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Variations on a Theme: Adam and Eve
Wednesday, February 6, 2013Notes* on the evolution of the depiction of the infamous Biblical allegory of Adam and Eve.
The text:
When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.
Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.
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Observations: Objectifying Women
Tuesday, February 5, 2013To observe is to pay attention, to notice. The objectification of women is not a new topic, by any stretch of the imagination, and you won’t find a thorough discussion of it in this post. Still, I couldn’t help but pull together commentaries, images, and videos from some of my recent travels through books, magazines, and videos, which highlight the pervasiveness the phenomenon.
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Killed the Indian, Now Find the Man - Part 2
Monday, February 4, 2013[read Part 1]
Looking at America’s First State-Tribal Truth and Reconciliation Commission
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Symphony of Stone
Monday, February 4, 2013
[Symphony, ARTER, December 2012]
“To kill, like to die, is to seek an escape from being, to go where freedom and negation operate. Horror is the event of being which returns in the heart of this negation, as though nothing had happened.”–Emmanuel Levinas
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How Do You Solve a Problem Like North Korea?
Friday, February 1, 2013
As I write this post, North Korea has declared martial law in preparation for nuclear testing. My cynical side wonders when the people of North Korea aren’t under martial law, but even so this move shows Kim Jong Un’s expectation that the international community will retaliate for the unauthorized tests. -
Killed the Indian, Now Find the Man - Part 1
Thursday, January 31, 2013Looking at America’s First State-Tribal Truth and Reconciliation Commission
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WATCH: Inside Llewyn Davis (Trailer)
Tuesday, January 29, 2013New York in the 1960’s.
Dylan on the trailer score.
And a folk-musican protag tortured by the standard pre-requisite dilemmas that embody the Coen Bros. hero journey.
Sounds like a swell ride to me.
Follow Anthony on Twitter @culturegy
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Off the Charts
Monday, January 28, 2013BEIJING - As I sat in my apartment, my lungs had this horrible feeling, and for maybe the first time living in Beijing I had a feeling of not wanting to go outside, not wanting to expose myself to any more of the air pollution. As I sat on the couch contemplating going to refill my water jugs, a 100 yard walk away I saw that the air pollution was reading over 700 for the US Embassy and was even off the charts for the Chinese Ministry of Environmental Protection. A reading of 300 or more would be a state of emergency in the United States.
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At Land III
Friday, January 25, 2013“We are not an island,
Except to whoever sees us from the sea.” –Qassim Haddad
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The Secondary Purpose of the Atrocities Prevention Board
Wednesday, January 23, 2013"America's reputation suffers, and our ability to bring about change is constrained when we are perceived as idle in the face of mass atrocities and genocide." - Presidential Study Directive 10, April 4, 2011
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The Fever: Interview with Simona Maicanescu
Sunday, January 20, 2013On the 13th of January, 2013 at the Cloister Cafe in New York City, I had the opportunity to speak with Simona Maicanescu, star of the one-woman adaptation of Wallace Shawn's The Fever opening on January 24th at LaMama's first-floor theatre.
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At Land II
Thursday, January 17, 2013[read Part I]
[Unity, 1982]
“I long to hear the story of your life, which must captivate the ear strangely.”-William Shakespeare, The Tempest
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Our House, Our Home
Thursday, January 10, 2013Maryann and Raymond Eger started dating when they were teenagers in New Dorp Beach, Staten Island. They have been together for over forty years, raising their family in the same house that Maryann was born in. Now, Hurricane Sandy may force them to leave the place they have always called home.
Follow Jika on Twitter @JikaGlez
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At Land I
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
[The Land of Peace, 1979]
“And the lesson is: One does not paint ideas. One does not paint “a subject.” One does not paint water lilies. And in the same way: No writing ideas. There is no subject. There are only mysteries. There are only questions.” –Hélène Cixous
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Victoria Tsarkova's "No Politics, Just a Joke" Series.
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Above is drawing of Vladimir Putin and Dmitry Medvedev as the characters from "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas."
The work is one part of artist Victoria Tsarkova's new series "No Politics, Just a Joke." According to its creator the drawings were made "to make people smile, to relieve tension."
Tackling leaders from the past such as Chairman Mao, Stalin and Hitler to modern day figures such as Silvio Berlsuconi, Steve Jobs, Pope Benedict, and Queen Elizabeth, Tsarkova's work is another example of how art can make take even the most controversial or divisive of symbols and reimagine them into both metaphorcial humor and familiar pop culture expression.
You can see the rest of Tsarkova's work here or catch a layout of all the characters at SXS.
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Follow Anthony on Twitter @culturegy
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Variations on a Theme: The Bent Peasants
Friday, December 14, 2012The peasant engaged in backbreaking work is a common motif in paintings. Characteristics of the theme include peasants bent and crumpled (often below a horizon, earthbound), faces hidden (anonymous), and painted realistically (rather than in exalted or virtuous tones).
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A Burning Issue that Deserves More Attention
Wednesday, December 5, 2012Nearly a half a century ago in Vietnam, a photograph taken on a Saigon street shocked people around the world. At the center of the photo was a Vietnamese Buddhist monk sitting uptight in a lotus position; his entire body was engulfed by flames. This image reportedly prompted then President John F. Kennedy to reconsider his Vietnam policy.
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Uganda’s Anti-Gay ‘Christmas Gift’
Thursday, November 29, 2012On 23 November, Uganda’s infamous anti-gay “Kill the Gays” legislation was passed by a committee vote. It will now move to Parliament, where it will be debated on the floor. Speaker of the House Rebecca Kadaga expects to pass the Bill by the holidays as a “Christmas gift” to Uganda.
