Punk & Art Aint Dead - A Brief Look at Two Exhibits

I love a good combo: strawberries and chocolate, bourbon and sour mix - the list goes on. Today's post is a showcase of two punk art exhibits I've gotten wind of. There may be others so I'll keep an eye out for them, but if you know of any I've missed please let me know - the more the merrier. :)

This first one I discovered on Dangerous Minds (an awesome blog btw, highly recommended.)   

Punk as Fuck: Steve Gullick 90-93 is on current display across the pond. It's up till the end of the month at Indo, a killer boho pub known it's memorabilia clad interior. If I'm ever in London I'll definitely hop into Indo (har har.) 

The great Cobain. Taken by Gullick in Springfield, '93. Photo courtesy of www.gullickphoto.com.

As reported by Dangerous Minds, Steve Gullick had this to say on what makes a good photograph:

"A good photograph is one that looks great, one that captures an interesting moment in time, one that tells a story, or in the case of a portrait, offers an insight into the subject. Photography is magic. The ability to capture something forever that looks interesting to you is magnificent."

Take that, Sontag!

The fabulous Nick Cave, '07 Photo courtesy of www.gullickphoto.com. 

The second is the much anticipated (by me and the studded leather vest hanging in my closet waiting patiently for warmer weather) PUNK: Chaos to Couture, opening as the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute exhibit from May 9 - August 14. If McLaren could see it, I'd hope it would make him proud.

Photo by Victoria Will courtesy of Vogue; Bondage, up yours.

Featuring nearly 100 designs, the exhibit will serve as a deliciously irreverent sartorial timeline chronicling the birth of punk, its New York and London scenes (definitely a story for another blog post) and its D.I.Y influences on haute couture. Check out Rolling Stone's piece on the show and get a little taste of how it'll look here.

 A God among men: Richard Hell in the 70s being a BAMF. Photo courtesy of the Metropolitan, copyright by Kate Simon

Excited yet? I sure am. My happy ass is gonna be pogoing all over that joint!

Stay grimy, my friends.

To be young, gifted and black...

Oh, what a lovely precious dream. 

I'm a week late with this one but very glad I found it - Huffington Post did a piece on 30 contemporary Black artists you should know. 

These artists are fantastic and should be appreciated past just Black History Month. EVERY month should be Black History Month. Same goes for all other groups. 

I'm very happy to see a Kehinde Wiley shout out. He's been one of my favorites since I saw his work at MAM a few years back. Same goes for Hank Willis Thomas. For my money, they're two of the reigning kings of contemporary art and totally deserve more of a spotlight. Check them out! 

Three Graces - Kehinde Wiley (2005) 

Hort Family Collection

Emoji Art History

Last month, Hyperallergic reported on the popularity of the Emoji Art History Twitter meme.

It's been a long time since I've followed up with Twitter happenings but luckily a friend pointed me towards the article.

Naturally, I made some of my own. Posted here are two screenshots featuring aesthetes going mano a mano with iPhones and memory banks full of art info. More to come, stay tuned and enjoy!. :)