Saturday, February 2, 2013 at 5:00AM We are so pleased with the launch of our new Jazz series! Last night new LA based group WILBERTA did a phenomanal set. We were honored to debut this new band!! Watch them cover Twice by Little Dragon.
Tuesday, January 22, 2013 at 5:00AM Derick Melander speaks about his sculpture in Friends Seminary "Peace Week" Below that are images from his installation "Into the Fold" from 2009
Wednesday, January 9, 2013 at 5:00AM BCTV brings us another amazing collaboration with photographer and film maker Jon Genius
Tuesday, January 8, 2013 at 5:00AM Roger Guenveur Smith is probably one of the greatest living actors. This is his monologue Frederick Douglas NOW.
Monday, January 7, 2013 at 5:00AM Leslie Hewitt collaborates with Bradford Young for film project Untitled (Structures) at Lucien Terras.
"Untitled (Structures) 2012 will be installed at The Des Moines Art Center from September 21, 2012 through January 27, 2013; the Menil Collection, Houston from January 26 through May 5, 2013; and the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago from March 15 through September 7, 2014.
Untitled (Structures) is a collaborative project by artist Leslie Hewitt and cinematographer Bradford Young in response to the Adelaide de Menil Carpenter and Edmund Carpenter photography collection at the Menil Collection in Houston, Texas. The collection consists of photographs by Bob Adelman, Leonard Freed, Bruce Davidson, Danny Lyon, Dan Budnick and Elliott Erwitt, which document aspects of the CivilRights era. Inspired by the epic nature of the collection and critical of the gaps and silences in the collection regarding the history it represents, Hewitt in collaboration with Young worked on Untitled (Structures). This film-based project spanned two years of research addressing the perceivable limits of still photography and the photojournalistic forms associative of the era. The succession of non-linear silent film vignettes in Untitled (Structures) points to private spaces often unseen and explores landscape, interiority and notions of time. The film footage was shot on location in Memphis, TN, Chicago, IL and Delta Region in Arkansas."
Bradford Young is one of my favorite DP's he does incredible work. I worked with him once on a project directed by Kahlil Joseph. A short film for Brazilian singer and actor Seu Jorge.
Sunday, December 16, 2012 at 5:00AM The Swiss artist clarifies the pronunciation of his name and describes the unique age artists are working in. More on theavantgardediaries.com
Friday, December 14, 2012 at 5:00AM MISS NUMA GLOVES YOU AND WE ADORE THE ARTIST/ACTRESS/DESIGNER!
Wednesday, December 5, 2012 at 5:00AM NOBODY BUT NOBODY DOES IT LIKE RRR
Tuesday, December 4, 2012 at 5:00AM Was rewatching Part 1 of The Riot Starts Here which we premiered over a year ago at the gallery! I'm still fascinated by this project.
Monday, December 3, 2012 at 5:00AM FORE is the group exhibition up at the Studio Museum now, Caitlin Cherry a talented artist in her own right is the sister to one of our good friends and up & coming filmmaker Matthew Cherry.
Friday, November 30, 2012 at 5:00AM Earlier this week I paid a visit to RETNA's studio. He has some amazing new paintings he's working on, different from what he showed at Michael Kohn Gallery. I am loving the new paintings with the diamond shine and glitter to them. The black on black paintings in particular seem to take on a 3-D effect if you look at it for a while. Peep the video below as he breaks down creative influence, inspiration and what feels good to him.
Wednesday, November 28, 2012 at 5:00AM DPROS is finally releasing his first mixtape #ATOM, I've heard it, its incredible! He released a teaser trailer and the album comes out 12.12.12
PAPILLION ART
Its finally released! Find the download links and other info at his site getatom.tv
Saturday, November 24, 2012 at 5:00AM Olu Michael Odukoya of Kilamanjaro Magazine speaks about the creative process and explains why he choose to work with Ben Hillwood-Harris at Artwords Bookshop.
Friday, October 26, 2012 at 5:00AM Chinese pop artist Ai Weiwei jumps into Gangnam style. The Daily Beast does a story about the censorship of his video by the Chinese government.
Thursday, October 25, 2012 at 5:00AM We didn't know him, but he looks like he was an incredibly gifted skater. R.I.P.
PLEASE SHARE THIS VIDEO ON FACEBOOK
FAVORITE IT & LIKE IT. ALL PROCEEDS I MAKE
OFF THIS VIDEO GO TO CHARLIES MOM TO FIGHT
CANCER.
