arts. writing. culture.

Want to share a cab ride with Chuck Close? Perhaps you already have, if you’re a New Yorker. Through the end of the month, many cabs in the city are displaying works of art by Close and painter Kehinde Wiley in the ad space that rests on the roofs of 500 taxis citywide. Show Media, the company responsible for placing the ads that normally adorn our loving yellow taxis, decided to embrace the world of art by having the photorealist and painter both express their creative talents in lieu of the void-of-thought ads for the newest television shows.

For its second year in collaboration with Art Production Fund, Show Media was on the money (pun intended?) with the timing of their public art initiative project—The city can use some beautification this time of year as its travelers shiver in the cold winter weather next to mounds of snow that will probably remain in place until mid-July!

Well the hunt for graffiti artist Banksy’s true identity continues after an eBay auction which claimed to solve the mystery was shut down by ebay.  The name of the famous street artist has been unknown for as long as his eye-catching murals started popping up along the streets of London.  The quest of the public to find out has lasted just as long.

Whether you’re a fan or foe; whether you call his work vandalism or a masterpiece, you can’t deny that Banksy has made quite a name for himself, without us ever knowing his real name to begin with.  There have been many guesses over the years, with no one’s claims being substantiated or confirmed.  Even with the 2010 release of a documentary focusing on the artist’s antics, Exit Through the Gift Shop gave no new clues to the mystery.

But just this week, an ebay user, jaybuysthings, claimed to have done his research by matching the artists’ sales with tax records and was ready for the big reveal—to one person who was willing to pay big bucks to find out.  Over two dozen bids were placed for a piece of paper with nothing but a name written on it—Banksy’s real identity.  In one week, what started as $3,000 turned into over 1 million before it was taken down by ebay.

Jaybuysthings tried this once before: An earlier auction for “Banksy’s identity” was initially shut down by the site because nothing tanglible was being sold.  So the ebay seller has written the name on a piece of paper, a “tangible” item for sale.  Still, on January 18th, the auction was pulled and several imitation-auctions have popped up from people claiming to have the same information as jaybuysthings.

All else considered, there is no true “tangible” evidence that this is not all a big scam.  We only have Jaybuysthings’ word for it and the public is not unsure that this is a scam from Banksy himself.  Referring to documentary’s anticipated Oscar nomination,  @scottmeaney considered on Twitter:

In the midst of award noms [for the Banksy documentary Exit Through the Gift Shop], I wouldnt be surprised if it turns out to just be Banksy himself trying to create some extra buzz… Of course, it also sounds like something Banksy might do ‘because it’s Tuesday’ too.

Banky’s work is consistently clever, sneaky and rather brilliant, so why should this be different?  For now, we’ll all have to wonder as Banksy’s identity remains under wraps.

Now I want to hear from you all!:
–> Would the mystique of Banksy’s allure be ruined if we found out who he was?
–> Do you think this auction is legitimate or a scam by Banksy himself?

Related Articles:
Banksy’s painting gets a painting

The Metropolitan Museum of Art plans to launch a new component to their website tomorrow, called Connections. The concept of the interactive online video series is to introduce 4-minute weekly videos that invite individual staff members to speak about their personal perspectives on works within the museum.

Joining the video will be 3 elemental structures that put the video and works contextually in place with Time, The World and The Museum, taking the personal accounts in the video and expanding them into constructs that are relatable to viewers through several other forms.

The online video series, which will update every Wednesday throughout 2011, will officially launch tomorrow, January 5th, with 4 videos posted. Quoted from the museum’s website, they are:

• Small Things: Associate Director Carrie Rebora Barratt looks for tiny works of art in the Museum’s collection.
• Virtuosity: Paintings conservator Michael Gallagher talks about the appeal of technical virtuosity.
• Maps: Medieval art curator Melanie Holcomb explains how maps help her make sense of the world.
• Tennessee: Video producer Christopher Noey describes how various works in the Museum bring to mind his childhood state of Tennessee.

Upcoming themes include White, Black, Religious Art, The Ideal Man, The Ideal Woman, and Light.

To view the new feature, visit www.metmuseum.org/connections.

