M.I.A, Born Free from ROMAIN-GAVRAS on Vimeo.

I swear, only someone who spent most their life living in England would have a video about killing a bunch of Gingers!

Before I knew Rankin was partial owner of Dazed and Confused. I first read about him in a book I bought at Urban Outfitters just on a whim..it was on sale and I needed a book.

Lately,  I have been reading a lot about him in the media. He was recently hired to do celebrity portraits at Wireless Festival in the UK. Apparently  the  celebs were star-struck for a change and lined up for hours to get their picture taken by him. I guess you are kind of a big deal if you’ve even photographed the Queen.

I later found the following article in Vice about his new project.

http://www.viceland.com/fashion/2009/07/rankin-helped-me-shine/#more-3903

The article is pretty funny. I checked out the website and although it’s probably cheesy I want to get my portrait taken. £50 is well worth the waiting and effort to get to see the man at work.  All of the proceeds go to charity. The location is down the street from my house.  I am seriously concidering this. The only issue is you have to apply and send in a picture.. This is going to be such a hard choice. I know I will regret not attempting to do this.

This year’s annual Vice Photo Issue has been released. I eyed some girls come into my shop clutching a rather large magazine and just by the size and glossy back cover American Apparel ad, I knew it was time to go hunt down my favourite piece of printed press. That is the thing about Vice, you can’t just go out to a shop and purchase it. If you want it, you have to search for it. You need to know where to go since it’s usually only distributed into a city’s trendy shops and bars. I had the day off yesterday so I traveled over to Covent Garden in search of my very own. I was actually anxious that all the stores would have run out by then. Luckily, I found it pretty easily.

Two summer’s ago the issue was concentrated on photojournalism. A particular article about Russian children left orphaned by AIDS was so moving that I decided to paint a portrait of them. Last year’s issue was filled with interviews with some of the worlds most interesting photographers. It’s really nice to get to hear what they have to say. This year I find myself the owner of glossy magazine full of nipples. I know Vice love their nude pictures, but usually there is enough content to balance out the nakedness. With the exception of “ Jazz and Blues and Blues and Jazz” by Val Wilmer and “Russia Today” by Serguey Maximishin there was little that interested me.

I find myself a bit disappointed with this issue, but who am I to judge. Maybe I just need to have another look.

Charles Saatchi, of Saatchi & Saatchi and M&C Saatchi, has decided to start a Reality TV show based on finding Britian’s next new artist.  Charles Saatchi and his brother were one of the most powerful men in marketing back in the 70’s and 80’s. They are said to be responsible for getting Margaret Thatcher her place as UK Prime Minister.

Charles Saatchi became a collector in the 70’s and in 1985 he opened up the Saatchi Gallery in London. Saatchi and The Saatchi Gallery are responsible for the success and fame of the YBAs or Young British Artists. The YBAs, known for their wild “east london” ways and shock tactic art, dominated the art scene in the 1990’s. The YBAs consisted of artists such as Damien Hirst, Tracey Emin, Sarah Lucas, Jake and Dinos Chapman, and my favourite, Ron Mueck.

I remember watching a video and the YBAs and the Saatchi Gallery in my art class and asking one of my teachers what he thought about it all and he went on about how he thought Saatchi was a joke and many of the artists he represented were all a big joke as well. He brought up the point that Saatchi was a man of marketing who could sell anything. I understood that Saatchi and some of his artists are questionable.

This, however is just out of hand. It’s just sad for the art world, but also for the extreme boom of the reality tv culture. I’m slightly scared/sorry for the person who wins. Despite my dismay with this show, I will still be a viewer. It will be interesting to see how it all pans out.

The BBC and Princess Productions are accepting entries as of today. More information is available on the site.