Street artist Above has hit the road again, embarking on what’s sure to be another epic tour of painting, stenciling, and general havoc across Europe. Well known for his social and political stencils, witty word play pieces, and the infamous spinning arrow mobiles (hung in cities across the globe), he’s been kind enough to give us a heads up to what he’s been working on.

First stop was Copenhagen, Denmark, where Above worked on the site-specific installation titled “The Naked Truth” - a mixture of stencil and proverbial wordplay, along with the physical elements of the shower head and curtain. Taking into account how the piece would interact with the surroundings, Above made a point of tucking it away so the “naked truth is only found by those who look”.

Peep the vid to have a closer look:

THE NAKED TRUTH from ABOVE on Vimeo.

Next up, a set of three works – “Ears, Tears and Fears” – in Madrid, Spain. Where better to have a piece featuring a flamenco guitarist and dancer?

The three characters all interact and depend on each other for the piece work. A sombre guitarist plays in the hopes his music will make the woman dance, as Above says, “helping ease his tears”. In turn, the flamenco dancer is dependant on the sounds of the guitar to tease her ears and make her dance. “The relationship and co-dependency of both characters in need of the others interaction to find happiness is sensual and vulnerable.” The final piece with the juggler on the unicycle is a bit trickier, so I’ll leave Above to explain: “I have been searching for over 9 months for such a situation! I finally found what I was looking for. This character and piece completes the Ears, Tears, & Fears word-play.” Interpret that as you wish!

EARS, TEARS, & FEARS. from ABOVE on Vimeo.

I definitely recommend checking out Above’s site – the amount of countries he’s left his mark on is insane, not to mention jealousy-inducing!

Be still my heart! When I heard Natasha Khan (who performs as Bat for Lashes) would be gracing San Francisco with a concert this month, you best believe I bought tickets immediately (after jumping up and down followed by squeals of glee).  The British ingenue (Really, though; she writes, composes, and is a visual artist as well) has had my attention since the release of her debut album Fur and Gold. Dreamy yet gorgeously articulate, powerful, and often ballad-esque, the songs on Fur and Gold spoke to women everywhere with both tales grounded in the complicated, at times bittersweet realities of relationships (such as “What’s a Girl to Do”)  and in the wanderings and musings of the mind, speaking to the potential and battles within in all of us by going down fantastical roads (”Horse and I”, “Prescilla”). Thom Yorke said it best in describing his listening experience of  ”Horse and I”: “Natasha Khan of Bat for Lashes ain’t scared. I love the harpsichord and the sexual ghost voices and bowed saws. This song seems to come from the world of Grimm’s fairytales, and I feel like a wolf.” My thoughts exactly. (Source: ateaseweb.com).

Now touring internationally after the release of her second album Two Suns this spring,  Bat for Lashes absolutely blew the crowd away this past Saturday, June 13th when she played the Great American Music Hall. Opening act Hecuba got our bodies moving with a bass-laden, Peaches meets LCD Soundsystem set. Then Bat for Lashes took the stage, and proceeded to seriously kill it. Two Suns still possesses that dream-laced quality, and Khan’s profusions of love, but is more beat-driven punctuated with elements of soul and her hallmark electronic sound. Khan and the Bat for Lashes crew navigated the set effortlessly; she sung her heart out while playing numerous instruments. Way to rock our world, girl!

Here’s a short clip from her performance of the hit single off of Fur and Gold, “What’s a Girl to Do”

If you don’t have her albums on repeat already…you soon will.

Designer and artist Isabel Toledo is being honored with a mid-career retrospective exhibition of some of her best-known fashion pieces at the Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology. Opening June 17 and running through September 26, the exhibition will also feature some of  her husband Ruben Toledo’s sketches; a renowned illustrator and visual artist whom Toledo collaborates with often on her designs. “I think of it as fashion from the inside out,” she explains. “I can describe an idea or even a feeling to Ruben, and he’ll sketch it.”

