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Before Outsider Art, There Was Art Brut

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"I think this culture is very much like a dead language, without anything in common with the language spoken on the street. " French artist Jean Dubuffet proclaimed, referencing Western culture in particular. "This culture drifts further and further from daily life... It no longer has real and living roots." 


More than for any singular artwork, Dubuffet is remembered as the founder of Art Brut, literally translated to raw art, now often referred to as outsider art. The term applies to works made outside of an academic or artistic institution, often in isolation or as the result of a loosely unconventional upbringing. Art brut, at least in theory, is the unmediated result of authentic creativity, that spark that compels you to doodle on a napkin only to throw it away moments later. 


Dubuffet was born on an urban French commune to bourgeois wine merchants in 1901. At 17 years old, he moved to Paris to study painting, and before long, dispirited by academics, left to study independently. He painted on and off, finally exhibiting work in his first solo show at the age of 43. He painted people, on the subway and in the home, their rainbow-colored bodies the shapes of stacked, misshapen fruits. 



You can see a sense of art brut in his early works, before his style even had a name. The crudeness of a line, without hesitation or plan of attack. The noses shaped like upper case Ls and legs shaped like chicken drumsticks. Dubuffet wasn't aiming for a realistic representation of the spaces around him, nor was he interested in the bourgeoning intellectual movements abstracting the world through specific, lofty lenses. He was after something faster, dirtier, harder to describe or pin down, the very thing that Western culture had tried so hard to grasp it lost hold of completely.


During a trip to Chicago in 1951, Dubuffet delivered a lecture claiming that "primitive" artists -- namely children, people hospitalized for mental illnesses, prisoners, and other societal outcasts -- are the sources of true art. Art that is violent, passionate, instinctual and real. This same year, he decided to introduce his diverse art brut collection to the United States.


Dubuffet had been compiling a collection since 1945, and had accumulated nearly 1,200 works by 120 artists, some of whom were children or anonymous artists. He hoped an exhibition of some kind would stimulate the art brut movement abroad, while clearing out some space of his own. The works lived temporarily in the mansion of Dubuffet's friend, collector and artist Alfonso Ossorio, in East Hampton, Long Island, until 1962, when Dubuffet decided he wanted them back.



During its brief New York stay, Dubuffet's art brut collection lived in the same white-walled spaces as mainstream artists who'd occupied them previously. Only instead of being spaciously displayed, the works, a hodgepodge of sizes, artists and media, were tightly jammed into a room, with works leaning on walls or set down on tables. A punch-drunk colored pencil drawing by Swiss artist Aloïse Corbaz lived near a painted piece of flint made by Austrian prince Alfred Antonin Juritzky-Warberg, known as Juva.


Revisiting this nearly forgotten blip in the history of outsider art, the American Folk Art Museum is exhibiting 160 pieces by 35 artists from Dubuffet's collection, in a series titled "Art Brut in America: The Incursion of Jean Dubuffet." The lively exhibition offers a glimpse into America's early brush with a controversial genre, through the lens of an equally controversial man. 


Included in the show are the hypnotic paintings of French artist Augustin Lesage, who worked as a miner until, at the age of 35, he heard a voice in the mines telling him to paint. He started with drawings, dictated by the voices of the dead, including his sister who passed away at three years old. His first painted work stretched to 97 square feet over the course of a year. Throughout his life he created around 800 paintings, depicting imaginary architectural forms that balloon out into a kaleidoscopic oblivion. Resembling a church rotunda, teeming with various colored vines, feathers, and clouds that mutate and multiply until no space is left empty. 


 



Then there are the eerie drawings of Heinrich-Anton Müller, who in 1903, at the age of 34, invented a functional machine to "cut vines with the aim of grafting them." He registered the idea for a patent, but it was purportedly stolen before he had the chance. The ordeal left Müller in a psychiatric hospital, where he started drawing imaginary beasts on the facility walls. His sinewy drawing above, made from colored pencil, features a bug-eyed boy alongside a coiling snake, their compositions frazzled as if by electrical shock. Insects flock to his head and feet, while the outlines of his body appear singed like paper too close to a flame. 


The multifarious works in the collection converge on a single, if troublesome, element. They are made outside the dominion of mainstream culture, away from academic principles, intellectual play, market influence and artistic trends. They are frequently the result of what Dubuffet called "mental spurts," the kind of unmediated creative urge that all artists dream of, as primal as a shriek of pain. 


Of course, some artists' "mental spurts" are more dramatic than others. As Peter Schjeldahl points out in The New Yorker, "naïveté is never absolute." Therefore Juva, the aforementioned Austrian prince, was well-educated and never institutionalized. Similarly Russian artist Eugene Gabritschevsky, the son of a well-known bacteriologist, grew up in a privileged family that encouraged him to travel, make art and observe nature. He went to Columbia and later joined the Pasteur Institute in Paris before he was debilitated by mental illness and sent to a psychiatric hospital. 



Still, together, these works serve as examples of an unseen history of painted-over graffiti, scribbles locked in diaries, prison tattoos, childhood art projects and other overlooked art. For Dubuffet, who believed that sand was as precious as gold, there was nothing elevating the works in the Louvre above a child's chalk drawing of an imaginary friend. 


"If there is a tree in the country," Dubuffet said in his "Anticultural Position" speech, "I don't bring it into my laboratory to look at it under a microscope. I think the wind which flows through its leaves is necessary for the knowledge of the tree and cannot be separated from it, as well as the birds which are in the branches, and even the songs of these birds." 


And yet, the collection of art brut was to Dubuffet like finches to Darwin: examined, codified, removed from the files of psychiatric hospitals and the basements of anonymous homes to be analyzed and appreciated. He chronicled the works in an ethnographic fashion, keeping documents related to art brut in forty files in two cabinets. Because he didn't want to exhibit the art in the typical fine art fashion, Dubuffet isolated the works, making them available only to a limited few by appointment. In an effort to protect the art from the violence of the cultural elite, he moved them even further away from the common man. 



Also complicating Dubuffet's vision is the fact that his aesthetic inclinations weren't as revolutionary as he often made them out to be. Dubuffet published the following note, written by his friend Georges Limbour: "It is true that my feelings about culture (and its relationship to art) and, more generally, about so-called civilization, are going completely against the current and commonly accepted ideas. I could not care less about culture."


However, many culturally influential artists of the time were speaking in a language not all too different from Dubuffet's. Paul Klee's expressive and spindly drawings, Joan Miro's predilection for childhood, Dada's use of anti-establishment absurdity, Surrealism's interest in the erotic subconscious. 


And finally, as is abundantly clear from his elegantly composed texts on the subject, Dubuffet is no naive visionary. As New York Times' John Canaday wrote in 1962: "The artist who is capable of recognizing the aesthetic character of true 'art brut' is the very man least capable of reducing his cultivated perceptions to the level of pure impulse."



In his 1962 piece "Playing the Primitive," Hilton Kramer put it not so kindly, calling Dubuffet "a remarkable example of an artist riding on the wave of a feeling that his own work exploits and enlarges upon but does not itself create or in any way alter." Kramer summarizes the whole art brut obsession as Dubuffet's third and most desperate attempt to make it as an artist.


The controversy surrounding this microcosm of art brut is appropriate, given the equally thorny nature of the genre now mostly referred to as outsider art. What officially qualifies a work as such? Should it be elevated to the status of fine art or integrated into the capillaries of everyday life? Where is the line between appreciation and fetishization, celebration and exploitation?


In Dubuffet's early collection, these pressing questions were already looming, most of which still remain today. Aside from presenting a dazzling display of outsider artworks, from both well known and obscure artists, "Art Brut in America" delves into the ambiguity of a field that's only grown in complexity over time. 


"Art Brut in America: The Incursion of Jean Dubuffet" runs until January 10, 2016 at the American Folk Art Museum in New York.


Also on HuffPost: 


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Your Smartphone's Best-Kept Secret: Comic Books

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Got a new phone for Christmas? Congratulations: You've unwittingly received a great way to experience comic books.


You already know the thing is perfect for little bits of entertainment. Games like "Candy Crush," "Threes" and "Super Hexagon" are there for you when you need a few minutes of distraction. And if you're anything like an overwhelming majority of young smartphone owners, you'll probably watch short videos on your device. 


So, allow us to make a pitch: Give digital comic books a try. 


Smartphone screens are finally good enough to handle them -- and companies are taking notice.


In November, Google added a horizontal mode to Google Play Books, allowing you to scroll down entire comic book pages that are fitted perfectly to your device's screen. ComiXology, a leading provider of digital comic books from companies like Marvel, DC Comics, Dark Horse and Image, has offered a similar "fit to width" function for some time.


The result of this particular innovation looks something like the Darth Vader comic below: You swipe down an entire page on your screen -- similar to how your vision would flow if you had the physical book in your hand.



That might seem unremarkable. For years, though, creators have tried to tackle digital comics in a more complex way: by using "Guided View" technology, a function that typically moves you through comics one panel at a time. With each tap, you see a new speech bubble or illustration. That means you're moving through linear time, like a movie or, more appropriately, a PowerPoint slideshow. 


For example, here's an excerpt from Silver Surfer Infinite #1, a digital comic from 2014 that takes advantage of the Guided View function on ComiXology:



It was sort of a clever response to a pretty stupid problem: Digital comic apps had arrived, but publishers rarely released comic books designed specifically for computers, phones and tablets. Outliers like Cameron Stewart's Sin Titulo were out there, but big companies like DC Comics and Marvel weren't churning out much for online consumers.


Rather than waiting for technology to catch up to comics, some creators tried to force comics to fit onto the screen. 


