Love Bump

Lone Ranger... Love Bump (1979, Studio One SOL 0037 .mp3 audio 03:16). Produced by Clement "Coxsone" Dodd. Riddim: Rougher Yet.

Yang Fudong: Seven Intellectuals in a Bamboo Forest

Yang Fudong: Seven Intellectuals in a Bamboo Forest. "...In 2003, Yang Fudong produced the first part of his now seminal, five-part film, Seven Intellectuals in a Bamboo Forest. One part of the film was created each year (in sequential order), and the entire work was finished in 2007. The work has no clear narrative, although each part takes place in a different setting. Some parts take place in a rural environment, while others are set in cities. The film poses questions about the dissonance between men and women, individuals and society, the past and present, and reality and an ideal world."

Elaine Mayes: Haight-Ashbury Portraits

Elaine Mayes... Katrinka Haraden (Trinka), Age 19, Haight Street (1968, Vintage gelatin silver, printed 1968). From the exhibition Elaine Mayes: Haight-Ashbury Portraits at Steven Kasher Gallery.

Cunnilingus In North Korea

Young-Hae Chang... Cunnilingus In North Korea. From Young-Hae Chang Heavy Industries.

About Face

About Face at Adam Baumgold Gallery in New York. "...The exhibition will explore different approaches in portraits in a diverse range of styles, through paintings and drawings by 37 Contemporary and 20th Century artists. The artists included in the exhibition are: John Ahearn, Donald Baechler, Marc Bell, Bette Blank, John Borowicz, Joe Brainard, Charles Burns, George Condo, Chuck Close, Felipe Jesus Consalvos, Jules Feiffer, Dan Fischer, Arnold Friedman, Renee French, Jessica Gandolf, Madge Gill, Jacob El Hanani, Peter Heinemann, Amy Hill, Alex Katz, Khalif Kelly, Hiroshi Kimura, Tala Madani, Ruth Marten, Sarah McEneaney, Jim Nutt, Erik Parker, Pablo Picasso, Huston Ripley, Cindy Sherman, Saul Steinberg, Robin Tewes, Jim Torok, Anton van Dalen, Karl Wirsum, Alexi Worth, and Ray Yoshida."

I Never Loved A Man (The Way I Love You)

Aretha Franklin... I Never Loved A Man (The Way I Love You) (1967, Atlantic 2386 .mp3 audio 02:44).

Field Guide to Wild American PULP ARTISTS

Field Guide to Wild American PULP ARTISTS.

Sam Cherry: Photographs of Charles Bukowski, The Black Cat, and Skid Row

Sam Cherry: Photographs of Charles Bukowski, The Black Cat, and Skid Row at Track 16 Gallery in Santa Monica, CA. "...Sam Cherry’s Photographs of Charles Bukowski, The Black Cat, and Skid Row take the viewer on an historical journey through intimate moments with Charles Bukowski, the 1940s Bohemian scene at The Black Cat Café (San Francisco’s hub for the creative), and Los Angeles’ Skid Row in the 1980s."

The Planned Community of Greendale, Wisconsin

The Planned Community of Greendale, Wisconsin at the WHS. "...In 1936 the U.S. Department of Agriculture began construction on three new communities, known as Greenbelt Towns, as a part of President Roosevelt's New Deal. One of them, Greendale, was built in Wisconsin, about three miles southwest of Milwaukee. Built to demonstrate a new kind of suburban living, these towns were built so that housing was situated within easy walking distance of gardens, employment, and the town center."

The Driller Killer

The Driller Killer (1979, directed by Abel Ferrara, Flash Video 01:31:59). "...An artist slowly goes insane while struggling to pay his bills, work on his paintings, and care for his two female roommates, which leads him taking to the streets of New York after dark and randomly killing derelicts with a power drill."

The Star Of My Heart

Ros Sereysothea... The Star Of My Heart (Bayon of Cambodia P.T. 111 .mp3 audio 03:20). From Radiodiffusion Internasionaal Annexe.

Dance Of The Vampires

Scientist... Dance Of The Vampires (.mp3 audio 03:25). From the album Scientist Rids The World Of The Evil Curse Of The Vampires (1981, Greensleeves Records GREL 25).

From Brücke To Bauhaus: The Meanings of Modernity in Germany, 1905-1933

Werner David Feist... Municipal Pools (1928, Offset lithograph on paper. Poster for the municipal pools, Augsburg. The Merrill C. Berman Collection). From the exhibition From Brücke To Bauhaus: The Meanings of Modernity in Germany, 1905-1933, March 31 - June 26, 2009 at Galerie St. Etienne in New York, NY.

Laura Craig McNellis

Laura Craig McNellis at Ricco|Maresca Gallery. "...Laura Craig McNellis was born on September 8, 1957, in Nashville, Tennessee, and was the youngest of four sisters. Her father is a retired postal worker and her mother a homemaker. McNellis's mental retardation became apparent early in her life. Although there was some social pressure to institutionalize her, her family was determined that she grow up at home. She attended day classes for mentally challenged children from ages four to six, but was removed when the repetitiveness of the classes eventually frustrated her. Her family decided that learning at home presented a wider range of opportunities, both social and artistic. From a time when she was very young it was evident to those around her that McNellis greatly enjoyed painting.
McNellis has been painting regularly, using tempera on blank newsprint as her medium, since childhood. For years her father brought home stacks of blank newsprint to keep up with the volume of her production. She still works only on this newsprint and has rejected any offers of canvas or better quality paper." More... Works by Laura Craig McNellis at The Enola Group.

