MIXEDMATERIAL

Buy It Now: 'animalia' by Mauricio Ortiz

Treat yourself to this Scarabeus Cornuplura print (above) by Mauricio Ortiz. Available from Eyestorm in an edition of 50, the picture is one of six from the animalia series that are available on the site. I also love the Scarabeus Frondosa picture (below), available directly from the artist at his own site. The Scarabeus Cornuplura picture is on show until September 28th at the House of Cards exhibition at the Haunch of Venison gallery in London, which features individual playing cards created by artists and designers including Alexander McQueen, Damien Hirst and David Bailey. 

Go: Francis Bacon Centenary Retrospective

On at the Metropolitan Museum of Art until August 16th is the impressive Francis Bacon: A Centenary Retrospective exhibition. While seeing so many of his works collected in one place reveals Bacon's weakness - repetition - it also lets you feel the full impact of his original vision and allows for a sensory onslaught that leaves you feeling as if you have been party to an autopsy on humanity.

Go: Richard Long, Heaven and Earth

Take a trip to Tate Britain to experience the Heaven and Earth exhibition of works by Richard Long. Long creates sculptures that are generally produced from and in natural landscapes and then left in situ to be photographed, exploring ideas of our relationship with nature and natural resourcces. As well as the photography on display, the Tate Britain exhibition also features mud wall works, text documentaries and a number of sculptures in the gallery, including the incredible modern/monolithic work shown above.

Heaven and Earth is at Tate Britain from 3 June to 6 September.

Go: Picasso

London and New York are in sync this spring, with two concurrent shows featuring the grand-daddy of twentieth century art who is, of course, Picasso. Both shows shed new light on his seemingly limitless output and imagination and offer the chance to reconsider just how great art can be.

Go: Triumph of the Sign by Jean-Charles de Castelbajac

Triumph of the Sign is the first solo art show of fashion designer Jean-Charles de Castelbajac. The fruit hasn't fallen very far from the tree for this exhibition, as Castelbajac concerns himself with the tensions and relations that exist between consumer culture, fashion and high art. Questioning provenance and branding, the paintings on show are all made in China copied Western masterpieces that have been painted and then overlaid by another group of painters with logos including, rather cheekily, his own (see below).

Triumph of the Sign by Jean-Charles de Castelbajac is on until May 2nd at Paradise Row, 17 Hereford Street, London, E2.

Go: Walead Beshty at Wallspace

I first saw a couple of Walead Beshty photograms at the Miami Art Museum in January and was struck by their use of colour and their combination of scientific and artistic processes to create works that were both jarring and evocative. Now showing at Wallspace, the Beshty exhibition combines six of these transcendent works - which are created by exposing colour sensitive paper to light filters - with a selection of static black and white portraits of people who contributed to the creation of the kaleidoscopic works. While the smaller portraits work to make the larger pieces 'pop', the relationship between the two isn't convincing and the black and white pictures have little value beyond serving as a list of acknowledgments for the really bright stars of the show. Go for the headline act.

Walead Beshty at Wallspace, 619 W27 Street, NYC, NY 10001. Until 4th April.   

Go: Xylor Jane at Canada New York

As bankers and politicians pluck numbers from thin air to fix their dodgy maths, and the rest of us wonder what these equations of thousands and trillions mean, leave it to the artists to go back to the roots of numeracy and show us that there is beauty in mathematics.

Xylor Jane works with mathematical codes and systems from the worlds of geometry and colour to create works that are both highly ordered and also totally human. Showing at Canada until March 29, this exhibition will provide solace for those seeking order and beauty. 

Xylor Jane at Canada, 55 Chrystie St (between Hester & Canal), NYC NY 10002 

Go: Armory Art Week, New York

Between the 5th and 8th of March, New York will become the international centre for modern and contemporary art with the arrival of Armory Art Week. Spanning the city and taking in The Armory Show along with multiple satellite events including the Bridge Art Fair, Pulse New York and Scope New York, the week will provide a massive showcase of modern and contemporary artists, galleries and dealers, with a particular focus on emerging American art. The Armory Show is also launching a new event this year -  The Armory Show: Modern - that will host international dealers specialising in historically significant modern art, so you can track the progress of art from the emergence of modernity to cutting edge work.

Picture above: 'I love america and america loves me, part 3' by Marc Seguin

Buy it Now: Harry Allen Piggy Bank

I need somewhere new to put the little spare money that I have. The banks just aren't getting any better and under the mattress was a good option until I went Tempur Pedic; my mattress is now so heavy (and comfortable) that I'd never be able to lift it up and get my hands on my cash. A piggy bank is the only way to go for now and there's no better one than this example by Harry Allen. Cast from a real life dead pig, this is a piggy bank for grown ups. It's available in white (shown here) and pink for £83.19 and in gold and chrome from £150. I like the white option best, which leaves me with a bit of cash to fill the little oinker. Available from Opus Interiors.

Go: Indian Highway at the Serpentine Gallery

There are just a few days left to catch the Indian Highway exhibition at the Serpentine Gallery. Open until 22nd February, Indian Highway is an exhibition of contemporary Indian culture that features work including architecture, art and film.