You can see in the Silver Surfer comic that the result is ... not so exciting. Despite the electric visuals and fun writing, the action isn't exactly dynamic -- it really is like clicking through a slideshow at the office. 


Still, people were quick to applaud the new format. Writer Mark Waid, famous for '90s work like Kingdom Come and Impulse, made a splash when he deployed this technology on the website Thrillbent.com in 2012. Critics prematurely lauded him for this "digital-comics revolution." Of course, traditional comic books stuck around and now read wonderfully on the small screen.


The answer why is pretty simple: Smartphones have gotten bigger.



Even putting popular "phablets" like the iPhone 6 Plus aside, you can see that the "basic" phone options from Apple have gotten a teensy bit bigger in recent years. While the iPhone 5S has a 4-inch screen, the 6 and 6S models boast 4.7 inches. They're also in HD, unlike the 5S.


A little bit of extra space and that HD screen make a huge difference. You can hold the phone on its side and read through comics to your heart's content. (Of course, if rumors that Apple plans to release a smaller 4-inch device next year are true, we're back to square one.)


Meanwhile, tablets -- still the best way to read digital comics -- are becoming less relevant. Most Americans own smartphones, but most do not own tablets.


Still, a Marvel executive told The Huffington Post that the company will continue to produce comics exclusively for digital platforms that use "Guided View" technology. They fall under the "Infinite Comics" brand.


"We currently are producing eight Marvel Infinite Comic series with several more planned on the horizon," Daniele Campbell, Marvel’s vice president of digital business development, told HuffPost. 


"Infinite Comics are designed for horizontal, on-screen reading. Rather than telling a story over a series of static pages that are divided into panels, Infinite Comics present screens of content that take advantage of the digital format with techniques that would not be possible in a print comic," she added. 


At the same time, Marvel continues to offer digital redemption codes with many of its normal print comic books. If you walk into a comic book store and buy the latest issue of The Mighty Thor, say, there's a code at the back of the book that you can punch into a redemption website to get a digital version of the book on ComiXology. Campbell told HuffPost the company plans to keep this going for the foreseeable future.


Marvel can say whatever it wants about Infinite Comics, but you can sense where its priorities lie: While the company's producing eight Infinite series, it still has more than 60 ongoing comic books that aren't exclusively digital.


In other words, the company bets that people will read those traditional comic books on smartphones, tablets and computers even if they aren't "designed" to be read that way. Of course, it's easier than ever to read and enjoy those books on your devices now.



So, where should you start? We've got a few recommendations:



  • The Batman Adventures Issue 3 (ComiXology, Google Play): Perfect for fans of all ages.

  • The Mighty Thor Issue 1 (ComiXology): A new, female Thor takes the spotlight.

  • Darth Vader Volume 1 (ComiXology, Google Play): The Sith lord enlists a bounty hunter to help enact his violent plans.

  • Sex Criminals Volume 1 (ComiXology, Google Play): Two people stop time when they have sex, and then they rob banks.

  • Megahex (ComiXology, Google Play): An oddly affecting and hilarious story of a witch and cat who get stoned together and torment their hapless owl roommate.

  • All-Star Superman (ComiXology, Google Play): The world's greatest hero discovers that he's dying slowly and prepares to live his final days in glorious fashion.


Any other picks? Let us know in the comments.

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Radiohead's Rejected 'Spectre' Bond Theme Tune Rocks

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If you're a Radiohead fan, brace yourself for the greatest Christmas present ever.


The band released the "Spectre" theme song on SoundCloud Friday morning. Lead singer Thom Yorke announced on Twitter that Radiohead did "write a tune" for the latest film in the James Bond series, but it didn't end up working out.


It is Radiohead's first new song since "Spooks," recorded before "In Rainbows", which appeared on the Inherent Vice soundtrack in 2014, according to Rolling Stone.


Sam Smith was ultimately chosen to record the movie's theme song, "Writing on the Wall," but you can still enjoy Radiohead's take on the Bond theme that almost was. Best enjoyed alongside a martini -- shaken, not stirred). 














May the force be with you too, Radiohead. 


Listen to the full song here:





Also on HuffPost:


 





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The Best Photos From Around The World YOU Submitted In 2015

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In the first weeks of 2015, we launched The World Post's Instagram account in an effort to showcase some of the best photos taken by our readers and reporters. We've received more than 14,000 images since then, shot in all corners of the globe. 


Check out some of the our favorites photos of the year below and make sure to tag your own images #worldpostgram. We may feature yours in 2016! 



Hot-air balloons take off in Cappadocia, Turkey. Credit @viewistry via #huffpostgram

A photo posted by The World Post (@theworldpost) on





A night-time long exposure view from Capetown, South Africa, thanks to @thelawry via #worldpostgram

A photo posted by The World Post (@theworldpost) on











St. Paul's Cathedral in #London, what do you think @huffpostrelig? Credit: @lamabuddha7 via #huffpostgram

A photo posted by The World Post (@theworldpost) on





Beautiful #phoneframing at Ponte City, #Johannesburg, South Africa by @moography via #worldpostgram

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Thanks for the FPC (First Person Camel) #huffpostgram from #Jordan @lily__rose !

A photo posted by The World Post (@theworldpost) on





This cat in #Greece has purrfect balance via #huffpostgram by @dankadanka

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Selfies in #Jordan by @pointsandtravel via #huffpostgram

A photo posted by The World Post (@theworldpost) on





Thanks @dishdashdott for bringing Tam Coc, Vietnam into focus in this #worldpostgram!

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A beautiful shot of Palace Square in St. Petersburg, #Russia by @giuliopugliese via #worldpostgram

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Start the weekend with an EYE opening photo from #London by @tobishinobi via #huffpostgram.

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Beautiful waterfall in Skógafoss, South #Iceland via #worldpostgram by @daitokei.

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Looking down on #Paris by @jeffonline via #huffpostgram

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Colorful steps with colorful #cats. Thanks to @sezgiolgac for this #worldpostgram from Izmir, #Turkey.

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Ellis Park Swimming Pool in #Johannesburg via #worldpostgram by @stickylittleleaves

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The beautiful Wat Saket #buddhist temple in #Bangkok via #worldpostgram by @wanderlust_express

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Also on HuffPost:


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The Very NSFW Coloring Book You Need In Your Life For 2016

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Curse your way through 2016 with this NSFW adult coloring book.


Profanities such as "thunder cunt," "fuck this shit" and "cock womble" have all been beautifully outlined with floral patterns.


Just grab some crayons and keep between the lines.



A photo posted by Sarah (@pixierah) on




Artist Sarah Bigwood, from Chelmsford, eastern England, came up with the "Sweary Colouring Book" concept.


It's a world away from the mindfulness adult coloring books that have become popular over the last year.


But it'll probably help de-stress you in much the same way. There are 20 cusses in total.



A photo posted by Sarah (@pixierah) on




Others include "dickhead," "fanny flaps," "fuck it," "fuck a duck," "fuck everything," "piss off" and "wank stain."



A photo posted by Sarah (@pixierah) on




Bigwood has raised almost $20,000 on Kickstarter to fund the project.


The finished book, printed on high-quality 160gsm paper, can be bought presale for $16.48 via her Etsy store PixieRahDesigns.



A photo posted by Sarah (@pixierah) on




The book, and individual pages, can also be downloaded from Etsy.


Some fans have already been busy:








Bigwood's other, more child-friendly designs can be seen on her Facebook and Instagram pages.


Also on HuffPost:




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Sweden's Gigantic Straw Christmas Goat Goes Up In Flames... Again

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STOCKHOLM (AP) — In what's become a Christmas tradition to some Swedes, a giant decorative goat made of straw was set ablaze early Sunday and police arrested a 25-year-old man suspected of arson.


The straw goat is a beloved Christmas symbol in the city of Gavle, in central Sweden. However, it's also become a tradition of sorts to burn it down.


This year's edition lasted nearly a month on a downtown square before going up in flames.






Police said they arrested a suspect wearing a balaclava and clothes reeking of lighter fluid. His face was covered in soot and his hair damaged by fire.


Police said he would be questioned once he sobered up.



The goat is an ancient Scandinavian Yuletide tradition that preceded Santa Claus as the bringer of gifts.


Also on HuffPost:




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Instagram's Favorite Travelers Will Inspire You To Pack Your Bags

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Instagram-stalking our favorite travelers can be almost as satisfying as traveling ourselves -- it's free, after all! When there are such talented people out there showing off the world's beauty, it's impossible not to add a new country to our dream list every week.


Russian photographer Murad Osmann captured the Internet four years ago when he and his then-girlfriend (now wife) Nataly Zakharova started posting photos of her in front of stunning landscapes. What made the project unique was that all of the photos were taken of her from the back and in the same position. 


Osmann says that their #FollowMeTo project came from a place of travel frustration. Zakharova was growing tired of Osmann's taking photos during every moment of their travels -- so she literally took him by the hand and dragged him along.


He snapped the photo and a stunning Instagram account was born. One that over three million people now follow. 



Follow me #barcelona

A photo posted by Murad Osmann (@muradosmann) on




The first #FollowMeTo photo was taken in Barcelona in October of 2011. It's simple: it features a plaid shirt, some graffiti and looks almost like an Urban Outfitters ad. But the pictures Osmann and Zakharova post today look like they are straight out of Vogue.


HuffPost Lifestyle emailed with the couple while they were on location in Taiwan to check in on how things are going. 


HuffPost: What has surprised you most about how this project has evolved?


