Puttin’ On the Fitz

Fuuun!! I know I love me some bohemian funk, but after a few posts of non-stop hippie love, I got kinda burnt out and began craving something fresh. Close on the heels of my Afrobombs! post, here are a few more outerspace pics with futuristic graphics, dazzling colors and –my favorite– bright lights and lazertits!

The last 6 pictures put my Afrobombs! collages to shame. They were created by Ms. Fitz, an amazing artist with facial features that really remind me of Dita Von Teese but embodies a style that I can only describe as ecstatic-electronica. I’m experiencing a split in my sartorial preferences. Although it’s inherently bohemian by nature, I’ve been favoring futuristic threads when my mood swings skyward rather than down to earth. And Ms. Fitz is feeding that mood! Is there such a thing as a futuristic hippie…?

Sources: Traffic Sign;  The Asteroids; Five Speed Fever; Lazertits; Pyramid Laser; Rainbow Pyramid; Perpetual; Mineral; Turquoise Graphic; Shark; Space Collections

Cut and Paste

It started with glue and a pair of scissors. No doubt that technology allows us more ways to channel our creativity through programs like Photoshop, but the origins of my collage work is rooted in good ol’ cutting and pasting. A few reminders of the joy of using mixed media and working with my hands; not the mouse.

I’m in the process of clearing out old magazines, a task that involves tearing out images that I want to keep and rework into collages. I have to hand it to Dali, the original Photoshop master; he knew the art of collage way before its time.

Sources: Margarida Girao; Raul Cardenas; Aubrey Road

Empress

As I’m writing, I’m hacking up a lung and battling congestion of the nose, eyes and head. Lovely! I’m able to muster up just enough energy to make me a pot of high mountain tea and flip through my tarot cards. I got them years ago while I was still in grad school from a new age-y bookstore directly in front of my therapist’s office. I had just started attending monthly Wiccan circles in the kitchen of a local bakery in Concord which was headed up by a Hawaiian priestess –so hip and rebellious for a grad school student who was raised in a Catholic family (I told you about the cousin who wanted to pray for me, right?). Because I was so new to The Craft, I asked the owner of the bookstore for help on how to choose the right set of tarot cards and she said, “Honestly? Choose the one with pictures you’d like to look at.”

Source

Read on for the accompanying reading.

Mood Mix

Listen to this…

…while peeping this:

Quickly and quietly the divide is widening /Between those in society surviving an economy nosediving/ And those that find their lives /In abject poverty./ A collage of impropriety./ Morally, culturally, spiritually, economically,/ Yes, undeniably the dichotomy is widening./ Nightly worldwide folks colliding violently./ Fighting over pride and historical rivalries./ Information spread virally/ Like a cyber link…/ Internet piracy/ Violating my privacy/ Always spying on me/ Playing virtual hide n seek/ My life on their microfiche/ The amount of foreclosed properties/ Rivaling those with occupancies./ Addicts spiraling out of control…/ To put it mildly/ They’re struggling with sobriety./ Government policies tolerating dishonesty./ And allowing its companies to hold/ Dynasties and monopolies./ What does it all mean?/ C’mon, people, talk to me!/ It’s like a time release capsule/ In the belly of a wild beast/ …Slowly digesting./ Meanwhile my son flutters in the comfort/ Of his mother’s stomach./ He knows nothing of the…world that’s coming./ Even on a planet…millions are suffering…/He will overcome it with love/ And overwhelming abundance./ So little brother keep shining./ Little sis keep smiling, keep striving,/ Keep climbing, keep trying,/ Keep rising./ Likewise I’ll keep writin’, keep rhyming,/ Keep stylin’, keep grinding,/ Keep minding my creativity/ Keep redefining our imagery/ Because now on every level/ More than ever/ We need variety.

Lyrics Born, The Divide is Widening, Variety Show Season Pho

Sometimes I just get in a mood.

Duh, Winning!

What do Charlie Sheen, John Galliano, Christina Aguilera, Momar and Lindsey Lohan have in common? Theeeey’re winning, duh!

I’m fascinated with the effects of unharnessed stardom. While it does provide some sort of sick entertainment value, it’s fucking sad, really. The SNL team was on-target with their impersonations, cuz as you know, to get through the bullshit, sometimes you just gotta find the comedy in the tragedy.

Green Tea and Popcorn

Some of my favorite things (in no particular order):

1. Representasian
2. Color
3. Surrealism
4. Visual poetry

Source: Blanqworld

Asia Born

Sacrilegio

In a family of Christians and Catholics, I’ve always strayed farther from the cross, dabbling in Wicca and Buddhism. Being Filipino, you can only imagine the distress this causes some members of my family. During my Wicca days, I remember talking to my cousin about it while he was finishing up Christian college. In a fit of anxiety, he stopped me mid-sentence and said, “Can I pray for you??”

Without getting into my spiritual beliefs too much, I thought I’ve always had a healthy skepticism toward really orthodox religions, which is why I was intrigued by Francesco Vezzoli’s newest exhibition at the Gagosian Gallery, Sacrilegio. In these works of art, Vezzoli takes portraits of Madonna-and-Child painted by various greats such as Leonardo, Giovanni Bellini and Rafaello and created needlepoint images, replacing the Madonna’s face with that of different supermodels like Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford and Tatijana Patitz. (Refinery 29 lamented that Abbey Lee Kershaw wasn’t included to which I say, Pffft! She is no supermodel, sor-ryyyy! Yes, the era of The Supermodel is ovah.) What message is the Italian artist trying to send to the masses?

