So, here’s the least surprising news in the world: James Franco, who is in just about every movie being made right now and has already played such real-life gay cultural figures as Allen Ginsberg, Hart Crane, and Harvey Milk’s boyfriend Scott Smith, will star as Robert Mapplethorpe in a new biopic. Called simply Mapplethorpe, the film will be directed by Ondi Timoner — who’s known for her cult-favorite documentaries Dig! and We Live in Public – and has just been blessed with a grant from Tribeca Film Institute’s Tribeca All Access Program. Oh, and Joss Whedon fans? Today’s James Franco pop-culture Madlib is rounded out by Eliza Dushku, who is a producer on the project. [via THR]
Lost in Translation director Sofia Coppola played the role of guest curator for a Paris exhibition of the late Robert Mapplethorpe’s photographs. Gallery Thaddaeus Ropac partnered with the Mapplethorpe foundation and asked the filmmaker to assemble a new show, pulling from their vast archives. The results are intimate, tender, and evoke the director’s emotional cinematic worlds. All sales from the exhibition benefit the foundation’s continuous AIDS research support and scholarship program founded by Mapplethorpe in the ’80s. If you can’t jet to Paris before January 7, head to ArtInfo for a preview. [Image credit: Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation]
Matt Momchilov has been digging around in our subconscious. That was our first thought upon seeing the publicity image for the artist’s new show, They Really Want You, at San Francisco’s Unspeakable Projects: a sculpture of a drag queen dressed as Courtney Love ca. 1994, clutching a studded leather jacket bearing a portrait of Roseanne Barr. Momchilov approaches pop culture through a distinctly queer and countercultural lens; the Roseanne piece is part of a series of leather jackets that replace the expected macho, heterosexual hardcore heroes — Henry Rollins, Ian MacKaye — with his own pantheon of Stevie Nicks, Robert Mapplethorpe, and John Waters. While celebrating these icons, Momchilov is also dramatizing fans’ relationships to the stars they worship. Click through for some highlights from They Really Want You, and if you’re in the Bay Area, be sure to stop by and see the show in person before it closes December 1st.
Yesterday, Patti Smith’s first major photography exhibition, Camera Solo, opened at the Wadsworth Atheneum in Hartford, Connecticut. Smith opened the show, which boasts 70-odd intimate black and white photographs shot with either a vintage Land 100 or a Land 250 Polaroid camera, a multi-media installation, and a video work, with an hour-long performance that doubled as a birthday salute to Rimbaud, her ultimate muse. Fitting, because many of the gorgeous, misty photographs are inspired by artifacts from some of Smith’s favorite artists, from museums she has visited around the world, and many are from her personal life, making the show as a whole feel like a complex view of her world and the things that inspire her. For those that can’t make it to Hartford, or who just can’t get enough, an accompanying book, Patti Smith: Camera Solo, is also slated to come out at the end of the month. Click through to see a few images from the exhibition, and let us know what you think in the comments.
After running features on the childhood photos of both famous writers and rock stars over the past few weeks, it might seem like we’re a bit youth-obsessed at Flavorwire lately. But we promise that that’s not the case. We just think that there’s something fascinating about images of cultural icons snapped long before they’d become household names. It humanizes them a bit. And so, today we turn our focus on the art world — specifically, some of the most influential talents of the past 100 years. Click through to peep photos of everyone from a dashing young Andy Warhol (pictured here) to a breathtakingly adorable baby Yoko Ono.
The concept of the Mastergram Tumblr is simple: “Remarkable photos made better (or worse) using Instagram.” Yet, just the loaded byline alone sends disgruntled shudders up the spines of photography purists while iPhone enthusiasts get giddy with anticipation. There you have it. Celebrated shots by Cindy Sherman, William Eggleston, Robert Mapplethorpe, and more, fed through smoothing, brightening, tinting Instagram effects — the very same technology that makes your most banal shots all pretty and special.
Photographer Andrew Emond investigates: “If the Instagram effect can make mundane images appear to be works of art, what happens when we apply the same filters to images that have historically been held in high regard? Is the imagery degraded or enhanced as a result? Does the effect add a new layer of meaning to the photo? Perhaps these are questions best left resolved by the viewer.” View the manipulated imagery below and see how Nan Goldin’s faded, blue-less bruise makes you feel.
There’s been much buzz about the newly announced forthcoming biopic based on Patti Smith’s bestselling memoir, Just Kids. We’re as excited as anybody, and like many of you (we imagine), we’ve been spending our off hours turning over possible actors — not only for the roles of Patti and Robert, but their supporting players as well. After all, a film like this, based on real life events and concerning persons still living, as well as depicting characters much beloved in our culture, is going to be pretty hard to cast. Ever the overachievers, we thought we’d take a stab at casting our picks for Patti, Robert, and some of their friends. Click through to see who we chose, and let us know your own feelings (we’re sure you have strong ones) in the comments!
Given that yesterday was what would have been famous portraitist (and self-portraitist) Andy Warhol‘s 83 birthday, we’ve been thinking a little bit about the long history of self-portraiture. Many artists’ first subjects are themselves, which makes some sense, considering the proximity and availability of one’s own face. Often artists’ self portraits differ greatly from the rest of their work, but some trade almost exclusively in the form. Like anything else, the mediums and methods vary widely, but all are fascinating in that they attempt to show an inner part of the artist more directly than any representation of an outside subject could. With that in mind, click through for our very incomplete (how could it not be?) visual history of self-portraiture, and let us know if we’ve missed any of your favorite pieces in the comments!
While AIDS cases are on the decline in many parts of the world, it’s still our most pressing global epidemic. Thirty-five million people are affected by HIV/AIDS worldwide. Last month marked the 30th anniversary of the discovery of HIV in West Hollywood.
In honor of this anniversary, we wanted to highlight MAC Cosmetics who has been doing more than their part to trim the numbers since 1994. With your help, the MAC AIDS FUND has raised $218 million exclusively through the sale of MAC’s Viva Glam Lipstick and Lipglass donating 100 percent of the funds to support people living with HIV/AIDS around the world. You can also get involved and spread awareness by going to Vivaglam.com, creating an online profile, and uploading a photo of yourself for a chance to be part of the largest fashion collaboration in history with MAC and Lady Gaga.
We were also inspired to pay tribute to 10 cultural icons who died due to AIDS-related causes. Read on for our roundup.
While knee-jerk Senator Jesse Helms did his unlevel best to ensure that America at-large most remembered the more pornographic work of Robert Mapplethorpe, we of sounder mind know that the lensman contained many multitudes. In addition to shooting kittens and children and mountains and coconuts and all sorts of floral exotica, Mapplethorpe shot portraits, largely of the most influential people of his time. What’s cool about the collection culled in Mapplethorpe X7, a magnificent recent release from teNeues, is that it’s curated by seven of the keenest eyes of all time. There’s David Hockney, who errs on the side of visualists (Lichtenstein, Rauschenberg, Warhol, et al), and Cindy Sherman, who digs things up close and very personal, whether wardrobed or disrobed. Robert Wilson seems to want to stir up some controversy all over again, or perhaps the playwright simply wishes that everyone see the real cause for hot fuss was Mapplethorpe’s grasp of exquisite beauty. And only a fool would want to legislate against that.
