Rick
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Tag: galleries
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Collecting vinyl records is a blessing and a curse (25 Photos)
Is collecting vinyl a cool and interesting hobby? Sure. Is it also insanely overpriced, wasteful, and outdated? Of course it is. And I say that having my own stupid record collection.
A massive shoutout to the subreddit, VinylJerk for keep us all honest about listening to vinyl.
Zach
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Monica Bonvicini Sees an Ongoing Need for Feminist Discourse in Art and Life
“Put All Heaven in a Rage” is at Tanya Bonakdar Gallery, New York, through October 12. Photo by Pierre Le Hors Courtesy the artist and Tanya Bonakdar Gallery, New York / Los Angeles A set of metal chains, black leather and mirrors sets the tone of Monica Bonvicini’s “Put All Heaven in a Rage,” her first solo show with Tanya Bonakdar Gallery. Bonvicini, an Italian artist based in Berlin, emerged from the radical German art scene of the 1990s with a powerful voice, provocative humor and clever use of language. She is widely regarded as one of the most influential artists of her generation, particularly known for her exploration of the relationships between architecture, gender, and power dynamics.
In this exhibition, Bonvicini stages a critical interaction between the viewer, the mirrors and the space, creating an unsettling sense of vulnerability. This interaction critiques the ways specific objects and environments psychologically and sometimes physically influence behavior. In an upstairs installation, an entire room of mirrors overlaid with pink text challenges stereotypes and celebrates female resilience, power and the multiple roles women navigate throughout life. Bonvicini also extends her critique to language, using black-and-white drawings that feature fragmented quotes from literature, poetry and politics to underscore how linguistic structures shape and control meaning.
As the exhibition nears its final weeks, Observer caught up with the artist to discuss how her work addresses society’s increasing polarization, the threat of rising violence and the ongoing need for feminist discourse and celebration despite progress made in the ’60s and ’90s.
Let’s start with the show’s title, which is quite evocative. What inspired it, and what kind of reading of the show would it suggest?
Some years ago, I did a series of works, primarily drawings, related to the concept of rage from a contemporary feminist point of view, which are presented in the catalog “Hot Like Hell” from 2021. The quotation I chose for the Tanya Bonakdar Gallery show is one that I stumbled upon back then but didn’t feel right about using until now. The title comes from the well-known poem by William Blake, Auguries of Innocence.
I like how the sentence sounds, how impossible it is, how sculptural “Heaven” seems to be if you can literally take it and put it somewhere, like an object, a body that you can put in a closet, in a box, in a cage or in wherever or whatever the space is in which rage reigns. It makes me think of rash movements, storms or even hurricanes, and all those associations are in my works, like the pneumatic sculpture Breathing, 2017; the installation A Violent, Tropical, Cyclonic Piece of Art Having Wind Speeds of or over 75 mph, 1998; the ongoing series of drawings Hurricane and other Catastrophes; or the architectural sculpture As Walls keep Shifting from 2019.
Monica Bonvicini in her studio. ALBRECHT FUCHS For the show in New York City, I wanted to create that tension, the impossible speed I read in the quotation that can be pinpointed down to an immobilized moment of concentration. The show is about that moment, a concentrated change. For that, I created the installation Buy Me a Mirror at the entrance of the main exhibition space, which closes the view to the show while opening it to the street. Once over the edge of the wood and mirror installation, the show displays different works and mediums I work with, from the colored mirror works Gorgeous, 2024, and the large-scale print Marlboro Man Praire, 2021, to the hanging sculptures Latent Combustion, 2015, and Chainswing Rings and Stripes, 2024, or the new black and white drawings.
Your practice has long explored the connections between architecture, gender, and both physical and psychological violence. How do you feel this exploration has evolved, especially with the rise of new surveillance technologies and tools for self-representation?
The roots of the relationships you are talking about remain the same, and what is added around can powerfully alter and improve the core of problems or obstruct them in a kind of endless fata morgans of images.
