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9 years ago
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For 40 years, the Brazilian-born photographer Sebastião Salgado has been documenting people and events around the world, driven by curiosity, adventure, and deep empathy for the human condition. Trained as an economist, he left the security of that profession to travel to such farflung places as the Arctic Circle, remote Andes villages, Kuwait, and several African nations, where he lived among locals and immersed himself in the culture. The resulting collections of stunning black and white images include his books Other Americas, Workers, Terra, Exodus and Africa.
At one point, soul-sick from the tragedy he had witnessed in Rwanda, Salgado lost his desire to work, but regained it when he and his wife/work partner Lélia decided to replant the forest around the family ranch. That project ultimately became Instituto Terra, a thriving ecological reserve. Salgado’s current work involves the discovery and documentation of untouched landscapes, a tribute to the beauty of the planet.
When Sebastião’s son Juliano Ribeiro Salgado, a documentary filmmaker, decided to make a movie about his father, he enlisted the help of renowned German auteur Wim Wenders, a friend and admirer. The result of their collaboration, The Salt of the Earth, is a beautiful, profound work about a remarkable artist, his family, and the bonds he forges with his subjects. Following are excerpts from a recent roundtable discussion with Wenders and Juliano Salgado:
Did you think about the differences be[...]
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9 years ago
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South by Southwest (SXSW) is the Coachella of the American South. Much like over-hyped Indio music festival, this Texas alternative has skyrocketed in size and popularity in recent years. What began in 1987 as a local music festival has grown into an epicenter of not only music, but also culture. The SXSW events calendar has expanded exponentially and now includes film premiers, like Bridesmaids and Tiny Furniture, and speakers, like Bruce Springsteen, Johnny Cash and Jimmy Wales.
The coverage of the festival has grown at an equally alarming rate as well. Now-a-days it seems everyone has a tent, a representative, a something at Southby. This year’s festival in particular, which began on the 13th and will conclude on the 22nd, seems to be THE place to be. From McDonalds to Meerkat, brands have coated the festival in free gear and hashtags. This has been a rising trend, year to year, and in response, some claim SXSW has lost some of it’s original purpose amidst all this commercialization. The same or similar was said about Warper Tour, Burning Man and Sundance once they outgrew their underground status. It was only a matter of time before people started claiming the same of SXSW.
In 2013, Andrea Swensson wrote a piece for NPR's the record entitled "Why I'm Not Going To SXSW This Year". In her piece, Swensson admitted, “I can't help but feel that it has strayed far away from its original premise as a grassroots gathering place for new, undiscovered talent and increasin[...]
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9 years ago
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Gina Brillon is incredibly funny. Since jumping on the comedy scene at age 17, the Bronx native made appearances on Comedy Central’s “Live At The Gotham,” ABC’s “The View,” E!’s “Chelsea Lately” and comedian Gabriel Iglesias’ theatrical release, “The Fluffy Movie.” She’s also the first (and only) Latina winner of NBC’s “Stand Up for Diversity Showcase.” Discover more about her at GinaBrillon.com
And, if you are in the Denver-area, Brillon will be performing at Denver Improv from March 19 to March 22, 2015. She’ll be doing a college tour in April, and then performing in San Antonio, Texas from May 27 to May 31, 2015!
Click on link below to find out more about this comedic artist’s most prized fashion items after the jump.
Jacqueline Colette Prosper, @yummicoco
Red Shoes
I have a pair of red BCBG shoes that I wore for my first hour-long comedy special [“Pacifically Speaking”] that are literally the perfect shade of red. They go with so many different dresses, I fell in love with them the minute I saw them.
I knew they were going to be a hit, and everybody loves them when I wear them. They are super sexy, in a ‘not-over-doing-it kind of red.’ I’d say the color is more like an orange red. I love them. I would wear them with every outfit if I could. It’s not a chunky heel, it’s more slender—sort of like a stiletto, but a little asymmetrical in the design. The outside of the foot is covered and the inside has a dip where it shows a little more of the arch [...]
