Marina Abramović — who recently completed her quiet The Artist is Present at the Museum of Modern Art — is once again embarking on a project of “sustained stillness and silence.” The Serbian performance artist has issued a casting call for dancers, yogis, and actors of all ages to participate in a gala event she’s orchestrating for MOCA on November 11 and 12. If you possess ” … excellent physical stamina, focus and discipline,” hit downtown L.A. for auditions November 7 to 10 to strut your stuff for the conceptual art maven. Did we mention public nudity might be required? ” … Only a small percentage of the female roles being cast require nudity,” Abramović reassures on her Facebook page — where you can head for more info. Will you be trying out for a role in the renowned artist’s latest?
1. Art in the Streets — the enormous street art exhibition which is currently on view at the MOCA — will not be coming to the Brooklyn Museum later this year, as was previously planned. The official reason being cited is budget cuts, but as a source told LA Weekly: “I think it could be a combination that the museum is afraid of the show and the negative press it could bring them. Why would New York not want this show? I don’t believe that someone would not pay for this exhibit.”
2. Page Six reports that Columbia Records is hoping to put together a Destiny’s Child reunion album to help offset the money that they’re expecting to lose on Beyoncé’s new album, 4.
3. In the week leading up to the release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Part 2, AMC Theatres has announced that it will screen a marathon of the previous seven films from the series in 29 cities nationwide. Click here to see if your town made the cut. [via EW]
4. NBC has decided to give Donald Trump a raise for his work on Celebrity Apprentice, to an estimated $65 million a year, which makes him the highest paid reality star on TV. Considering that the President makes a mere $400K annually, suddenly his refusal to run for office makes a lot more sense. [via Daily Intel]
5. Happy news: Jon Hamm just signed an eight-figure deal for three more years of Mad Men; since the show’s creator, Matthew Weiner, recently locked down a similar contract, it sounds like we’ve got a few more seasons of our favorite show to look forward to. [via Deadline]
Bonus link: Jon Stewart Reads Off Laundry List of False Statements by ‘Lying Dynasty’ Fox News (video)
This time of year, we all want to dazzle our mothers by planning something fun for her special day. And no matter where you live, there’s bound to be something more than just brunch going on — like brunch on a 444-acre estate with an archeological preserve perhaps? How about an exhibit by the Degenerative Art Ensemble, a walk through a Kara Walker show with the artist and a New Yorker art critic, or an interactive screening of Mommie Dearest? For puckish mothers who like that extra special effort, we have some suggestions for things to do in each of the Flavorpill cities.
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Opening this weekend, the first major American museum survey of graffiti and street art, Art in the Streets chronicles the evolution of the urban art movement from the 1970s through today. MoCA’s groundbreaking exhibit features works by dozens of working artists, including Shepard Fairey and Swoon, but for anyone who can’t make it to the show, we’ve compiled a list of must-have books on the topic. From the 1987 book Spraycan Art to The History of American Graffiti, our required reading list gives you everything you’ll need to stay informed about the past, present, and future of graffiti art across the globe.
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Next month in Los Angeles, the Museum of Contemporary Art will present Art in the Streets, the first major US museum show to examine street art and graffiti in the context of contemporary art history, and by all accounts, a bit of a coming out party for new museum director Jeffery Deitch. The exhibition will showcase installations by 50 artists, including Swoon, Shepard Fairey, Os Gemeos, and JR, and will reunite Steve Powers, Todd James, and Barry McGee for a new iteration of their legendary Street Market show. There will also be a custom skate ramp in the museum designed by pro-skater Lance Mountain and artist Geoff McFetridge, with live demonstrations by the Nike SB skate team. While the show doesn’t officially open until April 17th, in the meantime you can click through to preview a few images. And New Yorkers, take solace: Art in the Streets moves to the Brooklyn Museum next March.
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Sometimes even the most literary among us need some suggestions. And who better to do it than the authors themselves? Welcome to Bookshelf, our newest literary feature, wherein we ask authors to design us a fantasy bookshelf, giving us their recommendations for the perfect reading material on a variety of topics. This week, author Cheryl Lu-Lien Tan, whose sweet, witty food memoir, A Tiger in the Kitchen, comes out February 8th, draws on her considerable literary and culinary experience to tell us which inspiring foodie-favorites she would want on the fantasy bookshelf in her kitchen. Or your kitchen, as the case may be. Also check out Tan’s blog, where she has super cute recipes (maple-bacon ice cream!) and clever ruminations on food, family and everything in between.
