OMFG!!! Kehinde x MJ

unveiled this week at Miami Art Basel.....

i'm speechless.

Come to the (BLACK) Light

the only thing Snobette loves more than a gallery opening ......
is a gallery closing.....
especially ones sponsored by champagne companies.

Celebrate the closing of Kehinde Wiley Black Light exhibit at the Deitch,
hosted by Heron Preston and Katia Tallarico.

Wanna Roll with Tha CLIC

In this ever evolving metropolis its so easy to look up from your daily hustles and realize that your surroundings have completely changed. Often while bullshittin my way around south of 14th st, I'll stumble upon a new hotel or a new boutique, or sometimes if I'm really caught up in my head, I'll suddenly realize that a whole block has been wiped out: scaffolds and cranes and dust lay in its place. New York is in an eternal state of change which is probably why we're all in a rush all the time. Gotta see this or do that or go here before its all gone. This whole city is one of those 'LIMITED TIME ONLY' deals.

Pay homage to the past lives of NYC at CLIC Gallery this Wednesday with the opening of STOREFRONT: The Disappearing Face of New York. Featuring the work of urban photographers James and Karla Murray.

STORE FRONT is a photographic survey documenting the fast disappearing mom-and-pop stores of New York City. JAMES AND KARLA MURRAY spent more than ten years photographing the distinctive storefronts of family-run shops in neighborhoods throughout the city. From cheerful Italian bakeries with hand-painted murals to the dingy dive bar that became a local institution, the Murrays’ bright photographs are a striking visual record of how colorful and idiosyncratic each block of New York’s streetscape once was.

STOREFRONT
Opening Reception
Wednesday July 15
from 6-9
Clic Gallery
255 Centre Street

And while you're there pop around the corner and check out the Clic Bookstore at 189 Lafayette St. Its a well curated space, stocking only a handful of photograpy and art books. They keep the real goodies, their rare first-prints and collectible items, on the upper shelves. Make sure to peep them. Stylists, designers, photographers, and artist pay attention, Clic Bookstore is a gem for all kinds of amazing visual references.
Trust me. Go. You'll thank me later.

I Learned From Tha Best

Though you probably can't tell....I have earned a Bachelor's Degree
....and no, its not in party n' bullshittin.
While toiling my days away in undergrad I had the pleasure of having Michael Thomas as one of my Literature professors.

In a sea of old pasty white faces....Prof. Thomas was a little island of Milk Chocolate. A welcoming oasis in the arid dessert of ugly City University professors.

Needless to say...I sat in the front row. Everyday. Even if I was Late. And woe be unto the hoe that tried to take my seat.
Bigger than his chiseled face and hot bod, Thomas was an amazing professor. He possessed a voracious ability to analyze and ferret out the hidden meanings in text; in a manner that was more akin to my Media studies classes more so than the average English course. Prof. Thomas had us reading Slave Narratives, something that I would've never picked up on my own. And because of this my understanding of what it means to be Black in America is what it is today.....minus my love for semi-ignorant rap songs (Halle Berrryy Halle Berry!!).While browsing my fave book store of all time McKnally back in 2007-ish, I was so excited to see that Prof. Thomas had published his first book MAN GONE DOWN.

“Man Gone Down” focuses on four increasingly desperate days in the life of an unnamed black narrator living in Brooklyn, whose marriage seems to be falling apart. Brilliant and troubled, he is on the eve of his 35th birthday but is broke, struggling not to lapse back into alcoholism and burdened by the knowledge he has fallen short of the promise he seemed to show as a younger man.

Like a trend that you just picked up on, then started noticing it everywhere all of a sudden, this book was popping up on top 10 lists and most notably that of the New York Times Book Review.
So you can imagine how overjoyed I was for Prof. Thomas when he received the Impac Dublin Prize.... and by prize I mean somewhere around $138,00.

The Impac Dublin award is often described as “the largest and most international” literary prize in the world after the Nobel. It is open to fiction written in any language, with nominations made by libraries; in the 2009 competition, 157 libraries in 41 different countries offered 146 candidates. The prize, first awarded in 1996, was established by the Dublin city government and is financed by Impac, the multinational business consulting company.

Man Gone Down is currently in its fourth printing with 65,000 copies shipped. The Arts section of yesterday's NY Times ran a piece where Michael Thomas touches upon race in America since Obama, his plans for the future and the similarities between himself and Man Gone Down's protagonist. Peep the article.

Sending a major congrats and a 3-gun salute (buk, buk, buk) to Michael Thomas. We'll definitely be in touch as I will be ridin your coattails to THE TOP. Thank you and you're welcome.

Cop the Product

Whole in the Wall: Redux

Hey Snobbers,
Quit playin' ya selves and go see the "Whole in the Wall" exhibit at the Helenbeck Gallery.



Its multimedia


Its old school

Its new school

Its furniture

Its money

Its Porsche hoods

Its NYC in the 80's

Its Paris circa Now

Its London of the moment

Whilst I was art sluttin it at the opening night, ran into the good peeps from The New Pop.
Peep their amazing video-thingy....and see if you can spot Snobette ( lookin crazy BTWss).





