View from Brooklyn

Christmas Hangover

Street Art Truck on West Broadway

Models in Soho

Koons, Cattelan and Roat

I have never been fond of contemporary art.  

I tried. I really tried.

But I can't take it seriously. 

When I think contemporary art, I see Roat Romano Chucalescu.

Roat Romano Chucalescu is the archetype of the contemporary artist who will shit on a canvas, pretend it's art and sell it a fortune.

Just check this video* and you will totally get the point ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0WoW7hbOWA).  I am sorry for those who don't speak/understand French. I will try to have it translated because it is hilarious.

Some quotes are memorable !

"I do not go to the canvas. The canvas comes to me." or "I am a deconstructor of  timelessness."

Yeah, I see you laughing behind your screen... Go ahead, it's good for your abs.

In other words, to me the contemporary artist was personified by Koons. The man was a broker used to sell crap, who married the Cicciolina.

He sells plastic lobsters and everybody screams : "Genius!"

Come on.

An artist** once said :

"Someone once told me that it  (art) was very profitable profession...

Extract from a NY Times article (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/26/arts/design/26private.html?_r=1&ref=arts)

"Still, the art world loves to talk, and in recent months among the expensive paintings that have quietly changed hands are a 1970s de Kooning abstract canvas sold for around $30 million; a Cy Twombly “Blackboard” painting for $12 million; one of Gerhard Richter's “Color Charts” for $18 million; and Jeff Koons’s “Hanging Heart Violet” sculpture for $11 million."

that you could travel a lot ...

and meet a lot of girls (...)."

"There is, at least, a certain amount of respect.  This is one profession in which I can be a little bit stupid, and people will say, "Oh, you are so stupid; thank you, thank you for being so stupid"."  

Yes, to me contemporary art and the contemporary artist were all contained in this quote.


But recently, I had a sort of revelation (not about Koons, of course).


Last Sunday, despite the cold, I went to the Cattelan exhibition at the Guggenheim. At first, I was not really enthusiastic about it.


But what I saw was just incredible. For once there was a meaning  (to me at least).

  

  
I don't know.  I was just captivated.  


All these sculptures hanging from the museum's rotunda seemed so real. There was no cohesiveness but still it was absolutely fascinating.


I must however admit that the taxidermied horses, donkeys and dogs made me feel uncomfortable.


But I guess I come from very far... 


 
Alda 

* Les Inconnus (L'Artiste Peintre)
** Maurizio Cattelan

The last minute wish list of a broke girl : my letter to Santa

Dear Santa,

I know you are broke this year.

Like the year before... and the year before the year before.

I am aware that you have to deal with economic challenges. The global crisis, the increasing costs of your workforce (I heard you had to layoff many elves), your divorce from Mrs. Claus (momanager), etc.

Plus, I am not sure I behaved really well...

That is why I have decided to send you a very reasonable wish list this year :

      

  Claudie Pierlot Pink sweater (€195 / approx. $253)

   AGATHA skull ring (€100 / approx. $130)

       

Diptyque Vetyverio Eau de Toilette ($88)

  

The KOOPLES « Skull Bikeuse » T-Shirt (€65 / approx. $85)

         

   SUNO Sneakers ($65)

          

  Diana Vreeland: The Eye Has to Travel (approx. $55)

  

  Marc Jacobs iPad case (approx. $48)

          

  ANTHROPOLOGIE Curvy Chrysanthemum Vase ($28)

   

  ANTHROPOLOGIE Wire-Wrapped Magnifying Glass ($16 and $20)

  

  ANTHROPOLOGIE Tagged Bouquet Journal ($14)

Santa, if you could please bring me one or two of these items, I swear I will be nice next year !

Alda Mori

P.S. 1: Santa I took the liberty of indicating the prices so you can realize how happy you can make me with very affordable gifts.

P.S. 2: I swear I am not an ANTHROPOLOGIE secret agent.

Vues sur la Seine

When Lady Gaga Meat Kumagai

This morning, I read AM New York.  As usual.  After a quick review of the bloody news, what do I see on page 14?

Lady Gaga and her raw meat dress and shoes.  I am sure you remember this horror she wore for the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards.

