Waterboarding: It’s still more fun than eating 200 Nathan’s hot dogs in 5 minutes…

As we previously reported, New York artist STEVE POWERS (aka: ESPO) has been working on a torture-themed art project for a while now and in conjunction with CREATIVE TIME as part of its national public art initiative “Democracy in America: The National Campaign,” he’s just opened the Guantanamo Bay-themed “Waterboard Thrill Ride” on Coney Island in the shadow of the legendary Cyclone roller coaster and Nathan’s hot dog stand in an empty storefront on West 12th Street. When a dollar is fed into a machine standing outside Powers’ mock jail cell installation featuring paintings by the artist inside and out, viewers can climb a short flight of steps to peer through cell bars and view an animatronic torture scene of a hooded jailer pouring water down the throat of an orange jumpsuit wearing Gitmo detainee. In creating the exhibit, Powers hopes to use the inherent spectacle of Coney Island to broaden public awareness of and spark debate about a human rights issue that has received minimal weight in the public sphere. Says John Sifton of Human Rights Watch, “In the process of waterboarding, a person believes they are being killed, and as such, it really amounts to a mock execution, which is illegal under international law.” As host of the project, Creative Time president and artistic director Anne Pasternak explains, “Humor has long been a strategy for speaking the unspeakable, and it is vital that we as a nation begin a dialogue about the implications of waterboarding. There has been a critical shift in American ideology, where previously it was unthinkable that the United States would condone the practice of torture.” Powers himself puts it more ironically: “It’s about time that this uniquely American ritual of intense water horror, a practice long reserved for New England witches and Al-Qaida brass, was made available to the people. This project will give some everyday New Yorkers the chance to experience—for a few brief, bone-chilling seconds—all the thrills of being a prisoner under interrogation at Guantanamo Bay. And the installation is fun for the whole family.” In mid-August, Powers will produce a private performance in an undisclosed location in Coney Island, wherein he and several lawyers will volunteer to be waterboarded by a trained professional. “Is waterboarding torture? No, say the administration and the courts. Yes, say human rights activists,” Powers says. “Now actual waterboard riders will reveal, in their own words, exactly what a taste of death by water feels like.” Meanwhile, the exhibit will remain on public view until late August when the show is reinstalled in the Democracy in America Convergence Center at the Park Avenue Armory from September 21 to 27. HAVE A LOOK: Read the rest of this entry »

Team USA (l to r): Coach Krzyzewski; Dwight Howard; Chris Bosh; Tayshaun Prince; Carlos Boozer; LeBron James; Carmelo Anthony; Kobe Bryant; Michael Redd; Jason Kidd; Dwyane Wade; Deron Williams and Chris Paul

Ramping up to tomorrow’s epic opening of the OLYMPIC GAMES in Beijing, and the impending roundball battle we’ve all been waiting for, we’re happy to report that in a very unexpected move, one of our favorite young photographers, TARYN SIMON has been commissioned to shoot an official portrait of the US men’s basketball team for the occasion. Chosen by NIKE to capture an artistic view of the 12-man team made up of Kobe Bryant, Tayshaun Prince; Dwight Howard; Chris Bosh; Carlos Boozer; LeBron James; Carmelo Anthony; Michael Redd; Jason Kidd; Dwyane Wade; Deron Williams and Chris Paul led by coach Mike Krzyzewski, the stark photo represents the artist’s first foray into sports photography. A 33-year-old Guggenheim Fellow who has exhibited her photography in an array of prestigious international galleries and museums, including Gagosian Gallery and the Whitney Museum, Simon is renowned for her obsession with revealing hidden and inaccessible American stories in her work, most notably the highly acclaimed portrait series “The Innocents,” that documented cases of wrongful conviction in the United States and her recent body of work, “An American Index of the Hidden and Unfamiliar.” See more of Simon’s photography after the jump. HAVE A LOOK: Read the rest of this entry »

As penance for the over-the-top blinged out art extravaganza that was his “Dirty Cash” show at the FLAWLESS GALLERY last month, London street sniper (and avowed foot fetishist) INSA threw a decidedly more low-rent but heavily alcohol-soaked East End bash for 500 of his closest friends last week replete with new art, free T-shirts, dancing girls, heavy doses of the aforementioned alcohol, and music by DJ ACYDE, KAM, and BURAKA SOM SISTEMA. Few in attendance are able to actually recall the night’s proceedings, a sure sign that the event was indeed a success. HAVE A LOOK: Read the rest of this entry »