Nataly Zakharova: We were surprised that it gained such a huge [following]! Now we appreciate the attention and do our best to tell new stories and show amazing places. Our main goal is to prove that the world has no borders and that everything is possible.


What is your favorite part about traveling? 


Nataly Zakharova: Traveling is the best option of spending time -- to have adventures and then memories. I always say that the greatest part of travel is the people you meet. They can inspire you and open a new world for you.


Which #FollowMe photo was the hardest to shoot?


Murad Osmann: The hardest was the Taj Mahal -- but this is also my favorite one. Although we came in the early morning, there were crowds of tourists. Our friends helped to hold all of them back but it was hard to take a picture without other people on it. Thanks to a wide-angle lens, [you] can't see the tourists on the horizon.



A photo posted by Murad Osmann (@muradosmann) on




Which was the scariest photo to take?


Nataly Zakharova: The helicopter in Los Angeles -- we didn't have insurance, and there were no doors!



A photo posted by Murad Osmann (@muradosmann) on




What places are on your travel dream list right now? And do you ever repeat countries?


Murad Osmann: We returned to India and Jordan; these countries were worth coming back [to]. Actually, any place is beautiful -- it depends on you and how [you] perceive the world. Next we want to go to Peru and we dream about Japan, Australia and Norway. 


What are the top 5 things you always pack when you travel? 


Murad Osmann: My camera, mobile phone, map, a good mood and Nataly's dresses!


Also on HuffPost:


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2015's Most Amazing Images From Business And Industry

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Photographers in the field of business and industry have a tough job. They must tell visual stories on topics that can oftentimes be very hard to illustrate.


Sometimes a photo must work to convey a widespread issue by narrowing in on a specific, personal narrative. 


Other times, a less personal image will do. When paired with different captions, it can be used to for a variety of stories.


We've combed through tons of photos from 2015 to find the very best images by some of the most creative photographers in business media.


Check out the amazing images below, covering everything from textiles to aerials to emotional evictions.


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Influential Abstract Painter And Sculptor Ellsworth Kelly Dead At 92

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Dec 27 (Reuters) - Influential American abstract painter and sculptor Ellsworth Kelly died on Sunday, said an art gallery owner in New York. He was 92.


Matthew Marks of the Matthew Marks Gallery said Kelly died of natural causes at his home in Spencertown, New York. Marks said he was told of the death by Kelly's partner, Jack Shear.


Kelly was born in Newburgh, New York, in 1923 and served in the U.S. military during World War Two.



Afterward, he studied art in France for several years on the GI Bill and had his first solo show at the Galerie Arnaud Lefebvre in Paris in 1951. He returned to New York several years later.


"I think he bridged European and American modernism," Marks said. "He was a real American original."


Kelly had retrospectives at New York's Guggenheim Museum and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, among others over his decades-long career.



"In his work Kelly abstracts the forms in his paintings from observations of the real world, such as shadows cast by trees or the spaces between architectural elements," according to his biography on the Guggenheim's website.


He also carried out public commissions around the world, including a memorial for the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington.



Kelly, who named Pablo Picasso and Henri Matisse among his influences, told the opening of a large contemporary art wing showcasing his work at Boston's Museum of Fine Arts in 2013: "I am nourished by the past, I am questioning the present, and I am stepping into the future."


(Reporting by Curtis Skinner in San Francisco; Editing by Peter Cooney)

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Approved Catcalls

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YOUR MIND IS BEAUTIFUL, YOUR BODY STRONG, AND I WANT TO BUY YOU A BURRITO, IF YOU’D LIKE. IF NOT, B-).


SORRY IT LOOKED LIKE I WAS WINKING. I HAD DUST IN MY EYE AND I WAS TRYING TO CHOOSE A FAVE BEYONCE SONG. COULDN’T DO IT!!


DO U LIKE SPIRIT ANIMAL QUIZZES? ME TOO! WHAT’S UR FAVE STEVIE SONG? STEVE NICKS, I MEAN.

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This Little Girl's Reaction To The 'Star Wars' Trailer Is Priceless

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Kids and adults alike have been incredibly excited about the new Star Wars movie. But this little girl's enthusiastic reaction to the trailer is truly priceless. 


Stormtroopers! Lightsabers! It's all too much to handle!


To state the obvious, the force is strong with this one. 


H/T Tastefully Offensive


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9 Powerful Warnings About Womanhood To Teenage Girls

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Melissa Newman-Evans has a few important things to tell young women everywhere. 


At the 2015 National Poetry Slam this past August, Newman-Evans performed her riveting spoken word "9 Things I Would Like To Tell To Every Teenage Girl." In the powerful performance, Newman-Evans lists nine warnings to young girls about becoming women.  


The world is trying to kill you," Newman-Evans tells the crowd in her first warning. "It is trying to do this by stealing your voice. Kill it back.”





Listing on her fourth point, Newman-Evans explains that young women can and should wear whatever they want. "The best hairstyle is one that helps you get out of bed in the morning. The best brand of denim is one that fits and goes with your combat boots," she says, adding that traditionally feminine clothing is also a good choice as long as it is your choice. "Note, that high heels make perfectly acceptable combat boots."


Later in her poem, Newman-Evans makes a powerful point about the importance of sisterhood. "Six: You remember that metaphor about killing you being stealing your voice?" she asks the crowd. "Sometimes the world will actually try to kill you... Telling you to prepare yourself is just another way to blame you when it happens which is why, seven: You need to hold up your sisters."


"Eight: Everyone is your sister," she adds. 


In her last point, Newmans-Evans describes why all teenage girls need to stand by one another: "The world is trying to kill each and every one of you and if you do not hold each other up, no one else will."


Head over to Button Poetry to hear more spoken word poems. 


Also on HuffPost: 


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Nothing We Like Matters

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The main difference between the most desirable plates of food in New York today versus those of 10 years ago is how beautiful they are. 


One of the most sought-after dishes in New York in 2004 was April Bloomfield's ricotta gnudi at her West Village gastropub The Spotted Pig. It consisted of translucent pasta skins encasing a creamy ricotta filling, served up in a luscious brown butter and sage sauce. It's an iconic dish, still on the menu, transportingly delicious, but not much to look at. The gnudi are, well, beige and brown lumps


If there's an iconic plate of New York food in 2015, it would be, first of all, a bowl, not a plate. And it might look like one of the preciously composed acaí bowls at Dimes, the chic Chinatown restaurant that serves up veritable set pieces of health food. 


Dimes' improbable success is partly due to its sixth sense for photogenic dishes. I'd seen photos of its food some dozens of times on Instagram before I ever went to its unassuming Canal Street digs.


But within the Insta-food landscape, Dimes is pretty innocuous, because its food is healthy and eminently rational, a factor that becomes apparent when compared to the other staples of New York food porn: baroque bagel sandwiches, face-sized cookies, things in jars, ramen. Unholy mashups that prompt the popular Instagram and restaurant review site The Infatuation to ask "real food or stupid"?



A photo posted by @freakshakes on




You don't have to be on Instagram to feel the effects of "food porn creep." The imagery is omnipresent on news sites; a significant fraction of The New York Times' popular Facebook posts come out of its Dining section. And nearly every new restaurant, whether in the city or suburbs, feels the pressure to include over-the-top, photogenic menu items. For example, a Sydney coffee shop made international headlines earlier this year after it began selling "freakshakes," bloated milkshakes topped with things like entire cakes.  


The effect of food porn is similar to that of standard pornography, an endless carousel of unnatural pleasures that makes the real thing look boring and underwhelming. How can our animal brains compete?


In her new book First Bite, the food historian Bee Wilson explains, "Once animals have been trained to love certain foods, the dopamine response can be fired up in the brain just by the sight of those foods," an effect demonstrated by experiments with monkeys and banana photos.


It's good to have some proof that food porn exposure can literally rewire our appetites. I don't know how many times my pet distraction of browsing food blogs during my (usually healthy) lunch break leads me straight to a cafeteria blondie by 3 p.m. I suspect I'm not alone in feeling helpless within a stimuli-rich environment that creates frankly insane food preferences every minute of every day.


Wilson ostensibly wrote First Bite: How We Learn To Eat as a study of taste preferences and food habits, but it is really an economics book. Economics is the study of scarcity and choice. And though scarcity may be the last thing that describes our hyperactive food culture, we have a limited number of meals in a day, and days in a life, and the burden of choice is tantamount. Too much of the thinking around food focuses on the objects and environment of consumption -- what we might call the supply side. Wilson's ingenious turn is looking at our preferences -- the demand.


It's not for lack of information or advice that our food habits remain unsatisfactory, but that they are tough to translate on the level of our personal decisions. As she writes, in order to adhere to something like Michael Pollan's dictum of "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants," one must "Like real food. Not enjoy feeling overstuffed. And appreciate vegetables." Easier suggested than done.


The premise of First Bite is that "how we learn to eat... has gone so badly wrong." So can we relearn how to eat? Can we relearn how to like?






Our Fetish For Taste


In the book's introduction, Wilson taps uncannily into a number of food anxieties. "Our tastes follow us around like a comforting shadow," she writes. "They seem to tell us who we are."


This is precisely why the food-visual culture complex is so pernicious, because it feeds our need for selfhood via preferences. As Wilson says, "Having particular tastes is one of the ways that we signal to other people that we are unusual and special."


The word "foodie" is meaningless today because our food choices are one of our main modes of relating to the world. Everyone (and no one) is a foodie. We all broadcast our consumer choices on social media and on dating app bios. How many Tinder bios include some phrases like, "loves: quintuple-distilled bourbon" or "avocado enthusiast," as if that tells a potential partner some deeper truth about oneself? These are symptoms of what Neal Gabler dubbed the post-idea world, where information, things and tangible goods are our intellectual currency.


