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It was maybe around 13 years ago when I first went through what you might describe as my "overly principled phase", where I would turn down work based on the ethics of a company's practices or quite simply my interest or lack thereof in the project I might've been asked to work on. Lately however, I've been quite fascinated by artists (from a variety of fields) who manage to take on less than ideal projects and subvert them to their liking. What follows are three:
PERFECT DAYS by Wim Wenders:
Beautiful film. Contemplative, meditative, and encourages mindfulness and the exact opposite of going fast and hard just to satisfy the lust for more. The antithesis perhaps of a film like THE WOLF OF WALLSTREET but even moreso a film like THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS which unironically confuses happiness with wealth. PERFECT DAYS is a breath of fresh air in a media landscape dominated by the normalization of gluttonous consumerism, a facet of which fast fashion is very much a part of. One particular company that is quite big in the fast fashion world is Uniqlo. And it just so happens that PERFECT DAYS was commissioned by Uniqlo.
Very surprising considering the nature of the film. The story goes that Koji Yanai, the son of Uniqlo's founder, approached Wim Wenders to create a film about the Tokyo Toilet Project, an initiative to renovate some of the public toilets in Shibuya, an initiative in which Uniqlo was involved. Granted, that in and of itself is a great public project for a company called Fast Retailing Co., Ltd. to be involved in at all and as such deserves some props. I don't see Forever 21, Urban Outfitters, or American Eagle even considering public toilets in the United States.
Still, for Wenders to take that brief and create what is genuinely a landmark film in cinematic history is no small feat. A lesser director would have likely turned in a hokey non-profit-style advertisement, or at best turned down the project altogether. I cannot say enough great things about PERFECT DAYS.
SUPREME by Alan Moore (& various):
Rob Leifeld's entire concept for Supreme may be summed up as "violent Superman". Alan Moore took that and instead did one of the richest and most intricate studies of the Superman mythos and along the way explored the very nature of creation itself. Despite what Alan Moore says about his Image-commissioned work, this may be way up there with his greatest accomplishments in the medium.
FEAR & LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS by Hunter S. Thompson:
The fact that the impetus for this book was a commission by Sports Illustrated to write a mere 250-word caption about an offroad race in Las Vegas is a most ludicrous notion. Even more ludicrous is that Thompson had the gall to send in 2,500 words of his gonzo madness that barely cover the race at all. Of course Sports Illustrated rejected it. Any journalist in their right mind would've called it a day and sniffed around for the next commission. Thompson of course was not in his right mind (and kind of wouldn't be for the rest of his life), and somehow thought he could expand the thing into a novel and somehow ended up creating one of the most lasting landmarks of 20th century American literature.
Makes you wonder about all the commissions that could've blossomed into way more than they actually were, don't it?
Ganzeer
Houston, TX
06.09.24
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Pitch in $5 or more for a chance to receive a special gift in the mail. Winner's name + gift announced in next newsletter. |
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Congratulations, Sherif! You have been chosen as the winner from the previous edition of RESTRICTED FREQUENCY and as such you will be receiving my copy of Albert Camus' THE STRANGER along with a piece of original art I created that was inspired by it. I hope you like them.
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Post Labor Day Flash Sale: Because I neglected to do an actual Labor Day sale. Shave 25% off all items listed at Garage.Ganzeer with discount code WORKERSUNITE25. Valid till September 8. |
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Exhibition: Hudood - Rethinking Boundaries |
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Currently on view until September 21 at SOAS in London featuring one of my somewhat large paintings from over a decade ago.
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I had the pleasure of designing this year's poster for Zine Fest Houston. A new theme is announced each year, and this year's was "Zine-topia/Dystopia", so y'know, very much my shit.
The poster was created using real objects, rather meticulously laid out on a table in my studio and photographed from above. No trickery involved, which I opted for as a kind of protest against the increased virtuality of the world we live in.
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Review: Dylan's CHRONICLES, VOL. 1 |
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I'd like to think you don't have to be a Bob Dylan fan to get a kick out of this book, but it's hard to say for sure given that I am in fact a big Bob Dylan mark. With that being said, I don't hold everything Dylan puts out on a pedestal, and I can in fact get a little critical about the bulk of his output. This is something to be expected in regard to the output of any artist who just so happens to be so goddamn prolific. Much has been said and written about Dylan's life, but not a whole lot has come out of the man's mouth himself, which makes this book incredibly revelatory even if one thinks they know everything there is to be known about Dylan. I'd go as far as mark this book as one of the best written autobiographies in existence.
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"Our civilization has plenty of records of everyday life; movies, television, the papers. I think that literature has to give something more." - Italo Calvino |
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Interested in an online community far and away from sponsored posts, A.I. training models, and prudish nipple censorship? Check out Restricted.Academy |
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Ingredients:- 1 lb Pacific Cod
- 2 cups panko breadcrumbs
- Swiss cheese
- Lettuce or Baby Spinach
- Burger buns
- Oil spray
- 1 egg
- 1 tbsp mayonaise
- 1 tbsp flour
- 1 tbsp dijon mustard
- 1/2 tsp salt
- black pepper to taste
- paprika, just a pinch
- 1 cup mayonaise
- 1 tbsp chopped pickle
- 1 tbsp parsley
- whole lemon juice
- 1 tsp honey
- dash of salt
Instructions:
1) If cod is frozen, let thaw in a bowl of water for 30-45 minutes.2) Preheat oven to 350F.3) Spread panko breadcrumbs on baking tray, spray lightly with oil, and slide into oven for 3 minutes before placing in bowl.
4) Mix ingredients from group 3 (mayo, pickle, parsley, etc) in a bowl. This is your tartar sauce.
5) Mix ingredients from group 2 in bowl. This is your dredge batter.6) Once fish is thawed, cut into squarish steaks.7) Dip fish into dredge batter using pliers, making sure it is well coated, then place in panko bowl and cover in panko on all sides. 8) Transfer fish to baking tray.9) Slide fish into oven for 15 minutes.10) Turn off heat, then place swiss cheese on top of crispy fish patties until they melt. You can slide buns into oven too for a couple minutes as the residual heat dissipates, just to warm them up some.11) Time to assemble! Smother bottom half of the bun in a little tartar sauce, topped with baby spinach, then fish before bringing down the top bun, and voila! You've got yourself a damn scrumptious fish burger.
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