Supertouch homies RVCA have teamed up with anti-supermodel ERIN WASSON to create a new line of womenswear that premiered at FASHION WEEK in NYC on February 18th at the Milk Studios Penthouse to critical acclaim. A native of Dallas, Texas, the 27-year-old has become the bad girl of fashion that Kate Moss wishes she actually was with her take-no-prisoners approach to style. The show attracted a crew of hipsters and tastemakers who stood shoulder-to-shoulder with fashionistas to catch sight of Wasson’s to-die-for frame as much as the new gear she and her cadre of drool-worthy models were wearing.
Otaku MARK RYDEN fans got a much-needed dose of face time with their art idol in Tokyo last Saturday nite when his hotly anticipated new "Snow Yak Show" debuted at TOMIO KOYAMA GALLERY. In attendance were longtime Ryden brothers-in-arms TIM BISKUP and GARY BASEMAN who helped their bearded elder celebrate in true snow yak style replete with fuzzy white headgear and ice cold hearts to boot. The sold out show of new oil paintings and drawings represents a stark aesthetic departure for the artist who leaves behind his trademark meat-laden painting style and ornate frames behind with this collection of minimalist new work.
The eyes of the world are on Kenya...
French outdoor installation artist (call it “street art” if you must) extraordinaire JR continues his epic 28 MILLIMETER: WOMEN Project with the unveiling this week of his most ambitious stage yet in KIBERA, KENYA. Reconnecting with the subjects he photographed over a year ago in the city—one of the largest slums in Africa—at the start of his mission to portray on a grand scale the unseen and unempowered women of the world, the reunion was an especially poignant moment for the artist. With the help of enthusiastic residents, JR managed to cover 2,000 square meters of local rooftops with photos of the eyes and faces of the women of Kibera, giving them a monumental voice and presence in a city where their own existence is often marginalized.
THE MEDIUM IS THE MESSAGE:
SHEPARD FAIREY AND THE ART OF APPROPRIATION
As underground art phenomenon SHEPARD FAIREY’s first major museum retrospective prepares to open at the INSTITUTE OF CONTEMPORARY ART/BOSTON on February 6th, we feel the need to address some of the vicious and unfounded rumors surrounding the originality of Shepard’s artwork that have been floated online in recent years. Though written by a variety of different detractors for a questionable array of reasons, the common thread binding them all—aside from a thinly masked veneer of obvious envy in most cases—is a nearly ubiquitous lack of understanding of the artist’s use of appropriated imagery in his work and the longstanding historical precedent for this mode of creative expression. Read More
Supertouch homegirl LIZ KRUETZ spent the last couple weeks photographing LANCE ARMSTRONG's every move as he competed in his first race as a born-again professional cyclist in Australia's overheated TOUR DOWN UNDER. With an all access pass to the nittiest, and far more often than one might expect, grittiest (also grimiest, hairiest, and smelliest) look at the iron man's grueling routine, she captured rare images of the cancer crusader from atop his Team Astana bike barreling down hills at 50+ mph, to visiting pediatric cancer patients—all in the name of his LIVESTRONG foundation. HAVE A LOOK:
Forty-six years after he gave his famous "I Have a Dream Speech" in Washington on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. is set to finally be immortalized with his own colossal sculpture, titled “The Stone of Hope” in the nation's capitol. The three-piece monument depicts the civil rights leader stading, arms crossed, before a large and imposing mountain representing the leader's hard-fought struggle. HAVE A LOOK:
Shepard Fairey's criminal record has been officially wiped clean...
As momentous an occasion in the world of underground art—albeit on a much smaller scale—as BARACK OBAMA's victory on the national stage was the induction of presidential propagandist SHEPARD FAIREY's portrait of our new leader into the NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY at the SMITHSONIAN MUSEUM on Saturday. The first official portrait of the president-to-be recognized in an American cultural institution, Shepard's image shatters the barriers of acceptability of the so-called worlds of "underground" and "street" art to catapult one of its foremost talents to the hallowed halls of history, and forever brightening the school field trips of young museum goers in the process. It's a brave new world out there people, art world 2.0 begins now. HAVE A LOOK:
Just in time to celebrate President-Elect BARACK OBAMA's upcoming inauguration on January 20th, the SHEPARD FAIREY-organized MANIFEST HOPE DC art show (in collaboration with MoveOn.org) has opened its doors to the public in the nation's capitol. An extension of the original "Manifest Hope" show last year at the Democratic National Convention, this year's installment enjoys the distinction of celebrating a hard-won change instead of stating the case for it. Featuring original artwork by a diverse array of artists including Shepard Fairey, Tim Biskup, Tristan Eaton, Ron English, David Choe, Maya Hayuk, Andy Howell, Chris Pastras, HAZE, Travis Millard, House Industries, HVW8, Zoltron, JK5, Justin Hampton, Robbie Conal, and Sam Flores, the inclusive show is intended to reflect the grassroots movement that helped propel Obama to unheard of stratospheric heights. HAVE A LOOK:
The zen master hard at work...
The legend of RAYMOND PETTIBON looms large in the psyche of Southern California music and art culture, but few figures have proven easier to get close to than this enigmatic and elusive artist. Renowned for his stark, minimalistic, text heavy black & white ink drawings that would become an integral part of the visual lexicon of 1980s hardcore music, Pettibon has in recent years expanded his repertoire to include deeply layered color work that oftentimes incorporates elements of collage. This evolution of Pettibon's vision is the focus of "Cutting Room Floor Show: Part II," a massive exhibition of new work debuting this Saturday nite at REGEN PROJECTS GALLERY in West Hollywood that serves as a counterpoint to his recent show there of vintage '70s & '80s work. Having transformed the gallery space in recent weeks into a giant makeshift studio, Pettibon has very quietly been putting the finishing touches on literally hundreds of pieces of art in record time. It was here that we caught up with the elusive master for a sneek peek.
After days of tepid sales, guarded optimism, thinly veiled terror, and defiantly happening parties, ART BASEL 2008 was still a good year for, well, art. Spread over dozens of fairs were epic pieces by Barry McGee, Tomoo Gokita, Friends With You, Chiho Aoshima, Richard Prince, Mark Ryden, Barbara Kruger, Hyungkoo Lee, Josh Keyes, Robert Williams, Colin Christian, Todd James, Ron English, KAWS, Dearraindrop, Tony Oursler, Raymond Pettibon, , Eric White, Usugrow, Chris Mars, Fafi, Dash Snow, Aurel Schmidt, Scott Campbell, Phil Frost, Shepard Fairey, The Clayton Brothers, Takashi Murakami, and Kehinde Wiley, to name but a scant few, and celebrity buyers like Brad Pitt, Pharrell, Sofia Coppola, Jay-Z, and Dennis Hopper were still out shopping—though not necessarily buying—in full effect. Even Paris Hilton made her usual appearance. All in all, it was a good year to look at art, just not necessarily a great one to buy a lot of it. Following is a flashback of some of the cool stuff.