Ironically, when preferences are so abundant, they are expendable. Knowing your favorite food tells me absolutely nothing about you. Your "likes" (without their counterpart dislikes, which don't exist in social media) are superfluous. Our investment in curating our consumer choices is inversely proportional to how much they matter.


The "paradox of choice" is the psychological anxiety caused by too much. Wilson's insight on how this applies to food culture is that "the challenge is not to grasp information but to learn new habits." 




Tiny Tastes


Wilson's exploration of food, choice and love is organized thematically into chapters like "Memory," "Disorder" and "Feeding," with a little vignette after each one dedicated to a particular food like birthday cake or beets. One of the vignettes on "birthday cake" astutely criticizes a flavor that I have long theorized owes its popularity to food photography, its only edge over other, tastier cakes (and non-cake applications) being its rainbow innards.


One of the book's running concerns is how children eat. How their parents and siblings influence their consumption, what children in different countries struggle to eat (radishes in France, okra in Brazil), and the issue of picky eaters. Children, with all their food problems, contain the answers for our predicament, suggests Wilson, because changing what you like (which we usually decide in youth) is the essence of changing what you eat. 


"All the foods that you regularly eat are ones that you learned to eat" as a child, writes Wilson. But today, the "main influence on a child's palate may ... be a series of food manufacturers whose products -- despite the illusion of infinite choice -- deliver a monotonous flavor hit" of salt, sugar and/or fat. 


For picky eaters of any age, Wilson recommends a program of "tiny tastes": trying pea-sized morsels of a problematic food, like broccoli, over several days until one starts to like it. 


This utility of this issue may be lost on those who struggle not with picky eating but with liking and thinking about food too much. But in Wilson's account of preferences, picky eating and food obsession are actually closely related. The uniting force is to approach any diet changes from a place of likes, rather than dislikes (or deprivation). By reacquainting oneself of the pleasure of vegetables, moderate portions and regular mealtimes, we might become saner consumers.


Anyone with something other than a totally normal relationship with food -- picky children, food addicts, individuals suffering from eating disorders, chronic dieters -- can partake of the project to acquire "eating skills that can protect them in this environment of plenty."



Charcoal Hot Dog Buns with Chicago dogs are on the blog just in time for recipe on SpoonForkBacon.com

A photo posted by spoonforkbacon (@spoonforkbacon) on




Not Advice


The most surprising and edifying sections of First Bite revolve around picky eating, when Wilson writes on the endless mutability of the human palate. But the lessons are just as applicable to the opposite problem, overeating.


It's hard to resist scanning the leisurely volume for takeaways, even though she tried her best to design her book otherwise, with desultory chapters that pull from food history, anthropology, personal history and science. But in a conciliatory epilogue called "Not Advice," she provides some straws at which to grasp.


She herself evolved, she writes, from a dieter of the classic adolescent type into the kind of normal eater that would have infuriated her younger self. Although she pointedly rejects the idea of specific dietary advice, she repeats that eating well is a skill.


That's something to keep in mind as we navigate the lucid dream of our modern food world. Nothing about it is natural; it's designed to short-circuit the wisdom or intuition with which we may have been born. But having relieved ourselves of the burden of intuition, we can shift our efforts to behavior, which Wilson emphasizes can be changed. We might learn to stop seeking out food blogs, for instance, or limit our time on Instagram, or start to reframe food-pornographic content as "white noise," the way we learn to tune out sexy advertising by the time we're teens.


The big mistake would be to just surrender to our "environment of plenty." Wilson's book teaches us that the notion of "I can't help but to like/eat/be seduced by" certain foods is wrong, because our tastes are not fixed.


So our preferences, which got us into this mess, may yet get us out. 


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The 18 Most Appalling International Art World Scandals of 2015

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See the original post on artnet News.



It seems as if there's never a quiet moment in the art world, especially during boom times. There are record-breaking auctions, controversial exhibitions, and even violent episodes by artists, as well as trolling by the general public.


Here's a quick guide to some of the more scandalous news reports that have happened over the course of this year.


 

 



1. The Art Basel in Miami Beach Stabbing
Art Basel in Miami Beach, arguably the art world's glitziest annual event, was the site of perhaps the year's most shocking scandal when 24-year-old fair-goer Siyuan Zhao allegedly stabbed Shin Seo Young with an X-Acto knife. The vicious crime rocked the art world, forcing the Swiss fair to scramble to do damage control.


The recent graduate of University of Oregon's architecture program told the arresting officers "I had to kill her and two more!" and "I had to watch her bleed!" Thankfully, the victim's injuries were treatable.



2. Fraud Charges Against Freeport King Yves Bouvier
Early this year, Swiss businessman Yves Bouvier, who safeguards millions of dollars-worth of art at his international freeport empire, was arrested in Monaco and indited for fraud. Dmitri Rybolovlev claims that Bouvier jacked up the prices on 38 artworks, including Steve Cohen's Amedeo Modigliani nude, which Cohen sold for $93.5 million and Rybolovlev bought for $118 million.


Bouvier stepped down from his Freeport post in April, and Rybolovlev has beenruthlessly pursuing his claim. In November, Rybolovlev spoke out against the freeport king, accusing him of trying "to paint me as the stereotypical Russian oligarch."



3. Helly Nahmad's Accursed Modigliani 
This is the scandal that just won't go away, no matter how hard the Nahmads try. Since 2011, Philippe Maestracci has been trying his best to reclaim an Amedeo Modigliani painting that once belong this his grandfather, Jewish art dealer Oscar Stettiner. Though the first case against him was dismissed, Nahmad was hit with a court summons over the painting in 2014, and this past month, Maestracci filed suit yet again. The dispute's final outcome remains to be seen, and Nahmad's lawyer is quick to deny any wrongdoing on the dealer's part.


In general, disputes over looted artworks can drag on for years: see the claims over the Guelph Treasure and works by Egon Schiele believed to have belonged to a Viennese cabaret performer who died in a concentration camp, and the recent conflict over a Pieter Bruegel the Elder canvas in Austria that may have been looted from Poland. Works restituted in 2015 included a Ernst Ludwig Kirchner painting from New York's Museum of Modern Art and an El Greco once linked to the Knoedler Gallery, while the Bristol City Council is going to keeptheir Pierre-Auguste Renoir seascape.


Two long-running cases involving Camille Pissarro canvases also appear to have been resolved this year. Earlier this month, the University of Oklahoma appeared to agree to return a painting to the French Holocaust survivor whose father originally owned it, while a Los Angeles judge ruled in June that a Spanish museum could not be compelled to return their Pissarro. The Impressionist artist also figured in the tainted collection of Cornelius Gurlitt, with the German Minister for Culture and the Media confirming that a suspect Pissarro from Gurlitt trove had been seized by Nazis.



4. Taubman Family Feud
When billionaire art collector and former Sotheby's owner A. Alfred Taubman died in April it led to many questions: How would the recently-embattled Detroit Institute of Arts be affected? What would become of his $500-million art collection—and later, would Sotheby's be able to make money on the estate saledespite the massive guarantee? (Results were mixed.)


The scandal, however, was over the ongoing tensions between Taubman's widow, Judy, and his surviving children from an earlier marriage. In September, Judy found herself locked out of the couple's London apartment, over an argument with her stepchildren that reportedly centered on two painting worth a collective $300,000. Vanity Fair profiled the feud, with a source saying of Judy that "she hates them and they hate her. Now the kids have a chance to get their revenge."



5. Marina Abramović Calls Out Jay-Z; Gets Owned
The image of Marina Abramović and Jay-Z facing off during the music video for "Picasso Baby," shot at New York's Pace Gallery in summer 2013, has been forever sullied (unless you were already turned off by the storied performance artist's increasingly mainstream fame). In May, Abramović alleged that she had only participated after the rapper agreed to donated to the Marina Abramović Institute—a promise that was never made good on.


"It's so cruel, it's incredible," she told Spike Art Quarterly. In response, Jay-Z quickly offered up a receipt from the institute proving her wrong. Shamefully, Abramović couldn't admit fault, instead passing the blame along to her staff.


The Jay-Z incident wasn't her only brush with scandal in 2015: This past month, Abramović again made headlines when a Park Avenue Armory dinner was abruptly cancelled, with the institution informing would-be guests that it was due to the performance artist's hospitalization—a claim that was later denied. It was all a bit confusing, but hopefully, the health scare isn't a serious one.



6. Richard Prince Stealing Instagram Photos
Richard Prince debuted his "New Portraits" series of large-scale prints based on other people's Instagram photos to less-than-universal acclaim in 2014, but the controversy over the appropriated images really came to a boil this spring.


The prints were widely denounced as vapid, and Prince was criticized for stealing the works of others and selling it for $100,000. Many whose Instagram photos were now appearing at Gagosian Gallery and Frieze New York spoke out against Prince.


The SuicideGirls, a Los Angeles-based alternative pin-up community, took the fight one step further, selling their own copies of the "Richard Prince" works(which were themselves nearly flipped again) for just $90. For those aggrieved Instagrammers looking to take legal action, here's a guide to how to beat Prince in court.



7. The Knoedler Forgery Ring
One claim against Knoedler Gallery was settled out of court earlier this month, but the scandal over the millions of dollars worth of forged artworks sold by the discredited dealer still hasn't subsided.


The gallery, which closed in 2011, was the center of a forgery ring that passed off the work of Pei-Shen Qian, a Chinese painter in Flushing, Queens, as priceless masterpieces. Former gallery president Ann Freedman has long proclaimed her ignorance of the paintings illicit origins.