The Independents Show on vimeo from Beautiful Losers

Bringing the low-fi art world of BEAUTIFUL LOSERS to the big screen with a full-length documentary on the movement is director and Losers mastermind AARON ROSE, who will debut the film in NYC this Friday, August 8th (aka: 08.08.08) at the IFC CENTER (see screening times below). Presented by NIKE SPORTSWEAR, the film chronicles the lives and creative process of artists including Shepard Fairey, Margaret Kilgallen, Mike Mills, Barry McGee, Jo Jackson, Chris Johanson, Harmony Korine, Stephen Powers, Geoff McFetridge, Thomas Campbell and Ed Templeton, among others, whose DIY attitudes informed the aesthetics and ethos of their generation. To celebrate the film’s release, Nike Sportswear is presenting a series of “MAKE SOMETHING!” youth mentorship workshops in NYC, LA, and San Francisco that will invite local children to participate in creative workshops such as sign painting, photography, skateboard graphic design, toy design, filmmaking, tattoo art, footwear design and zine making taught by featured Beautiful Losers artists including Barry McGee, Ed Templeton, Tobin Yelland, Eric Elms, Geoff McFetridge, Shepard Fairey, Mike Mills, Todd James, Cheryl Dunn, KAWS, Mr. Cartoon and Aaron Rose. The work created in each location will form a continually evolving exhibition, which will be open to the public to view. To further commemorate the film’s release, Nike’s Sportswear’s JESSE LEYVA has also created a series of 22 Beautiful Losers Dunks emblazoned with iconic stills from the movie using the company’s new high-resolution digital printing process. Says Aaron Rose of the project, “We went back to the documentary and pulled frame stills of what we felt were key moments in the narrative. We used these moments to tell the Beautiful Losers story using the shoes as a medium, with the end result being a collection of works of art.” Viewed together, the shoes reflect the overall narrative of the film, and after being exhibited at the NYC and LA “Make Something!” workshops, two sets of the shoes will be auctioned off with proceeds donated to the Children’s Aid Society. HAVE A LOOK: Read the rest of this entry »

Dzine’s new kandy koated three-wheeled dream machine…

Shipping off to Madrid, Spain today for his solo show of new paintings and sculpture at EMILY MURPHY FINE ART in September is DZINE’s latest masterpiece of lowrider bicycle fabrication that must be seen in person to be believed. Dripping with gold and kandy paint, the pedal pusher gets 1,000 times the mileage of a Prius with infinitely more style. Keep an eye out for updates as we draw closer to showtime. Meanwhile, set your eyes to work. HAVE A LOOK: Read the rest of this entry »

Above: Portrait of Juan Puente with new son Otto. Below: Mr Barber with tattoo legend Bob Roberts… 

In the world of tattooing, a vast array of artists make a living inking portraits into miles of human flesh, but when it comes to memorializing the genre’s foremost characters, painter and fellow tattooed man SHAWN BARBER is the go-to guy. Paying homage to some of the skin trade’s living legends and rising stars with “Tattooed Portraits,” a solo show at the venerable BILLY SHIRE FINE ARTS gallery in Culver City, Barber unveils old master quality likenesses of Jack Rudy, Juan Puente, Kat Von D, Mark Mahoney, Mister Cartoon, Clay Decker, and Bob Roberts every bit as realistic as their flesh and blood counterparts. Unconstrained by the boundaries of traditional portraiture, Barber’s discerning eye for detail leads him to capture his subjects in an array of full body portraits and carefully chosen detailed close-ups of artist’s hands, backs, and especially their tools of the trade: the tattoo machines themselves, in a never-ending quest to reveal intimate aspects of his often reclusive subjects who are generally more comfortable creating images than starring in them. HAVE A LOOK: Read the rest of this entry »

Haze delivers the goods in HK and proves that a crisp pair of denim and some nice white kix never go outta style…

OG Supertouch homie, downtown NYC graffiti/graphic art legend, streetwear impresario and speed bike af