Does anybody not watch porn these days? It really is a fascinating subculture in this country. Mostly because it’s not so sub anymore; in reality, it’s as mainstream as Justin Bieber and Transformers. Folks just don’t talk about it all that much. As a result, there’s a massive industry, a historical legacy, and for some folks, a way of life that goes unseen, even by the vast majority of the people watching the finished product.
For those curious enough, credit LA Weekly for being progressive and cool, and covering porn’s latest legal struggles in depth. The issue in question basically revolves around using condoms (or alternatively, not using them) on set, and as you might imagine, it’s put the porn industry directly at odds with both the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, and a handful of proposed regulations. Dennis Romero’s piece is an informative look at a debate that involves complicated questions. More than that though, it pulls back the curtain on an industry that happens to be, ironically enough, kind of underexposed.
First impressions are pretty important. And given that Azealia Banks, in what’s likely to be her introduction to the vast majority of the folks that see it, comes out swinging, guns blazing, this one could be polarizing. It’s hard to know what to start with — The propulsive, dancehall-raver hybrid thump, the fact that she drops “cunt” a good ten or fifteen times, the elastic voice.
The Nicki comparisons are probably inevitable, and the parallels are there — the performance swag, the fluctuating accents, the bars, the aggressive raunch. But right around the 1:50 mark, the energy of “212″ breaks with convention in a way that recalls a handful of other notable female performers in equal measure, say, Kelis, Santi or even Karen O. If I’m hyping, I’m hyping. But at twenty, Azealia seems poised to become our next big topic of discussion. And as introductions go, this one definitely makes its impression felt.
I feel like this one’s been a long time coming. And it’s always a beautiful thing to watch somebody truly talented start to take off on their artistic journey. Even more so when it’s somebody that’s had such a dope presence and a profound impact on your life. I know I’m not the only one who flipped out the first time Danielle showed them a piece she’d been working on. Now, over the course of the last year, I’ve had the distinct privilege of watching her creative energy take shape into a style all her own.
Danielle’s work is overtly sexual, almost confrontationally so, but it also tends to have a playful tone to it. Whether using a simple black and white aesthetic, bright color or complex, Keith Haring-indebted patterns, these pieces are direct, celebrating female form and sexuality in a powerful, immediately relatable way. Because I know folks are curious, I spoke with Danielle recently about her work, touching on her inspirations, her creative process, and appropriately enough, feminine beauty. Read on for a conversation with Danielle Schnur.
At 24, South African photographer Natasja Maria Fourie is already an extremely accomplished photographer. Exhibitions with Ryan McGinley, work in publications like Dazed, Vice and Nylon, and most recently a prize for the best international photography entry from Ten Best Ten are just a few accolades she’s racked up so far. The love is deserved, and her aesthetic and outlook are unique. But perhaps most impressive, and most common in her catalog are images of women. Often, her most powerful images are raw, less stylized portraiture, focusing in on the naked body, and the concept of nudity on a visual, psychological and even philosophical level. The female body is always a beautiful thing, but Natasja’s work is just exceptionally dope.
Photography by Mario Hills By Mario Hills
Growing up in and out of San Francisco I had never experienced The Pride Parade. The people were smiling, the times were changing. Who would have thought this would be such a great year for the City of San Francisco. It seems like only yesterday that the Giants won the World Series, and now the City marched to a different tune. Feelings of pride and exuberance engulfed the city, and with the passing of the Gay Marriage Bill in New York, it looks as if change is surely on the way.
Sasha Grey, like myself was born in 1988, and I’d be willing to bet that her 22 years on the planet have been pretty different from mine. I guess that’s part of my fascination with her. The whole story of the precocious porn star who actually comes off as cultured and intelligent certainly has an allure to it, and even if she’s just pushing that particular image, it certainly seems to be working. The transition to legit acting with Steven Soderbergh’s The Girlfriend Experience and last year’s stint on Entourage, and a full-on art-photography book published by Vice this year all added credibility to her mission, as well.
