The “Yolocaust” of Shahak Shapira

Tourists can be a nuance when they don’t spend enough money in local businesses and especially when they disrespect the culture hosting them. Israeli satirist and author Shahak Shapira realized that of the daily 10K visitors of the Holocaust Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe in Berlin, many end up taking ‘goofy’ pictures, or pose doing other inappropriate activities such as jumping, skating or biking on the concrete slabs. Recurring to public shame, Shapira came up with Yolocaust, a project where he combined selfies (found on Facebook, Instagram, Tinder and Grindr) of irresponsible tourists posing there with archived images from Nazi extermination camps.

In a FAQ section he states,

“No historical event compares to the Holocaust. It’s up to you how to behave at a memorial site that marks the death of 6 million people.”

Adding,

“[S]ome people’s behaviour at the memorial site is indeed disrespectful. But the victims are dead, so they’re probably busy doing dead people’s stuff rather than caring about that.”

Shapira also left the option to removing the pictures by emailing him.

Far from the unfortunate situation of the Israeli occupation of Palestine, the author makes an important point. Being a tourist comes with the responsibility of finding information prior to visiting any site, not just a memorial for Nazi victims, and acting accordingly.

There is also the question of place, what makes a place sacred or valuable, and how does that notion construct a set of invisible rules regulating people’s behaviour while on/in it?

Below are a few images Shapira manipulated for Yolocaust, a word which by the way comes from YOLO (“you only live once”) + caust (Holocaust).

 

The “Aerial Views” of Bernhard Lang

The impact of our species on this planet is devastating. Ever since Europe found refuge in the so called Americas, or the New World, and Africa, there’s been nothing but destruction. Colonialism has been nothing more than a destructive force that goes hand in hand with imperialism. Had it not been for the mine in Potosi, Bolivia, the decrepit kingdoms of fair skinned psychopaths would not have experienced the renaissance, and possibly the world as we know it today could had been deprived from the marvels of classical architecture. Thank god for the conquering and slavery of dark skinned nations that ensured humanity got to see the good taste of Europe. Thank god mamma Africa is still as rich as it has always been since the time it was discovered by Wall Street.

Here is the most recent work of German photographer, Bernhard Lang. What he titled “African Mines” is the aerial view of Botswana, Angola and Niger mines that extract diamonds, nickel and uranium for faceless investors. Since 2010, Lang has been capturing the abstract patterns of different landscapes around the world that depict the aesthetic potential of scale as seen from a satellite’s eye point of view.

To see more of  Lang’s work, check out his website.

Emilie Franceschin-isque summer time.

I should had posted this a while ago. To say the least, I attended Emilie Franceschin‘s latest exposition at Les Territoires this June and although there was a minor accident during one of her performances, it was an agreeable event. The artist, Emilie looked just like in her pictures and her aesthetics were pretty good. Performance art is not a subject I know very well. Sometimes I do some solo performances in the privacy of my room, grab some makeup and let it take over me. Just recently one of my roommates saw me on my way to the washroom and asked me if I was trying makeup on for halloween. I smiled and nodded, “Yes!” said I, rushing to the washroom. I might actually write something more in depth about this art form, but for now a brief mention of Emilie Fraceschin’s Secrets does it.

Fraceschin is French, a graduate from the Toulouse School of Fine Arts, and has performed all over Europe. At Les Territoires, the gallery was divided into two rooms. The first one at the entrance welcomed the audience with a short film projected on a circular screen. The content was interesting as it explored the process of conceiving a performance, which demands the artist to be present. In the video she appeared sitting on a dinning table rehearsing an absurd yet existentialist script with another actor who would enter into a similar dynamic, creating a dialogue of intimate preparation in a rather mechanical and mundane setting.

The second room immersed the audience in the privacy of her portraits and sculptures. The sea and navigation are the main things I recall from the experience as there were a conceptual video installation of the sea and a paper boat maquette. Emilie performed in that room. She entered the room barefoot as we, the audience, sat or stood by the walls, creating an agora like set up. Emilie walked to the middle of the room and after building up momentum with her body movement, she proceeded to bury herself in soil and then pour water on herself…or was it the other way? I didn’t take notes, but the accident occurred when someone dropped their drink, breaking the glass too. It was unfortunate, yet extra drama was incrusted to the whole affair.