Melanie Pullen: Violent Times

Melanie Pullen... The Gas Mask (2008, c-print, back mounted, framed, edition of 3). From the exhibition Melanie Pullen: Violent Times at Stephen Wirtz Gallery. "...an installation of Melanie Pullen’s photographic series Violent Times. Comprised of large-scale lightboxes and photographic prints, the exhibition explores the depiction of war beginning with the fantasy and glamour of historic painting, progressing toward the reality conveyed in modern photography. Pullen says, 'In Violent Times, I dramatized the aesthetics of early portraiture and battle imagery, creating an extensive series that questions our perceptions and our ingrained desire to glamorize violence.'
The historic use of imagery, style, and presentation has been modernized in Violent Times, with the use of saturated films, special lighting techniques, digital processes and modern printing methods. The effect is a highly stylized and cinematic representation of war that questions the accuracy and reliability of the mass media both current and historic."

Blood Feast | Two Thousand Maniacs

Trailer for Blood Feast (1963, directed by Herschell Gordon Lewis, Flash Video 02:23) as well as the... Trailer for Two Thousand Maniacs (1964, directed by Herschell Gordon Lewis, Flash Video 02:15). BF and TTM will be shown on April 10 on TCM Underground.

The Dark End Of The Street

James Carr... The Dark End Of The Street (1967, Goldwax 317 .mp3 audio 02:34). A southern soul classic recorded at Royal Recording Studios in Memphis, written and arranged by Dan Penn and Chips Moman. Covered by countless others including a sweet Live version of The Dark End Of The Street by The Flying Burrito Brothers (.mp3 audio 04:05). From the album Gram Parsons Archives Vol. 1: The Flying Burrito Brothers "Live" at the Avalon 1969 (2007, Amoeba Music).

Super Ape

The Upsetters... Super Ape (.mp3 audio 03:50). From the album Super Ape (1976, Island ILPS9417). "...DUB IT UP blacker than DREAD."

Sanne Sannes: Erotica

Sanne Sannes... Untitled (1962-65, vintage silver print, Signed on verso). From the exhibition Sanne Sannes: Erotica at Laurence Miller Gallery. "...twenty rare vintage prints by the late Dutch artist Sanne Sannes. This will be the first one-person exhibition of his work in the United States. Sanne Sannes was born in 1937 in The Netherlands. His brief career, ending abruptly when he died in a motorcycle accident at age 30, focused on his taste for the erotic and a fascination with women. His voyeuristic style reflects the morals and atmosphere of the sixties, which provided an inspiration for his models as well as himself." Also... Vintage 60s Erotica - photographs by Sanne Sannes at Lens Culture and... additional works by Sanne Sannes at Kahmann Gallery in Amsterdam.

Paul Caponigro: Aluminum Series and Vintage Classics

Paul Caponigro... Temple, Hiei-San, Kyoto, Japan (1976). From the exhibition Paul Caponigro: Aluminum Series and Vintage Classics at Andrew Smith Gallery. "...Long recognized for his classical landscapes and still life photographs the special one man show will also include a new series of silver gelatin print Aluminum Studies. With a career spanning nearly sixty years, Paul Caponigro is internationally regarded as one of the greatest photographers of our time, Andrew Smith Gallery will exhibit Mr. Caponigro's classic and recent photographs, as well as never before printed photographs dating back to the 1950s."

Everything But The Kitschen Sync

Everything But The Kitschen Sync at La Luz de Jesus Gallery in Los Angeles, CA. "...This gigantic, no-theme exhibition will feature work from what we feel are some of the most relevant artists working today. We have invited commercial illustrators, tattooists, scenic painters, students, and animators to submit work of a more personal nature. The show includes artists we have previously exhibited, who consistently produce some of the most interesting paintings and sculptures in town, as well as a large selection of work from a brand new batch of undiscovered, underground talent. This is a wonderful forum for us and for our audience to check out the latest art trends and get the first glimpse of tomorrow's stars."

Big In Japan

Big In Japan... Suicide a Go Go (.mp3 audio 02:27) and Cindy and the Barbi Dolls (.mp3 audio 03:31). From the EP From Y to Z and Never Again (1978, Zoo Records CAGE 001).

E. O. Hoppé: Early London Photographs

E. O. Hoppé: Early London Photographs at Bruce Silverstein Gallery. "...Having relocated to London in 1900 at the age of 22, the Munich born photographer Emil Otto Hoppé became one of the founding photographers of the London Salon, and gained international acclaim for his portrait studies. Inspired by his adopted home, over the course of 35 years, Hoppé amassed one of the most unique photographic documents of London, capturing the British capital at a critical point in its history—transitioning from a 19th century city into a modern metropolis. Similar to Eugene Atget’s images of Paris and Berenice Abbott’s images of New York, Hoppé’s photographs artfully chronicle London’s landmarks, architecture, and inhabitants. In addition, Hoppe’s photographs, those of architecture in particular, reveal a truly ingenious break from academic and historical traditions, reflecting a modernist aesthetic and interpretation which was working its way through urban life in the form of graphics, motorcars and other technological advancements to the city’s infrastructure."