While the drawn-out proceedings have been largely-shrouded in secrecy, those following the case closely can look forward to new juicy details on January 25, 2016, when former Sotheby's executive Domenico De Sole, who was sold a fake Mark Rothko, will finally have his day in court against the shuttered gallery.



8. ISIS Destruction and Looting of Antiquities
ISIS figured prominently in our list for 2014, and they've unfortunately earned top honors once again, terrorizing much of the Middle East and leaving a large swath of destruction in their wake. At the beginning of the year, the world looked on in horror as footage of the destruction of artwork at the Nineveh Museum in Mosul, Iraq, appeared online.


In March, militants flattened the ancient Assyrian city of Nimrud. Soon after, the international community braced for disaster as ISIS forces approached the ancient city of Palmyra. The worst came to pass when ISIS blew up the city's Baal Shamin Temple, Temple of Bel, and Arch of Triumph. In act of stunning brutality, ISIS also beheaded Palmyra's 82-year-old archaeological custodian in the city square.


Perhaps most disturbingly of all, however, is that analysis of satellite imagery indicates that ISIS isn't the only group looting and destroying cultural heritage sites in the region.



9. Bert Kreuk Sues Danh Vō for $1.2 Million 
Another holdover from 2014, the bitter dispute between the art collector and Hugo Boss Prize-winner has at least been resolved. In December, two years after Vō was meant to have delivered a site-specific installation for Kreuk, the three parties, who also included the artist's gallerist, Isabella Bortolozzi, finally reached a settlement.


After six hours of negotiations, Kreuk and Vō agreed to set aside their differences—an impressive feat, given the level of animosity displayed earlier in the year, after a judge initially ruled in Kreuk's favor. Asked to deliver the promised work in a year's time, Vō offered a wall-work in which his father would write "SHOVE IT UP YOUR ASS, YOU FAGGOT." Kreuk, as you might expect, objected to the offensive phrase.


Nevertheless, a settlement was agreed upon, and no money or artwork exchanged hands.



10. Egypt Breaks King Tut's Mask
It hasn't been a great year for art in Egypt, with a number of stolen antiquities appearing on the market, a group of Cairo curators arrested for theft, a terror attack at the El Arish Museum for antiquities, and a foiled attempt to bomb the Luxor Temple.


Perhaps worst of all, however, was when a group of inept museum employees damaged King Tut's iconic funerary mask and glued it back together with harsh epoxy. (The damage appears to be reversible, and repairs began in October.) Adding to the embarrassment, the boy king's chair was also damagedthis year during transport between museums.


Luckily, we did get to see the original photos of the tomb's 1922 discovery restored in dazzling color thanks to Dynamichrome.



11. Anish Kapoor's Dirty Corner
In 2014, Paul McCarthy got punched and his controversial butt plug Treesculpture was deflated by vandals at FIAC in Paris. This year, France's most controversial large-scale sculpture installation was Anish Kapoor's Dirty Corner, part of his solo show at Versailles.


The sculpture, which Kapoor called a symbol of "the vagina of the queen who took power," caused quite a stir with its sexual imagery. If the initial response was bad, things only got worse after the piece was vandalized not once but four times, once with anti-semitic slogans. Kapoor, who denounced the violent actoriginally planned to leave up the offensive graffiti, which further aggrieved the public. He was ultimately forced by the courts to remove the slurs.


Criticism against the artist included a local right wing politician who claimed that Kapoor "has declared war on France." Kapoor told artnet News that he would fight the court's decision, and that "if vandalism and hate stops public experimentation, we all lose."


Kappor also took issue with a Chinese artwork that he perceived as a knock-off of his iconic Cloud Gate sculpture, although Chicago mayor Rahm Emmanueldisagreed.



12. Russian Separatists Destroy Art at Ukraine's Izolyastia Center for Cultural Initiatives 
A militant Russian-backed separatist group has destroyed a number of contemporary artworks at Izolyatsia Center for Cultural Initiatives in Donetsk, Ukraine.


The center was seized by in 2014 by Donetsk People's Republic, who announced their intention to "punish" the center for its "perverted" artwork. This June, the group released a shocking video showing the explosion of Pascale Marthine Tayou's Transform!, a giant lipstick perched on a factory smokestack. Reportedly, large-scale art installations from Daniel Buren, Leandro Ehrlich, and Cai Guo-Qiang have also been looted and vandalized, while Kader Attia's Ce N'est Rien has been converted into a prison and interrogation center.


Exiled to Kiev, the center has done its best to publicize its plight, protesting Russia's occupation of Crimea by hosting a vacation sweepstakes and rally at the Venice Biennale. Maria Kulikovska, whose "Homo Bulla" a series of soap sculptures became objects for target practice, destroyed a new version of the work in a London performance this past month.



13. Museum Thefts That Were Inside Jobs
Three art world institutions that fell victim to internal corruption stand out this year: the systematic looting of Macedonia's National Museum by its director and six other employees, the staff member that looted the archives of the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, and the forgery scheme cooked up at China's Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts by its the chief librarian.


The Macadonian thefts were carried out over a period of years, led by former museum director Pero Josifovski, who was sentenced in March to nine years behind bars for his crimes. Over 162 valuable artifacts were stolen from the museum. The Hermitage discovered several missing items during a routine inspection, and soon learned that a staff member had stolen the priceless books and documents and was selling them to antiques dealers.


In China, staff and students were allowed to check out valuable artworks as if they were books. Former chief librarian Xiao Yuan, who pled guilty to replacing 143 original paintings with his own fakes, claimed the archive was riddled with forgeries from his first day on the job. He even suspects some of his own handiwork was later replaced by even shoddier copies.


Meanwhile, in Boston, the public library wound itself up into a tizzy over thesuspected theft of prints by Durer and Rembrant. Although an inside job was widely suspected, the staff eventually realized the works had merely been misfiled—but not before library president Amy Ryan had been forced to resign.


(A cleaning crew in Italy also threw out an entire art installation designed to look like the aftermath of a giant party, but that was an accident).



14. Peter Lik's $1 Million Photograph 
When Australian landscape photographer Peter Lik announced that he had smashed the record for the world's most expensive photograph with the $6.5 million sale of Phantom, a black-and-white shot of Arizona's Antelope Canyon, the art world was understandably confused and skeptical.


The New York Times did some digging, unveiling Lik's convoluted pricing scheme, in which each of his images is sold in gigantic editions of 995. As a print sells out, the price rises from $4,000 to tens of thousands of dollars—even though the artnet Price Database shows that Lik has only exceeded $3,000 at auction twice, with a $15,860 sale in 2008 and a $9,500 sale this summer.


For Phantom, Lik created an edition of one, pricing the print to match the total income he would have made from a full set of 995 prints. The Internet was not impressed.



15. Museum Protests 
The biggest museum protest of the year may have been at New York's Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), where workers banded together to demand the museum not increase the cost of health care premiums.


The proposed cuts to benefits became even more unpalatable when directorGlenn Lowry's $2.1 million annual salary was revealed. Workers sent Lowry an open letter, and an agreement, unanimously approved by workers, was soon reached.


Museums were also criticized for theirs ties to high-end developers (the Brooklyn Museum) and big oil, with major protests at the Louvre, and New York's American Museum of Natural History and the British Museum, Tate Modern, and other London museums.


Meanwhile, art lovers also united against an unlikely target: Pierre-Auguste Renoir, with "protests" at the Museum of Fine Arts Bostonthe Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena, California, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, triggering an impassioned defense of the Impressionist artist.



16. MACBA Director Resigns After Censoring Controversial Sculpture
A racy sculpture by Austrian artist Ines Doujak led to a huge blow up at the Barcelona Museum of Contemporary Art (MACBA) when director Bartomeu Marí took offense to the piece. The "Beast and the Sovereing" exhibition was ultimately cancelled over the work, which depicted former Spanish king Juan Carlos and Bolivian Labor leader Domitila Chúngara involved in a sexual act with a dog, but that wasn't the end of the story.


Amid widespread outrage over the censorship, Marí was forced to resign, and the two curators responsible were fired. Due to his tarnished reputation, over 600 members of South Korea's artistic community spoke out against Marí's possible appointment as director of that country's National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MMCA). He has since won the job, and pledged to protect freedom of expression.



17. High-Profile Museum Firings
Never say that the art world doesn't stand by its own: the international arts community banded together in support of Lorenzo Benedetti, director and curator of Amsterdam's De Appel, fired in September; Marinika Babanazarova, director of Uzbekistan's Savitsky museum, fired in August; and Nicolas Bourriaud, director of Paris's École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts, fired in July.


Bourriaud's case was by far the most contentious, with allegations that the Minister of Culture, Fleur Pellerin had dismissed him for nepotistic reasons. Aheated, highly-publicized dispute between the two followed.



18. Hermann Nitsch Exhibition Cancelled Over Animal Cruelty Accusations
In February, an exhibition of work by Hermann Nitsch was cancelled at Mexico City's Museo Jumex as a result of a petition accusing the Viennese Actionist of animal cruelty, despite the artist's insistence that "everybody who knows me knows that I am an animal protector."


Nitsch uses animals in his "The Orgies Mysteries Theatre" performances, which incorporate blood and carcasses, and mimic crucifixions and mutilations.


Austria's ambassador to Mexico, Eva Hager, spoke out in full support of Nitsch, calling him “one of Austria's most important contemporary artists." Jumex director Patrick Charpenel resigned over the controversy, and was replaced by Julieta González.


There was a similar push to cancel a "The Orgies Mysteries Theatre" production that was held this summer in Palermo, Italy.


