Sing, Sing, Sing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tK0IxYo1sSc

Goddamn I love Zoot Suits. 

I like boring things.

Genius, visionary, avant-gardist though he is, Andy Warhol is a bit of a dick. He is highly sexist, objectifying his muses relentlessly; in particular Edie Sedgwick, who ended up overdosing. "I am a deeply superficial person." That just about sums up his entire artistic agenda. Appearance. Appearance. Appearance.

Pure Gonzo

Ralph Steadman: cartoonist, writer, composer, magician with a pen and paper, creator of 'Gonzo Journalism.'

OM NOM.

 Once you've stalked enough photographers, you start to realise that the true creatives have something in their works that, try as you might, you can never imitate. It's an essence, a secret technique, a certain je-ne-sais-quoi-le-fuck-it-is that gives you the shivers and makes you wonder: why don't my photos look that good? I believe Peter Cagnacci to be on of these freaks of nature. My first impression was that perhaps he goes a bit overboard with Photoshop, but if you look close enough, you understand that this is the essence I'm talking about. The saturation and over-exposure make his photos ethereal. They draw you in and don't let you out. He is a wizard with photo editing programs - he can see potential in photos that noone else can and brings it out, BUT, he doesn't put much thought into the story behind the photograph. What are the photographs saying? To me, sometimes they don't say anything, while at other times I can tell they're trying but not quite getting the message across. But then again, perhaps that's part of the essence of his works: they're just photographs. Beautiful photographs. AMAZING photographs. Check them out and decide for yourself at http://www.petercagnacci.com/ and http://kidsdieyoung.tumblr.com/.

c/o Peter Cagnacci

Les Ballets Russes

Above are some costume designs by Alexandre Benois for the ballet "Petrushka" (1910). It tells the story of a puppet who is brough to life and "imprisoned", along with other dolls, by his charlatan master who makes him perform at fairs. He eventually escapes his prison, only to be slain by a Moor doll over his jealousy for their mutual love of a Ballerina doll. The story ends with Petrushka's (the puppet) ghost scaring his master away, leaving the audience to wonder who is "real" and who is not. I love the creativity, intricacy and colour that went into these designs. I'm off to see "Ballets Russes: The Art of Costume" - an exhibition in Canberra - next weekend. I can't wait to see these beauties.

I Hate Mondays.

Banksy. Street artist. Innovator. Genius.

His works are dualistic in that they are simplistic while simultaneously showing complexity. Simplistic in the sense that most of his pieces comprise one single illustration (or object in the case of his installations), and complex due to the intricacy of the illustrations (which is unusual for a graffiti artist) and his insightful yet entertaining social commentary. Even if you glance over one of his works, his message is clear. Take for example, his works along the Gaza Strip.

 The Gaza Strip borders Egypt on the southwest and Israel on the south, east and north. It is about 41 kilometers long. Initially under Israeli control, the Gaza Strip was then transferred into the hands of the Palestinians in accoradance with the Oslo Agreement, thus between 1994 and 1996 Israel built the Israeli Gaza Strip barrier for its own security. The UN and many other international bodies consider Israel to be the occupying power of the Gaza Strip as Israel controls its airspace and territorial waters, and does not allow the movement of goods in or out of Gaza by air or sea. In these works, Banksy highlights the blatant denial of a basic human right - freedom of movement - which screams for government attention, yet almost lightheartedly echoes the struggle of the people.

Due to ongoing legal proceedings, Banksy has never revealed his identity. Which I think is an excellent idea. The longer he can evade paparrazzo attention and the toxic celebrity environment of drugs, alcohol and solicited sex, the better.

Cisum Ynkuf.

 Nathan Wind Photography: I love the energy in his photos, especially because it is musical,creative energy. He captures the spirit of the music in the facial expressions of the artists, and the black/white photography exaggerates this by focusing the audience's eye on the subject rather than the colour.

See more of his stuff at:

http://nathanwind.doctorfassman.com/takeshi/