Even the NY Times got all up in the Whole in the Wall;
peep their article entitled : Where Louis XIV Meets Crash and Blade
God Bless their genius Copyeditors

We in 'dere

l'homage: Bea Arthur

Thank you for being a friend.....







....and occasionally letting it all hang out

Bea Arthur Naked by John Currin

STAY GOLDEN GIRL.....

BEATRICE ARTHUR
May 13, 1922 – April 25, 2009

sssshhhhh....BAMart Silent Auction

Starting next Thursday, the 29th, BAMart is hosting their 5th Annual Silent Auction. This year Kehinde Wiley will preside as the honorary artist chair.

Wiley, known for his mega-sized canvas paintings of 'Raheem Round-the-Ways', will have his work, along with over 150 emerging visual artists, on display at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. Bidding will take place online and closes on MAY 11.



This is great way to support BAM, a major cultural institute and the New York Arts scene. And even if you can't come off of some coins to bid, feel free to pop in and enjoy all that culture for the low price of $FREE99......

Thank art gods.
and
Thank you BAM.

New Reasons for Living

Hey Snobbers,

So I been semi uninspired of late. And as I'm sure you've noticed haven't posted anything recently. Since I've started this blog, I've encountered a steady stream of supporters/whip-crackers telling me "You need to update your blog" or asking "When are you gonna write something new?"

For anyone who really knows me you know that:

A) I'm lazy

B) This blog is a labour of love...emphasis on labour

and

C) I'll NEVER blog simply for the sake of blogging.

Blogging for the sake of blogging and, for that matter, doing anything without the true motivation or inspiration produces half-assed shit. And I ain't never been about half-assin' it, except, maybe when it comes to sex.... Just kidding.

As a Cultural Critic, I feel that too often people "create" without possessing any real love for what they do. And without love, there is no respect for the craft. Hence, people will stamp their names on any-old shit-in-a-box and keep it moving.

Well there will be none of that here at Critique de Culture, where we blog with integrity and put our heart and souls into each tiny morsel of hate and snobbery.

With that being said here are my new reasons for living:

Reason #1

MOMA's Atlantic Pacific Installation

The good folks at the Museum of Modern Art have bestowed on us lucky Brooklynites reproductions of over 50 pieces of art to be plastered all over the Atlantic Ave/Pacific trainstation.

Check out this adorable excerpt from their mission statment:.

"We know you’re moving at warp speed to get from here to there, but take a
breath and take a look. We hope what you see in the station changes the way you
see the world today, if only for a moment. And it’s a reminder that the real
MoMA is only a short ride away."

How amazing is that?!? Now I get to enjoy the works of Kara Walker, Vincent van Gogh, Jackson Pollack, Picasso, and Roy Lichtenstein while I wait for that 2 train that will never come.

Reason #2
This Why You're Fat.com

Dubbed as the place "Where Dreams Become Heart Attacks", this website features the most gluttonus, artery-clogging, bulemia-inducing delicacies to ever grace the earth.

Feast your eyes upon the Bacon Cheeseburger with Chocolate covered Bacon

Gravy Covered Pizza

or the Spaghetti Meatball on a stick

Strands of cooked spaghetti worked into a meatball, dipped in dough, deep-fried, then topped with marinara sauce

For my Ramen lovers, get into the Romellette, an omlet made with Ramen noodles.


YUMM!!!

Reason #3

The scaffolds are coming down at Topshop!!

Rejoice Retail Whores, the Brits are (finally) coming!!

Wiley for The Night: Kehinde at Deitch

If you're missed out on Miami Art Basel like me, thank the Art gods that we can still get "DOWN" in NYC!!

In case you didn't know, its imperative that you stop by the Deitch galleries to check out DOWN the latest showing from NY-based artist Kehinde Wiley.
I've already gone twice, and I'm sure I'll be back again before it closes on December 20.

photo courtesy of The Fader.com


DOWN is a exhibition of large scale works by Mr. Wiley, where his Jamals-from-'round-the-way subjects become "historical paintings and sculptures of fallen warriors and figures in a state repose."

With the heavy sensual overtones present in DOWN's paintings, Wiley transforms these heroic classical milieus into thugesque-come-hither vulnerable moments.

Previous painting, not featured in DOWN


Mr. Wiley's use of everyday Joe...err Jerome Schmoes combines the schools of Neoclassicism and Realism all at once. Reminiscent of Jean-Francois Millet's Realism, Wiley disrupts the status quo by placing the marginalized at the forefront of a large canvas. In Millet's time, it was his use of Provencal peasants that received much criticism.

The Gleaners by Millet

While Wiley keeps it real, he also adopts the posture and silhouette of Neoclassical painters such as Jacques-Louis David. Namely David's Death of Marat comes to mind when I look at the figures of/in DOWN.

The Death of Marat by David


Well enough of my amateur pontificatin'....

go and see for yourselves!!

All this goodness has been brought to you by the good people at Deitch Projects

and the genius mind of Kehinde Wiley