This All Disappeared Today

A renovation happening today will destroy the art installations at a nightclub in Paris formerly known as Les Bains. The building was closed in 2010 when it was deemed unsafe. Several urban artists were commissioned to create their own installations in the buildings deadspace in the interim, thanks to Magda Danysz. Such artists include Space Invader, Futura and Sambre who sourced materials from the decaying building.

The impromptu artist residency will not be mourned by most; during the entirety of the showcase the building remained inaccessible to the public. The building is slated to be fully renovated and opened as a new venue in 2014. The works are preserved only by the photographs taken by Jérôme Coton and Stephane Bissuel.

You can see more of the works here on the "One Day One Artist" site.

Paint The Town: Hense Is The Name

Painting anything stationary is a losing game. Painting on the side of what one day will be destroyed by the elements is a noble pursuit. Most "serious" artists tend towards the more substantial, things they can have and hold and put their name on. Outdoor artwork and murals, unless they happen to be on a wall in post-war Germany, do not mature in value, or require an admission fee to be seen. Aside from a few beautifying projects in select cities, most artists have steered clear of painting things that don't move and can't be bought.

People need to make a living.

In this sense, outdoor art and graffiti are the ultimate expression of art. Pieces are impossible to buy, and oftentimes impossible to credit. Difficult to conceal, free to view, and temporary in permanent paint. And like most things in our immediate surroundings we ignore it, until someone makes a movie about it. The documentary, Exit Through the Gift Shop was released in 2010 and suddenly mainstream culture was wide awake to graffiti and all that goes with it.

Since, not a single respectable piece of writing on the subject of graffiti has been written without a Bansky reference.

I liken it to being a completely respectable female rapper and being compared to Lil Kim. Your craft trumps your style and everyone is still pointing to the other guy. But Hense is nothing like the other guy. Hense, also known as Alex, has been able to go from underground to inspiring graffiti, to larger than life murals, to drawings and installations. The Atlanta based artist may have not had the commercial success of other artists, that comes in the form of movies and internet hoax, but one thing is certain, Hense is the man. Lately he's been bathing buildings in blankets of color. He makes the kind of graffiti you wouldn't want to wash off, much less call graffiti. 

Check out more of his art in urban landscapes. The ATL based-artist was nice enough to answer some questions for us...

What was the first thing you ever painted?

That would probably be painting I did on a piece of paper when I was in kindergarten. 

Your work is on such a grand scale. Have you ever had any grand scale mishaps?

Knock on wood. Nothing major. Just heat exhaustion.

Where can we see your work right now? 

I have a few recent projects located in Washington DC, Richmond, NYC, Miami and Atlanta.

How has Atlanta influenced your art?

Atlanta has been a great place to grow as an artist. I've been able to maintain a studio and be able to travel whenever I need to for projects. There have been a lot of very talented artists who have lived in Atlanta at some point that were big influences on me. 

Did you ever have another job, besides being an artist?

Dishwasher. Worst thing ever.

 

Photo Credit Miguel “M.i.G” Martinez

Calling All Humans

Literally the only requirement to be on this blog is to be a human and be in NY. It's easier than graduating Kindergarten. The site is sprinkled with great street photography and gems of wisdom, anecdotes and the occasional superhuman.

“I did a little bit of everything. Was never great at anything… but I survived.”

Humans of New York 

Hate Mail For Your Valentine

That's right cunt, listen up. If you are lucky enough to experience a day in the life as a pen pal to Mr. Bingo. You've done alright.

Mr. Bingo is going to take time (maybe) to handcraft you a thoughtful, impeccable postcard, on which he will take a major piss. Why? Because Mr. Bingo doesn't think anyone is getting enough fun post these days.

 

My personal favorite, for it's ability to wound deeply.

You can buy the book and feel hateful for almost a full hour. And you thought Post Secret was the last good bit with stranger's post cards. Shop it here. 

So who is this fuck?

His bio is a mere 3 sentences:

"Some say he's the 'Master of pens'.Some call him the 'Justin Bieber of drawing'. Some say he fucks about for a living."

Hate mail is currently limited to residents in the UK. But if you hate someone in the UK you are in luck, because you can pay for hate mail anywhere. 

If you want him to draw you a little something for free - click here. He probably would also prefer you follow him on instagram so you can <3 his fucked up shit. But don't, it only encourages him.

No Seconds

In my family the majority of dinners were laced with mocking, never been kissed comments, and my mother's personal favorite: what would your last meal be? A cigarette and a Steinbeck novel? A steak and a glass of whiskey? 

Artist Henry Hargreaves, based in Brooklyn (of course), previously known for high fashion photography for publications like V, GQ, Esquire, and New York Magazine, has taken to more curious creations. Most recently he has profiled the alphabet in bacon, celebrated breasts (three-dd.com), and profiled our favorite tabletop games.

His project No Seconds created the biggest hit yet, the photos show what actual deceased inmates had for their last meal. Hargreaves recreated their last meals in the manner which he imagined they were served, down to the tablescape.

Should I Quit My Job? Flowchart

Because a pro's and con's list never does the trick.

Clarks Is The Ting

Once in a while a completely ordinary item at the local mall ends up iconic elsewhere. Just ask any Swiss man coming to the US to raid an Abercrombie & Fitch. Or examine what a pair of Levi's could mean to a happy customer, post USSR and post thirty years on the black market.

