If you are seeking the most innovative of contemporary art, look no further than the new Moco Museum in Barcelona, an offshoot of the independently owned Moco Museum in Amsterdam. It’s a thought-provoking collection of cutting edge works and street art, along with a sampling of NFTs, with some pieces borrowed from the collections of other museums and art lovers.

WHEN ART & VISION MEET

Moco — a play on the words “modern” and “contemporary” — is the brainchild of Dutch art gallery owner Kim Logchies-Prins and her husband Lionel. They bravely opened the Barcelona outpost in spite of the difficulties experienced by Moco Amsterdam amidst the pandemic, when the latter almost had to cut back on staff due to dwindling visitor numbers.

FROM ALL WALKS OF LIFE

Fortunately there was no such shortage of visitors at Moco Barcelona on the day I went, which was an autumn morning so fine that it felt more like summer. Ordinarily, such a day is too perfect for staying indoors, especially when the stylish cafes and the beach are just minutes away. But evidently, many people did prefer the stimulation of art to the other pleasures of life — and interestingly, a lot of them belonged to the Gen X and millennial crowd.

Everything about the museum is a genuine surprise. For one thing, it’s right next to the Picasso Museum, a more traditional Barcelona sightseeing hallmark, in the Ribera district of the Old Town. Talk about older establishment meeting younger and brazen establishment.

Unlike the glamorous Eixample neighborhoods, the Old Town is a hodge-podge of upscale and seedy co-existing creatively together in elegant mansions that once belonged to 18th and 19th century wealthy families. So in this sense, the museum fits right into this neither-here-nor-there district,

MAKING A GRAND ENTRANCE

The Moco Museum Barcelona itself is housed in the former home of the aristocratic Cervello family, whose heyday was in the 1850s. Thankfully, it seems the good old days have returned, as it’s almost certain that this mansion has not seen such a steady stream of enthusiastic visitors in over a century at least.

A giant bear sculpture greets everyone in the courtyard where once perhaps carriages awaited. It’s by the trendy American artist Kaws, a former Disney illustrator, which may explain his penchant for creating characters. Frequent travelers — myself included — have apparently had a similar reaction: “I’ve seen this at Doha Airport!”

KAWS IN BARCELONA

Indeed, a Kaws sculpture is the centerpiece of the massive airport transfer terminal at Doha. Unfortunately the Moco Museum did not have similar liberty with space. The installation team had to take apart more of the bear’s body parts than expected, to get the sculpture through the mansion entrance and set just right by the staircase in the open courtyard.

The museum has a mix of permanent artworks and temporary exhibits. There’s always something new so you definitely won’t get tired of visiting. I’m guessing the Kaws installation is a permanent one or someone is going to have a massive headache in a few months.

After the Kaws bear, the first artwork I saw upon entering the museum itself was to set the tone for the rest of the visit — even if the piece was not part of the permanent collection and merely on loan from British musician George Michael.

DAMIEN HIRST IN BARCELONA

It was a Damien Hirst installation from 2008, literally in the flesh. The heart of a bull with pigeon wings attached to it, covered in gold barbed wire with a large dagger stuck right into it. It spoke to me of pain, hurt and sacrifice; and also of freedom and hope. Never a fan of Hirst, who I always regarded as overpriced and overrated, I was suddenly engulfed with admiration for the imagination and for the unspeakable way in which he chose to shock art enthusiasts.

But most of my admiration is still reserved for Kim and Lionel, who dared to dream of a private museum and to curate it so well that — although less than one year old — the Moco Museum has already made it to the top of so many travelers’ Barcelona bucket list of things to do.

READ MORE ABOUT BARCELONA IN TRAVELIFE MAGAZINE

The post Kaws and Damien Hirst in Barcelona appeared first on TRAVELIFE Magazine.

Hokkaido is an outdoors destination. Visitors generally arrive expecting to spend most of their waking hours amidst nature since the island is known for this. In the winter, serious skiers and beginners alike flock to the ski slopes just near the Kiroro Tribute Portfolio. There are easy slopes for new skiers and steep slopes for the serious downhill skiers.

Outside of winter, visitors head for the hills and parks for hikes and cycling. Hokkaido is a trekker’s paradise, full of beautiful trails without crowds.

OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES IN AT THE KIRORO TRIBUTE PORTFOLIO HOTEL IN HOKKAIDO

On our recent stay at the Kiroro Tribute Portfolio, we generally fell into this same enjoyable pattern. I spent my mornings on a Segway, zipping through the forests. In the afternoons, we explored some hiking trails. One of the most popular things to do in Kiroro in the summer is to do a short hike to a waterfall.

