In an age where celebrities seem more influential than ever, it is good to see famous faces wielding their influence effectively. Last week Quiet Lunch was invited by Iconic 32 and The Common Ground Foundation to Bucketfeet, a SoHo sneaker shop focused on artist based designs, to celebrate the spirit of creativity and, most of all, social good. The event helped …
christopher-george-latore-wallace.com | Evan Roth.
ome are waiting for the rapture, some are waiting for a gigantic spaceship. Evan Roth, however, is waiting for the Notorious B.I.G.’s music to become public domain. Titled christopher-george-latore-wallace.com, Roth’s clever multimedia project includes a large scale counter, a sleek looking wristwatch, and a dedicated website. The project is inspired by U.S. copyright law which states that an artist’s body of work become …
Amarist. |x| Alejandro Monge. | Too Much?
marist and Alejandro Monge came together to create a powerful dining table that speaks volumes. Essentially Too Much? is much more than a dining table. It is a clever socioeconomic critique that has conveniently manifested itself in the form of home decor. For the project, Amarist lends its signature geometric design while Monge lends his ability to create realistic plastic sculpture. Too …
Housebroken Parasites. | Yerin Do.
esigner Yerin Do creates creepy but functional articles of furniture that appear as if they are being overcome by mold or parasites. Aptly named Parasite Hooks, the project involves the application of diamond-shaped leather that is folded into a tube and then tucked into the holes in the furniture. The pieces almost look alive, their spiky growth giving them an …
At HOME. | Miler Lagos.
t is has been two years since Miler Lagos‘ Home was featured at Magnan Metz Gallery, but its conceptual significance still resonates with us today. Lagos used what looks to be close to one thousand books to build a dome shaped structure, an Igloo located in exhibition affectionately called Home. The installation not only pays homage to the endearingly analog practice of reading …
ROX. |x| wallplay. | P O L I S H. | VIDEO
OX and wallplay kicked the summer off early last week with a brand new group show. The two burgeoning art spaces teamed up to premiere P O L I S H, a curated collection of eye catching works from over fifty artist–including Anna Bloda, Alannah Farrell, Justin Edward Moore, Ahmet Civelek, Elliot Goldstein, Magdalena Firlag, and many, many more. Opening …
Chilean Activist Burns $500m Worth of Student Loans Papers.
lazing the trail in mass financial liberation, a Chilean activist named Francisco “Papa Fritas” Tapia recently burned documents representing $500 million (£300 million) worth of student debt. Coinciding with a protest at Universidad del Mar, Tapia’s act has gained worldwide interest with a mixed reaction of support and disapproval. “It’s over, it’s finished… You don’t have to pay another peso [of your student …
Watch It Melt.
inston Chmielinski‘s work lies unconscious on the shore of a familiar reality, washing back into a surreal sea while melting into the already saturated sands of time. Chmielinksi paints visual murmurs that are ironically concise. Although the figures in his pieces are faintly recognizable, they are still easy to identify with. Paintings like Relearning How to Breathe , The Inner Glow of …
#InstaMeetWV |x| #ClashInThePark | #SundayFunday
his past Sunday, Michael Della Polla and I grabbed our smartphones and cameras to explore the city in which we are so lucky to live in. We were thirsty for an adventure, and New York City did not disappoint. We caught wind of one of those really cool Sunday meet-ups. It was the kind of event made to help us put down …
An Imprint of Home.
Taking place in the city of Toronto, Living Sections is an ongoing series by Paul Kawai that focuses the architectural progress of a densely populated city. Capturing the imprints of demolished houses, Living Sections visualization of a lasting impression. “When a building comes down in a dense city, what usually remains is a sort of tattoo or scar on the remaining surrounding …
Escape from New York City.
Young photographer Megan Tatem captures loneliness in a densely populated city in her latest series, Being and Nothingness. Blanketed in a coat of jaded youth, Being and Nothingness is an autobiographical body of work that quietly resonates within a generational paradigm. “Being and Nothingness is a series of fragmented photographs depicting the void, melancholy, and loneliness of living a life in New York City …
Cornerstones of Existence.
