flickr.com/photos/dimasforchetti

I’m not really interested in talking about politics on this blog, but I am interested in talking about this. I’ve watched the below video a few times, and my mind is just completely fucking blown. Swedish artist Makode Linde during his performance piece on female gentile mutilation.

From his FB page: “Documentation from my female genital mutilation cake performance earlier today at stockholm moma. This is After getting my vagaga mutilated by the minister of culture, Lena Adelsohn Liljeroth. Before cutting me up she whispered “Your life will be better after this” in my ear.”

Before doing any research on the project, all I could think was “what the fuck? this is amazing!”  But now after a little digging, I’m finding that there is QUITE the uproar taking place in Sweden. There are calls for the Minister of Culture to step down. There are posts on his FB page from people around the world, expressing their disgust on what they view to be racist exploitation on the part of the artist AND the attendees of the event at Stockholm’s Moma. That being said, I’m still all  ”what the fuck? this is amazing!” about this project.

Why? Because it has people talking about the disgusting practice of female genital mutilation AND it’s provided me one of the most disturbing and fascinating scenes in recent memory. I suspect we’ll be hearing a lot more about Makode Linde as time progresses. And I for one am looking forward to it.

update 4/23/12: a great post about the project...

On occasion I’ll get an email from someone so outstandingly talented, it makes me scratch my head and wonder why they aren’t a household name.

I present to you a young, London based Joshua Hibbert. Having only graduated from college last year, he’s already got an eclectic and impressive portfolio. I have been staring at his work for the past 30 minutes, and I’m really getting sucked in. His ethereal use of color, and ghostly images really excites me.

I hope in fact he someday is a household name, but like a favorite band you liked before they got big, I also wish I could keep him all to myself. But that wouldn’t be right. You need to check this kid’s work out.

Duh. I love it.

“Africa has had a devastating history of blood diamond wars. Blood diamond refers to a diamond mined in a war zone and then sold to finance an invading army’s war efforts, usually in Africa where more than two-thirds of the worlds diamonds are extracted. This site specific social / political word play was painted on the exterior wall of Johannesburg’s largest diamond trader Jewel City.  Jewel City is a six-block mega-precinct that serves as a base for some 300 diamond traders as well as South Africa’s Diamond Board and State Traders Association. Jewel City is the largest diamond exporter in the southern hemisphere with over R7-Billion worth of Diamonds being exported every year. 

I was able to get away with this diamond wall heist because I told the owners I would paint in big letters “Diamonds are a woman’s best friend” on the exterior of their building.  The owners loved the idea and all quickly agreed. The next day I had started painting but what the owners didn’t know is that I lied to them and was hijacking their wall. Like any premeditated robbery, situations are not what they seem and shit can flip from best friends to worst enemies in a few moments. 

I assume the owners were too busy trading diamonds inside the mega centre they never took the time to come out and see I was painting a controversial word play about the diamond trade and how it’s fueled so much bloodshed in wars making it one of man’s worst enemies.” ~ ABOVE

this is important. you should check it out: http://www.artandwork.us/

Great illustration work from a kid about to graduate from Pratt. Sadly, he only has 3 people listed on his “friends” page. Conor, I’ll be your friend buddy. Anyone else looking for a friend? Hit Conor up. Let him know you’ll be his friend. Everyone needs more than 3 friends.