This is a pretty fresh links post. We’ve got some art, lots of music, Hip Hop influentials and of course Antoine Dodson. Dig in. (more…)
Gigi Bio
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Gigi Bio
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Last week I had the opportunity to head over to the “Graffolution” show at the Soapstone Gallery in New York City. Among the artists featured were friends to the blog bodega enthusiast Josh Goldstein and the non cubist Gigi Bio, who had a piece that featured our other friend artist Marthalicia Matarrita as a modern day Frida Khalo of Brooklyn. You can check that out and some of the other highlights I was tall enough to get pics of. (more…)
Gigi Bio
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Photo Credit: “RADIATE” by Gigi Bio
There’s this young woman that lives in my neighborhood. At one time she and I had some mutual friends but I never really knew her. What I do know is that occasionally I run into her and she’s greener than me.
It’s always at some off peak shopping hour when few shoppers are around. She’s always modestly dressed, with dark, unprocessed, natural African American hair. Her complexion is clear like she never had a pimple, a scar or a cut in her life. (more…)
Gigi Bio
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Main Entry: sim·u·la·crum
Pronunciation: \ˌsim-yə-ˈla-krəm, -ˈlā-\
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Latin, from simulare
1 : image, representation
2 : an insubstantial form or semblance of something : trace
Recently I was on Twitter when I saw this tweet from prolific twitterer and DJ for the legendary Hip Hop group EPMD @drscratch.
sofreshsogreen’s reply:
I was womaning the sofreshsogreen twitter account that day and I knew at the time I could do better than that answer. Maybe not in 140 characters though so here goes.
In 5 years Hip Hop will be the same as it is now only younger with less powerful statements being made to illuminate the Black or the human experience. Oh yeah, there will be lots of bright colors too.
I think even further in the future we can have rap without rappers. (more…)
Gigi Bio
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Photo Credit: AP Photo
Laborers looking to help rebuild the World Trade Center are rallying to urge the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which controls the property, to make some progress in the rebuilding efforts. (more…)
Gigi Bio
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Photo Credit: “Cylone Nathan’s Wonder Wheel Astroland” by Josh Goldstein
Today is the birthday of artist and bodega enthusiast Josh Goldstein. Josh has been doing some big things lately including participating in a huge Times Square ad for Target, museum exhibitions with fellow artist Gigi Bio and some new online treats at etsy.com.bodegaNYC.
You can get you very own (more…)
Gigi Bio
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Get the flash player here: http://www.adobe.com/flashplayer
There are so many layers to Gigi Bio. She’s a painter, illustrator, a real deal fashion designer by day and “Urban Reconstructionist” photographer by night.
Layers are also a major feature of Bio’s work. In this part of the interview Gigi Bio explains where some of those layers came from by explaining where she came from. In case you missed it here’s Part 1. (more…)
Gigi Bio
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Get the flash player here: http://www.adobe.com/flashplayer
The first time Gigi Bio showed me her work she said, “See, this is what it looks like in my head”. So what’s in her head are photos from multiple views, images of New York City’s urban landscape, herself, and those she meets in her travels. Each image layered upon each other is unique like the snowflakes that come together to blanket her adopted city in the middle of winter.
The single image formed can show anything from hard angles in architecture softened in a layered, 
loose, curvilinear composition or a reflection of the ever shifting energy of urban life swirling around a singular figure simply waiting for a walk signal on a street corner.
I told her my first thoughts were of cubism, specifically Marcel Duchamp’s cubist inspired “Nude Descending A Staircase No. 2″ pictured left, which depicts a woman at multiple moments while in motion through still images, abstract lines and planes presented all as one image. Gigi shut down that label with the quickness!
I set out to find out what the stuff in Gigi’s head is, how it got there and what she intends to do with it next. Oh yeah, and why she doesn’t want to be called a cubist! (more…)