Gemma Danielle Bayly‘s ongoing free project, Reiki Stones, is based on the concept of transcendence and self actualization. Possessing a ritualistic allure and a spiritual purpose, Reiki Stones are hand-painted stones charged with Reiki energy. Reiki, a combination of the Japanese words Rei (God’s Wisdow or the Higher Power) and Ki (Life Force Energy), is a healing technique that involves a metaphysical approach …
IFAC | Family Affairs.
The duo at IFAC (International Fine Arts Consortium) put on quite a show during Armory Week. The opening reception for their latest exhibition, Family Affairs, was filled to rafters with creators and spectators. Described as an “incestuous avant-garde survey of art,” Family Affairs features a vast, but harmonious, array of artists that include Brian Leo, Noah Becker, Casper Brindle, BTA, Pierre …
Time is Illmatic to Premiere at Tribeca Film Festival 2014.
Along with Wu-Tang’s Enter the 36 Chambers and The Notorious B.I.G.’s Ready to Die, Illmatic is considered to be one of the essential works that marked a second renaissance in east coast rap. While bullets were whizzing through courtyards and hand-to-hands were being covertly executed, a chip toothed younger by the name of Nasir Jones (a.k.a. Nasty Nas) stared out his window …
Carly Sioux. | Broken Angel.
Making her film directing debut, Sioux presents us with Broken Angel, an avant-noir film that is deliciously disorienting and ingeniously off its rocker. It’s a pleasure to watch an artist grow. We’ve followed Carly Sioux‘s career for some time now and when we heard that she was working on her first film, the anticipation was unbearable. The Brooklyn photographer’s photographic work possesses a …
Grand Opening | Imagine Gallery.
The new year jubilation has already faded away on what was a cold rainy evening in Chelsea, New York City. But with the grand opening of Peter Ruprecht’s Imagine Gallery going on, the line was going around the corner just to get a glimpse of this amazing new space and expression of art. Supported by StonehengeNYC, Imagine Gallery is the dreamchild …
The Eastmen Collective present Memorabilia at Poppington. @PoppingtonNYC
UPDATE:Due to the weather yesterday in the northeast, we had to postpone The Memorabilia exhibit opening to Thursday January 23rd. Memorabilia will be hosted by The Eastmen Collective in the downtown creative factory known as Poppington. This multimedia pop-up exhibition will showcase the work of Shane Garron, Lance Johnson, and select pieces from custom goods company Hawke & Dumar. The artist and clothing company come …
The Jostling of Classic Art at an Arizona Gallery.
Justin Bieber may the slickest pop star today, but what if he were a painter from the Renaissance era? What if his greatest subject was himself? Artist Mike Reynolds paints the singer decked out in centuries-old attire with classic sunglasses and a look of pure self-worth in his “Untitled 18 from JB throughout the Ages.” It’s a mash of the …
The Art of Emotion.
KwangHo Shin captures the complexity of human emotion with his latest series of abstract portraiture. Sacrificing detail for substance, KwangHo Shin purposefully obscures the facial features of the subject in order to convey the intricacy of human emotion. The clashes of paints are an ideal metaphor for the human psyche. Akeem K. Duncan.Akeem is our founder. A writer, poet, curator and …
The Many Portraits of Ventiko.
Ventiko is a prime example of a quintessential artist. Her thoughts are unfiltered, her affection is untamed, and her wiles are unrestricted. Ventiko is an offbeat dynamo, a mercurial visionary, a whirlwind of goddessery. But through it all the photographer manages to keep a coherently artistic lid on her cauldron of inspirational quirk. Ventiko’s work is somewhat of a far …
A Cold Warmth.
Monica Lek possesses a nonchalant style that is only undermined by her flawless execution. In other words, her work feeds off of happenstance; but the manner in which the moment is captured reeks of precision and perfection. Lek’s series, Light Arousal, features sensual, and somewhat distant, portraits of sunlight. In the series, the Barcelona based photographer finds beauty in the quotidian while …
Cut It Out.
Fresh off of his third solo show, James Nizam, who we featured for his dazzling light sculptures, shows some versatility with Two Triangles, 2013 and Four Circles, 2013. Taking a more physical approach, Nizam gives you X-Ray vision by cutting geometric shapes into abandoned houses. Two Triangles (featured above) is perhaps the most impactful piece, the shapes provide a portal like effect–you …
The Lodge Gallery. | Totally Gay for Sports (TGFS).
