Autumn's almost here, though it's still feeling distinctly summery in my particular corner of the world. The worst of the heatwaves seem to have passed, however, which means I feel approximately 500% more human.
I recently spent the day in London visiting family, and while I was there we saw the
at the Southbank Centre. Although I was familiar with some of Nara's more iconic paintings, I didn't really know what to expect from the exhibit. I'm by no means a visual art person and often lack the vocabulary to describe what I ike about it, but found myself fascinated by the paintings.
Even if the name doesn't ring a bell, you've probably seen Nara's work -- he's designed album covers for R.E.M. and Shonen Knife, and paintings like
and
are pop culture staples. There are hints of mischief and danger to many of the paintings, and proportions slightly off in a way that's more unsettling than anime-character cute. My favourites, though were the more melancholy images, like "I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight" (pictured).
Figures with iridescent eyes and contemplative expressions stand alone or in water, gazing into the middle distance. They're wistful, but also peaceful. Their childishness isn't just eerie, but hints at thoughtfulness and depth, and yes, sadness. I have scattered thoughts about how this differs from contemporary 'cosy' art and fiction (which often paints on its fictional canvas, so to speak, in simple, cute shapes), why the latter rarely works for me, and why when it does, it's often Japanese work drawing on its own artistic traditions. Perhaps I'll manage to wrangle those thoughts into something coherent for a future newsletter now that my brain is cooler, but who knows? Anyway, I enjoyed the exhibition a lot.
Writing news
August is the month when pretty much everything in publishing shuts down, so while I'm waiting for a review and a short story to come out, nothing to report yet. Hopefully I'll be able to point you in the direction of those next time. Otherwise, I'm enjoying the fun, playful stages of drafting something new. Not to pigeonhole it just yet, but if Fairuza Balk in
The Craft
or Eliza Dushku in
Buffy
was your queer awakening, this one might be for you...
What I've been reading
I've been told by more than one person that I needed to read
Summer Sons
by Lee Mandelo immediately, so I picked up a copy to dive into its lush, oppressive Southern Gothic atmosphere. I found it a little slow to start, but its gradual build-up of thorny relationships, eerie haunted spaces and bad decisions had me on the edge of my seat by the end.
What I've been watching
My local cinema had one of their "Scream Unseen" showings (where the film is a surprise preview of a new horror movie) this week, and it turned out to be the new
Toxic Avenger
. It was pretty much exactly what you'd expect. Whether that's a recommendation or a warning depends entirely on you, but I will say that six people walked out of the cinema never to return.
What I've been listening to
A friend recently recommended The New Eves to me, and I've been enjoying their album
The New Eve is Rising
-- the soundtrack to the feminist folk horror of my dreams.
That's all for this month. 'Til next time.
JL