To call Annie Leibovitz‘s portrait work iconic is almost redundant. Aside from the stature of her subjects– they tend to be among the most famous and celebrated icons on the planet– her best work is effecting and poignant to the point that it’s become inescapable. So when Annie announced last year that her next book would feature no formal portraits, it came as a shock to more than a few. A period of personal turmoil and financial crisis found Leibovitz in need of a departure– literally, stylistically, perhaps even spiritually. A chance encounter on a trip with her daughters to Niagara Falls and a few shots snapped at the home of Emily Dickinson would soon inspire an open-ended photographic journey spanning the country, as well as the next few years.
Pilgrimage gave Leibovitz the chance to funnel her inspirations, and her reverence for American mythology into a truly distinctive collection. There are breathtaking shots of the American sublime, from the edge of Niagara Falls to Yosemite, but probably most striking are the images from inside the homes and lives of Leibovitz’ heroes. Inspired by a list she once made with Susan Sontag, Leibovitz set out to photograph objects and places that held special significance in those lives: the blood-stained gloves Lincoln wore the night he was assassinated, a box of pastels used by Georgia O’Keeffe, or the couch in Sigmund Freud’s office.
Though not a single image features a person, it’s hard not to feel that some of these homages constitute portraits all the same. These tiny fragments from the lives of people so ingrained in the American psyche seem to emanate something profound, about where we’ve come from collectively, and where Leibovitz comes from as an individual. Pilgrimage is available in hardcover now, and the works from the book will be on display at the Smithsonian in D.C. until May 20th.
Celebrated as the pioneer of the Creative Revolution in advertising throughout the 1960′s and early 70′s, George Lois has remained a seminal figure to the evolution of the advertising industry. Best known for his iconic Esquire covers, Lois’ rebellious yet deliberate approach to advertising catapulted him to the pinnacle of his field, while making more than a few of his clients quite wealthy. In many ways, Lois is the inspiration for Donald Draper, Mad Men’s stoic protagonist, although Lois would beg to differ.
In this five minute short, Lois lends his insight to young people in regards to the creative process. Damn Good Advice (For People With Talent) is Lois’ latest book and reveals many of the lessons Lois’ learned through his experiences as an art director and ad man. Highlighting the importance of always being outrageous, while also detailing his thoughts on the sources of creativity, Lois’ wisdom shines through in this video, and even more so in his book.
Alright, let me preface this one the best I can. I’ve only seen one episode of this show, yet I can’t remember a time where I laughed so hard, out loud, at a TV show. A fuckin’ web series at that. Following the adventures, (and misadventures) of J, played by Issa Rae, Awkward Black Girl tells the story of J’s daily endeavors, an “awkward black girl” who can’t seem to rid herself from the most awkward situations. Written, produced and directed by Issa herself, ABG is the third web series from Rae, and easily her most critically acclaimed.
After throwing up a Kickstarter to support the show after episode seven last year, the show received funding to complete its first season. Now, with over 850,000 views on the first episode alone, ABG is looking to get picked up and secure funding either as a pure web series or as a staple of cable television. “The dream for awkward black girl,” says Rae, “is to either stay online with millions of views and sponsorships or to end up on HBO.” One of the funnier shows I’ve seen in a minute, check out episode seven for yourself and see if you don’t laugh at least once.
What would your last meal be on your last day on Death Row? Would you eat like a king, or would you keep it simple? Would you eat something healthy, or would you go all out? I suppose whatever you did wouldn’t matter too much considering the circumstances. Nonetheless, these thoughts crossed my mind when considering the photography of James Reynolds, a London based photographer who was equally fascinated with the dining choices of prison inmates’ last meal.
“At first I just wanted to see what these meals looked like on the iconic prison tray. I wanted to get the viewer to think, or have an opinion,” stated Reynolds. Capturing images of inmates’ last meals on what appears to be prison trays from around 1974, Reynolds’ photos bring up a variety of questions. Personally, I wonder what the inmates looked like, what crimes they committed and how it must have felt eating their last meal ever? A thought-provoking collection in itself, Reynolds’ work is a sobering reminder of the finality of life at the end of Death Row.
It seems only fitting that Terry Richardson‘s work would finally make its way back to his native Hollywood. There’s something so definitively Hollywoodish running through everything he does. The whole fascination with celebrity, the spontaneous portraits, the ubiquitous thumbs up– a lot of his work toes a funny line between vapid and genuine. The general tone of unpretentiousness is what makes Terry endearing, and the simplicity of his work makes it kind of undeniable. At the very least, it keeps him jet-setting around the world, snapping iconic portraits of just about everybody relevant.
Terrywood, Richardson’s recently opened solo show at OHWOW Gallery, is something of a love letter to the strange culture that is Hollywood. The images themselves feature neon signs, bright red lipstick, or crowds of paparazzi– fixtures of Hollywood life that help to convey the hype, the hollowness and the humor of it all. Like any good pop art, it’s subversive and clever, finding a balance between sarcasm and actual reverence for the particular slice of Americana it takes on. Even without the more blatant giveaways, say the custom-designed Oscar statue with Terry’s face on it or the hipper-than-thou list of attendees at Friday’s opening (Sasha Grey, Odd Future, James Franco, Tom Ford, Ariel Pink), Terry’s fingerprints would still be recognizable all over this one.
