Yayoi Kusama in Venü Magazine

While I’ve seen a lot of my work online – graphic design, photography, and writing – there is nothing quite so satisfying as holding something you created in your hands. Some of my favorite days are those when the new issue of Venü Magazine arrives in my mailbox. There’s that satin soft cover, a beautiful interior layout, and the articles are always compelling. In its entirety, the magazine is high-end and luxurious.

This issue of Venü showcases my cover story on artist Yayoi Kusama. Many know her as the “Princess of Polka Dots” but I find that title to be demeaning. If you knew about her past, her work, her extraordinary living conditions and the breathe of her career, you’d understand that Kusama is more than polka dots and fans taking selfies in her installations. In this issue of Venü you can get a taste for Kusama’s art and life. Photography is courtesy of the Yayoi Kusama Museum in Japan and there is also a special message from Kusama to humanity.

Venü Magazine comes to Boston

Venü Magazine is coming to Boston!

2018 marks the 8th year VENÜ has been indulging affluent readers with cutting-edge editorials and captivating visuals dedicated to the world of luxury. Our writers and staff cover stories that inspire and inform our readers – from the most alluring artwork in the world, to delicious dishes by famous chefs (who share their culinary secrets and sensational stories), to impressive yachts, and posh locations at some of the world’s hottest travel destinations.

Venü is coming to Boston. We look forward to showcasing the best in Boston as we seek to capture some of the city’s finest galleries, restaurants, and hot spots. We await to meet new readers, artists, restaurateurs, gallery owners, and advertisers as we stroll through SoWa and partner as a media sponsor at Boston Design Week 2018 and AD20/21 HOME, April 4-15, 2018.

The Wonder of What We Stand to Lose

I’m so excited to share with you my cover story, The Wonder of What We Stand to Lose, for the winter issue of Venü Magazine 2017/18.

In this issue, I cover the work of pastel artist Zaria Forman. Zaria creates large-scale drawings inspired by her trips to the Arctic and Antarctic aboard the National Geographic Explorer and NASA’s Operation IceBridge. Zaria’s story is not only about creating beautiful work, but it also shares her personal story and her mission to spread awareness on the very real concerns of global warming.

Venü Magazine Cover Story by Lisa Mikulski

Here is an excerpt from the story:

Changing and shifting, the exact subject matter of Zaria Forman’s art can never be captured again. Unlike paintings or photos of landscapes or landmarks – those places where an artist can return again and again – the icebergs of the Arctic and Antarctic are melting and the waters of the Maldives are raising. By the time Forman has completed a drawing, the natural landscape that once existed has diminished and transformed.

Forman has made it her life’s mission to provide us with stunning large-scale artworks of icebergs, glaciers, and the sapphire blues of thousand-year-old ancient ice. In addition to providing us with these highly detailed and majestic views – she creates her work using only her fingers – the work serves to call attention to the urgency that climate change is having upon some of the world’s most vulnerable regions.

Traveling with NASA and National Geographic Explorer, she has passionately sought to capture the story of what we stand to lose. However, rather than bringing to us the tragedy of what is unfolding in these areas, Forman brings the beauty of what she has seen.

“There is, of course, all kinds of bad news out there about climate change. There’s the fact that the past three years have been the hottest on record, extreme weather is wreaking havoc all over the world, the polar bear population in the Arctic is in rapid decline, and now we’re faced with an administration that ignores these problems – contributing to environmental decline with their denial of it,” says Forman.