Despite the controversy, New York's Marc Straus gallery held a large exhibition of his work in September.


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Our 16 Favorite Arts, Books And Culture Stories From 2015

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It's the end of the year, and like most outlets, the editors and writers at HuffPost Arts & Culture have spent a good portion of December looking back on the stories, trends and phenomena that made 2015 such a singular year.


We pored over the critical response to Jonathan Franzen's most recent book, the influence of Instagram "It Girls," the civil rights-oriented street art that's popped up in the wake of Black Lives Matter protests, and the rise of radical craftsmen. From murals to techno-optimistic sci-fi to vintage diner mugs, we reflected on all the subjects that made us buzz this year.


At the end of the day -- or, 365 days -- these are the reported pieces, essays, and stories that we were proud to publish in 2015.


1. The End Of The End Of The World by Maddie Crum



The onscreen adaptations of The Hunger Games trilogy might've ended with a whimper this year, but dystopian stories are still cropping up everywhere; the next installment of "Divergent" is out next year, to name just one other popular example. There's a set of sci-fi writers, however, who think this trend is not only dull, but also a missed opportunity. What's the sense in pointing out everything that's wrong with contemporary society without providing solutions -- namely technological ones? I spoke with sci-fi writer and futurist Madeline Ashby, as well as optimistic sci-fi anthology editor Kathryn Cramer, about trends in solution-oriented sci-fi, and which communities benefit from it the most. (Read more here.)


2. Lonnie Holley Is The Most Genuine Performance Artist In The Mother Universe by Priscilla Frank



If you've ever stopped on the street to admire the way a particular piece of garbage glimmers in the light, I think you'll fall for artist and musician Lonnie Holley, whose life's work consists of turning garbage into gold. He's a visionary sculptor, musician, scavenger and prophet, whose life story is a modern-day myth and whose words are an improvised song, always ongoing. (Read more here.)


3. If You Have To Say It, Say It In GIFs by Claire Fallon



Everybody loves GIFs! But will they take over the world and replace language as we know it? With 2015 drawing to a close, that question is still up in the air, though the learned linguists and accomplished techies who spoke to me for this deep dive can give us, I think, a pretty good idea. Plus, there are GIFs. (Read more here.)


4. Meet Audrey Wollen, The Feminist Art Star Staging A Revolution On Instagram by Tricia Tongco



This interview with artist Audrey Wollen was one of the best conversations I’ve ever had. We talked about feminism, social media, and trolls -- all fascinating subjects I probably could have talked about all day. It came about serendipitously when I saw her working at a gallery. Earlier that day, I had drafted a list of artists on Instagram to contact, and she was at the top of my list. When I relayed this to her, she said, “It’s because of the new moon" -- indeed. (Read more here.)


5. Here's Why You Should Stop Saying 'I Could Do That' About Art by Katherine Brooks



I was reminded of this oft-used critical response to art after watching an episode of "The Art Assignment," a weekly PBS Digital Studios production hosted by curator Sarah Green. We encounter a lot of similar comments here -- on our articles, on Facebook, on Twitter, you name it -- so it felt very cathartic to methodically explain why such a flippant reaction to a painting or photograph you might not like is, well, lazy. (Read more here.)


6. The Light Shift: How A Dutch Mom Became Her Nation's Foremost Vigilante Poet by Mallika Rao



The best stories, I find, come by surprise. This is especially true when traveling. I did not foresee myself finding an intriguing subject on my first night in the Netherlands this summer, as I meandered through the litter-strewn grounds of a festival. But the more I talked to the young woman projecting words in a language I couldn't understand onto the underbelly of a bridge, the more I felt compelled to write about her strange enterprise. The story that came out of our conversation is steeped in the concerns of our day -- Islamaphobia, feminism, the simple question of how to be a good human in a confusing world. In choosing my words to tell it, I tried to capture the wonder of the traveler caught between things familiar and new. (Read more here.)


7. 50 Years From Selma, Jetsonorama and Equality in Brooklyn by Jaime Rojo & Steven Harrington



One of our favorite stories of 2015 was the collaboration on a Brooklyn wall with Arizona street artist Jetsonorama and famed civil rights photographer Dan Budnick this June. By choosing just one marcher from the spring 1965 Selma-to-Montgomery march for civil rights, and repeating it diagonally as if to emulate a graveyard across a crimson wall, we felt Jetsonorama nailed it in a way that public art/street art/mural art can do best. He nailed our legacy of racism and he powerfully recalled how far we’ve come in 50 years -- and how far we have allowed ourselves to slip backward in the march toward a more perfect union that we know we are capable of. With the backdrop of 2015 protests by Black Lives Matter across the country, the seemingly weekly revelations in the news of abuse by police of black citizens, and the June 2013 invalidation of key parts of the Voting Rights Act by the Supreme Court, this installation resonated with passersby in a way that only art can. We were proud of this story and are glad to give it another shout-out for the year. (Read more here.)


8. That Secretive Club You've Feared Runs The World Is Real, And Hilarious by Todd Van Luling



Sometimes you get invited to things you probably shouldn't have been. This was one of those cases. With the allure of arts and culture leaders being present, I attended what I initially thought would be a straightforward meet, greet and interview session, but instead the experience turned into an event I'm still not entirely sure was real. I chose to include this piece as I feel as if knowing about what transpired may help you retain sanity as the world appears to zoom by like a motorbike surfing a wave. (Read more here.)


9. The Humble Victor Diner Mug, An Icon Of Americana by Jillian Capewell



This story was so fun to research: there's a fascination and nostalgia with old diner equipment, like these mugs, that is so interesting to me. There's a lot behind the creation of a mug that most don't notice when they're sitting down at a booth for pancakes and coffee, and I love the idea that there's stories and lives behind the most everyday objects. (Read more here.)


10. The Myth Of Busyness by Stuart Whatley



Earlier this year I wrote "The Myth of Busyness" to push back against the cliche of the overworked American in the digital era. As it happens, The Overworked American is the name of a book by Juliet B. Schor that is more than 20 years old, and the current complaints about "overwhelm" and time pressure in popular press accounts today aren't new. They also simply don't reflect the available data on Americans' use of time. We aren't as busy as we're constantly being told, but we also aren't any closer to the 15-hour work week John Maynard Keynes envisioned in 1928. Like everything in social science, it's just more complicated than that. (Read more here.)


11. Read This And Die!: An Interview With R.L. Stine by Maddie Crum



Have you re-read R.L. Stine's chilling, classic kids' books recently? The author's clever style certainly holds up, but the plots aren't quite as scary as you might remember. In fact, they're often pretty funny! That might be because Stine got his start as a joke book writer, a job he held down for years before trying his hand as the whole horror thing. I learned this and much more when I sat down with him to talk about his suspiciously normal childhood, and the different between writing scary scenes for kids and jumpy plots for adults. (Read more here.)


12. The Radical, Life-Changing Power Of Arts And Crafts by Priscilla Frank



I loved learning about the artists of Radical Craft, an exhibition of self-taught makers who, working in various media, challenge the dominant assumption that art is somehow more valuable and meaningful than its lowbrow companion, craft. This will definitely inspire you to make your refrigerator into a tiny flat museum. (Read more here.)


13. Is Michel Houellebecq The French Jonathan Franzen? by Claire Fallon



More of a literary essay than one of our standard reviews or articles, this piece arose out of my frustration with reading Franzen's Purity and Houellebecq's Submission and the extensive, mostly positive evaluations of their work in major publications. I wanted to dig into the question of whether these authors, particularly Houellebecq, are as intentional and successful at using satire as many critics argue, or if this is used as an excuse for distasteful or indefensible ideas embedded in their novels. For a former English literature major, writing this essay was particularly engrossing, and since both authors are still a huge part of the cultural conversation, I feel the question addressed in the piece still resonates deeply. (Read more here.)


14. A Love Letter To My Mother, An Artist by Katherine Brooks



My mom has spent the greater part of her adult life raising three daughters. It's easy to forget that before her chaotic role as a parent, she was an art student trying to figure out what to do with her still life skills. So on Mother's Day, I wrote a tribute to my favorite artist -- my mom -- and how she taught me everything I know about creativity and survival. (Read more here.)


15. How Comedian Kristina Wong Went Viral, Then Took Her Art And Activism Offline by Tricia Tongco



As an Asian woman, I rarely see people who look like me in the spotlight. That alone seems pretty radical, but performance artist Kristina Wong has lots of interesting things to say about race in America and internationally. She deftly tackles subjects people rarely discuss out loud and makes sharp observations with a rare mix of humor, boldness and self-awareness. (Read more here.)


16. Salute Your Shorts: A Magical Thinker Makes Sense Of The Year's Most Baffling Craze by Mallika Rao



We all have our momentary ideological obsessions -- a book read so many times its pages open to our favorite worn spots as if by magic, an album whose every lyric seems bespoke. Few of us get to indulge these fascinations with thousands of words. Lucky for me, unlucky perhaps for readers looking for a quick assessment of The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up -- a small book I and plenty of others fell in love with this year -- I'm one of those few. If you're feeling up for a fanatic's investigation into the latest self-help craze, you could do worse than reading mine. (Read more here.)


 


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New Exhibit Captures The Styles Of Harlem-Born Artist Norman Lewis

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PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- There are two questions Ruth Fine has heard repeatedly from visitors emerging from the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts' comprehensive retrospective of work by artist Norman Lewis.


"Those who don't know his work ask, 'How is it possible we didn't know this painter?'" said Fine, a visiting curator, retired from Washington's National Gallery of Art, who spearheaded the exhibition. "And those who did know of him ask, 'How is it possible we didn't know him better?'"


