Artist Series

Stussy is doing big things right now. Their support of the MASH crew was what turned me back on to the the clothing designer. I just recently found out that they are working with artists to create a line called, appropriately enough, their artist series. The newest shirts released come from the illustration works of Andrew Pommier. They are real fresh and have got some hot illustrations on them. I like what Stussy is up to.





Vince

Dollface

something on youtube by david huang. have you seen this? i may be out of the loop.
girls are messed
julez

Watch This

Matt Flint already posted this, but it's important. Watch it.




Vince

Blown Away!

Okay, so I'm going to go from throwing back my post to getting real fresh and new. I attended the MFA exhibition reception last night at Kresge Art Museum. The four artists work was all high quality stuff, but the work of Helena Craules stood out for me. The solid backgrounds layered with a pastel color pallet and images of the artists herself blew me away.

In her statement Craules writes, "I use the female form as a vehicle to express ideas of physical and psychological abuse, the way we view our bodies and the way we are perceived. Subsequently the form disrobed of most material can become a pastry to the male gaze and can therefore create thoughts of possession." Keep your eyes open for this work. It's out of control. I wish I could find more images to include here, but you'll just have to stop by the museum and check it out for yourself. I strongly recommend it. The show is staying up until April 26th and is free... so you have no damn reason to not check this work out.








As a small aside in this post about art that is blowing me away I think I need to include a statement about this cat Outasight from NY. Dude is super ill and if you care anything about what goes into your ears in the form of music it would do you well to give him a listen here or download his seven song EP here.

Vince

Chip Kidd

David Sedaris' new book comes out June 3, 2008, "When You Are Engulfed In Flames." The title, as I found out is superfluous, though it comes from a Japanese government issued instructional manual, something like... "What to do when the United States drops a nuclear weapon on you."
The cover is designed by Chip Kidd, a notable designer and author of "The Cheese Monkeys" (a semi autobiographical novel about a kid's first year as a graphic design major).
He came to Grand Valley to speak today, which I initially thought it would be about his new book "the Learners;" surprisingly, it was about his career as a graphic designer, and more specifically his tribulations with designing book covers. Especially the new Sedaris book; I got the impression he was at the mercy of what David wanted and the bajillion different titles Sedaris pulled out of his ass.
He gave personal accounts of how difficult authors, editors, and marketers can be, and as a designer you are at their mercy. He said this with more umph and f-bombs though so the lecture was undoubtedly funnier than me retelling it.

julez
his Website
his Band
Promo for "The Learners"
(and also this is a good art lesson in form and content)

Hip Hop

I know we try to speak about art most of the time, but if you don't consider Talib Kweli an artist... I don't know what to say to you. The new Talib and Mick Boogie album is streaming in its entirety on Myspace Music and it's out of sight. You know to expect big things with Talib, and you get nothing less than you expect. Loving the Webbie reference on the track Independent Amedeus Remix. Killing it. So Pumped.

Vince

Throwing It Back

So I've been gone for a hot minute. Been really busy finishing up some pieces and I haven't had time to update. During that time I was reintroduced to an artist that I forgot that I was really into. So we're going to throw it back for this post... If you don't like that you can tell me. I probably won't care though.

Jenny Holzer's body of work known as truisms works on different levels for different people. For me it works in the way that I'm sure she intended as suggested by the title Truisms. A lot of this shit I agree with and believe in. It also works in another way for me. I just think that her stuff is super funny/clever. It's hard for me to get into art in a public arena. I guess I just have a stigma against the words "public art." I don't really think she falls into that category, though. The fact that her art is installed in such places as t-shirts, banks, and golf balls is, to me, sweet as hell. Big ups to Jenny Holzer. She's still working too. Check her out if you don't already know about her. www.jennyholzer.com







Vince

Miss Bunny

(From an artistic viewpoint) I don't particularly like this style because I think it's too quaint and overdone. But, I think craft pieces like Sarah Ogrens necklaces are the perfect canvas for mixed media illustration. The "Miss Bunny" necklace is FIERCE. A bunny beats a Victorian silhouette around my neck any day.
Check her out in the spring 08 edition of "Art Doll Quarterly."
JULEZ

Stone as god

I am not just into supercute/flat art, drama/chiaroscuro is hot. Since my mind has been on Alexander McQueen he has reminded me of my favorite photographer. Matthew Stone is only 24 and his images wreak DRAMA. (Think Caravaggio, but digital.) He is amazing; I don't know if he has a website yet, but we are myspace friends.
JULEZ

McQueen as god

Lately I've been spending my days scoping out old Alexander McQueen runway shows on youtube.

