King of culture

What is a world without an Icon of culture? If in the West (america) every option to play black and white, beat it into a thriller and any opportunity to spin a mix of Michael Jackson has become the ritual de jour. Whether in a car radio of a sixteen year old or that of a 5O something the tribute rocks on. Was the death of John Lennon or Jimi Hendrix as global, permiating and resonating in the 70s or 80s? Did Warhol reach so many? This editor thinks not. Feel free to comment

Female Icons - Fawcett and Bourke-White on film

With the passing of Farrah Fawcett, known for her iconic role in 'Charlie's Angels' and to some known for her starring role in the Schiller movie "Bourke-White", it's important to reflect how female icons are nested in our culture. For those who are not aware, Fawcett, who was 62 and a common staple for boys to men looking for a poster pin up in the 70s, became an icon for mostly the sexy and stunning persona she displayed in front of the camera. She was the blonde bombshell that was incredibly sexy, tall and shapely.

Of course, the persona that she gained from Charlie's Angels made it difficult for the audience to see her in other roles. After she left the series, she starred on Broadway, other made-for-TV productions, and Hollywood films including the biography of photographer, Margaret Bourke-White, who was the first photographer for FORTUNE Magazine and one of the first four photographers of LIFE Magazine.

While the film was less than a blockbuster, it is one of the few that attempted to do two leading ladies justice related to their careers. By casting Fawcett as the "Mother of Modern Photojournalism", the actress was effectively finding a way out of her stereotypical style that the 70s had cast her to. One scene from the movie actually featured Bourke-White (Fawcett) shooting the historic photographs of Gandhi as he protested British power in India and the cast system. While educational and mildly entertaining, the film ultimately did not break the grip that culture had for Fawcett.

Fortunately so. Fawcett became the "mother" of pop-culture inspiration that change flat hair into big, put Texas women on the map and left an indelible mark in trades like Playboy. No she was not the first female to pose twice for career changing publications but she was the strength out of political malaise and daze found in the 70s and 80s. Fawcett became your locker inspiration or the inspiration for the girl standing next to you in school to use a blow dryer. Fawcett became the style consultant for most big hair photographs found in the 70s. Farrah Fawcett, while not accepted as an intelligent actress (similar to Anna Nicole, Marilyn, Pam and others), gave most women a subtle kick to be amazing in their own right. Bourke-White would have enjoyed shooting Fawcett.

She is survived by her son, Redmond, born in 1985; her long-time
companion, Ryan O'Neal.

Tiananmen Square and The Iconic Image

What would Jeff Widener, a renowned photojournalist, say to the man whom his photograph immortalized? In the iconic image, the Chinese citizen, whose fate to this day is unknown, blocks the path of a procession of tanks in what remains a defining moment of the June 5th, 1989 Tiananmen Square aftermath. “I would ask him,” says Widener, “what finally carried him over the top emotionally? Had he lost a loved one in the military crackdown? Was it a planned case of defiance or had he just been broken down to the point that he no longer feared for his own personal safety?”

If not for the photographs, that of Widener along with the other journalists present that day, the man’s signal act of defiance might have been lost along with much else of the historical record, as the Chinese government sought to whitewash the fact of the six-week student-led protest, to propagate amnesia in the name of nationalism. But Widener happened to be there, one beat photographer among many, risking life and limb to capture events as they happened, and it was his image that the AP ultimately picked up, soon to be seared into minds around the globe.

Roger Cohen of the NY Times recently quoted Chinese researcher Shi Guoliang in the observation that, “students [at Beijing’s China Youth University for Political Sciences] don’t do sit-ins, they blog and use Twitter.” Faced with a vastly improved economic prognosis, Chinese youth twenty years later seem content to keep their dissident thoughts anonymous on the margins of the internet. Yet the power of Widener’s image abides, one individual standing over and against the iron fist of oppression, in a country where individualism has no ostensible platform.

Will that change? “You will see such images used more and more to make political statements as well as increase social awareness for all of us as humans,” says Widener. In ways obvious and subtle. Widener considers an image of Pope John Paul II stifling a yawn during a ceremony at St. George’s Cathedral in London, to be among his most revealing, “the human side of a great man.”

Great man or no, the anonymous Chinese citizen may have made a more resonant statement. As of April 29, 2009, The National reports that government censorship of English language accounts of the 1989 Tiananmen protests have been eased for the first time in mainland China.

About Jeff Price: Price is a New York based writer whose professional works focus on culture, politics and the big city lifestyle.

The Mel and El Show - Show and Tell

Mel and El on 54th street is a real break from Broadway.