For his short film portrayal of Ms. Grey, artist Richard Phillips shot her on location at John Lautner’s legendary Chemosphere House on Mulholland Drive. Briefly overlooking the San Fernando Valley from the Hollywood Hills, Phillips’ piece aims to “focus on her expressive and psychological transformation into a cinematic actor”, rather than strictly playing off her former career. Whether we can separate her from the “performance artist” perception, when her grimier moments are a Google search away, is questionable. But the film is still pretty dope.
Art critics tend to say a lot about Jason Rhoades, if only because his intentions weren’t always easy to figure out. Listen to some tell it, and he was one of the most quietly influential artists of the past decade or two. In any case, the consensus is generally that Rhoades’ work was, to say the least, seriously imaginative. Most notably, Rhoades was known for his installations, which pieced together elements of his own lifestyle with sprawling messes of kitschy objects and arrangements.
The last of Rhoades strange experience-oriented pieces produced before his death in 2006 was entitled The Black Pussy, which presumably took its name from the piece depicted here. All in all, the installation boasted 427 slang terms for vaginas, spelled out in hanging neon lights. A commentary on the pervasive nature of sexuality in our culture? A clever “fuck you” to art snobs? Despite the strange claim that the project was inspired by Islamic religion (the title being a not-so-subtle allusion to the Black Box), pinning down Rhoades’ “intent” isn’t easy to do. For some artists though, words like “intent” or “point” don’t always apply.
Life necessitates three kinds of activity: to assure its survival, its means of existence, and its nourishment; to realise its reproduction according to forms of activity generally connected with sexuality; and, lastly, to establish rules of behaviour that allow different individuals to perform their roles within the framework of the species. In human society, this is represented as three necessities, three aims of life: material goods (artha) assure survival; erotic practice (kama) assures the transmission of life; and rules of behaviour, a moral nature (dharma), assure the cohesion and duration of the species.
Trying to put things like this all the way into context is difficult to do, so I’ll try to let this one do the talking, for the most part. Suffice to say, life isn’t the same for everybody, and if you like where you’re at, there’s plenty of reason to be thankful. Aside from that, I think this one demonstrates pretty powerfully how crucial the things we believe in can be, and the potential those beliefs have to shape the trajectory of our lives. More specifically, Prostitutes of God is the story of young women in India who are introduced to, and often forced into prostitution at an early age, a practice long justified by religious practices. I’m a bit at a loss for words, so any thoughts on this are welcome. There’s a lot to speak on. As always, we have Vice to thank for a healthy dose of perspective. The trailer’s above, and the special is below in its entirety.
Dicks. Boobs. Lines of coke. Orgies. Sex, drugs and rock and roll. These kinds of things are inherently interesting, considered in and of themselves. The other day, Owen alluded to a sort of destructive instinct we feel as humans; a sort of pull toward that which is wild, unrestricted and dangerous. If anyone’s work encompasses that feeling as effectively as Dash’s Polaroids, I haven’t found it. With these pieces, some created or taken by Dash, and others simply showing snapshots of his life taken by friends, the line between art and simple documentation isn’t always clear. Whether you decide Dash’s short journey was wasted on vice, or a life well-lived is up to you. What’s important to me is simply that it was a real life, and a life well-documented.
We are all flowers. Yet no two flowers are the same. We all start as seeds. Our experiences providing those essential elements, allowing us to break through the soil and become what we were destined to be. We are all flowers, yet no two flowers are the same. Our soil so rich, and it’s beginning to rain.
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“Girl you so fine I’d look forward to child support”
…Damn.
People who use pick-up lines deserve a noogie. Pick-up lines are one of only a few things that have actually grown more ignorant over time. Even worse, nowadays most of them have evolved into full-fledged disrespect. And the rude immaturity of our generation has caused some women to seek refuge in older, more mature men.
Men who come from a time period where it was fashionable to be a gentleman. An era when men were more courteous, more considerate, and more chivalrous. When they would open doors and pull out chairs. Pick them up and pick up the check all in the same night! And who can blame them?
Those guys have more security, more stability, and overall more decency. Who could turn down a man with a mortgage, social security benefits and a plump 401K? Not to mention health care with dental. She’d be a fool to turn down health care with dental! The temptation is overwhelming. But before you slip Bob Barker your digits, there are a few things to consider…
