Ian Svenonius: Supernatural Strategies

Musician and writer Ian Svenonius presents a coffee talk on Supernatural Strategies for Making a Rock 'n' Roll Group. In this presentation he will give a preview of his forthcoming publication, which functions as an instructional guide for would-be stars, a warning device, a philosophical text, an exercise in terror, an aerobics manual, and a coloring book. Svenonius is the host of the talk show Soft Focus, the author of the collected essay volume The Psychic Soviet (Drag City, 2006) and the frontman of iconic bands such as The Nation of Ulysses and The Make-Up, which have been invited to reunite for this year's All Tomorrow's Parties "I'll Be Your Mirror" festival in London. This event is organized by Wendy Yao (Ooga Booga) in conjunction with First Among Equals and as a lead-in to Excursus III: Ooga Booga opening September 26, 2012. Ian Svenonius will present his talks this weekend May 13 at 2 p.m. Institute of Contemporary Art @ University of Pennsylvania.

Nude Man Forsblom & Jay Johnson @ Gagosian Opening For Richard Avedon In New York

New York’s spriteliest interior designer, Brock Forsblom, became so inspired at the opening of Richard Avedon: Murals & Portraits last Friday night, he stripped naked to pose in front of the Warhol gang. He in turn inspired hundreds of photographs taken by the mob-scene crowd, which included fellow interior designer Jay Johnson, twin brother to Warhol’s former partner Jed Johnson, and one of the original Avedon subjects. In these large-scale murals and the smaller, related portraits of the 1960s and 1970s, Avedon sought to depict the spirit of the times, a spirit that clearly lives on.

See the exhibition at Gagosian’s West 21st St. Gallery, New York. On view through July 27. photographs by Temo Callahan

Agnès Varda in China

Agnès Varda is displaying her works at the Hubei Museum of Fine Arts  and the Museum of Fine Arts of Wuhan until May 6 2012. She is displaying several installations, including a portico in bright red in which she has installed her photographs. Agnès Varda is a visual artist and film-maker famous for films such as Cléo from 5 to 7 which made her a burgeoning member of the Nouvelle Vague film movement. However, in the eyes of the Chinese, where she is above all else is a photographer, the same photographer who travelled through the country under Mao, in 1957. The result of this trip is a collection of photographs which have never before been displayed: smiling families wearing Mao suits, female dockers bent under their burdens. The snapshots depict China before the repression.

Jean Paul Gaultier: From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk

Dubbed fashion’s enfant terrible, Jean Paul Gaultier launched his first prêt-à-porter collection in 1976 and founded his own couture house in 1997. Emerging as a designer in the 1970s, he developed his own dress codes that reflected the changing world around him. This dynamic, multimedia exhibition will include 140 haute couture and prêt-à-porter designs created between the mid-1970s and 2010, along with numerous sketches, archival documents, fashion photographs, and video clips that spotlight Gaultier’s collaborations with filmmakers, choreographers, and musicians, most notably Madonna. Jean Paul Gaultier: From the Sidewalk to the Catwalkwill be on view until August 19, 2012. Photography by Oliver Maxwell Kupper. 

Schiaparelli and Prada

An amazing, rare pair of vintage Elsa Schiaparelli sunglasses will be on sale May 2 as part of a vintage jewelry sale timed to the opening of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's opening of Schiaparelli and Prada: Impossible Conversations explores the striking affinities between Elsa Schiaparelli and Miuccia Prada, two Italian designers from different eras. Sunglasses like the ones above were made in 1957 for American Optical bear a resemblance to Prada's Spring 2012 collection which also includes pieces decorated with enamel roses. Schiaparelli and Prada: Impossible Conversations will be on view starting May 10 at the Met in NYC.

Helen Shumaker @ The DeYoung

The tremendously talented actress and performance artist Helen Shumaker performing at the DeYoung Museum as part of a series of events called Our People curated by Monique Jenkinson (aka Fauxnique) with a group of performers, most of whom she knows through the queer club scene, to create a dance/installation inspired by the work of Jean Paul Gaultier—"his icons, his fetishes, and a light-hearted, humanistic irreverence." Photograph by Oliver Maxwell Kupper for Pas Un Autre. 

