Parting Shot: High On Hope
A chalk portrait of President Obama from the 2009 Youth in Arts Italian Street Painting Festival in San Rafael, California.
Photo by barleybenton
Tomorrow, artist Ben Frost opens “Plague Landscapes,” a show of his twisted pop culture-packed paintings at Brooklynite Gallery. On Sunday, “Sacrosanct” shuts its doors at 1610 Lexington Avenue and 102nd Street with a closing reception in Spanish Harlem. And the Bicycle Film Festival continues through the weekend with the Joyride art show, film screenings, block parties and other festivities.
Working with local fishermen and environmentalists, Rockaway Beach surfers are protesting efforts to build a “60-acre natural gas terminal 13 miles off the coast of Long Beach, Long Island.” Tomorrow, International Surfing Day, they’re planning to paddle out and rally against the facility and “its effect on the ocean environment.” |NYT|
Email Congressional Name Nazi, Be Sure To Address Her As Liz
What could possibly be more obnoxious than Barbara Boxer demanding that a Brigadier General preface her name with “SENATOR” instead of the equally appropriate “ma’am”? How about a congressional office manager for Rep. Jim McDermott named Elizabeth Becton losing her shit when a lobbyist addressed her as “Liz” in an email. Although the benign offender quickly apologized, Becton fired off a maniacal flurry of subsequent emails harping on it. She apparently has a history of this. But maybe we should give her the benefit of the doubt by encouraging the citizenry to email her.
Incestuous Group Exhibit Opens At Sloan Fine Art
-
- “Hooked and Nailed” by Kady Grant
-
- “Mumper” by Aaron Smith
-
- “Sell It Girls” by Steve Ellis
-
- “Study For Mary” by Lauren Gibbes
Working with paintbrushes, cameras and craft kids, a networked group of artists open the summer show at Sloan Fine Art tomorrow night. “+2” invited a couple artists from past exhibits to invite two more: “someone they know or not, someone they owe a favor, someone they’d like to see get a break, someone they’ve always wanted an excuse to meet.” The showing of small collectible works opens from 4 to 6 PM tomorrow and is on view through July 18 at 128 Rivington Street.
After sparking a tiny bit of outrage in New York, Calvin Klein’s latest sexed up billboard on Houston Street is inspiring out of town attacks. In an article titled, “Sexy ads limit my freedoms,” Virginia-based conservative columnist Erika Lassen blames the jeans company for mind control because she can’t stop thinking about the topless models making out. The Brigham Young graduate writes:
An interesting thing happens when pornography is viewed. Like a leech, it clings to the brain. Read more »
Artist Unveils Russian ‘Harem’ At LES Gallery
-
- “Zhenya” by Jonathan Viner
-
- “Miriamna” by Jonathan Viner
-
- “Varushka” by Jonathan Viner
-
- “Yelena” by Jonathan Viner
Tomorrow, artist Jonathan Viner shows off his “Harem” of naked Russian women seemingly bored by the musical selection piped in on their clunky headphones. The exhibition of oil paintings opens at Sloan Fine Art from 4 to 6 PM and is on view through July 18 at 128 Rivington Street.
More Fat Cap Furnishings For Graffiti Fans
In case you can’t wait until the end of summer for a bright yellow spray tip stool, designer Sander van Heukelom already has a couple chairs based on the ubiquitous paint nozzles. Debuted last summer at the Interieur Design Competition, the two oversized fat cap seats are available in white or whatever mess of colors fit your style.
Since the end of World War II, the Japanese have been barred from the “use of force to resolve international disputes,” but that’s all changed now, thanks to the Somali pirates and some legal maneuvering on behalf of their Parliament. The country’s warships can now actively engage Somali pirates threatening any commercial vessel, sort of. While it’s true they can fire at the boats, they’re not allowed to shoot at the pirates themselves so don’t expect any kind of dramatic SEAL-style rescues from Japan’s navy anytime soon. |BBC|
Is the story of Kimberley Vlaeminck’s star tattooed face a hoax? The 18-year-old Belgian girl supposedly fell asleep while her face was being tattooed with 3 stars and woke up with a constellation of 56 instead. Now she’s suing Romanian tattoo artist Rouslan Toumaniantz for $14,000, the cost of laser surgery to remove her naptime mistake.
In addition to the dubious claim that she slept while the sensitive nerves of her face were being prodded with a needle, conspiracy theorists point to other facts they say suggest the whole thing is one big publicity stunt. Read more »
Editor-in-Chief:
