It was a by chance occurrence in 1975 that would chart photographer Hugh Holland’s course. Happening upon a group of skateboarders navigating the drainage pipes of Laurel Canyon Road in Los Angeles, Hugh knew instantly that he had found a compelling subject. Documenting the still infantile skateboard culture of Southern California for the next three years, Holland ventured everywhere from the San Fernando Valley to Venice Beach, and even Mexico; his purpose, to capture the essence of skateboard culture. The images within, part of Holland’s photography book Locals Only portray the carefree, whimsical nature of early California skate culture.
Vibrant, playful and strikingly deliberate, the work of French illustrator Camille Lavaud reflects the complexities that can lie within an artists mind. Jumping into various forms of media from illustration and banners, to cloth work and fanzines, Lavaud’s pleasantly twisted creations are strangely engaging. They kind of draw you in, with the pieces revealing more over time. Sort of like the image above. A warped group make out scene circa 1958, accented by unassuming booty grabs, drunkenness and overall debauchery. Looks like they were having a pretty good time.
“Eight years ago, sixty families occupied the Galpao da Araujo Barreto, an abandoned chocolate factory in Salvador de Bahia, Brazil. Prior to establishing this place, these families lived throughout the dangerous streets of the city. In 2003, these families came together to seize this deserted factory, which lay in ruins, and they transformed it into a home.”
It’s rare that the story you hear most frequently about a place or a culture is in fact, the whole story. We all love City of God, and we’ve all heard horror stories of poverty and crime in the favelas of Brazil. A few months back, Tiago offered us some thoughtful meditations on the vast disparity between rich and poor, made obvious to him simply by taking a walk through two different neighborhoods in Rio.
That reality is very real. But Sebastián Liste, in his stunning photo collection Urban Quilombo, offers a hopeful, if also difficult, picture of urban community, even in the midst of poverty and hardship. The hallmarks of these kind of collections are all there — drugs, prostitution, violence, the works — but the picture of this community that emerges is holistic rather than superficial, revealing a complex reality that defies simple categorization.
An integral figure of the Pop Art movement, Roy Lichtenstein emerged as one of the preeminent artists of the 1960′s and ’70s. Building a massive collection of vibrant pieces, Lichtenstein’s work was heavily influenced by comic book aesthetics and popular advertising, often times parodying the same subjects that he was documenting. In Interiors, a series created by Lichtenstein during the 1990s, we see his iconic style on display, typified by bold primary colors and precise stripes and dots. With his work continuing to influence many artists well into the 21st century, Interiors serves to relate Lichtenstein’s distinct interpretations of shape, style and form.
Photography By Tiago SperottoWritten and Photographed By Tiago Sperotto
When I first arrived in San Francisco I was sure that the city had more to discover than I ever imagined. It was the Summer of 2009, and my friends and I were looking for an adventure. San Francisco was perfect. The very first day I found myself surrounded by the magic of this mystical feeling that’s distinctive to Northern California and from then on I was sure that something special would happen. We just followed our instincts.
Photography By Alexey TitarenkoDedicated to his native city of St. Petersburg, Russian born photographer Alexey Titarenko set his lens upon the people of his country to capture the feeling of the times. Enduring the demise of the Soviet Union, Titarenko experienced first hand the realities of a crumbling economy. Armed with his camera, Alexey set out to document this decline, over time creating a visual history of the Soviet Union’s final years and the poverty that ensued.
“Food was rationed,” says Titarenko. “To obtain food in exchange for the ration tickets, people would run from one store to another, with a desperate air, and their eyes full of sorrow. I’d place my camera at the subway entrance and take photographs.” The photographs he took are what you see above. Titled the “City of Shadows,” Titarenko’s images take on an almost ghostly air, a symbolic reminder of a dark period in the history of the USSR.
“In 1983, a local TV station held a contest for anyone who wanted a chance at reporting the weather. My role was to take head shots of contestants after each screen test. Five winners were chosen out of nearly one hundred applicants. The pictures were never used, but I developed the negatives anyway (without proofing them). These images had been lost until recently and I am seeing them for the very first time.”
-Michael Jang
Fidel Castro By Hanoch Piven Recently Dusky was kind enough to share this vibrant collection of famous faces made from everyday objects. Choosing to create faces through the items that represent them, Israeli artist Hanoch Piven has created an assortment of colorful pieces that celebrate an array of pop culture personalities. Showing that it doesn’t take a degree in Fine Arts to be creative, Piven’s pieces relate the fact that simple art can still be compelling.
Horse Eyes A couple months back we featured the photography of Armenian photographer Suren Manvelyan. Taking macro shots of human eyes her images related the complex makeup of this vital body part. Recently, Suren has been at it again, although this time with Animal Eyes. Photographing the eyes of horses, dogs and hyena to name a few, Suren’s new collection of photographs showcase the diversity of eyes that represent the animal kingdom.
Sometimes, I wonder what it’s really like to lose your mind. Even the phrase lose your mind is a strange one. It’s not like it’s really gone — I mean something is going on up there. Just, not exactly what’s going on in everyone else’s mind. In Ethiopia, the problem of mental illness is a widespread phenomenon, with an estimated 15% of all adults affected, or just over 12 million folks. Due to the lack of psychiatric care facilities however, most of these people live on the street. Referred to, perhaps endearingly and perhaps pejoratively, as the Sweet Crazies, Ethiopia’s mentally ill fascinated photographer Jan Hoek, so much so, that they became the focus of his latest portrait project, and a resulting gallery exhibition in Amsterdam.
Rather than simply documenting the Sweet Crazies in the streets though, Hoek decided to pose their portraits against a backdrop of thrones, pillars and colorful backgrounds — typically the scene of Ethiopian wedding portraits. Along with the portraits, Hoek includes a few anecdotes, recounting his experiences in Addis Ababa, and the colorful personalities he encountered along the way. Troubling as their broader context may be, the shots are practically iconic, approaching a difficult and strange reality in an original way.
Gnarls Barkley By James BlagdenWe first introduced you to the work of James Blagden through the story of Dock Ellis, the only known major league player to pitch a no hitter, while on LSD. Providing the visuals for this extraordinary tale in addition to campaigns for contemporary brands such as Esquire and Uniqlo, Brooklyn illustrator James Blagden has garnered global acclaim for his vibrant illustrations. Bringing various personalities to life through his colorful imagery, the selections below are only a sample of Blagden’s growing body of work. Hit the more to see for yourself.
By Reed Windle
History is strange. What can seem like an instant classic may turn out to be a footnote. It’s hard to say what is going to resonate culturally. It’s like predicting the future. All we have are our tastes. But, damn, if I wasn’t blown away by Nicolas Winding Refn’s Drive. Pulling elements of countless movies both classic and kitsch, Drive is hypnotic in its tone, as we ride through moments that range from melodrama to poignancy. And — unquestionably — Drive is directly from the guts.
Photos by Rebekkah Castellanos
