July 2005 Archives

Let Them Eat Cake on Avenue C
By Mikal Saint George

The Palace at Versailles had its origins as a relatively modest hunting lodge - a little château of brick, stone, and slate - created by Louis XIII. Enter Louis XIV - the Sun King. A labor of love (partially to himself), he transformed the humble lodge into the most breathtaking architectural feat of its day. In 1682 it became the official royal residence. Few people are aware that the notoriously self absorbed King actually insisted that the palace was for the people and that his home be open to the public. The gates remained open all day to anyone who wished to partake of a bit daily royal shenanigans. Guards only did a routine search of weapons to avoid any harm to the King.

For the documentary, Wide Open, filmmakers Paul Lamarre and Melissa P.Wolf have taken on the monumental task of connecting the dots in a story involving an imprisoned artist, a police brutality case and a corrupt prosecutor in the state of Ohio. It's a frightening reminder that the culture wars are far from over.

Artist Thomas Condon resided in Cincinnati with his wife Kelly where he ran a commercial photography studio. Inspired by the birth of his nephew, Thomas began working on a series of close-up photographs of children being delivered. After exploring the concept of life and birth Condon thought it seemed fit to complete the project with another series of photos that dealt with the issue of death. The combined efforts came to be known as the Cycle of Life project.

Overspray Magazine is a quarterly publication dedicated exclusively to the art of stenciling, and we're not talking about grandma's kitten stencils here. Overspray features artists from around the world who are pushing the boundaries of what can be done with a little paint and an immense amount of talent. Filled with interviews, reviews and product recommendations, Overspray provides valuable insight to this outsider art form.

If you live in New York than you have most likely seen the work of Jet + Rubble in the form of giant, Japanimation-like stickers plastered on the peepers of celebrities featured in ubiquitous advertisements that take over the city. The duo refers to themselves as "urban environmentalists," caretakers of the city streets who dutifully redefine the environment that has been handed to them.

In a period of three months Jet + Rubble applied approximately 2,000 of their signature eyes on the likes of overexposed celebs including Jennifer Lopez, Pamela Anderson and her impossibly hung ex-husband, Tommy Lee. The stickers were a response to an explosion of new ads for celebrity based gossip shows on VH1 and E! Entertainment.

Swoon, Quite Rightly
By Lauren Cerand

For the careful urban observer, Swoon's paper cutouts are a familiar sight on the streets of New York. Open up a certain kind of vaguely hip publication these days (e.g. Street Logos, VERY New York, Clamor) and her work is almost invariably mentioned. An outsider artist of a different sort, Swoon turned to the street several years ago to explore a means of expression beyond the cloistered gallery environment so typical of the New York art world. After gaining a following so dedicated that she has her own fan fotolog, Swoon has brought an expanded vision of her magical world indoors for a solo exhibition at Deitch Projects.

For a few years, we have been seeing these posters around L.A. and New York City that read "Then it hit me. I'm not going to be famous. I won't get to be a rock star. I am going to be stuck on the payroll doing work that doesn't interest me for a very long time." Trigger Magazine hooked up with Marilyn from Then It Hit Me to get the story behind the wakeup call.

Interview By Liberation Iannillo
Photos by Evan Sung

Wooster Collective is a web site that celebrates and documents street art from around the world. Wooster Collective provides a venue for artists to share inspiration and connect with one another. Wooster Collective is Marc and Sara Schiller.

The Schillers founded the Wooster Collective web site in 2001. Walking their hyperactive Weimaraner, Hudson, throughout the streets of SoHo, they started noticing the artwork put up on buildings and city walls by vigilante artists who thought their message was equally as important as the ad space Calvin Klein would pay to overexpose Travis Fimmel's hot ass.

Like most people in New York City who lived though 9-11, Marc and Sara looked at their surroundings with fresh eyes. They had a new appreciation for the city and noticed things that most people took for granted. Instead of packing up their bags and leaving the city they loved, they decided to celebrate it, to share it, with New Yorkers and with the rest of the world.

By Mikal Saint George

If ancient Constantinople were resurrected as a planet and Cher became dictator, there would be a royal decree that Exhibitionist would plate the Imperial army. Ecclesiastic, Medieval, Gothic and Renaissance iconography is the signature look. The Exhibitionist journey often begins with hand wrought chains dripping from pulsating jugular to secret recesses usually reserved for extreme intimates and / or David LaChappelle.

Just as Michelangelo removed everything that was not David from a monumental slab of alabaster, so does Exhibitionist designer Michael Spirito when he is confronted with a mound of Sterling. Exhibitionist is the result of designer Spirito and partner Sloan Mandell. Sloan started as a trend forecaster before realizing his true ambition as trend setter and benevolent dictator. Michael was the great Oz behind the velvet curtain to other name jewelry designers until he realized his best work was happening at the kitchen table when he was off the clock. Needless to say when the two met the spontaneous combustion was audible.