Tales of Glass and Ceramics, Pt. 1

Japan Exposures... Tales of Glass and Ceramics, Pt. 1. "...When the E. Leitz Company introduced the first 35mm camera in 1925, it was an instant world-wide sensation. The Leitz Camera — Leica –, paved the way for a completely new way of creating photographs. At that time the Carl Zeiss Foundation of Jena, Germany, was already a well-established company with almost 50 years of optical history behind it. It had begun producing camera lenses in 1890, but was not able to respond to the success of the Leica by offering a comparable product. To do so, Zeiss acquired four small camera manufacturers and merged them into the Zeiss Ikon AG, based in Dresden and Stuttgart. Even so, it took several more years to develop and produce a match for the meanwhile dominant Leica camera. This was the Contax, Zeiss Ikon’s top of the line rangefinder camera, presented in 1932."

Interview with Malick Sidibé

Lens Culture... Interview with Malick Sidibé. "...African Photographer Malick Sidibé, was born in in 1935 or 1936, in Bamako, Mali, in what was then the French part of Sudan. He chronicled the exuberant life of the young people there in the 1950s, 60s and 70s, by making fun portraits of them in his studio, and also by documenting special events and parties. In the mid-1990s, he achieved some international fame, and in 2003, he received the Hasselblad Award."

Karate

Dave & Ansel Collins... Karate (aka "I The Third", 1971, Techniques (UK) 915, produced by Winston Riley .mp3 audio 02:52). From Probe is Turning-on the People!

Yoshitomo Nara

Yoshitomo Nara at Marianne Boesky Gallery in New York. "...For this exhibition, Yoshitomo Nara couples new paintings and drawings with large-scale sculptures created with his collaborative group, YNG. Nara has worked together with YNG (formally known as Yoshitomo Nara + graf) over the past six years on solo exhibitions in Osaka, Seoul, Jakarta, The Hague, Berlin, Málaga, and Gateshead, amongst others.
Constructed from reclaimed wood, the forms of the two immense sculptures recall stylized tannenbaums, with their roof shingling evoking exaggerated tree needles. Small cut-out windows and hanging lights punctuate the sculptures, providing them with the feel of a house or some surreal abode. The structures are hollow and present interiors replete with drawings and paintings all created in the artist's hand, and with a multitude of stuffed animals from fans selected by the artist.

A Hungarian Ramble Through New York

A Hungarian Ramble Through New York. "...This is a 'Hungarian ramble' through Manhattan in a city known for its love of walking. Many of its natives never learn to drive, unheard of in country in love with the automobile. Car culture can trace its origin to a Hungarian who never moved to the U.S.: a mechanical engineer named Donát Bánki (1859-1922) who invented the carburetor with his collaborator, János Csonka. Their high compression engine was widely used and Bánki went on to patent other inventions such as the front-wheel drive car." Part of Extremely Hungary.

Peter Bialobrzeski: Case Study Homes

Peter Bialobrzeski: Case Study Homes at L.A. Galerie Lothar Albrecht in Frankfurt. "...Peter Bialobrzeski shot the Case Study Homes series at the Baseco compound (Bataan Shipyard Corporation Compound), a squatter camp located at the mouth of the River Pasig near the Port of Manila, in February 2008. This neighborhood, 300 ha of unsafe, unstable subsoil of a former dump site, is home to an estimated 70,000 people. Around 45 per cent of the more than 11 million inhabitants of Greater Manila currently live in such squatter camps and slums. The pictures of this photographic investigation follow a strict composition. The self-made shacks of old slats and posts, covers, roofing cardboard, corrugated metal and all kinds of cloth fill out each picture in its entirety, like in a portrait. In many cases the photographer chose a slanted front view, displaying both the front and one side wall of the house. Pure front perspectives are rare, as are two or more buildings in one picture. The soft natural light of the clouded sky makes for even lighting, without stark light and shadow contrasts." More Works by Peter Bialobrzeski at his personal site.

Sputniks and Mutniks

Ray Anderson and the Homefolks... Sputniks and Mutniks (1958, Starday 342 .mp3 audio 02:06).

The strangest looking objects I ever saw from space
With a dog inside that got to ride into the USA
To see our hound dog or American groundhog
That Russian canine can't stand the pain

Sputnik Mania

Trailer (Flash Video) for Sputnik Mania - A Film by David Hoffman. "...Fifty years ago, at the height of the Cold War, the USSR launched Sputnik, the first satellite to orbit the earth, bringing America to its knees in awe - then fear. Initially thrilling as a marvel of science, Sputnik was soon viewed by America a weapon of mass destruction. Narrated by Liev Schreiber with expert use of archival footage, SPUTNIK MANIA explores the fast-moving series of events that brought the world's super-powers to the brink of nuclear war, and includes the story of two ex-generals whose private agreement prevented WW III."

