Vanitas: Death and Decadence in East London [NSFW]

Edited by Amanda Gabriele

LOOKBOOKS.com contributor Catrin Davies explores an exhibition celebrating the European Vanitas art movement of the 15th and 16th century. See her musings here on FashionIndie.

With some people already writing the obituary for East London, what better way to deal with the death of creativity than with an event that plays on Dorian Gray levels of condemned vanity? The setting is a National Trust Tudor mansion in the unlikely heart of Homerton in East London, and the idea is based on the 15th and 16th century European Vanitas art movement – a self-obsession with beauty, death, decay and debauchery. Think skulls and butterflies, not a million miles away from what Damien Hirst is currently showing at Tate Modern.

SPOTTED: Damien Hirst and other Delectable Dots

Edited by Irina

Artist Damien Hirst is getting much media attention in recent days for his new exhibition spread across the corners of the globe. Damien Hirst the Complete Spot Paintings 1986-2011 is the current main attraction in all 11 Gagosian galleries (arguably the most powerful gallery empire in the world) from New York to Hong Kong. The show has garnered much controversy, praise, and vehement debate from critics, notable artists, and the public. Love it, or hate it, Hirst and Gagosian are spot on in terms of creating buzz. To celebrate this accomplishment in media-whore savvy, we’d like to honor some other “spots” that have achieved marketing greatness. Click through for our top choices.

photo credit: ArtInfo

P-Art-Y Basel! Our 5 Favorite Events at Art Basel

Edited by Samantha Lim

Celebrating its 10^th birthday this year, the festivities at Art Basel Miami almost outshined the actual artwork.  With 18 other local art fairs simultaneously going on around town, over 260 galleries showing the works of over 2000 artists and 50,000 creative enthusiasts from around the world, South Beach and downtown Miami’s Design District were the country’s  creative mecca this first week of December.  Our week was jam packed, with back to back versions of “the most fun party ever”, sandwiched between “the best art exhibit ever” Here’s a rundown of our favorite events:

Dazed & Confused’s Sweet 16: The Rest of Rankin’s Twenty 20th Anniversary Covers

Edited by Lester Brathwaite

Dazed & Confused continues to blow out the candles on its 20th birthday, revealing the 16 other covers by Dazed co-founder Rankin. Tilda Swinton, Michael Stipe, Kelis, Gael García Bernal, Cillian Murphy, Damien Hirst and Björk are just a handful of celebrities and artists that were moodily-lit and lensed by the mag. Meanwhile, Milla Jovovich reminds us all that before beating up zombies and banging Bruce Willis – same thing really – she was actually a model. And by the looks of her Dazed cover, a damn good one. 

Dazed & Confused Taps Icons and Their Rising Stars for 20th Anniversary

Edited by Lester Brathwaite

In celebration of Dazed & Confused‘s 20th anniversary, co-founder and photographer Rankin has shot 20 covers for the December issue with new portraits of iconic cover stars and their picks for up-and-coming talent. The mag’s online home, Dazed Digital reveals the first four covers today, featuring Kate Moss, Pharrell Williams, Eva Green and Chloë Sevigny, paired with their respective rising stars — Josephine de la Baume, Maxine Ashley, Jordan Scott and Lizzie Bougatsos.

Dazed & Confused Celebrates 20 Years with Retrospective & Coffee Table Book

Edited by Samantha Lim

Dazed & Confused magazine celebrates their 20th birthday with a retrospective by Somerset House… tomorrow!  Coinciding with the launch of the book ‘20 Years of Dazed & Confused: Making It Up As We Go Along’, the retrospective will feature iconic covers, artwork, photo shoots, designs, and their editorial content.  In birthday terms they might still not legally be able to drink, but they sure seem to know how to celebrate.  A list of the all star cast that will be featured in the stunning exhibit is after the jump.

INDIE NEWSROOM: Kate Brings Out the Girls for Pirelli…Take a Look Through the Karleidoscope…Garage Mag Starting Off in the Garbage

Edited by Lester Brathwaite

- The first images from the 2012 Pirelli calendar — shot for the first time by a native Italian photog in Mario Sorrenti — feature Kate Moss, Rinko Kikuchi and Milla Jovovich in various states of undress. Other ladies stripping down for Sorrenti’s lens include that goddamn skank Isabeli Fontana, Saskia de Brauw and the perpetually naked Lara Stone. [Grazia]

RANDOM: Pill Cufflinks

Edited by Kirby Marzec

Everyone at the Fashion Indie office has headaches today, so sight of these awesome pill cufflinks by Damien Hirst came at the right time! Made of sterling silver, these tablet and capsule pill cuff links are HIrst/Hirst logo and are hallmarked. But just as any druggie knows, the habit comes at a high price, and so do these cuff links…they’re pushing $1000!

Annie Leibovitz for Louis Vuitton

Edited by FashionIndie

Annie Leibovitz joins guest designers, including Damien Hirst, to help Louis Vuitton raise money for the Red Cross. Leibovitz has designed a red-lined back pack filled with nifty compartments to transport her camera equipment, whilst Hirst has designed a tall black blue-lined trunk with several small draws inside to keep his surgical equipment safe

Damien Hirst Does Harley Davidson

Edited by Rebecca Alexander

Damien Hirst has already worked with several well known brands, including Supreme and Levi’s. The latest collaborative project was done with Harley Davidson. Damien gave a Cross Bone and matching helmet the look of his famous spin paintings.