Hajime Sawatari : Octopus Shunga

Shunga, the Japanese term for Erotic Art, has been around for centuries, holding origin in Ancient China around 1336 and reached it's peak through Japanese Woodblocking in the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries. I first came across it in "The Dream of the Fisherman's Wife" by Katsushika Hokusai, and recently began to dwell deeply as to why the Octopus holds such an erotic intrigue in classic Japanese Shunga. Besides the somewhat obvious observation that the Octopus, like the female sex organ, has an intrinsic notion known for taking something in, squeezing, sucking, and enveloping it's "prey," there are other more subtle nuances that embody sensuality and sex. 

Most men seem to be attracted to the images of Lesbianism; I believe for its juxtaposition of purity and sex. Without a male counterpart the image becomes a thousand times more sensual. Think of the Octopus as a symbol of the Vagina with Masculine qualities. Joined with a Human Female, the Octopus instills a taboo of mutual pleasure. Its core relates to the female anatomy while its tentacles hold the masculinity, the strength, the suggestion of the male sex organ. These images from "Hysteric Ten" by renowned Japanese Photographer, Hajime Sawatari are not only paying homage to the late masters, but brings the viewer so close to the act, so apart of it. We see in the model's body language and facial expression the different stages of a sexual act... eroticism and sensuality to the glow of content in the aftereffect.

More:

Tamatori Steals the Dragon King's Jewel by Utagawa Kuniyoshi

Wave Series by Masami Teraoka

Buy "Hysteric Ten" by Hajime Sawatari

Buy "Nadia" by Hajime Sawatari

Do You Know What Time It Is? Lynch Time.

David Lynch loves to play with his subject's memory... or more importantly how an event is being remembered... The video kinda takes you back... if you ever got so fucked up you took your top off, lit your head on fire, and woke up in the aftermath of a maniacal house party ... left with the lingering feeling that something awful had been done to you... and then for the rest of your life you are terrified you will one day Remember it.

Roberto Ferri : Italian Baroque

Inspired by Old World Baroque Masters, Roberto Ferri (born 1978) creates beautifully grotesque and erotically compelling works. Enjoy.

RobertoFerri.Net

Tomohide Ikeya : The Moon's Gravitational Influence

There is a force inside us, and forces around us... and the influence of the moon doesn't only impact the tides of the sea, but in natal astrology, it is believed to hold power over our emotional selves, our unconscious feelings, motivations, and our memories; All of which, like the ocean, have their natural ebb and flow. In Love, Lunar compatibility is key...

Artist's Synopsis: 

Link: MOON

The moon's gravity caused the flux and reflux of the tides,

And stimulated the development of life on earth

If the sun represents the birth of life,

The moon would represent the rhythm of life

Evolution would differ without the moon

The moonlit dark night includes a mixture of life and death

The body holding potential of receiving a new life,

Is enfolded by the hair, having no end of life

The hair, feeling no pain, passes on the DNA

The night has its own role

The night-- when the moon’s reflection lambently floats on the sea surface

It is the time needed by the living matters

Should human’s self-serving reasons disturb this time

In the moonlit sea, the desires for life emerge

And deaths nearby with bated breath

Would not the strain with the tension in the chaotic darkness

Be necessary for every life

The Artist's Synopsis:

Link: BREATH

We only realize the true value of the things in the moment of losing them, though they were always there.

  

The things we can control and the things we can not control.

Desire, Emotion, Relationships to others, and Commitment to the Earth...

We all control everything to meet our satisfactions.

However, we are substantially controlled by everything around us.

This is life.

"BREATH" is my latest work, focuses on breath, a vital activity of human-beings which is controlled by ourselves.

An infinite number of air bubbles appeared in the water enables us to see 'breath' with vivid clarity.

Although we breath unconsciously in our ordinary lives, it is not easy to breath under water

Losing air that we need for life, being enabled to breath, being controlled by water.

We realize true value of things that always exist around us, in the moment of losing them.

Some people accepts its control and wait for the end to come without bidding defiance to it,

The others are thirst for life, struggling against it and trying to control themselves.

That is the contrast of holding on to life, which appears clearly under water.

"BREATH" asks viewers questions. 

What is the things you should know the value of, hold on to and control?

And what is the most necessary thing for your life?

Emma Gluckman: How Accurate a Memory...

Emerging Photographer Emma Gluckman has an incredibly interesting body of work... I encourage you to check out earlier series of works on her Website.

a glimpse of her Dream House series...