Chargesheimer 'Chargesheimer'

Chargesheimer... Zur Frühschicht (Im Ruhrgebiet) (ca. 1955, vintage silver print). From the exhibition Chargesheimer 'Chargesheimer' at Galerie Priska Pasquer in Cologne. "...Chargesheimer (Karl Heinz Hargesheimer, 1924-1971) belongs among the most outstanding artists of his generation - as photographer, sculptor, stage designer and director. The press called Chargesheimer a 'restlessly proliferative creative spirit' and an artist 'who loves to provoke.' Chargesheimer began his career in 1947 as an independent photographer for various theaters in Germany. Towards the end of the 1940s he was in contact with the photographic group 'fotoform.' In 1950 he participated in the 'photo-kino' exhibition in Cologne and also in the legendary exhibitions of 'Subjective Photography' in 1952 and 1954.

Works by Eric Holubow

Works by Eric Holubow. "...Having grown up in Chicago I have always been fascinated by architecture. Of particular interest are when these man-made structures transition into ruins; when entropy ensues and order falls into disarray. Buildings both support the energy of life as well as develop one of their own. They too have a finite existence on this planet, eventually succumbing to the natural forces affecting us all."

Book vs. Film - Let The Right One In

A.V. Club... Book vs. Film - Let The Right One In. "...Let The Right One In takes its name from a Morrissey song quoted on the title page for the book’s final section: 'Let the right one in / let the old dreams die / let the wrong ones go / They cannot do what you want them to do.' (For its first-edition English translation, St. Martin’s Press went with the title Let Me In, but that was subsequently changed back to the original title for the movie tie-in edition of the book.) That quote sums up the story of the protagonist, Oskar (first-time actor Kåre Hedebrant), a bullied, isolated kid who makes friends with Eli (Lina Leandersson), who appears to be a girl about his age who’s recently moved into his apartment complex. Then he gradually learns that she isn’t what she appears to be, on several levels — she isn’t a she, she isn’t his age, and she isn’t human. She’s a vampire, and not the glamorous, seductive variety that’s become popular again in recent decades."
Also... Johan Söderqvist... Eli's Theme (.mp3 audio 02:40). From Let The Right One In - The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (2008, MovieScore Media MMS08022).

Soul Meeting

The Soul Clan... Soul Meeting (1968, Atlantic 2530 .mp3 audio 03:34). The Soul Clan were Solomon Burke, Arthur Conley, Don Covay, Ben E. King, and Joe Tex.

Caldonia

Louis Jordan... Caldonia (1945 Decca 8670 .mp3 audio 02:39). Also... Frank 'Sugar Chile' Robinson - Caldonia (Flash Video 02:24) from the movie No Leave No Love (1946).

Jeux de princes, jeux de vilains

Jeux de princes, jeux de vilains - Exposition du 17 mars - 21 juin 2009, Bibliothèque nationale de France. "...Jeux de princes et jeux du peuple, jeux des palais et des tripots, c'est autour de l'activité ludique que la Bibliothèque de l'Arsenal déploie une part méconnue de ses collections. Aux côtés des manuels de règles et de stratégies, des traités mathématiques, philosophiques et moraux, l'exposition réunit un matériel varié (dés, damiers, cartes, tables de jeux...) ainsi qu'une riche iconographie."

The Women of the Photo League

Rae Russel... Three bridges from the city service building (1948, vintage gelatin silver print, signed in pencil on verso). From the exhibition The Women of the Photo League at Higher Pictures. "...The show includes work by 26 photographers, from the well known Berenice Abbott, Ruth Orkin, and Helen Levitt, to the infamous Angela Calomiris, and many whose work has rarely been seen in fifty years.
From 1936 through 1951, the Photo League offered classes, exhibitions, lectures, and
friendship to New Yorkers united by an interest in photography and, as Erika Stone recalled, an idealistic desire to “make the world a better place.” Teachers such as Paul Strand, Aaron Siskind and Sid Grossman insisted that strong documents also had to be excellent pictures, a philosophy nurtured by lecturers Beaumont Newhall, Ansel Adams, and W. Eugene Smith. At the Photo League, professionals and amateurs alike joined to use the darkroom and enjoyed lively discussions at every gathering. Their monthly journal, Photo Notes, was filled with gossip and jokes along with serious criticism and reviews. The League sponsored exhibitions when no museum (including MoMA) had galleries devoted to photography.

Beautiful/Decay A to Z

Beautiful/Decay A to Z at Paul Kopeikin Gallery. "...To commemorate reaching the culmination of the alphabet, Beautiful/Decay has selected 26 exemplary artists to create a unique visual work for the show, using the publication’s name, Beautiful/Decay, as the basis of their conceptual framework. Each of the artists was selected from the magazine’s 10-year history in art and design publishing. The exhibit acknowledges each of the artists’ influential contributions to the arts, and highlights Beautiful/Decay’s prominent role in serving as a platform for creative expression. The myriad results showcase an exploration into what the publication represents to the creative community."

The Things That I Used To Do

Guitar Slim... The Things That I Used To Do (1953, Specialty 482 .mp3 audio 03:01).

Deep Ellum Blues

Deep Ellum Blues - a film by Alan Govenar (1985, 10 minutes, Color). "...Deep Ellum is a place - a part of Dallas, Texas. Deep Ellum, along with its legendary music scene built by the likes of Blind Lemon Jefferson, Blind Willie Johnson, Lead Belly, and Bill Neely, all but disappeared with the construction of Central Expressway in the 1950s."

