It occurred to me that this image/still of Jodie Foster in Taxi Driver, 1976, did for the 20th century what Manet’s Olympia, 1863, did for the 19th: confront society with its ultimate sham-muse; the idealized whore. Or courtesan no-more. Manet did it by attacking art history’s tradition of the reclining nude, and showing what a sham all […]
Here’s one from the vaults. A Huffpo interview I did a few years back with David Armstrong, who I’m very sad to say died today. I remember him getting cranky through the process and sending strange missives all in caps, but mostly I remember being so impressed by his grace and wit. And of course his brilliant photographs, which […]
Duchamp through the eyes of Koons, or just what happens when irony falls down the rabbit hole? I’m not quite sure, but Cyril Duval’s work has often piqued my curiosity. Years back I wrote a profile on himfor Clear magazine when he was launching Item Idem, and he happens to have a show up now at Johannes Vogt. Duval’s […]
I started collecting old snapshots after spending hours sifting through an immense warehouse of junk that we regulars affectionately called “Sid’s on Driggs”, a space now occupied by a yipster grocery store and luxury apartments. I learned when they were asked to pick up the remains of loved one’s estate (ie. the unwanted contents of […]
I never think to re-circulate my old writing, previously published stuff, but wtf, I watch artists promote the same work in different contexts all the time, which I like when its random, or the result of an unexpected encounter with an old work they forgot about, or find – in the long glance of retrospection – strange […]
Culturally and historically, hair has been a marker of everything from social identity to sexuality, and wigs especially conjure associations with masquerade. As objects that signify the body, they can be alluring, comical, or abject. No wonder so many artists have used it for its material and allegorical associations. I’ve mentioned here before my fascination with wigs since I was a girl, coveting the platinum versions worn by […]