One of the more intriguing/moving Artist Statements I've read in awhile:

from her Website:

“All photographs are accurate. None of them is the truth” - Richard Avedon

Memory is a tricky sneaky little beast. It chases and hides and mutates. It falls apart and resurrects. There is an animal inside of me that remembers wrong. Things make more sense when they are dangling and twisted, strapped to trees or dismantled and spread out on the floor.

When I shoot, I’m transcribing my own interior, my dark and dissociative moments. The pictures are an attempt to give my personal monster form and voice. Photography has a history of being “evidence” and “document”, but what does it look like to document the subconscious? As a queer woman who has struggled with identity, the aftermath of assault, and insomnia, I find the photographic process calming and cathartic. I arrange light, objects and bodies the way a hypnogogic brain re-assembles images from a wakeful experience to manifest disquieting scenes. Each scene exists in a room in the flesh dollhouse of my body, connected by ethereal hallways. Stitched together they become a choose-your-own adventure based on adventures I have already had.

My aim is not to lead a viewer through my specific narrative – rather I wish to evoke emotional reactions to mirror my own state. I invite viewers to explore the seductive, grotesque and melancholy within, and the parallel reality of the subconscious.

Ronit Baranga : The Sensual Organs

Coming across Ronit Baranga's clay sculptures for me is unique in the sense of combining an erotic feel to the act of dining with an act that is inherently sensual (eating). Though her work is not intended for functional use, we imagine what one might feel experiencing a well thought out meal with these provocative clay sculptures.. would it enhance the meal or distract from it. Maybe the answer would depend on your own sensuality. In Baranga's own words, "The fingers and the mouth are very sensual organs in the human body and are therefore very powerful as separated items from it."

When it comes to Art, one of my foremost beliefs is that it's up to an individual to decide what they like and what they don't. Ultimately, someone's personal connection with artwork is what matters most:

“I would like that anyone who sees my work feels something – what they feel is not relevant to me, as long as they feel." 

- Ronit Baranga

Further Interview:
Empty Kingdom Interview

Quentin Jones & Johan Söderberg Likeness

Quentin Jones: Naked with Paint on Nowness.com.


NOWNESS Interview


AND this put me in a Similar Mood. Enjoy ;)

Lykke Li - Get Some (Director: Johan Söderberg) from Lykke Li on Vimeo.

Lykke Li - Get Some by Director Johan Söderberg

Erik Ravelo: Lana Sutra for Benetton

BENETTON.COM

Benetton commissioned Artist, Erik Ravelo to create an artistic installation to represent their Fall-Winter 2011 collection; The act of 'love' portrayed without the differences of race. 


We are  human, we are one species, one common thread, or in this case; the thread of Wool. A cosmic energy and force we cannot deny exists between us. Love and Sex transcend ethnicity. 


For a more in depth review, read the full Article at YATZER by Ricardo Hernandez

© Erik Ravelo, Image Courtesy of United Colors of Benetton

© Erik Ravelo, Image Courtesy of United Colors of Benetton

© Erik Ravelo, Image Courtesy of United Colors of Benetton

© Erik Ravelo, Image Courtesy of United Colors of Benetton

© Erik Ravelo, Image Courtesy of United Colors of Benetton

© Erik Ravelo, Image Courtesy of United Colors of Benetton

© Erik Ravelo, Image Courtesy of United Colors of Benetton

© Erik Ravelo, Image Courtesy of United Colors of Benetton

© Erik Ravelo, Image Courtesy of United Colors of Benetton

From YATZER:
"I believe that Lana Sutra really talks about coexistence, about living together. It is about interaction among cultures and people of different races and faiths. It’s an ode; a homage to hybridization." - Erik Ravelo


"We have conceived a project which combines both Benetton's traditional and new values, such as the uniqueness and authenticity of our fashions, our love of art, the constantly evolving nature of our retail business and our interest in the web and in the new geography of our world. These are metaphorically held together by wool threads in bright colours: two key elements of Benetton’s DNA, which are blended together in these art pieces to become a true expression of our brand’s essence...." -Alessandro Benetton, Executive Deputy Chairman



Erik Ravelo is a Contributor to COLORS. Buy and Subscribe HERE

Arno Rafael Minkkinen : Portraits of the Self

A chronicle of 40 years of self portraits is now exhibiting at Barry Friedman Ltd Gallery in NY until August 3, 2012. 515 W. 26th St. #2