By John H Lee | October 31, 2009 | 1
Pearl and the Beard - Will Smith Medley from Goddamn Cobras Collective on Vimeo.
Although the music isn’t what I’d admit to putting on our iPod Heavy Rotation list, we all agree the fun factor is pretty nice. Good job guys!
Press Release - thefamilyrecords.com/pearl-and-the-beard-on-wnyc-tour/
By John H Lee | October 13, 2009 | 0
By John H Lee | September 10, 2009 | 0
UNKLE Fully Flared from STCKR on Vimeo.
The full res version can be seen here. Another Spike Jonze visual miracle.
By Neil Shibata | August 2, 2009 | 7
Little Dragon put on an excellent show at Le Poisson Rouge on Bleecker a couple of Fridays ago. At one point, I was trying to think of a more talented current vocalist than Yukimi Nagano and was stumped. Then I returned to enjoying the show, because I remembered that lesson, self-taught, from long ago that you don’t lament that you’re not watching Small Wonder when Benson is on, you enjoy Benson.
I had always preferred the jazzier sides of Yukimi, such as her work with Koop, Hird and Ge-ology, but the Little Dragon album has steadily grown on me over the past couple years on a deeper level. Seeing them live has only increased my respect for the band, particularly Erik Bodin’s drumming. Interestingly, I was picking up flashes of Tears for Fears, Janet Jackson, and Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam that I hadn’t sensed before in their music, but not in as nostalgic and stupid a way as that sounds.
By LinYee Yuan | June 16, 2009 | 0
Major Lazer - Hold The Line (Feat. Mr Lexx and Santigold) from Mad Decent on Vimeo.
By LinYee Yuan | May 21, 2009 | 0
Photos by Jason Lewis
Langton gets a shape-up. Photo by Jason Lewis
From the Artful Dodger Fall09 Lookbook
We were invited to a nice press preview for Artful Dodger, the former streetwear label founded by Scott Langton of Phat Farm and Sean John fame in 2006 and bought by Jay-Z for a cool $15mill in late 2007. Held at Tommy Guns barbershop on the LES, the beautiful salon with old-timey touches like nickle, mirror and glass cabinets, leather barber chairs and marble floors, was brimming with dapper men donning the Artful Dodger Fall ‘09 collection. The collection is a huge departure from the line’s previous look and feel—currently Artful Dodger falls in the department store hoodie category (allover print reversible velvet embroidered hoodies anyone?)—but with their Fall ‘09 collection the brand is staking a claim in the premium men’s contemporary market. Thoughtful tailoring, sharp details, and beautiful fabrics dominate the Fall offering with canvas military jackets, vintage inspired leather bombers and a nice mix of pieces in wool, twill, and poplin. Style cues for the season were taken from the Gentlemen’s clubs of 1930s London and the photography for the lookbook reflects a nostalgia for the working class vintage look. Look forward to the next season from Langton and his brand!
By LinYee Yuan | May 21, 2009 | 0
The West Coast has long been home to late-night asian-fusion snacking (bulgogi hot dogs, the kogi korean taco truck). Hungry people around New York City can now rejoice with the second season of Asiadog! A weekly Tuesday culinary event at Williamsburg’s Trophy Bar, Theme friends Tall Steve and Mel bring “hot dogs with Asian-inspired toppings” to the masses! They launched their new website today and debuted at Brooklyn Flea last weekend! Check out their online menu or order catering from them for your next summer bbq bash!
“Ginny” kimchi w/ roasted seaweed flakes
“Ito” Japanese curry w/ shredded kimchi apples
“Vinh” Banh Mi style hot dog
“Sidney” mango, cucumber,red onion, and fishsauce relish
“Mel and Steve” Asian slaw
“Wang Ding” bbq pork belly
“Mash” spicy ketchup, jalapeño mustard w/ potato chip crumbs.
Every Tuesday
Trophy Bar
351 Broadway between Rodney and Keap, Brooklyn
7-11pm
Every Saturday
Brooklyn Flea
357 Clermont Ave, Brooklyn
10am - 5pm
By LinYee Yuan | May 20, 2009 | 3
When we gave you a preview of the amazing documentary film, Herb and Dorothy, last year, we weren’t sure if the film would make it into the theaters or not. We’re excited to announce that the film will be opening at New York City’s Cinema Village on June 5th with a nation-wide rollout all summer! An intimate and inspiring portrait of two of the most prolific contemporary art collectors of our time, this film is a lovestory between a couple and their passion for art. Check the listings for local screenings and go out and support this amazing film!!
