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KAWS – Companionship in the Age of Loneliness

Brian Donnelly is KAWS.

The man has been behind the moniker for a quarter of a decade and if you are not familiar with the name, I can guarantee that you would have come across one of his emissions in some sort or form somewhere as he and his art are omnipresent and have very much become an integral part of modern day popular culture.

Having collected some of his collaborations with Pushead and his toys released in Japan, I was intrigued when I learned about the National Gallery of Victoria, ever on the forefront of pushing the envelope in their endeavours to exhibit world class works in the Southern hemisphere, staging KAWS: Companionship in the Age of Loneliness.

With more than one hundred exhibits, the wide range of paintings, prints, alterations of existing artwork, sculptures and artworks that enter the realm of the abstract are on displayed, centred around his iconic figures, which incarnate on massive scale – a more than seven metre companion sculpture greets you before you even enter the exhibition.

While I have been familiar with KAWS and appreciated his incarnations in different shapes and forms over the years, it was impression to experience the collection that not only its what KAWS has become known for but also highlights the nuances and facets of his art.

Beneath the playful approach most would associate with KAWS having only experienced his toy like figures – which is not further wondrous as he honed his craft through stints at Disney and other animation studios - the exhibition does a fantastic job offering more for the ones in search for what is lying underneath and informing the man’s approach.

There are subtleties and cracks that allow for fragility and feelings of isolation to shine through – sentiments that are very much signs of the times we live in.

The exhibition and the fantastic accompanying catalogues, which can be ordered from the National Gallery of Victoria, highlights that there is so much more to KAWS than brightly coloured street art, graffiti and the subversion of advertising culture.

KAWS is a multidisciplinary artists that subverts popular culture but also manages to create a sense of belonging and connection, the latter of which can be literally felt through the joy children experience while they are experiencing KAWS: PLAYTIME, which despite being for the underaged is a tactile and sensory experience that very much encompasses the DNA of what is at the core of KAWS’ work.

The comprehensive exhibition catalogue lives up to the masterful curation previous NGV catalogues have become known and appreciated for and features more than two-hundred images, essays and and an elaboration by NGV’s Senior Curator of Contemporary Art, Dr Simon Maidment.

Critical Terms for Art History

University of Chicago Press

One man’s trash is another man’s treasure and it is not much different with art. So how does one define and describe what art is objectively and accurately without letting preferences take over?

Critical Terms for Art History tries to offer a reference point when it comes to the vocabulary, methodology and terminology of the widely debated terrain that is art history. With essays that not only elaborate extensively on each term but also look at the issues and different interpretations different schools have, the tome serves as a veritable framework.

I find the elaborations especially interesting when e.g. “ugliness” and “beauty” are shed light on – face value terms that are often too quickly used in a superficial and judgmental manner.

Despite its head heaviness fret not as a Ph.D. is not necessarily required to understand it, but it is a nice intellectual workout. However, having a tad bit of art history and art criticism background will exponentially enjoy the benefits and enjoyment one will get out of it.

The authorities, expertise and variety of the authors adds to the subject matter as their individual background adds another dimension to their explorations.

I specifically enjoyed the demystification of some terms and the challenging of what is commonly perceived to be cast in stone approaches to art. The book is not exactly an exercise in iconoclasm but as despite what the title suggests, it steers clear from affirming established art critical standards.

A fantastically erudite source of information that I would recommend to anyone remotely interested in visiting museums whenever they have a chance.

Dillinger Four 25th anniversary show @ First Avenue

Dillinger Four, Pegboy, The Brokedowns, Partial Traces

First Avenue

Minneapolis, MN

December 14, 2019

I would never call Dillinger Four a soft-spoken band, but they are also very modest one. This was one full display again last night for their 25th anniversary show at First Avenue in Minneapolis -- a large local stage that the hometown band hasn’t played (to my knowledge) since the release of Situationalist Comedy in 2002. It was a party show; it was a celebration. But, in tune with the final night of the Triple Rock, it was also business first. It was a celebration through music instated of an egofest.

