Recommended: November '12 Issue of Juxtapoz

My love/hate relationship with Juxtapoz magazine continues.  One month I see it on the magazine stand doing some gimmicky Halloween issue that makes me feel like I should never look through it again.  But then this month, they have an amazing Art & Politics issue curated by Ron English!!!

It's a very impressive group of artists that English has rounded up.  There are some well-established street-artists you've heard a lot about, like Shepard Fairey and Robbie Conal; documentary filmmakers Morgan Spurlock and Susan Saladoff; and some up-and-coming artists--who are not new to the art world, but will probably start receiving a lot more attention--and that you should start following: Molly Crabapple and Ernesto Yerena Montejano.

One of the stand-out interviews is with conceptual artist Tom Forsythe who was involved in a long legal battle, in the 90's, with the toy-company, Mattel, who sued him for his depictions of Barbie dolls that he used a various series of photographs.  He talked about why he choose to work with Barbie:

"I needed something that exemplified the crass consumerism I meant to critique.  It took a nano second or so to come up with Barbie, since Barbie had every consumer need imaginable, and every outfit and accessory that any good consumer could dream of. . ."

But, my favorite interview in the issue is with revolutionary communist artist Dread Scott who was in the national spotlight in the late 80's when his installation piece, "What Is the Proper Way To Display A US Flag?" caused so much controversy that the US Senate passed legislation to "protect the flag."  (And that later resulted in a landmark Supreme Court decision that ruled flag burning to be protected by the First Amendment).

In the interview, he shares his very refreshing views on his approach to art ("I make art with the basic assumption that a lot of people agree with me"), how he sees the role of art, and the role of the artist.  He says about being a communist and an artist:

"For me, constantly making work that concentrates my communist world view has limited some opportunities.  Some people in powerful places in the arts don't want a truly radical work to get seen and sometimes my work gets pigeonholed into the "political art ghetto."  But my work has been shown in major museums, had many students study it, been called disgraceful by G.H.W. Bush, and outlawed by Congress.  All because I stuck to my beliefs."

Recommended: 'Rodney King'

What importance is there for a kid from the ghetto to learn about Rodney King?  This was one of the questions raised at a Q&A after a performance of "Rodney King" that I saw last month.  Indeed, though, why should anyone care to learn about who Rodney King was?

Although, I don't believe writer/actor Roger Guenveur Smith was asking himself this when he started to create his latest one-man show, he certainly did get into that question.

In the play, he tells the story--in as much details as he can--about what happened that infamous night when Rodney King was brutally beaten by four LAPD officers, whose subsequent acquittal--after being caught on tape--sparked the 1992 L.A. Rebellion.  (Also known as the "Rodney King Riots" by some people in the media--even though Rodney King didn't riot; all he did was survive "the baddest ass-whopping in history"). 

But, Smith also gets into what was going on in the community prior to the King incident--all the injustice and systematic oppression that Black people in South Los Angeles had been facing for decades.  (For instance, the story of Latasha Harlins, a 15-year-old girl who was unlawfully shot and killed by a Korean store owner--which occurred just weeks after the videotaped beating of King).

In a recent interview with Michael Slate on KPFK, Slate told Smith, "One of the things that happened with Rodney King from the moment he was targeted and beaten, the dehumanization...They robbed him of his humanity when they beat him--they tried to beat him to death; they robbed him of his humanity when they made him into this icon that he wasn't; and then other people robbed him of it too when they continued, all the way up through the end of his life, the struggle over, is he a hero? Is he a victim?...He was Rodney King.  He was a human being that was thrust unto the stage of history in a way that he never expected and didn't want, and then had to deal with the repercussions of that the rest of his life.  And I thought you did a really wonderful job in capturing that humanity."

Indeed, what can be most appreciated by this performance is the artists' ability to treat the subject with respect as he helps us explore the ills of society.  Smith does not put King on a pedestal as some kind of hero or idol because he wasn't any of those.  He was just a human being that--by way of accident--got caught put up on the national spotlight.  Most importantly, we are reminded that he was not unlike the many human beings in South Los Angeles today that continue to deal brutality by the LAPD.

"Rodney King" will return for a limited engagement, (only seven performances), from September 20-29, 2012 at the Bootleg Theater.  Please, check it out!

Must See Film: Beasts of the Southern Wild

"I see that I'm a little piece of a big, big universe." -Hushpuppy

Last week I saw a great film called Beasts of the Southern Wild.  I knew nothing about this film, but a few people who had recently seen it, highly recommended it to me.  I had high expectations due to all the positive movie reviews I read online and was very delighted with this film.

On the surface, it's a nice story about a cute, brave little girl--named Hushpuppy!--and what she and her single father, ( an alcoholic), have to do to survive a giant storm on a tiny island called, "The Bathtub."  But, in reality, this movie is about global warming--even though the only clue we are given about this are scenes throughout the film of the polar ice caps melting.

A lot has been made about the six-year-old girl, Quvenzhané Wallis, who plays Hushpuppy in the film.  Indeed, it is great acting for such a young girl.  But more than her acting, I was really in love with the ideas of her character.  Throughout the film, you see that she has much respect for all animals and all of nature.  "The whole universe depends on everything fitting together just right.  If one beast busts--even the smallest beast--the entire universe will get busted," she says.  She is young and optimistic, and really believes that the whole universe is connected.  Just for that, this film is worth seeing!

Remembering Ghost World

"I can't relate to 99% of humanity." -Seymour

Just over a decade has passed since Ghost World was released in theaters (October 2001) and on DVD (February 2002), but no one in mainstream media even said a thing. (Only these people in San Diego seemed to have noticed).

But, it's one of my favorite films.  I've watched it so many times that my DVD copy is all messed up.  As a matter of fact, the idea for this blog post came up because as I was searching for a new copy of the DVD online, I was hoping to find some kind of 10-year anniversary special edition, but no such thing has been made.  It would be a real damn shame if future generations don't have access to this film.

For those who haven't seen the movie, Ghost World, (which was actually based on a graphic novel), is a movie about two young women, recently graduated from the high school, and the different paths their lives take as settle into adulthood.  Rebecca (played by Scarlett Johansson) quickly gets the first job she find in order to help realize her dream of moving-in with her friend, Enid.  But Enid (Thora Birch) just can't seem to fall into the mundane, 9-to-5, existence.  Instead, she spends her summer befriending a much older man, Seymour (Steve Buscemi), who has problems relating to people and pretty much hates everything.

On the surface, Ghost World is a coming-of-age tale filled with lots of sarcastic--even dark--humor.  But, below the surface, lies a story about how this consumerist culture has alienated a section of the population.  As one reviewer on Amazon said: "Ghost World isn t for everyone. But it should be. It gives a window into the world of the disenchanted, those of us who walk the streets and feel ill at the sights of the conformist and soulless masses."

I encourage everyone to watch this film.  For the first time--or the hundredth time--it is worth examining.