As a vernissage, though, it was stressful that there was no cheese and the alcohol was not free. Nevertheless, it was an interesting project. Here are some images taken from the artist’s website that prove most of what I’ve tried to explain in this text.

Finally, this is a recording of the performance Around.

Emilie is a remarkable artist, I am happy I had the chance to see her live in the comfort of my current home, Montreal.

Questioning nonsense as Lola makes portraits with glue and paper

Can art be a therapeutic endeavour collectors purchase for status while bored people pursue to avoid going insane? Can politicians be caricatures of society, and can leadership be a social construct idealized by the brain of an ape? Is there such a thing as privilege…or is it a 20 year-old English boy masturbating in-front of his 13-in macbook?

Currently based in Ireland, Lola Dupré made these illustrations by putting together pieces of various pictures of the actual portraits. Indeed, her illustrations are collages she completed by using paper, scissors, and passion…or a lot of time to meditate while creating.

David Cameron

Barack Obama

Margaret Thatcher

Kin Jong II

Pope Benedict XVI

The echo of the offspring and the visual poetry of Elicia Edijanto

When the night arrives the child comes outside to play with the beasts.

What is there for the children who are not born yet? How will they interact in a world of uncertainty amongst themselves? Will they grow up and turn into drug addicts, junkies, pot heads, whores, womanizers, scum? No matter how little or how much their parents loved them, they will still feel empty and not good enough. Then they will  turn into deformed beings that want to dismantle the lies and trash fed to them like pedigree, and they will roar in the dark under flashing lights of coloured filters, sweat and share the illusion of freedom until it all becomes a part of who they are, who they think they are… they’ll feel happy puking glitter, masturbating because why not? “the gods resemble to us, we created them after all”, they’d say. Then when the day arrives 10 hours late again, they will complain about adults and their own humanity, for they have accepted their species is evil and some have actually embraced the idea…others fight it…others don’t care. The children, what will be of them when they fully grow up? Does that actually ever happen to children? Do they truly grow up or is it just a misunderstanding?

Elicia Edijanto is an extraordinary artist from Indonesia who specializes in watercolours to create beautiful illustrations that recite silent verses of hope, like reminders to not discard one’s inner child because innocence is never lost. She introduces each illustration with curated quotes mainly from authors such as Hemingway. The illustrations is also titled so that the narrative is even more straight forward, reinforcing the message to avoid misunderstandings. Nostalgic notes are observed in the composition of the paintings, each protagonized or antagonized by a human offspring and an individual of another species. The nature of life is rendered in black and white while both creatures share a moment, a reflection of the goodness that persists regardless of nihilism and the food chain.

Here is the link to Edijanto’s website, followed by a recompilation of her work, which can be also purchased here.

“Glowing Sun”

You are so brave and quiet I forget you are suffering.

-Ernest Hemingway-

“Warriors”

And after all the falls are done, we must rise again –

“Glory”

Untitled from “The Animal Stories” collection

“Comforting Sounds” from the “Safe” collection

“Going Home”

I’m the blood, I’m the key
Let them born into this world,
Let them sing into the sky

-Nidji-

“Echo (3)” from the “Echo” collection

Oh, this is her, by the way. A beautiful woman with a beautiful craft.

On Sexual Assault & The Perfect Indian Woman

Ancient mythology holds no shame when speaking out for male privilege. Rape was a common thing, as common as disease and war that even the gods were entitled to possess their female counterparts without consent. Remember the story in which Hephaestus attempts to rape Athena, or the one where Zeus sexually assaults Hera (yes, his wife!)? Stories like these predominated in the beliefs of Athenians and influenced their mundane activities. Women were property and held no rights other than those granted by the protection of men. What is more concerning is that Western culture has appropriated Ancient Greece as its birthplace. There sure are amazing things to learn from ancient times, but how can facts be ignored?

