As you can see, London artist collective Liberate Tate were at it on Monday, letting the Tate Modern art museum know during their BP-feting summer party that taking sponsorship money from the oil giant is unacceptable. Don’t be misled by the occasional media reports of indignant Englanders bristling about the supposed anti-British nature of BP bashing. While we in the US have been driving around barely knowing what “BP” stands for, UK orgs like Art Not Oil have been working since 2004 to call attention to BP’s and Shell’s beneficent use of arts sponsorship to divert public attention away from their actual activities.
And now you can spill on the Tate yourself!
Talk about timeless. Journalist Alan Weisman’s book The World Without Us came out in 2007 just as the implications of the mortgage crisis started coming into focus. This video speculating on how the earth swallows a house over 500 years was produced in conjunction with the publication, and in view of so many foreclosed American houses trashed out by their owners and the oily cancer temporarily zombifying the Gulf of Mexico, it seems rather tranquil.
Get: The World Without Us by Alan Weisman [Paperback]
Fans of Hispanic Batman, at long last, Hispanic Batman, the book! The thing is, it’s only for sale at the San Diego Comic Con. They say that unsold copies will be for sale on the Royal Flush website, but with a cover like this, there is no way this baby won’t sell out!
Created in 1997, Hispanic Batman is the retarded brainchild of Royal Flush creators and comic artists Erik Rodriguez and Josh Bernstein. This parody of the classic comics character has certainly found his unique voice over the last few years tackling the tough issues like immigration, slavery, politics and even American Idol and Hugh Hefner.
Light-hearted, goofy, offensive and extremely well drawn, Hispanic Batman’s charms are irresistible. Appearing in every Royal Flush, Hispanic Batman all his adventures are gathered here into one 80-page tome.
In honor of this special edition, many top comic artists and illustrators banded together to try their hand at the famed Caped Conquistador. Tim Bradstreet (Punisher, Hellblazer, Batman) came aboard to do the killer cover that adorns this book. His take on the Brown Knight gives salute to both Adam West’s campy portrayal of the character and the great Mexican cinema art of the ‘50s and ‘60s.
In addition, there’s over 25 pages of exclusive and brand-new comics and pin-ups from such Royal Flush artists as Danny Hellman, Steve Chanks, Ryan Dunlavey, Matt Siren, Sean Pryor, Brent Engstrom, Patrick McQuade, Woodrow J. Hinton III, Tanxxx, Frank Powers!, Cojo, Luis Diaz, Jayro Lantigua, Pat Sentman, Jim Mazza, Adam Turman, John Jagusak, Jesse Philips and Kristin Koefoed.
The Hispanic Batman Collected Archives, Vol.1 is completely self-published and will only be limited to this 1,000 copy edition. If any copies are left after the San Diego Comic Con they will be available on a first come, first serve basis on RFMAG.com for $15 plus shipping and handling.
Who Are You, Polly Maggoo?
Original movie posters for WIlliam Klein’s films are scarce and can cost a pretty penny (say $1000). I searched for a reasonably priced 60s vintage Polly Maggoo poster for some time before opting for a Japanese reissue poster with the top image here printed on mirror-like mylar. It looks amazing and only cost $20!
C’est magnifique!
Nice! Multi-talented Noel Fielding of the Mighty Boosh has an upcoming show of Bryan Ferry-themed paintings at London patisserie Maison Bertaux and a new non-narrative (that could mean a lot of things!) program coming up on the E4 network. From the Guardian:
Noel had his first show there in late 2007 and he’s looking forward to the launch of this one. “I was thinking of getting everyone to wear Bryan Ferry masks and then I’ll dress up as the Jelly Fox and challenge them to a mass game of badminton. Or something.”
This makes more sense when you know that the show is to be called Bryan Ferry vs The Jelly Fox. It will feature a shrine to Ferry, including a large portrait of the Roxy Music singer, as well as a picture of a tree, with Ferry masks hanging off, and another with a headless man on a hill, a Bryan Ferry kite flying high above his neck. The Jelly Fox is part of another convoluted fantasy, a little like The Wizard of Oz, in which three characters go in search of the Jelly Fox: “This one doesn’t speak, this one says ‘Am I nothing?’ and this one, Little Chrissie, is the main narrator.” . All may end up as part of a new series Fielding is making for E4.
What will it be like? Well, there are random stories in it, though Fielding says he got a little bored of narrative after the third series of the Boosh on BBC3. But he doesn’t want to make a traditional sketch show, either. Not that his explanation of some of the concept (he’s living in a jungle and becomes the local newsreader) sounds traditional, though he insists he’s partly inspired by the Kenny Everett show.
Noel Fielding’s Life of Bryan (The Guardian)
Childmen in New York (with recent Boosh Q&A at the 92nd St Y) (The Velvet Onion)
Thank you Paul Gallagher!
The global metropolis is seeing a golden age of street art nowadays, as seen in the evolution from spraycan through stencil/wheatpaste and on to other outdoor installations. The Luzinterruptus crew from Madrid has been doing some amazing light-work lately with some compelling underlying themes.
Their latest, Ejército de platillos volantes desechables (above), saw them land an army of disposable flying saucers in Parque del Oeste, the home of the rebuilt ancient Egyptian Temple of Debod.
Before that, the Luz’ers’ Publicidad herida de muerte (Mortally Wounded Advertising) commented on the thick layer of posters that cover the city’s walls by making them bleed fire.
Some months ago, curator Sebastian Buck in Good Magazine surfaced Luz’s Tanta Policía, para tan Poca Gente… (Lots of Cops for So Few People), in which the crew protested the increased police presence in their East Villagesque Malasana neighborhood by decorating 50 random cars with homemade replicas of the city’s official blue siren.
Jason Gelt posts at Brand X:
“The Alchemy of Things Unknown” exhibit intends examines individual works of art in relation to theosophy, sacred traditions and devotional practice. From William Blake’s illuminated works of divine imagination to Carl Gustav Young’s drawings of collective symbolic unconscious, the artists in this exhibition sought after or seek spiritual truths through art making.
Artists include Paul Laffoley, Harry Smith, Marjorie Cameron, Willian Blake, Austin Ossman Spare, Scoli Acosta, Kenneth Anger, Aleister Crowley, Zach Harris, Susan Hiller, Alfred Jenson, Angus MacLise, JFC Fuller, and Marilyn Manson.
Khastoo Gallery, 7556 W. Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles; 323-472-6498
Image: “Kwaw”: an undated self-portrait by English occultist Aleister Crowley done in the 1920s, part of the exhibit at Khastoo Gallery through July 31. Courtesy William Breeze.
Eight days after the West End premiere of the play based on his autobiography, Dandy in the Underworld, top-hatted London-based extreme artist and lifestylist Sebastian Horsley was found dead this morning at age 47 of an apparent heroin overdose.
Born to wealthy alcoholics, Horsley is best known for traveling to the Philippines to be crucified as part of his research for a set of paintings dealing with the topic. But besides his arcane fashion sense, penchant for whoring, and ability to make the scene—running with the likes of Nick Cave, Current 93, Coil and others—Horsley was an accomplished painter and writer, and a guy with a drawling accent who could hold court in a red velvet chair with the best of them.
The Soho Theatre cancelled tonight’s performance of Dandy…, but will continue on tomorrow. Our own Richard Metzger put it best when told the news: “How sad that the world has one less total pervert.”
Get: Dandy in the Underworld: An Unauthorized Autobiography (P.S.) [Book]
