capricho no. 43

Goya, The Sleep of Reason Produces Monsters, 1797, etching. 

'Imagination abandoned by reason produces impossible monsters: united with her, she is the mother of the arts and the source of her wonders'. - Francisco Goya

I Live/I Love

Hi All, I will be exhibiting two photographs in this one week show (during a time where most of you will be away for the holidays).

This is suppose to be an event but for some reason they made an artist page:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/I-LiveI-Love-by-Richard-and-Mica-Hadar-Foundation/160745747346319

During the opening night, I will be doing a performance piece: "How to Make Light of a Situation."

You are all welcome to come to the opening. Please note that it is likely I will not be free to socialize until closer to the end of the event. Please feel free to come around 7:30 - 8pm to catch the end of my performance and then maybe we can all go out to drinks afterwards!

Details:
I LIVE/I LOVE -- Opening Reception Tuesday, December 27, from 6 - 9 pm
Second Space, 568 Broadway (4th Floor)
Between Prince Street and Houston Street

Email invite to follow

New artists every month

I'm super excited that this blog has found a second (third?) life in it.

I remember at my last birthday when I asked, oh yeah so Aileen and Vic got back together? and everyone else was like, Where have you been? I advocated a friendly "email newsletter what have you" of sorts while everyone else was like, use facebok. Dude! But its more than that. Facebook has its place. And I think this blog does too. To share whatever the fuck you like.

Anyways, you might have notice that the art changed around here. I'm hoping to change the RD imagery every once a while, changing the person every month or so.
This month, we're featuring polaroids by my friend Rita. (She doesn't contribute to this blog and she doesn't know I'm using her work.) Here is her blog: http://polarita.tumblr.com/

Happy posting y'all!

Be a Music Director

Splice and re-edit old music videos to make new music videos.

Check out a fan made video for Mogwai's The Sun Smells Too Loud.

Artist of the Week

JULIAN SCHNABEL

Although Julian Schnabel's isn't exalted for his modesty,

"I'm the closest thing to Picasso that
you'll see in this *#@ life" (from Wikipedia),

his ingenious plate paintings, which integrate broken ceramic plates to create images with varying textures, are extraordinary. The novelty of Schnabel's work is reminiscent of Seurat's pointillism pieces, in which small dots of paint create an image, that strangely enough remind me of the discrete quantization of matter. Yes, I've been a chemistry student for far too long.

Not only does this man create eloquent fine art, but has also directed The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, a French foreign film that I behoove you to watch at some point in your life. Here is a clip to catch your interest:

Neue Gallery

A few weeks ago, my friend and I went to the Neue Gallery, a neglected German/Austrian museum that is located just a few steps away from the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It was my first time seeing a work by Klimt in person:

Gustav Klimt, Adele Bloch-Bauer I, 1907,

oil, silver and gold on canvas.

It's about 3 feet tall and breathtaking. The brushstrokes are so thick that you can imagine the artist standing in front of the the canvas.

I discovered another artist by the name of Egon Schiele. It's surprising how much work he produced within his short life span (334 oil paintings, 2,503 drawings). Take a look at one of his pieces that I found particularly good:

Egon Schiele, Self-Portrait with Arm Twisted Above Head
1910, watercolor and charcoal on paper.

A majority of his work is extremely lewd, and some of his portraits even make you wonder if he had incestuous relations with his younger sister, but it's his use of colors that evoke this sense of morbidity, which for some reason reminds me that I'm flawed.

Jenny Holzer: PROTECT PROTECT

I'm not a big fan of modern art, but this exhibit blew my mind. Both her innovative medium (LED screens) and writing are incredibly engaging. And her Iraq war inspired LEDs and portraits leave you questioning whether the material you've just been exposed to is factual. I highly recommend you visit her special exhibit at the Whitney Museum, which ends May 31st.

Jenny Holzer, Green Purple Cross, 2008, and Blue Cross, 2008.

Madison Park...

... is often home to public art projects, like Tadashi Kawamata's "Tree Huts" (a project which must have been a massive failure as I could not find photos of it in any popular press). So while crossing through the Park today and coming across the scene pictured above, I naturally assumed it was simply another installation.

Before I had much time to ponder the artistic intention behind the stage surrounded by lights or the diamond-shaped wreath suspended from the air or the couple kissing beneath it, I was approached by a solicitor. She explained that it was a charity/raffle event, "When Forever Began." $5 was going to be donated to Elton John's AIDS something or the other for every person who was photographed. Although it wasn't mentioned, I assumed the event was hosted by De Beers, the diamond cartel of questionable moral standing. I figured it was only right to bleed the beast as much as possible, so I hopped online. When my turn came, I stood beneath the wreath and, according to the photographer, a series of cameras placed around the stage simultaneously photographed me--you know, Matrix style. They gave me a reference number and told me I'd be able to check out my pic online sometime tomorrow.

If you're interested in participating, I overheard that the event is running through Thursday. The wait was a bit long, but there was free hot chocolate to compensate. And after all, it's for a good cause. Plus, you know that deep down you're a vain person who likes his or her picture taken.

P.S. Participation also enters you in a raffle to win a diamond, ladies.

your response, please

All of F†L are encouraged to answer:

1_ Yes or No?
2_ Your favorite color?
3_ Please post/link your favorite picture of yourself thus far
4_ Please post/link your favorite picture of someone else
5_ What is your favorite pick-me-up song?
6_ What song is most played on your itunes/mp3 player?
7_ Are these two songs the same? If not, why is this song good in your opinion?

(pictures must be 3/4 of the face at least)