THE SPRING ISSUE
A World Apart
The provocative art of Mexico City Teresa Margolles’ haunting Vaporización Text by Franklin Melendez Much like Mexico City itself, the art scene in the complex metropolis sprawls in unexpected directions, encompassing a dazzling array of media, discourses and strategies. Despite a few “crossover successes” though, this vibrant community remains largely unknown – or more accurately, […]
Capturing the Unknown
Two photographers find beauty in the war-torn. Text by Fiona Killackey Holiday photos usually feature blood-orange sunsets, cocktails, tans and a beach that spans over an imaginary horizon. Eliciting memories of a distant time in which you escaped the drone of keyboards, the painful tone of an alarm and the inane chatter on the subway, […]
Easy Riding
The interstate highway system turns 50 this month Text by Angelina Sciolla Photographs by Michael Northrup “To understand America, you must understand highways,” wrote Washington Post reporter Robert Samuelson. “In this past half-century, these masochistic marvels have – along with telephones, television and jet planes – reshaped American culture.” Masochistic marvels? Most of us probably […]
Film Reviews
Wordplay Directed by Patrick Creadon In the occasionally fuzzy world of habits and addictions, some things are clearly much worse than others. For instance, smoking is probably worse than picking your nose, but better than robbing liquor stores. The compulsion to tackle The New York Times crossword puzzle, then, must surely rank somewhere between channel […]
Scottish Film: Waiting For Godard?
Text by Mitchell Miller Photograph by Gautier Deblonde My friend Elke is giving me one of her quizzical looks. It is a magical thing, encompassing amusement, pity and a quick scan of all available exits. A fellow film critic, she is compelled to unleash this interpersonal nuke as countermeasure to yet another intemperate rant over […]
Good Guy, Bad Guy
Text by Andrew Rodgers When the forgettable film Rules of Engagement was released six years ago, it was almost universally panned, but Los Angeles Times film critic Kenneth Turan had some kind words for one of the film’s supporting players, Guy Pearce. In his review, Turan singled out Pearce’s “impressive” work in the film and […]
Altman’s Voice Of America
Woody Harrelson and John C. Reilly in Robert Altmans A Prairie Home Companion The iconic director examines garrison keillor’s historic radio program. Text by Yon Motskin If there is such a thing as a quintessential Robert Altman picture, his latest might just be as close it gets. The iconic director is best known for painting […]
Ass-Kicking Jeans from Italy
Written by Robyn Dutra Photograph by Michael Greenberg James Walley has been called “the King of Butt-Flattering Denim Design,” and his coronation has come after only a few short years since founding My Ass jeans in 2004. To say the “sexiest jeans in Europe” are made of premium denim merely hints at the true innovation […]
Street Pulse: Oslo, Norway
Oslo might not be Europe’s largest metropolis, but then again, that’s part of its charm. For the Travel issue, SOMA trekked over the green hills and open skylines that surround Norway’s capital to find some of the hidden secrets of the “City of Tigers.” 1. Where do you go to find yourself? 2. What do […]
One Flew Over Cuckoo Country
Text by Danielle Grant Photograph by Karl Walter Stand-up comedy is a relatively new form of performance art that has created some of our nation’s most treasured and fascinating personalities, and we want more. Meet Jasper Redd. Redd is a good old-fashioned Southern boy who decided to pursue comedy on a whim and moved to […]
Destination Dia: Beacon
Text by Franklin Melendez As the hard New York skyline is dissolved into a soft geometry by the train’s steady movement, one can’t help but develop an increasing awareness of passing through space and time. Imperceptibly at first, the simple act of moving redraws the landscape according to subtle shifts in architecture, light quality and […]
The Communist Mammoths of Bratislava
Text by Eric Smillie Photograph by Gregor Hohenberg I arrived in Bratislava, Slovakia, on a cold, wet day in October. After traveling by train for 26 hours from sunny Barcelona sans jacket, my new employer met me at the station and whisked me to my apartment on the 11th floor of a concrete, Communist-era housing […]
The Polished Old Country
Text & photograph by Kristin Gifford When Americans think of Poland, three things often come to mind: the cold, disparaging Polack jokes, and Communism. Yes, it’s cold in the winter, but that’s where the similarities between the stereotypical Poland and the real Poland ends. For one thing, Poland is now part of the European Union, […]
Hanami
Text by Douglas Hargrave Japan is known for its distinct seasons: lush, humid summers, drastically beautiful autumn, and cold, snowy winters. And when springtime arrives, the defining seasonal aspect in Japan is the cherry blossoms. Hanami, or blossom viewing, is a tradition in Japan that dates back over 1,200 years to the Nara period when […]
Brad Kahlhamer and the Self in Flux
Text by Franklin Melendez Brad Kahlhamer’s art explores the ways in which travel impacts and shapes identity, altering our sense of self, culture and nationhood. These are intimate preoccupations for the Arizona-born Kahlhamer, who after being adopted by German parents moved from his native Tucson to Wisconsin before ultimately settling in New York City. Although […]
