Erotic photography that bridges the gap between hot and grotesque

I can't remember how I originally came across Clayton James Cubitt's work, but it struck a cord within me.  He captures the raw, grittiness of visceral, sexual experience in an alluring and disconcerting manner.  You want to look, but then you want to look away.  

I enjoy erotica that shows the cognitive reality innate in contemporary sexual fantasy.  Don't we all want the good and the bad?  His work stands strongly apart from his identity as a creator.  Each image poignantly faces the viewer head on.  Moreover, Cubitt tackles the high vs. low debate through his thorough attention to his chosen subjects, rejecting socioeconomic derived standards. 

Cubitt works as a fashion photographer in addition to his private photographic ventures.

Take a few minutes to browse through his digital portfolio.  I am surprised and delighted by the depth of his whole catalogue.

Ah the 60s, Claes Oldenburg, Neo-Concretism and the disappearance of the artist as creator

Currently, the Whitney Museum in NYC hosts 2 exhibitions featuring Claes Oldenburg's art.

A product of his time, Oldenburg, like many artists in the Americas and Europe, strove to remove identifiers pointing to his role as creator / artist from his work.  The art exists as an entity removed from its originator, fulfilled through the collaborative role of the spectator / viewer and through the metamorphosis of normative, decontextualized objects via the manipulation of size and texture.

American Pop art, in many ways, is consistent with the neo-objecthood of Latin American Neo-Concretism, except that it requires even less initiation into the subject matter.  Oldenburg chooses images to which any spectator can relate and react, because they are so common, removing the hierarchical constraints of Western cannonical art.  And with works like Giant BLT, 1963 and French Fries and Ketchup, 1963, Oldenburg  demonstrates the indicative nature of distinctly American iconographic imagery.  That's what we are -- a nation of deli sandwiches and fries.  A decade after becoming a naturalized citizen, Oldenburg showed his compliance in his flaccid sculptures showcasing American culture, while bridging the gap between the classes through Pop Art puffery.

The exhibition runs through August 2009.

Roll Models exhibition--National Museum of Women in the Arts

The photography I find the most compelling is sharp, intimate and vivid, documenting symbolic or emotionally direct instances of human existence that some people find discomforting, subversive and occasionally inappropriate.

Whether through social self-submersion within a subculture via role playing or the exploration of coming of age femininity portrayed through dream-like lucidity, two contemporary female photographers grabbed my attention in the current Role Models exhibition at the NMWA in DC.

The first, Nikki S. Lee is a Korean-American photographer based out of NYC that has been shooting projects focused around her chameleon image as a woman in contemporary American society as she morphs into stereotypical feminine characters within different socioeconomic and social groups around the US.  She has been working on these projects since the early 90's and actually spends time with each group, conforming to their aesthetics, before shooting any images.  A master of composition, she achieves an effective level of sincerity in each role through careful attention to dress and gesture that is touching and visually authentic. I found this especially true of photos from the Ohio Project and the Hispanic Project.

The other photographer who piqued my interest was Justine Kurland, who like Lee, works with staged photography.  Many of her images in the Role Models show were from her trip to New Zealand, lending a ethereal, romantic quality to her work, as she documents the semi-feral nature of adolescent school girls. 

Other notable photographers in the exhibition include Nan Goldin, Cindy Sherman, Sally Mann, Catherine Opie, Angela Strassheim and

 Collier Schorr.  The exhibition will be on display through the end of January.

Are you ready for the future?

The National Gallery of Art in DC has an instillation in the concourse between the east and west wings of the museum that is a massive LED light sculpture made up of something crazy--some 41,000 computer controlled LED nodes spanning the full length of the 200 foot tunnel.

Ok, you are now passing through the future.  

Multiverse, created by American artist Leo Villareal, is programed to emit abstract light patterns.  The instillation will be on display until 2009.  

I recently had the unsuspecting pleasure of standing on the escalator, er,  walkalator, as it shuttled me through Multiverse from the main building to the modernist/contemporary side. The concourse instillation itself was one of the more stimulating experiences I had in DC. Combing movement and programed light patterns creates a interactive and subjective experience, with no repetition occurring during a single passage.  It was kinda psychedelic and definitely an effective addition to the interior architecture of the NGA.  

