A Trip To Old Havana, Cuba by Mattea Perrotta

When you think of Cuba a few things come to mind: vintage Chevrolets, cigars and rum, and lots of rum. Sure, the cars were neat the first ten minutes upon my arrival and the old women with skin like leather made for the perfect subject for any american tourist canon rebel. Yes all these things are beautiful, and quintessentially anyoneโ€™s understanding of Cuba. But there was so much more beauty and old timelessness to be discovered. Havana was once considered the Las Vegas of the Caribbean, a place for the Hollywood elite, a getaway for the rat pack and Audrey Hepburn. But when communist Cuba was born, this once glamorous destination spot went south. Little did we know, when President Kennedy signed the Embargo Act in 1962, and Fidelโ€™s communist powers become more in alignment, that subconsciously Cuba was being put into a time capsule to legally be rediscovered by Americans only until this year. To my surprise, since Cubaโ€™s communist exit, so much of the city is still regulated in a way that makes it difficult for Cubans to get daily essential items that we take for granted. This city by the sea once glittered with a smorgasbord of architectural styles and eras of wealth, from the Spanish colonial days,1940โ€™s Hollywood and 1950s modernism. Sadly, so many of the old grandames and Hemingway's poetic romanticism are simply crumbling away; some have collapsed into piles of rubble. Life in Cuba has been hard on the people because they canโ€™t make a living off of their government salaries. Sure they have free education and health care, but there are not enough jobs to provide income for the people. I think itโ€™s inevitable to not be sensitive to this kind of poverty, especially living in a place where a realty TV star may become President. But I did not see any beggars in the streets. The people were gracious, happy and full of life. They finally ate the forbidden fruit of โ€œfreedomโ€ after all these years, and to experience that kind of joy and liberty was amazing. Old Havana is beautiful, cobble stone streets, pastel art nouveau architecture decorate Paseo del Prado, but if you travel outside of the center you can discover more about Cubaโ€™s history, such as Havanaโ€™s Chinatown. There are strong historical relations for Communist Cuba and China. This made it easy for Havana to establish its own Chinatown. photographs by Mattea Perrotta and Kate Parfet. Text by Mattea Perrotta

The First "Nonobject(ive)" Summer Happening @ The Broad Museum in Los Angeles

The Broad museumโ€™s Nonobject(ive): Summer Happenings series kicked off last Saturday. The program was inspired by the museumโ€™s first special exhibition, Cindy Sherman: Imitation of Life. The late-night series animated important influences of leading contemporary artists through music and performance, fluctuating between happenings, salons and productions. The first program featured the lush beauty of Perfume Geniusโ€™s orchestrations and the ever-changing masked choreography of Narcissister. In the spirit of Cindy Shermanโ€™s photographs, performance collective Mutant Salon transformed visitorsโ€™ hair, make-up and minds in a lavish pop-up beauty parlor and hive for creative collaboration and self-care. Lotic created dark beats in The Broadโ€™s distinctive architecture, and Cindytalk performed electronic soundscapes that blended rhythmic dissonance with ethereal vocals. The event included same-night access to the full museum, including the Cindy Sherman: Imitation of Life special exhibition. photographs by Dicko Chan

The Importance Of Being Earnest: Read Our Interview Of Essayist And Poet Kris Kidd On The Occasion Of His New Book Of Poetry →

What does it mean to be honest? For Kris Kidd, it might be the unadulterated, self-deprecating persona he projects on social media and in his essays. The day we meet, he posts a picture of himself in a studded choker and a t-shirt ripped to shreds, an ashy cigarette hanging from his lips. The caption reads, โ€œi guess iโ€™d have to say the greatest thing about being me is that i can show up an hour late to meetings & interviews, unshowered & w/ starbucks in hand, bc i literally have no reputation to uphold.โ€ But if you think this is the honest Kris Kidd, you only know half the story. Click here to read more. 

What She Said: Read Our Exclusive Interview With Deanna Templeton On The Occasion Of Her New Book And Solo Photography Show →

Most may know Deanna Templeton as the wife, muse and woman behind skater, photographer extraordinaire, Ed Templeton. Just the same, though, you could say that Ed is the man and muse behind Deanna. But the truth is that they walk hand in hand โ€“ sometimes literally โ€“ especially when they go on their daily stroll through Huntington Beach photographing the seaside communityโ€™s sun drenched denizens. Indeed, Deanna and Ed are truly one of the greatest artistic duos in recent memory. While their work isnโ€™t purely collaborative, both of their identities as artists and photographers are wholly unique, dynamic and alive with a searing, youthful vibrancy. Click here to read more. 

