Zhao Bo: Fashion Disconnect - Normal Life

Zhao Bo: Fashion Disconnect - Normal Life at Chinese Contemporary Gallery in Beijing. "...A graduate of the Sichuan Academy of Fine Arts and a part of the 'New Realists,' Zhao Bo demonstrates extraordinary talent in his interpretation of traditional realism within a contemporary stage, namely that of the modern Chinese city. Unlike the political motivations of earlier avant-garde artists, New Realists came to age in an era of relative political stability, when one of the most pressing dilemmas is the forced reconciliation of the past and the neon-lit future. Awash in bold colors and chaotic iconography, the artist’s canvases serve as portals into the fragmentation that consumerism has wrought upon China’s once communal experience. Born in the 1970s, Zhao Bo grew up in a country of immense transition – bridging the divide of West versus East, Mao jackets versus Gucci, hutongs versus skyscrapers."

Unmasked and Anonymous: Shimon & Lindemann Consider Portraiture

Unmasked and Anonymous: Shimon & Lindemann Consider Portraiture at the Milwaukee Art Museum. "...Wisconsin photographers John Shimon & Julie Lindemann make use of antique cameras, modern lens technology, artificial light, and contemporary pop culture to create portraits of the people in their native state. This exhibition juxtaposes 43 of their original photographs and a multimedia installation with 54 portraits from the Museum’s Collection (including daguerreotype portraits, as well as photographs by Alfred Stieglitz, Diane Arbus, Sally Mann, and Larry Clark, among others) to present new perspectives on one of the oldest artistic genres—portraiture." More at J. Shimon & J. Lindemann, Photographers

Hugo Ludeña: Recent Photographs

Hugo Ludeña... Mi Virgencita (2005, Chromogenic print, Edition of 8). From the exhibition Hugo Ludeña: Recent Photographs at Greg Kucera Gallery in Seattle, WA.

Doubleneck and Resonator Guitars

Doubleneck Guitars and Resonator Guitars on EP, LP, and CD Covers.

Cold Dark Night

Charlie Feathers... Cold Dark Night (.mp3 audio 02:18). Recorded in 1968 at Select-O-Hit Studios in Memphis, TN. Found on the album That Rock-A-Billy Cat (1979, Barrelhouse BH-014).

Tod Seelie: Slowdancing To Slayer

Tod Seelie... Bugs Bunny (2008, Digital C Print, edition of 8). From the exhibition Slowdancing To Slayer at Cinders Gallery in Brooklyn, NY. "...It's through this lens that we get to experience Tod's unquenchable wanderlust for adventure that takes him to exciting and sometimes dangerous places deep in the bowels of outsider America. Abandoned buildings, train yards, lonely landscapes, and burned out cars are captured in their decrepit beauty while tall bike jousting, DIY punk shows, Mississippi art-raft journeys and dance parties in Harlem tap into the energy of the youth who are producing their own culture under the radar of the mainstream." More Works by Tod Seelie at his personal site.

Remembering Madison: The Lloyd Jones Family Album

Remembering Madison: The Lloyd Jones Family Album at the WHS. "...From about July 1911 until August 1919 the Richard and Georgia Lloyd Jones family lived in Madison, Wisconsin. During their time in Madison, Richard (1873-1963) and Georgia (1875-1967) took photographs of their three children, their two homes (941 Harvey Terrace and the exterior and interior of 1010 Walker Court, now Rutledge Court, on the north shore of Lake Monona) as well as their neighbors, relatives and one prominent out of town visitor — Booker T. Washington when he lectured in Madison. They recorded family excursions in their automobile to the Henry Vilas Zoo, the University of Wisconsin campus, the State Fish Hatchery, Tenney Park, Brittingham Park on Monona Bay, the Yahara River and its chain of lakes, and possibly the first airplanes to land in Madison. The primary photographer, probably Richard Lloyd Jones, documented the city's railroad lines and stations, public and private buildings, homes, street scenes and winter scenes. When the family moved to Tulsa Oklahoma in 1919, they drove by way of Janesville and Chicago, taking photographs along the way."

Where Do You Run To

Vivian Girls... Where Do You Run To (.mp3 audio 03:14). A wonderful wall of lo-fi from their 2008 debut on Mauled by Tigers - soon to be reissued by In The Red Records.

