Pete Hartman speaks with Shelley Mouber from the Mitzvah Holiday Art Market, 5–9 p.m. Live jazz, an Elvis impersonator, adult beverages, and artwork by over 50 local artists, including special guest artist Zeek Taylor, will be available from 5 to 9 p.m. at Town Center in Fayetteville on Friday, Dec. 1.
The soaring Australian act Surusinghe further proves that she is a star on the rise who is not to be trifled with, locking in Beatport’s best-selling bass/club track of the past six months with the beastly stomper “Likshot” on Mall Grab’s Steel City Dance Discs — followed by Leon Vynehall‘s expertly assembled “Black Dove” and “Mad” by the ever-impressive UK artist, Effy.
As it continues to do wonders for the scene both in its native Australia and for dance floors abroad with its determined and innovative output, it comes as no surprise that Steel City Dance Discs takes home the prize as Beatport’s top-selling bass/club label. Coming in at number two is Big Dope P’s Parisian footwork institution Moveltraxx, and in third, we have Leon Vynehall’s freshly minted Studio Ooze imprint (thanks to the massive success of his Rosebud/Black Dove two-tracker).
Check out more key Beatport stats from our Bass / Club section below.
***These statistics are based on top-performing releases that were published on the Beatport store between June 2023 – November 2023.
Check out our Beatport Chart of the Top 10 Best-Selling Bass / Club tracks here.
Check out our Beatport Chart featuring The 10 Most-Streamed Bass / Club tracks here.
Check out our Old Gold (Bass / Club) Beatport Chart here.
“Pool” (2023). All images © Zhongwen Hu, shared with permission
Throughout Zhongwen Hu’s most recent Day Tripper series, two things ceaselessly pervade: nature and contemplation. Abstract reflections ripple on a riverbank, umbrella-like trees provide communal shade, and figures trek across brilliant terrain in the Shanghai-based artist’s musing acrylic paintings.
Akin to a montage of fleeting moments, each work takes the viewer from scene to scene, depicting meaningful narratives that stem from Hu’s experiences. Deeply observant of nature and sensitive to the wistful allure of mundane life, the artist often takes photos of her surroundings during moments of tenderness to make sketches before painting. This attentive process allows for Hu to seamlessly place an almost tangible tranquility into the viewer’s hands.
Deeply inspired by walking meditation, an introspective practice that originated from Buddhism, Hu cultivates mindfulness within her own work by embracing the beauty of being present. “I’m really interested in the relationship between consciousness and spacetime,” the artist tells Colossal, explaining further:
That is, to discard the distractions of thought, and to embrace the unbridled sensations of objects and our surroundings. At the same time—since time does not, in some ways, exist—the past and future only exist in the mind, and the only moment that can be experienced is the present. Such a fixation on the present can help to extricate thought and judgement, a state of mind that I believe is a gateway to self-healing.
See more work on Hu’s website and Instagram.
“Riverbank” (2023)
“Spring Rain” (2023)
“Playground” (2023)
“Deep Breathing” (2023)
“Willow 2” (2023)
“Yellow” (2023)
“To Somewhere Upward” (2023)
“Sprinkler Guy” (2023)
“Security Guards” (2022)
“Willow 1” (2023)
“Explorers” (2022)
Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $5 per month. The article Zhongwen Hu Meditates on Presence and Emotional Sensitivity in Her Abundant Scenes of Nature appeared first on Colossal.
The early life of Elliott Erwitt, who has died aged 95, was marked by upheaval and conflict. His Russian Jewish parents had fled their home country after the Russian Revolution to France, where he was born in 1928. The family then headed to Milan, only to return to Paris to escape Mussolini’s regime. They eventually migrated to the US, just as the second world war began. Erwitt was drafted for military service in 1951, and served in Germany and France.
Photography, at first, provided young Erwitt the opportunity to retreat from the world. One of his first interactions with the medium as a teenager was printing headshots of actors in a commercial darkroom in Los Angeles. Later, he would photograph Hollywood’s most famous stars himself, including Marilyn Monroe, Marlene Dietrich and Grace Kelly.