Liberatum Hong Kong

Liberatum Hong Kong International Festival of Culture opens today and runs through the weekedend. Participants include Khalil Fong, Daniel Wu, Rossy de Palma, Wing Shya, Nobel Laureate Sir VS Naipaul, Paul Schrader, Rosey Chan, Terence Koh, Pharrell Williams, Hong Kong New Music Ensemble, Mike Figgis, OMA Partner – Architect, David Gianotten and many others.

Santigold Kicks Off Transmission LA

Transmission LA, curated by Mike D of the Beastie Boys, is a multi-disciplinary festival that will be the meeting point for the Los Angeles art and music community. The sequel to the series of festivals that premiered in Berlin last year with curator and fashion designer Raf Simons, the 17-day collaborative festival includes work by Roy Choi, Benjamin Jones, Mike Mills,Tom Sachs, Public Fiction, and additional artists and musicians. Tomorrow night Santigold opens the festival tonight at The Geffen Contemporary at the Museum of Contemporary Art. Transmission LA will be on view until May 6.

The Illustrations of Shia LaBeouf

"Shia [LaBeouf] is in some ways an art rapist," says Marilyn Manson.  Who knew the actor was such the consummate artist and publisher. LaBeouf says he "is obsessed with the history of visual culture" and puts out around 10 books a year with his publishing imprint The Campaign Book.  Right now the modest, but impressive catalogue includes graphic novels by himself like Let's Fucking Party and Cyclical, as well as books by Marilyn Manson and Kid Kudi. Above is an illustration by LeBeouf himself from Cyclical.

My Valentine Premier

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Paul McCartney & crowd (including Autre's own Adarsha Benjamin seated on the left) at the My Valentine music video (directed by Paul himself starring Natalie Portman and Johnny Depp) premier at the Stella McCartney boutique in Los Angeles. McCartney will also be re-releasing his amazing first solo album Ram on May 21st. A deluxe edition box set will include a 112-page book, photo prints, copies of handwritten lyrics and notes and four CDs as well as a film that tells the making of the album on DVD, Ramming.

Dinner in Honor of Suicide's Alan Vega

Annual Friends of Artists Space Dinner 2012 will be held in honor of legendary artist and musician Alan Vega on Saturday, May 5, 8pm. Alan Vega and his band Suicide are widely regarded as the godfathers of “No Wave.” The group’s seminal 1977 album Suicide is cited as an important influence by musicians such as Joy Division, Nick Cave, Spacemen 3, Spiritualized, The Horrors, The Cars, and Bruce Springsteen. This event is held exclusively for the Friends of Artists Space. A limited number of tickets are available. Please contact: friends@artistsspace.org to inquire about tickets or how to join the Friends of Artists Space.

Dark Sky

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On 6 June 2012 the second and the last transit of Venus of the century will occur. Departing from this extraordinary phenomenon, the Adam Art Gallery, in New Zealand, presents the exhibition Dark Sky which delves into the relationship between photography and astronomy to examine the intriguing photographic consequences and new territories discovered from capturing the skies. The exhibition has been timed to coincide with the 2012 Transit of Venus, a rare astronomical event when Venus passes between the Earth and the sun. The exhibition will be complemented by a public programme, including talks by scientists, artists and writers, including the German and New Zealand poets who have been commissioned by the International Institute of Modern Letters and the New Zealand Goethe-Institut to write about the Transit of Venus. Dark Sky will be on view from May 1 to June 8, at the Adam Art Gallery Victoria University, Gate 3, Kelburn Parade.

Doug Aitken's Song 1

One of the most important artist's working today is without a doubt Doug Aitken. From photography, sculpture, and architectural interventions, to films, sound, single and multi-channel video works, and installations Aitken's work is a truly unique and distinctive voice of this century. On view now at the Hirshhorn Museum in Washington D.C., Aitken's multimedia exhibition, entitled Song 1, is a 360 degree projection of films onto the exterior museum set to the soundtrack of the 193os jazz standard reinterpreted by the likes of LCD Soundsystem's James Murphy, Beck, Devendra Banhart, No Age and more. Song 1 "will illuminate the entire facade of the Hirshhorn’s iconic building, transforming it into 'liquid architecture' and an urban soundscape. Using eleven high-definition video projectors, Aitken will seamlessly blend imagery to envelop the Museum's exterior, creating a work that redefines cinematic space." Doug Aitken: SONG 1 will be on view until May 13, 2012.