Black Ink Gallery
Saturday, November 27, 2010
New York Magazine: George Condo Explains His Five Covers for Kanye West’s Twisted Fantasy
George Condo may not be a household name, but his work has been pushed to the forefront of pop-culture with the release on Kanye’s latest album. Most are familiar with the controversial cover of My Dark Twisted Fantasy, which has been banned by Target, and depicts a representation of Kanye positioned against a nude Phoenix. Condo describes this cover as “challenging” Kanye with imagery. Condo goes on to explain his meetings with Kanye as well as the thought process behind the 5 alternate cover. Excerpts from the piece can be read below.
Head with sword
“I really like that idea of a Shakespearian thing,” West told Condo about this painting of a severed head wearing a crown. The piece’s two contrasting styles — “cubism and classicism forged together in a single painting” — dovetail, Condo says, with West’s music, with its “layers of different styles happening simultaneously.” What did Kanye see in the picture that made him like it? “His tragedy was a kind of exile that Kanye imposed upon himself,” Condo says. “He was free from exile by having the cathartic moment in the image. He’s alive in the painting, you know what I mean? In a strange way it’s like, he opened his eyes.”
Ballerina
Condo remembers that West came to his studio between eight and ten times over the course of the summer. The ballerina — a concept that later worked its way into West’s “Runaway” film and performance at the VMAs — came from one of those visits. “We were hanging around one night, and we were listening to that tune ‘Runaway,’” Condo recalls, when his wife, Anna, showed West a a shot of French dancer Sylvie Guillem moving in slow motion. “And somehow Kanye grabbed onto that idea of the ballerina,” Condo explains. “He just said, ‘Hey man, I’d like to have a great ballerina painting.’ I thought of a ballerina toasting. You know, ‘let’s toast to the scumbags.’”
Naked sphinx straddling Kanye
“That’s a good painting,” Condo says matter-of-factly. “She’s a kind of fragment, between a sphinx, a phoenix, a haunting ghost, a harpy. And then Kanye is also in some sort of strange 1970s burned-out back room of a Chicago blues club having a beer — so far away from the real Kanye West that it’s just a scream.” In painting Kanye in such an outrageous situation, Condo says, “I was challenging him with the imagery as well. He said, ‘I’m shocked, but I like it, and I gotta go with my gut feeling.’” This cover’s already been banned by Wal-Mart and Apple’s iTunes Music Store, much to Condo’s disgust. “The superimposition of people’s perceptions on a cartoon is shocking,” Condo scoffs. “What’s happening in their minds should be banned. Not the painting.”
source: nymag.com
Trussardi 1911 2010 Fall/Winter New Releases
Trussardi 1911’s combined use of modern and traditional elements in their garments has aligned the brand with a modern temperament and placed it amongst the upper echelon of the fashion world. The Nordic inspired vest and Pea Coat are a testament to the brand’s penchant for the chic and masculine shopper. The use of blended materials for the vest – wool and cashmere – accentuate the luxurious nature of the piece, while the wool and polyester blend Pea Coat features a vintage silhouette in a light weight coat perfect for the winter season. Both pieces are available now through restir.com
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
The Brooklyn Circus Varsity Vest
The Brooklyn Circus give us a peek into the brand’s latest release, a varsity vest for the chilly winter months. Produced much like past BKc varsity pieces, the vest takes on a classy, clean cut look, created in the USA with the finest of materials; finished off with the brand’s signature crest, wool body, and quilted satin lining. Limited quantities are now available through BKc stores on both coasts, including New York and San Francisco.
Tigressa
Mark McNairy x Bass Weejuns
Bass has a legacy spanning close to 140 years as the American footwear maker finds themselves at the center of a collaboration with Mark McNairy. The collection features two styles sharing the same brown leather disposition. On the one hand is a traditional boat shoe alongside two other similar styles, both a loafer and tasseled loafer. Available now at Singapore’s Surrender.
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
55DSL x Project After Dark 2010 Fall/Winter Artist Capsule Collection
55DSL has always championed the experimental and unusual; the weirder the better. From UFOs, colorful monsters to strange creatures from other planets, the odd and bizarre can be found scattered all over the brand’s graphics from past collections. For Fall/Winter they announce a special artist edition capsule collection with Hong Kong-based creative studio, PROJECT AFTER DARK; the brainchild of Prodip Leung, who is an accomplished graphic artist, musician and UFO researcher. The capsule is a unique design collaboration consisting of 11 styles offered in limited edition, such as a varsity jacket, chambray button down shirt, assorted graphic tees, and hooded sweats with special 55DSL details. Available now exclusively at the 55DSL store in Langham Place, with products periodically being released from November to December 2010.
