A symbol is a funny thing. Especially when that symbol is a human being. From everything I know, JFK meant a lot of different things to a lot of different people. Iconic imagery can transform a group of people into a concept or an idea, or a president and his family into rockstars. If you’ve kept up with Rolling Stone during the Obama era, you know what I mean. Richard Avedon‘s portraits of the Kennedy family, shot in January of ’61, are impressive for their intimacy though. Avedon’s shots are personal, as if to subtly remind you that behind all the media hype, these are actually just people we’re looking at. Pretty inspiring stuff.
Movie premieres are a sight to see. Earlier this week we were invited to the premiere of Machete starring Danny Trejo, Robert De Niro, and Jessica Alba. Having only been to one movie premiere before, Tiago and I were juiced for the occasion. Arriving around 5pm we were greeted by a fleet of lowriders, strategically placed to escort each cast member into the theatre once the premiere began. While the first hour was pretty uneventful, things picked up once Jessica Alba arrived.
I feel like for many of us New York is that elusive destination that we all must get to. It’s like the last level of Mario or something. New York’s like Bowser’s castle, hella ominous at first, but hella fun once you get the hang of it. A.K., Jarron and Amanda are out there now, The rest of us will be there soon. In the meantime we can marinate on these overhead shots. A truly majestic city. New York by 2012.
I like boobs and I like butts, so when Asger Carlsen created these images for S. Magazine I couldn’t help but appreciate. Boobs and butts are so interesting to me though. I feel like there’s a few social paradoxes in relation to these body parts that I still don’t quite understand. For example, it seems like boobies are more than acceptable to be showcased in public, but the nipple is actually the threshold that is not be crossed, because there are some true cleavage busters in Los Angeles county that’ll walk out of the house showing everything but the nip, and then get mad at you for staring. And on another note, aren’t bathing suits essentially water proof bra’s and panties? And even though they are, you can’t just roll to the beach in a bra and panties, because that’s “unacceptable”. Societies funny like that. What do you think?
For the kids like myself that grew up in ’90s, I think most of us remember an era when MTV was the purveyor of all things cool. Beavis & Butthead and Daria aired daily, The Real World wasn’t scripted yet and alternative, electronica, and hip-hop music inspired some of the dopest music videos of all time. The music video was a full-fledged art form, complete with superstar directors (Spike Jonze, Michel Gondry) and full of weird shit an eight year-old kid probably shouldn’t have been watching.
But hey. Now that MTV programming is almost exclusively dedicated to quality, thought-provoking programming like Jersey Shore and The Hills, it’s hard to see why anyone would be nostalgic for a time when these five-minute masterpieces ruled the small screen. In any case, Pitchfork picked 50 of their favorites, and luckily for us nostalgia junkies, Maaria gave me the heads up. Check here for the full list, and hit MORE for a few of my personal favorites.
If you’re able to say you introduced Andy Warhol to anything, you’re already winning in my book. As the man who once gave Warhol his first camera (not to mention introducing Warhol to the works of both Jean-Michel Basquiat and Keith Haring), Christopher Makos holds an interesting place in the pop art canon. Famous for his Polaroids, Makos’ work serves as a window into the ’70s and ’80s, capturing personal and cultural moments with a one-of-a-kind aesthetic sense. For the art lovers in New York, East Hamptons’ Clic Gallery will be featuring a collection of some of Makos’ Polaroids up until September 5th. For everybody else, peep the gallery below.
Maybe I’m a little biased when I name the Reserve Store as one of my favorite stores in Los Angeles. I think they just do it so much better than the other street wear stores on Fairfax and beyond. The mix of gear and culture is unmatched, and Gilbert and Tyler always make for entertaining visits. Tomorrow night, Reserve will be hosting a special evening event showcasing new wood serigraphs from House Industries. Even if serigraph and screen printing isn’t your thing, you should still slide through because cool folks will be there.
This is what we do for it for. For the folks (like myself) that never knew this existed until today. And for those who needed that little bit of inspiration for their Wednesday night. A lesson in dedication perhaps. Because you’ve gotta want it. Mallakhamb, practiced throughout 29 states in India. And I thought strippers were nice with it.
