Nobody is Famous in New York.

Nobody is FAMOUS in New York. Because we are merely fragments, wishes, and pieces of struggles
it is crucial to see what we may become; a potential to be. We are not FAMOUS, we are just
New York.

Sophie Mörner & Capricious Collective, Brooklyn, August 2007

Famous Magazine is another of those magazines thats solidifies the importance of independent publishing. Less of a magazine, and more of a journal of collected art and thought, Famous reminds me why it’s important to never stop dreaming.

It’s easy, especially as an American, to get caught up in the day to day monotony of a boring job and an overly materialistic society. Sometimes I forget to just look out the window into the sunshine and appreciate life. Famous Magazine is a welcome escape.

Curated by Sophie Mörner and created by Reiko Underwater, each issue of Famous centers around a different theme and format. Issue #10, Nobody is Famous in New York features visual and (a few) literary samplings from NYC-based artists. Created in limited-editions and bound by hand, Famous is a refreshing visual journey into the lives and work of artists you’ve never heard of, but will soon find yourself googling.

Famous reads like a scene in a Sofia Coppola film—drawn out images, stream of conscious thoughts and a peaceful sense of beauty. From Jonathan Black’s airy, blissful photograph of a nude girl in a field that looks straight out of a Marc Jacobs ad to Elizabeth Gilchrist’s charming pencil drawings of dogs in sunglasses, Famous captures those fleeting moments that make life special.

Add comment January 20th, 2008

Labs! (with Abs!)

Andrew Jeffrey Wright makes art. He’s also friends with a hell of a lot of cool people, or so he claims in his bio on the site of Philadelphia’s Space 1026 Gallery. Wright makes art for kids who know how to have fun! Sculptures of Furby toys in trash cans, pencil doodles of E.T., and chaotic, colorful pattern paintings are among Wright’s work. Andrew Jeffrey Wright is my kinda gentleman.

Having been a fan of Wright’s brand of art for sometime, I had to pick-up his mini art-zine Labs With Abs when I was searching for a stocking stuffer this past holiday season. But I won’t lie, I totally bought it for myself.

Published as part of the Tiny Books line by Blue Q and Measuring a diminutive four inches, one might easily pass up this treasure amongst the beefier offerings. But with a cover featuring relaxing lab with a six-pack and the headline “So Real! So Tite!”, one can’t help but be charmed into purchase.

There is no pretense behind Labs with Abs. It is literally 20 pages of Wright’s drawings of Labrador Retrievers working out, relaxing poolside, and of course admiring their abs in the mirror. With a bit of a homoerotic undertone, it definitely appealed to my not-so-secret inner furry.

Add comment January 20th, 2008