Before there was reality TV and the Sartorialist, Henri Cartier-Bresson roamed the globe photographing candid scenes of people in their daily lives. He gave people a glimpse of human diversity and became the father of photojournalism, eat your heart out, National Geographic!!MOMA is honoring him again; his last show there was in 1947, with a retrospective of over 300 photographs detailing a visual map of his trek around the world. Photos from India and Indonesian, the Chinese revolution, Gandhi’s funeral, postwar in the US, old cultures in Europe as well as portraits of iconic figures in the mid 20th century are all included in the show. I can't help but wrap my head around what it is that I love so dearly about his photography, it is a magical balance between subject matter and composition and appeals greatly to our fascination with travel. The show is a must see this summer!
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
The Father of Street Photography
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Deluxx Fluxx Arcade
Remember when you were in college and your walls were covered in blacklight posters and you spent all your time in there playing video games and doing mad drugs? Yeah, me neither, but if that past had been my reality, the Faile & Bäst Deluxx Fluxx Arcade would evoke flashbacks fo' sho!
Brooklyn-based duo Faile and collaborator Bäst have taken over a store front on Allen Street in the LES and transformed it into a classic video game arcade. The installation is complete with a change machine that dispenses tokens which you can insert into the games to obtain special screens.
This show is a lot of fun because for once, instead of not being allowed to touch the art, you're encouraged to interact with the machines and pushing their buttons often results in hilarity. I was particularly amused by a game that allowed me to turn the Eiffel Tower into a mushroom, back into the Eiffel Tower, back into a mushroom again and so on.
The Deluxx Fluxx Arcade will be open to the public until May 27. I would recommend visiting at night as the neon light bars on the front windows probably don't look as cool in the daytime. Check out some photos below.
Shepard Fairey's May Day
Shepard Fairey has been making a lot of noise around town the past few weeks. First there was the mural on Houston, which may or may not be legal, then the Obey popup store, all leading up to the sonic boom that was his May Day opening at Deitch Projects last night, the gallery's final exhibition.
When we arrived shortly after six, the horde of eager fans outside Wooster Street had already wrapped itself the length of the block on Grand Street and beyond. Our friends had just given up their spot in line but we convinced them to get back in and let us join them further up. We took advice from the guy behind us in our original spot and grabbed some beers and brown paper bags from a nearby bodega to soften the realization that we were going to be there for a while.
An hour and a half later, we found ourselves inside the immense space with limited edition signed prints in hand. Hundreds of Fairey-stylized images of iconic figures lined three of the walls with a replica of the Houston Street mural filling the back wall. I freaked out a little upon spotting the Macklovitch brothers, A-Trak and Chromeo's Dave 1 at the opening.
May Day will be up all month until May 29 so be sure to check it out and say a proper goodbye to Deitch as well. Check out my pictures from the show below.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Stop the press - Banksy's married!
And that's about the only thing you'll learn about him upon seeing "Exit Through the Gift Shop," aka the Banksy documentary that hits theaters this Friday.
The film, directed by Banksy, isn't so much focused on the notorious mystery artist, but rather French filmmaker/"artist", Thierry Guetta, aka Mr. Brainwash - a monster created by Banksy and a perplexing piece of living art which the art community has mixed feelings about.
What I enjoyed most was the footage of artists like Shepard Fairey printing out and piecing together his artwork at Kinko's and Invader, Guetta's cousin, plastering his mosaics onto the streets of France in the middle of the night.
Banksy himself appears in front of the camera, his face hidden inside a dark hoodie and his voice disguised by a voice box. He comes off as somewhat of a mischievous and humorous Darth Vader. You only get to see his hands as he works (which is where I spotted the wedding ring.)
This film was the most fun I've had at the movies in a long time while also being inspiring and thought provoking. Run, don't walk to the theatre to take it all in the minute it's out.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Monday, March 1, 2010
NG Solving My Identity Crisis: Part I
While perusing fabulous jobs at National Geographic, I stumbled upon a project they are working on with IBM involving genetics, migration and DNA testing. The project involves mapping migration patterns of the human species through DNA testing and the call was for traditional, indigenous and original peoples to participate. Obviously, I jumped on board (see DNA swap testing kit in image!). Scientists for years now have already proven that sequences in all of our DNA can be traced back to Africa, so I'm looking forward to where my peeps went from there, the anticipation is killing me! The idea of giving ethnic groups with no written history a map of where they've lived and travelled is incredible and inspiring and giving me visions for my ph.d thesis! Go here for the Atlas of the human journey and stay tuned for results!
Friday, February 26, 2010
Happy 'Snowicane' NYC!
Personally, I prefer "Snowtorious B.I.G.".
I'm going snowboarding all weekend. Have fun in the snow!
CR Adventure [Day Six] - Miracle blizzard flight home
They tell us it's snowing in New York but we're optimistic. On the other hand, getting stuck in Cancun is far from the worst situation you could find yourself in.
At the airport, we meet up with the Chicago crew from Tabacón and compare photos from the rest of the trip. They are vastly different -- ours include sunsets and monkeys, theirs include bikini shots of hot girls they met.
On our first flight, I am mesmerized by a woman with a lifelike baby doll wearing its seat belt in the aisle across from our row. I'm pretty sure that baby is full of drugs.
On our second flight, one of our new friends who was bound for DC but rerouted to New York gets extra beers from the stewardess by telling her it's my birthday and it feels like it is. But soon, we will find ourselves back in frigid New York where a blizzard has covered the the entire city in a blanket of whiteness.
It's been real Costa Rica. I hope to see you again real soon. Pura Vida!
CR Adventure [Day Six] - Who's flying this small plane?
We check out of the Costa Verde and pile into a cab for the minuscule airport of Quepos. The planes are so small that we need to be weighed to get on, yet strangely not ID'ed at all. I'm fairly certain that if you came to this airport and paid the $2 entry fee to get in, you could get on any flight for free. I'm saving that story for my next visit to Costa Rica.
We take off and notice that a giant grasshopper is along for the ride. I squirm a little as the pilots empty out the envelope filled with our flight info to try to catch it. No one is looking ahead, no one is steering or, say, flying the plane. A woman in the first row caches the insect and we all breathe a sigh of relief.
