traversing through the land of the mind

Famed Japanese photographer, Nobuyoshi Araki. He is featured in...

Thu, 09 May 2013 12:57:10 -0400

Famed Japanese photographer, Nobuyoshi Araki. He is featured in the Guardian this week as a controversial artist who straddles the tenuous line between ‘art’ and ‘pornography.’ The photographs of his wife Yoko, who died in 1990, have established his reputation in Japan. Of her he says: photographing her was everything to me. I shot her more than any other woman, and she was my most exciting subject.”

#NSFW

Stills from Montreal-based filmmaker Xavier Dolan’s...

Tue, 07 May 2013 11:30:00 -0400

Stills from Montreal-based filmmaker Xavier Dolan’s “Les Amours Imaginaires (Heartbeats).” If you haven’t seen any of the three feature lengths directed by this (gasp!) twenty-four year-old Quebecois filmmaker then you really should add it to your list of things to see. While admittedly somewhat self-indulgent (both visually and durationally — my partner who edits video was envisioning ‘editing the shit!’ out of what was admittedly an unnecessarily long film, “Laurence Anyways”) Dolan’s work entrances me: his propensity for melding a (what might call “hipster”) aesthetic of what i dare might call the NEW french new wave with magic realist inclinations. Indeed, Monia Chokri (a recurring actor in Dolan’s films — namely as the brash and endearing gloomy sister of Fred in “Laurence Anyways”) looks like a contemporary Anna Karina in the stills featured here: both her casually immaculate French style and that cigarette smoke shrouded gaze of existential indifference set her beside Godard’s ‘original muses’ of La Nouvelle Vague.

"it was all very macabre."

Tue, 07 May 2013 11:17:06 -0400

“it was all very macabre.”

Recent appearances in the media is an excellent excuse to post...

Thu, 02 May 2013 21:37:18 -0400

Recent appearances in the media is an excellent excuse to post some Barbara Kruger.

"Love is the one thing stronger than desire and the only proper reason to resist temptation."

Thu, 02 May 2013 21:36:09 -0400

“Love is the one thing stronger than desire and the only proper reason to resist...

and yet more olivia steele …’cause she’s just...

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 00:41:13 -0400

and yet more olivia steele

…’cause she’s just so darn good!

"Changing the question ‘free from what?’ into ‘free for what?’; this change..."

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 00:40:02 -0400

“Changing the question ‘free from what?’ into ‘free for what?’; this...

olivia steele

Sun, 21 Apr 2013 21:16:26 -0400

olivia steele

more neon art! by olivia steele!

Sun, 21 Apr 2013 21:15:42 -0400

more neon art! by olivia steele!

chevauxblonds: τι μας κανεις..αχ

Sat, 20 Apr 2013 16:03:18 -0400

chevauxblonds:

τι μας κανεις..αχ

UN. I saw these women perform last night at a late night dance...

Sat, 20 Apr 2013 15:44:59 -0400

UN.

I saw these women perform last night at a late night dance party in montreal and was really drawn into their sounds (the laywoman’s ear might say ‘grimes!’ in terms of genre… indeed they do seem to ‘fit’ into the pagan white witch electro-dance genre so popular right now, esp. in the context of montreal music). the energy they brought to their two-piece performance was exhilarating.

here’s a link to their tracks, though seeing them in person definitely adds another layer of sonic experience:

http://unmusicband.com/

i’m (still) such a sucker for neon art. here’s some...

Wed, 17 Apr 2013 11:54:20 -0400

i’m (still) such a sucker for neon art. here’s some more work by dan attoe (from art basel miami back in ‘09)

one of my favorite views of the east van stevesdore cranes from...

Wed, 17 Apr 2013 11:45:00 -0400

one of my favorite views of the east van stevesdore cranes from crab park in vancouver, bc, canada. by the talented zach trask. <3

Earlier this week, members of Ukrainian feminist group Femen...

Sun, 07 Apr 2013 00:45:50 -0400

Earlier this week, members of Ukrainian feminist group Femen staged protests across Europe as they called for a “topless jihad.” The demonstrations were in support of a young Tunisian activist named Amina Tyler. Last month, Tyler posted naked images of herself online, with the words “I own my body; it’s not the source of anyone’s honor” written on her bare chest. The head of Tunisia’s “Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice,” reportedly called for Tyler to be stoned to death for her putatively obscene actions, lest they lead to an epidemic. Tyler has since gone quiet, leading some to fear for her safety. Below are images from Femen’s protests today in Sweden, Italy, Ukraine, Belgium, and France (source: http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2013/04/femen-stages-a-topless-jihad/100487/)

"Love is a striking example of how little reality means to us."

Sat, 06 Apr 2013 01:46:30 -0400

“Love is a striking example of how little reality means to us.” - Marcel Proust, In...

Photo

Sat, 06 Apr 2013 01:45:38 -0400

Photo

Fri, 05 Apr 2013 20:45:30 -0400

the del mar hotel in vancouver, bc, owned and operated by george...

Mon, 01 Apr 2013 14:14:00 -0400

the del mar hotel in vancouver, bc, owned and operated by george riste until his passing in 2010, is a reminder of the power of independent ideals and principles in the face of a daunting (and seemingly ruthless) ‘Progress’.

george riste is celebrated as an “independent spirit” and “ideal landlord” whose generous rent amounted to a subsidy for the arts: the space now houses the Or Gallery on the first floor. the 30-room hotel is known for being an immaculately clean and affordable space for low-income residents (of the nearby downtown eastside) to call home.

for about a decade starting in 1981, BC Hydro had owned most of the block where they planned to build their new office tower: the Del Mar Hotel, owned by Riste, occupied the missing piece. despite all the weight brought to bear by the Hydro Goliath, including what must have been enormous amounts of money, Riste refused to sell. BC Hydro eventually had to redesign to build around the hotel.

“The surprise is the sign above the doorway: “Unlimited Growth Increases the Divide.” This is not the usual thing capitalists choose to adorn their property, but 553 Hamilton is a little out of the ordinary. Despite all the redevelopment around it, this Edwardian building remains a clean and affordable hotel. Its main floor houses an art gallery. For all this we can thank the owner, George Riste.”
- http://www.alelle.com/the-del-marr-inn-unlimited-growth-increases-the-divide/

this thursday at the western front in vancouver, bc: professor...

Tue, 26 Mar 2013 15:20:57 -0400

this thursday at the western front in vancouver, bc: professor michael taussig (columbia university, ny). to quote taussig on walter benjamin:

“he was a writer who could help you appreciate the mythic force behind the present and at the same time give an impetus to working out newness, which would be indebted to the old ways but would turn them around. It’s a gift to a writer. It’s a gift to someone interested in creating a new culture, which is of course what Nietzsche always advocated. You don’t just study for study’s sake, so to speak.”

please describe yourself in one...

Sun, 24 Mar 2013 05:43:21 -0400

please describe yourself in one word.

other-wordly:

pronunciation | fi-ni-‘fU-gal