Erwitt joined Magnum Photos in 1953 and served as the agency’s president during the late 1960s. He took many of the pictures that would define his time. Among his most famous was the snapshot taken during the “kitchen debate” in 1959. Erwitt caught US vice-president Richard Nixon jabbing the Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev in the chest with an authoritarian finger – a moment of political slapstick that became a symbol of Nixon’s leadership and American autonomy. The image was used in Nixon’s 1960 presidential campaign. “I just happened to be in the right spot at the right time,” Erwitt humbly recalled.
Yet Erwitt was also searching, perhaps subconsciously, for a sense of stability, something that would speak beyond his time. Much of the pleasure of looking at Erwitt’s pictures today derives from a sense of his relentless curiosity dovetailed with an unbridled delight in humanity.
Erwitt was drawn to the perennial, the universal and the soul-affirming – a laughing child standing on his head will always be amusing. A solitary, impeccably dressed older gentleman sitting in a park, head tilted back to bask in the sun, will always embody grace and wistfulness. The haptic intimacy of lovers dancing in a kitchen – the man standing on his partner’s feet in battered espadrilles – elicits joy no matter where the kitchen is, or who the people are, or when it took place. Erwitt was equal parts eyewitness and dreamer, as theInternational Centre of Photography in New York put it when presenting him with a lifetime achievement award in 2011.
Erwitt downplayed his role as a photographer, often shrugging off pretension or chalking it up to happenstance: “It is silly stuff that I think has some relevance with nothing really important happening, but somehow being able to communicate some kind of fun,” he once said. There’s a lightness of touch that characterises even his most serious images, and he was a master of ironic juxtapositions and comic charm: in the 1980s, he even produced 18 comedy films for HBO. One of his cheekiest images shows a man’s naked buttocks in the foreground, close to the camera: the focus falls on the smiling faces of two elderly onlookers who look up at their nude interlocutor. It’s the perfect Erwittian moment.
However casual he was about it, Erwitt’s irresistible ease was the hard-won fruit of decades of devotion to life as it unfolded in front of his camera. Only one attentive to looking and attuned to human emotions could make the images he did. Erwitt moved with the times but stayed true to his own unchanging vision of the world. His legacy is one of hope, laughter and optimism – and it conquers us all, in spite of ourselves.
When DWe Williams first moved from her native North Carolina to Oklahoma, the playwright, storyteller and performer committed to spending one year in the Sooner State working as an artist in residence at Fort Sill.
“Now, it’s been over 40 or more years. … I’ve been in Oklahoma far longer than in North Carolina,” Williams said with a chuckle.
“I have managed, for the most part, to surround myself here by people who are open and willing to experiment. … I’ve had a lot of long-term relationships, which have allowed me to develop and fine-tune an approach to the arts. So, in that case, it’s been phenomenal.”
A respected teaching artist, the Oklahoma City resident is among the 14 individuals and four organizations that will be honored for their contributions to the arts Jan. 30 during the 45th Oklahoma Governor’s Arts Awards.
Gov. J. Kevin Stitt will present the awards during a free public ceremony at 4 p.m. Jan. 30 in the fourth-floor rotunda of the state Capitol. A reception will follow in the second-floor rotunda.
“Throughout history, the power of artistic freedom and expression is evident in every culture of every era,” Stitt said in a statement. “In Oklahoma, we value the people who work hard to keep the arts community thriving, and these awards are just one way to show that appreciation.”
Along with honoring this year’s awards recipients, the Jan. 30 ceremony will include a special tribute to former longtime Oklahoma Arts Council Executive Director Betty Price, who died Oct. 23 at age 92.
“From passionate volunteers and teachers to visionary nonprofit administrators and state leaders, generous philanthropists, community-centric businesses, and others, this year’s Governor’s Arts Awards honorees reflect a deep level of commitment to the arts seen across our state,” said state Arts Council Executive Director Amber Sharples in a statement.
