To talk about the film Color Outside the Lines, you must first talk about black people in art. It has always been quite difficult to emerge as just an artist. You were always a Negro artist. You were always an Afro-American artist. You were always an African-American artist. You were always a Black artist. You were always a colored artist. You were never, simply, an artist. We can speak about Jean-Michel Basquiat, but it would be irresponsible to speak about him without mentioning that half of his insanity and demise was built on the fact that he couldn’t escape the bricks walls that is being confined and defined by your color (and all the stigma that is attached to it) versus by your creations.
In response to our recent article entitled “Four Reasons Why It’s a Bad Idea to Date an Artist,” here are four reasons why It’s a good idea to date an artist.
New York has always been a haven for artists. Andy Warhol, Jean-Michel Basquiat, James Baldwin, Keith Haring, Madonna, Jay-Z, the list can fill a Twilight of the brilliant artists that have once been inspired while living in the city of dreams. The Maidstone’s latest exhibition, I’m An Artist Living In New York explores the connection between the city and artists by highlighting photography of the artists at play in the city.
The Tribal Tribunal is out, and the Vandal Expressionism series of work by New York based artist Joseph Meloy is something to talk about. Although each piece speaks volumes of individuality the artist explains that “these are under the same umbrella of work.” A series he calls Vandal Expressionism. Take a closer look at more of the work below.
Anyone who is privy to the goings-on of pop culture is familiar with the phenomenon known as the “27 Club.” Notable members include Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Brian Jones, and Kurt Cobain. The most recent inductee is the late, great Amy Winehouse, the tragically neglected yet overly publicized neo-soul messiah of the 21st century. It was relentlessly inevitable, yet terribly sudden, when she prematurely left this mortal coil; still, at her meticulous age she unwillingly entered an elite club of similarly ill-fated artists that met an equally unjust and cruel demise. At the same time, however, it seems that 27 is the magic number; a number that has the power to immortalize the famously doomed.
The year’s coming to an end and I’m preparing to lie to myself once again about resolutions that I’m going to make for 2012. Cue Iggy Azalea’s “My World” video and it actually reminds me of everything that I’ve learned in 2011, and I’ll let you in on the secret best secret I’ve learned since “The Secret”: the world is yours and you can do and be whatever the fuck you want to be.
There’s that moment when you see your heroes for who they really are–people. After watching the UK’s Channel 4 documentary Banksy Vs. King Robbo: Graffiti Wars I almost came to see Banksy in a different light. Minutes in gone was the praise and admiration for where he’s made it to, replaced by a nasty view of him. The feeling was what the film intended to project. But, as the film progressed, I couldn’t help but stay team Banksy.
aNed Kelly is a notorious Australian gangster considered a cold-blooded killer and is symbolic in Australia for political resistance. Think Scarface, but with a purpose. Grace Kelly is an iconic American actress that is known as much for her poise as her monologues. “I use to be obsessed with Grace Kelly. When I get married, I want to dress like her. She’s so gracefully chic. […] if i was a diva, I want to be that diva without the diamonds.” Iggy Azalea spiels about Ned Kelly over lushing about how much she misses meat-pies from her hometown of, Australia, and easily changes subjects to her love of Grace Kelly.
“He was one of the few people I was truly envious of … but he didn’t know how good he was…”
Freshly defected from the acclaimed Inglewood hip-hop duo U-N-I, Thurz bombs the system with a bucket of wheat paste and pages from Ice Cube’s 1991 manifesto.
We knew she was trouble, we knew she was absolutely no good when she slurred and stumbled into our hearts. She spit on fans, got into bar fights, a well-documented romance that made Bobby and Whitney look like Obama and Michelle, she had an undeniable drug and alcohol addiction, yet she still shimmied her way into our hearts. With 1950′s style mini-dresses and a beehive hair-do that seemed to be designed by God himself, Amy Winehouse was a train-wreck, but we still let her sing her way into our consciousness, be the soundtracks to love’s epiphanies and heartbreaks.
1. Say Yes To Drugs
As far back as any sort of art has been produced, there is very often a strong connection that has been forged between said art and the use of drugs. Today there is much dispute as to what constitutes as ‘drugs’ and what lies outside the often debatable definition of the word itself. Several everyday occurences and practices owe their initial fruition to the use of drugs, yet nowadays, due to strict regulations, the use of drugs is seen as taboo and often a crutch in relation to the artistic process.
Read More