Last week saw the premiere of Totally Gay for Sports (TGF Sports). Curated by Pittsburgh native Paul Brainard, the group show features sport inspired pieces by Evie Falci, Jean-Pierre Roy, Hyunjin Alex Park, Eric White, Dawn Frasch, Peter Daverington and more. With ‘TGF Sports’ emblazoned across the wall, The Lodge Gallery was packed to the rafters for a night of beer, …
Munch Gallery | Silent Weapons for Quiet Wars.
Quiet Lunch stopped by Munch Gallery last Thursday for the opening reception of their newest exhibition Silent Weapons for Quiet Wars. Featuring works by Derrick Cruz, Jeremy Dyer, and Luke Kranker, the show is a multilayered experience that includes mixed media sculptures by Cruz, ethereal photography by Dyer, and a 30 minute long sound collage, titled Separate the Shit from Shinola, by Kranker. Taking …
Falling Into Kaleidoscopic.
Maria Baoli’s photo series, Kaleidoscopic, highlights a geometric tear in time and space; a tear that gives way to a realm of beautiful gestures and romantic imagery. The Brussels based artist achieves this feat by placing a triangular in quotidian surroundings. These mirrors reflect an opposing sentiment in comparison to their backgrounds. The whole experiencing is one of endearing contrast and intriguing …
Maxime Ballesteros. | Entre Chien et Loup.
French Maxime Ballesteros possesses a provocative sense of humor that often fortifies the brilliant themes in his work. His newest series entre chien et loup (Between Dog and Wolf) features sixteen new works, created in Berlin, Monaco, Provence and Paris. The solo exhibition is currently on display at We Are Teapot until December 5th–but has been extended to December 10th. Akeem K. Duncan.Akeem …
Pop On Wood.
Pop art can seem rather artificial at times but Mitchell McGee gives the genre an organic foundation with oil on birch pieces. McGee’s work is unlike anything we’ve seen before. His solo exhibition, All About Pop, will be opening up at 1st Dibs at New York Design Center on December 2nd and will run through January 6th 2014. Akeem K. Duncan.Akeem …
A Drop in the Huebucket.
Cool designs that appear on shirts often have a more substantial start than just being cool to enough adorn a shirt. Often times these design have a meaningful origin and concept that was thoughtfully conceived by the artist. “My work reflects the issues of natural surroundings and also social issues. What happens to the world today affects my emotions and …
The (Longo) Way Around.
Artist Robert Longo catches the eye with his twisted series, Men in the Cities, 1979. The works feature Mad Men-esque subjects in convulsing poses that thrash about in the most vivid way. Despite them being purely stationary, the audience is goaded into predicting and faintly imagining their next movements. Men in the Cities is the series that made the Brooklyn native a star. …
And I Wake Up Alone.
Photographer Col. K. captures the essence of loneliness with his recent series Alone. Human beings, like many other mammals, rely heavily on companionship. But ever so often, companionship renders itself hard to come by. For some, loneliness spurs heartbreak. For others, it births an internal culture of acceptance. Either way, the lonely all have one thing in common, and that is …
As She Lays…
Painter Karen Ann Myers‘ work features a brilliant array of patterns and colors that seemingly leap off of the canvas. Depicting women lounging in bed amidst vividly decorated sheets, blankets, comforters, and rugs, the decor and their patterns steal the show. Myers captures these patterns with such rich accuracy that the medium starts to come into question and spur statements …
Super Real.
Painter JKB Fletcher produces some hyperrealsitic paintings that allude to some of the most recognizable comic characters of our time. Titled Dirty Faces, the series is somewhat provocative but has a very meaningful purpose. The Melbourne based artist explains below. On Dirty Faces: “Dirty Faces is a series of oil paintings depicting a figure painted in contemporary superhero colours, the …
Just Business.
Never give your business card to cartoonist, Hugh MacLeod. He will draw quirky and subtly melancholic illustrations on the back of them, making critical works of art that give the audience an unique window into the human psyche. Now that we’re thinking about it, maybe you should give Macleod your business card after all. He may make a masterpiece out of …
Points Made.
