forever. Just last night, we had a particularly awesome fantasy of jetting to Rio with Jude Law and an over-sized 2.55 Chanel bag brimming with Ladureé macarons. While we can't actually make that come true (at least, not today), one visionary, Lies Maculan, has taken her dream journal to a whole other level. The Austrian artist, known for her life-sized photography, has created a "pop-up" art exhibition called the Dream Shop opening to the public Friday, a photo-realistic installation that houses more than 100 ultimate dreams and desires. In what might be the most trippy trompe l'oeil ever, Maculan has photographed objects on wooden shelves and then mounted the life-size prints onto aluminum stands. The result is a 3,000-square-foot room that looks like a giant cabinet of curiosities. On closer examination, the eclectic items, which each represent a subconscious desire (the pile of bricks are the foundation for a dream house, the metal iron is for ironing out your wrinkles), are one-dimensional; dreams that you can grasp but not hold onto. Our favorite piece may just be the aptly entitled "The Dream," a sleeping woman in peaceful slumber attached to the floor. Because, really, who doesn't fantasize about having more time to dream?
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The Dream Shop is open Tuesday to Sunday, 3-11 p.m. until April 1.
According to the artist, the odd hours encourage people to start their dreaming early (plus the complimentary wine doesn't hurt).
30 West 21st Street, (between 5th and 6th avenues).
Local Love: R29 is hooking up local readers with the chance to score a private tour with the artist herself on Monday, March 15, 22, or 29. Email info@liesmaculan.com and mention the R29 New York newsletter to schedule an appointment.
