It was the summer of 2010 when Brette first told me she wanted to start her own clothing brand. We were sitting in the car, a couple blocks off of Telegraph in Berkeley when she shared her vision. “It’s going to be a brand to empower women,” she told me. “We don’t have a name yet though.” In 2011 Stuk Designs was born. Dedicated to the cultivation of the whole woman, the brand features a variety of vibrant graphics that relate messages of positivity and self awareness. Recently I had the pleasure of spending the day with Brette in Downtown Los Angeles where we talked about her art, her message and her creative influences.
There’s a common thread that ties together each of Gusmano Cesaretti‘s photography collections. Each collection displays his uncanny ability to capture a specific place and time, in a way that feels almost mythical, and yet also deeply personal. While each series, taken as a whole, paints a sort of romanticized portrait of the place in question, the idiosyncratic details of each picture tell a story of their own. The pair of collections currently being shown at Los Angeles’ Roberts & Tilton gallery– the first documenting 1970s East L.A., and the second depicting the harsh realities of Panamanian street life– put some of the most powerful examples of that particular talent on display.
In an era where one million youtube views can equate to instant stardom, it’s hard to define what’s truly fresh from what’s just popular. It’s a debate plenty of us have had many times over, and one that comes to light when considering the rise of A$AP Rocky. I think Dom understands. So when A$AP’s latest visual offering hit the net sometime last night, I thought twice about throwing it up. Has A$AP become trendy before he’s even dropped an album? Maybe so. Nonetheless, I’ve watched this video like six times.
It always seems like we should show the illustrators and authors of children’s books more love. Personally, I credit folks like Dr. Seuss, Eric Carle, Bill Watterson, Maurice Sendak and Shel Silverstein for stretching out my imagination as far as it would go when I was a kid. I suppose what distinguishes the great from good in that category are the books you can flip through fifteen or twenty years later and still be blown away by their creativity or their power to convey complex ideas in deceptively simple ways.
Whether or not it’s intended as a children’s book, in the traditional sense of the word, Rop van Mierlo‘s wordless Wild Animals collection has that same sort of classic feel and elegant simplicity to it. Billed by van Mierlo as “a wild book for civilized people” and “a sophisticated book for wild people”, Wild Animals is a collection of gorgeous watercolors, done in a playful, gestural style that almost recalls Rorschach inkblots. Aside from that, the award-winning work is self-published, and now in its second printing. Read on for a closer look inside, or cop here.
Glenn Ligon is certainly not the first artist to use America as a conceptual framework through which to explore his own identity. But through some combination of Ligon’s unique experience in America, and the biting wit and keen insight he brings to that discussion, his contribution stands as something definitive and original in contemporary art. Most noticeably, Ligon’s art is about being black and about being gay in America. But far from transparent or obvious criticisms about race or sexuality, Ligon’s work is highly conceptual, offering personal meditations that match the complexity of the subject matter he’s approaching.
Sunday, January 22nd marks the last day of Ligon’s Americaat LACMA, a large-scale, mid-career retrospective commemorating the 61 year-old artist’s life and work so far, and all I can say is that I wish I had gone sooner. The exhibit is both rich in ideas, and diverse in style and form, showcasing Ligon’s evolution as an artist through a comprehensive survey of stylistic experiments. Neon signs reading “America” and “Negro Sunshine” welcome viewers. In another room, huge prints of images from the Million Man March tower above. Perhaps most common in Ligon’s work, however is the use of text, as messages about identity, repeated poetic mantras, and excerpts from a chorus of different voices of black American history– Zora Neale Hurston, Richard Pryor, or early ’90s Ice Cube– line the walls throughout.
The sunset has always fascinated me, providing inspiration as a child. I used to admire the spectacle provided by nature, watching that huge fireball plunging into the sea or hiding behind the mountains. Since I started taking pictures the dusk was my favorite time of day for shooting. At this time the light becomes ideal, with colors ranging from orange to red to yellow. During the four seasons of the year, the colors of the sunset blend with the clouds, wind, and dust, creating amazing tones in the sky and water. Photography is drawing with light, allowing you to capture what you see with your own two eyes.
In 1988, Jon Sarkin was working full-time as a chiropractor, when one day, a sharp, paralyzing pain shot through his head. In the weeks after, he suffered from a constant ringing in his ear, and from distortions in his hearing that made even soft noises intolerably loud. Soon after, a visit to the doctor would reveal the source of Sarkin’s suffering, a swollen blood vessel in his brain, which had expanded and impinged on his auditory nerve. The only remedy would be brain surgery, the results of which could range from complete success to catastrophe. When Sarkin awoke after the surgery, his head was bleeding profusely. And something else had changed.