The following portraits by Jasper Smith possess a pointillistic allure that is beyond memorable. Confined within a quaint circle, Smith’s portraits are a collection of down-to-earth, around-the-way girls, astronauts, and Golden Age rappers. The intentional graininess of the portraits give them a warm, old-timey quality. It is this charming outdatedness, combined with the modern nuances of the subjects, that make …
If I Should Die…
It’s been a few years since Candy Chang first debuted her project, Before I Die, and it has since grown into a therapeutic phenomenon–a universal bucket list, if you will. First beginning on the side of an abandoned building in her New Orleans neighborhood, there are now over 300 Before I Die walls in over 50 countries and over 20 languages. Chang is even releasing a book this …
The Contrast Within.
French artist Reynald Drouhin‘s Landscape Monolith is a brilliant example of contrast within contrast. Using stunning photos found on the internet, Drouhin creates polarizing portraits by simply reversing a portion of the photographs. Akeem K. Duncan.Akeem is our founder. A writer, poet, curator and profuse sweater, he is responsible for the curatorial direction and overall voice of Quiet Lunch. The Bronx …
Survival Guide.
Brooklyn born, Gregory Siff is an artist with a universal approach that allows him to create a brilliant but palpable body of work. What is this universal approach, you ask? It’s simple: “Have fun.” It seems like a cliche thing to say, but if you were to see the way Gregory Siff’s eyes light up when he’s creating a piece, …
Get On the Cross.
Erik Ravelo goes straight for the jugular in his series, Los Intocables (The Untouchables). Depicting children in one the most vulnerable poses of all time, Ravelo attempts to speak for those who cannot properly articulate their pain. The sick, twisted games that adults play can come at a cost to future generations and Ravelo’s series gives a voice to those …
The Bluer the Jazzberry, the Sweeter the Juice.
These groovy maps by Jazzberry Blue make you wish that all maps were this cool looking. You can get the prints → here. ← Akeem K. Duncan.Akeem is our founder. A writer, poet, curator and profuse sweater, he is responsible for the curatorial direction and overall voice of Quiet Lunch. The Bronx native has read at venues such as the Nuyorican …
너무 리얼.
Paying homage to the work of Chuck Close, Kang Kang-hoon‘s photorealistic masterpieces are almost too good to be true once you find out Kang Kang-hoon’s method. Achieving a look of uncanny realism, Kang Kang-hoon’s work is airbrushed. Amazing, isn’t it? Up close, the paint is apparent. But a few steps back and technique quickly imitates the authenticity of a photograph. Capturing …
Nature On Fire.
Explosive design and blazing colors illuminate the canvas in artist Lauren Coulson’s new body of work. With furious energy and dazzling form, her work contains imagery from nature and the physical world. From the dirt under our feet to the depths of the cosmos, Lauren Coulson wants us to take a step back and reexamine the natural world. As a …
Layers Upon Layers.
Juan Miguel Palacios is a visionary. He doesn’t just paint paintings, he constructs them–better yet, he brings them to life. The spanish painter creates work that literally leaps from the canvas. By layering sheets of glass, each painted with a subsequent layer, Palacios achieves an eerie 3D effect that blurs the line between art and reality. Intrigued by his process …
Joan of Art.
Joan Casaramona possesses such a raw allure that it almost harkens back to an innovation soul named Pablo Picasso–perhaps you’ve heard of him? Far from an imitator, Casaramona is very much an innovator. Casaramona has picked up where Picasso has left off. Her work is a delicate balance of both sheer simplicity and intimate intricacy, a regaling waltz between the …
The Lost Talk: Hayley McCulloch & Paul Brainard at Die Wunderkammer.
Remember our coverage of Die Wunderkammer at The Lodge? Well, there was a brilliant talk between artists Hayley McCulloch and Paul Brainard. Unfortunately we didn’t get a chance to film the talk, but we did get our hands on a transcribed version of the talk via a shady, trench coat wearing stranger who threatened to kill us if we ever …
Hello, Choco Moo.
We caught up with Japanese illustrator Choco Moo at her latest art exhibition in New York City. Known for her whimsical, pop-oriented style, Choco Moo (as known as Yuk@) is a new generation of artist bursting with creativity. We got there a little early and was able to get in a few words with Choco Moo amidst the bustling preparation. …