Many of the works in "Procession: The Art of Norman Lewis," which runs through April 3, are on public view for the first time. The exhibition in the Academy's main gallery includes 95 paintings and prints and is loosely chronological with six thematic sections: Into the City, Visual Sound, Rhythm of Nature, Ritual, Civil Rights and Summation.


"I think people are surprised by what they see, the variety," Fine said. "This is the first chance many people have to get a sense of what this artist did."



The Harlem-born Lewis, who died in 1979 at the age of 70, first gained attention in the 1930s for his figurative and literal depictions of struggles facing his urban African-American community. He then began to experiment with abstract impressionism, the realm of painters like Jackson Pollack and Willem De Kooning, whom he later befriended.


Some African-Americans artists tried to discourage Lewis's change in style, seeing it as "a betrayal of what they felt a black artist was supposed to do," said Moe Brooker, a well-known African-American artist.


"His friends said: 'You can't do this. You're supported to talk about the difficulties. You're supposed to talk about the oppression,' but he refused," Brooker said. "He said: "I'm black, yes, but I'm an artist. I will not be limited to doing the kind of work that you think I should be doing.' He's interested in being a human being."


"He continued to search and struggle to find ways to communicate human issues, which is what art is really about," Brooker said. "Whenever I see his work, I'm introduced to something new and exciting and different. I constantly come and find inspiration."



While Lewis did find success during his lifetime - in 1955, he was the first African-American artist to be awarded the Carnegie International Award in Painting, and New York's respected Marian Willard Gallery represented and exhibited his work - he did not get the same recognition many of his white peers enjoyed.


One item on display at the Academy is a 1977 letter Lewis wrote to powerful art dealer Leo Castelli, in which he noted others of lesser talent were enjoying greater success. "I'm a good painter," he wrote. "I have talent. . I could be an asset to your gallery." There is no indication Castelli responded.


In addition to race, Fine believes Lewis may have fallen off the art world's radar because he does not have a signature image and can't be pigeonholed. Lewis' works "are beautiful and important. They are distinctive, which is the most important," she said.


And there is more to the exhibition than Lewis' paintings. A companion show featuring 30 of his etchings and lithographs is on view in a neighboring building.


Fine said she couldn't put a monetary value on the displayed works, comprising pieces from private and public collections.


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HuffPost Live's Top 10 Celebrity Interviews Of 2015

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Over the last 12 months, HuffPost Live has played host to musicians, models, movie stars, authors and even a former president. It's been another year of thought-provoking, news-making interviews, and as 2015 draws to a close, it's the perfect time to revisit the unforgettable conversations that streamed through your laptop, your iTunes account or your new favorite mobile entertainment network.





Legendary musician David Crosby pulled no punches during a rollicking conversation with HuffPost Live's Alyona Minkovski in June. From his disdain for Kanye West and SeaWorld to his strained relationship with Neil Young, Crosby was an open book, including in his tenderhearted update on the ailing health of his longtime friend Joni Mitchell, who had recently suffered an aneurysm.





This summer, The Runaways bassist Jackie Fuchs opened up about being raped by her manager in 1975, when Fuchs was just 16, in a powerful interview with HuffPost's Jason Cherkis. After the story was published, Fuchs joined HuffPost Live's Caroline Modarressy-Tehrani for a revealing on-camera conversation about the trauma of being raped in front of nearly a dozen people in a hotel room and the pain of hiding her story for four decades.





The press tour for "Trainwreck" made a pit stop at our studio in July, bringing with it a cargo of hilarity. With Judd Apatow, Bill Hader and Vanessa Bayer all in one place, the laughs never stopped. Hader shared a spot-on impression of Apatow, who also looked back on interviewing Jerry Seinfeld as a teenager in 1984, and the entire group responded to former Disney CEO Michael Eisner's claim that "the hardest artist to find is a beautiful, funny woman."





It's not every day that you get a half hour with a former leader of the free world, and rarely is a conversation with a politician as open and revealing as this one with President Jimmy Carter. In a July interview about his memoir "A Full Life," Carter opened up about his partnership with his wife Rosalynn, his take on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and why he thinks Jesus would approve of gay marriage.





It doesn't get much more candid than this. When hip-hop artist Future dropped by HuffPost Live in July to chat about his album "DS2," he held nothing back in discussing his well-documented personal life. Perhaps the greatest gem was his reaction to the news that his ex Ciara and her new flame, Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson, are abstaining from sex until marriage. Future admitted that while Ciara didn't make him wait, she did insist that they pray together after doing the deed.





When "SNL" star Jay Pharoah dropped by HuffPost Live in August to discuss his comedy special "Can I Be Me?", it was as hilarious as you would expect, complete with gut-busting impressions of Eddie Murphy, Kevin Hart and Stewie from "Family Guy." But the conversation also took a surprisingly serious turn, in which the comedian opened up about suffering from a deep depression as an overweight teen. "At the time, when I was massively depressed like that," Pharoah said, "I really didn't want my life anymore."





When Salma Hayek visited HuffPost Live in August, the country was still smarting from Donald Trump's controversial characterization of Mexicans as criminals and rapists. During the interview about her film "Kahlil Gibran's The Prophet," the Oscar nominee analyzed Trump's problematic rhetoric, shared stories of her own experience with racial discrimination and explained why she feels ostracized from Hollywood studios.





If you've ever seen an episode of "Project Runway," you know Tim Gunn is not afraid to say what he feels. His sharp tongue and quick wit were on full display in this delightful interview from November, in which he dressed down Kanye West's fashion designs and explained why he can't help but gag when someone brings up the name Kardashian.





Honesty is always in style, and fashion designer Donna Karan proved that during this November conversation about her book My Journey. Karan opened up about having an abortion, falling for her second husband while still married to her ex and her relationship with famous friends Barbra Streisand and Anna Wintour.





HuffPost Live's most controversial celebrity interview of the year came with just days remaining in 2015. R. Kelly dropped by on Dec. 21 to discuss his new album "The Buffet," but things took a turn when host Caroline Modarressy-Tehrani asked about Kelly's long history of sexual misconduct allegations. After deflecting questions and commenting on his interviewer's appearance and intelligence, Kelly walked off set mid-conversation and ended the segment early, prompting discussions across the Internet about whether we should consider the personal flaws of an artist when we decide whether to consume his art.


Want more HuffPost Live? Stream us anytime on Go90, Verizon's mobile social entertainment network, and listen to our best interviews on iTunes.


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This Man's Adventurous Animal Selfies Are Making Hearts Explode

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This has got to be the cutest thing on the planet. 


Allan Dixon roams the earth taking a very special kind of travel photo: some adorable selfies with some more-than-adorable animals from Australia to Ireland to the bottom of the deep blue sea. And his new travel companions look all too happy -- though sometimes befuddled -- to be sharing the limelight:





As an adventurer, Dixon is cautious: He sometimes spends hours hanging out with an animal and gaining its trust before snapping photos. Travelers "should be very careful as to not upset or provoke the animal when they’re trying to take the photo," Dixon told Bored Panda. "Gain the animal’s trust in a calm relaxed manner, and the results will be golden."


Of course you should avoid approaching an animal you don't know to be friendly and keep your distance behind gates or other barriers when they're set up, National Geographic points out. Practice respect, though, and nature will show you its good side, as Dixon can certainly attest.



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15 Viral Parenting Videos From 2015 That Are Pure Gold

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As 2015 comes to a close, we look back on the amazing stories and projects parents shared over the past 12 months -- namely, the viral videos.


From tearjerking commercials and home movies to pop song parodies and comedy shorts, these videos made us laugh and cry and everything in between.


Here are 15 standout videos that HuffPost Parents readers loved in 2015, in no particular order:


1. If Parents Talked To Each Other The Way They Talk To Their Kids





This hilarious gem from rising mom comedy trio The BreakWomb shows how absurd the things parents say to their kids would sound in an adults-only conversation.


2. Why Moms Get Nothing Done





Esther Anderson's video "Why Moms Get Nothing Done" illustrates the never-ending buildup of food spills, laundry, spit-up and dirt that tends to derail all the hard work parents do at home. 


3. Baby Monitor Catches Toddler Singing "Star Wars" Song





As "Star Wars" hype started to build toward the end of 2015, dad Jonathan H. Liu reached viral fame with this baby monitor video of his 2-year-old daughter singing "The Imperial March" aka "Darth Vader's Theme" in her crib. 


4. What Parents Wish They'd Known Before Having A Baby





This tearjerking ad from Extra Space Storage featured moms and dads sharing advice for new parents and parents-to-be.  


5. The Perfect "Hello" Parody For Stressed-Out Moms





Adele's chart-topping hit "Hello" sparked many, many, many parodies. Singer-songwriter Emily Mills' parent-centric take on the song resonated with moms and dads all over the world.


6. Interview With An Infant





Dad La Guardia Cross' "New Father Chronicles" series is equal parts hilarious and heartwarming. His adorable "Interview With An Infant" video is no exception. 


7. The Sisterhood of Motherhood





This viral Similac ad shone a light on the "mommy wars" and reminded us of the love and care that unites all parents. 


8. The Cat-And-Baby Video To End All Cat-And-Baby Videos





This simple yet unspeakably adorable home video shows a baby in a sleep sack absolutely losing her mind at the sight of her pet cat.


9. A Beautiful Reminder To All The Moms Who've Ever Doubted Themselves





Pandora released a powerfully emotional ad about the special bond between moms and their children, and it hit parents right in the feels. 