Photographs

Loretta Lux... The Irish Girls (2005, Dye destruction print. Signed, titled, dated and numbered 16/20 in pencil on the verso). From Photographs at Phillips de Pury & Co.

Cameron Gray: You Get What You Deserve

Cameron Gray... Organic Pork (2009, Oil on wood tiles glued to panel). From the exhibition Cameron Gray: You Get What You Deserve at Carl Hammer Gallery in Chicago, IL. "...In this, Cameron Gray’s most recent body of work, he addresses politics, religion, ideology, nature, commerce, media and the human propensity for violence with a set of "paintings" that are painstaking assemblages of credit card size mini-tableaux, cleverly put together to form portraits.. He does this by employing a most unique method of digital, network manufacturing. His work begins as digital studies, which are divided into hundreds of small pieces and then sent out to a group of artists composed of personal associates, professional colleagues and Internet correspondents. By breaking the painting down into a grid of pixels and outsourcing the work, Gray builds a virtual factory by way of the Internet. Each painting is comprised of several smaller paintings. The smaller images used are thematic and play a vital role in the depiction of the larger image." More Works by Cameron Gray at his personal site.

The Boogie Disease

Doctor Ross... The Boogie Disease (1954, Sun 212 .mp3 audio 02:24).

Talk Dirty To Me

Peregrine Honig... N is Nora / who liked it on top (Ovubet Series, 1999
drypoint on paper doily, Edition of 20). From the exhibition Talk Dirty To Me at Larissa Goldston Gallery. Works by Mel Bochner, Thomas Brouillette, A.K. Burns, Mary Coble, Clayton Cubitt, John Currin, Tracey Emin, Rachel Feinstein, Rochelle Feinstein, Mark Fox, Orly Genger, Jane Hammond, Peregrine Honig, Sean Landers, Kevin Landers, Cary Leibowitz, Matvey Levenstein, Kalup Linzy, Paul McCarthy, Suzanne McClelland, Alex McQuilkin, Bruce Nauman, Jockum Nordstrom, Todd Norsten, Richard Phillips, James Siena, Ned Snider, Zak Smith, Jessica Watson, Alexi Worth, and Lisa Yuskavage. More Peregrine Honig at her personal site.

Marvin E. Newman and Yasuhiro Ishimoto

Yashuhiro Ishimoto... Untitled (boy with mask atop head) (1951-52, Gelatin silver print, Later print, Signed in pencil by artist on print recto). From the exhibition Marvin E. Newman and Yasuhiro Ishimoto at Stephen Daiter Gallery in Chicago, IL. "...Marvin Newman and Yasuhiro Ishimoto are two of photography's most respected and successful artists, with multiple awards, publications and exhibitions to their credit. Their work is to be found in major collections, both public and private – and while both are in their eighth decade – they are still actively involved in their careers."

Works by Q. Sakamaki

Works by Q. Sakamaki. "...Q. Sakamaki graduated from Columbia University with a master’s degree in International Affairs, Concentration in Conflict Resolution and Human Rights. Born and raised in Japan, he now makes his home in New York City and has been photographing war zones throughout the world such as Afghanistan, Iraq, Palestine, Liberia, Bosnia and Kosovo - documenting not only the political landscape but people’s emotional relationship to conflict."

Works by Osamu Shiihara

Osamu Shiihara... Untitled (1930s, vintage silver print). From Works by Osamu Shiihara at MEM Inc. in Osaka, Japan. "...Born in Osaka City in 1905. In 1928 Shiihara Osamu entered the Tokyo School of Fine Arts （now Tokyo National University Of Fine Arts and Music） where he studied with the painter Fujishima Takeji in the Western painting department. After graduating in 1932， he returned to Kansai （western Japan） and set up a painting studio in Hyogo Prefecture. He began photography around this time and became a member of the Tampei Photography Club. As a main member of the Tampei Photography Club he produced a large number of experimental photographs, employing such special techniques as photogram, solarization and a combination of drawing and photography that he dubbed Photo peinture （photo painting）.

Out Of Sight

James Brown and His Orchestra... Out Of Sight (1964, Smash S 1919 .mp3 audio 02:24). The birth of Funk.

Works by Daikichi Amano

Works by Daikichi Amano. Yikes!

Kobelkoff

Kobelkoff (French, 1900, Flash Video 01:23, Lobster Films) at Europa Film Treasures. "...This rare documentary puts us in a troubling situation of voyeurism by having us attend the exhibition of trunk man Nikolaï Kobelkoff, born in Siberia, without limbs. Kobelkoff uses his unique stump with incredible dexterity: he drinks, eats, shoots with a rifle, paints, winds his watch and lifts a dumbbell! In 1932, this extraordinary character was film director Tod Browning's inspiration for the famous film Freaks." More about Nikolaï Kobelkoff at Human Marvels.

Sonata for Hitler

Aleksandr Sokurov... Sonata for Hitler (1979-1989, Flash Video 11 min). "...Set to the music of Bach and Penderecki, Sonata for Hitler weaves together a bank of images from German and Soviet archive footage, drawing out a psychological dimension from the historical landscape at the end of World War II.Alexander Sokurov’s Sonata for Hitler was banned by the Soviet authorities in his home country of Russia and was not released until a decade after it was completed. Much of his early work, in fact, was considered ‘anti-communist’ and remained unseen for years."