I know I’m not the only one whom this poem hits home for as I type away, bent over my laptop for the third consecutive day in a row. Sharing his thoughts on the increasing influence of technology in our daily lives, spoken word poet Marshall “Soulful” Jones recited this poem at last years National Poetry Slam in Boston. Earning 2nd place for his piece entitled, “Touchscreen,” Jone’s poetry offers a searing depiction of the loss of humanity that comes from our ever growing marriage to technology. With a handful of one liners that rival those of our favorite rappers, Jone’s work is an important reminder for us to embrace what it means to be human.
Terry Richardson, Helmut Newton, Hugh Hefner– the names dropped by photographer Giovanni Lipari in his mission statement offer some valuable insight into what he’s trying to do with The Death of Youth. Conceived by Lipari in the wake of his 30th birthday, the project is his attempt at exploring a fantasy he hadn’t yet lived out. Photographing 100 different women in the nude, Lipari found a way to channel his inner “jet-setting playboy”, but also to manufacture the fantasy behind it, and in doing so, to explore it on an intellectual level as well as an aesthetic one.
Shot all on film, the collection is full of galleries both candid and spontaneous, all of beautiful women, though as he notes, not all of women who fit the traditional modeling paradigm. Though the project is notably more about himself than anyone else, Lipari still manages to bring out something distinctive in each of his muses. Could you dismiss The Death of Youth as just another excuse to take pictures of naked girls? Sure you could– and you could very possibly be right and still miss the point. Read on for more from the project, and decide for yourself.
I kind of wonder who the first person was to conceive this idea. It’s so creative, and expensive. An initiative in just about the opposite direction from the “caged dogs” below. As unique as these creations are, could you really fathom having one of your own? Commissioned by Louis Vuitton to design creatures to commemorate the brand’s 100 years in the small leather goods game, U.K. artist Billie Achilleos recently completed a collection of 30 animals constructed from parts of Louis Vuitton accessories. Innovative and unique, or gaudy and unnecessary?
Six feet by two feet. Those are the dimensions of what tens of thousands in the city of Hong Kong call home. Subjugated to the squalor of caged dwellings, locals call the residents “Cage Dogs,” as thousands of inhabitants endure these less-than-luxurious conditions. At $200 a month, the cages offer barely enough room for inhabitants to sleep, as three story cages shelter 20 to a room. Shared washing facilities allow for meager accommodations, while the bottom floor cages go for a premium because one can almost stand in them. For the impoverished, elderly and mentally ill, the cages provide a shelter a rung above homelessness, although the conditions remain trying at best. Photographed by British photographer Brian Cassey, hopefully these images offer some perspective to our daily annoyances.
This past week, I had the opportunity to visit one of the largest slums in Rio de Janeiro: the Favela de Vidigal. Vidigal is celebrated for its most privileged views of the city. From the top of the Favelas you can see the entire shore, from the beaches of Leblon and Ipanema, to the Sugar Loaf and Christ the Redeemer. However, the Favelas are also known for their violence and crime, as the media portrays them as the territory of drug traffickers.
Even as we’re living in the ago of retromania, and nostalgia for eras we didn’t grow up in, it’s easy to gloss over the actual pioneers– visual, musical, ideological– of the aesthetics we’re trying so hard to emulate and reproduce. For every vintage-filtered pic on Instagram, there are thousands of photographers who actually put in the work to engineer and orchestrate the perfect shots on 35mm. For every purposefully lo-fi indie record, there’s a gang of influential records that sound like that because they didn’t have a choice. It’s because of those innovators who, once upon a time, pushed their medium into previously uncharted territory that we have such a rich heritage of dope shit to draw on.
I can’t claim to be an expert on animation. But to say Harry Smith was ahead of his time would be a serious understatement. A true renaissance man, Smith is perhaps best known as one of our earliest ethnomusicologists, and the anthologist behind The Anthology of American Folk Music. But during the late ’40s and early ’50s, Smith also became a pioneer of experimental animation, creating one of the more storied collections of animation with his Early Abstractions. Following on the heels of Surrealism and Dada, Smith’s work represented a clear precursor to the psychedelic art which would come to prominence over the course of the next decade.
What’s in a picture? A story, a message, a moment, a memory? Often it’s a combination of these and much more, as the world around us is seen through our own unique lens. And while a plethora of pictures are taken in a day, which ones remain, and become timeless? Many times what an image becomes isn’t up to the photographer but more so people who celebrate an image that may be revered and remembered later on. These questions come to mind when examining the photo collection of Tim Mantoani. Capturing portraits of photographers holding their most iconic images, Mantoani has created a photo collection of dual relevance, celebrating the past while acknowledging those who had the instinct to capture the moments as they happened. Mantoani’s recent book entitled, Behind Photographs: Archiving Photographic Legends seeks to give recognition to the photographers whose images the world has embraced, while creatively giving credit where credit is due.
Next Friday marks the first art show from the Native Thinghood collective. Featuring works from a variety of Los Angeles based artists, the initiative seeks to “propel artistic growth with collective intentions.” Artwork from Savannah Wood, Danielle Schnur and Erin Christovale will be presented amongst work by other visual artists. With DJ sets from Henoch Moore and Kasey Cunningham, as well as Sa-Ra’s Om’Mas Keith, the night is sure to be smooth with high chances of good conversation. Doors open at 8:30 for a viewing of the gallery, with live performances and DJ sets after 10. The show will be held at The Cube. $3 at the door.
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.
