In this week’s Gazette I covered:
One month old pickling company Brooklyn Brine. They make a variety of pickles from heirloom cucumbers and jalapenos to scapes and wax beans. Amazing. Read it here.
A show titled The Convent at St. Cecilia’s church in Greenpoint organized by Eyelevel BQE. Creepy and haunting with an amazing dance performance. Read it here.
A group show with Emily Noelle Lambert, Dan Sabau, and Shawn Patrick Anderson at Yes Gallery in Greenpoint. Read it here.
Greenpoint Food Market launches Sept 12th. Spread the word. PLEASE.
I made the flyer all by myself, I am very proud of it. Logo was made by the one and only Carolin Wood.
Filed under Food
Today’s special on Beautiful Decay: Asuka Ohsawa
Asuka Ohsawa masterfully uses gouache on paper to create a world rife with dichotomous flair. Long Japanese scroll paintings depict cute anthropomorphic animals frolicking the town in seeming innocence and naivete but upon closer inspection there is a child ready to detonate a bomb and a crowd ready to capture and devour. There is underlying tension in all her works, reflecting on ideals and grievences of family and home, social and cultural norms, sexual moires, and moral righteousness. Each character and its surrounding environment is tightly rendered and outlined in sharp and precise lines, executed in flattened perspectives and limited color palates.
Read and voyeur the rest here.
Filed under Art
- AFC says crap-on-crap isn’t necessarily crappy, per se.
- Make terrariums.
- Ten ways to feed ten people for less than 20 bucks.
- What happens when a man takes Sherman’s Untitled film stills and turns them into paintings. What happens to the death of painting, the male gaze, and the “other”? John Grande‘s works asks all these questions, and honestly it might possibly just be opportunistic hocus pocus. Or, it’s the real deal and we’ve come to an art historical hump.
- This shark actually has a penis in his mouth.
- Ryan McGinley’s new series Moonmilk where artist and friends go spelunking (cave exploring) in the nude, taking images with a vintage scratchy vibe, hippie-dom, sci-fi fantasy-esque. The color fields and monumentality of natural settings are breathtaking.
- Hipster Runoff reminds us to not text while driving. Too real.
- Paddy Johnson on Anne Pasternak, whose enthusiasm about public art is “a little exhausting.” Ouch.
- Henrijs Preiss‘ abstract textured paintings are aglow with iconic influences. The palate is minimal, rustic, hypnotic.
- Battle of Brooklyn this weekend includes reenactments of the battle when Washington kind of left his troops to die in Park Slope.
- MRI sex. Like an ironic silent film.
- Playing with food by Vanessa Dualib.
- Are Facebook, Myspace and Twitter eroding attention spans? DUH.
- A white chocolate and bacon bust of Conen O’ Brien.
- How to dry fruit in your car. Useful.
- Kimchi Quesadillas anyone?
- How to make a doggy poop bag pouch. Useful.
- Fall 2009 cookbook preview.
- If I had more gardening experience I would DEFINITELY take this job.
- Many Brooklyn DIY fests coming up.
- Using positivity to change the world totally works!
Filed under Reader
- NYT Restaurant Critic Frank Bruni’s farewell tips on good eateries.
- Jerry Saltz’ fall preview. None in Brooklyn, or LES, mostly Chelsea. Boo.
- Nicole Caruth’s ingenious two part post on Gastro-Vision: Art, Food, and Urban Farming.
- Song Dong at MoMA thru Sept 7th. Not to be missed.
- Creepy breastfeeding doll.
- I am in LOVE with these paintings by Yellena James.
- Goddamit, I missed National Topless Day.
- Brent in Greenpoint.
- I am also in LOVE with these paintings by Paul Wackers.
- Whole Foods CEO John Mackey an extremist nut, boycott ensues.
- I have mixed feelings about turnkey exhibitions. It’s a bit worrisome to have corporate curators take over a hosting museum but it is helpful (albeit a bit opportunist) to have smaller community museums to benefit with artists they wouldn’t have access to otherwise. Hmmmm…
- All about love.
- Speaking of love, I again, LOVE these street installations by Mark Jenkins.
- Tracy Morgan IS totally awesome.
- Hysterical.
- Braids.
- Great awesome video by Skeeter NYC on BK Farmyards. CHECK IT.
- I read this about competitive food shows and Julia Childs by Michael Pollan a few weeks back and I was very relieved to be deprived of cable. And I want to watch Julie & Julia asap.
Filed under Reader
- Vivian Girls are playing tonight at Death by Audio.
- The non-profit environmental group Times Up! is hosting a bike tour of the one and only, the filthy and hazardous, Newtown Creek. It’s happening this Saturday at 4pm.
- BOMB magazine is having and end of summer bash with Gigantic and Opium magazines this Wednesday at Bowery Electric. Performances and DJs are in the mix.
- The Greenhorns is an upcoming documentary film about America’s young farmers. They are having a campout this weekend upstate with food and workshops. Sounds hella fun.
- FEAST grantee Brooklyn Torch on Brian Lehrer today.
- Brooklyn Skillshare will host a benefit this Friday at Glasslands to fund workshops and an all day learning affair coming up Oct 10th.
- bk farmyards gets a write up on tasting table. I’ve contacted them early this summer to build a veggie garden in my backyard. I did it on my own (with the help of my cute father) and so far the tomato plant hasn’t bloomed a single tomato, the squash is diseased and the chard is eaten up by snails or squirrels or slugs. The cucumbers though are flourishing and tastes yummy in a salad and perilla leaves and herbs are over productive.