“Put All Heaven in a Rage” serves as a profound critique of the structures that govern our lives. Photo by Pierre Le Hors. Courtesy the artist and Tanya Bonakdar Gallery, New York / Los Angeles Your work is characterized by a cold, hardcore, almost surgical aesthetic that highlights mechanisms and frameworks of control and suppression. Can you identify particular life experiences or cultural and societal elements that inspired that?
There are, for sure, some experiences that determined the aesthetics of my works and the process I am going through while working on them. I think it is necessary to be as precise as possible in formulating the artwork; contrary to what might be a cliché, you cannot do anything in art and expect it to be good. As an artist, I reflect in my practice what is happening around me, but I do not want my works to be journalistic or moral, didactical, or only personal. I used to do a little climbing when I was younger, and I have been to alpine peaks, where my attention was not on the magnificent views but just about to stay in equilibrium, not to fall, because of the little place you had under your feet. There is so much physical concentration in such moments. I also know, out of experience, the feeling of being powerless in front of injustices and violence. It’s an emotion that stays with you and gets into your body for some time. To be able to distill that into a work that implies all the explosive possibilities and scenarios and make them understandable without teaching about them is what I try to do.
SEE ALSO: Artist Kumi Yamashita’s Punctilious Portraits Are Worth Traveling For
Much of your work functions as a critical device, a nonfunctional machine that metaphorically explores societal and psychological dynamics between individuals and society. How do you define sculpture, and how would you describe your approach to this medium?
I never studied sculpture in the classical sense of the word. I studied painting in Berlin, got into making objects and small models with Isa Genzken while she was a guest teacher there and started making installation and performative sculptures while I was in Cal Arts. Michael Asher and Charles Gains were my mentors, so those places and people greatly influenced my work. I have a conceptual approach to sculpture. I see my works very close to what architecture is; installation art is also a way to define spaces and systems of power, and it can subtly do that. We are all surrounded by walls; we all use doors or look out at windows. There is nothing so universal as the concept of a house.
I understand sculpture and installations as ways to question perceptions of given structures, which makes you think about them from a different angle. I also think art is not there necessarily to cure all the maladies of the world but to point them out, to dig them up and to make them visible.
Bonvicini’s works draw their materiality and imagery from cultural associations and power dynamics, particularly as perceived through sexual stereotypes. Photo by Pierre Le Hors. Courtesy the artist and Tanya Bonakdar Gallery, New York / Los Angeles Your work often intersects feminist and institutional critique. Given that you were one of the few women artists working in a male-dominated European art scene, particularly in Italy and Berlin, how do you see the role of feminist critique today? Do you think gender-based power dynamics are evolving within and outside the art world?
When I did the video installation Wallfuckin’ back in 1995 or Hausfrau Swiging in 1997, I didn’t call it a feminist work because I thought that feminism had won its battles already. I understood the gender theory of the ‘90s as an excellent example of how successful feminism had been. Yet there is still a need for a feminist elaboration and celebration decades later. The battle is never won. There is always a need to define and address existing imbalances; we see them everywhere, in the art world and outside. Europe is still pretty misogynistic. Even if things changed for the better, they didn’t change enough. I want to see more women’s works in museums’ collections, more solo shows by women, identical rages on working places, more equality and less violence.
In Bonvicini’s black-and-white drawings, quotes from literature and poetry become compelling commentary on political concern, division and the pursuit of personal and collective agency. Photo by Pierre Le Hors. Courtesy the artist and Tanya Bonakdar Gallery, New York / Los Angeles Monica Bonvicini’s “Put All Heaven in a Rage” is on view at Tanya Bonakdar Gallery in New York through October 12.
