The Darshan Project - photo art of Hindu deities

I found out about this project through Yoga Journal - and I had to post it here because this photography is absolutely stunning:

THE DARSHAN PROJECT, an ambitious work in progress from New "Vork artist Manjari Sharma, features the Sanskit word dar shan, meaning "vision" or "view." In this case, says the Mumbai-born Sharma, the term can be denned as "an experience that ignites an understanding of the spiritual realm." Her goal is to install nine four-by-five-foot prints of meticulously staged photographs of Hindu deities in a gallery, along with text, incense, lamps, and taped invocations. It is an enormousand expensive- task. Dozens of craftspeople need at least four weeks and require elaborate sets, jewelry, and prosthetics to create each photograph. (Yoga Journal, March 2013 issue)

"Maa Laxmii", by Manjari Sharma

Initial funding for this project was raised through Kickstarter, and Sharma is now selling prints on the Darshan Project website to raise further capital in order to continue this gorgeous series.

Artsy: a new site for discovering art on the internet

Artsy has been my guilty pleasure for a few months now - perfect for procrastination, but also very educational and a great way to keep track of my favorite artists.

How to describe Artsy? Think of Pandora (the internet radio that touts itself as the "music genome project") for the art world.  On artsy, you can follow a list of artists (the ones you know you like) and also follow "genes" (a specific movement, theme, medium, or subject). Artsy also tells you if a particular artwork is for sale--although as a postdoc most of the pieces I like are waaaay out of my budget...

I've discovered so many new artists lately through Artsy! One feed I definitely recommend is Contemporary Chinese Art.

Portraits of Street Fashion - the Sartorialist

I've recently become obsessed with the Sartorialist. This fabulous blog is run by photographer Scott Schuman, who aims to create "a two-way dialogue about the world of fashion and its relationship to daily life." The result? Striking, candid street portraits of men and women both young and old. I've posted a teaser below (I love this shot), but I encourage you to check out the blog for yourself.  And of course, you'll get much inspiration for revamping your wardrobe.