Tag Archives: ARTISTS IN RESIDENCE
THE DEVIL’S PLAYGROUND
29 Nov
WALKING THROUGH DEVIL’S PLAYGROUND AT THE WHITECHAPEL GALLERY, A MAJOR SURVEY OF WORK BY AMERICAN PHOTOGRAPHER NAN GOLDIN, SOMETHING IN HER WORK HAD CHANGED. GROWING UP DEVOURING THE WORKS OF NAN GOLDIN, CINDY SHERMAN, COLLIER SCHORR, & CORRINE DAY, THERE WAS A RAW INTIMACY IN THE AWKWARDNESS. GOLDINS PORTRAITURE CONVEYED CULTURAL DISPLACEMENT, ABUSE, EXCESS, LOVE & LOSS. SO IT WAS SHOCKING TO SEE THE VICTIM OF ABUSE BECOMING A PREDATOR HERSELF.
NOWHERE WAS THIS MORE APPARENT THAN IN THE PHOTOGRAPHY OF HER YOUNG NEPHEW SIMON, THE LINCHPIN OF HER NEW BODY OF WORK. THE INTIMATE PHOTOGRAPHY OF THE PAST REPLACED WITH AN UNCOMFORTABLE TRANSGRESSIVENESS OF YOUTH & INTIMACY.
THE WORLD IS A SMALL PLACE. SO WHEN I FOUND OUT SIMON & JESSICA WERE COMING TO STAY WITH US IN BERLIN MY JAW DROPPED. I HAD BEEN COMPELLED TO WRITE AN ESSAY ABOUT DEVIL’S PLAYGROUND, SPECIFICALLY ABOUT PERVASIVE FEELINGS OF TRANSGRESSION IN THE NEW WORK. NOW I WAS GETTING TO MEET THE MUSES FACE TO FACE, & FIND OUT THE TRUTH OF THE MATTER.
SIMON & JESSICA WERE NO LONGER PHOTOGRAPHS IN A GALLERY, THEY WERE HOUSE-GUESTS. JESSICA WAS STUDYING UNDER DR GUNTHER VON HAGEN IN SWEDEN, & SIMON AN ARTIST IN HIS OWN RIGHT WAS JUST ON HIS WAY OUT OF CENTRAL ST MARTINS. I HAD TO INQUIRE ABOUT MY HUNCHES, & THOSE FEELINGS WERE VINDICATED. SHORTLY AFTER THE PORTFOLIO WAS FINISHED, SIMON REQUESTED THAT NAN REMOVE SEVERAL OF THE PHOTOS FROM THE DEVILS PLAYGROUND EXHIBITION & CATALOG, WHICH SHE VEHEMENTLY REFUSED. WE ALWAYS HEAR STORIES ABOUT PHOTOGRAPHERS LIKE TERRY RICHARDSON, BUT WE RARELY HEAR ABOUT THE TRANSGRESSIVE PRACTICES OF FAMOUS FEMALE PHOTOGRAPHERS. FOR SOME PHOTOGRAPHERS THE IMAGE IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE RELATIONSHIP IT THREATENS TO DESTROY.
FALL OF THE WEEKND KING
28 Nov
THE ONLY WAY TO GO FROM THE TOP IS DOWN. LIKE A COMEDOWN THAT HAPPENS WAY TOO HARD & WAY TOO FAST, THE BEAUTY SOON LEADS WAY TO MADNESS. AS OVER THE SUMMER AN UNDERGROUND SENSATION BECAME EMBRACED BY THE MAINSTREAM AMERICA.
OVERNIGHT THE WEEKND WENT FROM BEING A DARK AFTER-HOURS EXPERIENCE, TO MUSIC FOR THE SOCCER MOM AT THE GYM, THANKS TO THE 50 SHADES OF GREY SOUNDTRACK, & INEVITABLY THE MASSES WHO AREN’T “BOUT THAT LIFE” BECOME BOUT IT BOUT IT 4 YRS LATE.
AFTER THE KISSLAND RE-EDITION, THE EPIC KING OF THE FALL TEASERS BAITED THE AUDIENCE OF THE ALBUM TO COME. WHEN THE BEAUTY & THE MADNESS FINALLY RELEASED WE LISTENED & RE-LISTENED CLOSELY, BUT FOUND SEVERAL KEY ELEMENTS AMISS.
IMPORTANT TRACKS LEFT ON THE EDITING FLOOR. WATCHING THE AMA AWARDS LAST WEEK IT BECAME CLEAR THERE WAS A PRICE TO PAY TO HIT THE BIG TIME AWARD SCENE & ABEL BE READY TO PLAY.
DURING THE KNOWING ABEL TESFAYE MADE A REFERENCE TO THE LAST KING HAILE SELASSIE & LOST ESOTERIC LINEAGE OF KINGDOM, IT WAS SAD TO SEE THE KING OF THE FALL LEADING THE AMA BLACK MASS BOWING TO THE BEAST. BUT HEY THAT IS HOW IT GOES BRO.
924COLLECTIVE 