Atomic Power

Fred Kirby and the Atomic Train Band... Atomic Power (.mp3 audio 03:09). The original - penned days after the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Not as popular as The Buchanan Brothers' cut of the same tune.

Sputnik Baby

Roosevelt 'The Honeydipper' Sykes... Sputnik Baby (1957, House Of Sound 1006 .mp3 audio 02:24).

I'd Rather Go Blind

Etta James... I'd Rather Go Blind (.mp3 audio 02:35). From the album Tell Mama (1968, Cadet LPS-802).

Takashi Murakami: New Paintings

Takashi Murakami: New Paintings at Gagosian Gallery, London. "...The centerpiece of Murakami's compact exhibition is a vast and intricate five-panel painting, which possesses the intensity of such master works as Tan Tan Bo Puking – a.k.a. Gero Tan (2002). If the jaunty toons Kaikai and Kiki have come to be seen as avatars of the opposing aspects of Murakami's own character, then this immense and ambitious work, jostling with Kaikais and Kikis of every size, shape, and humor, can be interpreted to be his ultimate self-portrait, predicated on an identity that is very much of our time — culturally specific yet ambivalent, mercurial, and multiplicitous."

Works On Paper

Works On Paper - works by Nicoletta West, Carly Steward, Fay Ray, Mike Paré, and Mattia Biagi at Anna Kustera Gallery in New York, NY. "...Each of these artists opens our eyes to new, exciting ways of seeing and experiencing. In their multi-dimensional works, they employ everything from homespun materials like yarn to textile designs to the most unusual such as pools of black tar and relics of what remains after an exhibition has been taken down. Determined to go beyond the obvious, they present art that demands our full attention and study, igniting our sensibilities with their unlikely visions."

Jamaica Farewell

Sir Lancelot... Jamaica Farewell (.mp3 audio 03:25). From the album Calypso Of The West Indies And Ballads Of The Caribbean (Lyrichord LYRCD 7406).

Photochrom Travel Views

Photochrom Travel Views. "...Published primarily from the 1890s to 1910s, these prints were created by the Photoglob Company in Zürich, Switzerland, and the Detroit Publishing Company in Michigan. The richly colored images look like photographs but are actually ink-based photolithographs, usually 6.5 x 9 inches. Like postcards, the photochroms feature subjects that appeal to travelers, including landscapes, architecture, street scenes, and daily life and culture. The prints were sold as souvenirs and often collected in albums or framed for display.

Soul Finger

The Bar-Kays... Soul Finger (1967, Volt 148 .mp3 audio 02:22).

Works by Robert D'Alessandro

Robert D'Alessandro... Sixth Ave, New York City (1969, Vintage gelatin silver print). From Works by Robert D'Alessandro at Gitterman Gallery. "...In the early 1970’s the American flag was everywhere. Given the social climate at the time with the Civil Rights Movement, the assassinations of Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X and the Kennedys, the Vietnam War and Watergate, people were actively questioning the ideals their country stood for. The photographs in his 1973 book Glory (Elephant Publishing Corporation, NYC), depict the ways in which people were using the American flag to make their personal feelings about America known."

David Goldblatt: In Boksburg

David Goldblatt: In Boksburg at Michael Stevenson Gallery in Cape Town, SA. "...In Boksburg, taken in 1979-1980 on the East Rand of the Witwatersrand. Goldblatt's book was published in 1982 but this will be the first time that the full series has been shown in the 30 years since the photographs were taken. The spread of Boksburg's new suburbs across the veld and the daily life of the town encapsulated - to Goldblatt's eye - the intricacies of the lunacy of ordinary white middle-class life in the years of apartheid. As he wrote in the foreword: 'Boksburg is shaped by white dreams and white proprieties. Most of its townspeople pursue the family, social and civic concerns of respectable burghers anywhere, while locked into a deep and portentous fixity of self-elected legislated whiteness."

Anthony Suau - The Housing Meltdown

Anthony Suau - The Housing Meltdown (Digital Journalist, March 2009). "...An employee hired by mortgage companies to protect foreclosed homes around the country told me that Cleveland was on the fast track to becoming a Detroit. After my first three-day trip to the city I felt certain he was right. It is a city spiraling into an economic nightmare. I'd seen so many boarded up homes that I could not imagine how it would pull out from the tailspin without national funding. It was too big for the city to save and too big for the state. So I returned for a second three-day trip to take a closer look.

Look Me in the Eyes: Russian Photographic Portraits

Lens Culture... Look Me in the Eyes: Russian Photographic Portraits. "...The photography exhibition 'Regarde-moi dans les yeux' (or 'Look me in the eyes'), at the Russian Tea Room Gallery is an attempt to study the question of identity of Russian photography. Through the portraits of their comrades, the photographs exhibited here approach the issue of Russian photography like a magnifying glass, trying to answer two crucial mirroring questions: 'What is a Russian portrait?' and 'What does Russian photography truly look like?'"

Send Me The Pillow That You Dream On

Hank Locklin... Send Me The Pillow That You Dream On (1966, RCA Victor 447-0571 .mp3 audio 02:30). RIP: Hank Locklin.

