Araki, Miyamoto, Sugimoto: Contemporary Japanese Photography

by Anna Oberthur Called a genius by some and a misogynist by others, Japanese photographer Nobuyoshi Araki is probably best known for his sexually provocative female nudes. But the controversial artist's work stretches beyond black and white portraits of women draped across rumpled bedclothes or—more distressingly—elaborately bound and tied to trees. In the Araki, Miyamoto, Sugimoto: Contemporary Japanese Photography exhibit opening 10 November 2007 at …

French Bistro Chairs

Since recently attempting (and failing) to draw one of the chairs most often associated with the sidewalk cafés of Paris, my fondness for their two-color woven seatbacks and curving wood frames has grown even more. Fortunately for us stateside dwellers, American Rag's housewares division Maison-Midi carries them in a few different styles and colors. Made of wood and nylon in Italy, they start at $200 …

Strange Faces Origami

Originally called "oreore-nai," meaning "I can't fold properly," this easy origami kit comes with 15 square sheets of paper printed with photo images of cropped faces. When folded the sheets transform into bizarre kaleidoscopic versions of a face, as if a few people got together and went crazy with Apple's Photobooth effects. Designed by the Tokyo-based origami group Studio Cochae, Strange Faces Origami is available …