All posts filed under: Culture

Just Kids syrian refugees 3

“Just Kids” a photo reportage by photographer Giulio Magnifico

Published by VAGA Editor

The images below are a selection from a photo documentary shot by photographer Giulio Magnifico. The photos were taken in May and June 2015 along the Syrian/Turkey border. Some others images were captured in Iraq, September 2014, during the war between ISIS – Da3sh and opposites. Most of the subjects are Syrian refugees kids who fled from their destroyed homes and country devastated by the long civil war. More images and videos at photographer’s website.

Art Basel Miami Beach: Leading Galleries, Big Parties

Published by jamesonz

Art Basel Miami Beach (ABMB) is back and bigger than ever this year. 267 galleries are scheduled to exhibit, alongside countless more screenings, parties, and unofficial events. Gallery-hoppers will find an unforgettable mix of high art, cultural experiences, and no-holds-barred Miami-style partying. (And of course, champagne on the sand.) The ABMB’s crown jewel this year will be a $10 million Willem de Kooning, Untitled IV. The gallery holds an impressive collection of de Kooning’s drawings and paintings, all well worth the price of admission on their own account. Miami is widely regarded as the center for Latin American art in the US, so it’s no surprise that a strong contingent of galleries will be making the journey north from South America. Galería Elba Benítez and Galeria Nara Roesler, among others, will be bringing hundreds of Latin American artists between them, including some compelling installation work. Keep an eye out for the politically-infused sculptures of Antonio Dias, whose sculpture series based on ballot boxes should be particularly resonant in this tumultuous election season. On the other side …

Stephen Shore

Art Books Under Glass: Paris Photo 2015

Published by jamesonz

PEACE FOR PARIS Due to recent tragic events, the 19th edition of the Fair has closed. Paris Photo is holding its 19th edition this November, with over 147 galleries and 27 publishers presenting both contemporary and historical work within the Grand Palais. Visiting photography buffs and book lovers can expect a feast of the senses beneath the Palais’ high glass ceiling, filled with opportunities to see work from a truly international mix of sources. The wide-ranging collection of exhibitors will feature a mix of current artists represented by galleries including Stephen Bulger, Sprueth Magers and Stephen Daiter. Organizers of the Paris Photo event have pulled some new tricks out of the hat this year, including BOOK MACHINE, an installation of 30 books hand-designed exclusively for Paris Photo through an international call for submissions. We recommend in particular the work of Stephen Shore, a legendary documentarian of American life and landscape who was among the first practitioners of the “diaristic snapshot” style. Also keep an eye out for a compelling series of works by postwar Japanese …

LADYFAG, NEW YORK’S NOCTURNAL GODDESS

Published by Juliana B

The statuesque gender-bending Madame of the New York night scene, Ladyfag, arrived eight years ago, first selling vintage wares and later becoming mesmerized by the allure of the city after dark. Photographed by Anna Bloda, Make up Azra Red. The statuesque gender-bending Madame of the New York night scene arrived eight years ago, first selling vintage wares and later becoming mesmerized by the allure of the city after dark. In the beginning, Ladyfag ventured out solo, enrobed in a myriad of her own looks from Transylvanian embroidered robes to Ricardo Tisci’s Givenchy later on. She danced with arms flung in the air, her shaggy armpits laid bare. The night became her playground as she headed out to iconic venues like Hiro, APT and Happy Valley. It was on one of those fateful nights that NYC nightlife and legendary club kid, Kenny Kenny found her at the center of the dance floor. He hired her on the spot to dance for him at Happy Valley (thrown by him and Susanne Bartsch.) “Both of us are self-created …

SKATE: BY JACOB HARMER

Published by Juliana B

SKATE – by Jacob Harmer. Featuring Theo de Gultz. A grey and foggy London, serves as the perfect backdrop for Jacob Harmer’s new short film ‘Skate’. Featuring and narrated by French artist, model, and lifelong skater Theo de Gultz. Through the eyes of De Gultz, the film evokes the scenic beauty and sense of serenity felt while skating. “…IS ABOUT THE SENSE OF ESCAPE AND ADVENTURE THE SPORT CAN GIVE. THE FILM EXPLORES THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MAN AND CITY, FROM THE INTIMATE TO THE EPIC AND WITH A FOCUS ON THE TRANSCENDENTAL STATE ONE CAN REACH WHEN ROLLING.”

Llyn Foulkes: One Man Band by Tamar Halpern and Chris Quilty

Published by Fernando Lahoz

Following Llyn Foulkes’ pivotal retrospective at the New Museum and the last exhibition at Andrea Rosen Gallery, there is a new documentary on the interior life of the Los Angeles-based artist. “Llyn Foulkes: One Man Band”, directed by Tamar Halpern and Chris Quilty offers a unique look at the life of the artist leading up to this major international exhibition and the re-emergence of Foulkes after nearly three decades of being overlooked by the art world. Llyn Foulkes and The Machine Oil, acrylic, and mixed mediums. 31 ½ x 26 ¼ x 2 in. (80 x66.7 x 5.1 cm). The San Jose Museum of Art. Gift of the Lipman Family Foundation, in honor of the San Jose Museum of Art’s 35th Anniversary (2003). Llyn Foulkes. The Lost Frontier, 1997-2005. Mixed mediums. 87 x 96 x 8 in. (221 x 243.8 x 20.3 cm). Hammer Museum, Los Angeles “Llyn Foulkes: One Man Ban” is available at http://www.llynfoulkesfilm.com words and interview by Keri Oldham Recently dubbed America’s most famous artist that you’ve never heard of, Foulkes combines …

