All posts tagged: art

Bronx Rising: No Commission and the Politics of Ownership

Published by Khadijat Oseni

Sway may not have had the answers for Kanye when it came to finding a Medici family to support his dreams of creating art freely outside of the confines of rhymes, beats and breaks. However, hip hop artist & producer Swizz Beatz and his Dean Collection are fulfilling this patronage act in an unexpected arena- the high-brow world of art dealing. Through his No Commission: Art Performs series, Kasseem “Swizz Beatz” Dean is helping both established and emerging artists like Swoon and Delphine Diallo bypass “the man” in the form of sales & gallery representation by empowering artists to display and sell their work directly to the highest stakeholders with no frills attached. The radical factor which some view as naive is that zero costs are associated with being included in his tightly curated shows along with having 100% of proceeds go straight to the artists’ pockets. Swizz’s philosophy behind this experimental model, “If you free the artist, you free the world,” stems from the idea of allowing living, working artists to enjoy the fruits …

#Artlife: Dan Flavin’s “Corners, Barriers, and Corridors”

Published by Khadijat Oseni

Fluorescent lighting isn’t exactly the sexiest invention known to man but somehow Dan Flavin mastered transforming this mundane and sometimes annoyingly buzzing source of light into magical works of art. A minimalist who referred to himself as a “Maximalist”, Flavin was able to create transcendent, futuristic teleports through fluorescent light tubes and bend reality in ways that were so delicate yet strikingly alluring at the same time. Last month, I was glad to have been able to actively explore perceptions of space through the beautifully curated, “Corners, Barriers, and Corridors,” a collection of some of Flavin’s noted works from the 1960s and 70s at David Zwirner Gallery in New York City. Though the exhibit has since ended, Dan Flavin’s pieces still conjure up many thoughts on duality which have helped expand my definitions on style and aesthetics. While at the gallery, I unknowingly started to play with binary oppositions like femininity vs. masculinity, anonymity vs. recognition through the masking silhouettes, tones and shadows formed from the different color gradations of each piece. Here are some …

KO-Austin City Limits-Jetsetterproblems.com

Say Yes To Austin City Limits!

Published by Khadijat Oseni

Being a kindred “analogue girl in a digital world” like Texas native, Erykah Badu, visiting Austin struck a chord with me since it’s a city that literally revolves around music boasting festivals eleven months out of the year. Last October, I flew out to Austin City Limits, aka ACL, and highly recommend a pilgrimage for fellow music lovers alike. Here’s why! TWO THREE-DAY WEEKEND OPTIONS IN A PHENOMENAL CITY ACL has two separate weekends for concertgoers to choose from with dates typically falling around Columbus Day. This is a huge bonus for crowd control and the line-ups for both weekends are synonymous with the exception of a few acts. Options allow for purchasing either: early bird specials, which are three-day passes issued prior to line-up announcements for $225, regular three-day passes at $250 or single day passes at $100 each. I chose the latter since my main focus was seeing Outkast who kicked off the first night of the weekend I attended. I spent the rest of my time soaking up Austin, which translated to …

Confessions of a Jetsetter w/ Irina Kipnis

Published by Confessions of a Jetsetter

“Max and I have been married forever. We met in college and became “that couple that ran to City Hall!” Still students, still kids, we floated around looking for the landing ground. Years go by, seven to be precise, and I spend the summer running around the city between three freelance gigs. It must not be all for nothing, I must go to Italy! A decision was made, we were finally going there for 10 whole days. Our first trip together abroad and our first real vacation…  It all begins in Milan. Foolishly we fall into a tourist trap cafe, but it redeems itself by serving the largest bellinis I have ever had the pleasure of drinking. With no time to waste, the next morning we run to the monastery of Santa Maria delle Grazie to see The Last Supper. The slides from my art history classes pale and disappear and are now replaced with a new memory that I keep to this day… Our journey continues as we hop on a train to Venice …

