censorship is still prevalent

INDIA REFUSES MEESE SCULPTURE



A sculpture by Jonathan Meese has been turned away at the Indian border. As the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung's Swantje Karich reports, Indian customs officials at Mumbai airport took a "drastic" approach to Meese's bronze sculpture Don't Call Us, We'll Call You, 2007, which was en route to the gallery Mirchandani + Steinruecke for inclusion in the exhibition "General Sweetie." According to Karich, the dealers attempted to persuade the airport customs officials to let the work through by citing "traditional Indian erotic literature." Just as the shipment was due to be checked again, the official in charge gave up and simply sent the sculpture back to Germany.

collector craziness.. our names on your babies

KOOLHAAS SUPPORTS CEMETERY PYRAMID



Rem Koolhaas has added his support for plans to build a giant cemetery pyramid near Dessau, Germany. As the Süddeutsche Zeitung's Ijoma Mangold reports, the Dutch star architect participated in a gala event last week at Berlin Hebbel-Theater. Koolhaas presented the results of an international architecture competition launched last fall. The final four designs were selected by a jury that included the architect, as well as the designer Miuccia Prada.

Dubbed "The Great Pyramid," the cemetery, in a sign of peace, would be open to all religious beliefs and nationalities. A five-hundred-foot-tall structure could hold up to five million stones and might be expanded to include more. According to the association Friends of the Great Pyramid, more than a thousand people have already reserved a stone and want to have their ashes kept in the structure. If the plan goes forward, a stone may cost around one thousand dollars.

But the residents of both Dessau and neighboring Streetz—where the pyramid may be built—are not so happy about the plan. During a "pyramid party" held in Streetz last year, some locals attended with the banner WE DON'T WANT 500,000 DEAD PEOPLE. "All the same," writes Mangold, "it's completely conceivable that the project will succeed. There are many terrible things in the world that have met with success."

Karl the Kaiser

Karl Lagerfeld is a relentless force in fashion designing over 4 collections a season- Chanel, Fendi, Lagerfeld Gallery and Karl Lagerfeld (might have sold this). You can tell he never stops thinking and working by the looks of his atelier... If u wanna see Karl Lagerfeld's over the top ring collection, him being totally cunt about his life- the man knows how he wants to live, why he wants to live and not love, and hear about his mother, whom he prolly gets his succinct style and no nonsense from, go see Lagerfeld Confidential at the Roxie Cinema which screens til Thursday.. and again, go support indie film houses. They need you... I'd be sad to see them close. Historically, this may be the first movie house to open in San Fran according to their site. I know it's the first movie house I went to when I moved to SF when I was a lil' pink haired punk of 18 to see some Frank Zappa doc or something.

Anyway, it's really cool...and u get to see him as a child, awww... in super 8 which is always icing on the cake, no?

A Tribute to Susan Sontag by Annie Leibowitz

San Francisco still continues to satisfy my need to surround myself with beautiful things including the views and landscapes which will remain forever new to me even if I've seen them a million times. From Golden Gate Park stretching to the ocean, the easiness on the eyes is there for the taking. As I trekked to the Legion of Honor again for another wondrous daytime adventure, starting with a delectable brunch of Scharfenberger chocolate muffins, which Eddy gulped down with "yums" and I, savoring my minty fruit salad, the most crabbed out fritata ever, and a delicious belini, was surprised to encounter the Annie Leibowitz photography exhibition already opened to the public. Not thinking I would be interested in her imagery which, in my mind, seemed to pervade every pore of Vanity Fair for the past decade, I surprisingly found integrity in a body of work which gave due homage to friend, critical writer and fellow photographer, Susan Sontag. A personal heroine of mine, Sontag, during her terminal and fragile times leading up to her last days after she was diagnosed with cancer can be seen intimately through Leibowitz's ease of camera, in her private home, airplanes to see Paris one more time, last bicycle rides with friends and carrying Leibowitz's baby (whom she birthed at age 50). It was a really beautiful way to give respect to her confidant and close friend in a survey show of which I'm sure she had to edit thousands of photographs from.
The one here, displays the intimacy of Kate Moss and Johnny Depp, giving Leibowitz this unsaid kind of, "yes, we'll do anything you want for the camera, because we trust your vision completely" and that is what makes this show interesting. There is a genuine trust and respect inherent in all her photos, reflecting from a total and willing honesty on both ends of sitter and shooter. And to give yourself completely to someone else is a beautiful thing.
Afterwards, we hiked through the Sutro Hills and discovered that whistle that you can hear for miles along with the sea lions at night if you sit quietly enough. It's a metal form of architecture similiar to a short lighthouse stranded a mile away from the coast visible from the cliffside. Whoooooooooooooooooooooooooo...