Ummmmmm... This is just a teensy bit freaky, in the horror movie sense. At the same time, it is really, really dope in an artistic sense. In California, a man has made a suit, literally covered in mirrors. He is a street performer that rolls around Los Angeles collecting money for taking pictures. It's honestly just cool to look at. Check out some more pictures...
My homie Sherine sent this to me in a Facebook message, and I had to take notice. If you happened to be in Times Square recently, you may have seen a mural emblazoned on the side of some awning-laced building. The mural depicts numerous Black and Hispanic women in various stages of undress, adorned with long nails and the Nuyorican style so prevalent in the Bronx (my hometown), and the rest of New York City. As beautiful as the work is, it's drawing stark criticism for it's portrayal of women as 'ghetto'...
Now, I, for one, take my etymology very seriously. By that virtue, I felt it necessary to look up and properly define the word 'ghetto'.
via Dictionary.com: ghetto - a section of a city, esp. a thickly populated slum area, inhabited predominantly by members of an ethnic or other minority group
That's a noun... A noun that's been transformed into an adjective describing anything negative or degenerate originating from the area defined above. That said, is the mural 'ghetto'? In fact, is the mural portraying something negative? Honestly, I'd say no. The Nuyorican culture in NYC is one that's oft referenced in hip-hop and poetry. While the portrayal may seem crude and sexist to an outsider (which most of the people in Times Square seeing the mural are), to the average New Yorker, the mural is synonymous with an aspect of New York culture. The person saying that the women should be carrying 'briefcases' seems to have a ridiculously limited scope of what constitutes a 'positive' portrayal of women. The placement may be misguided, but the art itself is beautiful. That's neither here nor there, though. Readers, what do you think about the mural?? Is it 'ghetto' or are the critics ignoring the rich Nuyorican culture and history? PLEASE, chime in in the comments section below, and let me know what you think. This is the new and improved Census...
Jean-Michel Basquiat was one of the first artists of African descent to make it big into the mainstream. While some of his Brookyln brethren were finding out about crack and hip-hop, Basquiat was a psuedo-celebrity in his own right, hob-knobbing with the likes of Madonna and creating art that would stand the test of time. Twenty-plus years later, one of his closest friends is releasing unseen footage of the artist, in a documentary entitled 'Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child'. The footage includes Basquiat talking about his art, motivation, and shows him living two years before his death in 1988. Check the trailer...
You Banksy fans out there should be in for a treat. He's releasing a movie at the Sundance Film Festival this year, chronicling his newest works and the trouble he gets into along the way. The film, entitled Exit Through the Gift Shop, is billed as "the world's first street art disaster movie". Whatever that means, you know the cinematography is going to be great. Check the trailer...
If you don't know who Banksy is, I feel sorry for you. The British graffiti artist is notorious worldwide for his use of his canvas in coordination with the actual work. Also he's known for being damn near un-catchable (not a word) and being the most elusive tagger ever. This time, he takes on global warming in a tongue-in-cheek way, showing that if it doesn't stop, one of his works will disappear. Honestly, I can't describe the pieces. Just look, and understand how much of a genius the man is...
Now, I don't mean that to say that what Stan Munro has created in his free-time is any more important than health care debates or getting our troops home, but perspective does lend itself to his genius, and that of all quirky personalities. This man has recreated some of the world's most amazing buildings out of about 6 million toothpicks over the course of 6 years. If you can find anyone with that type of passion for anything, then that person has to be truly accomplished in what they love. Like I said before, perspective lends itself to the quirks and idiosyncrasies that make every accomplishment worthwhile. That said, what have you done with your life recently?