Some Kind Of Wonderful

The Soul Brothers Six... Some Kind Of Wonderful (1967, Atlantic 2406 .mp3 audio 02:41).

As Long As I Have You

The Detroit Cobras... As Long As I Have You (.mp3 audio 02:57). Cover of the Garnet Mimms song we posted last week. From the album Tied And True (2007, Bloodshot Records BS 139).

Zagreb Streets, Croatia

Lost Art presents... Zagreb Streets, Croatia. Brilliant photographs by Louise Chin and Ig Aronovich.

The Mysterians

Trailer (Flash Video 01:43) for The Mysterians (Chikyu Boeigun, 1957, Toho Pictures). "...A giant robot is found wreaking havoc in Japan. Coinciding with the chaos, a seemingly benevolent race of aliens from the planet Mysteroid arrive to offer their assistance and friendship. The Mysterians ask for a small section of land and the right to breed with Earth women to repopulate their planet. The humans are offended by the request and declare war, discovering that it was the Mysterians that sent the killer robot in the first place." From Nippon Cinema - Japanese movies for the masses.

Got to Get You Off My Mind

Solomon Burke... Got to Get You Off My Mind (1965, Atlantic Records .mp3 audio 02:35).

Chargesheimer. Ein Bohémien aus Köln

Chargesheimer... Autozubringer im Rechtsrheinischen (Köln 1956). From the exhibition Chargesheimer. Ein Bohémien aus Köln at the Museum Ludwig, Cologne. "...Chargesheimer was a maverick whose ideas broke the mould, a bohemian during the period of reconstruction after the war when there was little love for his kind. But his friends lauded his self-assurance, his courage to stand up for his beliefs, his irony and his sarcasm when he criticised post-war society."

Detroit Photographic Company's Views of North America, ca. 1897-1924

Children of Chinatown, Los Angeles, Cal (1909, photographic print). From Detroit Photographic Company's Views of North America, ca. 1897-1924. "...The Detroit Photographic Company began as a photographic publishing firm in the late 1890s. The founders, Detroit businessman and publisher William A. Livingston, Jr., and photographer and publisher Edwin H. Husher, obtained the exclusive rights to use the Swiss color photolithography or 'photochrom' process. This process permitted the mass production of color postcards, prints, and albums for sale to the American market."

La Course a la Carotte

Fabien Delvigne... La musique est partout (2003, Linogravure, nombre de tirages 12). From the exhibition La Course a la Carotte - Gravures et Dessins de Fabien Delvigne at La Galerie d'Art de belgique. (be) Also... Fabien Delvigne... Exposition de peintures et gravures à La Petite Renarde Rusée and Works by Fabien Delvigne at her personal site.

The Story of Menstruation

The Story of Menstruation (1946). "...Classic telling of female puberty and the do's and don'ts of menstruation - sponsored by Kotex." From A/V Geeks - Our Films Online.

Sick And Tired

Johnny Jenkins... Sick And Tired (.mp3 audio 04:41). From the album Ton-Ton Macoute! (1970, Atco Capricorn Records).

Kiichi Asano: Snow Country

Kiichi Asano: Snow Country at Scott Nichols Gallery in San Francisco, CA. "...Japanese photographer, Kiichi Asano's stark black and white images capture the severity and beauty of Japan's northern snow country. Asano spent three years traveling and photographing Noto, Echigo and the Tohoku regions. Asano’s style, steeped in the aesthetic traditions of Kyoto, is distinctly Japanese. Many of Asano’s images resemble Japanese woodblock prints in their graphic clarity and concern for design. Well known in his native Japan from the numerous books of his photographs published during his lifetime, Asano has been, until now, virtually unknown in the West."

Americans in the Land of Lenin: Documentary Photographs of Early Soviet Russia, 1919-1930

Americans in the Land of Lenin: Documentary Photographs of Early Soviet Russia, 1919-1930. "...This collection of photographs of daily life in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics is drawn from the personal papers of Robert L. Eichelberger and Frank Whitson Fetter, two ordinary Americans who found themselves in an extraordinary place and time.
Eichelberger (1886-1961), a career military officer, was stationed in Eastern Siberia during the Russian Civil War (1918-1921) alongside other members of the American Expeditionary Force, which was sent to protect the world from Russian Communism and Japanese militarism.
Fetter (1889-1992), a professional economist, toured southern Russia in the summer of 1930, during the height of the force-draft industrialization and collectivization campaigns that accompanied the promulgation of the First Five Year Plan (1928-1932)."

Johan Rosenmunthe: Imagine Remembering

Johan Rosenmunthe: Imagine Remembering at Zone Zero. "...The pictures in this project are about personal and common impressions of growing up; the developing identity and sexuality as a child and teenager; and the process of learning how to live ones life. Primarily we remember the positive things in our lives, but the embarrassing, lonely and intense memories are still an important part of us. That is what we carry with us, and in 'Imagine Remembering' it often appears as the feeling of being trapped in the situation or time we were in."

You Don't Miss Your Water

William Bell... You Don't Miss Your Water (1961, Stax 116 .mp3 audio 03:00). Covered later by Otis Redding, The Byrds, Peter Tosh...