In case you don't, here is a reminder.

Let me tell you that the mere thought of the perfume of fresh meat at 7.30 a.m. makes me want to throw up.  

This said, what a coincidence?

The night before I was reading a book (very nice by the way) about vintage shoes* when I made a major discovery: the meat shoe is no novelty and the Gaga did not invent the wheel!

My reddish sleepy eyes cannot believe it; the first meat shoes date back to 1984, when a Japanese fashion designer, named Tokio Kumagai, created a collection called "Shoes to eat", inspired by the artificial food that restaurants in Japan display in their windows. 

Not that I would dream to walk on high heel steaks, but still I am fascinated by the fact that at some point someone even thought about it!  This is the genius of the creative process.

At first disturbed by this image, I ended up wondering what's the difference between walking on beef's meat pumps and walking on the beef's skin shoes and wearing beef's skin bags?  It is almost the same, isn't it?

I have profound late night digressions sometimes...

Anyway, I don't think that the plastic food inspired such deep thoughts to Kumagai.

Animal lovers from all over the world, be reassured.  Contrary to Lady Gaga, Kumagai did not seem to enjoy meat enough (or maybe his nostrils and stomach were too sensitive to endure the smell) to have his creations done with real raw meat. Actually, they were created with acrylic or resin.  So I say bravo! 

I am not sure I could wear meat shoes, but ice cream sundaes... that's another story!

Alda Mori

*"Vintage Shoes" by Caroline Cox, Collins Design (page 186)

Magazines' Overdose

JFK Airport. Friday night.

I have one hour to kill before boarding. I go to the newsstand to buy some magazines. A 5 hours flight can be quite long, so I’d better have something to do.

Let’s see what we have here ?

« Kim’s revenge », « Kourtney alone », « Khloe starts In Vitro », « Blast Fat Fast », « Fight fat », etc., etc., etc.

Humm. Not really exciting, especially after a quick review of the content (mainly commercials).

Given the apparent wide-range of choice, I was expecting to find something to suit my taste (at least for 5 hours). I am disappointed.

This is not the first time. I already experienced this feeling of saturation few weeks ago... at JKF. A coincidence? No.

The diagnosis is pretty simple. I am suffering from a M.O.: a magazines’ overdose.

The causes?

The covers make it obvious.  I am just sick of all these papers that, besides being pretty much all the same, repeat themselves every year, invariably, along with the seasons.

Summer: «Look great in your bikini!»

Fall: «Keep your summer glow!»

Winter: «Avoid gaining pounds!»

Spring: «Get rid of your winter extra pounds!»

Not to mention the commercials.  Omnipresent.

I am curious. While at the newsstand, I pick randomly a 300 pages magazine and engage into the fastidious counting of the number of commercials.

The verdict? At least 160 pages of commercials and about 100 of indirect ads (« Jane Doe is wearing XY shoes. Price: lots of $»).

How many articles? Not that much.

I should have taken the September issue of The Gentlewoman and The Purple Magazine! I swear I am not paid to say that but I really like these two mags not only because of the edge of the articles but also because even the commercials are cool and aesthetic.  You learn while you dream.  Isn’t it the reason why we buy magazines?

Judging by the front pages, I am afraid that the answer is no. 

Apparently, now we buy magazines:

1°) To get rid of 10lbs. In three days…

2°) To know everything about the new science miracle that will help us get rid of our first wrinkle.

3°) To master the 10 best sex positions; and (last but not least).

4°) To become the Queen of the BJs.

My brain just says «STOP !!!!!!!» because guess what:

1°) Ladies, if we want to loose lbs, there is no miracle solution! We have to eat healthy and exercise (and I really hate to say that).

2°) Although I would love to think that we can stop time, unfortunately we cannot fight against the natural process of ageing (of course, you can use Botox, but I do not recommend this option unless your dream is to look like Amanda LePore or the Beverly Hills housewives).

3°) I know nobody who reached an orgasm with one leg around her/his boyfriend’s neck and her/his butt on a frozen sink (maybe because 99% of us are not contortionists).