Elisa Carollo
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13 Terrible Movie Lines So Bad They Became Iconic
Cinema is full of iconic lines. “You complete me.” “You’re gonna need a bigger boat.” “Go ahead, make my day.” There are few things better than a piece of dialogue that makes you sit up straighter in your seat, in awe of what you just heard, fully convinced that movies are the greatest art form there is. There are plenty of great movie lines that achieve this effect, lingering long after the credits have rolled. There are plenty of terrible ones, too.
We might argue that the only thing better than an unforgettably great line is an unforgettably bad one. In fact, we are going to argue that. Once you get over the initial gag reflex that comes from being forced to listen to someone deliver a badly written string of words with even worse inflection, it’s so fun to collectively cringe at a terrible bit of dialogue. Maybe they’re gross, maybe they’re insulting, or maybe they’re just weirdly worded, but the worst movie lines often become iconic in their own right, just because we’re so obsessed with how bad they are.
Here, we have gathered thirteen of the best-worst movie lines that are more than just bad: they’re so bad, they’ve transcended mere badness and reached an entirely different plane of so-awful-we-kind-of-love-them-anyway. Some of the movies on this list are great, marred only by the few seconds it takes for an actor to deliver a cringey sentence or two and then get on with the scene. Some of these movies are about as bad as their dialogue—a few are so bad, it was hard to choose one out of a multitude of terrible one-liners. These lines will never be good, and, honestly, we love them for that.
13 Terrible Movie Lines So Bad They’ve Become Iconic
These lines, and their deliveries, are so cringey we kind of have to love them.
Gallery Credit: Emma Stefansky
READ MORE: The 50 Best Movie Quotes in History
Every DC Comics Movie, Ranked From Worst to Best
From Superman and the Mole Men to Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, we ranked every movie based on DC comics.
Emma Stefansky
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12 Things We Miss About the Way Movie Theaters Used to Be
I love movie theaters. For my money — and I spend a lot of my money in movie theaters — it’s still the best way to see a film. Give me a huge screen, booming speakers, a cushy chair, and a good flick and I’m a happy guy.
Still, even the most die-hard movie fan like myself must admit that theaters are not what they used to be. In a few ways, that’s for the better; I think the overall quality of projection has improved in the last few years, and the sound systems in most modern multiplexes are mind-bogglingly good. (When I saw Twisters over the summer, the sound was so intense, i could feel it in my butt.)
It’s also great that you can buy most tickets in advance. That’s a vast improvement over the old system, where you would drive to the theater hoping the movie you wanted to see wasn’t sold out. (If it was, you had three choices: You could wait for the next showing, see something else, or go home.) And if you wanted to know the showtimes and couldn’t find a newspaper you would have to pick up your landline phone, call the theater, and listen to a prerecorded message from a pimple-faced teen who worked there, reciting the day’s showtimes on an endless loop.
All of those changes are improvements. But there are aspects of that old, less high-tech moviegoing experience that I do miss. Some involve the overall atmosphere, ambiance, and decor; other involve the food and entertainment options. Others involve the types of theaters — and types of screenings — that used to be prevalent and now barely exist.
The disappearance of the 12 items on this list below are not going to deter me from going to the theater; I’ll still be there, almost every week, enjoying the latest release and probably a large Cherry Icee. That doesn’t mean I don’t also look back fondly on the way things used to be.
12 Things We Miss in Modern Movie Theaters
While we still love movie theaters, they have changed through the years. And not always for the better.
READ MORE: Old Movies That Are Surprising Hits on Netflix
Every Movie Theater Candy, Ranked From Worst to Best
Matt Singer
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A Look Inside Cairo’s Contemporary Art Scene
An installation mounted by Culturvator / Art D’Egypte, founded by Nadine Abdel Ghaffar (left). Culturvator / Art D’Egypte Egypt’s capital, Cairo, is best known for its grand ancient monuments and bustling bazaars. The contemporary art of Egypt, and Cairo in particular, seems most likely to generate buzz when contextualized via a historical lens. See, for example, artist JR’s 2021 illusory artwork that made it appear a giant hand was supporting the Great Pyramid of Giza as its crown hovered over the base for an exhibition that also featured the work of Ai-Da, Alexander Ponomarev and Lorenzo Quinn.
