LIPSTiCK TrACeZ

Anyone who has ever obsessed over a luxury handbag or shoe will love Josephine Meckseper.  One of the most important young artists to come out of Germany recently.   Maybe being half German is what makes me gravitate so much to German artists (Polke, Richter, Struth) - that and the fact that they are usually pretty amazing.     I especially loved  her use of the seventies German Quelle catalog (the Sears of Germany which my Grandmother shopped from) source material for much of her large scale mirrored installations.   So beautiful and poetic in it's tackiness.  Fashion, design, the object of display and seductive all in one.    I love it.    Here are shots from her work currently displayed at MOMA NYC. 
  I am also including two critical reviews of her work. 
  
Mecksepers work equates our induced desire for fashion and luxury goods with the manipulations of media-driven ruling regimes, but it likewise compares both of these to their supposed antithesis in political protest movements. Partisan politics is just another status symbol. Radicalism quickly becomes radical chic, which is presented as just another formal element to be fetishized and sold in a museum cum gallery cum boutique that nostalgically samples utopian dreams from the Russian Constructivists to 1960s hippies. As the curators of the 2005 Lyon Biennale write,

in Mecksepers work politics becomes a style, and commitment an object to be displayed in a chic display cabinet, suggestive of those in museums and ethnographic societies. Through this approach, Meckseper explores the questionable links the media establish between images of political news, the fashion industry and advertising. Read the entire article here Source: www.re-title.com

Another review of her work by renowned art critic Roberta Smith for the NY Times.

Art in Review; Josephine Meckseper


Josephine Meckseper's show is a total environment riven with interesting cracks. Elegantly mirrored, paneled and shelved, it has the stark, slightly too-bright emptiness of an abandoned high-end boutique occupied by style-conscious anarchists. At first the second New York gallery show of this German-born, New York-based artist swings anemically between the obvious and the lazy - not an engaging range of motion. But look again and the piece functions as walk-in Conceptual Art. Enveloped in a brittle glamour, its desiccated scraps mine the overlap of art, politics and consumerism.

Outside the gallery's soaped-over front door, forlorn window displays acknowledge both the real and the plausible: the Women's House of Detention across the street, and the imminent arrival of a business named DR Gagosian UBS. Inside, a hammer and sickle sit on a mirrored cube, and the Texaco star doubles as the Red Star. A red-and-white sign blares SALE. Mannequins, glass baubles and toilet-bowl cleaners alternate with collages that mix black lace, scraps of Palestinian scarves and Constructivist geometries. One collage mentions the Angry Brigade, a group of British anarchists believed to have bombed more than 100 sites (including a Biba boutique) in the early 1970's, without casualties. Read the entire article here
Source: New Tork Times

I stumbled upon these books at cool indie Dashwood books in NY. one of my favorites. (link on my links)
I  Love that the images are small, I love Saul Fletcher and you don't see much small these days.     I'm sick of huge and over the top.   
  A photograph really has to be outstanding to look good small.    Think of the iconic Andy Warhol polaroids.   Paul Kooiker does some halftones and bitmaps, pretty cool.   The images look old, almost like they were from the 60's or 70's.    Some of the images are softly erotic, but the women look real which gives them that girl next door Richard Prince quality.  For the intellectual art voyeur.   The books are published in editions of 700 out of Amsterdam. So many artists are self publishing now, I love it.    Check him out.   The following images are from Hunting and Fishing.
   Other books are room service and seminar Paul's site

It is a sad day for humanity and the power of the internet when a Florida teen kills himself and films his suicide on a webcam.  This takes cewebrity to a new level.   Abraham's death- a desperate attempt at a connection ends in infamy powered by technology and the media.

To read the story on the BBC bbc article

People watched and no one did anything- some even encouraged it.

The family of a US teenager who killed himself live online via a webcam have spoken of their regret at how no-one stopped the unfolding suicide.

Abraham Biggs, 19, from Pembroke Pines, near Miami, killed himself hours after announcing his plan on his blog.

A friend turned me onto writer Seth Godin.     I loved the DIP and think its a great book to help map out that road to work and success.    It's little and cute and can be read in a day or so.  

Seth's website

Godin is author of ten books that have been bestsellers around the world and changed the way people think about marketing, change and work. His books have been translated into more than 20 languages, and his ebooks are among the most popular ever published. He is responsible for many words in the marketer's vocabulary, including permission marketing, ideaviruses, purple cows, the dip and sneezers. His irrepressible speaking style and no-holds-barred blog have helped him create a large following around the world.  (bio courtesy of Seth's site)
 

Seth has also set up a cool site called Squidoo.com where you can read musicians like Trent Rezner and Josh Homme's pages.    An intellectual myspace anyone?  The wikipedia of social networking sites.   check it.....

SQUIDOO

Forgot your ipod, or don't have time to make a custom mix, try Pandora.   Custom radio playlists of any artist you desire.
Pandora site

I wanted to do this post so my friends and relatives abroad know that we are safe in the city of LA.    Unfortunately our beautiful forests are burning once more.     The air quality sucks and there is traffic and congestion, but atleast I don't have a fire in my backyard.
  Montecito is burning and so is Palos Verdes.    My props go out to all those amazing firefighters that are battling these wild fires.     You are true heroes.   Stay Strong.   (photo: NYTIMES)

Fashion photographer extraordinaire has come out with a gorgeous limited edition jigsaw puzzle.  This puzzle is an edition of 1000 and is $750.00 artandcommerce avail. thru his rep, art&commerce.  The legend of Meisel has been slow to do any art projects or books because he stubbornly refers to himself as a fashion photographer, not "artist".   Many of us would beg to differ.  For those of you that don't know, Mr. Meisel, a former stylist, has shot every cover and lead editorial story for ITALIAN VOGUE for the last two decades.   Not many have that claim to fame.

There's a new kid in town and it's TAR magazine.    This amazing new art magazine is run by an incredible editorial department and rivals Purple, Self Service and W.  (much better actually)  Renowned art critic, PS1 curator (and Lipsticktracez indie Dad)
Creative director Neville Wakefield taps into the underground and blue chip contemporary art world.    With articles by some of the top art critics.   Needless to say, there is a lot of content to read.   Publisher is Evanly Schindler, and artistic director Bill Powers.    Beautiful paper, layouts and photography.  Check it.

Art featured by newby Nate Loman (back cover) and Ryan McKinley and powerhouse artists like Mathew Barney and Ed Ruscha. 
"Fashion" stories by Juergen Teller and a beautiful spread by Julian Schnabel it is the eye candy art lovers love to lanquish in.
Get them while they are hot, they didn't print many.   Published twice a year by tarSIZpublishing inc. 

 Enjoy.

Kim and David, Paper mag founders and publishers score another hit with their 24hr. store. 
  24 bands, tons of stalls of creative galleries and stores showcase funky fresh talent.Rose Apodaca's

Downtown artist Dash Snow and family model lederhosen, tattoos and drag capes for Purple Fashion.    Shot by Terry Richardson, styled by Olivier Zahm.