Known for creating Afrocentric plays as well as for working with adults and children with disabilities, Williams is one of five Oklahomans who will receive the Arts in Education Award at the ceremony.
“It certainly validates my whole career, (which) has been involved in theater, but primarily with an educational twist. So, I’m always trying to educate more than entertain,” said Williams, who adopted or fostered long-term seven special needs children, raising them all to adulthood.
“It’s validating in terms of sharing the African American experience in the state of Oklahoma … and my absolute thrust on making the arts accessible to any and all populations.”
The director of content and audience development at KOSU, Ryan LaCroix will receive the Media in the Arts Award at the 2024 Governor’s Arts Awards.
“I’m honored by it. I think it’s a really special thing, and I’m proud to have been chosen for it. … I think what we do in promoting the arts is really important. I just hope some of whatever I’m experiencing here with the award helps lead people to check out more Oklahoma music,” LaCroix said.
While he was attending the University of Oklahoma in the early Internet days of the late 1990s and early 2000s, LaCroix was frustrated with how difficult it was to find comprehensive local concert listings online. In 2003, he started an Oklahoma music website that in 2010 helped him launch “The Oklahoma Rock Show,” a two-hour weekly broadcast on the public radio network that “opens a window of Oklahoma music to the rest of the world.”
As the host of the show, which airs from 7 to 9 p.m. Fridays on KOSU, LaCroix has given hundreds of Oklahoma acts the quitessential experience of hearing their song on the radio for the first time.
“That’s really what it’s all about is being able to recognize their talents and showcase them to other folks,” LaCroix said. “I can’t play a lick of music, so it’s good to be able to shine a light on the folks that have the talent and are actually making it happen, night in and night out.”
Here is the full list of 2024 Governor’s Art Awards categories and winners:
The two recipients of the Governor’s Award, which recognizes longtime leadership and significant contributions to the arts:
The two honorees for the Business in the Arts Award, recognizing individuals, businesses and corporations that exhibit outstanding support of the arts in the state:
The five recipients of the Arts in Education Award, which lauds individuals, organizations or schools for their outstanding leadership and service:
The four honorees of the Community Service Award, recognizing significant contributions to the arts in specific Oklahoma communities in the areas of leadership and volunteerism:
The two recipients of the George Nigh Public Service in the Arts Award, honoring Oklahoma government officials for their outstanding support of the arts:
The two honorees of the Special Recognition Award, recognizing an individual or organization that has made unique contributions in supporting the arts:
And the sole 2024 recipient of the Media in the Arts Award, honoring members of the media who demonstrate commitment to the arts in Oklahoma as documented through public awareness support and professionalism in reporting:
Copper is the traditional metal to celebrate a seventh wedding anniversary but it’s all gold for a Canadian photographer, who took out top prize in the seventh the International Wedding Photographer of the Year Awards.
More than 1,700 stunning wedding photos by 300 wedding photographers, spanning across 11 categories.
However, the ‘grand winner’ photo was taken by Tara Lilly, who captured the moment jaw-dropping moment a bird landed on the bride’s head made itself comfortable while the groom reads his vows.
The unbelievable picture was entered into the Single Capture category, where it won first prize.
Reflecting on the shot, Tara recalled the moment she saw the bird land on bride Mikaela’s head as the couple said their vows during their picturesque ceremony in Whistler, Canada.
‘Just as Mitch [the groom] began his vows, a curious whiskey jack swooped in and landed directly on top of Mikaela’s head,’ she explained on the International Wedding Photographer of the Year Awards website.
‘Mikaela’s shock, surprise and laughter were not enough to dissuade this bird from his perch,’ she added.
The rules for this category require that entries cannot be manipulated or photoshopped beyond standard adjustments to color and exposure.
The runner-up was Italian wedding photographer Carmelo Ucchino, who captured the moment a newly married couple were embracing as water brilliantly fell around them, which was entered in the Dance Floor category.
‘In this photo, water actually falls from the roof in an almost surreal context, it is a dance floor where the bride and groom do their first dance together,’ Carmelo explained. ‘I remember with amusement the slippery floor… A few slips and lots of laughter to liven up the story of this wedding even more.’
