BLOG

See Jeremy Fish’s Story In ‘Once Upon A Time’

The Fourth of July weekend is supposed to be about cookouts, fireworks, and sharking, but if you’ve had enough outdoor fun and want to post up at the crib with a good book, you could do worse than Jeremy Fish’s latest, Once Upon A Time…

The SF-based artist/skate mogul/Aesop Rock pal has compiled some of his favorite drawings, photographs, and paintings in a leather-bound tome that retails for $50. Highlights include a foreword by the aforementioned Def Juxer and a section devoted to photos of people who’ve gotten tatted up with Fish’s work. Pick it up at Upper Playground stores or online and check a few pages from the book after the jump.

Popularity: 3% [?]

Erotic Comics Book Puts The ‘Lust’ In ‘Illustration’

As longtime comic book heads, we’ve always had a place in our heart for a well-rendered female form, whether She-Hulk, Jean Grey, or Witchblade (big up to our dude Mike Choi!). Of course, mainstream comic art has its limits—limits that have long been crossed in erotic art from the Kama Sutra to R. Crumb and Playboy’s Little Annie Fanny. And now those transgressions have been lovingly cataloged by Tim Pilcher, whose Erotic Comics: A Graphic History from Tijuana Bibles to Underground Comix comes out this month.

More than just a visual history, the book reads like a labor of love; images from pre-Depression nudie comics to modern-day Mexican sensacionales are presented along with insightful essays that make the book perfectly suitable for a coffee-table centerpiece (albeit an intesnsely NSFW one). After the jump, check out some relatively tame images from inside the book.

Popularity: 8% [?]

Dead Animals Get “Fixed” By Lisa Black

Remember Pookie, the stuffed bear you got when you were two that you refuse to throw out despite the fact it’s missing both legs? Well, there may be hope after all (for Pookie, not you—you’re obviously damaged beyond repair). Lisa Black, a sculptor based in New Zealand, has a new collection out called “Fixed” that consists of broken stuffed animals that she puts back together with clock parts, antique hardware and other mechanical odds and ends.

And while Black uses real animal skins (i.e. taxidermy victims), the PETA folks can put down their posters—the Kiwi artist is an animal lover just like you: “I was a girl running around in the rain saving ants from drowning,” she says in a recent interview. After the jump, check out a video of the above crocodile’s working gears, and photos of other examples from “Fixed,” including the sheep’s heart that Black completed in one day (for certain decomposition reasons).

Popularity: 15% [?]

Hunting Down Shanghai’s Graffiti Scene

In the West, we have a tendency to view China as a society so oppressive that no one would dare spray paint on a wall for fear of being shot dead in the streets by Communist authorities. But apparently, this isn’t quite true—judging from a series of photos recently taken by Juxtapoz on the streets of Shanghai, the country’s graffiti scene is alive and well.

The flicks were taken in the area surrounding Moganshan Road, which makes up the city’s art district. From quirky characters to politically conscious messages, it seems like they’re experimenting with a variety of different styles. Check out a few more flicks below.

Popularity: 26% [?]

Artist Catalogues Law & Order’s Dead

At any given time, someone is dying on an episode Law & Order. And after 18 years and three spin-offs, the TV franchise’s body count is getting pretty mind-boggling. Seattle-based artist Samantha Scherer, a reluctant fan of the show, notes that she had become accustomed to “seeing vaguely recognizable character actors assaulted and murdered on a regular basis.”

Hoping to wrap her mind around her morbid fascination, she started taking stills of the victims and rendering them in black watercolor on small squares of lightly tinted paper. She then catalogues them by season and episode number. The series, entitled These Are Their Stories (a reference to the show’s opening mantra), went on display at the Kirkland Arts Center in 2007. Starting in July, ten new sketches from the series will be at the Davidson Contemporary Gallery in Seattle. See some more of Samantha’s victims below.

Popularity: 39% [?]

Tom Sachs’ Waffle Bike Totes The Iron

One of the greatest perks to living in New York is the easy access to food. A few months ago, we were excited to discover a waffle truck parked right outside the Complex offices. But even that mobile wonder doesn’t match up to the impressive Waffle Bike created by artist Tom Sachs. The one-of-one bicycle is a self-contained waffle production unit, featuring a refrigerator, chicken cage (where fresh eggs are hatched), and of course a waffle iron.

Even though the bike doesn’t seem street ready, it actually is. It even has a machete and two homemade 12-gauge shotguns built in, just in case anyone tries to jack these wheels. The Waffle Bike will be on display at NYC’s Sperone Westwater gallery through June 21. Learn more about the bike in an informative video below.

Popularity: 53% [?]

Surreal Creature Sculptures By Andrew Scott

CGI is overrated. We miss the old days when crazy aliens were painstakingly sculpted piece by piece to create eerily realistic looking models. If Hollywood ever wants to take it back, we suggest they hire Canadian sculptor Andrew Scott.

Using primarily acrylic, PVC gel, wire and aluminum as his materials, he’s created a wide variety of insects, trilobytes and strange fictional creatures pulled from his imagination. His Bugmaker Flickr Photostream and blog are full of step by step photos showing his whole process. See a few of his more memorable creatures below.

Popularity: 59% [?]

Photo Book Exposes Phone Sex Operators

The age-old problem with any kind of virtual sex—phone, cyber, telegraph—is that you can’t actually see who you’re talking to. But would you really want to? Behind those sexy voices are real people, who are now being revealed in the new photography book by Phillip Toledano called Phone Sex. In the coffee-table book, all of the operators divulge some anecdote or philosophy they’ve gained while on the job. Read the thick lady above’s confessional after the jump, and see more eye-opening photos from the book that drops in July.

Popularity: 61% [?]

Balloon Artist Is Blowing Up

Remember your weird uncle who was psyched about making balloon animals at all the family parties? He doesn’t have shit on BalloonGuy Entertainment.

The company, which specializes in sick custom balloon makeups, has pumped out life-sized latex renditions of everyone from Voltron to Elvis Pressley. Their newly-designed balloon of stumpy-Italian Nintendo front man Mario doesn’t leave out any details, including tricky body parts like the tounge and eyes. In addition to ordering balloons for your party, the brand’s head honcho Jeremy Telford does clown work on the side if you’re looking for entertainment at your illegit’s next birthday party. Check out a few more balloon bangers below.

Popularity: 84% [?]

David Byrne Plays A Building Like An Instrument

On Saturday, a massive building on the Southern tip of Manhattan officially became a musical instrument. In his new exhibit called “Playing The Building,” Talking Heads mastermind David Byrne hooked pieces of the Battery Maritime Building up to an old organ. The result is an eerie instrument that clanks water pipes and metal beams for a unique type of music. The exhibit is free from noon until 6 PM on weekends through August 10. Watch a video of the Building below.

Popularity: 84% [?]