Art is for nothing if not freedom of expression. And sometimes what we have to express is...not "polite". Sometimes, we're frustrated, we're opinionated, we have side-eye! And thank goodness—how dull it would be if we were just, y'know, okay with everything all the time?! So go ahead: yell the F word loud and proud—and put it in on your wall while you’re at it, as a reminder that a spicy shoutout isn’t just ok, but sometimes absolutely necessary.
We also get such a kick out of some of the artist statements for some of these snarkier editions. Sometimes the explanation is just as colorful as the image. The perfect example is what William Powhida wrote about his edition pictured above, You: "I think this would make a fantastic shower curtain, too."
And we need to plug Martha Rich's Speech Bubble Mini Dishes once more—we just restocked your faves, and added three new sassy styles. These dishes are crowd pleasers that have been bringing chuckles to our collectors for years.
"I'm really not good with words."
Created during Japan’s Edo period in the late 1840s, the He-Gassen (translated literally as “fart battle”) scroll measures approximately thirty-four feet long with about fifteen different scenes depicting various forms of vicious vapors and tempestuous toots. While the original creator remains unknown, it’s likely that the scroll was a political cartoon of sorts, serving as commentary on a new wave of unwelcome Western influence. At the time, xenophobia was rampant under the Tokugawa shogunate. Japan was struggling against the external influence and cultural threats of Europeans and Americans, who were forcing unfavorable trade agreements on the empire. One theory is that He-Gassen shows wealthy merchants who collaborated with foreign powers being attacked by the flatulent firestorm, while another suggests that the Westerners themselves are being bombarded by the blasts.
"I make art that pleases me and reflects the mood of the moment. It helps if it makes me laugh."
This photography series is focused on capturing the last vestiges of the vibrant street culture, the traditions and lifestyles that are quickly being eradicated due to the aggressive gentrification that's invading almost every corner of NYC. For the past twelve summers, Ruben Natal-San Miguel has traveled around New York City by bicycle searching for what it's like to live in these parts of the city.
The smooth gradient of the cloudless sky frames our leading duo finally in focus. Yet, the woman on the right is ever so slightly sharper than her be-speedo’d partner, with the acme of clarity cresting over the silky sheen of her spandex suit. The real hero of this story is the unrivaled sensation of that first swimsuit twist of the season. Heralding hot days ahead, a fine-tuning of a fresh ‘fit is as familiar as that first whiff of sunscreen.
