“The Art of Voyeurism - The Daily Beast” plus 2 more

The Art of Voyeurism - The Daily Beast
Why I Am Documenting JJ Rawlings, By Mohammed - The Guardian - Nigeria
Sandra Bullock: Her Sister Talks (PICTURES) - Buzz Log (blog)

Posted: 24 Apr 2010 06:02 PM PDT

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The photographic fantasies of In Sook Kim peek inside the private worlds of people who live in glass houses. VIEW OUR GALLERY.

People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones, but no one minds if they expose their daily lives—especially In Sook Kim, a Korean artist with a fascination for what goes on behind the glass. Kim stages psychological settings, often based on newspaper articles about people and the ways they cope with isolation, and then photographs them. Taking it a step further, she digitally places her rooms in the windows of high-rise, modernist buildings—making her fictions seem real. Inside Out, a solo show at New York's Gana Art Gallery that runs through May 8, presents these and other voyeuristic works by the Düsseldorf-based artist to an American audience for the first time.

Click Image to View Our Gallery of In Sook Kim's "Inside Out"

In Sook Kim

Saturday Night is Kim's opus maximus. A color photograph that's 10-feet high and 15-feet wide, Saturday Night shows staged scenarios through the front windows of 66 rooms of the Radisson Blu Media Harbour Hotel in Düsseldorf. Kim started the project while still a student at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf, where she studied with the renowned photographer Thomas Ruff, and worked on it for three years. The rooms offer a variety of true stories that take place behind closed doors. A woman kills a man with a wine bottle; a man masturbates while watching porno; a woman obsesses over her cat; a group of young men get drunk; two women entertain a bachelor party by having sex together; a man leaves his child alone in a hotel room; and a wife waits late into the night for her husband to return home. Sordid tales of loneliness, pleasure seeking, and corruption get played out in the big picture and through individual photos of each room, which can also be viewed in a recent book on the series.

Other photographs in Inside Out capture the action behind the panes in one straight shot. Das Abendessen (The Dinner) depicts a banquet, where women are the food, at a rooftop restaurant in a Düsseldorf art museum. The gruesome scene of gore and bondage was staged with Kim's friends and neighbors. She put them to work again in Langen Foundation, a four-panel picture about the process of making art and displaying it in a museum—from the blank wall and conception of the work to the hanging and opening reception. Both of these scenarios were shot from the voyeuristic position of being outside looking in. Meanwhile, Die Auktion (The Auction) captures a scene witnessed from within. A nude, blond woman stands on a draped pedestal while surrounded by businessmen that are examining her and making their bids. Shot in a majestic interior of a courthouse in Düsseldorf, it's shocking in its truthfulness about both prostitution and trophy wives.

In a new series, titled Drugstore, Kim takes the 20 most dangerous drugs from a British study and constructs visual metaphors for each of them. Heroin, which is No. 1 on the list, is portrayed as a nude woman on a bed, admiring herself in the mirror. The reflection she sees is slimmer and more beautiful, thus her ego is equated to the potent drug. For Kokain (Cocaine), Kim staged a street scene outside a Cologne coffee shop, where passersby are caught by the alluring poses of the women inside—making the metaphor that the mind-altering drug is similar to the appeal of commercial sex.

A photographer that thinks before she shoots, In Sook Kim comments on the human condition in uncanny ways, while fabricating fictitious images that are totally believable.

Plus: Check out Art Beast, for galleries, interviews with artists, and photos from the hottest parties.

Paul Laster is the editor of Artkrush.com, a contributing editor at Flavorpill.com and Art Asia Pacific, and a contributing writer at Time Out New York and Art in America.

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Why I Am Documenting JJ Rawlings, By Mohammed - The Guardian - Nigeria

Posted: 24 Apr 2010 03:10 PM PDT

Why I Am Documenting JJ Rawlings, By Mohammed
By Yemi Olakitan

THE story of Ghana and the role played by former President Jerry Rawlings in setting it on a stable political course are the focus of a new documentary that will hit the screens soon. US- based writer and musician, Mohammed Naseehu Ali, who was in Lagos for the Black Heritage Festival recently, is recording the documentary. According to him, it is necessary to record the story of Ghana as she emerged from austerity to prosperity so that African people, especially the youth, can learn from it now and in the future. Mohammed believes that filmmaking is an important tool for democratic development, hence devoting his skill and resources to the current project.

