TABAIMO AT PARASOL UNIT

Hurrah hurrah!

Another gem of an exhibition thanks to the glamorous ladies and gents at Parasol Unit.

This exhibition is so hot I ache.

Until 6 August 2010.

Parasol Unit: foundation for contemporary art, 14 Wharf Road, London. N1 7RW.

DIE COLOR DIE

AN AUDIENCE WITH ALEXANDRA GROOVER: NEW QUEEN OF THE BLACK SILHOUETTE.

A/W 09

Photographer: Akio

Stylist: Yasuhiro Takehisa

Although my fashion lingo is limited and I am no Tommy Ton, it does not take much to see that this is the way that fashion should be headed. Please lord let fashion go this way! Alexandra Groover, like so many talented designers before her is a graduate from Central St Martins in London and has also left her paw print in the studios of significant contemporary fashion houses including the hallowed halls of Alexander Mc Queen. Although a Californian native, you will not see any Coachella color in this pretty young things collections.

I work in black because I find color to be a distraction in my designs. I am primarily interested in silhouette, texture, and subtle design details. These are all things that could easily get lost in colors or prints. Also, colors often date very rapidly. I choose black because it is a favorite of mine, a classic, and is flattering on all ages and body types

Grey Label Three

Photographer: Alexandra Groover

Model: Linn Carin Dirdal

Alexandra Groover garments seem to transcend a base knowledge of fashion trends and embrace the idea of design as a more considered art form. As any artist worth there salt knows, the creative process must not be restricted to a taught practice; it should embrace all forms of the creative sphere. The Alexandra Groover label not only presents a garment it presents a collective of ideas.

I've always been more drawn to fine art generally. I like the idea of being able to turn my art projects into functional garments as well….I love to research and abstract. My sketches are usually quite literal in the beginning, and often my designs become extremely abstracted to the point where I may be the only one that can see the references. I find pleasure in using tools such as deconstruction and metamorphosis in the design process.

Black label One

Photographer: Susan Surface

Model: Vera Balyura

Groover’s aesthetic does not stop at merely the design of clothes, the fashion label has now strived to bottle it‘s overall concept through colloborations in film, music and vision. For the S/S10 collection Groover chose to colloborate on a film to showcase the collection and has plans to do the same for future seasons.

I am usually in correspondence with potential collaborators during the development process because our work must come together in the final collection and presentation. So, for example, I have already been in touch with the musician I would like to work with for the(S/S11) film because I want to make sure that they will complement each other in the end. In addition, I have several more involved long term collaborations that require many developmental/preperatory meetings before the design process even starts.

S/S 10 collection

Although the fashion set adores the media hype of fashion week and the traditional catwalk template; a growing number of designers (Prada and Yang Fudong, Gareth Pugh and Ruth Hogben) are choosing alternate paths to showcase their collections. Groover’s collaborative nature recognises that although the garment is the final product; it cannot fully realise the myriad of conceptual ideas which brought about the result.

I hope it becomes more of a movement to present in a less conventional manner because catwalks are pretty straightforward and not usually as exciting as other presentations and exhibits. But that is why the press like catwalk shows. They like having an easily cataloged format, so it is good for getting press, but not always so unique/ creative.

A/W 09

Photographer: Akio

Stylist: Yasuhiro Takehisa

The Alexandra Groover label does not strut down the street; it quietly walks by you and as you brush shoulders in passing; you get a whiff of an intoxicating elixir of mystique, elegance and above all else style.

See more of Alexandra Groover at:

www.alexandragroover.com

All text and quotes are copyight of somenewplace 2010

All images are used with the permission of the designer

TACITA DEAN: CRANEWAY EVENT

Frith Street Gallery, Soho.

This was rather amazing. About the great man Cunningham. Have a looky if your in London.

A Few things I love about MARTIN SASTRE...

Tango with Obama, 2009

I did not even bother trying to contact the greatness which is Martin Sastre. In the unlikely event that this amazing multi media artist would talk to me for my under the radar shittingly swell blog; I simply would not know what to do.