The night started with a chill set by Partial Traces, who feature a lot of familiar faces (members of The Gateway District, Benner Pilot, and Soviettes among others), and play a synth-influenced calm alt rock that’s more interested in tonal experiences and crafty songwriting than in singalong melodies. They were a nice change of pace band to get things started as the crowd filed in.

The Brokedowns took the stage next, and the tempo and volume bumped up a notch. They balanced their unique blend of shouty-yet-harmonic punk with a pummeling feedback and coarse but sweet jams, to the backdrop of some sassy stage chatter. Both of the first two bands also highlight D4’s ongoing commitment to sharing larger stages with lesser known bands.

Then Pegboy took the stage, with Larry Damore immediately straddling the barrier and uniting band with audience in a way that pushed the evening into a new gear. It was their first time in Minneapolis since 1994 (the year D4 formed), so they commandeered the 25-year theme and made the night their own for a lengthy, energetic set. The first two bands may be (somewhat) younger, but Damore was the most energetic of the evening by far: crowd antics only being a part of it. Their Chicago-style melodies were on display and carried an extra wallop in a live setting, It was high energy, but down to earth, giving a low key, personal feel even though the room was packed.

For featuring four punk(ish) bands in a larger room, one of the bigger accomplishments of the night was that each band kept that low key vibe throughout the whole room, with as many reunions happening among the crowd on the floor as there were onstage. Later in the night, Erik of D4 expressed his brotherly love for his bandmates in a way befitting of a group hug -- the same could be said among the clusters of friends gathered on the floor, most of whom have probably seen the band dozens of times since the 1990s.

"We could have been a more professional band and played more. But fuck that."

While there were certainly asides, thank yous, and recognition of the milestone, in many ways (as referred to earlier), the show was business as usual. The band let the music and the communal vibes of a punk rock show serve as metaphor for their accomplishment. Sure, they could have made a bunch of ‘90s jokes and talked all night (and it wouldn’t be the first time), but for the most part the band ripped through a set heavy in Midwestern Songs and Versus God material, with intermissions to chat up the crowd with a mix of classic Paddy witticisms and reflection.

There were a lot of nice song intros that went beyond what you’d see at a “typical” D4 show, talking about inspiration of the tracks but with added context that put a time, place and even faces to the lyrics. There were a few tracklist additions from early 7”s as well, and more Erik and Billy-fronted songs than I’d say the average D4 setlist presents. A few were notably songs that don’t get the live treatment often, and they were a little bit, um, rusty in their delivery. But, all in all, it was a big show to celebrate a big accomplishment. The band are clearly still having fun doing what they do. Bands, and people, change with time. Through all the life events of a quarter-century, D4 are still a band with a stage presence that unites audience and performer instead of taking the rock star angle. It’s music first but, just as much, it’s about the whole room instead of those four people standing on the state. It’s friendly and relatable, cathartic and celebratory.

In many ways, Dillinger Four’s 25th anniversary set was just like their regular shows. Because that’s the way it should be.

Read SPB’s interview with D4.

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Photos by Loren Green

High Adventures in the Great Outdoors - Quality Shoes

Ah, shoes!

Sure, there are many things that make an appearance but no matter if you are still in the midst of your adolescence growing up in underground subcultures wearing your Vans or whatever Hypebeast touts as drop you need to camp outside a shoe store for, or trying to give your grown up life a bit of flair and a sophisticated edge, there is hardly something that makes a first impression sink lack the of a decent pair of shoes.

No matter if it is a durable shoe from the UK or one on the leaner side like Italian styles are known for or if it is something in between or outside traditional schools of shoemaking, what I am looking for is essentially something that accommodates my foot shape that is more than a disposable piece of fashion crap that does not withstand the 13-20km I usually walk on a daily basis and still meets my aesthetic preferences.

As Carl Gustav Jung put it ever so eloquently, resistance to the organized mass is at the end of the day only as effective if the man’s individuality is as well organized as the mass itself.

Enter Undandy.

