The Culture Of Luxury: What Makes Us All Feel Good and Why. Liberace. Photo by © Bettmann/CORBIS It doesn't take a brain surgeon to figure out that luxury is a concept that means drastically different things to different people. Our lavsh desires and aspirations are as individual as we are.Why is it that some people's version of luxury can be embarrassing to others and vice versa, or that something that offers one person that wonderful luxe feeling might have the complete opposite effect on another? This fascinates me to no end. To some, as we all know, luxury is about excess -- more and bigger is better. Money-is-no-object attention-seekers love a show and have always been a part of the luxury landscape.
To other wealthy people, luxury is quiet. Class is a touchy subject that is often closely associated with the word luxury. The most brilliant and complex story in the luxury class wars began with those who politicized luxury in the hip-hop community in the late '70s. My own personal favorite luxuries have not always been materialistic. A Painter for Our Absurd Age of Pop Culture | The New Republic. As fame grows, it flattens. Our celebrities might be more vocal, more progressive, and more constantly accessible than they ever might have been in past eras. But the stars are as iconic as ever: Caitlyn Jenner brought international visibility to trans rights in a single cover shoot. Beyoncé is so famous she doesn’t even communicate in words to her public, which results in surreal stunts like gifting her fans a word-association cloud. Kim Kardashian’s selfies are, at this point in history, better known than any photographer’s portrait of her.
Flat, however, doesn’t mean shallow. Compression can be a good thing. When everything is on the same plane, moving through the same media, connections can happen instantaneously, uniting viewers across the world. The painter Dana Schutz is at home here, in this milieu. Now, in our annus kardashianis, the world outside has grown to resemble her work. Petzel Gallery "Fight in an Elevator," Dana Schutz "Assembling an Octopus," Dana Schutz. Brazilian Graffiti Artist Alexandre Keto Connects Culture From São Paulo to Baltimore. When he arrived in the United States for the first time, Alexandre Keto's first destination wasn't a tourist attraction, but Baltimore, Maryland.
Armed with a backpack full of spray paint, the 27-year-old Brazilian graffiti artist wanted to see the neighborhood where Freddie Gray died while in police custody and where several hundred residents took to the streets in protest. "It was really important for me to be in Baltimore, so I could see with my own eyes," said Keto. With permission, Keto set about his plan to paint a mural at the intersection of Pennsylvania and Fulton Avenues, two blocks away from where a CVS Pharmacy store was torched during the unrest. Two days, a student workshop, and three murals later, he left the community with a little more beauty and a little more hope. Keto traveled to neighborhoods beyond Baltimore city limits, taking his work to Queens, Brooklyn, the Bronx, and Newark, New Jersey.
"It's the expression of freedom," Bucano says. Singapore Repositions Image As a Cultural Hub With Local Artists. Singapore is celebrating 50 years of nationhood with a two-week SG50 event in New York this month highlighting Singaporean culture, following similar events in Beijing and London earlier this year. The agenda ranges from an interdisciplinary symposium on Singapore arts and society this past weekend to the innovative Singapore: Inside Out arts installation at Madison Square Park running September 23-27. After achieving independence from Malaysia in 1965, Singapore rose from a colonial backwater with almost no natural water sources to a city-state of 5.4 million people with one of the world’s highest per-capita incomes.
Former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, who governed Singapore through its secession to a global financial hub by his retirement in 1990, passed away in March. He is revered among many Western and Eastern government officials for his accomplishments in nation building, irrespective of his authoritarian methods. Tony Blair said Yew was “the smartest leader I ever met.” The Complex Art of Reclaiming African Culture | Cierra Lockett. Are African-Americans appropriating the fashion and other aspects of African lifestyles, or are they rightfully reclaiming their culture?
Recently, an article claimed that African-Americans are committing cultural appropriation when it comes to African culture, sparking several counterarguments and discussions about both African-American and African identity. Simply put, you can't appropriate a culture that is, in fact, your own. Black or African-American culture, heritage and history are directly tied to Africa. Black people have made efforts to reclaim and assert pride in their roots for centuries, which is completely different from any incidence of cultural appropriation. "Appropriation occurs when a style leads to racist generalizations or stereotypes where it originated, but is deemed high fashion, cool or funny when the privileged take it for themselves. " - Amandla Stenberg, "Don't Cash Crop My Cornrows" So what are the right steps? Bringing art and culture to marginalized children – Picture Wala Foundation. 5 Artists Who Illustrate Today’s Native American Culture | TakePart.
