A Short History Of The Comic Strip In Popular Culture XVII

1. Unknown (X-MEN)
2. Cary Kwok Pop In The Eye, 2013
3. Unknown (Disney)
4. Unknown
5. Raymond Pettibon Unknown
6. Comme des Garçons Shirt Spring/Summer 2008
7. John Wesley Woman On Top (detail), 1996
8. John Wesley Untitled (Woman With Glasses, detail), 2004

Sex metaphors within comic. Usually a pastiche or web manipulation, the signals of intercourse via flat colour fields are a recurring fantasy in a seemingly forbidden, sexually neutral, non-physical, hypothetic and pre-adulthood cultural context. Sex in comic is another last taboo.
/HORST

A Short History Of The Comic Strip In Popular Culture XVI

1. Ben Wheele Apple Obelisk, 2012
2. David Shrigley Big Shoes, 2013
3. Zachary Leener 2014

The comic as sculpture. As grotesque mutant heads, funny elongated heels and naïve multi-coloured forms. Ceramic replaces paper and the shoe designer at Dior has something big to look up to.
/HORST

A Short History Of The Comic Strip In Popular Culture XV

1. Jamian Juliano-Villani Me,Myself And Jah-Jah, 2013
2. Marlie Mul Cigarette Ends Here (Do-Gooders), 2012
3. Tilt Alix Sofa, 2013
4. Roy Lichtenstein Atomic Landscape,1966

The cloud. The blow. The fart. While bubble and star shapes contain and visualize auditory events, the cloud represents the invisible and nonvocal. It is the most complex form, yet carries no meaning. Just air. The oral, anal and apocalyptic nothingness of meaningfulness.
/HORST

See also The Explosion Star and The Speech Bubble

A Short History Of The Comic Strip In Popular Culture XIV

Bitstrips finally allowed me to reveal and document 'The Secret Life of Horst & Raf' - a fashion mockumentary in Comic Sans on a very intimate love-hate relationship and why last season is so next season.
/HORST

A Short History Of The Comic Strip In Popular Culture XIII

1. Raymond Pettibon No Title, 1987
2. noeditions Spring/Summer 2014
1. Raymond Pettibon No Title (Entering Marlboro County), 2005
2. noeditions Spring/Summer 2014
1. Raymond Pettibon To Wit, 2013
2. noeditions Spring/Summer 2014

The quick stroke. Who does not love the gentleness, the warmth and promptness of a gestural moment. The strong and intense handcraft of Raymond Pettibon. Expressing everything within the rapid act of expressive self-unloading. The collection artwork of no editions. Big, raw brushstrokes, applied within a few seconds.
/HORST

The Marc by Miu Miu Jacobs Scandal

1. Marc by Marc Jacobs Spring/Summer 2014
2. Miu Miu Fall/Winter 2012
3. Marc by Marc Jacobs Spring/Summer 2014 & Miu Miu Spring/Summer 2011
4. Marc by Marc Jacobs Spring/Summer 2014 & Miu Miu Spring/Summer 2010
5. Marc by Marc Jacobs Spring/Summer 2014 & Miu Miu Spring/Summer 2011
6. Marc by Marc Jacobs Spring/Summer 2014 & Miu Miu Fall/Winter 2009
7. Marc by Marc Jacobs Spring/Summer 2014 & Miu Miu Spring/Summer 2012
8. Marc by Marc Jacobs Spring/Summer 2014 & Miu Miu Fall/Winter 2013

By appointing Luella Bartley and Katie Hillier as the new creative power force behind the diffusion line Marc by Marc, a sleeping 'duo fatale' has been awakened. Shamelessly nicking the success formula of the rival house of Miu Miu, the end result can only be understood as open letter - or practical joke. All we witness is styling one-liners, same-same patterns and a long, repetitive punchline. No one is laughing.
/HORST

A Short History Of The Comic Strip In Popular Culture XII

1. Nick Knight Dior Fall/Winter 2001
2. Nick Knight Research for WAR, 2013
3. Nick Knight WAR, 2013

The POW: Violence as abstract form. Power visualized as liquid splash or electric convulsion. Yet, in those high-velocity pictures, the clash never happens. Nearly ever almost. As if everything just happens theoretically, the human forced by invisible forces.
/HORST

For Jeff, 2013

or 'No de-fence'

Cardigan Comme des Garçons Homme Plus
T-Shirt Raf Simons
Shorts Comme des Garçons Homme Plus

The backstreet fence is where Jeff and Raf meet. Pink Panther is the comic-al character Rei and Jeff both mutually met. My skin is the backdrop for their story - a virtual threesome.
/HORST

Appendix:


1. Jeff Koons Pink Panther, 1988
2. Jeff Koons Fait d'Hiver, 1988