However, the sprawling city also has an artistic heritage spanning centuries that is the foundation upon which Cairo’s contemporary art scene is built. As iconic cultural centers have been threatened and even UNESCO sites partially demolished to make way for new infrastructures as the city expands, the relentless push for modernization has left artists and artisans fearful as to what the cultural landscape will look like in five, ten or twenty years. Amid this uncertainty, it’s important for travelers looking for art experiences to understand the significance of the spaces that bind artistry and culture, honing in on both Cairo’s history and present as a living canvas for the arts.
SEE ALSO: “Paris 1874” Shows the Early Impressionists Reaching for New Ways of Seeing
Beyond the Museum of Modern Egyptian Art, the contemporary art scene is alive and well in this ancient city. There are organizations like the Culturvator / Art D’Egypte art consultancy, which attracts local and international artists and art lovers by staging regular exhibitions of contemporary art, including in the ongoing series, “Forever is Now.” Hosted annually at the pyramids, its recent exhibitions have included the work of many artists from around the world, including JR (with the aforementioned hand), American artist Gisela Colón and Egyptian artist Moataz Nasr. Beyond “Forever is Now,” the consultancy curates several shows and projects at historical locations in the greater Cairo region and abroad, pairing contemporary artwork with historical architecture.
There are also plenty of contemporary art galleries in Cairo, many of which are in Zamalek on Gezira island in the Nile. Some, like Arcade, are associated with community art schools and aim to amplify the talents of young Egyptian artists. Others, like Gypsum, host solo and group exhibitions designed to entice an international audience, while galleries like Ubuntu showcase the work of artists from Egypt and abroad. Other must-visit art institutions and galleries in Cairo include:
Darb 1718
Darb 1718. AHH Founded by artist and activist Moataz Nasr in 2008, the non-profit contemporary art and cultural center is located in the Fustat neighborhood of Old Cairo. Since its inception, Darb 1718 has become a prime example of the art community’s struggle for survival.
The pivotal center, known for curating and hosting national and international artwork and several artist workshops, faced a significant setback earlier this year when its main building was demolished “without any prior notice” to make way for a highway expansion. Over a hundred artworks were destroyed, yet the center remains open, continuing to host workshops for the community, from cyanotype printing to acrylic pouring.
SafarKhan Art Gallery
SafarKhan Art Gallery, one of the first to open in Cairo’s artsy Zamalek district, has been representing emerging and established artists from the Middle East and North Africa since 1968, when Roxanne Petridis created a space that would eventually become a hub for the avant-garde in the region but opened as a shop selling Islamic artifacts. Today, the gallery is owned by Sherwet Shafei and it bills itself as the “original home of modern Egyptian art.” SafarKhan is especially known for championing Egyptian modernists like Mahmoud Saïd and Hamed Nada, as well as contemporary talents such as Mohamed Abla and Omar El-Nagdi.
The Salah Taher Gallery at the Cairo Opera House
The Cairo Opera House has become a cultural fixture not only in Egypt but also the Middle East. The funds for the location were initially gifted from Japan after a visit from the former president of Egypt. Since its opening in 1988, it has become a treasured arts and cultural hub, hosting opera, ballet, theater, and art exhibitions.
Recently, the Salah Taher Gallery at the Cairo Opera House hosted the exhibition “Mariam,” which featured over fifty paintings by award-winning artist, Mariam Waguih, Egypt’s first Fine Arts student with Down Syndrome.
TINTERA
TINTERA. Faouzi Massrali TINTERA, a photographic art consultancy with a gallery space in Zamalek and offices in London, specializes in both contemporary and historical photography, focusing on images that capture the region. Their mission is to raise awareness of Egypt’s photography through preservation, research and exhibitions.
