Nan Goldin - Fireleap

There's something instantly nostalgic about Nan Goldin's photography for me, an ethereal quality mixed with a rawness of truth in capturing fleeting moments of intimacy. This latest exhibition at the Sprovieri gallery in London showcases her new slideshow, titled Fireleap, which focuses on children, capturing the nuances of childhood interaction and behavior; a consciousness uninhibited in the face of societal boundaries, free yet alienated. The slideshow photos span from 1978 to today, shown over a soundtrack of songs sung by children, including Spacy Oddity by David Bowie (which you can hear below), with a short running time of 15 minutes in total. There are also a number of landscape photographs on view as well, which have never previously been shared. It's a small exhibition but one that's definitely worth having a look at.

Fireleap is showing until August 6th at Sprovieri, 23 Heddon Street, London W1B 4BQ, and entry is free.

Wyld Wednesday at the W - 27/07/11

Here are some photos from last night's installment of our weekly party at the W London, every Wednesday in the Wyld Bar.

Love Is What You Want

Last week I went to check out the Tracy Emin exhibition at the Hayward Gallery in London. The exhibition covers every period of her career, revealing facets of the artist and her work that are often overlooked, and features painting, drawing, photography, textiles, video and sculpture, in works that are by turns tough, romantic, desperate, angry, funny and full of longing. Seldom-seen early works and recent large-scale installations are shown together with a new series of outdoor sculptures created especially for the Hayward Gallery. I found the exhibition to be extremely well curated, grabbing your attention immediately with the engaging large-scale textile pieces displayed alongside a full-scale derelict wooden pier titled Knowing my Enemy (2002). Personally I'm a big fan of Emin's work, drawn to her mixture of humor and pathos; she places her own personal experiences at the forefront of her creative output with extreme vulnerability, and yet there's usually a strong sense of irony involved in her work that I find darkly comic and existentially aware at the same time. There is perhaps an over-abundance of material on display, and it may be exhausting to examine everything in detail, but I'm confidant everyone can pick and choose as to how much of the exhibition they consume and enjoy it on their own terms. Love Is What You Want runs until Monday 29 August 2011.

DJ Shiva at Sketch

Last Thursday I invited down the incredibly talented DJ Shiva from LA to join me and my DJ friends on the decks at Sketch in London where I hold down a weekly residency. Forever the humble hustler, DJ Shiva casts a strong signal around Southern California and the world at large. She can be heard weekly on B-Real TV with Cypress Hill's B-Real and is a resident DJ for Jamie Foxx's Hollywood hangout The Foxxhole. She's also spun records for Janet Jackson and continues to work for award-winning producer Warryn Campbell. Her set went down a storm at Sketch and we're hoping to throw some more parties with her in the future! Right now she's touring across Europe so check the dates on her website and see if she'll be playing your city!

http://iamdjshiva.com/
http://soundcloud.com/iamd​jshiva
http://twitter.com/#!/IAMD​JSHIVA

Here are a few photos of us having a blast! Special thanks to Miguel Dare for warming up on the decks, Laurence Blake for going back-to-back with me and George Priddy, Shakira Appadoo & Lewis Griffith for their amazing triple tag-team set!

You can catch me and my crew at Sketch in London every Thursday! Just say my name on the door to get in.

Wyld Wednesday at the W - 20/07/11

Every Wednesday I DJ at the W Hotel in London for a special party in the Wyld bar. Here are some photos I took there last Wednesday of a few of the gorgeous and wacky guests we welcome through our strictly guarded doors:

WYLD Wednesdays take place every Wednesday at the W Hotel London and entry is strictly limited to invitation & members.

Forever 21 Launch Party

Last night saw the pre-launch of the new Forever 21 store opening in London, with a big carnival-themed party at the Old Sorting Office. I headed over to say hello to the face of the UK branch and rising star Bip Ling who I found spinning records to a colorful crowd of party-goers. Fun! The store opens next Thursday and you can find the official UK website HERE.

Bip Ling & myself behind the decks

Strike a pose!

Peace

No party is complete without girls on rollerskates

Working carousel

Queuing at the burger van

The Kanaloa & Gallo Summer Red Party

Alice Dellal & Henry Holland DJ in the main room

Myself & Natt Weller

STORM

On the terrace

Lovebox Sunday 2011

"Doing away with the tribal boundaries of music genres and defying broader social conventions, Lovebox is now a swelling and unifying three day hedonistic wonderland that contains just as much lust as it does love" SUBBA CULTCHA

Eight years old, Lovebox has become a must do event on the bristling summer social calendar. Held annually in East London in the city's oldest public park, Lovebox is a flamboyant and dazzlingly eclectic celebration. Last year I had a blast attending and this year, on the Sunday (always my favorite day of the festival!) I DJ'd for Jodie Harsh's This Is Circus, for which I'm a resident. I had a great time DJing and really enjoyed the rest of the day. Highlights for me included the colorful performance by Azari & III, their mix of deep-house and soul getting the crowd going early, Kelis' energetic set and of course everything Circus-related! See you next year Lovebox!

Myself with Jodie Harsh, DJing for This Is Circus

Azari & III take to the stage

Cedric from Azari & III shares his tequila

Backstage with Beth Ditto