Hasta La Ideas

Underground art bible Juxtapoz will be celebrated with a film festival of sorts at New York’s Museum of Modern Art, which next month screens seven new and recently released documentary features on artists associated with the San Francisco–based arts and culture journal. Each program will include conversations between the artists, filmmakers, and special guest speakers. Organized by MoMA’s Ron Magliozzi, the week-long series, “All the Wrong Art”: Juxtapoz Magazine on Film, kicks off on Monday, February 7, with the East Coast premiere of Douglas Blake’s 2010 biographical documentary Robert Williams: Mr. Bitchin’, which recounts the Juxtapoz founder’s emergence from his Kustom Kulture and Zap Comix roots to become a celebrated artist. Juxtapoz called it “an irreverent and hilarious view of what is so right about contemporary art in America.” Other programs include Tattoo the World on body art master Don Ed Hardy (before Christian Audigier got a hold of him), a new film on sculptor and rock musician Elizabeth McGrath (Miss Derringer), and Dirty Hands, Harry Kim’s portrait of artist David Choe. See the full schedule here.

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While still-newish LAMOCA director Jeffrey Deitch and the residents of Los Angeles might still be at odds concerning the former’s decision to paint over a mural the museum itself had commissioned, fearing its subject matter might upset its neighbors, the recent blast of publicity might wind up being at least a tiny bit positive for the artist himself. Blu, the Italian painter/filmmaker/street artist who was at the receiving end of Deitch’s whitewashing paintbrush, has just released a collection of his work on DVD. From animated wall-paintings to time-lapses of his many murals, it contains a bulk of his work from over the past 10 years. So while Blu likely would have prefered that the LAMOCA debacle had not played out as it did, perhaps the increase in DVD sales because of it might provide at least something of a cushion. Here’s the trailer:

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A follow-up to Stephanie’s post from earlier this month about the Dutch design collaborative Droog setting up a new 2,500 sq. ft. shop in Las Vegas’ newest hotel, the Cosmopolitan. Designed by Marcel Schmalgemeijer, the photos of it look great. However, outside of seeing it in person, if you want to see the store at a higher frame rate, thus far your only option is this clip from Los Angeles’ KTLA, who ran a piece about it during a recent morning news show broadcast. As is par for the course with this sort of programing, the whole segment essentially boils down to the reporter asking “Hey, what’s this crazy thing?” but at least you get to see the shop a little more up close:

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At a time when every commercial seems to be underlaid with the tender jingling of bells, Vampire Weekend’s “Holiday,” or both, we suggest seeking creative solace in “COMVIDEO,” an open call exhibition on view at New York’s apexart through Wednesday, December 22. The not-for-profit visual arts organization invited artists and creative types from around the world to cut, dub, reverse, add to, and otherwise manipulate at least one broadcast commercial and submit a 60-second video. A group ranging from Konstantin Adjer to Jody Zellen responded with 124 videos (watch them online here). Why commercials? “Commercials are one of the most interesting love children of capitalism and ego,” writes Pinky Carnage in an essay that accompanies the exhibition. “They are all charm with their aggression while pretending to be your buddy. They care about you, what you are into, and what makes you tick. They are so grooooovy that they can play hacky-sack with you or have a beer, go antiquing….Whatever you want, they want, as long as you want them.” So which of the reworked commercials do you want to see shown on a public screen in Manhattan? Apexart is accepting online votes through January 15. The five videos that rack up the most votes will get megascreen time, while the winning creator will take home a $2,000 cash prize. The winner and finalists will be announced January 19, so stay tuned.

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We’ve posted about legendary futurist and designer Syd Mead from time to time in the past, from his hiring by Qatar Steel to help them predict the future or when
“>he picked up a National Design Award back in 2006. But we’ve yet to put up anything as attractive as this, a film where Mead speculates on what 2019 will look like, on the way reflecting “upon the nature of creativity and how it drives the future.” If anything, just watch it to check out his home studio.

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