The space was initially created because Egypt, one of the most photographed countries of the 19th and 20th Centuries, lacked a dedicated photography institution or museum. The gallery, featuring the works of acclaimed artists including Ahmad Abdalla, Ibrahim Ahmed and Nermine Hammam, ultimately aims to bridge the gap between the history, present and future of photography in Egypt.
Mashrabia Gallery of Contemporary Art
Mashrabia Gallery. Courtesy Mashrabia Gallery Located in Downtown Cairo, Mashrabia Gallery is the oldest privately owned contemporary arts gallery in the city. Since its opening in 1990, it has become a key figure in cultivating opportunities for both new and established artists, with an emphasis on promoting arts accessibility.
The owner and curator, Stefania Angarano, has stated that Mashrabia was born from a desire to create a connection between Egypt and the West. Since its opening, the institution has worked to promote artists both in Egypt and abroad, sharing often powerful politically and socially-charged stories through its exhibitions and events.
Zamalek Art Gallery
Founded more than two decades ago, Zamalek Art Gallery is focused squarely on promoting the work of modern and contemporary Egyptian artists and artists from around the Middle East with connections to Egypt. It is especially noted for its support of artists such as Mohamed Abla, Zeinab Al Sageny and Georges Fikry Ibrahim. Spacious galleries let Zamalek mount two exhibitions at a time—one with an established artist and one with an up-and-comer—and under the leadership of Naheda Khouri, this gallery brings its artists’ work to fairs and partners with several luxury hotels in the region to curate the collections on display.
Costa B. Pappas
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Memes see pitch…BooooM…NAILed IT (37 Photos)
It’s Friday,
Let’s kick things off with an old school movie reference:
“One flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest”This is my new version of “Nurse Ratched”
Enjoy a few NAILed IT memes for the weekend.(for Team under 40-yrs. old…that’s a very Bad-gal cinema character)
Rick
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12 ‘Fake’ Songs From Movies That Are Actually Great
If movies are all about immersion and world-building, one of the best ways to do that is to add believable details—like a hit song, for example. Movie soundtracks are a great way to turn a good song into a hit, especially when the movie itself turns out to be popular. That mostly happens to songs that already exist, or songs written by a band or a singer to play over a movie’s credits, but sometimes the effect can be reverse-engineered.
Some of the best hit tracks come from the world of the movies themselves. That is, a song that is “already” a hit in the film can escape the matrix and become a hit in real life. These are the kinds of songs that are written to be hits, more often than not taking a few cues from real popular songs that already exist. A lot of the time, this happens in parody films, where the sheer corniness of the song is what makes it so catchy. In a way, all of these “fake” songs are written that way, with a degree of self-awareness, and are great even because of that.
For this list, we’ve found 12 of the best fake hits from film, from funk chart toppers to futuristic pop hits, jams from the ’70s and the ’80s that never existed, self-deprecating rap tracks, and ballads that beg to be sung during late night karaoke. These songs might have faked their initial popularity, but you can’t deny they’re real hits now.
12 “Fake” Songs from Movies That Are Actually Great
This is what happens when a song that is “already” a hit in a film escapes the matrix and becomes a hit in real life.
Gallery Credit: Emma Stefansky
READ MORE: Why Are Trailers For Musicals Pretending They’re Not?
20 Movies That Should Have Flopped That Became Massive Hits
These movies didn’t look like much on paper, then became some of the biggest hits ever.
Emma Stefansky
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Moo Deng memes for the happy hippo everyone is obsessed with (30 Photos)
Moo Deng is the most powerful being in the world right now. The internet has become completely obsessed with this pygmy hippo and I (thankfully) can’t go online without seeing a picture of her biting, screaming, running, or slipping. It’s glorious. As you know, I’ve been on the Moo Deng train for over a week now and I’m glad everyone else is hopping on. Instead of just precious pics, this time we’re mixing it up with some Moo Deng memes!
Camry
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