Kim Jong-Il Looks

I recently ran across this quirky website called Kim Jong-Il Looking at Things.  Apparently, the North Korean leader really likes looking at things.  He also seems to be fond of sunglasses and fur hats.  What a weird little man!   It’s hard to believe this squat, freakish Teletubby is one of the world’s more repressive dictators.  I find it interesting how he is always surrounded by his adoring groupies, but one can’t help but speculate their outward admiration is truly masking their fear of this unstable egomaniac.

Here are some of my favorite “looking” photos.

Kim Jong-Il looks at water.

Kim Jong-Il looks at rubber boots.

Kim Jong-Il looks at bubblegum.

Kim Jong-Il looks at inflatable toys.

Kim Jong-Il looks at corn.

Kim Jong-Il looks at dinner?

Kim Jong-Il looks at buckets.

Kim Jong-Il looks at girls.

John Baldessari – Your Name in Lights

John Baldessari is an American conceptual artist whose work first came to prominence in the 1960’s.  He often incorporates images from popular culture with surprising juxtapositions, image manipulation, and the use of language in the work itself.  There is often a sense of humor in his art.  A major retrospective of Baldessari’s work ended just this month at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

One of Baldessari’s most recent ventures is a project in conjunction with the Sydney Festival in Australia called “Your Name in Lights.”  Playing off of Andy Warhol’s idea that in the future everyone will be famous for 15 minutes, the artist has given 100,000 people 15 seconds of fame by having their name up in lights.   January 8 – 30, around the clock, a different name appears in glittering lights for 15 seconds on an illuminated marquee on the facade of the Australian Museum in Sydney.  People across the globe submitted their names to appear.  My own 15 seconds of fame occurred on Thursday, January 20, 5:09 p.m. Sydney time.  Here is a screen capture from the live webcam stream of “Your Name in Lights.”

Below are some examples of Baldessari’s more typical works. 

The Bit-52’s

As a longtime fan of the B-52’s, I was instantly charmed by this rendition of their classic “Rock Lobster” played by a band of retro computer parts. Sure, it’s a little bit off, but that just adds to the brilliance.

John Isaacs

These sculptures by the British artist John Isaacs pretty much capture the way I’m feeling these days.