Wednesday night we had the hottest (and dare I say chicest) ticket in town. Over at RS POP Shop on 47th and Lexington, IN*TANDEM Magazine has the pleasure of sponsoring “Fashion Art Gallery Presents: Studio 2020″, an intimate look at a modern New York City single woman’s closet - but set in the year 2020. The Pop Up boutique is the brainchild of the ultimate modern woman (and IN*TANDEM featured New Creative) Kelly Mills, whose future woman is an obvious extension of her current self. As the wine flowed and the cupcakes were devoured, we were truly inspired. Designs in collaboration with LaQuan Smith, Telfar, Mari J. Brooklyn, Mercury Sunglasses, Original Women and Gabriel Barcia-Columbo were on showcase and a little more than a twinge of jealousy flared up as we drooled over the futuristic accoutrement. And, did we mention the best part: all of Studio 2020 is up for sale, with a portion of the proceeds being donated to Care.org.
I would love to tell you how the opening of Ryan McGinley’s New York City show “Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere” was full of the beautiful bright white lights and the sweet smell of museum board I’ve come to expect from NYC’s finest galleries. I would have loved to tell you how nuanced the images were - how the photos were both invasive and revealing. But alas, I cannot. I CAN tell you about waiting on the sidewalk with about 500 other people, clamoring to get inside Team Gallery (located at 83 Grand Street, NYC). And I can tell you about the cops and firemen who made me back my ass up on the curb. That’s right. We were DENIED. Though, we’re not too surprised. McGinley’s show was where to be last Thursday night - a first time retrospective on what McGinley himself described as what “A classical Ryan McGinley black and white portrait would look like”. The exuberance and spontaneity of his former works are all gone, replaced with the confines of the white backdrop of a studio. The collection features the 150 hand picked men and women McGinley chose to document in the nude and the monochromatic. And though we all know these images are nowhere, they do take the viewer somewhere - a place of intimacy and overwhelming emotion. Which is exactly what all of McGinley’s work is about.
The exhibition is open from March 18 to April 17. Go see it without the crowds - it’s more than worth it.
It’s noon. Do you know where your favorite cross dressing divas are? If I were you, I would check New York City’s famed National Arts Club where partymonster/Polaroid connoisseur/artist Jeremy Kost had his “Society Ladies” all dolled up for his contemporary art show “The Ladies that Lunch”, curated by Stacy Engman. The collection is a series of Polaroid grids and collages with the likes of Kenny Kenny, Dirty Martini, Sharon Needles, Veruca La’Piranha, and IN*TANDEM’s own Jordan Fox (featured on P.134). The ladies are doing all the fabulous things a society girl would do in a 100 year old private club like the NAC - including some deliciously dirty food fights, luscious lollipop licking, and generally looking pretty fab. And the best part: these ladies look seamless in their environment - like they were born with red-lipstick smudged silver spoons in their mouths.
IN*TANDEM Magazine caught the event last week (March 4) hosted by Ladyfag and danced our booty off to the musical stylings of Nomi Ruiz of Jessica 6 (covered in IN*TANDEM’s 70s Redux Issue, P.18), lost our last dollar to an angry blender, and were truly inspired by Kost’s work.
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?
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!
Last Friday the second of the monthly series It Came From Brooklyn showcased Brooklyn’s emerging musical and literary talents at the Guggenheim’s Frank Lloyd Wright Rotunda. Eugene Mirman, who served as MC for the evening, featured materials from his new comedy album God Is a Twelve Year Old Boy With Aspergers (Subpop) throughout the night. Rivka Galchen (Atmospheric Disturbances) read from Jane Eyre and screenwriter Hampton Fancher (Blade Runner, The Minus Man) decided read from Henry Miller.
I’m In You’s gritty post-rock orchestral affair started the event. This promising band has an EP available for download via their official site. The band will be the opening band for Julian Plenti this fall as they make their way to Seattle, Los Angeles and Europe (See tour details below).
Backed by a full band plus strings and horns Julian Plenti (aka Paul Banks of Interpol) played his very first live public performance in celebration of Julian Plenti is…Skyscraper. The string arrangements added an extra dimension and newfound depth to “Madrid Song,” “Only If You Run,” and “Skyscraper.” Most surprising was Julian Plenti’s cover of “Horse With No Name.” In the mix of the all-too-cool crowd last Friday night were Carrie Brownstein (NPR’s Monitor Mix, Sleater-Kinney) and Helena Christensen, who is currently dating Paul Banks.
More photos, videos and Julian Plenti tour date information after the jump. Read more…
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.