(This reminds me of a Matthew Barney movie, but in a better way.)
I know the McQueen Puma collaboration is old news, but for those of you who haven't seen, and have enough money to buy me something nice- check these out. Their collection is mostly inspired by the anatomical components of the human foot; it makes sense, until you look at these shoes. Crazy McQueen.
JULEZ

Saelee Oh

This may be kind of embarrassing, but let's face it... I'm a sucker for super cute art. I recently stumbled upon Saelee Oh and found something that made me freak out. I couldn't help but be amazed at the fact that she created a piece containing a hairy whale (upper left hand corner of this image). I also couldn't help sharing it. Check her out, it's cute.


Vince

Geraldine Juarez

I was able to have a good conversation with Geraldine Juarez, an artist currently living in New York as a fellow for Eyebeam. She has worked a lot with visual effects and video post production, but her latest work revolves around "lo-tech objects to survive the end of the world." Juarez IS NOT A GREEN ECONOMIST. "For me, a sustainable future based on consuming "with the earth in mind" is the ultimate social disaster. I prefer to stop preparing for the upcoming natural disasters and start acting on the social disaster around me, like consumer capitalism." She doesn't pay for her materials, rather uses methods of hacking, finding, stealing, and recycling. One of her projects was making Postal Gowns from Tyvek postal envelopes that can be found for free at the nearest US post office.

She works in a two person group called Forays. A lot of their projects deal with how people react to space and environment. Some of their projects include installing handmade swings on city streets, making cocoons (hammocks in trees to sleep), and also tackling the issue of edible waste in America (AKA artsy Dumpster Diving). ---Mind you, all made from found/stolen materials.


check out an interview with FORAYS
website

Julez (not giving this gal justice with this half-azz blog post.)

Creatures!

I am right now striving to create a post that would be along the lines of what Julez might update with (since her posts are infinitely more interesting than mine). I was shown this a while ago (by Julez) and I've watched it countless times since then. Theo Jansen is an artist from the Netherlands who creates creatures that "live" on beaches. His hope is to one day make them self sufficient. Check them out. It's going to blow your mind.



Vince

A Little Too Far Mr. Weezy

Okay, when Lil Wayne came out years ago with The Block Is Hot I thought it was sweet (and still do for that matter). I went through a weird phase in my life and forgot how sweet/hilarious mainstream rap is (if it wasn't "underground", forget it). Enter 2007... all the pretentious music is still there but there has been a rediscovering of radio rap. Enter Lil Wayne again. First off I was pumped and shocked that Lil Weezy was still making jams. Then I got pumped by how ridiculous his lyrics had gotten. I think he may have just crossed the line, though. In his new song (just posted on The Fader website) with Flo-Rida called American Superstar Lil Wayne proclaims, "I've got money on money on money on money on top of mo' money on top of my shit like flies." Don't get me wrong, this song is still sweet... but he already used up his wild card on the song Crack House with Fat Joe.

The moral of this entry... Lil Wayne is most definitely cooler than you.


Vince

FIX PUSH!!!

This is sweet.



Best comment on youtube... "this is nothing new, i've been fix pushin on streets of NYC for past few years. williamsburg, lower east side, anything."

Sweet.

Vince

Cell Phone?

I'm wondering how long it's going to take for the rebirth of the beeper to fully catch on with every hip ass kid on the block. The Cool Kids dropped the song Gold and a Pager last year and it was super ill for sure. The Fader website has also just posted the new video from Sinden & The Count of Monte Cristal ft. Kid Sister which sure enough is titled Beeper. Will the Chi be able to resurrect the beeper? Or will there just be an elite few that are cooler than the rest? Either way I'm riding for The Cool Kids and Kid Sister all the way, so keep on coming with it.






Vince

Bird Wizard?

The new release from Amos Toys will be dropping at the end of March. It's going by the name of Bird God, but check out those robes. I'm willing to bet that if I met these cats in real life, they'd totally be wizards. I guess Amos Toys is keeping it ill in 2008.
Vince

Not Just Another Shoe Post

Okay, I know I'm constantly making posts about sneakers, and this one is... sort of. While these sneakers are fresh as hell and designed by French artistic entity Mat&Jewski, there is a more important question I have. Does this mean that Le Coq Sportif is back? Or did they just never go away and I couldn't find their stuff? Either way, I'm super pumped to see some fresh Le Coq Sportif stuff and I hope it keeps coming. Read about them at www.hypebeast.com

Also, note the dogs getting their freak on on the toe. I think there is something to be said about funny apparel that isn't in the form of a lame sexual innuendo t-shirt so prevalent in the Mid West (sorry, this is a trivial personal issue I have with people who don't understand what style is. If you don't care about style, that's one thing and I guess I can deal with it. But it's another thing to not even realize that what you're wearing isn't clever, funny, or hot at all).



