I don’t know if it would be insulting to call Yuri Pleskun the “white thug” of modeling, but with every turn of my head I see him, so whatever he’s doing it’s working for him. This kid breaks the boundaries of every male model convention that was set out (for example, his love of fried chicken) but manages to take advantage of the fact that he’s of a different breed. Born in the Bronx with Ukrainian roots, Yuri had trouble in his high school days, but with a solid portfolio under his belt, I think it’s about time we were introduced. First image courtesy / CE
ZARRELLA: Do you ever get into fights these days? PLESKUN: Somehow trouble always follows me. I can’t get away from it. And I’m not one of those types of people who walks away. I’ve gotta finish it off right. ZARRELLA: Are you a “bad boy”? PLESKUN: No, I’m a good boy! I’m innocent!
Do you ever wonder if, given a choice between Mert or Marcus, you’d have an opinion? Do you wonder who presses the shutter button to take the picture, or if they stand there together and click it with Mert’s finger on top of Marcus’? I think we take the idea of “teamwork” art and misconstrue the concept until we have no idea what it actually entails. Do Mert Alas & Marcus Piggott ever get challenged by anybody as to the verity of their art? The answer, my friends, is no. As long as some final product materializes and it looks beautiful, we usually don’t question who did what. I know those panties below are quite invigorating, and as if it were necessary, I should warn you before scrolling down that there is nudity, assuming you read these boring words before scrolling down anyway. Imagine if we got as excited about the written word as we did about pictures. That would be some world. The following is part of Love’s new Body Conscience series, this being part three.
I honestly think that film is making a comeback. Life almost ceased to exist when Polaroid announced they would no longer be producing instant film. Usually whenever you get rid of something people take for granted, they all of a sudden start wanting it more than ever. I think this is also the story of Michael Jackson. But that’s a story for another day. Lady GaGa is now bringing Polaroid back to life as creative director. In a similar response, I think records will be making a reappearance. That, in a roundabout way, brings us to Sincerely Hana. Hana is from Vancouver, and I’m glad to say she’s one of those friends I haven’t met yet. Hana is a DJ here, but also takes photos on the side. Don’t you just love those multitalented people? I feel like she can do anything. Most of her photos give a true glimpse into the coastal life up here in the Pacific Northwest. Her photos just come together to really create some dropped-jaw awe. You can look harder at her site and her blog.
A Canadian from Onterrible, Kristie Muller captures everything from naked dudes climbing trees to campfires and abandoned hotels. Her blog, Ball Town, is the venue for her thoughts, and provoking those thoughts are indeed. I like her. Here is some visual feasting for your inspiration starved eyes.
I’ve been searching for a long time for what Andy Warhol said about originality. He’s always right. He painted Campbell’s soup cans, the ultimate in stealing. Shouldn’t Campbell’s get some of the profits from those paintings? But what is stealing, anyways? Nothing is ever new, because it already exists somewhere. Why should we be penalized for copying something that we like? I mean, isn’t art just taking from different sources and creating something? Even if we shut ourselves off from the world there is always something you’ll be thinking about or inspired by while you’re creating something. I never really understood that — why people are so obsessed with owning an idea. Or how angry people get when somebody does the exact same thing that they just did. People begin to “identify” with something they’ve created, or a path they’ve followed to success, but can’t others follow the exact same path? I think that’s why it’s so important to study those who have already been successful — if we just copy their paths, won’t we somehow reach success?
I’ve also found one common string among all the people I have come to idolize: none of them had partners. For example, Oprah, Tom Ford, Michael Jackson, Andy Warhol, Lady GaGa, David Bowie, or J.K. Rowling. I understand why it becomes unfeasible for a lasting relationship in these types of industries and with success that they’ve experienced, but is having somebody to share everything with really important? I’d like to go back in time and ask these people. I know many of them were very lonely. I’ve taken all these photos myself of videos or other photos. You might not even be able to recognize where they came from, which is to say, is this my artwork or is it merely copyright infringement? Either way, I love them.
“Some failure in life is inevitable. It is impossible to live without failing at something unless you live so cautiously that you might as well have not lived at all, in which case, you’ve failed by default” / J.K. Rowling