Check out this video.  Note--Ambient music was added in post production.

Retro Photo Set from Flickr

Sooo many good images in this Flicker archive.

So check it out...

Haven't posted in a while, but...

Now, I'm back. Still getting the hang of this thing, and there should be more authors (ahem, alexandra...). 

via Boing Boing

Guerilla Swing Projects in Europe

I think there should be more of an effort to make guerilla projects for the purpose of fun.  We live in a busy society that is not only stressful, but also pointed away from spontaneity and playfulness. And I think that absolutely sucks!  

I read a statistic that 71% of adults played outside and on the street as children.  Now, only 21% of children do the same.  What the hell are they doing then? Locked inside playing video games? Getting fat and turning into social mutants? I dunno, but I do think there is something seriously wrong with a society that shoves play and fun out of the public sphere.  

A UK artist started a public art and social commentary project called "Playful Spaces" where he is doing gorilla instillations like this one of a swing in a bus stop.

Another artist, Kamila Szejnoch from Poland, transformed a communist monument in Warsaw into a giant swing.

Where would be a good place for something like this in Asheville? I know we could all use a little more fun to get through the winter slump. Ideas?

Barbie of the Undead

Zombie barbie! Step by step guide to turning boring old barbie into a zombie.

Curtosy of Paranaiv.

Biological Ceramic Creations

Heather Knight, a local ceramic artist had a booth at The Big Crafty this past Sunday, and I was stuck by the freshness of her biologically influenced ceramic creations.  The bowls and sculpture call upon the forms  of sea urchins and coral as inspiration. The effect: modern, bright and animate.  In the same way that the mid century artists sought to redefine the art object, Heather's pieces possess the essence of a living creature, emancipated from their maker.

All while maintaining a rich texture and a simple, clean aesthetic.  

Her work is for sale on Etsy and at her studio. (link above)

Vintage French Paper Craft

OK, this set of vintage french paper craft is exquisite!  

Check out Pillpat's other Flickr sets. Lots of beautiful vintage images of anatomy, animals, cars, workbooks, comics, 3d, etc.

Definitely one to keep

bookmarked. Enjoy.

Stuff to do this weekend instead of hibernating.

Let's face it, the weather around here isn't exactly ideal.  Promises of snow that end in disappointment, and that biting wind.  I can't (won't) ride my bike in these conditions.  All in all, not the type of atmosphere conducive to outdoor fun.

Lucky us, instead of staying at home and watching tv on dvd,

 there are a few indoor activities going on tonight.

 

1.) Tony Wain and the Payne (your favorite drunk country) playing in Black Mountain at the Town Pump.  I hear Aaron Gunn (ask him about eskimos) will be accompanying on fiddle.  This is a bar where you can feel comfortable slipping a bit further into your drawl after your fourth or fifth pbr.  

2.) Go to the opening at the Asheville Area Arts Council on Broadway.  It's an

interactive instillation presented by MAP (media arts project).  

Should be interesting, possibly full of Asheville's liberal elite.  But go anyway, and say hi to Megan.  After all, you can go across the street to the New French Bar when you're done and drink gin and tonics until you black out.

Have fun!

The Big Crafty

Hey everyone,

Welcome to this new venture I'm undertaking in an effort to express and share things I love to you.  This is the premier blog entry, and don't worry, there will be vast design/content improvements in the near future.  My hope is to get info out there about events not to be missed in Asheville, while posting about random pieces of wonderment, found around town, on the internet and anywhere else.

Ok, here goes with the inaugural post.

THIS WEEKEND in our little mountain town....THE BIG CRAFTY!

If you need gifts for your fam, or just like supporting your friends art (and you know you do)...

Come down to Pack Square on Sunday Dec. 7th from 12-6 pm.  In addition to 100 local/regional crafters, there will be music and food=awesome. And, wait for it........free beer from local breweries!

You get double points for looking cool and having the best gifts.

Stay tuned for more posts, and i promise to figure out how to properly embed links soon.