Introducing Rakewell, Apollo’s wandering eye on the art world. Look out for regular posts taking a rakish perspective on art and museum stories.
The art world may still be on its summer holidays, but late August is turning out to be peak season for artistically inclined pop stars. Rakewell has nothing but praise for the month’s best pop/art meeting of minds: Kara Walker and Ari Marcopoulos’s new video for Santigold’s single ‘Banshee’. As Walker told the New York Times, ‘The last video I made shows one puppet being tortured and set on fire – so this video is a bit more cheerful.’ We might even call the footage of Santigold operating a miniature shadow-puppet of herself…delightful.
Frank Ocean’s long-awaited second album induces more melancholy thoughts. With the release of Blonde (or Blond, no one’s sure) came a free 366-page Ocean-edited art magazine called Boys Don’t Cry. Alas, it was available only at four pop-up shops, in Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, and London; the Rake couldn’t face queueing in Fitzrovia at 1 a.m. last Saturday to get his hands on the item. Copies are now going for hundreds of dollars on eBay, but we firmly endorse the sentiments of Frank Ocean’s mother on Twitter, ‘Don’t Pay those ridiculous prices for the mags on eBay. Just hang tight a sec.…’
Don't Pay those ridiculous prices for the mags on eBay. Just hang tight a sec..
— katonya breaux (@katonya) August 22, 2016
The same goes for Madonna’s latest charity effort, at least as far as Rakewell is concerned. To celebrate her birthday, the singer has launched an appeal for the first children’s surgery unit in Malawi. It’s a thoroughly worthy cause, and the ultimate prize is the chance to go to Art Basel Miami, where you will be able to ‘Meet Madonna, do your best Vogue and take a selfie with her.’ But since the fundraising website kicks off its appeal by asking, ‘Are you Like a Virgin to the art scene?’ this roving art-world correspondent may have to pass.
Got a story for Rakewell? Get in touch at rakewell@apollomag.com or via @Rakewelltweets.
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