I would probably try and take advantage of him.

My good freind Ange shares these views in regards to the greatness of Thom Yorke. She simply does not care that he looks a bit weird and serial killer-esque. He is Thom Yorke and you have sex with him out of principle. Anyway that is the strength of my love for the work of this artist. Not saying that Mr Sastre is ugly or serial killer-esque at all.
I would have sex with him because he is who he is.
Amazing.
That’s all I am saying.

1. Martin Sastre’s favourite quote, ‘save the cheerleader, save the world.’ This epitomises his body of work for me. Yes, it kind of not really makes sense, but its camp and fun and who gives a fuck.

2. KIM X LIZ. Oh the irony of it all! Elizabeth Taylor and Kim Jong- Il in a love story for the ages. It is so irreverent in many ways but I always watch it and end up feeling sorry for Kim Jong- Il. How many people do you know can make you feel that eh? I doubt it is a feeling directly related to his literal personality but there is a sensational feeling of positive humanity in this- coming from the most unlikely places.

Here it is, down below. Have a looky.

Kim X Liz, 2008

3. Sastre still adores Hello Kitty. When most of you shaven head Shoreditch clothes horses, would rather hang your emaciated, designer clad bodies than admit that, he just puts it out there. Outside Madonna’s house ( Latins do it better, Madonna meets Sor Kitty, 2008) of all places. It’s all oh so wrong but oh so right.

Latins do it better, Madonna meets Sor Kitty, 2008

4. I cannot even express the delight I have for the title of his 2001 Project Masturbated Virgin. ‘Project to masturbate Britney Spears with a giant cotton swab.’ Need I say more?

5. Yes I do.Oh Lord. I have not had the pleasure to view this work in it’s entirety but it just seems to get better and more ironic as Brits gets more tragic and tragic. To think that there was a time when Britney Spears was seen as a teenage ‘virgin’. If only Sastre had got to her with that swab earlier. Things may have turned out better for you Brits.

Masturbated Virgin, 2001

On closer inspection of the above text; I would like to retract the last words of point one. Sastre’s work does in fact, give a fuck. There is a very real and omnipresecent sense of Latin American culture and an awareness of home. Throughout his work; Sastre is able to combine popular culture icons who have seemingly no corrolation to his Latin American roots and he combines them seemlessy, contrastingly and wittily.

See more of Matin Sastre at :

Martinsastre.com

All images and films are copyright of the artist 2010
All text is copyright of somenewplace 2010

Enjoy this bit of shite!

I found it so annoying it has eclipsed my day in rage and the only reason it is posted is so somenewplace can move on with it’s life.

My particular favourite is the little emo disgrace to the word fag at around 1:25 - 30.

Why is he sniffing? Why?

I think the look trying to be achieved here is: I have just taken a line of coke and I am jamming down to my nasty cool tunes.

Reality, I am a sceney biatch fuck with a sinus problem.

HUGFUCK THE WORLD

Please Welcome…HUNTER.

Stamps

The first time I heard of this nineteen year old artist was swimming through the cyber river of the web and I stumbled across his 4/8/2010 never forget photograph. After some casual web stalking I found Hunter’s website, Huntermadeit.com .This guy ‘s little patch of cyber property sure packs an awesome creative punch. You are soon to realise that Hunter cannot only draw, he is one of those scarily creative people who can put his mind to anything and produce something provocative. Your talking to someone who is really doing something interesting; I am not talking about the Anish Kapoor creative who is riding the gravy train of government commissions and commercial ventures with Belgravia Bankers. It’s all about the business of creating.

Share the world

An average day involves me waking up at 7:07am to the sounds of birds and windchimes and rustling trees and my neighbor verbally abusing her small puff-cloud of a dog named Bailey. That poor pup can't even take a piss without getting yelled at, although I'm sure it's deaf. Or pretends to be deaf. I enjoy breakfast with myself staring out the window, sometimes at the wall, whichever is more inclined to carry on with some sophisticated-according-to-who breakfast dialogue. … I'm stuck in this horrible rut of having to do whatever the fuck I please every day. Cycle to class? Stay home and draw? Work on a poster? Dumpster dive?