Do you have to be a Medici or a Rockefeller to collect art?
Not according to Herbert and Dorothy Vogel. This documentary film tells the extraordinary story of Herb, a postal clerk, and Dorothy, a librarian - an ordinary couple of modest means who managed to build one of the most important contemporary art collections in history.
In the early 1960s, when very little attention was paid to Minimalist and Conceptual Art, Herb and Dorothy quietly began purchasing the works of unknown artists. Devoting all of Herb’s salary to buy art, and living on Dorothy’s paycheck alone, they continued collecting artworks guided by two rules: the piece had to be affordable, and small enough to fit in their one-bedroom Manhattan apartment. Within these limitations, they proved themselves curatorial visionaries; most of those they supported and befriended went on to become world-renowned artists. Their circle includes: Sol LeWitt, Christo and Jeanne-Claude, Richard Tuttle, Chuck Close, Robert and Sylvia Mangold, Lynda Benglis, Pat Steir, Robert Barry, Lucio Pozzi and Lawrence Weiner.
Thirty years on, the Vogels had managed to accumulate over 4,000 pieces, filling every corner of their living space from the bathroom to the kitchen. “Not even a toothpick could be squeezed into the apartment,” recalls Dorothy. Their apartment was near collapse, holding way over its limit - something had to be done.
In 1992, the Vogels made headlines that shocked the art world: their entire collection was moved to the National Gallery of Art, the vast majority of it as an outright gift to the institution. Many of the works they acquired at modest prices appreciated so significantly that their collection became worth several million dollars, yet the Vogels never sold a single piece to breakdown the collection.
Herb and Dorothy still live in the same apartment today- with 19 turtles, lots of fish, one cat -once completely emptied, now refilled again with piles of artworks.
After a busy week with work + meetings, I had the pleasure of attending the ART HK 09 Hong Kong International Art Fair this weekend. It was held at the beautiful and gigantic Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai (right next to where we had the Cut & Paste event the previous night). There were about 110 galleries from 24 countries showcasing their best work.
Now, I don’t consider myself an expert on fine art but I can surely appreciate the hard work and artistry from working with artists myself. What made me really happy was that unlike a regular art show here in HK (where it’s typical to see the same 30-40 people), ART HK 09 was open to the masses and the crowd was mixed with what seemed like many regular folks who enjoy art but weren’t necessarily connected to the art scene in any way. I really hope with large international art shows like this, more Hong Kong artists will be inspired and moved to keep pushing the local art scene in a progressive direction.
Anyways, I posted just a small amount of photos I took ( Top to Bottom, Left to Right)
First Row: ArtHK Banners(beautiful day, lots of sunshine), Large Bald Asian Guy(he looked tired from holding up the entire convention center), White Cube Gallery signage.
Second Row: Colored Campbell’s Soup Can, 1965 (Andy Warhol), Buste de femme souriante, 1901(Pablo Picasso), Asian Art Archives “Design Museum Convenience Store” - i’ll talk more about this in a later post, Music Families (Wilson Shieh)
Third Row: Woman With Coffee Table, 2002 (David Lachapelle), Tseng Kwong Chi, I Believe You (Subodh Gupta) <-what a joke/complete BS, tons of people were trying to call it out and the curator was sweating bullets
Fourth Row: Mt.Fuji Girl (Aide Makoto), Sunset in Wan Chai, See You Next Year (May 27-May 30, 2010)
Last Thursday (May 14), I headed out to José Parlá’s opening for his first solo show in Hong Kong (001BOTOS Gallery in Wan Chai). This was my first time at the gallery and I have to admit that it’s quite small(it was converted from a convenience/grocery store I heard). My only qualm is that I felt like José could have definitely done it at a bigger space to really showcase his work fairly. It’s hard for me to fully appreciate his work in a cramped space. I remember when we worked with him in Beijing for The New Grand Tour, the large warehouse space at 798 really played to José’s work, allowing people to step back and look at his complicated and layered “typography” from a distance.
Anyways, this exhibition “Reading Through Seeing” includes some old and some new work. A nice surprise was seeing his work on a new format: Bizen Clay (after his trip to Japan) and also a special piece he did especially for the people of Hong Kong (in the photos above). It was nice catching up with José and of course listening to Suitman spin vinyl on the street next to the street vendors and garbage. Definitely go check out “Reading Through Seeing” at the 001BotosGallery in Wan Chai, it ends July 11th.
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Issue 24 Apprentices