Monday, September 17, 2012 at 5:00AM We are excited about our next installment of SF'SS a collaboration with Puma Peace and curated by Melanie Edmunds. You are invited to Films 4 Peace featuring short films by Isaac Julien, Peterson Kamwathi, Nandipha Mntambo, Yang Fudong and a collaboration between Hank Willis Thomas and Terence Nance. September 21, 2012 doors open at 7pm films start at 8pm sharp! RSVP here on facebook
Artists Statements:
Isaac Julien
“Mazu is a 16th century deity from the Fujian Province in South China, who is called upon by fishermen and sailors looking for peace and protection. In this short visual meditation, I have reworked the Mazu Myth, liberating her from this original context. Here, alone in these distilled film frames, we focus on the famous Chinese screen idol Maggie Cheung’s gestural performance, as she makes her haunting plea for peace and reconciliation. ‘Peace’ is often understood as an antonym of ‘war’ but it also has a broader meaning as freedom from disturbance. This is the peace longed for by the different generations of fishermen, cockle pickers, worldly travelers and migrants depicted in my film installations, such as Ten Thousand Waves, where Maggie Cheung first played the role of Mazu. People all over the word risk their lives daily in treacherous journeys, trying to reach difficult destinations, escaping famine and war, or improving their living conditions: risking everything to achieve a better life. I see this piece as Mazu serenading them all for peace. It is for those weary souls, who hopefully one day will receive the peace they deserve.”
Peterson Kamwathi
“In my work I have attempted to look at the anatomy and psychology of queues within modern society. Queues, while geared towards circumventing chaos, also emerge as manifestations of social, political, economic and cultural upheavals or shifts. In 2009 I embarked on a small project aimed at illustrating peace. This was linked to a residency at Art Omi. In this I attempted to come up with what I thought then were universally accepted symbols of peace. In this process I learnt that peace is a state whose identity and form is relative and will vary according to the cultural, political, religious, economic and/or intellectual standpoint of an individual or group. In this animation I attempt to illustrate the relativity and possible duality of contexts for peace, where the individual has to negotiate with the communal. The setting for both scenes is a street where a person tries to exist in his space notwithstanding the environment. The individual can be anyone in the visually chaotic street.”
Nandipha Mntambo
“When I began to think about the subject of peace, the words that came to mind were harmony and cohesion. With this concept in place, the naturally occurring phenomenon of flocking of birds caught my attention. A flock’s movement is governed by rules of alignment, separation and cohesion. Flocks of birds move in an extremely coordinated way, creating complex motion and multifaceted patterns that form undulating shapes in the sky. The rules of attraction and repulsion keep the flock together—flying in unison. Playing with light and shadow, attraction and repulsion I have created a film that explores the boundary of reality and fiction. Using the Gariep Dam as a backdrop for the video, I have created a piece that is composed of a flock of origami swallows that are animated to a ninety second solo piano piece by composer and musician Clare Loveday. This work is an interesting extension of the ‘push and pull’ between peace and war.”
Hank Willis Thomas & Terence Nance
“For our film, we traveled to the woods in Maine to put ourselves in a serene environment that would communicate a sense of peacefulness to the viewer. We used the natural elements of the forest (trees, rocks, earth, water and light) to articulate the harmony of the landscape, and the relationship of the earth to the human body as the sustainer of life. The male characters represent the body in conflict, divided against itself, in what appears to be an unsuccessful attempt to overpower the landscape with brute force. The female characters are the custodians of the forest, observing the males in their struggles, and ultimately relinquishing them from their torment. Peace.”
Yang Fudong
"For my work for films4peace, I considered certain visual metaphors. Compared with the eternity of the universe, human life is short, very short. Our existence is like a grain of sand in a desert or a speck of stone on the rock that makes the world. Conflict and destruction seems absurd if you consider the insignificance of our time on earth. Let us distance ourselves from oppression and slaughter. The creation of world peace is more important for all humankind. In my film, huge boulders slowly rise up amidst a chaotic noise that drifts in and out. Human life is not always beautiful, more often than not, we are simply trying to survive, allowing our lives to continue and nothing more."
Monday, September 3, 2012 at 5:00AM FROM THE DESK OF MISTER WHITMORE
who just so happened to do the amazing COLORS #pow follow him @MISTERWHITMORE
Saturday, September 1, 2012 at 5:00AM Finally we have been waiting a long time for Thurz to do a video for this song! Love the tune... Love the visuals!
Thursday, August 30, 2012 at 5:00AM Director Dehanza Rogers is in the middle of the wonderful world of post production...and to all of you filmmakers out there I'm sure you know how fun post is! All sarcasim aside she has made a great short film with an honest, compelling and unapologetic storyline. Playing the male lead is one of my fav's Gbenga Akinnagbe. Peep the trailer below and visit her kickstart page NOW to donate, funding for this project ends Monday so don't delay!
