Haiti. The name alone conjures heartbreaking images of death and despair, love and loss, struggle and survival. And the response, the outpouring of aid from all corners of the globe, shows humanity at its finest. No matter what your race or religion, beliefs or background, politics or passions, we are all one blood.
For many, the stories are overwhelming, leaving us unable to respond. What is appropriate in the face of such devastation, and how can we-as New Yorkers, as people from all walks of life-unite and give in some meaningful way to those who have lost so much?
Husband and wife team Sacha Jenkins and Raquel Cepeda have organized an exhibition and silent auction to celebrate the art and artistry of the Haiti by giving of world in which we live. On Sunday, March 7, 2010, Anonymous Gallery @ Collective Hardware, SCOPE Art Show, {He}Art For Haiti and Colab Projects join forces to present N’AP BOULE: A BENEFIT FOR THE PEOPLE OF HAITI as part of The Armory Show weekend. All proceeds will go to Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders).
Artist in Attendance: Barry McGee, Shepard Fairey, Crash, Lee Quinones, Dondi White, Tauba Auerbach, Swoon, Futura, Jose Parla, Todd James, Eric Haze, David Ellis, Doze Green, Faile, Bast, Greg Lamarche, Kostas Seremetis, Rostarr, Chris Mendoza, Yuri Shimojo, Kenji Hirata, Cope2, Indie 184, Erik Foss, Henry Chalfant, Dan Witz, Ricky Powell, Shelter Serra, Eric White, Jamel Shabazz, Michael Holman, Eve Sussman, Joseph Ari Aloi, Kenzo Minami, Daze, Aaron Sharp Goodstone, Taylor McKimens, and more!
Over the last few days I’ve been on the search for new creative inspiration for several new projects in the works, and David Gensler of the KDU shared this video and it had me complete awe and took me to a place of tranquility that I haven’t been in a long time. Alex Roman, as you pay attention to the credits is a man of many talents; put together this beautiful clip “tries to illustrate architecture art across a photographic point of view where main subjects are already-built spaces. Sometimes in an abstract way. Sometimes surreal.” In my opinion, I’ve think he’s done a excellent job in his execution.
To support the work of schools in Haiti through Artists for Peace & Justice, Shepard Fairey will be selling a signed limited edition print he has developed with Cleon Peterson and Casey Ryder. Sales start February 6th at obeygiant.com.To support the work of schools in Haiti Shepard Fairey will be selling a signed limited edition print he has developed.
Gering & Lopez Gallery welcome the works of Todd James aka REAS as it opens its doors to the first exhibition of the new year. Titled “Make My Burden Lighter”, the show highlights new works from James, with an opening taking place on January 15th (6-8pm), running through February 20th, 2009. Further information regarding the exhibition can be found below.
“In Make My Burden Lighter, James depicts the sinful truths of American life with winsome cartoonish charm. Anthropomorphized weapons cajole in blood baths with pink-skinned blonde bombshells. Sprawling battle scenes extend ad infinitum across multiple sheets of paper. Complex, all-consuming compositions have an overwhelming sense of momentum, as if they were inevitable and unstoppable. These celebratory scenes of massive global chaos are sharply ironic yet playfully whimsical, obscuring our collective moral sense of the sanctity of life and death while pushing the boundaries of the viewer’s ability to judge what is desirable or taboo.
These seemingly innocent stream-of-consciousness doodles may appear as overtly political protest pieces upon closer examination. However, James does not seek to be didactic with his work. He is more interested in visually exploring the rhetorical techniques utilized by the American government and media in their attempts at desensitizing the populace’s perception of current affairs. The American tradition of packaging, commodifying, and manipulating information is at play in these works. They thus deeply connect with the current state of our shared reality, critiquing how we as spectators are led to understand it.”
Shepard Fairey has been selected to create the official artwork for the 52nd Annual GRAMMY Awards. The piece, which brings together traditional GRAMMY iconography with Fairey’s unique approach to design, will be used as the official artwork for the world’s premier music event and will grace the cover of the 52nd Annual GRAMMY Awards program book, telecast tickets, promotional poster and 2010 GRAMMY Nominees CD. The 52nd Annual GRAMMY Awards will be held on January 31st, 2010, at the STAPLES Center in Los Angeles.