“The Church commissioned some of the most erotically charged images in the history of art,” Vezzoli explains. “Using supermodels is my way of saying that the original paintings are really sensual.” In conflating supermodels with historical religious icons, Vezzoli points to the societal worship of figures from the fashion and celebrity industries.

Provocative? Yes. Religious? According to Vezzoli, yes, though not in the way the Pope would approve of. As for Vezzoli himself, he declares, “I believe in the religion of other people’s creativity…Catholicism wasn’t for me. I’m not holy enough— I’m a dirty boy.” Word.

 

When She Laughs, Sweets Fall Out Of Her Mouth

Yeeeee! I’m totally excited for this! I’ve been trying to figure out what to do for my birthday in September and this is definitely going to be one of them. Amy of Shrinkle has been going to so many events lately, I had to see if she was going to be at this one…and she is! I may finally get to meet the eponymous Shrinkle whom I’ve been stalking admiring from afar for the past some odd years.

Anyway, I’m appropriately boggled by the spiked interest in anything Harajuku or “Kawaii.” Yes, I was a fan of Sanrio and Rainbow Brite (not Harajuku or Kawaii, but similar in their complete saturation with color)…when I was five! Why is it that 25 years later I’m suddenly becoming interested in the color pink?? I used to detest the color pink or anything girly with a passion. In fact, I would taunt my best friend for claiming pink was her favorite color. And now…!

Geez Louise. I’m so confused.

A part of me is thinking that the past few years have been so hellish that a little bit of color therapy would probably do me some good. There was a reason why I enjoyed Sanrio and Rainbow Brite, Care Bears and Cabbage Patch Kids when I was little. Cuz it’s fun and happy and I was already living in a fantasy world so what the hell! Throw some pink on your face and call yourself Strawberry Shortcake! (Remember Strawberry Shortcake? I was such a fan. And I remember calling Lemon Merengue “Lemon Merren-Gay” cuz that’s how I thought it was pronounced.)

The conflict lies herein: Harajuku style is not my style nor ever will be. I always loved admiring color from afar, but the colors are too loud and I’m not a loud person. I don’t think anyone will take me seriously if I were to wear hot pink (or anything loud for that matter) on a daily basis. Besides, I’ve never been to Harajuku, much less Japan, so shit doesn’t make sense if I were to claim the style anyway. Props to those in the Harajuku District who can pull it off.

BUT…still doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy myself! Sugarpill, Amy’s cosmetic line, will be making an appearance at Sweet Streets and I’m so tempted to try it that electric blue makeup she always sports. Or maybe I’m thinking about her hair…Anyway, the event is here in my ‘hood. Can’t wait to get down with the pink.

Lingering Layers of Linder

I can now add Interview to my growing list of magazine subscriptions. It’s insane, but when they advertise $10 for 10 issues, it’s just too good a deal to pass up. Besides, it might actually be a useful magazine to have in helping me develop my own publication. I had picked up the March 2010 issue from the staff lounge at work and was immediately captivated by the magazine’s concept: having famous people interview one another. It’s much more interesting to read a conversation between two famous people. For the purposes of this post, it was an interview of artist, Linder Sterling, by Morrissey.

I’m not going to spend too much time talking about the particulars of Linder except to mention that she came onto the punk/post-punk scene in the 70’s, namely by making a cover sleeve for Orgasm Addict by Buzzcocks. Her artwork extends beyond visual art into music and performance art, but I personally find her collage work most intriguing and close my heart, seeing as I’m a collage freak. I love how she exemplifies the use of women’s bodies as commodities by cutting out figures of women from porn mags and giving them everyday objects for body parts, like an iron for a head. In other works, she strategically places roses and other blossoms infront of women’s bodies. And her collages of Playboy models interspersed with desserts reminds me vaguely of a raunchier, more socially charged version of American Pie.

What’s cool is that the collages themselves aren’t as complicated as the messages they’re delivering. Back in the 70’s, I’m pretty sure they packed a punch when it came to threatening gender inequality. But what’s powerful about them is that Linder’s choice of imagery and the way she combines them into a cohesive picture is still really relevant some 20 odd years later.

Portraying the dichotomy between slut and wholesome rose. A flower by any other name would not smell as sweet.

Although, I am digging her plasticized corset and transparent raincoat.

Here are a couple image shots from her work in Vogue Italia for Prada Spring/Summer line. I love the use of orchids outlining the model’s spine. Style Bubble does a more in-depth post on this amazing artist.

Just desserts. Tell me women aren’t still viewed this way in popular media.

This is one of my favorite pieces of hers that I’ve found, The Recovery of Self. Partly because the pops of red, yellow and blue caught my eye but I won’t deny the pull of it’s Freudian/psychoanalytical undertones. There’s definitely a strong psychological component involved when a person instinctively selects certain images and relies on unconscious processes to create a collage. And that’s the amazing thing about collages; even when the artists can’t find words to describe how they feel, the collage will convey their emotions for them.

Hmmm. I don’t know how many more collage artists I have to “discover” before I get back into making collages. Maybe I should make a collage about it to figure it out…

Sources: Dazed Digital, Modern Art, Scorch Dallas