ALEX PRAGER – COMPULSION

Posted on 2012-04-23

Inspired by the photography of Weegee and Enrique Metinides, and films such as Metropolis and Un Chien Andalou, Compulsion confirms Prager’s vivid cinematic aesthetic. Unlike her previous work, however, the protagonists remain anonymous and distant. Prager’s new series investigates the complexity of observation within a society inundated by compulsive spectators, as well as the recurrent discourse in photography, that “meaning” is often derived from a multiplicity of gazes.

In addition to provocative juxtapositions, Prager manipulates the scenes through her choice of cropping, continually interrogating the truth content within photography, a trope as old as the medium itself. As artist John Baldessari has noted: “For most of us photography stands for the truth, but a good artist can make a harder truth by manipulating forms…It fascinates me how (one) can manipulate the truth so easily by the way (you) juxtapose opposites or crop the image or take it out of context.” Prager’s altered and manufactured scenes, in conjunction with the evocative eyes remove, the images from their original context and allow them to aquire new associations.

Exhibition runs through till May 26th, 2012

Michael Hoppen Gallery
3 Jubilee Place
London
SW3 3TD

www.michaelhoppengallery.com

  

BUCK

Posted on 2012-04-23

An examination of the life of acclaimed ‘horse whisperer’ Buck Brannaman, who recovered from years of child abuse to become a well-known expert in the interactions between horses and people.

In theaters April 27th, 2012

www.buckthefilm.com

  

JEFF, WHO LIVES AT HOME

Posted on 2012-04-23

Dispatched from his basement room on an errand for his mother, slacker Jeff might discover his destiny (finally) when he spends the day with his brother as he tracks his possibly adulterous wife. Stars Jason Segel, Ed Helms and Judy Greer.

In theaters May 11th, 2012

www.jeffwholivesathome.com

  

ELENA

Posted on 2012-04-23

Sixty-ish spouses Vladimir and Elena uneasily share his palatial Moscow apartment, he’s a still-virile, wealthy businessman; she’s his dowdy former nurse who has clearly “married up.” Estranged from his own wild-child daughter, Vladimir openly despises his wife’s freeloading son and family. But when a sudden illness and an unexpected reunion threaten the dutiful housewife’s potential inheritance, she must hatch a desperate plan.

In theaters May 16th, 2012

www.zeitgeistfilms.com

  

XIU XIU – HONEYSUCKLE

Posted on 2012-04-23

In the video for Xiu Xiu’s “Honeysuckle” from their new record Always, director Amir Shoucri paints an unsettling portrait of Angela Seo’s day-to-day routine.

xiuxiu.org

  

GRIMES LAUNCHES JEWELRY LINE- PUSSY RINGS

Posted on 2012-04-23

Grimes announced she’s collaborating with Montreal artist, jeweler, sculptor Morgan Black, on the new line. Preview of one item in the collection: The Pussy Ring, they come in black, clear and pink.

www.grimesmusic.com