Vince

Hot Artist: Europe Edition

Kim Simonsson is a Finnish sculptor working with slip cast clay, bondo, and car paint as his primary materials. His work gives a three dimensional element to the works found in manga books and anime cartoons. With a mix of bizarre, fantasy, and cute these works are fresh as hell for sure. Check them out at www.kimsimonsson.com





Vince

art nerdz

I don't know how long these have been around, but for all of you art hist. nerdz and buffz i discovered the perfect "play thing" for you (or just me...). I can not only look at the 13th century sci fi/religious paintings Hiëronymus Bosch created, but actually interact with his wild monsters. I don't think the billions of sweatshop/mastermindz Kid Robot employs could top THIS wizard of the Dutch world, or his critters--- IN TOY FORMAT.
look Here and Buy Here

(They also have Dali, Degas, and more.
Julie

alienz

I don't watch the Grammys, but if i did I probably would have teared up during Kanye's performance to his late mother, "hey mamma," and then immediately wondered how many conventional weapons it would take to penetrate Kanye's alien space suit, which I can only assume he picked up during his last departure from Earth. Kanye's style is otherworldly, and I'm whipping up my alien space suit right now (DIY space suit party?), and I can't wait for the kids in my neighborhood to start crankin in one of those.
(PS Vince bitched me out for not including the fact that Daft Punk is looking more alienish than Kanye, but in my defense, Daft Punk always look like they are from outer space, and are thus too weird to talk about or look at.)
julie

Fresh Patterns

I have a huge crush on houndstooth pattern, yet for some reason it remains hard for me to find guys clothing created with this style. Luckily Nike is hooking shit up with their new "Houndstooth Pack." That's right, three different Air Max styles are getting real fresh with some houndstooth pattern. I don't know where you can pick these up yet, but make sure to check them out for sure.

Vince

bratz clothes

I have recently been invested in researching the "'tween" market for some of my art projects, so I should not be surprised that Lyric Culture, an adult clothing line (apparel and accessories for beatles, david bowie, etc. fans) has just dropped their "'tween" clothing line for fans of American Idol. The apparel will be inspired by American Idol imagery (someone tell me what this means) and pop and r&b songs that were performed on the show. 7-16 year old girls will, as of this month, be able to pick up Lyrix clothes at 157 different Macys, or shop at their website.

"Macy's truly understands the concept of celebrity-driven and licensed product," said Hanna Rochelle Schmieder, President of Lyric Jeans, Inc. "They are the perfect retail outlet for the LYRIX line and we look forward to building it with them for many years to come," she continued.
Unfortunately their clothes make girls look like life-sized Bratz dolls, ironically, the only doll company to break the 'tween market.
Julez



Check out the full story here z:

Decidedly Hilarious

So this not the type of material that I intend to post on this blog on a regular basis, but I just came across this and I absolutely needed to share it. Please make sure to watch this entire video. It get's super real at the end when he does a few minutes of another song in addition to YAAAH!


Vince

And you say Chi City... Chi City

Juicyvneck will be kicking it with Kanye this weekend in the Chi. We'll be back on Sunday. Deal.

<3 Julez & Vince

This Is Important

Let's get real as hell for a minute. There are a few things in my life that I'm all about. Fashion happens to be towards the top of that list(though I don't have the cash to accommodate my taste). Along with the fashion love I have a thing for fresh ass artists. Let's put the two together shall we?

Reebok has commissioned some of Jean-Michel Basquiat's work to use in their recreated Reebok NPC UK sneakers. It's sad that Basquiat is no longer with us and that someone is making bank with his art, but at least his work is being put to a fresh use. You can try to get your hands on a pair starting February 5, 2008.






Vince

Sometimes I Think About Important Shit

Sustainability minded architect Frank Harmon was interviewed on the Michigan Radio show The Story. Though there is no podcast available from the interview you should all check out his work and his ideas. He's got some old thoughts that make much more sense than our "modern" techniques. Check him out here.

If you like what you read on the website or you just give a shit about our impact on the planet in general, also be sure to pick up the book Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things.

Vince

DIY

My mom has been loading her groceries in tote bags for years, but trends catch on eventually. Venus magazine has instructions on how to put all of the plastic bags you've collected to good use.







Guys, or bicyclists, who do not find it practical to carry around a tote can make their own messenger bag. This isn't a greener perspective necessarily, but I am in a crafty mood, and can greatly appreciate all things DIY. Find the instructions at this blog.