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9 years ago
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Join us for another excellent night of live music featuring NYC based artists that stretch across all genres of music and style.
This month we're very pleased to have The Tall Pines performing for our HomeGrown series. They've played with the likes of Charlie Louvin, Norah Jones and Justin Townes Earl among other greats, and their first self-titled album was named one of top ten best albums of the year by NPR's Meredith Ochs.
We're equally pleased to have Daughter Vision performing the late set. When they take the stage you can expect a multimedia, theatrical, sexy, philosophical experience. Blythe Sword is a new project featuring the vocals of Blythe Gruda and the music of Anton Sword. The band recently returned from a European tour where they delighted fans with their electronic textured dark ballads. Skunkmello returns to follow up on their great performance at HomeGrown last year. The band will be fresh off their date at SXSW and energized for a top notch set at Bowery Electric.
--March 18th: The Tall Pines, Blythe Sword, Daughter Vision, Skunkmello
8:00pm - Skunkmello, 9:00pm - The Tall Pines, 10:00pm - Blythe Sword, 11:00pm - Daughter Vision
Doors: 7pm, Music: 8pm, Cover: $10
The Bowery Electric, 327 Bowery Street, NY, NY
Hosted by Art for Progress
--April 22nd
We Deliver presents “Mother Earth Jam”
In celebration of Earth Day…
Featuring: Wyland, Polyvox, Blythe Gruda, Idgy Dean
Doors: 7pm, Music: 8pm, Cover: $10[...]
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9 years ago
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Frank Whaley is probably best known for his acting roles in Pulp Fiction, Swimming with Sharks and The Doors, but he’s also written and directed a few movies over the years, most notably 1999’s gritty Joe the King, about the hellish life of an abused boy from a badly broken home.
His latest directorial effort, Like Sunday Like Rain, is about an entirely different sort of boy. Twelve-year-old Reggie (played with remarkable poise by newcomer Julian Shatkin) is a New York City rich kid and all-around prodigy who not only plays cello beautifully, but composes serious music. The film centers on the growing rapport between him and his 20-something nanny Eleanor, an equally lost soul played with nice understatement by Leighton Meester. Like Sunday Like Rain is a somewhat conventional film about an unconventional relationship. Though bumpy in places, this buddy movie/love story is elevated by Jimi Jones' languid cinematography and the two leads' performances and repartee.
At the movie’s start, Eleanor breaks up with her boyfriend Dennis, an undependable musician who causes her to lose her barista job. Played by Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong in his feature film debut, Dennis is a bratty loser type and Armstrong doesn’t add much to the part. Meanwhile Reggie’s distant, preoccupied mother (Debra Messing in a one-note role) is planning to visit her husband -- Reggie's stepfather -- overseas and needs a new nanny pronto. With no real experience or references, Eleanor is sent [...]
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9 years ago
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It was a cold Saturday afternoon, but I was motivated to trek over to Chelsea to check out the Kitchen Girls & Toy Boys show at Rush Arts Gallery. Artists Sindy Butz and Sol Kjok are participating artists in the show and have both worked with AFP on various projects.
It didn't take long for me to identify Sol's very large piece, "Strings Attached" as I walked into the gallery. Her figurative work bursts off the canvas with great detail and her use of color brings out the emotion in her characters. In this piece the characters are strung together and appear to be grasping and climbing over each other while still maintaining a certain co-dependence.
I was impressed with the overall quality and diversity of the work in the show. The work of Reinhold Gottwald caught my attention. His colorful, small, abstract pieces on wood are hung/arranged as if they are a group of planets sharing the same solar system. I found Markus Fiedler's beeswax sneakers quite intriguing and an interesting piece(s) to be included in the show. I was impressed with the incredible detail he was able to achieve using beeswax.
I noticed Sindy crouched down on the floor, but I didn't realize that her performance had already begun. What is she up to this time? Sindy's not afraid to take on the not so obvious social issues of the day. Her thought provoking work continues to evolve and this performance would not disappoint. The message on the floor read, "The West Tastes like Gold." As Sind[...]
