Culture Shift is a weekly newsletter curated by the HuffPost Culture writers and editors.
No images? Click here.
This week we're talking about the James Dean of ballet, artist Kyung Me's perfectly "bad" drawings, a photography book dedicated to Misty Copeland, the Neo-Nazi Trump supporters harassing YA writers, and 2016's new class of "geniuses." Oh, and some gorgeous portraits of goats.
23 New ‘Geniuses’ Pushing The Boundaries Of Art And Science Today
Meet the 2016 MacArthur Fellows leading America into the future! (You can see the entire list here.) Don't like the word "genius"? HuffPost writer Priscilla Frank wonders if it's time to retire the outdated descriptor here. Want to know more about fellows Kellie Jones and Mary Kelley Reid? Great. We interviewed the art historian championing under-recognized black artists here and the video artist challenging gender roles here.
Misty Copeland Is A 21st-Century Queen In New Photography Book
Take a sneak peek at Gregg Delman’s book that immortalizes a woman changing the face of dance. (Read more here.)
Book Club Recommendation Of The Week
Little Nothing by Marisa Silver is a modern-day fairy tale about war-torn Eastern Europe, and the stories we tell ourselves when our lives are in pieces.
Who will read it? Anyone interested in folkloric literature, like Tea Obrecht’s The Tiger’s Wife. Anyone interested in stories about Eastern European conflict, like Anthony Marra’s The Tsar of Love and Techno. (Read more here.)
Perfectly ‘Bad’ Drawings Depict Your Traumatic Early 20s In Colored Pencil
With a balance of honesty and exaggeration, artist Kyung Me documents her bad relationships, bad decisions and bad hair. (Read more here.)
How A Viral Video Set Sergei Polunin On A Path To Revolutionizing Ballet
In February 2015, renowned American photographer David LaChapelle quietly released a video on the internet.
In it, Ukrainian-born Sergei Polunin ― one of the most famous ballet figures in the world ― dances alone to Irish singer-songwriter Hozier’s “Take Me To Church.” The bluesy, gospel-like folk song bellows in the background as Polunin jumps to impossible heights in an empty building enveloped in morning light. Between pirouettes, he throws himself onto the floor, tearing at his arms and dragging his feet as if he’s struggling to break free of his own body. Four minutes later, the video ends with Polunin kneeling, breathing hard and staring away from the camera.
The video, with no caption to give context to what viewers had seen (save for a note crediting LaChapelle as the director and Jade Hale-Christofi as the choreographer), has since racked up over 15 million views on YouTube and hundreds of comments on Vimeo. “This is the embodiment of perfection,” one commenter wrote. “Simply amazing and beautiful,” said another. “Thank you so much for this.” (Read more here.)
Neo-Nazi Trump Supporters Are Going After YA Books Now
After author Laura Silverman dissed Trump on Twitter, white supremacist trolls went ballistic on her upcoming book’s Goodreads page. (Read more here.)
We’re Way Too Hard On Female Characters, Hollywood Screenwriter Explains
"Carrie Pilby" – a film written, directed and produced by women – is a character study of a quirky 19-year-old girl. And that, critics say, is its biggest fault. (Read more here.)
BONUS: Let's end the week with a beautiful series of goat portraits.
“What I’m trying to do with this project is to look into these other creatures and see if I can find someone in there," photographer Kevin Horan explains. (Read more here.)
Netflix recommendation of the week!
Need help figuring out what to watch on Netflix? Here's what our editors have to say about "A Different World": A late ’80s/early ’90s sitcom set in the fictional, historically black college of Hillman. Based on showrunner Debbie Allen’s experiences at Howard University, the show centers around a group of friends as they navigate college life. Plus, there’s the whole adorable love story between spoiled Southern belle Whitley Gilbert (Jasmine Guy) and goofball math whiz Dwayne Wayne (Kadeem Hardison).
Follow HuffPost Arts & Culture on Facebook and Twitter
©2016 The Huffington Post | 770 Broadway, New York, NY 10003
You are receiving this email because you signed up for updates from the Huffington Post
Feedback | Privacy Policy | Unsubscribe