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1. ArtsBeat is reporting that the opening of Spider-Man: Turn Off the Lights will now be pushed from January 11 until sometime in February. This will allow time for the creators to make several changes, including changing the final number, rewriting the dialogue, adding new music from the composers, U2’s Bono and the Edge.
2. Watch David Letterman’s hilarious tribute to Larry King, who hosted Larry King Live for the last time last night, complete with a Larry blooper reel. [via Gawker.tv]
3. Spike Jonze and Charlie Kaufman are pitching a new movie! According to the LA Times, “While the plot is being kept under tight wraps — it’s a pitch, so a script has yet to be written, and Kaufman movies are famously hard to describe in a few sentences anyway — two people familiar with the project said it has been making the rounds to independent financiers in recent weeks.”
4. Yesterday Anne Hathaway surprised the kids from the PS22 Chorus with the news that they’ll be performing at this year’s Academy Awards ceremony on February 27th. Watch a video of their reaction.
5. An anonymous LA street artist has put a new work in response to MOCA director Jeffrey Deitch’s decision to paint over another artist’s mural that he had commissioned: “The wheat-pasted mural depicts the face of Deitch on the body of an Iranian ayatollah holding an extension pole with a paint roller at the end — and it’s set against Italian street artist Blu’s now-controversial anti-war imagery.” [via Culture Monster]
Bonus link: Roger Ebert’s Top 10 Films of 2010
In honor of this spring’s massive Art in the Streets exhibition, MoCA director Jeffrey Deitch commissioned a piece from street artist Blu to be painted directly on the museum’s wall. The mural — a series of giant coffins wrapped in dollar bills — went up on Wednesday. And then yesterday, it was already being painted over. So what do you think: Was this just a publicity stunt? Or was it some kind of performance art? Regardless of the reason, we’d hate to be the guy in the photo above blotting out Blu’s work. And we can’t believe that Deitch, a longtime street art champion, would let it happen.
Update: The official explanation from MoCA over the weekend:
“MOCA commissioned Blu, one of the world’s most outstanding street artists to create a work for the north wall of The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA.
“The Geffen Contemporary building is located on a special, historic site. Directly in front the north wall is the Go For Broke monument, which commemorates the heroic roles of Japanese American soldiers, who served in Europe and the Pacific during World War II, and opposite the wall is the LA Veterans’ Affairs Hospital. The museum’s director explained to Blu that in this context, where MOCA is a guest among this historic Japanese American community, the work was inappropriate. MOCA has invited Blu to return to Los Angeles to paint another mural.”
And here’s what Blu told ANIMAL:
“sad story
but watching the reactions is much more
interesting than giving my personal opinion
the facts are known:
Blu is asked by Moca to paint a wall
the wall is painted (not completely finished
unfortunately)
Moca decides to erase the wall
the wall is now white
the images are already public
everyone can make his own idea about the event
for everything else
time will tell…”
[via GOOD]
Best known for his film career, Dennis Hopper was also a photographer, artist, collector, and fixture of the creative community for over half a century.
James Dean first introduced Hopper to the Los Angeles art world after the two met on the set of Rebel Without a Cause. He went on to produce a wide body of visual art while working as an actor and director on classic movies like Easy Rider. As an artist, Hopper’s talent was most obvious in his photography, which documented his creatively charged milieu and reflected his uncanny ability to be in the right place at the right time.
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One-man interdisciplinary mash-up Rodney Graham tackles photography, filmmaking, acting, and music as elements of his artistic practice.
The Vancouver-based artist has shown all over the world, in galleries from Chicago to Mexico City, and in blockbuster exhibitions at MOCA and the Whitney Biennial. He’s also known for the occasional intimate club performance. But it’s not just genres Graham splices together; a master of lush production values, he’s capable of communicating compelling, comedic, and politically salient messages with a single charismatic gesture.
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