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9 years ago
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Brooklyn by way of D.C. band Jukebox the Ghost playing Irving Plaza Saturday night to a packed house. For what was effectively a hometown show, the fans showed up in force. Openers Secret Someones and Little Daylight warmed up the crowded venue and around 10 the band finally took the stage.
They began with “Postcard” off of their newest album, Jukebox the Ghost, which came out earlier this year. It’s an upbeat follow-up to the more somber, but still poppy Safe Travel that the band released in 2012. The record was the first on their new label Cherrytree Records. Jukebox signed to the branch of Interscope Records in late January. The month turned out to be a busy one for the band. In addition to releasing a new records, the band also played Conan, did a cover swap with Twin Forks, recorded a Bangels cover with Secret Someones and did a Bands and Brews sessions with Baeble Music. The band's guitarist Tommy Siegel also spoke to the Nerdist for their Car Tunes and Cartoons series and released a book of his "van doodles" after a successful Kickstarter campaign.
For their Irving Plaza appearance, the band played a mix of songs from each of their albums. This included tunes from their debut Let Live and Let Ghosts, like "Static to the Heart" and "Victoria", and songs from their second album Everything Under the Sun, like “Schizophrenia” and “The Stars”. For long-time fans, a highlight of these older songs was the combination of “My Heart’s the Same” and “Lighting Myself on [...]
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9 years ago
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This week, Brandon Ballengée, artist/ biologist/environmental activist, is preparing to transform the Feldman Gallery booth at The Armory Show into a space to mourn the massive extinction of species. It's an incredibly weighty topic, often referred to as the Holocene or Sixth Great Extinction, which continues at an alarming rate. In promotion of this important showcase, called "Frameworks of Absence," I requested to interview Ballengée, asking him to share with Art for Progress his favorite personal fashion items. After hesitating, Brandon said "oh well, that would be fun!"
Pioneering in ecological art, Ballengée has been described by the critic and curator Kim Levin “as taking these issues to a new level of intensity.” His work has been included in Documenta 13 (Germany), Prospect 2, (New Orleans), 3rd Moscow Biennale (Russia), Biennale for Electronic Arts, (Australia), and the Venice Biennale (Italy). And, Ballengée was awarded a Conservation Leadership Fellowship from the National Audubon Society’s Together Green Program in 2011-2012. "Frameworks of Absence" features physically cut images of missing animals from historic prints and publications printed at the time in history when the depicted species became extinct. A portion of proceeds from Ballengée's "Frameworks of Absence" will support the Natural Resources Defense Council's (NRDC) efforts to defend and protect endangered wildlife and wild places. To find out more about this thrilling exhibition, go t[...]
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9 years ago
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The first feature from writer/director Lance Edmands (who previously served as editor on Tiny Furniture, among other movies), Bluebird is quiet, brooding, and visually stunning. The film’s slowly unfolding narrative tracks the reverberations of an accident on a small Maine logging town and its working-class inhabitants. Meditative and highly atmospheric, it’s as much a portrayal of a harsh, bleak environment as it is of the individuals who live there.
Amy Morton plays Lesley, a longtime school bus driver who becomes distracted at the end of her shift one day and fails to notice a sleeping boy in one of the rear seats. Her husband Richard (John Slattery), a logger, is largely preoccupied by news of an impending mill shutdown and probable layoffs while the couple’s sensitive teen Paula (Emily Meade) is engrossed in negotiating the beginnings of a new romance.
In the accident’s aftermath, the affected parties react in various ways: the boy’s young, irresponsible mother (Louisa Krause) hires a lawyer against the wishes of her own mother (Margo Martindale); the devastated Paula lashes out at her father and seeks comfort in her budding relationship. Though seemingly impervious and a bit distant, Richard shows clear signs of stress and the outwardly stoical Lesley herself eventually and quietly breaks down. These are not demonstrative people; though there are outbursts of emotion, much is kept under wraps.
The gradual unraveling of these characters is shown amid the[...]