All Messed Up

Jess Hooper with The Daydreamers... All Messed Up (1955, Meteor 5025 .mp3 audio 02:05). Brilliant hybrid of hillbilly and rockabilly. For years it was incorrectly credited to Charlie Feathers.

Roadside Art: The Birmingham Alabama Gallery

Sticks 'N' Stuff. Part of Roadside Art: The Birmingham Alabama Gallery - new at Interesting Ideas. "...U.S. 11 as it runs between Birmingham and Bessemer, Alabama, is an outdoor vernacular art gallery that gives even my beloved Western Avenue in Chicago a run for its money."

Ruleta Rusa

Cordero... Ruleta Rusa (.mp3 audio 03:42). From the album De donde Eres (2008, Bloodshot Records).

Emperor Tomato Ketchup

Shuji Terayama... Emperor Tomato Ketchup (1971, short version, 16mm, flash video 27:00).

The Velvet Underground and Nico

The Velvet Underground and Nico on Rai Tre Italian Television in 1966 (various formats).

Of the Refrain

Ilse Bing... Self Portrait with Leica, 1931 (silver print, 11 x 14 inches). From the exhibition Of the Refrain at Robert Mann Gallery in New York, NY. "...Of the Refrain, explores the formal repetitions and shared motifs of photographers working with commonplace genres such as portraiture and commercial still life during the first half of the 20th century. Berenice Abbott, Ellen Auerbach, Ilse Bing, Carlotta Corpron, Hazel Larsen Archer, Dora Maar, Barbara Morgan, ringl+pit, and Margaret Watkins are among the artists included in the exhibition." Also... a bit more about the Works of ringl+pit.

Saturday@Phillips

Insect... Elvis (from Dead Rebels) (2006, Screenprint on paper, Stamped and numbered lower edge, Edition of 100). From Saturday@Phillips - an auction of contemporary & urban art, photographs, design, jewelry, watches, art toys & Japanese character toys at Phillips de Pury & Company in London.

James Bond

The Soul Brothers... James Bond (1965, Studio One .mp3 audio 02:59). First solo by 'Dizzy' Johnny Moore.

Everything That Happens Will Happen Today

David Byrne & Brian Eno... Everything That Happens Will Happen Today.

On Stage and Screen: Photograph File of the Billy Rose Theatre Collection

Honorable Wu. From On Stage and Screen: Photograph File of the Billy Rose Theatre Collection at the NYPL Digital Gallery. "...Tens of thousands of photographs of actors and actresses, in character and as themselves, from the 19th century to recent years."

Four Summer

Four Summer - Works by Pamela Hanson, Peter C. Jones, Jeffrey Milstein, and Lindy Smith at Bonni Benrubi Gallery in New York.

RIP: 'Dizzy' Johnny Moore

RIP: 'Dizzy' Johnny Moore. Thanks for the heads up, DMc. In tribute... Rolando Alphonso & Group... Jack Ruby (1964, Studio One .mp3 audio 02:41). Second solo by 'Dizzy' Johnny Moore.

George Catlin's Amazing Career

George Catlin's Amazing Career at the WHS. "...Catlin (1796-1872) grew up on the Ohio frontier. His childhood encounters with local Indians produced a lifelong interest in native cultures, and at the age of 32 he abandoned his law practice in Philadelphia to follow his passion — painting Native Americans." Includes The WHS's copy of the book, Catlin's North American Indian Portfolio - one of only about 20 known.

Amen Brother

The Winstons... Amen Brother (1969, Metromedia .mp3 audio 02:31). Featuring the famous "Amen Break". From WFMU's On The Download.

Inside Outside: Evolving Graffiti

PingMag... Inside Outside: Evolving Graffiti. "...'Your visual has been kidnapped. Pay now!' wrote French street artist, ZEVS boldly to a huge advertiser. He also sent them a paper finger from the hand of a model 'heisted' from one of their billboards. Adams&Itso built a house under the central station in Copenhagen — illegally, of course. Lastly, female street artist SWOON, feeling guilty from commercialising and selling her art, continues to put up her work on the street, hoping to make someone's day. All these are part of 'Inside Outside,' a documentary focusing on evolving graffiti. Today PingMag had a chat with one of the two directors, Danish Andreas Johnsen, who dropped by Tokyo for its DVD release."

