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Former rock critic for Rolling Stone magazine and current photo editor for The New Yorker, Vince Aletti, has been working for the past few years to put together a hard copy collection of photographs from his collection entitled Male. The release is timed nicely to land ten years after his highly praised survey exhibition by the same name that ran at the Wessel + O’Connor Gallery here in NYC. This Wednesday, Dec. 3rd, there is a book signing at Dashwood Books from 6-8pm.
On Prop 8:
“The image of a kid holding a book (about gay marriage) is profound. Unfortunately, the backers of Prop. 8 used King as an example of how a young mind can be corrupted, rather than how it can be opened.” [PW]
Thursday night I was privy to a book release party sponsored by Burberry and Men’s Vogue, the affair was for graphic designer Peter Saville’s new volume Peter Saville: Estate 1-727, a survey of his archives. Based from an exhibition originally held at the Migros Museum in Zurich the book was compiled by Saville and holds written contributions from Heike Munder, Michael Bracewell, Wolfgang Tillmans, T.J. Wilcox, Sarah Morris, and others. It chronicles Saville’s involved process and how his designs, through his considered and carefully executed concepts, become artworks. As a cultural survey it sheds light on the British New Wave and Pop scene, as a historical survey it offers a glimpse in the grueling world of graphic design before Illustrator and Indesign. A must read for any fan invested in Saville’s cultural and social revelations in the worlds of advertisement, branding, fashion, and music.
Paperback released by JR Ringier.
While away those sleepy afternoons with these stylish, yet edifying titles.
Assouline Dandy Crate, $250.00 @ Assouline
Playing with the Italian island’s reputation for mafia-inspired gunslinging, photographer Michael Roberts (Vanity Fair fashion and style director) has released a collection of photographs in a book titled Shot In Sicily. The photos run like a collage of imagery from old Italian cinema (think Fellini or even Giuseppe Tornatore’s more recent Malena), rich with history and emotion, drama, and casual seduction. Some are staged high-fashion scenarios and other seek to capture what remains of the truly Sicilian way of life. Running through October 18th there is a selection of the photographs from the book on display at 401 Projects in NYC.
FIGHT CLUB author, Chuck Palahniuk’s latest novel SNUFF is all about sex, except there’s nothing sexy about it. Heavier on gimmick than on literary merit, SNUFF reads more like insta-screenplay. The characters and plot are developed only enough to hold your attention for two hours (no more). As a novel the story and characterization lacks the depth and gratification that a reader expects.
The story is more soap opera than anything else. Washed up porn star Cassie Wright (she has her own fake MySpace), urged on her “assistant” Sheila aims to star in the ultimate record-braking gang-bang: 600 dudes, 1 day. Told primarily from the point of view of three different characters: Mr. 600 (who may or may not be Cassie’s baby daddy), Mr. 72 (who may or may not be Cassie’s son), Mr. 137 (a closet ‘mo with far too much to prove), and the talent wrangler Sheila (a cold, fact spewing, clipboard holder with dandruff issues –- the result of using Cassie’s signature phallus-shaped shampoo — who may or may not provide a much needed plot twist).
As film, porn is either laughable or utterly boring –- its sole value is instant, disposable, sexual stimulation. SNUFF is like porn, but without the stimulation. Let’s face it, writing a book from the point of view of 600 individual men would‘ve made a better book, but not a solid proto-screen play, which is what SNUFF essentially aims to be. Palahniuk’s three guys quickly merge into one other. And it’s unclear if this is the author’s intention. The remaining 597 men are practically invisible – reduced to sexual scenery. More… »
Thursday marked the kickoff for the fall gallery season in NYC and, with over a hundred show openings spread over the city, there was no shortage of fodder for the art enthusiast. After paring down the list of shows to a manageable number for one evening, I grabbed a friend and set out to see this year’s offerings. By far my favorite for the evening was a collection of work by Israeli photographer Michal Chelbin at the Andrea Meislin Gallery. Chelbin captures seemingly private moments and emotions in her subjects, many of whom are adolescent performers and wrestlers from small towns in Eastern Europe, England and her homeland, Israel.
