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Artist Spends 5 Years Covering Entire Kitchen in Millions of Glass Beads

You might think you know what patience means, but American artist Liza Lou clearly has a bit better understanding of what meticulous work really is. Her first large scale work of art Kitchen took 5 years to complete (1991–1996), and is, as the title suggests, a life-size replica of a kitchen, covered entirely in millions of glass beads. Liza Lou’s kitchen was created by placing each of tiny beads separately using a pair of tweezers, and that way created an amazing mosaic surface to every single item in the room, from walls to newspaper to a bag of chips.

In 1999, she was back with her new Backyard art project, where she used over thirty million beads! Most of them went into creating 250,000 blades of grass around the picnic table. In 2013 Liza presented her last art installation, called Color Field, which will on display at the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego through November 3rd. Color Field is meant as a tribute to the grasslands of South Africa, where the installation artist is currently based.

The artist says that her unique artworks were inspired by traditional African bead crafts, which are still very much alive in the local culture. She cooperated with local artisans, who passed her the secrets of this medium that they have been working with for generations. Check out the mesmerizingly beautiful artworks!

Website: lizalou.com

Kitchen

Artist Spends 5 Years Covering Entire Kitchen in Millions of Glass Beads

Kitchen took 5 years to complete. Liza placed each of tiny beads separately using a pair of tweezers.

Backyard

Artist Spends 5 Years Covering Entire Kitchen in Millions of Glass Beads

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I may look like a cat, but deep down I'm a panda. Sometimes I'm lazy, sometimes I'm bored - I'm just like you, but a bit cooler.

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I may look like a cat, but deep down I'm a panda. Sometimes I'm lazy, sometimes I'm bored - I'm just like you, but a bit cooler.

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JanelO'Connor 9 years ago

what happens if her fridge breaks? another 2 years of beading?!

4points

KafkaMadcap 9 years ago

what happens if you're illiterate? another stupid question about an art installation as if it's meant to be a functional kitchen?!

-3points

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LalaJ.PLestrade 9 years ago

This is an absolutely thrilling contemporary art piece. It is simply wonderful. I adore it.

1point

RobertBranson 8 years ago

I saw both these pieces in Santa Monica displayed in a show. The kitchen piece was outstanding not just for its' feat of beadwork but she had incorporated words from female poets and authors in various places through out the work. It made a statement on many levels. But the backyard cookout became just a feat...impressive for the work nothing else. I have had a love/hate relationship with Liza Lou's work. At times it's just trite and easy beads on pre-existing objects mostly executed by her team of tribal beaders in South Africa. To me it's more that she exploits the situation that was handed to her through contacts that maneuvered her into the spotlight. Her first piece was purchased by Mr. Norton famed collector at the suggestion of other noted collectors on the modern art scene. There is merit to some of her work but a lot of it is startlingly empty of art and more banal than anything else. Her launch into the market by powerful forces made her a name and it seems that is all it

0points

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