Sarkin had suffered a stroke during surgery, and even after the initial stages of recovery– relearning speech, sitting, walking and other basic tasks– his family would come to notice sweeping changes in his personality. He was considerably less restrained in conversation, unable to filter his thoughts, less responsive to the concerns of others, and distant. As a husband and father, he simply was not the same. Despite the strain put on many of his relationships though, Sarkin soon developed a new passion of sorts. Or maybe it would be more accurate to call it a compulsion. Jon had begun to draw– quite often –and he couldn’t seem to stop.
I think I speak for Will and I both when I say that last Wednesday was nothing short of amazing. To be honest, it felt a bit surreal. It all went by so fast. Nonetheless, The Homecoming was a true moment. Thanks again to everyone that made the night what it was. The celebrations are nothing without you. As usual, many thanks to DJ As-Is for providing the soundtrack to the night and to Tangni and David for capturing the night through their lens.
Maybe it’s just the expert work of a few different photographers I’ve seen. Or maybe it’s just that Iceland is so god damn gorgeous that you could show up with a disposable and come out with a phenomenal batch of pictures. Bon Iver’s “Holocene” video, directed by Nabil, definitely seems like a case of the former, and I’d have to say these do too. In any case, it’s pretty cold outside, and coming across these semi-anonymous images, credited only to a Flickr page under Hlaus today, they seemed seasonally appropriate. Shot this past summer, the shots capture the rolling hills, landscapes and mountain ranges of Iceland in a powerful way. If the word “breathtaking” wasn’t so played, it might come in handy here. More from Hlaus here for now. Someday we’ll be out there too.
So by now many of us have successfully Watched The Throne. And with over 650,000 tickets sold nationwide it’s hard to deny Jay & Kanye’s place as definitive icons of today’s pop culture landscape. Documenting various moments from the tour, the Watch The Throne webisodes provide a behind the scenes glimpse into the lives of both artists. The most recent episode, entitled Church offers some priceless insight into the inner workings of Kanye’s creative pursuits. With soundbites of wisdom from Big Sean in addition to Yeezy himself, this video is full of knowledge for anyone striving to be creative and successful. Already celebrated for his numerous collaborations, Kanye’s mastermind group of producers and musicians is really all you need to see, although there are gems throughout. And please pardon the hurt watermark, I thought this one was too important to pass up.
Greg Gossel work is focused yet extensive. Similar in aesthetic to the comic book imagery of Roy Lichtenstein, Gossel’s work is an ode to pop art iconography. Juxtaposing a variety of images that take on a new meaning when assembled together, it seems as though much of Gossel’s work celebrates the famous faces of popular culture. Splicing in iconic brand names alongside romantic comic book quotations, Gossel’s collage and silk screening work manages to exist in this timeless realm that blurs the time in which it was made, keeping his work pretty ripe and plenty fresh.
Biking through the pouring rain two nights ago I wondered what it would be like to be homeless, in the rain. Unimaginably difficult to merely survive without a roof or a place of rest, I tried to empathize with their constant struggle. But I won’t fool you and act like I understood. I couldn’t. All I could do was imagine. Fortunately there are those who have gone to greater lengths than I to understand their struggle. Capturing searing profiles of over 100 different homeless people, U.K.-born photographer, Lee Jeffries has recently showcased this stunning collection of photographs. And while the images within serve to capture a part of Lee’s efforts, I’d recommend checking out Lee’s flickr page to view the full scope of the project.
I remember there was a kid in elementary school named Alex White. I know you remember him. He used to sit in class and doodle all day. Never really thought too much of it, until Twill passed along this TED Talk today. Deconstructing the negative perceptions that doodling has maintained over the centuries, doodling enthusiast Sunni Brown offers some insight into the value of doodling and why we should all put more pen to paper.
And I thought I knew some folks that were yatted up. Working out of Bangkok over the last decade, French-British photographer Cedric Arnold turned his attention a few years ago to the ancient Thai tattooing tradition known as Yantra. Steeped in spiritual tradition and mysticism, Yantra tattooing entails an intricate and painstaking process, performed with a long bamboo stick, and typically administered by monks. Sacred Ink, shot on a variety of different cameras, represents Arnold’s attempt to capture a unique aspect of the culture in which he’s immersed himself.
“A body, used as a canvas, every inch of skin filled with sacred text and figures of mythical creatures, all forming a protective shield. A boxer, a monk, a construction worker, a policeman, a soldier, a taxi driver, a shipyard worker, a shaman, a tattoo master; men, women, and their inked protection from evil spirits and bad luck. Enter the world of Thailand’s spiritual “Yantra” tattoo tradition.”