Anthony Van Dyck as an Etcher

Anthony Van Dyck as an Etcher at the Fitzwilliam Museum. "...The Flemish painter Anthony Van Dyck (1599-1641) did not leave behind a large body of work in the printed medium. He produced only nineteen etchings, seventeen of which are portraits, and it is on these that this virtual exhibition concentrates exclusively. When we consider that Rembrandt's oeuvre comprises three hundred different subjects, Van Dyck's output can not be considered even a moderate one. However, the portrait prints of his fellow artists and members of the close knit artistic community of Antwerp confirm Van Dyck's mastery as an etcher."

Simon L. Stein's Portraits of Leading Citizens

Simon L. Stein's Portraits of Leading Citizens at the WHS. "...Born in Austria in 1854, Simon Leonard Stein immigrated to the United States in 1866 after the untimely death of his parents. He settled in Chicago, where he studied under photographer A.J. Lawson before relocating to Milwaukee. There, he took a new position retouching photographs for Hugo von Broich, eventually purchasing the studio of Broich and Cramer in 1879 and opening the S.L. Stein Studio at North Third Street and State.
During his career, Stein's work won 29 medals in exhibitions ranging from the Exposition Universelle in Paris and the World's Columbian International Exposition to the Louisiana Purchase Exposition and the Pan-Pacific International Exposition. He also served twice as president of the Photographer's Association of America."

Buzludzha - The Abandoned Communist Concrete Flying Saucer from Bulgaria

Buzludzha - The Abandoned Communist Concrete Flying Saucer from Bulgaria. "...In 1891 the socialists led by Dimitar Blagoev assembled secretly in the area to form an organised socialist movement. In honour of this act was built the Buzludzha Monument, one of the symbols of the socialism in Bulgaria. The building is now abandoned but still stands alone in the most beautiful landscape." From Artificial Owl - The most fascinating abandoned man-made creations. Via Coudal Partners.

Leave My Kitten Alone

Little Willie John... Leave My Kitten Alone (1959, King 5219 .mp3 audio 02:34).

Little Heroes: Photographs of Children from the Permanent Collection

Little Heroes: Photographs of Children from the Permanent Collection - The Southwestern & Mexican Photography Collection at Texas State University-San Marcos. "...When I asked Graciela Iturbide why there are so many photographs of children in her body of work she said, 'They’re always around.' A deceptively simple way of saying that they’re omnipresent in the artist’s imaginary landscape."

Works by Le Corbusier

Le Corbusier... Unite #1 (1965, colored etching). From Works by Le Corbusier at Gallery Toki no Wasuremono in Tokyo.

Susana Raab: Consumed, fast food in the US

Susana Raab: Consumed, Fast Food in the US. "...The physical remains of our mass-consumption litter the streets while the cheap foodstuffs pollute our bodies. All the while, the signs of fast food encroach upon us: advertisements and myths promote a brighter scenario allowing us to happily refuel at the drive-through window oblivious to the cycle that we perpetuate. Americans are slaves to an industry whose influence over our society we do not fully comprehend." From Works by Susana Raab.

Naives, Seers, Lone Wolves & World Savers XVIII

Naives, Seers, Lone Wolves & World Savers XVIII - The Annual Outsider Exhibition at Dean Jensen Gallery featuring works by Edward Cooper, Eileen Doman, Paul Duhem, Sister Gertrude Morgan, Nikifor, Gerard Sendrey, Charles Steffen, Carter Todd, Mose Tolliver, and Purvis Young.

As Long As I Have You

Garnet Mimms... As Long As I Have You (1964, United Artists .mp3 audio 02:43).

Almost News: Press Photographs from the Collection of Jocko Weyland

Water Tower (Bismark, North Dakota, March, 1967, black and white photograph). From the exhibition Almost News: Press Photographs from the Collection of Jocko Weyland at KS Art. "...Chosen from the collection of artist and writer Jocko Weyland, the photographs in 'Almost News' reflect the expression of one person's sensibility in depictions of the weird, foolhardy, visionary and quietly heroic that make up the core of this archive. With their journeyman origins the images have an off-kilter appeal because they are decidedly not 'great' photos in the classic sense, featuring mostly forgotten people, actions and things. Optimistic and hopeful, full of failed inventions and crackpot ideas, they are straightforward reports that upon further examination prove to be awash in ambiguous subtlety."

Works by Christina Kruse

Christina Kruse... The Unexpected Did Occur, July 9, 2003 (Archival pigment printed 2008). From Works by Christina Kruse at Steven Kasher Gallery in New York. "...Although Kruse is perhaps better known as one of European haute couture’s top fashion models, her work as an artist and photographer has been recognized for over a decade, shown by well-regarded galleries in Paris and Germany, and featured in Vogue, Interview, Harper’s Bazaar, Glamour, I- D.magazine, and Mixte."

Ellis Island

Meredith Monk... Ellis Island (1981) at UBUWEB Film & Video. "...Black-and-white, near-static shots of actors and actresses realistically portraying turn-of-the-century immigrants are combined with color shots of a modern-day tour guide conducting a tour of the buildings. Re-creations of the medical examinations the immigrants underwent and the conditions they lived through are filmed in the run-down buildings of Ellis Island before restoration was started."