Anthony Goicolea

Chris Rubino at New York’s Heist Gallery

New York’s Heist Gallery, situated in the city’s steamy Lower East Side, is presenting the work of Chris Rubino, a versatile artist who has created a vast array of imagery through illustration, printing, graphics and photography. The simplicity and flattened forms that dominate his visuals capture pieces of our daily language in minimal forms. For his solo exhibition at Heist, titled Make Believe Maple Leaves, Rubino incorporates the written word into a complex world of iconic lexicon, drawing from process-oriented sketchbook drawings created over the course of one year. Rubino infuses his creations with color using pastel, paint, colored pencil and printmaking. Exuding a faster yet less mechanized energy, this body of work mirrors the way we process imagery and information today. Read more

Roll up, roll up to the Gilbert and George show

I woke up early yesterday to go see the fantastic Gilbert and George show at the Brooklyn Museum before its closing on Sunday. You may have seen their work in art history books. Sure the prints look good, but you really have to experience their monumentally sized photo collages in person while you still can. Read more

Henry Darger at the American Folk Art Museum

This mini-museum is right next to that shining fortress of New York’s MOMA and always has interesting shows, is never crowded, and the works are sure to inspire you. The Folk Art Museum is best known for putting now-popular outsider artist Henry Darger under a huge spotlight. And they’re showing some of his masterpieces yet again. Don’t miss it! Read more

Inland Empire

David Lynch’s most recent theatrical release, Inland Empire, has finally been made available on DVD. A cinematic fever dream, this film is one of his least linear creations, comprised of a collection of seemingly disjointed scenes that, when woven together, tell an incredibly moving and profoundly disturbing story. Built upon an armature of themes common throughout his body of work — prostitution, violence, sex, jealousy, and infidelity — Lynch has crafted his most artful and manipulative film to date, guiding viewers through a vaguely familiar landscape of unspeakable horror. [see also The Science of Sleep]

Cold Heat

Drawn by Frank Santoro and written by Ben Jones, Cold Heat is a semi-monthly tale of sex, drugs, and murder. Fans of Paper Rad, or anything Dan Nadel has been involved with, will love it. Whenever I read it, I can’t help but feel that I’ve been allowed entry into some private universe. The Comics Journal sums it up better than I possibly could: ‘A comic that feels like a cable from a world where the only thing that exists is a dimly lit bedroom in which you’re wearing ripped jeans and you just keep listening to and rewinding Teenage Riot over and over again. Outstanding’.

*Nice doodle. That’s a photorealistic line drawing of a cat riding a bicycle, right? You should sign up for our free weekly newsletter*

Vintage Dungeons and Dragons

With the recent announcement that Dungeons and Dragons will be going into its fourth and most spectacular edition this spring, geek powerhouse, Wizards of the Coast, has ensured that socially awkward children (and adults) throughout the world will continue to be provided with the tools necessary to craft group fantasies within the sanctity of their parents’ basements – taking a Gygaxian journey back to a simpler, happier time.

*Yes, organic skincare products and STRANGEco toys make us happy too. So you should sign up for our free weekly newsletter*