After the teaser /guide we left for our readers yesterday, plenty of other blogs have covered the Neckface event - but I speculate very few actually attended the event. We were able to snap tons of great photos & we wanted to share just how awesome it was with you. Among those in attendance, were Busy P, Actress Christina Ricci (& her boyfriend), Jerry Hsu, Travis McCoy of Gym Class Heroes, Andrew Reynolds & Erik Ellington.
In addition; we’ve got some free “Devil Made Me Do It” books for our readers - we will be giving them away 2 of the commentors on this recap post. If you were unable to get one, go ahead and buy one from OH-WOW. Enjoy!
Here is a little guide on what to expect @ OH-WOW & what to do afterward on Halloween night, for the Neckface exhibition, titled “Devils Disciple”.
Neckface wants to scare you:
The dark is scary, mainly because you don’t know what’s next, or where you are, or who is in the dark with you. Neckface knows this, he’s spent the last few month’s carving out a little piece of hell to showcase in Miami. The feeling you get when you walk into the haunted house is familiar, it’s that same one you’d get when you were young (& scared shitless) - you’re a 5 year old again - trapped in a dark attic… with no where to go; you heard that boogie man lives here & in this case, he does. His name is Neckface & he’s left his demons to keep you company while he’s gone. He’ll be back though, and you don’t want to be there when he does…
Neckface wants you to be amused:
Neckface wants you to be scared - but I think he also wants you to be amused. Cara Cuello is giving us his best work to date, with full scale art, across a variety of mediums. There will be plenty to keep your eyes satisfied - after if you get out of the haunted house without shitting yourself.
You can also expect the Baker / Deathwish skate crew to be there, naturally, skating - Neckface has done multiple boards / artwork for them in the past & is now serving as their Art Director.
You’ll also be able to buy his new book “The Devil Made Me Do It” for $38 at the event. We will be giving away 2 copies to our readers. So don’t worry, we got you covered!
Neckface wants you to party:
The “after party” is being held in Mid-town @ Electric Pickles. Busy P (edro) will be in the building spinning that dopeness. You can also expect “The Goat” to be there - a rock band, comprised of pro skaters; Andrew Reynolds & Kevin ‘Spanky’ Long. Filmers/Photographers Josh Beagle & Atiba Jefferson & that one dude from Shake Junt - Shane Heyl.
We’ve heard a rumor about it for some time, but did not want to spoil the surprise until we had something solid. But now, we have heard from a member of VEGA, it’s official! VEGA is signed with Fools Gold records - DJ A-Trak’s record label, founded with Nick Catchdubs.
We’ll be expecting an announcement on the Fools Gold blog or twitter soon.
As a bonus, there is also a rumor circulating that the new album is going to be produced by someone in the Fools Gold camp; we’re hoping A-Trak himself, LA Riots or Chromeo!
We have previous coverage of VEGA here, here & here.
Dark Night Of The Soul Art Basel 2009
December 2 - 6, 2009
3100 NW 7 Avenue / Miami / Florida / 33127
Musical visionary Danger Mouse and iconoclastic filmmaker David Lynch pool their talents and reveal the stunning and haunting photographs from their groundbreaking project Dark Night of the Soul at Art Basel Miami Beach 2009.
Dark Night of the Soul is a full-length album and illustrated book, combining the talents of Danger Mouse, David Lynch and celebrated rock recluse Sparklehorse. In addition to the hardcover book, the album includes vocals from the Flaming Lips, Julian Casablancas of The Strokes, Frank Black of the Pixies, Iggy Pop, Nina Persson of The Cardigans, Suzanne Vega and many others.
The exhibition consists of over 50 original photographs by David Lynch which are displayed alongside the accompanying soundtrack by Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse. Seven limited edition prints of each photograph will be available for purchase. The exhibition will open December 2, 2009 as the much anticipated kickoff to Art Basel week 2009.
We noticed the group had started working on a different sound, adding “a girl from brooklyn” - this was the birth of Neon Indian. A completely different - more chilled out, psychedelic ( and dare I say, hypnotic ) sound (compared to Vega).
Neon Indian has been on tour for the past few weeks (& will be until Jan of 2010) - with their album “Psychic Chasms” debuting last Tuesday as a top 10 album in iTunes “electronic” category.
We wanted to give you something you couldn’t hear on the album; a remix of Au Revoir Simone’s “Another Likely Story”. Enjoy!