When you first encounter one perched on a windowsill, wedged between the railings of a pedestrian barrier, or atop the walk button on a streetlight, you might think the fact-filled origami boat is a crafty scavenger-hunt clue. But these paper creations posted around U.K. cities and towns are spreading a larger message, about Europe’s refugee crisis. Conceived as a counter to the degrading language some U.K. government officials have used to describe refugees, artist Bern O’Donoghue created the art project Refugees Crossing as a way to inform people about the challenges facing refugees and migrants. “As members of the government, they are obviously in a very influential position, yet they’ve used language which is potentially encouraging hostility and prejudice towards people in desperate circumstances,” O’Donoghue told TakePart. “By changing the narrative, I want to get more people in the U.K. to notice what’s happening under their noses.” State looks to art, culture for growth | Silver City Daily Press.
Joanie Connors, right, and Ken Keppeler do-si-do as part of a line dance during the seventh annual Pickamania! Kickoff dance in front of the Silver City Food Co-op Market Café on Friday evening. Silver City’s art and culture draw thousands of people each year from all over the country, and sometimes even around the globe. Events alone, like this weekend’s Pickamania! And the annual Silver City Blues and Bikes Festival, bring an estimated 4,000 visitors to the central hub of the county.
Beyond events, dozens of painters, sculptors, muralists and other artists make their homes and livelihood here, and Grant County has developed a reputation as a haven for such culture. On Wednesday, New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs Cabinet Secretary Veronica Gonzales visited Grant County to discuss just how these kinds of endeavors can be an economic driving force behind a community. Gonzales was very pleased with the turnout at the presentation. “Collaboration is really, really important,” she said.
Thai bird singing contest draws thousands | Art & Culture. World Bulletin / News Desk The annual bird singing competetion in Pattani,Thailand draws thousands of spectators from south east Asia. The birds are kept in ornate bamboo cages which are covered with elaborate and colourful cloths but when the competition begins the cages are hoisted onto hooks suspended three metres high above the ground on a metal grid. The photos were taken in the Rueso district in Thailand's southern province of Narathiwat this weekend. Hundreds of bird owners from Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore took part in the traditional contest held every year, reports the Daily Mail.
These incredible images show the splendour of the bird singing contests held in Thailand. Legal Notice: Copyright, trade marks and other intellectual property rights in this website can not be reproduced without the prior permission. Surprise: A Renaissance of Art and Culture in the Robotic Age | John M. Eger. This is Art in Education Week and a good time to talk about some good news! While the last few weeks have been filled with stories about the jobs robots will take, these may be the best years for art and art appreciation, and a time to begin talking Arts for Allan little known non-profit in Omaha, Nebraska that sees the beauty of arts for everyone of all ages.
In fairness, many organizations have adopted similar goals all over America. While there are many who claim robots will be replacing people, there are some who believe it's the best thing that can happen to spark creativity and free us to be human. Lawrence Katz, for example, a labor economist at Harvard, "sees the next wave of automation returning us to an age of craftsmanship and artistry...
(and) freeing many would-be artists, writers, and craftspeople to dedicate their time to creative interests -- to live as cultural producers. When Contemporary Art Meets Ballroom Culture. Last night in Bushwick, the artist Rashaad Newsome staged the third annual edition of his King of Arms Ball — a proper “Paris Is Burning”-style vogueing ball, complete with acrobatic and athletic runway walks, plenty of accessories and exactly one peacock perched atop a contestant’s head.
But the festivities featured an artsy twist: categories were inspired by the artists Nick Cave and El Anatsui, whose work the contestants reimagined in fantastically over-the-top ways. “I tried to choose two artists whose work could lend itself to being easily turned into a garment,” Newsome said. “Obviously Nick Cave was a perfect choice because it’s Soundsuits, and also his background in dance, and I feel like there’s a lot of connections to Mardi Gras culture within his costumes.
And then with El Anatsui, when I saw that show, ‘Gravity and Grace,’ at the Brooklyn Museum, I was amazed by it.”