For The Whitney Museum in New York City, it’s out with the old and in with the new.  The building that has, until soon, housed the museum has been called an eyesore and it has been called an iconic NYC landmark; but, love it or hate it, this architectural work will soon have a new purpose as The Whitney delves into new downtown-territory. The question at hand is: What purpose will the old building have?

The buzz? That it may remain a museum, this time with a focus on architecture, so suggests New York Magazine. Like the building itself, this idea (which was based off of a flippant comment by Robert A.M. Stern) has gotten a myriad of reactions from people who love the idea, want to pair it with a design-focused element, or want to tear it down and create something new from the ground up. Regardless of whether they go in the architectural direction, what seems to be certain are talks between The Whitney and The Met combining efforts for a joint venture.

The Whitney Museum of American Art, currently on Madison Avenue, is home to numerous famous works by the likes of Andy Warhol, Mark Rothko, Man Ray and Jackson Pollack. Its Board announced some time ago their plans to construct a new building project in the Meatpacking District, the design to be headlined by architect Renzo Piano. The newest update on plans, released on December 20, 2010, revealed that they are finally in position to begin actual construction on May 24, 2011 with the museum set to open in 2015. This new location, adjacent to the above-street-level High Line park, will allow for 50,000 square feet indoors and 13,000 square feet of rooftop galleries, creating more space and a new approach to displaying their permanent and upcoming collections.

Meanwhile, the lonely Marcel Breuer building that the Whitney left behind, standing on Madison Avenue, will be repurposed. A museum of architecture based in a building whose architectural taste has been questioned (at least in the placement of it on such a prestigious and uptown-y central avenue) would be a bold choice, but one I won’t complain about. As far as I’m concerned, anything that joins The Whitney and The Met in a new venture, and smack-dab in the middle of New York City, is a winner in my book already!

More information on the fate of Madison building and the progress of the downtown project will be posted on ArtFeedOnline.com as it becomes available, so stay tuned.

The new location, the before and the projected “after”:

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Mmm, It’s wintertime and it smells so good. Holiday baking, including one of my favorite scents in the world: vanilla extract! About 12 dessert varieties, an unhealthy amount of raw cookie dough eaten, and 3 days later, sweets and treats were ready for Christmas Day! I can’t decide on my favorite, but I’m thinking it’s the family recipe for biscotti cookies–Yum!

On the menu were:
Cookies–Biscotti cut-outs, Raspberry linzer tarts, Oatmeal chocolate chip, Oatmeal with cranberry and white chocolate, Almond crescents, Chocolate hazelnut
Chocolate Covered–pretzels, marshmallows
Toffee–semi-sweet chocolate and white chocolate: click for the recipe!
Cupcakes–red velvet, gingerbread

Try to enjoy by osmosis starting…now:

Like Salty+Sweet Snacks? This simple but delicious toffee treat is sure to please your guests! I love to include these in cookie platters that I bring to people’s houses during the holiday season.

So what’s YOUR favorite holiday treat?

A while back, I heard that Natalie Portman was training with NYC Ballet for a new movie.  They had me at “Portman” and then at “Ballet.” Then I heard that it was a Darren Aronofsky film.  Sold.  I was absolutely sold right there and my expectations were rising. Winona Ryder, Based on Swan Lake… With every new detail I heard, the more I anticipated this movie’s release and the less likely that it would be able to live up to my expectations.  But the potential for greatness… oh, the potential.

My expectations were, in most ways, met.  Still in limited release, I had the pleasure of viewing Black Swan on Tuesday night.  Leaving the theater, I was captivated, excited and contemplative about what I had just seen.  I found myself thinking about the contrast between the two extremes that combine to form an intriguing portrait of a confused and eager-to-please ballerina. She had all of the ambition and self-destructiveness to propel her to the top of fame or drag her down to the depths of her own mental landscape.  The juxtaposition between black and white, good and evil, stiff precision and unbridled free-spiritedness were all stretched between torment and beauty–two extremes, melting into some shared form of psyche.