I have had many good times in Harlem. I think it’s the vibe you get when you hit the corner of 125th street and guys are yelling outside the barbershop, the smell of soulfood, and sounds like those of the legendary Apollo. It’s a place full of stories and individuals. This neighborhood of New York City cannot be replicated anywhere in the world. You can get a small taste of Harlem just by attending a street fair and walking one block. This specific day was the Harlem book fair, people were simply enjoying themselves in the best way they knew how.
There’s a few things I like to think I know about art. And among them are a few ideas pretty closely related to this video. For one, less is more. Doing something simple often says a lot. Secondly, emotional investment in one’s work is important; it allows to art to be a release for the artist, and it makes the piece resonate with it’s audience that much more. Thirdly, a magnetic and talented performer can make anything worth watching. For all of those reasons, the video for “Cold War”, shot in a mental asylum in a single take, is one beautiful piece of art. Janelle continues to impress.
As I understand it, a double exposure is the technique of exposing the same piece of film twice, basically superimposing one image on top of the other. I’m sure Tiago, Sydni and a handful of other folks could explain a little more thoroughly though. With that said, Andrew Volk is dope with the double exposures. Making creative use of lights, faces and natural scenery to create his images, Volk’s work has a dreamy, colorful aesthetic to it. Like most photographers of his caliber though, the double exposure is just one of many photographic talents Volk has to offer. Head over here to see more from his catalog.
Whether we’re looking at albums, or artistic statements, I think few are more important or more impressive than the ones we’ve had a chance to see from Ms. Badu so far this year. Two important things to keep in mind about Erykah though for this one. For one, she’s a hip-hop head. Secondly, she likes to throw curveballs every once in a while. So if the collab/short-film with Ricky Ross sitting shotgun wasn’t quite what you expected, that’s okay. The best artists keep us guessing, and this one is something special. I’d recommend waiting this one out til the end.
Good morning to some, good afternoon to others. Another day on the bowties, so happy you could make it. It just kinda dawned on me that you’re/we’re out here, doing this. Because there’s like a billion fucking websites out there, but you’re here with us. And that’s humbling. I’m going to flesh out this idea a bit more in the near future, but for now, thank you.
I think what’s so wonderful about our movement is that we’re running off creativity, which in turn is running off humanity. As long as there are people, creativity will thrive. Somewhere, some place, people are creating, always, and I think that’s amazing. Think about it. Someone out there is about to finish a fucking masterpiece today. And someone else is just beginning. And Nick Georgiou finished his a while ago, but here it is today. Newspaper Sculptures. Who would’ve thunk? Find your medium, and make something. Where there’s a will there’s a way.
“In order to become a member of the Original Scraper Bike Team, you must:
Be a resident of Oakland, CA. Be at least 7 years or older. Retain A 3.0 Grade Point Average, Create your own Scraper Bike…(It Has To Be Amazing, Or Else You Can’t Ride.) A single-file line when riding. After 10 rides The Scraper Bike King and his Captains will decide if your bike is up to standards and if you can follow simple guidelines. After your evaluation we will consider you a member and honor you with an Original Scraper Bike Team Shirt. Only worn when Mobbin…”
Having a signature style is something that’s inescapable for most artists. Luckily for Brooklyn artist Benjamin Edmiston, his style is icy, and original to boot. Describing the feel of his work, Edmiston likens it to “an early, crude Mickey Mouse cartoon, or a misplaced folk sculpture standing eerily on a dusty shelf.” Indeed, Edmiston juxtaposes childlike, almost crude drawings with an eerie sensibility and a knack for complex color schemes, his paintings have a look that’s all their own. See the full gallery here.
A symbol is a funny thing. Especially when that symbol is a human being. From everything I know, JFK meant a lot of different things to a lot of different people. Iconic imagery can transform a group of people into a concept or an idea, or a president and his family into rockstars. If you’ve kept up with Rolling Stone during the Obama era, you know what I mean. Richard Avedon‘s portraits of the Kennedy family, shot in January of ’61, are impressive for their intimacy though. Avedon’s shots are personal, as if to subtly remind you that behind all the media hype, these are actually just people we’re looking at. Pretty inspiring stuff.