Additionally, she elaborates on her creative process below:

“I really love the technique of sewing more than anything else…the seamstress is the one who knows fashion from the inside! That’s the art form really, not fashion design, but the technique of how it’s done.” Isabel has said that she doesn’t “want to be radical,” and she insists that “weird is not smart.” But her clothes are undeniably different. None of them have traditional construction. Her patterns, silhouettes, use of materials, and methods of draping are all highly experimental.

(Source of both quotes: Excerpt from interview with Dr. Valerie Steele, courtesy of FIT exhibition website).

Remember our current First Lady’s gorgeous gold-tinged yellow sheath, worn on President Obama’s inauguration? Among her many fashion triumphs, Toledo designed Michelle Obama’s inauguration dress and matching jacket. Right on! We can’t wait to see what future fashion innovations Toledo comes up with.

Barbie and foosball? Not exactly the combination you might expect, but French designer Chloe Ruchon, as part of the DMY Berlin Design Festival, is taking the 5′6” 20 inch-waisted bombshell to another level with her clever play on objectification and institutionalized femininity. Visually, it’s at first gaudy and humorous.  Admittedly, the fact that the doll’s arms are essentially replaced by the foosball rod is creepy and makes Barbie appear even more helpless than usual, though it seems Ruchon incorporated this intentionally. From a design standpoint, this is certainly entertaining, and can be appreciated for it’s creativity in that regard. Sprechen sie deutsch? Then check out the DMY Berlin site for more info on the festival.

Source: designboom

It’s no secret that I am a big fan of romance novels. Thanks to Sam Kim and her eagle eye, I found out that there is a lovely little exhibit that I’m dying to share with you.  Harlequin is celebrating their 60-year anniversary this year, and as part of the celebration has put together an exhibit displayed in downtown New York’s Openhouse Gallery that travels through the history of Harlequin cover art.

Through the years, the artwork on Harlequin books has gone from intricate individually painted stills influenced by Hollywood glamour on the once popular doctor and detective novels, to highly eroticized photographs on paranormal, historical, and contemporary stories. It is undeniable that the changes in the covers and content of the books mirror the many changes that have happened in society and in women’s lives over the past 60 years, whereas they often depicted women in submissive roles and professions, or in the throes of a tantalizing attack, nowadays they are often shown in in positions of equality and control.

One of the highlights of this exhibit is an interactive screen that allows you to place yourself into the cover of one of a dozen Harlequin book covers, that you can later retrieve and download from the Harlequin Celebrates website, where you can also download free e-books from a majority of the Harlequin lines. I obviously had to indulge myself, and you can see my results in the gallery below. In all, I think the artwork on Harlequin books stand on their own as interesting enough to warrant a visit to check out this free exhibit which will remain open until June 12th, but if you’re not in the New York area, you can check out some more pictures of it on the Openhouse Gallery blog.

Openhouse Gallery is located at 201 Mulberry St., NYC

The ladies at Younity, a female arts collective founded in NYC by artists Alice Mizrachi and Toofly, are once again facilitating change and cultivating awareness through art. This time, they’re giving you the chance to voice your environmental passion through FRESHER!, a showcase of 40 urban female artists featuring artwork that incorporates and comments on current environmental issues (such as recycling, consumerism, sustainability, organics, health, pollution, renewable energy, etc.) and promoting/living the green life! Word. And guess what? 10-15 of these artists could be YOU.

“Along with the exhibit, YOUNITY will publish it’s second collector’s book series that will help keep the message alive. Throughout the exhibit, YOUNITY will host youth workshops, mural projects and panel discussions to help educate the community about the importance of living GREEN.”

Click here for FRESHER! call for entries form and more info. The deadline is July 1, so get your creative juices flowing and make a difference! I especially love the youth outreach aspect of this; art is such a great way to encourage positive self-expression, not to mention being an effective way to affect change. Can’t wait to see the work!

Artists, here’s your last chance to enter the Artists Wanted competition, and have your work seen by the world at large. Because of the huge amount of interest this competition has gathered, the deadline has been extended until Wednesday, June 3rd. Artists and designers from over 45 different countries have participated in the competition so far. If you haven’t already joined in the dialogue, now is your final chance.