Kid Cudi @ RSVP Gallery
Kid Cudi RSVP Gallery In-Store from RSVP Gallery on Vimeo.
Chicago’s RSVP Gallery & @superfunparty teamed up for a special day with Kid Cudi in the windy city. Starting with an in-store appearance at RSVP Gallery, the day continued with an album release party @superfunparty, where Chuck Inglish (The Cool Kids) & Million $ Mano were featured on the 1s and 2s. Also in attendance were Kid Cudi’s label mates Big Sean, GLC, & Chip Tha Ripper. Enjoy!
Panerai Luminor Composite PAM 386 Watch
Here’s a first look at the new Panerai PAM 386 which will be officially unveiled in Geneva at SIHH 2011. Much like the Panerai Radiomir Composite PAM 339 which was arguably the most popular Panerai of 2010, there is no doubt that the PAM00386 will be a huge hit with Panerai fans, probably even bigger than the PAM 339
Panerai Luminor Composite PAM 386
44mm brown composite case, brown dial with Arabic numerals and luminous hour markers. Date at 3 o’clock, small seconds at 9 o’clock, 300 meter water resistance, comes with an aged leather strap with matching large composite buckle (comes with 2 straps)
close up of the PAM 386 dial
close up of the PAM 386 caseback
looks like it will be a limited edition of 1000 pieces
Panerai Luminor Composite PAM 386
44mm brown composite case, brown dial with Arabic numerals and luminous hour markers. Date at 3 o’clock, small seconds at 9 o’clock, 300 meter water resistance, comes with an aged leather strap with matching large composite buckle (comes with 2 straps)
close up of the PAM 386 dial
close up of the PAM 386 caseback
looks like it will be a limited edition of 1000 pieces
Jay-Z Reading At The NY Public Library
Jay-Z along with Dr. Cornel West and Paul Holdengräber appeared at the New York Public Library last night for an analysis of his book, Decoded. Attendees also included Lupe Fiasco and Harry Belafonte. The reading lasted for nearly two hours, but here’s some footage from the fifth row. Decoded is in bookstores now.
Monday, November 15, 2010
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
sak x Converse First String Star Tech
Converse announces the sak for Converse Star Tech shoe, a third highly-anticipated collaboration with sak. Hiruma’s story is unique. Born in Japan, he has been pursuing age-old Italian craftsmanship in Florence, Italy for nearly a decade. Choosing to immerse himself in the historical home where Renaissance and industrial design have converged for centuries, Hiruma’s unique and modern sensibility blends with his unmistakable skill and artistry.
Creating coveted versions of Converse’s most recognizable styles, Hiruma has carefully replicated the silhouette of the Chuck Taylor All Star, Jack Purcell, One Star –and now the Star Tech shoe. A basketball shoe from decades past, Hiruma artfully crafts the details of the Star Tech shoe using old-world construction techniques. Each individual shoe features beautiful, supple leathers –all hand-stitched from upper and rand to insole. Hiruma gives each shoe leather soles that echo finely made dress shoes, yet with ink-printed logos and trademark detail that give them a playful, comfortable feeling. The sak for Converse Star Tech shoe comes in natural shades of tan and black leather with hand cut logos and detailing for the shoes uppers. The attention to detail includes elegant hand-stitched leather rands and toe bumpers and charming touches such as a hand-cut star cut out gracing the ends of each shoe’s leather laces.
Only 64 pairs in each style were produced worldwide, retailing for $600 USD, and available through John Varvatos (Bowery and Soho), Aloha Rag (New York), Concepts (Boston), Blends (Costa Mesa). A release is set for November 15th, 2010.
Levi Maestro “Infinity Piece” Watch Black Edition
Jeweller Shayan Afshar has created another infinity bracelet, presented once more by Levi Maestro. Again functioning as an accessory that takes the form of a watch rather than functioning as a timepiece, the bracelet arrives this time with an all-black face complete with a silver strap. This edition is created using slightly less expensive materials than the previous piece and should therefore drop at a lower price. Pre-orders are now being taken from Shayan Afshar, with a full release expected in December.
LAYERxlayer Wayfarer Packs
LAYERxlayer introduce a new line of backpacks called the Wayfarer. The bag features a 100% USA-sourced denim body with robust materials such as cotton webbings and denim rivets. Each bag is hand-made in the US to order and measures in at 8″ x 13″ x 5″. The Wayfarer Packs are available now at LAYERxlayer with a retail price of $189 USD.
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