"Red Poppies" is a sculpture of painted aluminum on polished aluminum base, belonging to Sultan’s famous Flower series. The artist is credited for the revival of the still life tradition where the image is deconstructed to the basic elements, thus Sultan’s work remains both abstract and representational.

"Most of my ideas were to put imagery back into abstract painting. Some of the ones that look the most abstract are actually the most realistic."

DONALD SULTAN

"Big Poppies" well represents the Sultan's emblematic artistic signature. The image reveals one of the key features of Sultan’s work - the material juxtaposition- the contrast of a weighty background with ethereal shapes of the flowers. Sultan emphasizes the distinct qualities of the various elements: the surface and the support, which is then projected forward so that the viewer is conscious of its artificiality

The Greeks believed that diamonds were the tears of gods, and the Romans wrote about Cupid’s arrows being diamond-tipped. This is how this precious gemstone became a gesture of love and a social symbol of affluence. Especially since the red diamonds are the rarest and most expensive, they are the most coveted. With this festive Diamond in red colour, Koons offers a reimagined iconography of the gemstone found in nature, which takes billions of years to form. He first started working with the image of the Diamond in 1994 as part of his Celebration series. Thereafter, the Diamond became a vehicle for Koons to communicate and reflect upon the mass-made consumer products that are created for festivities. The American artist stated: "I don´t care about money. I´m interested in people, human desire, and aspiration.” This is why it is presented in the company of four gleaming golden settings at its corners, embracing the gemstone from every angle to keep it safe and in place, as a warm motherly figure. Koons elaborated: “It’s not about bling, but it’s about the moment of creation. The posts on the sides of the diamond represent male energy, and the diamond is an egg. The stone is attached to a ring by four prongs. For me, the prongs are like sperm attacking an ovum, in the process of being fertilized. That represents the truest narrative we have of human history, which are our genes and our DNA." With this technically challenging edition, Koons stretched the capabilities of the Limoges porcelain practice for this limited edition. Characteristic of his works, they share a deliberate mirroring effect of its environment, and that of the viewer - one cannot see the artwork without seeing oneself and as the artist has said, "If you don't move nothing happens."

“ Everything is a metaphor at the end of the day - we don't care about objects we care about people - and all objects and images are metaphors for ourselves and other people. „

—Jeff Koons

As a boy Peter Blake would often visit the cinema with his mother where he became an admiring follower of the Hollywood stars. This homage to Marilyn Monroe explores the relationship between celebrity icon and adoring fan through nostalgic childhood fantasies, and Blake’s silkscreen with Diamond Dust showcases Marilyn as an emblem of popular culture in a playful and affectionate way.

The notable Marilyn is presented as a symbol of desire and set against a popping red background to compliment her signature smile, her mouth slightly open painted in a cherry lipstick colour. The work is finished with a shimmering layer of Diamond Dust for a glamorous finish and is signed and numbered by the artist. This is a limited edition series of only 150 Marilyn pieces.

This is a representative bicolor work, the red of the metal plate in contrast to white chalk. He refers once again to American icons, in this case, one of the best known, the letters of Hollywood. Using his technical feature of “erasure drawings” creates an apocalyptic landscape giving sensation of a lonely atmosphere, the letters have a ghostly appearance even as they're burning. It is a work that perfectly defines both the pictorial style as thematic of the artist.

"I am concerned with figuring absence, with negotiating between the static vocabulary of race, gender, and class stereotype and the invisibility of the dimension of human history in the objects i create"

GARY SIMMONS

Simmons’ dramatically monochromatic Hollywood signs on fire has a sort of animation in itself, with its wisps of ethereal smoke, which underscores the instability and vulnerability of West cultural foundation. Part of the "Smoke" series, which took its inspiration from the film Conquest of the Planet of the Apes, this print communicates the artist´s impossible mission of ridding stereotypes in society, as "erasure" represents evidence that the viewer almost never sees.

Candida Höfer is known for her images of empty interiors of libraries, museums, palaces and theatres, focusing on the cultural spaces free from human presence. Part of the artist’s latest exhibition at Sean Kelly Gallery, Candida Höfer in Mexico, Teatro Degollado Guadalajara III expands her signature attention to Mexican Baroque interiors.

Spaces may or may not invite the image—if they do, they mostly do it with their spatial layers of time… It is then the image that takes the place of the space; the image in its own right."
CANDIDA HÖFER

The self-imposed subject restrictions evident in her project are both cultural and formal in nature. The Baroque interiors of the Mexican Teatro Degollado Guadalajara provide a “formal portrait of the society itself”.

