90 Days of Nitrile Bluebells by Conor Ackhurst, a London-based artist.
His piece ‘90 Days of Nitrile Bluebells’ is made from the wastage of the many glove finger tips that, by coincidence, were an exact color match for the bluebells that surrounded him in early lockdown on the south coast in Hastings.
APRIL SHOWERS CITY TOWERS
I pluck my first grey hair at twenty-five
Then don my mask and head to the city
To pick up my birth control
Even though I haven’t had sex in over a month
My biological clock is still ticking
It is overcast and I wonder when a man will want to touch me again
My outdated phone dies within ten minutes
Even though it was at 100% when I left the house like half an hour ago
I refuse to buy a new one because I like my quaint little headphone jack
I think maybe the dead phone is a blessing
This is probably a good time to walk from Chelsea to the East Village
Without distraction
And I almost wish I could say that the shuttered storefronts along 14th Street look apocalyptic
But they just look lonely
Which is somehow worse
Without my screen to distract me
The memories begin their cyclical attack
They need to return to survive
They need to survive to return
I reflect on that humiliating party
Where I drunkenly tripped over my own feet
Trying to say hello to you
And your palpable embarrassment
At my unabashed admiration
Because people like you
Don’t fuck people like me
Except when they do
Over and over
There is a butcher’s knife in my stomach
So I buy a slice of Joe’s pizza
And hope it soaks up the past
Which keeps bleeding out
All sloppy and relentless
And I take my allocated portion and sit on a bench
With my little flimsy paper plate
And my naively optimistic sundress blowing in the wind
Hoping some stranger will walk past
And maybe even think I’m beautiful
As I gnaw my crust
And try very hard to look through the people that pass me by
In that special New York way we’ve all spent years perfecting
But all I can see are these strangers’ eyes
Peeking over the fabric
Obscuring mouths and noses
And I’ll tell you what
It’s hard to look through someone’s eyes
When there’s nowhere else to look
So I lock pupils
With an elderly woman hunched over her shopping cart
Who looks very tired
And I think about how
I relate to those boarded up storefronts on 14th Street
All shut off and alone
And I bow my head and pray that one day I’ll be loved without remorse
In the name of the sauce and the cheese and the sewers and the grease
by Jade Wootton
James Conkis, aka Ghost of James, is an artist based in Chicago, IL.
“Creating artwork is therapy, I would like to give people a therapeutic visual fulfillment. Personal growth of mental wellness, happiness and relaxation. Brush strokes of movement and energy flowing through the canvas paint. Artwork gives a perspective of power through motion. Using mixed media elements of acrylics, oil and charcoal with a deep texture of passion. Design principles of well being health, mind, body and soul. Taking a brush dipped in paint with a primed canvas has the most amazing feeling. Brushstrokes release the negative energy from our daily lives of turmoil and stress. Peace of mind is transformed from one negative space to a new positive energy of self satisfaction. To bring joy to others is such a wonderful experience. The look on someone’s face when they react to paintings, to hear what they see in their mind through their eyes. Nothing is more pleasing than making artwork. I’ve never had the satisfaction and desire so strong within. A fire burning with the passion of creation, imagination and designation. Sitting alone pondering what to make next or purely inspired by others and what they create themselves. To take a new approach of design and structure to build a new world of artists mind to life. One love of each other person within the bond of artists can create a whole new movement for the future of the arts.”
Manipeeplia Upsidownia
Nellie Bly
Elizabeth Gurley Flynn
Wolfe Tone
Rebel Songs
by Robin Savage
Artist (and QZ editor) rlywilde is selling these customized and tailored Levi’s work pants, with 70% of proceeds going towards Project Art USA , which provides access to arts education for our youth, primarily in lower income communities! Because art makes the world better.
The pants are hand bleached with original writing, and tailored for a comfortable high waisted fit (size 26”). Metal O rings on the side, so you can attach your keys or cute charms.
Bid has reached $105 currently. $250 provides one student with a semester of arts education from Project Art NYC.
Please donate to the Black Artist Fund
Your donations are disbursed to individual Black artists and Black art collectives / organizations in the United States.