This is a funny innuendo riddled show for the X Generation able to laugh at itself.

While for everyone, this show hits the sweet spot for creative tribe
types as Mel and El have a Jersey Jewish background that is sure to
resonate with fellow tribes women.

What makes the show art is the tie in of music and the great 80s
culture. Yes its an XX club, decorated with The Boss's albums, lavish in
lady pink centered on a visit to memories performed and memories woven
into a glorious set design: A design that underlies how a generation of
women were influenced through pop culture, music and the arts while
dreaming of, shall we say, "their serviceable areas."

While El is happily hitched in reality, each performer sings and shares
their "club" memories that are cleverly sexual and, flat out hilarious.
A great part of the performance delves into these two real characters as
blossoming teens developing ads for a fictitious product sponsor:
"WOMAN".

For those who need comparisons, this is an off Broadway show similar to
Jewtopia. Its niche success should resonate with a broad audience - if
niche can be broad.

When at the Ars Nova Theater, mention that you heard the ad for "WOMAN"
at The Art Quarterly. Tickets available online
http://www.melandel.com/.

Sent from GALLERY M Mobile Services. Are you connected?

http://www.gallerym.com/about.cfm

LUBIE LOVE Screening April 22, Earth Day, in Denver, CO

When executive producer and director Mason Hayutin ventured into the world of the nation's auto crisis it was long before it became front page news. You see, Hayutin, a classic example of American entrepreneurs having to work without any bailout funds coming his way, had the guts to put his money where his mouth was in the independent production of “LUBIE LOVE – One Trucker, One Love, One Country Addicted to Oil.”

The recently completed documentary journeys with a New Jersey Trucker who, as we find out, uncovers in 2005 not only the gas crisis and the government’s (Ws second term) conservation approach but the various Americans along the way who were making and not making efforts to curb our country’s foreign oil addiction due to terrible CAFE standards.

It is a story that Hayutin believes will resonate with audiences who care for both fixing the auto industry but also with those with a concern for the environment and free trade. The film is 66 minutes and uncovers some great destinations and characters along the country’s dilapidated highway system and major cities: New York, St. Louis, Denver, Phoenix and Los Angeles.

Hayutin, who looks forward to festival success in the Fall of ’09 and Spring of ’10, feels LUBIE LOVE has a great mix of a “youtube” zaniness with a serious subject. The film features New York based singer and song writer Ryan Saliman (also originally from Denver), whose tunes fit the rolling hills of Pennsylvania, the countryside gas stations of Missouri and the great vistas of Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona.

Some Denver merchants will be happy to know – the journey featured shoots in upscale Cherry Creek North, Sheplers in Greenwood Village and of course various gas and car washes like Waterway in Cherry Creek and Glendale’s Shotgun Willies. There is a great scene with a serious yet humorous interview of a Harley Davidson owner outside of Littleton’s Rocky Mountain Harley Davidson Motor Company.

To participate in a special LUBIE LOVE Earth Day event, GALLERY M has organized a “Freedom Ride” by local Harley enthusiasts on April 22, 2009. The rumble through Cherry Creek North will precede the showing of the "making" of the movie and the art installation at 7 PM. Tickets are available online at tickets.lubielove.com. The public is welcome and encouraged to attend. Questions can be directed to the gallery at 303.331.8400

Schatz has string of successes

Howard Schatz, internationally collected and followed for his important contributions to fine art photography, has had a month of achievements that further his leadership and skill. Mid March, Schatz was once again selected as the lead story photographer of Sports Illustrated. SI relied on Howard's motion photography techniques to capture the power and dominance of St. Louis Cardinal's Albert Pujols (March 16, 2009). Across the pond, Schatz opened in Kiev, Ukraine: H2O The Underwater Photography of Howard Schatz on March 20th. The exhibit continues until April 20th. And in Germany, The Heinz-Nixdorf Museum, Motion Science, delves into Howard's various styles (underwater, use of light paired with motion and the human form). The Paderborn, Germany museum exhibit run's through July 5, 2009.

New Media and the Masters

The art world has finally come to grip with the confluence of digital. Artists once considered ground breaking are mainstream and their use of the computer - more than accepted. In fact, film and video is permeating the contemporary shows consistently. There is a distinction between doing something for art's sake (like barking dogs being silenced or calmed by a lone tap dancer) or combining concept with motion (shooting an ascent up an adult jungle gym with a digital camera). It is experiential and enabling the "audience"/collector to interact. Is this of value to the fine arts or simply for the museum/public spectacle?