Undandy is essentially a family owned shoe workshop based in what is commonly touted to be the shoe capital of Portugal, whose portfolio plays the claviature of styles even if your budget is a little tight but you’re keen to get around premium footwear.

With a staff that has honed its craftmanship and refined its approach to the traditional art of Portuguese shoemaking, a range of over fifty leather materials that are sourced from Italy and France, which are hand cut, and their idiosyncratic way of creating one-of-a-kind shoes that are customised to your exact specifications.

I have recently allowed myself to order a pair that is a hybrid between a dress shoe and a sneaker and the attention to detail that the work of the seamstress and pattern cutter display is outstanding: I mean it in the best way possible when I say that you can tell after seeing a pair in the third dimension that it can not possibly have been made by a machine.

As a matter of fact, it sparked an interest in learning more about the manufacturing process and the precision that goes into the stitching, cutting, assembly, tailoring and – something that Undandy does particularly well – the art of handcrafting the patina by applying multiple layers to give the shoes a uniquely weathered feel, if that is what you ordered. Savile Row principles applied in its best.

The way it works with Undandy is that via an interactive tool on their website, you can create your very own bespoke shoes – no matter if you prefer sneakers, loafers, boots, classic styles or an outrageous Frankenstein (and yes, the options Undandy provides allow for truly outrageous compositions) according to your own specifications including the opportunity to add a personalised engraving. Choose your classic design and model, the stitching, leather, colour schemes personalise it and hit order.

In an oversaturated and stuffy footwear market, coming across Undandy is a fresh breeze, an experience and a lot of fun without any worries as each pair can easily be sent back if one is not satisfied with the outcome.

An affordable quality customised experience that allows your footwear to become a natural extension of your personality and one that comes with quite a bit of DIY ethos.

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image from company website

Thus Let Us Drink Brew - Moo Brew

Yes, we have covered MONA, i.e. the Museum of Old and New Art, based in Hobart, Tasmania and have sung its praises many a time. Ditto for its founder David Walsh, the founder and visionary behind what is one of the most brilliant and unique entities on the firmament of museums.

Now, David Walsh’s endeavours do no merely stop at entrepreneurship and the collecting of art, au contraire, his interests are manifold and luckily for us, he is not only invested in mental constructs but also aligned with the pursuit of sensual self-indulgence and the organisation of unceasing, merrymaking bacchanals.

We have covered his vino emissions and the excellent drops he produces with Moorilla and Domaine A and it was only a matter of time until we were going to cover his brews made from malted grain.

Moo Brew is the name of the etablissement and no matter if you savour a cold one, the sexiness of the bottles and design of the cans the beer comes in, is hard to dispute. Featuring reduced, idiosyncratic artwork of Australian artist John Kelly, the idea for which came from Leigh Carmichael, the brain behind the Dark Lab, the sum of the total that is created constitutes much more than the mere sum of great beer, attention to detail and artistic flair.

What I have always liked about both Moo Brew’s core range as well as the limited edition brews is the fact that they channel an authentic appreciation of the DNA of the beers they are producing: The Hefe comes very close to what you would be served in some of the better Bierkellers in Munich and the Pilsner would make the palate of any Czech beer aficionado salivate. The fact that they even nailed their own equivalent to a Belgian Pale Ale speaks volumes about their craft.

I specifically like their special editions and geschmaecklerische releases like their Dark Ale, which proved to be a great companion at the wee hours at the Odeon Theatre at last year’s incarnation of Dark Mofo as well as their Stouts, some of which are veritable beasts of beer.

Now that things were ever uninteresting with Moo Brew, but being very appreciative of whisky, the announcement of the collaboration between Moo Brew and Sydney’s Archie Rose Distilling Co. have instantly caught my imagination.

What emerged is a two months whisky barrel-aged tar black imperial stout, which with its 10.8% ABV packs a punch or two.

Coming in a sleek, black all wax sealed bottle, it radiates everything that MONA stands for – sophistication, hedonism, artistic flair, a total dedication to craft and a presentation that in a subtle manner highlights and lets the relevant things shine – even more so if they are black.

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Image from company website