Keith Selby x Grace Poon
Hometown - Cali
Occupation - Photographer, Stylist, Writer and Uplifter.
Whats your inspires your style?I’m not sure if I even have a style. I just know that I’m most comfortable when I have an equal mix of masculinity and femininity in my outfit. I guess I could say music and culture definitely inspires me. Read more
We want Miles
Until August 29th, Montreal’s Museum of Fine Arts is the home ‘We want Miles’ an interactive exhibition that takes you in meander of Miles Davis’ universe. From his childhood to the early years of his career, to his later days. The impressive mix of audiovisual material, never before seen film footage, rare handwritten scores, instrument (and so much more… ) makes this exhibit so unique. We should also note that this feature 4 paintings by none other Jean-Michel Basquiat.
For more info, peep the exhibit’s microsite
True Beauty: Kimberly Sumner
In all areas of the world beauty is interpreted differently. For example in America our ideas of beauty tend to me targeted towards the external. We however, like to explore the internal beauty of people from different spectrums of life. Kimberly Sumner defines true beauty through her creativity speech and aura.
Major Lazer Hits NYC!
With the reputation to get the party started with ground-breaking hits (featuring artists like M.I.A. and reggae artist Vybe Kartel) — Major Lazer will be making some noise at Terminal 5 tomorrow (April 3rd).
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German Venegas.
- Courtesy Of Sigourney Salley
R.I.P Da Ruler x Trace
HOMETOWN: New York City
OCCUPATION: Event planner, (6th grade) Poetry Teacher
AGE: 24
What do you collect?
I like to collect women hearts, as well as old electronic devices and
things; Rotary phones, old music sequencers, radios etc. I also like to
collect jewelry. Read more
Whitney Biennial 2010: Rashaad Newsome Performance
According to Rashaad Newsom, his exhibit called Five which is to be shown during the Whitney Biennial 2010 deals with this growing phenomenon:
“Five is a multimedia performance that redefines how performance art is chronicled beyond the traditional mediums of video and photography. At the same time, Five serves as a platform to help voguing transcend its marginalization and be seen as a legitimate art form. Using custom-made interactive sound and video manipulation technologies, set to live vocals and an improvisational score Newsome creates a line drawing from the five dance elements of voguing.”
- Courtesy of Sigourney Salley
Renaissance 2.0: Curtis Santiago
Curtis Santiago is a breath of fresh air - the kind of creative visionary who steps onto the scene and revolutionizes the game rather effortlessly. You’ve probably heard his name bouncing off the lips of those kids who are always two-steps ahead when it comes to music, fashion, film and art. That’s because Canadian born-and-raised Santiago has made a name for himself in every field – he was a member of the Hi-Phoniqs soul band in the late 90s, has co-hosted CTV’s Fashion Television, has exhibited his colorful, “wild-style” paintings in galleries across the country, made his acting debut in a John Cusak film that recently wrapped in Toronto, and is now set to host the highly-anticipated RedBull 3Style DJ Tour. His music is as post-genre as he is, fusing slick rhymes with soulful rock. Santiago released his latest mixtape with Mick Boogie, “HAVE MERCY!” last April, featuring a collaboration with TRACE favorite Mickey Factz on a remix of The Killers hit track “Human”. TRACE sat down with Santiago to gain a little more insight into his eclectic music, personal style and future projects. Read more
Dungeon Dragons: Little Dragon Performs at Le Poisson Rouge.
Since releasing their self-titled debut album,
For additional show and ticket info visit: http://lepoissonrouge.com/events/view/633
- Courtesy of Devin “Pan” Barrett
Perfectly Flawed [The Shape of Black]
They say if Eve did not eat the apple, women (and men) would have forgiving eyes when they come across the visual display of the female body. Unfortunately, knowing the female body doesn’t come with understanding, and time has allowed our fantasies and ideals to create a bondage around it. It seems the more humans are exposed to anatomy, the more they become obsessed with perfecting it. When females -in particular- are observed as objects (sex symbols, video vixens, and ANTM’s), they no longer feel comfortable in their own skin. The hissing, the grabbing, and the judging weighs too much. So they become afraid to communicate with their bodies. They lose the feminine walk, and cover their curves under layers of clothing, because they are unsure about what they see. If humans can understand that perfection lies within the imperfections, they will begin to appreciate the female body as it is, flaws and all. The Shape of Black (an exhibit-installation produced by Social Mogul, Divine Bradley) is a collection of black and white photographs (captured by professional photographer, Cathrine Westergaard) that celebrate the beautiful bodies of Black women. The Shape of Black exceeds a snap-and-develop moment; it is a visual novel that tells the stories of individual Black women and their choice to celebrate their bodies the way it is.
Toni Burke: What inspired The Shape of Black? Cathrine Westergaard: Divine approached me about the exhibit idea over a year ago and I fell in love with the concept. If felt like it was time to celebrate an area of beauty that is so under celebrated in mainstream society and the art world. Black women have the most beautiful curves, and historically, cultures have worshiped strong shapes and womanly ideals, not the heroin chic images women are compared to now. As a woman, it is impossible to go through life and not be affected by commercial standards and ideals of beauty. Divine and I both felt it was time to open up a dialogue on the subject and give black women a chance to tell their stories. Divine Bradley: I wanted to create an installation that celebrated women and dealt with the years of insecurities women faced. I’ve come into contact with a lot of beautiful women, that didn’t see their beauty due to minor imperfections…and I saw them differently. So I wanted to capture that in a very tasteful, provocative display of black and white photography. I knew that Cathrine would be the best person to create the still version of what I seen.
TB: When you refer to the word ‘Black’, is it comprehensive of all Black women or specifically directed towards African-American (Black) women? CW: Our mission with The Shape Of Black is to create a global conversation so we intend for this installation to travel and incorporate black women from all over the world. It is also important to understand that The Shape Of Black is not only about the color of the women; it is more than that. It is about the space we inhabit. Artists learn through our formal art training that it is equally important to look at the negative spaces of our subject as the positive space. The Shape of Black is really about looking at black women’s beauty and bodies as art. DB: The shape of black has multiple meanings. Its primarily about womenof color…period, which goes across many cultural boundaries. Secondary, we want to open it up to more women because the title is really about the black and white photography being taken…focusing on the contour of the body- whether it is their hands, feet, or back. I wanted to start with women of color specifically because those are the first women I encountered in my family dealing with these insecurities. Women, after having babies talk about stretch marks, body parts expanded and they felt they weren’t as beautiful any more; I grew up hearing that all my life.
TB: The Shape of Black’s mission states, “[These images] will show you the real definition of[Black] beauty.” What is your definition of real Black beauty, and how does it compare to the real beauty of other races? CW: These images are real stories, told by real black women about their real relationship to their bodies and their sense of beauty. Our goal is to redefine the ideals of black beauty prevalent in magazines and the music industry. I am merely the visual vehicle and the storyteller. This exhibit is not a comparison between women in any sense of the word. I feel comparing ourselves is what has gotten us into such a mess in the first place. The Shape Of Black is a safe place where women can begin to explore themselves. We need to come to terms with these issues if our goal is to learn to love ourselves. DB: Real black beauty is extremely genuine and captures [black] women as they liberate and celebrate themselves. Read more