By Dinika Amaral
"Emberface," the main painting in Maria Scavullo's exhibition at Lolita, shows the subject, a beautiful woman, with a scarf strangling her neck. The bottom of the scarf looks like a diseased penis and doesn't fit-in with the rest of the painting. The woman's eyes are gazing into the distance like she's disassociating herself from her problem - men, which is something probably most women need to do.
By Mikal Saint George
Remember Saturday mornings when you were, like, eight years old? For me it meant waking up at my grandparent's home (my parents had split when I was five and this was the neutral territory) at about 6 AM, running down the stairs into the "TV Room" and watching Saturday morning cartoons. This was usually over copious amounts of Lucky Charms, Honeycombs, Count Chocula and occasionally Frankenberry. Hours worth of Scooby Doo, Land of the Lost and Bugs Bunny followed. In those days no one complained of the inherent violence of the Road Runner. Kids were expected to like sugar.
Miss Van and the Power of the Pin-Up by Lauren Cerand
"I am doll parts/Bad skin/Doll heart" - Hole, Doll Parts
"I like it when it shocks people." - Miss Van
It would make sense that an opening for an exhibition of the sexy, sloe-eyed, pretty girls packing some serious action and otherwise known as Miss Van's poupées ("dolls"), would be...swelteringly, sizzling, hot. In more ways than one, naturally. Downtown denizens turned out in force for the debut of Don't Be Shy at Jonathan LeVine Gallery in Chelsea, where a fresh and fierce array of her twee temptresses is on display through October 8.
Now based in Barcelona, Miss Van earned her stripes on the streets of her native Toulouse - a city in Southwestern France that is home to a world-famous graffiti scene - where she set the standard for her peers and discovered an early affection for ruffling feathers.
By Liberation Iannillo
Opening this month at Zito Studio Gallery on Ludlow Street is an exhibit of new works by Joe Heaps Nelson in which the painter offers up subversive little slices of Americana.
Cheerleaders. Milk! Corn! Beef! Eggs! Pork! The jubilant teens proudly offer produce grown on their home turf. Bulldogs. Little friends with distorted faces that loyally sit at the end of the Barcalounger waiting for its owner to wake up from a carbohydrate induced coma and offer a little TLC. Highway rest stops. Filler' up and while you are at it, get yourself a bacon, egg and cheese McGriddle! Mmm! Wooly mammoths...well, see for yourself. Joe Heaps Nelson's view of American life is taken straight from the source. His imagery, derived from various sources ranging from old catalogues to photographs he has taken himself, is a window that reveals both the excitement and the banality of life in the heartland.
By Liberation Iannillo
The artist collective known as CUM* have an approach to street art that would make Hustler Publisher Larry Flynt extremely proud. Finding their way onto the exteriors of very public buildings are wheat pasted images of coquettish brunettes flashing onlookers, women on their knees dishing out some oral, and preening pin-ups seducing passerbyers. Taken at face value, unsuspecting civilians might be offended by the nature of the work, perceiving it as nothing more than the continued exploitation of women. But in a time when mass media advertising is all too heavily borrowing from the porn industry, can fingers really be pointed at someone for crossing the line when the line itself is already so blurred?
By Liberation Iannillo
For the documentary, Wide Open, filmmakers Paul Lamarre and Melissa P.Wolf have taken on the monumental task of connecting the dots in a story involving an imprisoned artist, a police brutality case and a corrupt prosecutor in the state of Ohio. It's a frightening reminder that the culture wars are far from over.
Artist Thomas Condon resided in Cincinnati with his wife Kelly where he ran a commercial photography studio. Inspired by the birth of his nephew, Thomas began working on a series of close-up photographs of children being delivered. After exploring the concept of life and birth Condon thought it seemed fit to complete the project with another series of photos that dealt with the issue of death. The combined efforts came to be known as the Cycle of Life project.
By Liberation Iannillo
If you live in New York than you have most likely seen the work of Jet + Rubble in the form of giant, Japanimation-like stickers plastered on the peepers of celebrities featured in ubiquitous advertisements that take over the city. The duo refers to themselves as "urban environmentalists," caretakers of the city streets who dutifully redefine the environment that has been handed to them.
In a period of three months Jet + Rubble applied approximately 2,000 of their signature eyes on the likes of overexposed celebs including Jennifer Lopez, Pamela Anderson and her impossibly hung ex-husband, Tommy Lee. The stickers were a response to an explosion of new ads for celebrity based gossip shows on VH1 and E! Entertainment.
by Liberation Iannillo
Tiffany Bozic works with contradictions, reality and illusion, natural and unnatural. Disproportionate women, seductive flowers and distressed birds fill the landscapes of the world she creates, a world that is neither dangerous nor entirely safe.
By Liberation Iannillo
After spending even a short amount of time with Molly Crabapple I get the feeling that she is from another time period. Her style, poise and wicked sense of humor seem more appropriate for a European courtesan than a present day artist living in New York City. Her illustration work possesses a sharp and worldly intelligence which should come as no surprise considering Crabapple has traveled Europe, Africa and had landed herself in a Turkish jail all before the age of 21.
Upon graduating High School early, Molly began traveling the world. "I had an epic plan of going to Europe which was based on nothing but reading The Diary of Anais Nin." She had originally planned on being in Europe for only three months but stayed much longer. "I started doing all sorts of things to horrify my dear mother," she says.
by Liberation Iannillo
Though graffiti has its roots in Philadelphia, by the early 70’s New York City was ground zero for this wild new form of expression. In 1971 The New York Times spoke with an artist from Washington Heights by the name of TAKI 183. Working as a messenger he frequently tagged the subways while out making deliveries. Though he wasn’t the first graffiti writer, he brought attention to this new subculture of artists. With New York City quickly becoming saturated with graffiti, the writers welcomed the challenge of finding new ways to stand out in the crowd. One of these artists was Eric Orr.
