Last month we were invited to the Fendi book launch party for John Baldessari: A Catalogue Raisonne of Prints and Multiples, 1971-2007- a stunning collection of the conceptual artist’s work from the last four decades. Of course, Fendi and Co through one hell of a party, with plenty of champagne, an other worldly performance by the amazing rock-jazz pianist ELEW (Eric Lewis), and enough beautiful clothes and beautiful people to last until the new year. The author, Sharon Coplan Hurowitz (a private art consultant), has been on our radar ever since New York Magazine featured her ridiculously modern, colorful, and oh-so-cool rental apartment back in 2007. The main event, of course, was the book’s artwork. Sandwiched between leather Fendi bags and fur coats were beautiful copies of some of Baldessari’s works featured in the catalogue raisonne - print work that is both remarkably contemporary and fantastically absurd. Who could ask for anything more?
Like most New Yorkers, I live under a rock. And by rock, I mean I care very little about things outside of a good party and my morning commute. This a shitty way to live - but it’s just what happens. And I am also the sort of New Yorker who got here from some much cleaner, and much warmer, far off distant land. But fuck all that. Like the great phony I am, I also pine for days I never knew. When the meat-packing district had people packing meat. And packed more tranny prostitutes than you could shake a finger at. And that’s why my cold little heart weeps when I read things like this:
Yes. A TFI Friday’s will be opening up in Union Square. Officially putting a mini Times Square in the way of my morning commute. M*TH**R F***K*S!!!!
The following sentence will probably never land me in the pages of American Vogue: If Anna Wintour and Carine Roitfeld were dangling off of a cliff, and I could only save one of them, believe me I would let Wintour fall. I LOVE French Vogue. Can I read it? HELL NO! And I am not a francophile in any significant way. I love French Vogue the way I love cheese fries: it is excellent!
So tell me, what the hell were Roitfeld and Mr. Steven Klein (who has been on his game recently) thinking when they let this bit of crap fall through the illustrious cracks of Vogue?
I’m usually the first to call bullshit on false controversy, but I will give the blogosphere and even CNN a little leeway on this. I’m not only offended because the images are, you know, of a Dutch chick made to look black. And not painted BLACK. Painted dark brown, like a skin color. But she could of been painted yellow for all I care - to be honest, the images are uninspired at best and for my $10 I expect a little bit more. But what is really annoying is that in context, this was the Supermodel issue, with not 1 model of color in the bunch. Yes. For real! To quote the French: the more things change, the more things stay the same.
Maybe I’ll let both of those bitches fall.
This past Saturday, Bushwick’s (that little nabe that could) newest talked about address “Castle Braid”, held the first annual MBP Urban Arts Fest. The event featured live graffiti artists, an array of galleries featuring sculptures and painters, free beer, skate demos, DJs, as well as booths to purchase the work, and honestly, is there anything better than all those things combined?. Castle Braid, located on the corner of Troutman at Evergreen, is the new, shiny home to artists including graphic designers, filmmakers, photographers, and musicians. The building is bursting at its seams with both hipsters and amenities for the ultra cool res. With a fully functional multi-media room, screening rooms, a large gym, practice/ rehearsal studios, and a yoga room, it leaves you asking when you would ever need to leave. You can visit the calendar at http://www.castlebraid.com for future events and get your ass to Brooklyn to che-che-check it out!
(R.teal)
I went to the Louvre. What the hell did you do?
London
You don’t have to be sleeping with George Clooney to get tickets to the London Film Festival (October 14 - 29) - but I do encourage it. For the regular peeps, matinées start at a measly £7 and most shows that are billed as fully booked sell a few remaining tickets 30 minutes prior to the show. Skip the bologna ( flicks like ‘Persecution’ and ‘Taking Woodstock’) and grab the real meat ( dark and absurdly funny stuff like Todd Solondz’s ‘Life In Wartime’ or scary Oz-type shit like ‘A Prophet’ by Jacques Audiard). From the line up, most of the best films look dark, morbid, and depressing, but I say soak up all the bleakness and wallow in it - better to do it with movies than margaritas. Maybe.
New York
The New Museum (oh you know you loves it) has two pretty great exhibits out. The first, “Emory Douglas: Black Panther” takes black power to the max, showing Douglas’ best Panther propaganda. The other - “Dorothy Ianonne: Lioness” is all super sexy erotic illustrations that look like they came right out of a comic book written by a caveman. Both retrospectives end October 18 but the best part: entry to the New Museum is free this Saturday (September 26). Prefer to think outside the box? The New York Electronic Art Festival (from September 28 to October 28) has got the city in a techno death grip for the next month. With concerts at Roulette and art exhibitions across town you should be warned: this isn’t just for light-stick wielding candy kid ravers. The festival is also for serious art and technology junkies so you can leave your pacifiers at home.
San Francisco
You know how in the far reaches of Toronto, Cannes, and London, people are watching the most amazing movies ever made ever? Well fuck it. At The Dark Room (www.darkroomsf.com) down on Mission Street, for $5 their Sunday Bad Movie Night takes all the pretensions out of things like “film making” and “well made cinema”. This Sunday geek out with cheesiest of student-teacher lovefests “The Dead Poet’s Society” but please, try not to lick the screen when you see the young and supple Ethan Hawke flexing his - brain. And, in observance of the Halloween Holiday, they’re showing some of the best vampire classics of modern times including: ‘30 Days of Night’, ‘Queen of the Damned’, and ‘Twilight’. Popcorn’s free. Bring your own flask.
Kate & Jon plus Cara, Mady, Alexis, Hannah, Aaden, Collin, Leah, Hope, Joel. Equals too much time on your hands if you know who these people are.
Before there was Naomi Campbell there was the late, great Naomi Sims, who died of breast cancer this past weekend. Sims paved the way for our greatest models of color today, appearing as the first black cover model of Ladies’ Home Journal in November of 1968 and landing coveted modeling gigs for the likes of Halston and Fernando Sánchez thus being dubbed the world’s “first black supermodel”. Though she was much more than a supermodel in the generic terms we use the word today. She was black and beautiful before the 1970’s made such a thing in vogue. She was the beginning of something much greater than she could have ever imagined, ushering in an era of discussion on how our culture truly defines what is beautiful. As Halston once said “Naomi was the first. She was the great ambassador for all black people. She broke down all the social barriers.” You can check out her amazing 1969 cover of LIFE and the 1967 New York Times fashion magazine cover on display in the Metropolitan Museum’s “The Model As Muse” exhibit. Naomi, you will be missed.