A woman named Larisa Popik, wrote Levi Strauss & Co. in August 1991:

A man hasn’t very much happy minutes in his life, but every
happy moment remains in his memory for a long time. I’m
not the fanatic of clothes, but the buying of Levi’s jeans (501)
is one of such moments in my life. I’m 24, but while wearing
your jeans I feel myself like a 15-years-school-girl, I feel
myself like a graceful, slender and beautiful girl. Thank you
very much for such comfortable, soft, light and nice jeans.
Good luck to your kind and necessary business!

But Clarks man. Clarks are a whole other thing. The shoes first made their appearance in the Caribbean in the early 1900's care of Colonel Henry Emerson Smith, and it seems Jamaicans have been composing a love letter to them ever since. DJ Al Fingers wrote an entire book on the subject. Citing song after song that reference Clarks, profiling tastemakers and archiving the cultural element they have become. Al Fingers even rounds the edges documenting Jamaican fashion trends in JA like argyle socks, mesh marina, and the arrow shirt.

Shop Them.

Wear/Want

Socks for sporting via AMBIDEX Store

Hats for hooray-ing via Annie Larson

Sexy Sweaters for struttin' via Sexy Sweaters

Tis The Season - Disappointment Diary

Give this gift to a loved one for the holiday and watch as their face transforms from wildly unthrilled to wildly ecstatic. Disappointment is so in. Though the disappointing details of life may seem more what a planner should look like AFTER it's used, this diary cuts right to the chase. Heck it got all of 2013's disappointments out of the way before it even began. Go ahead, have a look.

Published by Asbury & Asbury - shop now to ensure dissapointment before the holiday.

Free copies available.

Design by hat-trick design

Words by Nick Asbury

Don't Not: A Lesson In The Irresponsible

"Don't not do that." Is one of the dumbest phrases I've ever heard. It is also the favorite advice and life motto of my friend Stanley (Dan, to strangers and close family). 

Should I drink this entire 40?

-Don't Not

Should I quit my job and travel on my unemployment checks?

-Don't Not

Should I stick my hand down this garbage disposal?

-Don't Not, Not Do That.

But before I could harshly judge Stanley for getting "Don't Not" permanently inked on his body, his motto proved solid. He got what would be a dream job, he met a pretty lady, found a great dog, then found another great dog, and now he takes after his father photographing everything.

Videographer, photographer, skateboarder, and proud parent, he takes brilliant portraits of all his near & dears and post them here.

Don't not read on.

Dan Shetron

Dan Shetron

The man behind the lense...

Frau Grau

 

Frau Grau would make an awesome DJ name. It would kill my crap DJ name "DJ Creme" in an instant, with a butter knife. But Frau Grau isn't a DJ. She is an artist that does everything from decorating feathers to making decadent album art for the likes of Alex Winston, Lana Del Ray, and Penguin Prison.

Kids Today Can't Write Cursive

That's a rumor I'm starting. People click too much, press buttons even more, and hardly anyone just doodles. Instead they scroll and scroll and occasionally tap. But Charlotte Trounce draws...

She's done bits for the NY Times, and once started a project about Bulls...

She is based in London and works freelance. She might even draw something for you if you pay her in pounds.

It looks like she can write cursive, but that's not important because she has better things to do.

She seems very busy.

190 Bowery

Photo by: Leigh Davis

Three people live in this building. It was bought in 1966 for $102,000. Now real-estate brokers estimate it’s worth at least $30 million.

The Master Bedroom

Above are the Maisels who live at 190 Bowery in Manhattan, New York, since purchasing it. The Maisels have no plans to move but are considering renting out the first floor. 

The Fifth FloorThe Elevator from 1898

The KitchenFor more on 190 Bowery see NY MAG

Attractive People Doing Attractive Things in Attractive Places

Yes, someone else already thought of this idea.

His name, Slim Aarons, his niche, photography of the rich and famous. His specialty was preppy socialites, and in turn, he illustrated everything that preppy socialites do. He became an expert at capturing the well-tanned and wealthy drinking pina coladas pool side and laughing at puns. Aarons wrote several books, in which he details his findings with glossy colored images that span from cover to cover, they are as follows: A Wonderful Time: An Intimate Portrait of The Good Life, Slim Aarons: Once Upon A Time, Slim Aarons: A Place In The Sun, and Pool side with Slim Aarons. If one didn't know any better they'd assume Slim Aarons a bluebood, his roots in debutante parties. In actuality Aarons started as a combat photographer during WWII, earning a purple heart and realizing that landing on a beach full of girls tanning would be the ideal.

Times Magazine described Aarons photos as having a "strangely bewitching narcissism".

Aarons used only natural light and little make up. 

''They would invite me to one of their parties because they knew I wouldn't hurt them. I was one of them.''

Francesca DiMattio: Modern Art

Based in NYC artist Francesca Dimattio, wears two braids that she weaves with scarves and ties at the back of her head. Similar to her work where she weaves together different inspirations: architecture, history, design, and culture. Her modern chaotic paintings a product of the university, Cooper Union, she attended in the East Village of Manhattan. A school that is coveted for it's talented alumni as well as it's ability to offer all accepted students full scholarship. 

With fewer than 1,000 students, Alumni of the Cooper Union win a vastly disproportionate share of the nation's most prestigious awards. Recent awards include one Nobel Prize, ten Rome Prizes, 18 Guggenheim fellowships, three MacArthur fellowships, nine Chrysler Design awards, and three American Institute of Architects Thomas Jefferson Awards for Public Architecture.

DiMattio shops mostly thrift stores and likes items that have lived a bit before her. In terms of wardrobe, nothing is off limits besides polyester - even maternity wear is fair game. DiMattio keeps an impressive collection of belts and has been known to hand paint shoe boxes.