Watching MESRINE a few months ago in Switzerland, I intuitively thought: This film is indisputably driving from the French cinema, however its core is definitely built with American tools. Pretty bad movie, but entertaining and featuring a great cast of actors. For those who are tired of the French “Nouvelle Vague” legacy, go for the French “Nouvelle Hollywood”! Opening on Friday in New York and Los Angeles.

Directed by Jean-François Richet; written by Abdel Raouf Dafri, based on the novel “L’Instinct de Mort” by Jacques Mesrine; director of photography, Robert Gantz; edited by Bill Pankow; music by Marco Beltrami; production designer, Émile Ghigo; costumes by Virginie Montel; produced by Thomas Langmann; released by Music Box Films.

Yesterday was held at the New York Swiss Institute, with the blessing of the auspicious Gianni Jetzer, the official presentation of our—nearly—new born baby “Novembre“. It was a very nice night full of friends, performances & bloody mary. I personally want to thank Jeanne-Salomé & Clément for putting it all up, the performers & attendees, and Ting Ting for helpful assistance. An more exhaustive report will be posted in the next few days!

COME AND CELEBRATE WITH US THE OFFICIAL PRESENTATION OF NOVEMBRE MAGAZINE IN NEW YORK CITY, TUESDAY from 7 to 11 ! Details below.

SB6 Jason Farrer & Sean Thomas from Sang Bleu on Vimeo.

Kitra Cahana and Chris Urquhart are currently working on a collaborative and multi-media project about modern nomads living in America entitled Welcome to Rainbowland, for which they received a first place in the World Press Photo 2010.

The Rainbow Gathering is an annual festival that takes place around the Fourth of July holiday weekend in a different American national park each year. Part of the point is to celebrate inclusiveness and pray for world peace. The festival attracts hundreds of teenage runaways and travelers who are nicknamed ‘The Dirty Kids’.

Faithful to the Postmodernist theory, one could claim that any number of styles and manners could be practised simultaneously, so that theories of art became effectively numberless, each one the philosophical equal of every other. However it seems obvious that the art world is more incoherent than pluralist. Individual subjects within art such as photography, the representation of landscape and religious issues in art and globalism are marked by differences and misunderstandings that cannot be characterized as pluralist. In that field, many people decline to argue about the index, or about Roland Barthes’ punctum, and by itself this could be a normal effect of a plurality of interests. But at least some of those people also have no position on those subjects, and have no reason why it should not matter that they have no position.
Photography criticism seems to be more than a simple plurality of viewpoints, but a heterogeneous field, past any reasonable hope of developing a coherent conversation. Amen.

I initially imagined the duo, Cardona Bonache, as a very serious potential business. Something that would work on a global scale and aesthetically akin to classic Calvin Klein. A friend argued that it was more aligned with Balenciaga and the argument that these are really involved patterns is a point well taken. Taken out of the context of comparisons there is no comparing this teams sleekness in the abbreviated week and, credit due, they speak their own language. A decisive maneuver around the concept of bellows that followed through the collection down to the shoes.

Last Image: Victor Cardona and Israel Bonache, A couple of tattooed dudes who’s entire crew has been marked by Sang Bleu contributor, Jon Dix.

As I was having an aimless walk in the neighbourhood, I lately bumbed into the Metanoia show (previously advertized on the blog) as well as Patrick Sullivan, the owner of the space, P.J.S. Exhibitions. An interesting meeting.

Patrick was born in Ireland. For the first two years of his life, Sullivan and his family lived on a farm in the small town of Kenmare. After immigrating to the U.S., the Sullivans resided in Westchester County, NY for four years then packed up and moved to New York City. Sullivan began his academic career at The Trevor Day School and finished at The Beekman School. Although he attended these institutions, both prestigious and educational in a conventional sense, Sullivan was also learning lessons from the city itself, continually drawing inspiration from street art around him. Around age 16, influenced by his family’s own collection and intrigued by the vibrancy of urban life, his interest in art evolved into passion. Since 2005, Sullivan’s been dividing his time between New York and Miami, mostly for buying and spectator purposes. His travels have awarded him the opportunity to not only meet and work with a handful of successful galleries, but to secure his relationships in the world of art dealing. For the past several years he’s been working with Art Watch, a program dedicated to prevent the over-restoration of paintings. After graduating from Christie’s Certificate Program in Modern Art, Connoisseurship and the History of the Art Market in June 2009, Sullivan has developed a keen eye for admiring and appreciating various media of artist expression. P.J.S. Exhibitions will be home to a series of exhibits, rotating every 45 days with a diverse selection of emerging artists’ work. Sullivan’s gallery will highlight work from photographers, tattoo artists and jewelry designers, amongst others, with every fourth exhibit aiming to benefit a non-profit cause.

METANOIA, ” a positive psychological re-building”, is constituted by a selection of works by Ryan Bonilla, Chris O’Donnell, Josh Egnew, Thomas Hooper, Jason June and Stephanie Tamez.
The show is taking place on 238 West 14th Street, between 7th & 8th Avenue, until August 29th.