Posts: 4

1. The Fish That Ate the Shooting Star by Wendy Dembo

   15.Feb.07, 22:38 EST
   
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   I am in Sao Paulo for the opening of "The Fish That Ate the Shooting Star" Os Gemeos' first solo show in their homeland, Brazil, opening today, 28 July 2006. Most of Os Gemeos' friends and family in Brazil have never experienced their installations, and they've really outdone themselves for the occassion. There are details upon details upon details. In the middle of the gallery, a giant puppet wearing a sequined vest sits in a houseboat. The house part of the boat features a large-scale cuckoo clock, flashing lights, people who chase fish, little people that swing around, and roof tiles that have each been painted into a distinct character. Patchwork metal pieces cover the floors and turn into waves at the hull of the boat, which is adorned with colored fish scales. Os Gemeos' characteristic figures show up as large scale, highly detailed murals on the walls; it's impossible to take them all in during just one visit. To top it all off, the exterior of the gallery has been transformed to look like one of their trademark heads.
   
   See more images after the jump.
   
   
   
   Galeria Fortes Vilaça
   Rua Fradique Coutinho 1500
   Såo Paulo, Brasil
   tel. 55 11 303 27 066

2. Gilles Peterson: Back in Brazil by Ami Kealoha

   15.Feb.07, 22:35 EST
   
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   Two years after the lauded In Brazil, Gilles Peterson revisits his longstanding love for that country's music with Back In Brazil, a two-disc set that spans undiscovered classics from the '60s and 70s' as well as of-the-minute Brazilian sounds. The first album, Das Velhas, features an old school collection of kitschy gems that have made frequent appearances on Gilles playlists over the years, including Wilson das Neves' homage to the West Coast, "California Soul," and the trippy instrumental "Reflexos" by Luis Eça. Disc two, titled Novas, is a journey through today's Brazilian reggae and bossanova, with doses of hip-hop, like on "Zé Brasileiro" by Rappin Hood and with the dirty house-funk of "Sounds Like" by DJ collective Bugz in the Attic. Play Novas on hot summer days and make Das Velhas the soundtrack as the days turn to warm summer nights. Pick it up from Amazon.

3. Soccer Urinal by Josh Rubin

   15.Feb.07, 22:32 EST
   
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   We saw this one a while back, but with World Cup in full effect it seemed time to post it. Installed in select Brazilian pubs, the campaign takes the concept of captive audience a step further. A makeshift pitch is comprised of a small plastic goal and moth ball looking ball placed on the urinal's splash guard and is a component of the advert above that translates to "Soccer is good everywhere, but it's much better on ESPN."

4. Graffiti Brazil by Wendy Dembo

   15.Feb.07, 22:29 EST
   
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   In the past year, it has been almost impossible to pick up a magazine without reading about Brazilian graffiti superstars Os Gemeos (Portuguese for 'the twins'). “Graffiti Brasil,” a wide survey of Brazilian graffiti, introduces some of Os Gemeos’ São Paulo crew: Nina, Nunca, Ise, and Koyo, as well as lots of other interesting writers from São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Recife, Olinda, Belo Horizonte and Porto Alegre.
   Additionally, the book deftly explores the indigenous Brazilian graffiti movement of pichação and its hybrid, grapixo. It also presents a history of Brazilian graffiti, including Barry McGee’s 1993 seminal visit in which he introduced many of the writers to American street styles. The book also looks at graffiti techniques as well as influences from milagres to breakdancing.
   Written by Tristan Manco, the author of Stencil Graffiti and Street Logos; Ignacio Aronovich and Louise Chin, who run the amazing Brazilian photography site Lost Art; and Caleb Neelon aka Sonik, a great writer in both senses of the word.
   
   Available at Thames and Hudson
   
   This entry posted on 14 November 2005 at 7:40 AM