According to him, such a project will enable African people understand and appreciate Ghanaian democracy and see if her experience could be an option for a functional African democracy. Mohammed admitted, however, that Ghana is still growing and there are still many challenges to overcome. We can learn from the past, said Mohammed, adding that he believes that in telling the tales of Ghana's democracy and the role former President Rawlings played, one cannot ignore the power of film to convey messages, and help influence course of society.

Originally from Ghana, Mohammed lives in Brooklyn, New York with his wife and three children. He is a new generation immigrant to the United States. A graduate of the Interlochen Arts Academy and Bennington College, Ali has published fictions and essays in The New Yorker, The New York Times, Mississippi Review, Bomb, Gathering of the Tribes, and Essence. He is a versatile writer of short stories and novels. His book, 'The Prophet of Zongo Street,' received wide reviews and acclaim.

Speaking on his origin, Mohammed said he is from a Hausa clan in Ghana. ''Sometimes people in Ghana argue that I am a Nigerian and that there is no Hausa in Ghana while the Hausas in Nigeria say that I am a Ghanaian because the Hausa language I speak is different from theirs; that is why I have decided to be an American in order to put an end to the confusion,'' he said.

On his project, Mohammed said he would be interviewing several African leaders, especially Ghanaian leaders, who witnessed the Jerry Rawlings revolution. He said he intends to make the project all encompassing. The former President, he said, is a colossal figure in Ghanaian politics whose influence cannot be overemphasized.

''Jerry is a very important figure in Ghanaian politics. Where Ghana was in 1979 is not where it is in 2010. Within the space of 30 years, Rawlings has been in the minds of Ghanaians and they have loved and hated him. He is instrumental to the changes we have in Ghana today. As a result of what he did in Ghana, there will never be a coup there again.'' he said.

IN 1979, Rawlings, with six others, was arrested and charged with leading a mutiny of junior officers and sentenced to death. While awaiting an appearance before the court, Rawlings was rescued from custody by a group of soldiers; and with the support of both the military and civilians, he ousted the corrupt Supreme Military Council from office and brought the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council to power.

Rawlings signed the orders for the execution of some former military dictators and they were killed under the watch of his government. These former military rulers were Ignatius Kutu Acheamphong, Akwasi Afrifa, and Fred Akuffo. Five other generals Ÿ Joy Amedume, Yaw Boakye, Roger Felli, Kotei, and Utuka were also put to death. Rawlings ruled Ghana for a total of 19 years and contributed to the democratic and economic stability of the country. According to Mohammed, in the 70s Ghana was in a desperate situation under a corrupt leadership but Rawlings contributed to the change in the country's politics and economy.

These historical facts, said Mohammed, must be seen on film. He will also be interviewing ordinary Ghanaians aside political leaders. ''The Nollywood of today is not recording our history. Look at the Nigerian-Biafran war for example, is it on film? It is not enough to write about these events we need to put them on film. We need to tell our stories on film''

''This is my first documentary. I grew up in Ghana and I saw the revolution and I have been writing ever since. I saw the horrors of what was happening. It is a story that I want to go back to and try to understand what really happened and learn from it.''

Contends Mohammed, the two most important figures in Ghanaian history are the late Kwame Nkrumah and Jerry Rawlings. ''Jerry Rawlings is loved by many and hated by some but no one can deny his political stature in Ghanaian history. It is also important to assess the mind of those who hate him''

''The brutality that came and characterized his government made people afraid of him. The general feeling in Ghana now is that if they misbehave, Rawlings will come back. I am not a huge supporter of him but I am a realistic person and no matter what you say, he is a huge force in Ghanaian governance. There was something Rawlings did that worked in Ghana and somehow that thing is still working there till today."

MOHAMMED, who witnessed events of the Lagos Black Heritage Festival, commended the efforts of the State government under Babatunde Fashola to promote arts and culture. He said the scale of the festival impressed him immensely. He believes that the festival has great potentials to develop tourism in the state.

''I am impressed by what they tried to achieve; the multiple venues, the performing arts and the culture.

I believe that with the commitment of the Fashola government, Prof. Wole Soyinka and many others, the festival will grow. The Governor seems to have a great idea; he believes that Lagos State's development will affect Nigeria's development and that Nigeria's development will affect the entire West African sub-region''

While in Africa, Mohammed will visit the Kwara State University and the University of Ghana as a guest lecturer. He hopes to take the documentary on a tour of West African cinemas when it is completed.

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Sandra Bullock: Her Sister Talks (PICTURES) - Buzz Log (blog)

Posted: 19 Apr 2010 06:44 PM PDT

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