On Chantal Akerman’s Biopolitical Rebellion
The work of Belgian filmmaker Chantal Akerman has received no scarcity of praise. Akerman is considered one of the more influential feminist filmmakers to emerge from Europe in the 70s and her film Jeanne Dielman 23, quai du Commerce 1080 Bruxelles is particularly iconic. I’ve always found Akerman’s acclaim fascinating because she exists sort of […]
The Double Standard and The Drawing Room within Perrotin A Quick Examination of Genesis Belanger & Emily Mae Smith
I’m going to discuss one image—with works from two female-identifying artists. The image is taken by an anonymous photographer that documented the two-person exhibition A Strange Relative at Perrotin New York in late 2018. The exhibition, a two-person dialogue between Brooklyn-based ceramicist Genesis Belanger and painter Emily Mae Smith is described by Perrotin as two […]
A Look Back
In the midst of a global pandemic, when the stream of constant news is at it loudest, it is the perfect opportunity for quiet reflection. I’m sure a great philosopher said that somewhere before, but the message is certainly loud and clear given recent events. As highlighted in last month’s column, “The New Fashion Industry”, […]
“The Exhibition of Persephone Q” by Jessi Jezeweska Stevens
“The Exhibition of Persephone Q”, by Jessi Jezeweska Stevens, is her debut novel and it is commandingly brilliant. The dystopian novel has rather taken over in fiction, particularly fiction by millennials, an overmaligned generation whose voices are just beginning to fill our bookstores. While we’re used to reading fiction about the wandering, lost single white […]
“Simon The Fiddler” by Paulette Jiles
Paulette Jiles’ new novel, “Simon The Fiddler”, is both charming and a wonderful story; the writer offers us some fascinating history of the State of Texas right after the end of The Civil War, when the novel takes place. It feels, in many ways, like a fairy tale, which is part of the wonder of […]
“The Mountains Sing” by Nguyen Han Que Mai
“The Mountains Sing”, by Nguyen Han Que Mai, is the first novel I’ve ever read about a Vietnamese family and its vicissitudes over four generations of war, reeducation, landgrabbing by peasants from the middle classes, the French and American wars. For the record, the American war is basically just a piece of this book, almost […]