News flash! News flash! Banksy has updated his website. That is all.
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Art
Brilliant photographer and artist Shawn Mortensen passed away yesterday.
Particularly renowned for his portraits of musicians, artists, and entertainers, Shawn photographed a stunning array of pop culture demigods in his 20+ year career including Keith Haring, Tupac, Henry Rollins, James Brown, The Notorious BIG, Bjork, Jun Takahashi, Leo Fitzpatrick, Christopher Wool, Mark Gonzales, Ed Ruscha, Vivienne Westwood, The Bad Brains, Dash Snow, Grandmaster Flash, Neil Young, MIA, John Lee Hooker, Nigo, Sofia Coppola, Agnes B., Sonic Youth, The Beastie Boys, Keith Richards, Chloe Sevigny, The Foo Fighters, Everlast, Kraftwerk, Wu Tang Clan, and The Sex Pistols, to name but a few. Shawn was also a successful commercial photographer who worked with clients like SUPREME and NIKE, and publications like VIBE, and I-D Magazine, where his streetwise eye was a highly prized commodity.
You probably recognize this iconic photograph of his:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTnPq0uIUds&fmt=18] Tate Shots visits pop art super star Jeff Koons as he--sounding like an over earnest high school art teacher--takes us around his busy New York studio. It's a fascinating glimpse into the behind the scenes away from the glamour.
It may or may not be a surprise to you depending on your familiarity with this topic, but the intimate technical involvement of assistants in the creation and realization of the artist's works is something that's gone on for years and years (Paging Rembrandt). They were just called "apprentices" back then.
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Hello. Is it me you were looking for? I can see it in your eyes. I can see it in your smile. You're all I've ever wanted, and my arms are open wide...but I've been busy blogging at Sundance Channel's blog SUNfiltered. If you haven't visited (please do), here's what you've been missing. Check them out as well as the other great entries there.
- Really catchy single "Sabali" from Malian duo Amadou & Mariam.
- Brazil's graffiti culture.
- Jero the enka star, an African American singer making it hot in Japan.
- Pet garbage.
- Spotlight on artist Karl Grandin.
- 100 ways to kill a peep.
- Cool tilt-shift video.
- The $1.5 million dollar wedding dress made from peacock feathers.
- Meet Maru, the Japanese LOLCat.
- The blog of "unnecessary" quotation marks.
- Bags for the Pantone color fetishist.
- Hello Kitty's new headquarters.
- Another cool stop motion video.
Saskatchewan artist Heather Benning's life-sized replica doll house was built in Manitoba a few years ago, which is basically centuries in Internet time. Nevertheless, it's still very impressive. One must have experienced a certain "Honey, I shrunk the kids" effect standing next to this doll house. View more photos here.
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My friend and graphic designer Rolando made this great comparison between Adel Abdessemed’s exhibit that I attended with the following classic comedy.
vs.
In honor of his 35th anniversary as well as part of their promotion for the upcoming release of the (leaked) Wolverine movie releasing May 1, Marvel commissioned its stable of artists to reinterpret Wolverine imitating famous paintings.
View more here.
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I had a low key weekend. I dropped into a few art galleries and viewed Sophie Calle's "Take Care of Yourself" exhibition at Paul Cooper Gallery and Adel Abdessemed's "Rio" at David Zwirner.
I survived the rain and met Pooja at her apartment where I found her drinking an enormous glass of milk. I thought people stopped doing this after elementary school.
Namik and I in front of Abdessemed's remarkable sculpture "Telle mere tel fils." This entwined and braided piece constructed from three planes extends over 65 feet long.
Namik and Pooja caught in the knot.
How do we lighten the mood? Jump of course.
Take two. Haha.
Then we explored the rest of the artist's works, like this regulation sized soccer ball made from razor wire.
Ouch.
I was struck by this photograph, "Saturday" of the artist's wife and children walking down a street near their home in New York. Look closely and the urban idyllic setting breaks down.
Stunningly sculpture of a blackened car body evoking violent imagery of riots, bombings, and war. "Practice zero tolerance" is a clay replica formed from the remains of a vandalized car during the 2005 riots in Perpignan, France.
Then we hopped into another gallery nearby.
Cardboard furniture.
Quite comfy!
Wall E as an old man.
Violent!
What mystery does this suitcase hold?
The banal wood suitcase is actually a portable party to go!
Dangerous!
Lastly, we went to Sophie Calle's exhibition. Previously where she asked various women to analyze a break-up email she received from her boyfriend. This was a wild exhibit that I highly recommend. And we were privileged to see the artist in person that day, although we were all too chicken to talk to her.
The email shot by a female sharpshooter at a shooting range.
Artist Diane Kurzyna aka Ruby Re-Usable created this stuffed bunny from reused Wonder bread packaging.
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Pitchforks, torches, and rotten eggs!I went gallery hopping yesterday afternoon and took this photo of an apropos piece. Dolla dolla Easta ya'll.
An impressive skull is display along with other contemporary pieces from François Pinault's private art collection in an exhibit called "A Certain State of the World?" occuring at mega hot 27-year-old Dasha Zhukova's Moscow gallery The Garage.
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Melissa Harvey, a graphic designer from Arlington, VA, won the Washington Post's third annual Peeps Diorama contest with this re-creation of Edward Hopper's famous painting "Nighthawks." View all the finalists 
French illustrators and comics go toe to toe in Championnat de bras de fer, a sketch jam vis-a-vis an arm wrestling tournament. I want to get in on this!
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A clever long exposure photo by designer Jackman Chiu.
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I was really underwhelmed by this cover designed by Kaws which was picked for the relatively recent "Best Of" issue of New York Magazine. Here's my edited version of it expressing how I felt about it.
Proof-Reader, Valérie Lermite
In a series titled "Take Care of Yourself," French artist Sophie Calle received a breakup letter email that ended with the valediction "Take care of yourself." So she did...by asking 107 women to "analyze it, comment on it, dance it, sing it." This will be on display at Paula Cooper Gallery from April 9 - May 22.
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