RUDE BOY & IT-GIRL

Published by Juliana B

We are young Ukrainian Artists from Kiev. Our inspiration is based on everything that goes against conventional morality We are fond of unusual characters who don’t fear to live by their own rules. – GORSAD RUDE BOY – IT-GIRL “Yura is Ukrainian 9-year old bully from village. We met him smoking near the country computer club and immediately fell in love with this character. Small boy who behaved like real badass. Yura told us that he is mad gamer and that he escaped from orphanage to play counter strike.” – GORSAD photography by Gorsad, interview by Juliana Bojorquez  VAGA: Tell me about your collaboration. How did the three of you begin GORSAD?  We are Gorsad, Kiev based artists. Our group is a collaboration between two guys and a girl: Victor, Julian, and Maria. We met at each other at university where the three of us studied at the Faculty of Arts. Originally we were separate artists, but while working in a joint workshop we realized that collaboration is exactly what we needed. So we successfully …

A Quiet Confidence – New York Master photographer: John Dugdale

Published by Fernando Lahoz

–Words and Interview by Robbie Sosa with New York master photographer John Dugdale . Image: A Turbulent Dream – 1996 – All images courtesy of Holden Luntz gallery. It’s 1992 and fear has cast its unending shadow over the gay community in New York City. Reeling from a mysterious illness, a thirty year-old named John Patrick Dugdale lies on a metal bed in a cold and drafty hospital room. From afar, the scene is straight out of war-torn Beirut – but this battle is taking place inside Manhattan’s St. Vincent Hospital. Dugdale is not alone, for there are dozens of other young, frail men on the frontlines of death. It’s a dark moment for a city wrapped in the clenched fist of a virus called HIV/AIDS. This is where Dugdale’s journey to triumph begins to become one of New York most prominent master photographers. Born in 1960 in the working class suburban town of Stamford, Connecticut, Dugdale dreamed of an artist’s life, “I thought of myself as being born in the wagon of a traveling van, just …

Sharon Gault Mama Makeup

An Interview with Artist Sharon Gault aka Mama Makeup

Published by Fernando Lahoz

Sharon Gault (aka “Mama Makeup”) is not your ordinary makeup artist. Part artiste and part muse, she is equally at home being behind the camera as she is being in front of it. After shooting to fame as Madonna’s hair stylist in Truth or Dare, Gault later became the go-to artist for Lady Gaga – doing her make-up in such videos as “Poker Face,” “Love Game,” “Paparazzi,” “Dirty Rich” and her iconic Rolling Stone cover shot by David LaChapelle. However, it wasn’t always red carpets and celebs. Growing up on welfare with a single mother, being a make-up artist to the stars hardly seemed possible. But with a little chutzpah, that is exactly what happened. —Photography by Vijat Mohindra, Interview by Rachel Khona. Like many people who grow up with little means, the choices are: become a victim of your situation, or use it as an impetus to break free. Though her childhood may have been bleary, her escape (as it is for many) was the world of fashion. Collecting fashion magazines like some people …

An Interview with actor Zoë Kravitz

Published by Fernando Lahoz

It’s a February Friday afternoon in New York City, and the weather has gone from snow to hail to rain and back to wet, sloppy snow when I sit down to chat with Zoë Kravitz, the single heir to the funk fortune that Lenny Kravitz and Lisa Bonet’s late-eighties and early-nineties romance endowed the world. At 24, Zoë is a near perfect match to a 1980s Bonet, and with the help of a Google Image search or a TV Land marathon, it’s clear she’s channeling a fair amount of Denise Huxtable as well. She is poised, beautiful, artistic and wise to the second-generation Hollywood privilege her looks and last name have afforded her. –Words and Interview by Kelly Sherman, Photography by Robert Nethery at Art List NY, Styling by Dianna Lunt at Art Department.  Hair by Nikki Nelms, Make-up by Rebecca Restrepo at The Wall Group, Photography Assistant Johnny Kapp, Assistants: Eliza Wexelman and Mey Díaz. Interview by Kelly Sherman  Blazer COSTUME NACIONAL, bra top T by ALEXANDER WANG, silk trousers CARIN WESTER, headband HEATHER …

Pixel Art Designer Joo Jaebum

Published by Fernando Lahoz

Joo Jaebum is a digital pixel artist based in Seoul, South Korea. His work offers an interesting twist on pixel art and the very popular use of GIF animation. More than just creating digital replicas of the world’s master paintings, Joo’s pixel art depicts a twenty-first century take on pieces by Johannes Vermeer, Damien Hirst or Klimt, among others. His artwork is also printed on OHC film, a special kind of transparency film that offers a closer likeness to the screen, according to the artist.

Youth LGBT Stories: Andre Johnson, New York

Published by Fernando Lahoz

Andre Johnson’s story is not for the weary. His life begins like so many of today’s oppressed urban black men. The 33 year old gay male was raised in the projects of Newark, New Jersey in the 1980s by a struggling single mom. But in spite of the darkness, he managed to find a method to the mayhem: ‘Kill the world with kindness and do it in a lovely frock to boot!‘ Andre’s good vibrations haven’t gone unnoticed either; turning the heads of everyone from Patricia Fields and Jay Leno to French Vogue and “The New York Times”. Andre’s ‘I don’t give a shit’ attitude could very well be the start of a new fashion renaissance of gender-bending freedom that started right here in NYC! Photography Michael Flores, interview Abbey Miller, words by Robbie Sosa. Abbey Miller: I saw an interview where you said somebody thought you looked like Jesus, and you said you and he shared some qualities. What about you is Christ-LIke? Andre Johnson: Well, I can part the sea. Or, at least …