When I came across Kanika Kaul’s Behance, I had to share her post because it sparks hope. Her project, which she so perfectly titled The Perfect Indian Woman, is a reminder of how powerful satire can be. Kaul’s art work challenges social conventions, where women are subordinates of men, by making fun of the ‘perfect’ Indian woman. It consists of 5 posters, digitally designs, crafted as instructions to achieve such perfection: “Step 1. Obtain lots of dowry…Step 2. Stay at home…Step 3. Say no to jeans…Step 4. Embrace violence…Step 5. Be inert…”. Check them out, they’re awesome!

Kaul is from Mumbai, India, and is just starting out in communications design. If you enjoyed what she did, here’s a link to her Behance. Kanika, you rock!

Passing by to say hi and to share Paolo Čerić’s work, why not?

I stopped feeding this channel for a while. Life got out of my hands, like when water overflew your fists as a child trying to hold it. I’m still trying to put it back in order, as if there was any before falling in this void. I no longer know whether it’s going further down or the other way. In fact, I feel like floating in space while hearing the tic-toc of an old clock. A clock that is so ancient I can’t dare to question. Not because I don’t want to do it, I’m just exhausted at this point. Life is great…it sure is…keep telling that to yourself, maybe it will become true some day. Hopefully, when “some day” comes you will be riding a wild horse in the prairies. It is Napoleon’s white horse taking you to the horizon where the sun sets at dusk (as if possible). Why not?

A facebook acquaintance shared Adel Abidin’s Life is Short, Let’s Have an Affair installation with me, which I planned to publish originally. Of course, I changed my mind. I found Paolo Čerić instead, a Croatian artist whose talent with Processing kept me from weeping as I typed this text of adulation for his mastery of the medium. Paolo, if you are reading this, please note that I admire your good taste in graphics. Not knowing what to select from his exquisite collection, I finally ‘curated’ the following set he published on Behance. Paolo named it Single Stroke, and it came out when I looked up for the word ‘rape‘ on Behance’s searcher. 

He created them with Processing, which, as some of you may know, requires the artist to code. Numeric beauty, certainly.

Here is a link to his tumblr! Visit him and like his stuff if you think it worth your effort, or as you prefer. Thank you for passing by.

Michel Lamoller likes layers

Michel Lamoller likes layers.  Layerscapes (sculptures) is one of his most recent collection, where he creates the illusion of a 3-dimensional image with varying depth. His cities are harmoniously crafted, as you can see in the pictures below. Tautochronos is another project of his currently on the making and, layers, once more, are primal. However, for this post I only selected pieces from Layerscapes, including those he produced back in 2013 and 2012.

To synthesize his technique Lamoller explains, “I work with many layers of photographs create a new space. This space, still containing photographic information, gets photographed again. In my work I play with the reality of the image, and also with its space by turning the space-illusion into real space again.”(via artistaday)

Don’t forget to visit his website to discover more of Michel Lamoller.

Denzler’s nostalgia

It is somehow romantic to look back into the history of television and consider the fact that there was a time in which its transmission was terrestrial. This also brings into consideration the notion that for a few years the world was seen in black and white, and signal disturbances were common. In comparison to the sleek body of the modern T.V., it once resembled a heavy box with dipole antenna or ‘rabbit ears’ that just enhanced its archaic form. Swiss painter Andy Denzler explores the concept of images disturbances in his 2014 collection, “Between the Fragments”.

«In terrestrial transmission, it was a matter of course that there were also image disturbances.» he explained.

Denzler collaborated with Swiss photographer Lukas Mäder by using selected pictures of his portraits depicting celebrities. In the paintings, however, Denzler distorted the images to reflect them conceptually into the abstract realm, bringing out the sentimentality of an obsolete world through warm colours that recalls their nostalgic antiquity.

Here are the pictures:

Have a look at his website for more of his work!

The Leśniak portraits

Portraiture, turns out, is not dead. And it won’t be. What is more, it will continue evolving with the upcoming generation of artists and requests, for where there is demand, there is supply. From the depiction of power through the arrogant form of monarchs and imaginary creatures in ancient times, to the acknowledgment of existence through ‘selfies’ taken in washrooms, alas, portraits prevail.

Piotr Leśniak, an illustrator from Warszaba, Poland, came up with these for different magazines:

Those, of course, are very different from these, which he made for Playboy:

And the ‘selfie’, of course:

Piotr Leśniak, check out more of his work at http://www.behance.net/lesniak…It’s worth it!