The exotic costumes, deadpan facial expressions and unique subject matter evoke comparisons with the work of Diane Arbus, one of photography’s female greats. While there is a mix of black-and-white and color photography in the collection, it is the vivid and striking palette of the color images that is the most effective and compelling, adding depth and dimension to the mood of the compositions.
Examples of Michal Chelbin’s photography are on display through October 18th at the Andrea Mesilin Gallery. A more complete collection of her work is also available in a recently released book, Strangely Familiar: Acrobats, Athletes, and Other Traveling Troupes from publishing house Aperture.
Once lauded for the sexiest scene in film history, Veruschka (born Vera Gräfin von Lehndorff-Steinort) stormed the runways of the 1960s and 70s and made a brief but memorable appearance in Michelangelo Antonioni’s cult classic Blowup (1966). At the time she fought the prevailing beauty ideals, managing to glamorize the tall, leggy physique and securing her position as fashion’s first female supermodel. Her rise to fame was documented by numerous Vogue covershoots and countless editorials. As a self-styled glamazon she gained notoriety for her penchant for body painting, a pursuit that she continued in the art world after leaving fashion and modeling in the mid 70s. –SHUTTERBUG
French publishing house Assouline has compiled a retrospective collection of images from her career as part of The Ultimate Collection. Priced at $500, it’s going to leave a mark on your wallet but not half as big as the mark Veruschka made on the fashion world. The limited edition volume is scheduled for release September 1.
One of the fascinating things about following an artist’s career is charting the evolution of their work as they mature and explore new frontiers. For me, Erwin Olaf ranks high on the list of notable photographers who have shown compelling development as artists. As a young, gay photographer, Olaf explored the energy of the 80’s and 90’s, playing with the ideas of age, gender, and sexual fantasy. This first phase of his career produced wonderfully imaginative and evocative series, including the gothic Chessmen (1988) and amazingly detailed Blacks (1990) series.
After a hiatus from his early photographic career, he returned to the camera in his forties to explore more mature themes and with a markedly different stylistic approach. Aperture Foundation has recently released a new collection of this work in a self-titled book that spans a number of series, including his well-received Rain, Hope, Grief, and Le Dernier Cri series. Calling on the iconic imagery of American artist Norman Rockwell, Olaf applies his matured, modern perspective, filtered through a contemporary perception of the loss of cultural innocence, giving rise to images that are profoundly affecting in their despair and loneliness.
Included with the book is a DVD with a collection of five short videos produced by Olaf in a style similar to his still images. The short entitled Wet is sure to get your heart racing, as it tracks a voyeuristic mature woman transfixed by the beauty of a young, showering male. Olaf toys with the viewer, playing with expectations for the outcome of each interaction and showing us that things are not always what they seem to be.
Check out more of Erwin Olaf’s work, including his older series, at his website and if your interest is piqued grab the recent book and check out the photos and short videos yourself.
>> A new book says The Metamorphosis author Franz Kafka allegedly had a penchant for porn — like hard core, high class shit — and the Germans aren’t happy about it. [Guardian]
>> The literary family feud between John Steinbeck, his heirs, and his publisher just got uglier when a judge overturned a previous ruling in favor of publisher Penguin Group (USA). [AP]
>> London has been named the literary capital of the world by some website. It’s a shame that living writers can’t afford to live there. [Reuters]
>> Not ones to be outdone, The Guardian came up a Top 10 List of Literary Virgins. Homos Henry James and EM Forster never got plowed. Sad. [Guardian]
>> Radiohead denies false rumors that they scored the soundtrack to Chuck Palahniuk’s latest “x-rated” film adaptation Choke. For you cultural illiterates, Chuck (pictures) also wrote Fight Club (also adapted), he has a new book out called Snuff and is openly gay — gay, gay gay! [Wired]
