Blog posts tagged with “atlanta”

According to Ryan Flynn of Atlanta, skateboarding brings generations together—the teens and the geezers. No Posers, his photograph show at Young Blood Gallery, which opens this weekend, documents the tricks, trips, and backyard ramps of Atlanta skaters whose ages range from 15 to 50. Flynn (who comes across as a normal, friendly, mellow dude in this video) captures the scruffy appeal of a culture that in its athletic and creative demands actually seems surprisingly wholesome. 

In Buckhead, Kai Lin Gallery's monster show includes these "semi-autobiographical" drawings by SCAD student Brad Johnston.

"Moses, He Saw Darkness"

"Birdman" 

"Bear and Mountains" 

Karen Shachem, an Atlanta-based photographer, portrays queer couples in her thesis-based exhibition at SCAD's Dewberry Gallery. Her straightforward presentation provides an effective contrast to the unspoken question: why are you so threatened by us?

Shachem has more work on her website, including a vertigo-inducing series called Trapeze.

Salvador Domingo Felipe Jacinto Dalí i Domènech, Marquis of Dalí de Púbol with unidentified feline.

Fabulously unfettered and still fresh: the master of Freudian suggestion, atomic shock, and syrupy clocks, Salvador Dalí hits the High Museum in Atlanta with Dalí: The Late Work, an exhibition of a hundred or so works of art, most of which you probably have not seen, including "First Cylindric Chromo-Hologram. Portrait of Alice Cooper's Brain" (1973). (Take the kids for an extra jolt.) Needy, greedy, and surprisingly sane, Dalí mastered the hype machine and created a persona for himself that was almost as bizarre as the paintings. 

After visiting us in Clarksdale this weekend, you should head over to Atlanta for the National Black Arts Festival, which runs through July 18 in and around Centennial Park. The line-up is phenomenal and family-friendly. This year's fest, which honors the music and legacy of Curtis Mayfield, features performances by the great Cassandra Wilson, the Afro-Brazilian percussion group Olodum, and the exuberant dance troupe Philadanco (highly recommended—I've seen them many times); a discussion with the artist Carrie Mae Weems; film screenings; a big band gala (1920s attire requested); and more. The exhibition schedule is outstanding: Sheila Pree Bright (and Deborah Willis) at Sandler Hudson and a group photography show at the Hagedorn Foundation (Malick Sidibe! J.D. 'Okhai Ojeikere!), among many other artistic offerings. Everyone's saying how lean this year's fest is, but it seems pretty phat to me.

"Mkpuk Eba" by J.D. 'Okhai Ojeikere

"Pineapple Kiko" by J.D. 'Okhai Ojeikere

"Modern Suku" by J.D. 'Okhai Ojeikere

Thoughtful article here by two architecture students about a Hindu mandir, or place of worship, in the suburbs of Atlanta. The authors write:

Built like a jumbo 3D jigsaw puzzle almost exclusively by volunteers without nails or screws, the Mandir consists of more than 30,000 individual pieces of Italian marble, Turkish limestone, and Indian pink sandstone all hand-carved in India and shipped to Lilburn. Each one of the temple’s surfaces oozes a sort of legendary craftsmanship and skill that’s absent from 99% of Atlanta architecture; the story goes that this temple was built according to architectural guidelines from ancient Hindu scripts and is intended to last 1,000 years.

The mandir, BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, welcomes visitors "of all cultures, beliefs, and gender" and seeks to promote "unity in diversity." The following photos are from the mandir's website. Apparently, it's an oasis in a sea of sprawl. Namaste.