Confessions Of A Jetsetter w/ Tim Okamura

Published by Confessions of a Jetsetter

“I think being a painter does facilitate seeing the world through a different lens than normal. I often find aesthetic appeal in places others might consider dilapidated, unremarkable, or even ugly. In the urban environment in particular, I’ve always been attracted to aging buildings, cracked walls, and empty lots. I love the effects of rust, faded paint, layers of graffiti, signage, posters, and patchwork attempts to repair broken façades. All of these things combine to create what I consider a kind of poignant organic beauty that I think is both viscerally appealing and a pure visual record of the conflicting forces of man-made constructions and nature. This viewpoint often leads me to stumbling across inspiring motifs when I least expect it, and incorporating them into my paintings by direct, detailed documentation, or more suggestively in abstract form. I hope that through my painting I can point to ways for others to see the world differently, to view their environment in a positive way, and perhaps discover a sense of previously unacknowledged beauty in their own …

Travel Style Inspiration: The Photography of Louise Dahl-Wolfe

Published by Khadijat Oseni

Louise Dahl-Wolfe was a wildly popular and talented American fashion photographer that was most notably recognized for her work as a staff photographer for Harper’s Bazaar during the late ’30s up until the 1950s. Her signature was shooting exquisite, environmental portraits using natural light. Being a huge fan of vintage fashion, photography as well as collecting old magazines for travel inspiration, I’ve always felt a great wealth of wanderlust and solace in her imagery. Here are a few of my favorite jet set moments from Louise Dagl-Wolfe’s archive: xo Khadijat  

O’ Captain, My Captain: Life & Travel Lessons from Dead Poets Society

Published by Khadijat Oseni

As a millennial obsessed with pop culture and digging up old movies from a young age, I stumbled upon my first entry into the wanderlust worlds of Walt Whitman, Henry David Thoreau and Robert Frost via sneaking a view of Peter Weir’s Dead Poets Society past my bedtime. Far too young to fully understand the depth of the various themes outlined throughout the film until I later encountered the original texts, I nonetheless was emotionally inspired by the overarching message of living life to the fullest without seeking the permission of others to explore self-expression through the arts. It was then that I fell in love with one of my favorite movie characters of all-time, Professor John Keating portrayed by the genius Robin Williams. With Williams’ untimely passing on Monday, it is here that I share five pre-mature life lessons I learned and still carry along my journeys from dear O’ Captain, my Captain John Keating, through quotes and travel images, in honor of one of my favorite actors, comedians, and creative inspirations of all-time. Rest in peace Robin Williams, you will …

Jetsetter Problem #1: Where To Go Next! (Finale)

Published by Khadijat Oseni

Unlike Rihanna who hung out with the entire German locker room after the World Cup finals, I can’t exactly say I was hot & bothered by the results. In fact, when Mario Goetze made that crucial last minute goal, I flew into a tizzy! It would have been AMAZING to see Argentina win, not only because I’ve never been before, but also to breakup Europe’s dominance over the championship. To cope, my foodie brain immediately lunged into overdrive. My tongue watered and whined about wanting more vacío over schnitzel all the while settling for swallowed pride and muttered congrats to German fans on ending a 24 year drought. Eventually, my thoughts shifted from soccer stats to travel memories. My first adventure in Deutschland took me to the capital city of Berlin. If you’ve never visited, Berlin is a great intro to modern German history due to its balanced diet of old East and West remnants seamlessly blending in with the new. It’s also a cool city to check out: Great art in all forms (beer included!)…Outside of classics like …

#Art Life: The Bowery Mural

Published by Khadijat Oseni

Like a true Brooklyn girl who still wells up at the sound of Jay Z’s “Empire State of Mind” when thinking of home, no matter how highbrow an art experience I encounter at classic museums around the world, there is always a special appreciation I have for the street art adorning the walls of New York City’s concrete jungle whether as “high” as commissioned, public art pieces or as “low” as illegal graffiti tags. The landmark Downtown NYC spot for street art aficionados alike is the infamous Bowery Mural located at the corner of  Houston (pronounced HOUSE-Ton for non-New Yawkers 😉 ) & Bowery streets, one of my favorite places to periodically visit when home. The wall was first christened by the iconic Keith Haring and Juan Dubose in 1982 and has since showcased an impressive list of established and up & coming artists splattering their vivid imaginations across coveted NYC territory. The Bowery Mural is Downtown New York’s interactive allegory with bright colors, patterns, tags and graphics telling tales of life and culture once experienced and presently observed by its residents. It is a constant …