"The Art Of Nexus" At The Japanese Pavilion for the Venice Architecture Biennale 2016

With the additional sense of loss that arose in the aftermath of the Great East Japan Earthquake, which occurred on March 11, 2011, Japanese society is currently on the verge of a huge turning point. While the notion of a happy family life in the city, created by the modern state, has collapsed, a new community, based on โ€œsharingโ€ (values, lifestyles, etc.) has appeared in its place. How is our architecture changing to fit this new era? And where is our architecture headed? Many of the things that we are now focusing on have the potential to exert huge changes (at least superficially) on beautiful decorative elements such as architecture magazines (a propaganda tool for Modernism), and the architectural framework shaped by the modern state that is concealed in many buildings. This is why it is essential to place a strong emphasis on altering the state of society and various relationships โ€“ or in other words, the en (connections, relation, ties, chance, edge, fringe, rim), which serve as the theme of this exhibition. The Art Of Nexus will be open to the public throughout the 15th International Architecture Exhibition โ€“ La Biennale di Venezia from 28 May to 27 November 2016 - at the Giardini. photographs by Sara Kaufman

"Stratagems in Architecture: Hong Kong in Venice" During The Venice Architecture Biennale 2016

Hong Kong is a city known for its versatility and resilience; yet what is often seen in daily life is rigidity and lack of alternatives. Architecture, under such circumstance, becomes an agency reflecting on human, social and even political conditions, and at the same time moulding the values of the public. On one hand, it conforms to the rules of capitalism and private demand; on the other, it seeks to transcend the norm and open up imagination. What lies in between could be conflictive and creates endless and ever-changing battlefields. New ideas are put to test at the borderline; they may fail or they may transform into new set of values. Working on the margins often unveils the social dilemma โ€“ whether human need should be replaced by the need for progress and wealth. The classical Chinese essay Thirty-Six Stratagems is a collection of military tactics applied at wars in ancient China. The wisdom provides guides in politics, business and civil interaction in modern time. The stratagems are categorized into chapters that illustrate different situations, both advantageous and disadvantageous. Drawing reference from the classic, the exhibiting architects and artists examine the challenges they face and attempt to provide solutions to the complexity of reality. โ€œStratagems in Architecture: Hong Kong in Veniceโ€ will be on view as a collateral event during the Venice Architecture Biennale, which runs until November 26, 2016. Location: Venue Campo della Tana, Castello 2126-30122 Venezia, Italia (opposite the main entrance of Arsenale)

"Home Economics" At the British Pavilion For The Venice Architecture Biennale 2016

Visitors approaching the British Pavilion are welcomed by an over-sized Georgian panelled door. To prevent the spread of plague, Queen Elizabeth I forbade families from sharing homes by saying โ€œeach must have their own front doorโ€, a decree that led to the advent of the terraced house and entrenched the importance of the front door in the British psyche. Black, glossy and monolithic, the Home Economics front door dominates the central axis of the Giardini as a monument to the British home, inviting visitors to explore the different environments. Home Economics responds to the Biennale Architettura 2016 curator Alejandro Aravenaโ€™s theme Reporting from the Front by tackling the frontline of British architecture: the home. The curators, Shumi Bose, Jack Self and Finn Williams, were chosen following an open call organized by the British Council and have invited established and emerging artists, architects and designers to produce immersive 1:1 environments, which challenge the status quo and propose new models for the home. Home Economics asks questions of British society and architectural culture that have come about as a result of changes in patterns of everyday life. The exhibition unfolds through a series of five architectural propositions, designed around incremental amounts of time: Hours, Days, Months, Years and Decades. Each room designer has been asked to propose architectural responses, rather than solutions, to the conditions imposed on domestic life by varying amounts of occupancy, and each response inhabits one of the five rooms in the British Pavilion. Home Economics will be open to the public throughout the 15th International Architecture Exhibition โ€“ La Biennale di Venezia from 28 May to 27 November 2016 - at the Giardini. photographs by Sara Kaufman

Read "Hate-Rosexuality" Morrisey's Missive On American Politics and The Orlando Shooting →

Although the gunman who massacred 49 people at an Orlando gay club is said to have been 'repulsed' by homosexuality, he nonetheless left behind a slew of self-adoring 'selfies'; a handsome man gazing enchantedly at his own face. It is therefore acceptable for him to lovingly admire his own maleness, but it is not OK for other men to like other men. Does Islamic scripture say it is fitting for a man to sit alone taking adoring photographs of himself? I doubt it. Click here to read more. 

Ballet Parking: Watch A Mesmerizing Dance Film Set In A Parking Lot At Night by Nacho Alvarez

The movie "Faraway, So Close!โ€ tells the story of an angel who comes to earth to live as a human. What is heavenly, imprecise and volatile descends to fully stamp against the earthly, the concrete. These two worlds, distant and contradictory are bound by a new atmosphere that allows movement, pulse, life. What it far is close. Ballet Parking is directed by Nacho Alvarez, with a performance by Vicente Etcheverry. Shot in Montevideo, Uruguay