Artists & Models

I constantly harp on about how the gap between fashion, architecture, art and style is closing at a lightning pace. Well, get a load of this bunch of hotties. Models …. actors, no …. artists. Hard to believe we once had to contend with the unsightly mugs of Picasso, Warhol and Pollock. Is it just me, or are American artists now more beautiful than ever?

With the plethora of “Art Issues” now upon us: Dazed + Confused, Interview and W Magazine all have one, I guess it was only a matter of time before an artist’s image loomed larger than their work.

Next they will be fronting ad campaigns for major fashion houses such as Givenchy and Chanel, usurping all those desperately needy, innocuous actors that grace the pages of our once sacred fashion magazines. At least this lot have substance to back the beauty.

Artists: Matthew Barney (an oldie, but a goody), Banks Violette, Agathe Snow, Taryn Simon, Damien Loeb.

Nick Off

If his attitutude towards the Aria Hall of Fame is anything to go by, he would be beside himself to be discussed in terms of style, but come on Nick, you obviously love fashion. Lately he has really been turning me on with his "70's Wild West Porn Star" looks - jesus, look what he does for a white shirt and picking the kids up after school.

It won't be long before he is courted as the face of Tom Ford's bespoke suit line. Yikes.

Catch him at the All Tomorrow's Parties event when it comes to Australia in January 2009. I will be and believe me, seeing Cave live is something not to be missed.

Jingle Bowels

It's official .... Christmas reeks! Is there anyone out there that did not suffer a family dispute, get abused while parking, wait for a table in a cafe for an hour or get a crap present?

Image: Ronnie van Hout, 2006 "Father to all goods and services", Jingle Bowels show, Hamish McKay Gallery.

Carnie Folk

Yes indeedy … we got to be carnival trash this year at the Institute of Modern Art (Queensland) Cocktail Party. Is it just me, or is it getting bigger every year?

The gallery really knows how to mix up their audience: Thea Basiliou and Matt Brady from Blonde Venus/Outpost, the divine IMA-ites: Vanessa, Anna and Robert L, artists such as Tony Albert, Richard Bell, Gemma Smith, loads of GOMA-ites, academics such as Anthony Gardner, Rex Butler and Andrew McNamara and mountains of gorgeous young artists: Drea, Sarah, William and Leecee, you know who you are!

It was all about sword swallowing, beautiful filmic projections, white trash food (hot dogs and popcorn) and gorgeously dressed people ready to let their art frustrations and conceptual personas run wild.

The party continued at Ric’s upstairs with a gaggle of arty types, including Anthony Gardner (performing Goth dance routines), Angela Goddard, Tony Albert (yes, he IS everywhere), Nic Chambers and Danius Kesminas "looking for love".

A well-known filmic type enjoyed her alcohol a little too much and proceeded to perform a Merce Cunningham style interpretative dance routine to the sounds of the “Slave Piano”. Merce, don’t give up your day job.

Britney ... we thought of it first.

I, Robot

We were huge fans of Thierry Mugler in the 90’s when he was at his peak - remember his video collaboration with George Michael in “Too Funky” and his S&M style robot creations?

First the Met lauds him in its “Superheroes” exhibition and now everyone is discussing his new role as the artistic director and costumier for Beyonce’s tour. Shame it is Beyonce, but hey, who is going to argue against his return to the spotlight, whatever form it takes.

Given our obsession with vintage and how fast we are making things vintage, it does make total sense to now saturate ourselves with all things 90’s. It is interesting to note the enormous influence Mugler has had on modern day couture: think Balecangia's robot leggings and anything by Gareth Pugh.

It's Thierry's re-turn.

Metal Head

Finally, a piece in an Australian magazine re Banks Violette (this month’s Art World), who I have been a major fan of for years now.

Okay, so he’s hot and stylish (has anyone ever been tattooed that well?) and so is his art (death metal and teen suicide references), but I think he achieves what he intends to. It’s tawdry and lazy of me, but Wikipedia has a great quote:

“I'm interested in a visual language that's over-determined, exhausted, or just over-burdened by meaning. The heavy-handed one-to-one of 'black-equals-wrong' is incredibly interesting to me -- less as something that has a meaning in itself, but more in how those visual codes can somehow become reanimated. That's constant throughout my work. All those images are like zombies -- they're stripped of vitality, yet sometimes they get life back in them ... and. like zombies, usually something goes wrong when they wake up again."

It's all so poetically dark and completely sublime.

If only someone would bring him to Australia. John (Kaldor) ... anyone?

Rock & Rule

I know it is hardly unique to feature Karen O (Yeah Yeah Yeahs) as a style icon, as she is featured regularly on blogs like this as “hot” and “totally cool” and oh yes, she is those things.

But it made me think the reason we keep returning to her is that there is a total deficit of replacement style icons in this world. "They" are tying to herald Moloko singer, Roison Murphy as the next coming, but at times, even when in Margiela head to toe, it looks a tad forced. Lady Gaga and M.I.A. try to mix it up and have a great look … but they don’t have the crucial grungy element required to lose the pretension.

Is it a bit early for the word "icon"?