However, one day, I felt like just relaxing and doing something creative for a change. This was when the concierge said to me: “Why don’t you do some crafts at our Activity Center?”

ARTS AND CRAFTS AT THE ACTIVITY CENTER

The Kiroro Tribute Portfolio has a large activity center that’s the hub for all the fun indoors and outdoors. However, I said: “Crafts at the activity center? Isn’t that just for kids?”

The concierge replied: “Not at all. Of course we have a lot of children signing up for crafts. However, adults can also do all kinds of crafts. Many people end up enjoying these activities actually. Arts and crafts are probably therapeutic.”

READ ABOUT THE LOVELIEST NEW HOTEL IN SPAIN

Taking his word for it, I decided to sign up for arts and crafts at the activity center. The crafts room is a bright and airy room with a center table filled with materials.

Participants choose a space for themselves and select what they wish to make from a list of options. Of course, there were several children hard at work on decorating music boxes and candles. Interestingly, I was not the only adult who’d decided to stay indoors for a change and get creative.

PAINTING CUPS AND SAUCERS IN HOKKAIDO

I chose to design my own cup and saucer, thinking this would be a good and practical memory of my stay at the Kiroro Tribute Portfolio Hotel. For this, I got a plain cup and saucer and a set of watercolor markers.

I couldn’t believe it. I said to the lady in charge of the crafts room: “We only use watercolor markers? How is this possible?”

She smiled at me and said: “The watercolor markers are non-toxic so they’re safe to use. At the same time, the color clings quite nicely to the pottery. Just make sure not to smudge your designs.”

I spent about two hours designing my cup and saucer. It was so easy to get engrossed in this task. As the concierge said, crafts are really therapeutic.

THE BEST SOUVENIR OF HOKKAIDO

When I was done, the lady carefully placed my masterpieces into a box. “When you get home, bake this in the oven for several minutes and then your cup and saucer will be fine.” She included a sheet of simple instructions along with this.

The cup and saucer turned out fine, as she promised. I use these everyday. And whenever I do, I always remember my enjoyable holiday at the Kiroro Tribute Portfolio Hotel in Hokkaido.

Read more about the best hotels and resorts in Hokkaido in Travelife Magazine.

The post Arts and crafts in Hokkaido appeared first on TRAVELIFE Magazine.

Yesterday was a beautiful winter/spring day in Tokyo, living a #Travelife.

I decided to head for the National Art Museum in Tokyo’s Minato Ward, a cool and contemporary building of glass and steel, to see the retrospective that the museum mounted as a tribute to Issey Miyake, perhaps Japan’s greatest fashion designer.

Scroll down to read more about the Issey Miyake retrospective in Tokyo… 

THE UNIQUE AND TIMELESS DESIGNS

OF ISSEY MIYAKE

No one else can make clothes like Issey Miyake does.

Issey Miyake’s clothes move in unimaginable ways, and yet everything works. I love wearing his designs and whenever I do, I can’t help thinking to myself: “This man is really an artist.“

So I own a lot of Issey Miyake clothes, which take me from casual to formal, from morning to night, and to events and non-events around the world. I bring my Issey Miyake clothes everywhere in my never-ending #Travelife.

And wherever and whenever I wear them, his clothes feel right.

REMEMBERING SOME SERIOUS

SHOPPING IN MARRAKECH

The only other piece of clothing that’s ever made me feel this way is a black coat dress I bought at the most fashionable boutique in Marrakech about two trips ago.

By Morocco shopping standards, it was a rather pricey garment; but my companions urged me to get it saying I would probably never see another coat dress like it again. I am so glad they pushed me to do it as this coat dress fits so well in Tokyo.

I just wore it to a dinner with friends last Saturday, in fact.

PHASING OUT MY WARDROBE,

SIMPLIFYING MY LIFE

Wearing Tinsley in Tanzania, living a #Travelife…

So slowly, I’m phasing out my wardrobe and simplifying my life so that every piece of clothing I own will either be something sporty for a safari or for a weekend in the mountains, or something cutting edge and unusual but extremely comfortable like an Issey Miyake creation.

And of course my favourite Tinsley dresses which are so nice to bring on holidays — whether it’s South Africa or the south of France, as always living a #Travelife.

Wearing Tinsley in Tanzania, living a #Travelife…

ABOUT THE ISSEY MIYAKE RETROSPECTIVE

IN TOKYO

The Issey Miyake retrospective in Tokyo covered some of Issey Miyake’s most interesting creations from the 1970s to 2015.

As a big fan, it was very nice to see how his style has evolved. 

The post The Issey Miyake retrospective at the National Art Museum in Tokyo. And about simplifying my wardrobe. appeared first on TRAVELIFE Magazine.