Scott Davis: Land of Sunshine

Scott Davis: Land of Sunshine at Hous Projects in New York, NY. "...The craftsmanship in the photography of Scott Davis is as important an element as his composition or concept. He began shooting 35mm and soon was mounting his camera to a tripod. The organic progression for him from there was to a view camera and Davis initially favored an 8x10 format. The physical limits of the large format camera as well as process of non-silver photography jived seamlessly with his pace and Davis relished the fact that he could work slowly in an otherwise fast-paced world. Moreover, the quality of light and clarity with any other process fell more than an eyelash short of his objectives. Yet, when prodded to make larger prints the problem arose of how to do so without incorporating a digital element for enlargement. Davis took the challenge on with vigor and he built himself a 16x20 camera that allows him to work in the method of his choice with the flexibility he previously was denied. Thus, his work has opened up the scale of his matte, inky vistas in a dramatic hand that allows for the glow evoked to impact even more profoundly a sense that the unexpected is always upon us."

One Bad Cat - The Reverend Albert Wagner Story

Trailer (QuickTime Video) for One Bad Cat - The Reverend Albert Wagner Story (2008, Directed by Thomas G. Miller). "...One Bad Cat is about the transformative role art plays in the tumultuous life of Reverend Wagner who has been a lightening rod for controversy his entire life. Racism, ego and lust led him to the brink of ruin. Miraculously, he was inspired by God to paint, 'God and art saved the Reverend Albert.'"

TL Solien: Myths & Monsters

TL Solien: Myths & Monsters at The Madison Museum of Contemporary Art (MMoCA). "...Throughout his prolific career, TL Solien has created works that interweave literal and metaphorical layers in an effort to convey complex thoughts and emotions. An influential figure in the Midwest for decades, Solien is also known nationally for canvases that explore personal experience with a dense visual lexicon of created and appropriated images. TL Solien: Myths & Monsters will feature works from the 1980s, as the artist explored life as a new father, to current works that employ literary figures as repositories for his thoughts and fears." Also... Works by TL Solien at Tory Folliard Gallery in Milwaukee, WI.

Johnny Cash: The Man, His World, His Music

Johnny Cash: The Man, His World, His Music on P.O.V. at PBS. "...In 1968, Robert Elfstrom (who went on to an award-winning career as a cinematographer and director) had the foresight to make a documentary on Cash — and the luck to strike up a warm and candid rapport with the temperamental singer. By then, Cash, who had begun his career in the late 1950s, had won over country music audiences with his uniquely intense "underdog" ballads and was experiencing the first of several crossover successes withthe album Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison. He had also been through early bouts of 'fast living' — alcohol and drugs — and had recently married the great love and stabilizing force in his life, June Carter (of the Carter Family Singers). Elfstrom's Johnny Cash: The Man, His World, His Music, made vérité-style over several months in late 1968 and early 1969, both on and off the road, remains the definitive portrait of a great American troubadour at the peak of his powers."

Japanese Outsiders

Japanese Outsiders (Raw Vision #64 Autumn/Fall 2008, Excerpt). "...Call it the new frontier. Now that the history of European Art Brut and of North-American Outsider/self-taught art has become institutionalised and canonised, and given that collectors, dealers and curators in the West appear more eager than ever for high-quality discoveries in the field, for some, Asia looms large as a territory just waiting to be explored." Also... Loud Laughing Lady (2004, colored pen on paper) by Kazuyuki Tsukamoto of Atelier Incurve in Osaka.

Kirchner and the Berlin Street

Kirchner and the Berlin Street at MoMA. "...This exhibition brings together German Expressionist Ernst Ludwig Kirchner's renowned Street Scenes series, created between 1913 and 1915. Considered by many to be the highpoint of Kirchner's career as a whole, this series of seven paintings is showcased with sixty related prints and drawings. This series dates from Kirchner's Berlin period, when the effect of life in the metropolis brought about a dramatic change in his work."

Strangers: Hsu, Sheng-Yuan

Strangers: Hsu, Sheng-Yuan at Zone Zero.