Man in the Dark

WE'RE SUPPORTING

Hindu, Greek, and Buddhist mythology informs the work of Brooklynite Chitra Ganesh, who makes cryptic, surreal sculptures, murals, installations, multimedia drawings, and photography that draw from Indian comic books, Bollywood posters, and other ephemera of South Asian culture, as well as 19th century portraiture, anime, and the standard touch stones of a globalized psyche. The absurdity and sexuality of her work present the war between modernity, tradition, and nationality over the idea of femininity – her figures are almost entirely female, and watchful, menacing eyes are a common motif in her work. A lot of her stuff is reminiscent of Raymond Pettibon, in a good way. Read more

WE'RE LISTENING TO

Monarch are an incredibly grim, lumbering doom metal band from Basque country in France. Frontwoman Emilie Bresson is one of those rare female singers in metal that’s at once fierce and raspy, yet identifiably female, creating a haunting, menacing sound that can stand up against the most ragingly macho bands out there.

WE'RE THINKING

I checked out the Armory Show in Manhattan a couple of weeks back and amongst the aisles of impressive contemporary art I was particularly taken by the work of Japanese artist, Mahomi Kunikata, whose vibrant and colorful paintings are full of mischievous characters and ‘joy joy’ sentimentality.

WE'RE TRAVELLING TO

This striking design — still in the planning stages — aims to covert a desolate, disused sand mine into a thriving environmental preserve and eco-resort. The development lists an impressive array of green designs, including living walls and a five-acre green roof, and effortlessly succeeds in that all important eco-feature of blending in with its surrounding environment. Read more

Set in a remote Chinese village in the 1920s during a cholera outbreak and with a revolution bubbling in the background, The Painted Veil is a wonderfully tortured love story which excels on all levels. Based on the W Somerset Maugham novel, it was a labour of love for stars Edward Norton and Naomi Watts, who also produced the film. Read more

WE'RE WEARING

When my uber-creative and slightly eccentric twin brother announced one day that chainmail would be making a return, it only confirmed that he’d missed out on the fashion genes. But after checking out the fingerless chainmail glove in Toby Jones’ new collection — My hands are tied — it now appears he had a legitimate vision. Working a look straight out of a Mad Max scene, Jones’ designs will have us accessorizing in true post-apocalyptic style, using everyday objects as adornment. But you don’t need to be cruising around town in a black Interceptor to appreciate them. Be your own character with chain swinging padlocks and multi-purpose shoelaces. It’s about time you got your hands into something different.

WE'RE READING

Yes, Cuteoverload has been doing it for years, but can there really be too many sites devoted to cute animals? Fuck Yeah Puppies may not be original, but they have puppies. Lots and lots of puppies.