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9 years ago
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Beginning with the opening track off their debut album Throw Up Your Hands for One Night Stands, Freshman 15 played a short, but enthusiastic set at Chinatown's Santos Party House. The floor was dotted with young fans (and a few 21+s in wristbands) who had arrived early to see the one of the many openers that night. Before the Georgia pop rock band took the stage their statemates, Everybody Run, played an equally empty house. Despite the showing or rather lack there of, both bands played a high energy and spirited sets. Freshman 15 especially played a well-rehearsed, even choreographed show with intermittent, but well-timed stage jumps and similar stage antics. Lead singer and bassist Davey Fortner hoisted his instrument in unison with guitarist Mike Baker, showing a clear chemistry amidst the band. Despite being down a member and having to borrow Everybody Run's bassist Shaan Singh, they showed no signs of being tired of the road or of one another. The Don’t Worry Be Happy tour they were on with headliners Carolina Kings and Survey Says was well underway, but even missing a bassist (Davey Hoogerwerf left the band in 2012), Fortner, Baker and drummer Leo Teran powered through.
The earlier band's bassist meshed seamlessly with their energy and matched their goofy smiles with a grin of his own. There was a positivity to the set, as there was to their second album, that translated to their live show. "Our California Song", a sad tune with an upbeat and plenty of crunchy [...]
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9 years ago
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The women of Brooklyn's IM Pastry are all phenomenal go-getters, eschewing their home kitchen and shared kitchen rental fees to open a custom cake boutique and cafe in the rapidly gentrifying neighborhood of Prospect Lefferts Gardens. Founded in 2009, IM Pastry was born after an Instagram image of a gorgeous set of pink quilted Chanel-inspired cupcakes were posted. An immediate social networking following emerged, along with a deluge of custom cake orders from dessert enthusiasts, including celebrities like Carmelo Anthony and Chef Roble. And after a successful Kickstarter campaign, the women celebrated the soft opening of their cafe this Valentine's Day 2015 weekend. I was fortunate enough to chat with Senior Pastry Designer Tiffany Washington about embracing Crocs, motherhood, and the art of caking it until you make it. Follow #TeamIMBK on Twitter, @IMPastryStudio on Instagram, and be sure to check out IleneMiriam.com
Click on link below to find out more about this cake artist’s most prized fashion items after the jump.
Jacqueline Colette Prosper, @yummicoco
Sweatpants
I like to bake in sweatpants. It’s more of a comfort thing, because the bigger the business gets, the more we have to do. I can spend hours on end either in the kitchen or making deliveries. When I wear sweatpants, I prefer cute, fitted sweats from H&M. Maybe I subconsciously do it so I don’t expand my waistline, but I’ve been baking for so long that I don’t even indulge in cakes anymore---I[...]
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9 years ago
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Katya Grokhovsky has been climbing up the ladder of success within the art world for the past five years. Most recently the School of the Art Institute of Chicago MFA graduate's work was featured in the Huffington Post in an article entitled “Ten Badass Emerging Female Artists You Should Know.” This coincides with Katya's work in the show Immediate Female is on display through March 8th at Judith Charles Gallery. It is Katya's tremendous work effort and the bold subjet matter of her art that is helping her to make waves.
Currently Katya is the artist in residence and teaching assistant at the New York Studio Residency Program in DUMBO. She is also working with the Philadelphia based gallery and performance space Vox Populi as their curatorial fellow in addition to with her own online platform. I recently spoke with Grokhovsky about her work, feminism and where she thinks the role of interdisciplinary artists fits into today's ever evolving world.
Anni Irish: What do you think it means to be an interdisciplinary artist in today's art world?
Katya Grokhovsky: I am still grappling with the various labels attached to being an artist today. I see the term interdisciplinary even though I use it as a band aid--an explanatory metaphorical bridge for all the various mediums an artist utilizes in their practice. I am more inclined to think of disciplines as fluid, mediums as transitory, ideas as central and genres as limitless.
AI: So do you think that means that labeling [...]
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