Buff Monster Toys
|Odd, simple and surreal, these toys are really more accessible art objects. Sporting bit of a Keith Haring meets Murakami attitude, Buff’s toys fill any remaining generational gap between aging hipsters and their hyper plugged-in progeny. My wife and I collect Buff’s stuff, as do my two children.
Tagged: ron english, vinyl toys
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Previous Guest Editor of Lost At E Minor, Shepard Fairey, and Jennifer Gross have a fantastic new book out through Abrams entitled, Art For Obama. Featuring artwork from more than a hundred International artists, including fellow Lost At E Minor Guest Editor Ron English [illustration above], Lukas Ketner, Kwaku Alston, Maya Hayuk, and Lisa Anne Auerbach, many of the works were created before the election to raise money for the Obama campaign. Pieces range from fashion to installation, and most refer back to Obama’s likeness. This will be a great book to look back on many years from now. And it’s a guilt free purchase, as all of the authors’ proceeds will be donated to Americans for the Arts charity. Read more
In the midst of a neo-contemporary art movement muddled with carbon copy exhibitions and copycat galleries from all over the globe, artists and musicians assemble in a space in East London’s Hoxton district to showcase art, make music, and create whatever the hell they want. This is the essence of multi-faceted artist Pure Evil, descendant of Utopia scribe Sir Thomas More and mastermind behind the gallery, the music, the clothing lines, and the message. Read more
I love monsters. I love old photographs. I love Travis Louie’s paintings. His masterfully refined technique allows him to take stunning portraits of the monsters in the recesses of his endless imagination. A beautiful balance of the grotesque and the comic, they are the perfect metaphor for the modern human. Once you acquire a taste for his product, you just keep wanting more and thankfully he keeps delivering his miniature masterpieces at an inhuman pace.
Also by RON ENGLISH
Super catchy old-school pop songs delivered by the enigmatic raspy-voiced Jack Medicine keep The Electric Illuminati on regular rotation here at the English household. Subjects for songs range from a messianic Barack Obama, to MC Supersized (the 500 pound Ronald McDonald), to a sequel to the Beatles song, Fool on the Hill. Jack sings the clever, darkly optimistic lyrics I have always wanted to hear in pop songs with energetic aplomb and a glee that would make Kurt Cobain’s corpse blush. Full disclosure: I am the band’s lyricist.
Morgan Spurlock on finding Bin Laden
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My background is in street art and there are a lot of people historically who I’ve really liked. But in terms of new people, I particularly love the work of Brooklyn artist Judith Supine. It’s a surreal combination of old engraving art mixed with hand-drawn and painted images. He does paste up posters, but they’re not just square, they’re cut-out shapes of these interesting looking characters. The closest thing I could compare it to are the Monty Python animations. Read more
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‘Some people call me the space cowboy, some call me the gangster of love, some people call me Maurice, cause I speak with the pompetus of love’. The pompetus of love?! Really. I don’t know what the heck Steve Miller was on the day he wrote that, but I could sure do with some now. Read more
Mozzarella is the new sushi in New York since the opening of Obikà (pronounced Oh-bee-KA), Manhattan’s first mozzarella bar, at 590 Madison Avenue. Read more
Seldom has black humour been done so well. On the surface, this film about the everyday lives of some unusually mundane characters, sounds extraordinarily boring. But it is instead a cutting comment on the absurdity and drudgery of everyday life. The characters try to break out or change their lives without success, and the results are bleak and hilarious. Read more
Finding an original accessory these days is a bit of a rarity. I mean, when every second person you see is wearing one of those damn Palestinian scarfs, you know the industry is crying out for a fresh take. Enter Sydney-based jewellery label August + Pemberton. Read more
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With the recession still biting, it may be time to whip out the glue and the cardboard and make your next pair of cool kicks. Don’t know how they’d manage in the rain though? Read more
Karen Caldicott’s clay head models
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Richmond-based graffiti artist Chip7 has a style that is at once urban and also vaguely tribal with their crude lines and rich patterns. Read more
Hong Kong-based illustrator Man-Tsun draws dark and beautiful painterly images that look like they are straight off a high-end Japanese animated film. Read more
I live the upbeat, feel good tempo of the new single — A Hundred Hearts — from Philly group, The Swimmers. Off their latest album, People Are Soft, this song is a strangely fitting anthem for the blustery day outside.
Wolfmother. Rock n roll. Mystical lyrics. Heavy riffs. They have a new album out, Cosmic Egg, and we have five copies to giveaway, along with their debut album. To enter, tell us your favorite Wolfmother song and the city you live in. Yo! Two fingered salute. Read more
Fourth is King make limited edition unisex t-shirts, printed on 50 percent polyester and 50 percent cotton construction, with custom embroidered tag on the left sleeve. Read more
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