Dancing a Tango with Tromp l'oeil

The Art:

46-inch Paper Mosaic Artwork from Argentina

The Story:

As much as this looks like a well-loved (read 'damaged') woven shawl mounted in a giant frame, don't be fooled. This is actually a flat piece of paper on which tiny pieces of coloured paper have been glued to create the illusion of a 3-D textile. Complete with shaggy fringe of super-fine strips of paper.

Whaaaaat? 

That's what I said, when I saw it. Actually, when I saw it 4 or 5 times, since I kept returning to the shop in Buenos Aires' San Telmo art and antiques market, where it first caught my attention. It obviously made an impression because once I saw it, I couldn't stop myself from going back to look at it again and again. Every time I was impressed a little more, finding something more beautiful to look at.

Something tells me I'm going to do the same with Buenos Aires. Like the art in the historic market where I found this, BA is a mixture of old and new, antique and unique. Called the 'Paris of South America', its old-world architecture fools you into believing you are in a European city, until you turn the corner and see the strikingly modern skyscrapers that vie equally for your attention. 

My time in Buenos Aires was too limited to give me more than a taste of the history, food, culture, and art that makes this city so engaging. Like it's renowned Tango dancers, Buenos Aires played the tease and left me wanting more. 

But unlike my Argentinian tromp l'oeil artwork, I am under no illusion – I will be back to visit Buenos Aires again. 

The Fact:

The San Telmo market is a Sunday must-do if you like art, antiques, people-watching, tango, cafe culture and music, all squeezed into cobblestone streets full of locals and tourist alike. Plaza Dorrego is at the heart of it all, being the oldest public space in the city, so be sure to take time out to enjoy a drink at one of its cafes.

 

The Spiritual Side of Shopping

The Art:
Native American "Ghost Shirt"

The Story:
You could say that I had been looking for this shirt for 18 years.

The first time I visited the Southwestern States was in the 90's, travelling by car for 2 weeks over 1500 miles, exploring a landscape that couldn't have felt more alien. Literally. If you've never been to Arizona, New Mexico, or Utah, you should make it a point to visit, because you'll feel like you've landed on another planet.

Montezuma's Castle, south of Sedona

The time-carved mesas and canyons feel ancient, elemental, and their million-year-old history makes your own existence feel insignificant. The native peoples who lived here before us understood this and have a respect and reverence for nature that infuses this part of the world with a spirituality that is palpable.

On my first visit, looking through galleries and shops in Santa Fe and Sedona, I searched for that certain something that represented this feeling but I never found it. But when I found myself back in Sedona in 2012, that certain something found me. In our bed and breakfast, in fact.

When I saw this beautiful shirt hanging in our room, I was immediately smitten, and although it was for sale, I still debated buying it. (It wasn't exactly in the same price bracket as fridge magnets or postcards.) But after literally dreaming about this ghost shirt the night before leaving Sedona, I realized that sometimes there are forces at work that you can't ignore. So I told the owner of the B&B that they would have to find something else to put on their wall.

It may have taken 18 years for me to put it on my own wall, but this hauntingly beautiful piece of art has found its perfect home - in my heart and mind.

The Fact:
Ghost shirts were worn by dancers who believed they were imbued with spiritual powers. The rituals of the ghost dance itself took on many meanings for different tribes, helping to unite tribes from various nations, even ones with a tradition of conflict.