“Suiko” belongs to “The Empresses”, a series of five glorious prints carefully composed of butterfly wings that create a kaleidoscope effect and are placed on a flaming red background. Each work has been carefully screen printed with glitter coat which offers that gleaming effect on them. Each Empress from this series is named after five exceptionally influential female rulers: Wu Zetian (624-705), Nūr Jahān (1577-1645), Theodora (c. 490-548), Suiko (554-628) and Taytu Betul (1851-1918). Their characters and stories are enhanced by the dominant red tone of the series, which deals with themes such as life, war, power, anger, love, joy and luck. Suiko, a composition which evokes life in many ways, is titled after the first recorded empress of Japan. Though legend says that several females had ruled before Suiko (554-628 CE), her rise to power after her brother Sushun was murdered in 592 CE marked a break with tradition of installing male rulers. Suiko is remembered for the Chinese and Korean influences she brought to the country, including the implementation of the Chinese calendar, the arrival of Chinese and Korean craftsmen, and, perhaps most notably, the establishment of Buddhism.

“Wu Zetian” belongs to “The Empresses”, a series of five glorious prints carefully composed of butterfly wings that create a kaleidoscope effect and are placed on a flaming red background. Each work has been carefully screen printed with glitter coat which offers that gleaming effect on them. Each Empress from this series is named after five exceptionally influential female rulers: Wu Zetian (624-705), Nūr Jahān (1577-1645), Theodora (c. 490-548), Suiko (554-628) and Taytu Betul (1851-1918). Their characters and stories are enhanced by the dominant red tone of the series, which deals with themes such as life, war, power, anger, love, joy and luck. Rife with symbolism and with a six-point star composition at its centre, Wu Zetian is named for the ruthless yet successful Chinese ruler. In 655 CE Wu Zetian (624-705 CE) married Emperor Gaozong and became empress, much to the dismay of many statesmen who she soon eliminated in an infamous reign of terror that she maintained over the innermost circles of government. Despite the politics and violence within, Wu Zetian proved to be a competent leader, creating stability and consolidating the Tang Dynasty at a time when it appeared to be crumbling.

“Nūr Jahān” belongs to “The Empresses”, a series of five glorious prints carefully composed of butterfly wings that create a kaleidoscope effect and are placed on a flaming red background. Each work has been carefully screen printed with glitter coat which offers that gleaming effect on them. Each Empress from this series is named after five exceptionally influential female rulers: Wu Zetian (624-705), Nūr Jahān (1577-1645), Theodora (c. 490-548), Suiko (554-628) and Taytu Betul (1851-1918). Their characters and stories are enhanced by the dominant red tone of the series, which deals with themes such as life, war, power, anger, love, joy and luck. “Nūr Jahān”, defined by complex mosaic-like arrangements and a structural composition, is named after the multi-skilled de-facto empress of the Mughal Empire. In 1611 Nūr Jahān (1577-1645) became Emperor Jahāngīr’s 20th wife, but not officially his empress. Nonetheless, she exerted her influence on the empire, minting coins in her name and issuing royal decrees. A great diplomat, a skilled hunter and a successful advisor, Nūr Jahān was also a talented architect – her designs for her parent’s tomb in Agra are believed to have inspired the Taj Mahal.

“Taytu Betul” belongs to “The Empresses”, a series of five glorious prints carefully composed of butterfly wings that create a kaleidoscope effect and are placed on a flaming red background. Each work has been carefully screen printed with glitter coat which offers that gleaming effect on them. Each Empress from this series is named after five exceptionally influential female rulers: Wu Zetian (624-705), Nūr Jahān (1577-1645), Theodora (c. 490-548), Suiko (554-628) and Taytu Betul (1851-1918). Their characters and stories are enhanced by the dominant red tone of the series, which deals with themes such as life, war, power, anger, love, joy and luck. A composition that is infused with an exhilarating sense of speed and movement, Taytu Betul is named after the fierce empress of Ethiopia. Upon her marriage to Emperor Menelik, in 1889 Taytu Betul (c. 1851-1918) became empress of Ethiopia. She was anything but a passive ruler, unequivocally resistant to imperialism and staunchly opposed to any negotiations that would result in a loss of Ethiopian territory. During her reign, Taytu Betul also founded Addis Ababa, which remains Ethiopia’s capital city today.

“Theodora” belongs to “The Empresses”, a series of five glorious prints carefully composed of butterfly wings that create a kaleidoscope effect and are placed on a flaming red background. Each work has been carefully screen printed with glitter coat which offers that gleaming effect on them. Each Empress from this series is named after five exceptionally influential female rulers: Wu Zetian (624-705), Nūr Jahān (1577-1645), Theodora (c. 490-548), Suiko (554-628) and Taytu Betul (1851-1918). Their characters and stories are enhanced by the dominant red tone of the series, which deals with themes such as life, war, power, anger, love, joy and luck. Extraordinarily complex and dynamic, Theodora is named for the great Byzantine empress who used her intelligence and savvy to create lasting change in the empire. Born into the lowest class of Byzantine society, Theodora (497-548 CE) rose to power in 527 CE following her marriage to Emperor Justinian. She left a significant impact on the region, namely through implementing new religious and social policies. Indeed, Theodora’s power over the empire left many to wonder if it was her and not Justinian that ruled.