4°) Ask any man. A good blow job is no science. Any dude would say: «Don’ t bite, open your mouth, blow and swallow.» Love is a plus (of course).

Now I am starting to sweat because I have a feeling (oooh oooh) that the flight is not going to be a good flight.

Time is out.  A voice is calling on the microphone.

I have got to board.

Alda Mori

(Non Exhaustive) Bibliography:

http://www.cosmopolitan.com/sex-love/tips-moves/how-to-give-a-blow-job

http://www.womenshealthmag.com/sex-and-relationships

http://www.glamour.com/sex-love-life


http://www.shape.com/weight-loss

Lets Get Physical - the Glimmers presents Disko Drunkards!

The Grand Canyon

 "The glories and the beauties of form, color, and sound unite in the Grand Canyon - forms unrivaled even by the mountains, colors that vie with sunsets, and sounds that span the diapason from tempest to tinkling raindrop, from cataract to bubbling fountain." 

 John Wesley Powell

Unknown African Fashion

This morning, I came across a very interesting article in the NY Times(http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/08/fashion/africas-new-fashion-influence.html?ref=fashion).

Ashamed by my ignorance on the subject, I decided to google (again) some designers named in the article.

And here is a piece of what I found.

Mimi Plange

(Summer/Spring 2012)

Deola Sagoe

(Fall 2010)              (Fall / Winter 2011)

I read religiously all the fashion magazines, so how come I never heard about these designers before ?

A big thank you to the NY Times and to Simone S. Olivier.

Alda Mori

Tsuguharu Foujita: My New Fashion Icon

Until very recently, I had no clue who Tsuguharu Foujita was.

The first time I saw his peculiar haircut was at the Cecil Beaton's exhibition, at the Museum of the City of New York.  I would lie if I told you that his beauty struck me right away. On the contrary. I wondered why this portrait was there, amongst the pictures of Greta Garbo and Katharine Hepburn.

As soon as I got out of the exhibition, I instantaneously forgot him (at least, that is what I thought).

Few days later, after a very "shitty" day at work, I stopped by the MoMa's bookstore. I was looking for nothing in particular but for a quick free escape from the routine of the day. 

After perusing the many shelves of the store, and infringing my secret promise not to spend a dime (I ended up buying a book about Diane Arbus), my eyes caught sight of an imposing book about Man Ray. 

I stopped just to take a look and  guess whose picture I came across? Yes, you are right. Foujita's. Same glasses and, of course, same haircut. This time however something did interpellate me; Foujita, who had a little je ne sais quoi, was actually really stylish.  

I firmly decided that, as soon as I got home, I would investigate about my fashion icon "to be".

I flew to my apartment. No sooner had I arrived than I jumped on my computer and googled "Tsuguharu Foujita". Waouuu!!! Foujita, who passed away in 1968, was a Japanese painter who counted amongst his models Kiki de Montparnasse, Man Ray's paramour (now, I understand better the picture in the book). 


Friends with Matisse and Picasso, Foujita was a globe-trotter, a lover and... an early hipster.


Here are some "Do's" inspired by Foujita's edgy style.

Do :

1) Wear prints (and don't be afraid to mix and match checks and spots )

2) Exchange your old wool coat against a raincoat (and check the buttons on the pants... so chic!)

3) Go for the white suit (definitely, a cute cat is always a +)

Note to the reader :

Until I saw this picture, I had always assimilated white men suits with cheap latino singers (thanks Rico Martin!) and Eddie Barclay.

4) Use and abuse of tank tops (with a pair of flip flops + loose pants or a boyfriend = casual perfect!)

Note to the reader:
I love the simplicity of this effortless look. Still, elegant and smart.


5) Cut your hair ?


Before you make up your decision, check this. 

http://hypebeast.com/2010/01/jil-sander-raf-simons-editorial-sotokoto-2010-february-issue/

Jil Sander Spring/Summer 2010 Menswear collection

(Do you notice any resemblance ?)

If you want to know more about Foujita's life and artistic work (because not only are you stylish, but you are also smart) you can check on Google (it's free) or purchase the book "Glory in a Line: A Life of Foujita the artist caught between East and West" by Phyllis Birnbaum.

Alda