10. The Bon Jovi Parody About Parents' Social Media Obsessions





What's Up Moms rewrote "Livin' on a Prayer" to poke fun at their Instagram addictions. The result: "Livin' for the Share."


11. 6-Year-Old's Perfectly Sassy Aretha Franklin Dance





Six-year-old Johanna Colón totally brought down the house with her "Respect" performance. The resulting video is a classic example of dance recitals gone right.


12. Emotional Photo Booth Pregnancy Announcement





Jessica Devins found a creative and totally sweet way to surprise her husband with her pregnancy news. 


13. Sleep-Deprived Dad's Parody: "Shut Up And Go To Sleep"





As dad to three daughters under the age of 5, Reed Verdesoto is certainly familiar with exhaustion. He lets out his frustration with this Walk the Moon parody.


14. The Moment This Mom Had Enough Of "Frozen"





After three snow days in a row, mom Odessa Waters posted a hilarious video that summed up what many parents felt while cooped up at home with their stir-crazy, Elsa-loving kids.


15. A Spot-On Anthem For Parents Of Picky Eaters





Parenting parody duo Laughing Moms put a musical spin on the struggle of raising a picky eater. 


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Why So Many Artists Are Highly Sensitive People

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This excerpt is from the new book Wired to Create: Unravelling the Mysteries of the Creative Mind, by psychologist Scott Barry Kaufman and HuffPost Senior Writer Carolyn Gregoire.


 


“The truly creative mind in any field is no more than this: A human creature born abnormally, inhumanly sensitive.”


— Pearl S. Buck


 


Recalling his recording sessions with the young Michael Jackson, producer Quincy Jones said that “Michael was so shy, he’d sit down and sing behind the couch with his back to me while I sat with my hands over my eyes -- and the lights off.”


From watching his electrifying performances onstage, most people would never guess that Michael Jackson was a deeply shy and sensitive person. From the time he was a young boy, the King of Pop exuded energy, strength, and charisma onstage, while his personal life was characterized by crippling sensitivity, loneliness, and struggle. As Jackson heartbreakingly said, “It hurts to be me.”


Jackson’s biographer J. Randy Taraborrelli all but gave up on trying to make sense of the many paradoxes that defined Jackson’s personality. “I think that when you’re talking about Michael Jackson and you try to analyze him, it’s like analyzing electricity, you know?” he wrote. “It exists, but you don’t have a clue as to how it works.”


The only thing that seemed to really make sense to Jackson himself was music. The singer opened up in an interview with Oprah Winfrey, saying, “I feel I was chosen as an instrument to give music and love and harmony to the world.” By channeling his sensitivity and suffering into his work, Jackson found a sense of meaning and a way to escape from the loneliness and isolation that often overwhelmed him.


The paradoxes of the performer


Jackson embodies a personality contradiction seen in many performers: They are both incredibly “out there” and open, and also highly sensitive. Psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi identified openness and sensitivity as oppositional personality elements that not only coexist in creative performers, but form the core of their personalities. This paradox helps explain how performers can be bold and charismatic on the one hand and emotionally fragile on the other.


“Creative people’s openness and sensitivity often exposes them to suffering and pain, yet also to a great deal of enjoyment,” Csikszentmihalyi wrote. “Being alone at the forefront of a discipline also leaves you exposed and vulnerable.”


The fact that many seemingly extraverted performers are also highly sensitive people can also be found in the complex personalities of metal rock performers. Psychologist Jennifer O. Grimes went to three major metal rock tours, including Ozzfest, one of the largest (and wildest) in the world, where she conducted thorough interviews with 21 musicians from the various bands in quiet backstage rooms. What she found from these conversations was that most of the musicians exhibited the contradiction of openness and sensitivity (as well as introversion and extraversion) in their personalities.


Onstage, the musicians appear to be the prototype of extraversion: bold, loud, and wild. But backstage, Grimes saw a different side of their personalities. They required alone time to recharge and solitary activities like reading, playing their instruments, and writing to “rebalance.” The musicians she spoke to reported that when they were onstage, they were “in the zone” and able to “tune out” external stimuli unrelated to their performance. Many of them reported a heightened sensitivity to their surroundings and an intensified experience of sensory input like sound, lighting, and scents. They were often prone to daydreaming and had an appreciation of fantasy, and they said that listening to or creating music allowed them to recharge when they felt overstimulated.


All of the musicians also said that they experienced unusual perceptions—meaning that they had perceptually rich experiences that reflected a high level of sensory sensitivity, such as “hearing the confluence of a multitude of sounds and tonal qualities that make up a single bell chime.”


Taking in the world with heightened sensitivity can be both a blessing and a curse, and it often requires spending more time alone. Grimes writes, “Sometimes, individuals seek to ‘block out’ overwhelming stimuli, and sometimes greater intensity and focus are desired. One subject reported that his hypersensitivity to his surroundings is so powerful that he finds it effortful to associate with his environment.”


The subjects all described music as a way to express themselves, connect with others, and find personal fulfillment. They also tended to agree that creating art was an important way for them to bridge their inner selves and their outer worlds—pretty sensitive-sounding comments coming from hard rock musicians!


Unusual depth of feeling


Grimes’s findings suggest that behind the external appearance of any highly creative person are layers of depth, complexity, and contradictions. Not only performers but creative people of all types tend to be acutely sensitive, and conversely, sensitive people are often quite creative.


Here's another example: Mark Salzman, a friend of the great cellist Yo‑Yo Ma, describes Ma as one of the most joyful people he’s met. But he noted that the musician isn’t always cheerful—he also experiences negative emotions as deeply as he does positive ones. “Yo‑Yo is so responsive to what is going on around him ... If you put him in a room with people who are grieving, he will be as sad as anyone,” Salzman said.


This depth of feeling almost certainly explains how we feel when we hear him perform. Many audience members at Ma’s concerts are left, as Salzman puts it, “excited to the core.” He writes, “You find yourself paying more attention to the person you’re with, more aware of the rain on the windshield on the ride home. You feel more grateful just to be alive.”


It’s easy to see how one trait feeds into the other: To both the highly creative and the highly sensitive mind, there’s simply more to observe, take in, feel, and process from their environment. To highly sensitive people, as Pulitzer Prize–winning writer Pearl S. Buck suggested, the world may appear to be more colorful, dramatic, tragic, and beautiful. Sensitive people often pick up on the little things in the environment that others miss, see patterns where others see randomness, and find meaning and metaphor in the minutiae of everyday life. It’s no wonder this type of personality would be driven to creative expression. If we think of creativity as “connecting the dots” in some way, then sensitive people experience a world in which there are both more dots and more opportunities for connection.


Are you an HSP? 


Research led by psychologist Elaine Aron has identified sensitivity as a fundamental dimension of human personality, finding that highly sensitive people tend to process more sensory input and to pick up on more of what’s going on in both their internal and external environment.


An estimated 15 to 20 percent of people are considered to be, in Aron’s terms, highly sensitive, but among artists and creative thinkers, that percentage is likely much higher. High levels of sensitivity are correlated with not only creativity but also overlapping traits such as spirituality, intuition, mystical experiences, and connection to art and nature.


Aron conducted interviews with people who self-identified as “highly sensitive.” The Arons put up advertisements looking for people who were “introverted” or easily overwhelmed by things like noisy places or evocative or shocking entertainment, selecting an equal number of men and women across a wide range of ages and occupations. They then interviewed each person for three to four hours on a range of personal topics, from their childhood and personal history to current attitudes and life problems.


Many respondents expressed a connection to the arts and nature as well as an unusual sympathy for the helpless (animals, “victims of injustice”). Many also expressed their spirituality (“seeing God in everything,” going on long meditation retreats) as playing an important role in their lives.


Later, psychologists identified two main factors on the HSP Scale: “temperamental sensitivity” -- relating to one's level of sensitivity to sensory input -- and a “rich inner life.”


If you’re interested in getting a sense of where you stand on these two factors, here they are:


Temperamental Sensitivity


1. Are you bothered by intense stimuli, like loud noises or chaotic scenes?


2. Do you become unpleasantly aroused when a lot is going on around you?


3. Are you made uncomfortable by loud noises?


4. Are you easily overwhelmed by things like bright lights, strong smells, coarse fabrics, or sirens close by?


5. Are you easily overwhelmed by strong sensory input?


6. Do you find it unpleasant to have a lot going on at once?


7. Do you startle easily?


8. Do you get rattled when you have a lot to do in a short amount of time?


9. Does your nervous system sometimes feel so frazzled that you just have to get off by yourself?


10. Do changes in your life shake you up?


11. Do you find yourself needing to withdraw during busy days, into bed or into a darkened room or anyplace where you can have some privacy and relief from stimulation?


12. Do you make it a high priority to arrange your life to avoid upsetting or overwhelming situations? 


13. Are you annoyed when people try to get you to do too many things at once?


14. When you must compete or be observed while performing a task, do you become so nervous or shaky that you do much worse than you would otherwise?


15. Do you make a point to avoid violent movies and TV shows?


16. Do other people’s moods affect you?


17. Are you particularly sensitive to the effects of caffeine?


18. Does being very hungry create a strong reaction in you, disrupting your concentration or mood?


19. Do you tend to be more sensitive to pain?


Rich Inner Life


20. Do you notice and enjoy delicate or fine scents, tastes, sounds, works of art?


21. Are you deeply moved by the arts or music?


22. Do you seem to be aware of subtleties in your environment?


23. Do you have a rich, complex inner life?


24. When people are uncomfortable in a physical environment do you tend to know what needs to be done to make it more comfortable (like changing the lighting or the seating?)


Read more from the upcoming book here:


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