Other categories included in the competition included: Couple Portrait, The I-Do Crew/Group Shot, Black and White, Engagement/Non-wedding, Epic Location, From Above, Solo Portrait, Break the Rules, and Lit.
‘With the successful completion of the seventh Annual Awards we continue to provide exposure and a unique platform for wedding and elopement photographers to have their best images reviewed and judged by our team of highly awarded and experienced educators and judges,’ Luke Simon, the International Wedding Photographer of the Year Awards curator, said.
‘This year we saw an increase of an extra 200 entries from last year, which has come partially as a result of a return of closer to pre-COVID business as usual bookings for photographers.
‘It’s exciting to see the industry bouncing back after some tough years.
‘Along with the Awards program we’re working to help photographers book more clients with the addition of a wedding photographer search directory for loved-up couples to find their other perfect match.
‘As wedding and elopement photographers we spend a very large part of this pivotal day with our couples, often as much or more of the day than they spend with each other, so it’s imperative couples have a place to find the right professional to capture their day.’
The winner of the 2023 International Wedding Photographer of the Year received more than $3,000, as well as products from sponsors including Prograde Digital, Holdfast Gear, Pic-Time, Narrative Select, Godox, Koi Knives and ImagenAi.
Our smartphones have undeniably become the preeminent photographic tool used to document our daily lives, democratizing photography to levels of ubiquity in its simplicity and convenience. But what does smartphone photography look like in the hands of a professional artist tasked to capture images guided by the emotion of nostalgia using only an iPhone 15 Pro Max? I Remember You, a two-day photography exhibition in Le Marais in Paris at the Salon Corderie focuses on the answer.
Photo: BFA/Pierrick Rocher
I Remember You exhibited the original works of five artists on November 10th, each equipped with Apple’s latest and greatest titanium embellished, iPhone 15 Pro Max, and only guided to attempt to answer the questions posed above.
Photo: BFA/Pierrick Rocher
Isolde Brielmaier, PhD and deputy director of the New Museum was the curatorial advisor on the project. During her tenure as the International Center of Photography in New York (ICP) Curator-at-Large, she conceptualized and curated an exhibition whose theme, Inward, lent itself to the use of the iPhone camera. Photo: BFA/Pierrick Rocher
Artists invited to participate include, Malin Fezehai (New York/Nairobi), Karl Hab (Paris), Vivien Liu (Hong Kong), Mika Ninagawa (Tokyo), and Stefan Ruiz (New York) collectively working around the theme of “nostalgia and a stoic empowerment in preserving moments in time just as they’re meant to be remembered.”
Photo: BFA/Pierrick Rocher
With the iPhone Pro Max’s new 5x Telephoto lens, 48 MP resolution, and the camera’s ability to alter the bokeh and focal point after capturing an image, each artist was tasked to approach the theme of memory and emotions with little restraint beyond the camera they were given.
Photo: BFA/Pierrick Rocher
The works on display during the short 2-day exhibition range from portraiture, landscapes, to more abstract explosions of floral color, in sum exhibiting the possibilities of using a smartphone as a selective artistic tool rather than a mere pragmatic option.
Photo: BFA/Pierrick Rocher
Ansel Adams is quoted as saying, “There’s nothing worse than a sharp image of a fuzzy concept,” a reminder to those enamored by their tools to develop their artistic eye rather than obsess over the technical trappings of their camera gear. I Remember You reinforces Adam’s advice, proving the best camera is the one you have with you.
Local artists are getting into the holiday spirit. Living Arts of Tulsa is having its Holiday Art Market starting Friday night, Dec. 1. News On 6’s Alyssa Miller was live to give us a festive preview.
Friday, December 1st 2023, 10:22 am
By:
News On 6
TULSA, Okla. –
Local artists are getting into the holiday spirit. Living Arts of Tulsa is having its Holiday Art Market starting Friday night, Dec. 1. News On 6’s Alyssa Miller was live to give us a festive preview.