An ant

Hunter uses readily identifiable hallmarks of society; words, domestic objects, creatures reminiscent of a common animal and uses this base familiarity to create a thing which casually slaps you in the face. Yet, at the same time he makes you giggle and let’s you think that he has slapped the person next to you harder, and made them cry. Finally, you can both turn around and laugh at them together. Hunter coins it ‘hugfuck the world’. ‘The border between veneration and insubordination towards a subject is some place I tend to take casual strolls. My work stands up for the people who believe their reality is shaped by their perception. More specifically, the positive heads. And fuck the "ignorance is bliss" name attached to a positive attitude; we are a different breed’.

This attachment and glorification of the traditionally weird or outcast is resonant in all of his work. Hunter’s drawings create characters who take a quiet presence in the world, who could be easily passed by if not examined carefully. ‘There are new ways to address the unfavorable, the unfortunate, and the unbelievable and I'm on the prowl with my teeth out for those images that say it best’. For the viewer, we must really look to find the detail and irony in his works and yet, Hunter’s work can be contrastingly confrontational. Using literal dialogue, Hunter expresses the anger and annoyance of his subjects and perhaps their inability to connect to the reality of the everyman.

All it takes

Most of my drawings are kept company by a family of words, yes. I have fun with picking away at the mind's obsession with finding a correlation between the two, the mind's obsession with organizing and naming and applying contexts to those names. Getting too locked in to "how things are" is dangerous and will lead to stagnant waters. Really shitty stagnant waters like what's behind supermarkets in retention ponds. Sometimes the interaction between word and image is intentionally blatant in my work, sometimes not. Sometimes it should be blatant to some, but is not. Perhaps that's my friendly little stab at the viewers who choose to remain unconscious. I am aware of my audience and constantly ask if they are aware as well.

Get the fuck up wake the fuck up you stupid fuck get the fuck out of bed

Hunter’s practice at its very essence speaks loudly to this ideal; of craving a mundane or stable reality with no real means of achieving this . A desire which can be related to on one level or another for those who relate to his works. If you can’t you are probably looking at Hunter’s creations and not realising that there is a big fuck off finger pointing at you.

Sometimes I feel like I should just leave it all behind, you know? Everyone deserves to experience the liberation of having to show up to work the same time every day. Life is so damn short, I want some consistency. One day I'll take the leap…This is me talking at nineteen years, who knows where I'll end up. I just hope I never completely figure out anything, that would be boring.

Hustle

See more of Hunter at

HUNTERMADEIT.COM

All images are used with the permission of the artist. Copyright 2010

All text and quotes are copyright of somenewplace 2010

Leading drawing by Hunter Apple Debt

Four things I love in my flat

The house mate.

I cannot speak more highly of her. She boozes away most Saturday afternoon's with me and calls the ambulance when I tell her to.

Destroyed Tee by Pop Issue from the Black Heaven S/S 10 collection.

Pop Issue is everything I love about Australian fashion; simple, black and lightweight. Customs raped me with taxes when I got this to London and it end up costing me a fuckload. I still love it.

My nipple sticks out of this top and not in an attractive, muscled way as seen on the website. Think flaccid. Think hairy.

I still maintain this top will get me some sexy time this summer.

The vintage eighties-shoulder pad-faux snake print-extravaganza of cool jacket.

This puppy belongs to the house mate. When she wears this out on the town she projects a strange image.

It is a cross between a sex goddess, 'my milkshake brings all the boys to the bar' type of look which, at the same time says 'I will fucking castrate you for even looking at me and my amazing vintage eighties-shoulder pad-faux snake print-extravaganza of cool jacket.

Lanvin S/S 10 mirror necklace.

This necklace is pure FASHION PORN.

Everything about this collection was amazing and this was about the only thing I could afford. I am still paying it off. I don't care though, such is my love for this obscenely overpriced piece of perspex.

Here is the runway show...thank fuck the TASH IS BACK.