- Dickson Despommier writes about vertical farms. $20-$30 million sounds like a lot of money to build one five story farm. But I imagine a decade from now the city, especially Brooklyn will run rampant with not only rooftop and backyard mini farms but buildings dedicated to fresh local veggies. He’s writing a book on it, coming soon.
- The Shiny Squirrel is an inventory of emerging artists and designers with a crafty and hip edge. I like what I see.
- 42 fresh farmer’s market recipes.
- What it means to live in Greenpoint.
- NYC guide to flea markets.
- The Blue Stove on tasting table. They have yummy strawberry rhubarb pie and I would LOVE to bake for them in that rustic kitchen.
Filed under Reader
I got a tattoo by Duke Riley last week. A few days after his navy ship battle at Queens Museum I met him at his parlor East River Tattoo in Greenpoint and for the next 3 hours I cringed in pain, electrifying surges of razor sharp stabs incising my foot over and over. And Duke wasn’t all that gentle about it either. He bent and pushed and twirled and stretched that foot around like it did him wrong. But, it’s over and now it’s just itchy as hell. Michael came with me and recorded the process.
Eyewitness to Joann Kim’s First Tat By: Michael Farmer.
8-18-09
Sitting in east River Tattoo with Joann Kim. Joann 25, very beautiful gets
her first tat. An octopus that starts on her right ankle and wraps around
her whole foot. The Artist, Duke Riley 37 owns East River Tattoo. Duke is
quite the artist. Duke’s ship battle took place over the weekend at the
Queens Museum and has made National coverage. Now he is about to make some
coverage on Joann Kim’s foot.
Joann nervously asks me to be here for moral support. I feel a little sick.
Joann has chosen black ink to penetrate her beautiful smooth as silk
Korean skin. I think the tat is a little large, but I can tell that Duke
is a master of his trade. Kittie Joe, 33 works in Duke’s shop and also took
part in the boat battle. She is sweet and treated me to Ice coffee only
minutes after meeting me. Duke now has a red sharpie and has put an ink
transfer on Joann’s foot. Joann looks over her shoulder at me with a
smile. I think that she is a little less nervous, however no needles yet.
Three o’clock on the nose, and the buzz of the gun is loud. Joann is
freaked out and has her hands over her eyes. Duke has started. Joann is
reclined, The Yeah Yeah Yeah’s are blasting and suck. Joann’s hands are
little and sweaty and are gripping mine from time to time. She has quit a
grip for such a little frame. Now she is reclined on her back and with a
quiver of her chin I think that she might let out a cry soon, but her
hands are folded on her chest and she starts to sing along with the Yeah
Yeah Yeah’s.
Filed under Art
Last Friday I hosted an art show and asked 3 female artists working in completely different styles and mediums to come together and flaunt their goods in my vacant apartment. I titled it “Clash” because that’s exactly what would happen were they to meet each other. But, actually installing them together, each work weaved into the next and there was an odd harmony billowing through the works. It was magical actually.
Hyla Skopitz uses photographs and video to document her encounters throughout the everyday without honing down on anything specific or particular. A series of 4×4 photographs were scattered along the wall in sporatic patches. Images of the sky, foliage, houses, interiors depict nothing special, no dramatic angles, no frills or surprises. The matter of fact-ness of the photos maintain an ease and humility that is as memorable as it is perfectly compositioned.
Hyla used the enclosed bedroom to project a video of her grandmother rambling about ghosts, trees, and boys.
Megan Burns’ female figures glow with intensity and fervor and very much remind me of sci-fi fantasy heroines. They struggle, admire, pose, they’re all in an act of doing SOMETHING. Colors are acidic and vibrant but also soft enough to bring out a delicacy out of the figures. Plus all the figures are modeled after herself and friends. I want to be next!
Emily Noelle Lambert brought in a few new drawings she worked on in a cabin trip alone upstate a few days before. I would never go anywhere NEAR the woods alone. These drawings stream seamlessly with her signature mode of work, that of recalling moments and instilling a story or narrative within an organized space that can SEEM to reek havoc. These were also collaged onto paper. I absolutely love the fragility, the paper thin use of paint and the messy and jagged execution of lines and forms. It’s so gratifyingly hectic.
The opening was a success, I cut up a bunch of fruit and handed out phallic cucumbers from my backyard. I was planning another one this week, but I don’t have the energy, PLUS my new roommates are moving stuff in this week.
This “show” sort of confirmed I’m not that bad of a curator and makes me want to do more. If I only had a space…that was all mine, and I could do WHATEVER I wanted…
Check more photos on my flickr page.
Filed under Art
Last Saturday Plates and Records planned a super supperclub feast hosted by Brooklyn Fireproof Cafe and Bar in Bushwick. I was so stressed out about it, Andrzej and I cooked in silence most of the day and the air was stifling with anxiety and fear for the worst.
BUT, oddly enough the South African themed dinner was a HUGE success.
Read the recap here.
In more exciting news, the dinner was covered by News Channel 12 Brooklyn.
We’re on the teevee!!
- My three current obsessions are rolled into one in this upcoming event. Hapa Kitchen, a supper club, Finger on the Pulse, DJs pumping the best electro dance beats who also happen to be bros, and Mean Red Productions, party promoters announcing the best shows and throw downs around town are all coming together for a luau BBQ at the Yard where every Sunday guest DJs fiddle your knees and shake your bottoms. Come down, eat and dance, then eat some more, and stare at cute boys (and drag them to me to sprinkle with friendly flirty fire).
- Finger on the Pulse is also having a throw down tomorrow at Brooklyn Bowl and Mean Red is showing their goods at Santos on Thursday.
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