Julez

marchin, crankin, whateva

Kanye made a post about marching bands, so I am going to make a post about marching bands. Many people are unaware of the world of competitive marching bands (which include months of preparation, physical exhaustion, props, electronics, flags and showy choreography, weekends away from home, and no social life outside of the band). I myself was in marching band for three years, and quit due to my realization of it being unfly, but maybe I was wrong. Decidedly so, my problem isn't with marching bands; it is with how marching bands present themselves. Inner-city schools don't care about the quality of music/how well they are playing their instruments, they care about grooving, having fun, and crankin that fo yall.

I have made a comparison, the former being my high school's marching band five years after I was in it; the latter some really fly marching band I have already forgotten they were from.
Julez

toasty

Toast Girl schools regular folk in the art of toast making. She shuns the traditional role of performance art, usually done in high brow galleries or swanky museums, by having rockstar-like performances, while still managing to weird people out in the same degree. Toast Girl dresses like a housewife/manga character and skates around on vacuum cleaners with wheels, which makes me wonder what I am doing with my life.
Julez

Paint That Shit Gold

Atmosphere is offering up thirteen new songs for free download to keep you going strong this winter. You can find a link for the free download on the Rhymesayers website. Be sure to check them out as they are sure to be ill as hell.

Also, new Atmosphere album When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint That Shit Gold will be available on April 22, 2008. Get that too.

Vince

fresh new blog

For the downright realist op. in all things rap muzak check out my girl's blog strictlynasty.
Julez

The Last Supper and Chocolate Syrup

Tedtalks is, to the intellectual community, as Mecca is to Muslims. (Can I make that comparison? Was that okay? If you knew what happened to me today in my Women in Islam class you'd understand my baditude right now... theology is tricky and people are too personally invested in it to have an academic/postmodern discourse....anyways...)

Once a year 1,000 intellectuals in the areas of technology, entertainment, or design come together and give 20 minute lectures in their specific areas of expertise.

What instantly drew me to the artist Vik Muniz was the fact that he was shot, and then he used the money that he bargained from the shooter to come to America. Essence of smoothness.

What I find most interesting about his work is his choice of materials, and the baggage that comes with using those materials. He explains it more in his book, but the lecture is good as well. Watch this shit!
<3 Julez

Breakfast Anyone?

Frank Kozik is one of the biggest names in art toy design and works frequently with toy giant Kid Robot. They are back at it again with a fresh new release for February 28, 2008. The Kozik Breakfast 5-Pack is looking really hot and you best believe I'll be hitting that up as soon as I can. You should too.

Vince

Artists I Think Are Hot. Deal.

Akio Takamori:

I recently had the opportunity to listen to this man speak. Not only are his ceramic figures super hot, he's a genuinly kind and honest man.
http://www.cs.washington.edu/building/art/AkioTakamori/
Check him out


Sket-One:

Conneticut based graffiti artist who has designed for toymakers including Kid Robot, Wheaty Wheat, and more. Aside from showing work in national and international shows, Sket-One is published in the legendary graffiti archive "artcrimes." Dude gets real as hell.

http://www.sket-one.com/

Doze Green:

Dude is pissed. Really pissed. He is gracing the cover of the latest issue of Juxtapoz Art & Culture Magazine and has a feature article with enough passion ideas about the art world that it could send people to war. Make sure to check him out.
http://www.dozegreen.com/

All for now.

Vince

Creepin'

American Apparel creator and t-shirt enthusiast Dov Charney has been caught, as expected, creepin' again. This is the first time sexual harassment allegations have made it to court. Supposedly he conducted himself in an unprofessional manner by not wearing pants to meetings. Unprofessional that may be, but does the accuser know what "hot" is? Surely the interviewer from Jane magazine didn't raise as much fuss when Dov masturbated in front of her, TWICE.

I thought that was the point of starting your own company; so you can take your pants off during meetings and ejaculate in front of journalists...

here's the link:
http://marketplace.publicradio.org/display/web/2008/01/21/american_apparel

<3julez

Don't Get It Twisted

I've been aware of the fact that shit can get very real for quite some time now. It wasn't until recently that I realized just how real it can get. I was looking on fixedgeargallery.com when I noticed a new "art series" post. I opened the link to find that not only is The Fish Ladder tattoo shop in Old Town Lansing hooking up Matt Flint's leg in real life, but now everyone on the internet can see how real they are getting.



http://www.fixedgeargallery.com/2008/jan/2/MattFlint.htm



Apparently you can see it here now too.



Vince

the flyest blog ever

has just been born. welcome to 2008.