THOUGHTS ON THE WORLD OF LUXURY AT LARGE
Can’t believe we made it. This is what we’re thankful for. The sound you heard emanating from Paris yesterday was the sound of something dropping. A new music video from the Carters – aka Beyoncé and Jay-Z. But also jaws. And facades. Veils. And masks. Old ideas of beauty. Ancient concepts of privilege. Velvet ropes and restraints. Inhibitions and constraints. And without a doubt, the mic.
Fireflies is a recurring series of essays at Dandelion Chandelier written by our youngest contributors. Our Fireflies are sharing how they experience life, and what they love (and don’t). Prepare for sparks and flashes of insight about modern luxuries, large and small. In this edition, Krystal Chong shares her thoughts on why having a lot of expensive stuff is not necessarily the route to living life luxuriously.
As previously discussed here at Dandelion Chandelier, there’s a fascinating central tension inherent in luxury: it’s simultaneously ethereal and deeply-rooted; humble and haughty; high and low; dandelion and chandelier. Right now, Low is having a moment. And so we see the rise of the once-humble utilitarian sports vehicle to the luxury stratosphere: the Super SUV.
It’s official: we have our first black British princess. And her Royal Wedding, on a picture-perfect brilliantly sunny day, signaled the continuation of an incredible stretch of successes for African-Americans the world over this year. Kendrick Lamar wins a Pulitzer Prize. Black Panther gives us a fictional black royal family and a superhero who looks just like us – and shatters ticket sale records worldwide. Director and writer Jordan Peele wins an Oscar. This week at Sotheby’s, Kerry James Marshall‘s panoramic painting “Past Times” sells for $21.1 million, a new record for a living black artist. After the 2016 election, who could have dreamed that 2018 would be The Year of Black Excellence? There are clearly forces afoot in the world that can’t be stopped.
Global modern luxury is taking on a decidedly more expansive look if the bell-weather spring auctions in New York this week are any indication. Significant new heights in sale prices were reached for a number of living black artists at Sotheby’s Contemporary Evening Sale, with one iconic work selling for $21.1 million.
