Julian Gilbert’s photographs of random couples kissing, in a series entitled PDA, are voyeuristic, but could also be images taken by some kind of secret-agent alien to prove to a distant planet how strange the human species and mankind truly is. In fact almost all his photographs have that feeling – like you’ve unlocked some kind of private file. Julian Gilbert, a 24 year old New York native, photographs other aliens too – artists, musicians, actors – and they look more at home on camera and less like some kind of endangered species caught in the cross hairs of Gilbert’s viewfinder. All and all, his photographs are undeniably full of fervent and vibrant life. Gilbert is now offering his photography outside the gallery: just send him a self addressed stamped envelope and five bucks and you get one random, unique 4X6 or 4X5 print. A pretty sweet deal.
On set: Brendhan Bowers and Adarsha Benjamin direct a music video for the So So Glos‘ track “Wrecking Ball,” today in NYC.
Richard Prince, 1980
The art produced during the 1980s veered between radical and conservative, capricious and political, socially engaged and art historically aware. This Will Have Been: Art, Love & Politics in the 1980s, an exhibition on view this month at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chigacago, provides viewers with an overview of the artistic production of these heady days, as well as impart the decade’s sense of political and aesthetic urgency by placing many of the decade’s competing factions in close proximity to one another. On view February 11, 2012 to June 3, 2012 at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, 220 E Chicago Ave, Chicago IL
Perhaps Russel Young’s most famous series, entitled Dirty Pretty Things, which includes the diamond dusted, silk-screened images of Kurt Cobain, Marilyn Monroe crying, James Dean, Elvis, amongst others – along with his Helter Skelter series, painted after a near death experience after contracting the H1N1 virus – will be on view this March at the Goss-Michael Foundation Gallery in Dallas, Texas. Russel Young Retrospective will be on view at a retrospective at the Goss-Michael Foundation Gallery from March 7 to March 31, 2012. Goss-Michael Foundation, 405 Turtle Creek Boulevard Dallas ,TX.
“Universe of Desire,” an exhibition about human desire as seen through the lens of digital behaviors, opens at the Museum of Sex on February 8th. Type. Swipe. Search. Upload. Download. Post. Stream. These are the new verbs of desire. Our most intimate thoughts, fantasies, and urges are now transmitted via electronic devices to rapt audiences all over the world. These transmissions—from sexts to private webcam feeds—are anonymous yet personal, individual yet collective, everywhere and nowhere, and they are contributing to the largest sexual record to date. In short, desire has gone viral. The exhibition “Universe of Desire,” opening at the Museum of Sex on February 8th, examines human desire as seen through the lens of digital behaviors. Museum of Sex, 233 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY
Revered by enthusiasts of fantasy and horror films, but largely overlooked by the critical mainstream, French filmmaker Jean Rollin (1938-2010) is finally being given the recognition he deserves. His surreal, dreamlike films are grounded in traditional gothic imagery but are flavored with 1970s-era eroticism, resulting in a body of work that is as eerie as it is outrageous. Though constrained by low budgets, Rollin managed to drench his films in atmosphere and used them as unvarnished expressions of his own personal fears and desires. As Tim Lucas of Video Watchdog has written, Rollin’s films represent “the very heart and soul of ‘le fantastique’—its flamboyance, its melodrama, its sense of the impossible made possible. They do not scare us; they were designed to delight us, to arouse our imagination, to move us.” For the first time, the films have been carefully mastered in HD from the original 35mm negatives and will be released with an array of special features, including interviews with Rollin and his collaborators, documentaries, and trailers. Available here.
Presented in three parts, an upcoming exhibition at Lehman Maupin Gallery in New York, highlights three recent series, demonstrating Teller’s dynamic and diverse oeuvre. Featuring the controversial photographs of Kristen McMenamy and seductive portraits of Vivienne Westwood, juxtaposed with intimate portraits of his family and close friends, this exhibition displays an amalgam of subjects and personalities. The exhibition starts with Teller’s controversial series of photographs featuring Kristen McMenamy, shot in the home of Carlos Mollino. Drawing inspiration from the eccentric architect, Teller recalls Mollino’s fascination with the erotic, capturing McMenamy in provocative poses. Although the series garnered controversy for its alleged “pornographic” nature, it demonstrates Teller’s skilled storytelling and fearless approach to his medium. On view from February 10 to March 17, 2012 at the Lehman Maupin Gallery, 201 Chrystie Street, New York.
Edvard Munch (pronounced Moonk) is best known for The Scream – the painting itself is an expressionistic exclamation point marking an emotional era in art. After walking through the recent Munch exhibit at the Centre Pompidou in Paris, The Scream seemed to me to be the culmination of a life’s work; an exasperated attempt to express the entirety of life’s frustrations and anxiety. The exhibition portrayed the work of a man gripped with the beauty and fatality of every moment. Images of vampires, sick women, and the famous painting entitled “two lonely ones” standing by the water’s edge (pictured below). [SEE MORE....]