Mark Mothersbaugh, acclaimed artist and lead singer of art-rock band DEVO leads a panel of judges including Jarrett Gregory (curator at NYC’s New Museum) and Donwan Harrell (founder and creative director of Akademiks clothing) in selecting the top artist or designer to be featured at a gala reception at the Sky Room on the top floor of the New Museum in New York City. The public also plays judge - determining the most powerful medium of the moment - in an online face-off that pits art submissions against design submissions.

Along with creating opportunities for all the artists who participate, they are awarding over $11,000 in prizes.

Two Grand Prize winners will be awarded with:

• A gala reception at The Sky Room at the New Museum in New York City.
• $2009 cash grant
• International Publicity including a feature in Filter Magazine and work shown through Gawker Artists exposing the winners art or design to hundreds of thousands of visitors across 190+ website galleries
• $500 in gear from Akademiks
• Plus the Red Bull Prize! Choose from the following: A vintage Vespa, a trip to London to visit the Tate Museum and the Design Museum or a fully loaded Mac Book Pro.

Every participant gets:

• An online portfolio and international exposure.
• A “Thank You” package with gear and discounts to help further your work.

With a background in dance, photography, fashion styling, and art directing, it’s no surprise that the creative mega-brain that is Narcissister is unveiling one of the more interesting performance pieces to hit the Big Apple in a while. We previously brough you the scoop on this fabulous lady in our Women Making History spotlight, showcasing her performance art as a unique combination of her modern dance training and cutting-edge visual art practices.  This time around, Narcissister will be teaming up with SF based performance artist Fauxnique to present an evening of gender-bending, costume oriented performances aimed at highlighting the appeal of  “extreme dress up”. Entitled All Made Up, Narcissister and Fauxnique will be bringing you samplings of their own work (Narcissister will even unveil new pieces, both video clips and collages). Definitely fun, and without a doubt interesting, if you’re in New York make it part of your plans to check out their evening of celebrating the wiles and hilarity of gender. Catch them at the New Museum on May 29th!
If you miss your chance to spot Narcissister this Friday, never fear because she will be unveiling the second installement of her popular Ladylike show. Set to jump off at the ever-popular Santos Party House on June 30th, the new performance piece called XTC, is defini

tely going to be off the chain as well!

The Joshua Liner Gallery posted some great images on their Flickr from Tokyo-born/Brooklyn-based artist AIKO’s solo show, Love Monster. The show opened on April 18th and runs through May 16th in Chelsea, NYC, so there’s still time to catch this artist’s amazing work in person.

AIKO’s art—which can range from “cute” to sexually charged—has evolved nicely since her departure from the street artist collective, FAILE, in 2006.

View more of AIKO’s work on the Joshua Liner Gallery Flickr page.

In the video below, AIKO speaks about her solo exhibition at the Joshua Liner Gallery. This is also a great and inspiring look at an artist and her work process.

Diesel recently celebrated the launch for it’s new fragrance Only The Brave in New York City and Miami, with an art expo by design firm The KDU. Extremely talented artists from around the world created works that interpreted their meaning of bravery in a myriad of forms from intricate illustrations, to photographs, and the solid form.

This new fragrance was named after Diesel founder Renzo Rosso’s identically named Italian holding company and his charitable foundation, and the bottle is modeled after his fist. As far as the fragrance goes, it is said to bravely play with opposites, starting with a note of leather, but lightened with lemon and broken with dry woody cedar notes and amber. The ad campaign features hip hop favorite Common, and launched with a creative multimedia microsite, Is Brave, that evokes the aspects of bravery in your mind, heart and nerves.

But more about the art! There were works featured by Chuck Anderson, Matt W. Moore, Lynnette Astaire, Si Scott, Nigel Dennis, Sandra Chi, Ronald Wimberly, Rochambeau, Jared Ryder, Justin Maller, Holly Bynoe, Janbakon Robson, and Edgar Gonzalez to name a few, and I tried  my best to capture the artist and country of origin of every artist, but the party was so crowded I couldn’t always get to it.

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