Japanese multimedia artist Mari Katayama (b. 1987) uses her body and the materials she finds around her to make self portraits, embroidered objects and living sculptures. Playing with conventions of the self-portrait, Katayama creates hand-sewn sculptures and photographs that prompt conversations and challenge misconceptions about our bodies. Born with the developmental condition congenital tibial hemimelia, Katayama chose to have her legs amputated at the age of nine. Continue reading Modern Art Monday Presents: I’m Wearing Little High Heels, I Have Child’s Feet By Mari Katayama→
Dracula Wheatpaste Art By Scott Caris (Photo By Gail)
Christopher Lee’s portrayal of Dracula in Hammer Horror films became iconic for several reasons. Lee’s version of the character, debuting in Dracula (1958), broke away from the aristocratic elegance of earlier portrayals, notably Bela Lugosi’s, and introduced a darker, more intense vampire. Lee’s Dracula was seductive yet violent, blending charisma with genuine menace. His tall, imposing figure, piercing stare, and deep voice gave Dracula a commanding presence, while his bloodshot eyes and fanged smile became lasting visual symbols of horror. Continue reading Christopher Lee As Dracula, Street Art in Shoreditch→
London’s many now-derelict Red Telephone Boxes, once iconic communication hubs, have found new life through creative repurposing. Some serve as miniature libraries, mobile phone-charging stations, or even greenhouses. One particularly charming transformation outside the Victoria and Albert (V&A) Museum on Exhibition Road has reimagined a Red Telephone Box as a Coffee and Pastry kiosk. Continue reading Eye On Design: Red Telephone Box Transformed Into Snack Shop→
Spotted outside the Natural History Museum in London this past August, a flamboyantly pink Mr. Whippy ice cream truck was doing the Lord’s work on the hottest day of the year (a broiling 92°F!) for a place that shuns the modern miracle of air conditioning. Ugh! Gleaming under the sun, museum-goers abandoned dinosaur bones and gemstones to worship at its soft-serve altar.
With tourists melting faster than their cones, this truck appeared like a frosty pink oasis, its soft hum whispering sweet promises of salvation. If Barbie drove a food truck, this would be it.
Two striking wheat pastes by American graphic pop artist Scott Caris seem to leap from the walls of Brick Lane in Shoreditch, London. One features a young Bob Dylan, his face awash in blue and green, with the poignant lyric “I’m on the dark side of the road” (from “Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right”) scrawled across his forehead. Beside Dylan, a bold portrait of Pete Townshend from The Who shows him strumming a double-neck guitar, eyes locked forward, as a red-and-blue mod target hovers behind him like a halo. The pairing feels like a surreal tribute to rock’s restless rebellion and cool introspection. The guy sitting on the curb never looked up from his phone.
