Os Gemeos (pronounced “ose zhe’-mee-ose”) are two artists from Sao Paulo, Brazil. Gustavo and Otavio Pandolfo were born in 1974, identical twin brothers whose pseudonym, Os Gemeos, translates to “the twins” in Portuguese. In addition to their incredible works created on the streets of Sao Paulo, the twins have in recent years exhibited their art in museums all over the world.

In Too Far Too Close, they will be transforming the gallery into a fantastical cityscape with houses, doors, and passageways, all brought to life with their signature style of imagery. Building upon a group of artworks created for the Museum Het Domein in the Netherlands, this show features new paintings, sculpture, and installation bringing all the magical moments of their work together in one tightly knit dream world of an exhibition.

Thanks Deitch!
Opens June 28, 2008 — August 09, 2008
18 Wooster Street, New York

Back when the Meatpacking District was known for the stench of bodily fluids emanating from the butchershops and the S&M gay bars, the sole beacon of hope was a 24-hour French diner named Florent on Gansevoort Street. I remember eating lunch staring at Lou Reed from across the room and meeting the craziest, sweetest trannies many a late night/early morning. Florent is a lone remnant of gritty 80s New York, but alas, not for much longer. As of June 29 (appropriately Gay Pride Day), the restaurant permanently closes its doors after almost a quarter of a century. It’s definitely worth going by to pay your respects before it does!

Restaurant Florent
69 Gansevoort St. Between Greenwich and Washington (Two blocks south of 14th Street) NYC.

(Couldn’t help myself with all the Pulp reminiscing below)

Is there a bigger bummer than doing good and not being able to boast to all your friends for fear that you’ll sound like a douche? Well, EDUN LIVE t-shirts give us the perfect excuse to exercise our bragging rights. Every t-shirt is 100% Made in Africa and helps give Africans jobs, teaches them to grow organic cotton, sew, and participate in the textile business. After all, the company is owned by Bono and his wife, Ali Hewson. Plus the damn thing feels amazingly soft, like a baby’s backside. Oh wait, that came out weird and pervy. Erm, let’s just say it’s super-soft.

For only $25 USD, you can nonchalantly tell all your friends how you discovered this little gem of clothing that’s environmentally friendly and sustains economies in Africa. No big thing.

Look for Mpumi Mcata of South Africa’s mindbending band Blk Jks (who also graced the cover of Fader a few months back) donning EDUN LIVE on the site.

— noir_profund

Wandering down the stairs to the cellar of the New Museum on Bowery last night, right about ready to Get Weird, I noticed this neon sign, made out of white letters and a pink triangle – which I just found out to be the oldest piece in the museum. Created by Act Up (Gran Fury), it was first on display in 1987 in the front window of the museum’s previous location in SoHo to promote AIDS awareness, and to encourage discussion of the crisis within the government and the media.

I had no idea that this pink triangle, when pointing downwards, takes us back to WWII. One of the Nazi concentration camp badges, it was used by the Nazis to identify male prisoners in concentration camps, who were sent there because of their homosexuality.

Pointing upwards, the pink triangle only received widespread use as a gay pop icon in the early 1980s, and has become over the years a powerful gay pride and gay rights symbol.

ladyshark

When’s the last time you raged along to the sounds of a massive 9-piece psychedelic soul explosion? The extravaganza known as King Khan and The Shrines will be leaving a wake of broken hearts and shattered minds across North America this summer. Originally from Montreal, King Khan (also known for his Little Richardesque performances as one half of outrageous garage outfit The King Khan & BBQ Show) mixes voodoo rituals, tantric divination and death cult antics with the sounds of James Brown, Sun Ra and good ol’ fashion rock ‘n’ roll. The Shrines line-up includes Simon Wojan (the talent behind Cloudland Canyon on Kranky Records), Ron Streeter (live-percussionist for Curtis Mayfield and Stevie Wonder) and an amazingly talented Franco-German alliance. The first US release aptly named “The Supreme Genius of King Khan and the Shrines” is a collection of greatest hits gathered from European releases over the last few years.—noir_profund

Jared Swiley of Black Lips describes the show as “one of the best shows I have ever witnessed. The scene inside was nothing short of insanity. Horns were blaring that could have taken down the walls of Jericho, the drums pounding a rhythm deep into my heart, guitars, bass and organ wailing and King Khan at the epicenter of it all commanding the stage like a soul-soaked shaman.” No shit. On tour starting tomorrow!

Song: Torture (click to listen)
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/kingkhantheshrines

Starting today through October, we’ll be able to see four brand new freestanding waterfalls in the East River in NYC, brainchild of Danish-Icelandic artist Olafur Eliasson, whose installation “The Weather Project” drew 2 million people to the Tate Modern. It’s the city’s biggest public art project since Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s “The Gates” and we can thank the Public Art Fund for commissioning the project.

We’ll let you discover where they are, but according to TimeOutNY, best vantage points are:

Manhattan Bridge pedestrian walkway
Pier 17, South Street Seaport
Battery Park City Esplanade
Fulton Ferry Landing, Dumbo, Brooklyn
Brooklyn Heights Promenade between Joralemon and Remsen Sts

and go after sundown for full romantic effect…