Art
Inside the late teenage years of Basquiat
Post-punk prodigy — A new documentary from filmmaker Sara Driver paints a portrait of the artist through the chaotic New York scene that fed him.
Written by: Alexandra Genova
Twisted portraits of sex, power and feminine desire
The story of O — In her new mixed media project The Story Of O, New York artist Natalie Frank examines the good, bad and ugly of women's erotic imaginations.
Written by: Ione Gamble
A photographer's tribute to the art of intimacy
Almost Touching — Yael Malka pulls together overheard expressions, notes found on the street and her own deeply personal photographs to question the way we reveal ourselves to strangers, lovers and friends.
Written by: Cian Traynor
Molly Young & Joana Avillez share their guide to New York
An illustrated homage — New York Times writer Molly Young and illustrator Joana Avillez team up for D C-T! – a new book celebrating the pandemonium of their hometown. We meet them to find out more about their love of the city, and how they managed to crack it.
Written by: Briony Cartmell
Linder Sterling: Life lessons from art’s ultimate punk
‘I don’t give up very easily’ — After spending four decades on the frontlines of feminist art, the ’70s punk icon reflects on her career so far; from trawling porn collections and fighting gender inequality, to making history with The Buzzcocks.
Written by: Hannah Clugston
Photos that flip the way we view sex, women and violence
The new LA noir — Pooling influence from Hollywood, old advertisements and porn, visual artist Camille Mariet uses explicit, bold photography to subvert sexist stereotypes.
Written by: Ione Gamble
What it takes to be a 12-year-old dance sensation
Huck x Nike — Kerri-Ann ‘Boo’ Morrison travels 3 hours a day to dance practice, every day of the week, entirely off her own back. Her story kicks off Nothing Beats A Londoner, a new series from Huck in collaboration with Nike celebrating teens whose lives have been transformed by their commitment to dance and sport.
Written by: Niall Flynn
Parker Day’s electrifying portraits of beautiful freaks
‘Zest, sass, moxy’ — The photographer is known for her uniquely colourful shots of subcultures, but now – in a new Polaroid collaboration – she’s turning her lens to the past.
Written by: Briony Cartmell
The radical history of vaginas in art & popular culture
Pussy power? — In her latest video for ‘PYNK’, released this week, Janelle Monae pays tribute to self-love, pink and ‘pussy power’. But are vagina depictions in modern visual culture really all that empowering? Polyester Editor Ione Gamble investigates.
Written by: Ione Gamble
Challenging the media’s portrayal of Asian women
Through art & photography — A new photography show, opening this week at Brisbane’s Metro Arts, confronts the tired cultural stereotypes surrounding east Asian womanhood.
Written by: Cristiana Bedei
