A Van She Christmas

This is the first Christmas in years that my Grandmother has spent with our family and this song has been stuck in my head for the last week. With all of those irritating jingles out there, I am humming 'You go sexual city,' Merry Christmas!

Van She - Sex City (live) [youtube]
Van She - Sex City [zshare]

Art in Words

I was formally introduced to Ed Ruscha's 50 years of painting last night at the Hayward Gallery and he made an excellent impression. Ruscha falls into the group of my few and favorite artists whose unique perspective is not only groundbreaking but simple, like they are able to see the world from an obvious vantage point before anyone else realizes its there.

His cross-sections of words in art and art in words are not only easy viewing but speak to the flexibility of genres from advertising to exhibitions, a reflection of his pop art origins. In fact they are all the kind of pieces one might want in their own home.

His most recent work an interpretation of Jack Kerouac's On the Road would have been interesting but I am sorry to say I missed it! Below are a few images from the Hayward exhibition:

A 13 Year Old and The Mill

A few notable additions to the blog roll:

http://themilltheblog.com/

THE MILL BLOG: This is the culture blog for Trinity College in Hartford Connect. While at first I was hesitant to add it to my blog roll because of my fundamental issues with camp trintrin, as the Mill's president put it "We're trying to change trinity because we all have fundamental issues with it too."

http://tavi-thenewgirlintown.blogspot.com/

STYLE ROOKIE: What does a girl have to do to meet Karl Lagerfeld? Start blogging at age 11. Tavi Gevinson has generated more hype in the fashion world than I ever managed in middle school gym class. Her style is eccentric and her writing clever, you can also see her photo shoot in Pop Magazine this month.

The Detail it takes to Disappear

Below are a few images of Liu Bolin, a new contemporary artist to keep an eye out for. Bolin views his work as a protest against the dark side of a society that lets people disappear. He works with assistants and his project can involve standing still for hours on end. Despite previously having his studio closed by the Chinese government, he is currently working in Beijing.

Triangle Walks

Photo Source

View slide show here

I knew that I could get my hopes up for last nights Fever Ray gig in Kentish Town, when her music video made its way onto The Moment last week. Like the video suggests, the performance was haunting and unique. When I heard the album, I did not know what to expect, but I found the show fascinating.

The stage was speckled with old fashioned lamp shades which blinked with the music while lasers and mirrors attempted to take away from the headdresses adorning every member of the band. The entire space smelled of incense, the haze of smoke never lifted and the music is hugely sensational in its own right.

I will admit that my primary reason for going to see Fever Ray was because I am terrified The Knife will never tour again, but that is not giving Fever Ray enough credit, if you have an opportunity see them live, don't miss it.

Fever Ray - If I had a Heart [mp3]

Fever Ray- Triangle Walks (Tiga remix) [mp3]

The Knife- Hearbeats [zshare]

Please note: If anyone does not own the song hearbeats, it is a must download.

The Power of Portraits

Ever since I first studied art history, I have had a certain fascination with portraiture. The attempts and the successes produced when an artist captures a person in an image is always interesting to pick apart.

Richard Avedon spent five days in the UN photographing some the most powerful people in the world and the slide show of their images is not be missed. The article appears in this weeks New Yorker and slide show is available on the New Yorker Website.

Can you imagine if John Singer Sargent had the opportunity to paint Muammar Qaddafi? Maybe I should keep my portrait dreams to myself..