Shadowing the story of the classic fairytale Swan Lake, the movie turns a darker corner; following not only the performance but delving into the personal lives of its characters as they are engulfed by the poignancy of the story itself.  Natalie Portman plays Nina, a dancer who is a perfectionist vying for the part of Swan Queen.  She exhibits all of the qualities for the “White Swan” but struggles to also display those of the “Black Swan” vital in completing the Queen’s persona.  Nina is both terrified of, and enamored with, Mila Kunis’ Lily, a free spirit and Black Swan in every sense of the phrase.  To be truly perfect, Nina needs to become imperfect.  In doing so, she spirals into the unknown, blurring her personal sense of reality in the process.

Set to a lush set of mostly black and white detail, the costumes designed by Rodarte oozed with richness, the makeup characterized concepts without words and the music, based on Tchaikovsky’s infamous Swan Lake, was the perfect backdrop to the graceful White Swan and the falling Black Swan.

I have to say, in all honesty, that the movie was not exactly what I expected from the trailers and early reviews, but it in no way disappointed.  I was under the impression that Nina’s home life with her ex-ballerina mother was more oppressive than overbearing and while the movie included some disturbing and violent ideas, I anticipated more of them.  That being said, I’m glad that I didn’t get what I expected.

Though it was psychologically perverse, the movie was more grounded in reality and thought-process—which, knowing Aronofsky’s work, is what I hoped for rather than the violent “thriller” vibe I got from trailers.  This base of reality made the movie eerily more affecting, relatable and significant.  Aronofsky exquisitely portrays Nina’s slowly twisting self-perception and gives a genuine interpretation of the crumbling of a fragile perfectionist.

If only we were all so innovative and forward-thinking.  December 8, 1980, a legend left the world too early in a senseless act of violence that went against everything he believed in.  I won’t repeat the story—we all know it.  But I will acknowledge the day, on this 30th anniversary, and offer this in memory of John Lennon:

Okay, I admit it, without shame. I adore Zooey Deschanel and all that she does: great actress (See: 500 Days of Summer or Almost Famous), beautiful singing voice (See: She & Him or her duet with Will Ferrel in Elf). But more than anything, her style is simply to die for. I’m jealous of practically every article of clothing and accessory she owns. Her flair of vintage and rockabilly styling paired with modern accessorizing and an indie rocker edge create a diverse style all her own, which I wish was all my own. My own self-proclaimed style is some form of classic pieces mixed with vintage and bohemian flairs and accents and she serves as my inspiration du jour.  A sampling:

3 walls have collapsed in Pompeii within 2 days. 
But is the weather all there is to blame?  I don’t think so.

After many recent collapses of Pompeii ruins, 2 more walls have collapsed.  We recently found out about the Golden Palace closing and the walls of the House of Gladiators collapsing in Pompeii—all amidst the Italian government’s insistence on cutting their national cultural budget which would help to preserve these historically significant artifacts.  We know that Pompeii can be better maintained, despite its age.  Well, now the weather has helped the urgency of this issue along, causing 3 more walls to collapse this week due to the recent downpour of rain.

To update the timeline outlined when the Gladiator Domus fell:

• March 30, 2010: Domus Aurea (“Golden Palace”) built by Emperor Nero closes after water damage weakened it, causing partial collapse.
• May 26, 2010: Italian government announces $32 billion in budget cuts, targeting, in large part, the country’s culture budget
• November 6, 2010: Gladiator Domus, a 2,000 year old ancient structure of Pompeii crumbles.
• November 30, 2010: 40-foot section of the garden wall falls behind the House of Moralist.
• Today, December 1, 2010: 2 more walls collapse under heavy rain.

Shame on Culture Minister Sandro Bondi for warning the public against “useless alarmism” regarding Pompeii’s condition and recent calls to work toward better preserving the ruins.  Granted, the ancient city has stood fragile after its engulfment in volcanic ash from Mount Vesuvius over 2,000years ago.  Sure, the heavy rain of the recent week can cause destruction.  But special circumstances should be taken into account for such a culturally important landmark when its fragility was known and its possible demise could have been predicted and protected instead of its budget cut and ignored.


Google honors Rosa Parks today on their home page. The Google logo has been modified with a picture that represents the activist’s famous heroic act when, 55 years ago to the day, she refused to give up her seat on a bus that was, at the time, segregated. Click on the Google doodle and you’ll be brought to a search results page filled with relevant information on the wonderful Mrs. Parks.