FirstPerson Magazine


About
People kept asking us for our recommendations on art shows, music events, films, fashion tips, etc. on a weekly basis. As we are the first contemporary art magazine to explore contemporary art lifestyle, we would like to offer our audience our refined selections of fashion, music, restaurants, getaways and culture picks to supplement our biannual publication. Enjoy!


Magazine
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Reads of the Month
Ari Marcopoulos "Within Arm's Reach" catalogue
Found a Semiotext(e) book written by George Bataille from '76


Films of the Month
New Releases
Twilight: New Moon (Dakota Fanning)
Broken Embraces (Almodovar)
Blood:The Last Vampire (Japanese)


Music of the Month
Magic Kids Single "Hey Boy/Good to be"
Traces and Tracks (Harmonia / Eno rerelease)

New Eats Alert
Xanath (new egg nog ice cream!) on Valencia
Delancey House Restaurant (on Embarcardero)
Brown rice pasta (flour is for pastries!)



New Shop Alert
Gravel and Gold (SF)
Mohawk General Store (Echo Park)

Guggenheim Marquis

Guggenheim Marquis

Jerry Saltz with lamp / champagne award

Jerry Saltz with lamp / champagne award

Italo Zucchelli & Nate Lowman

Italo Zucchelli & Nate Lowman

Clarissa Dalrymple & Joan Jonas

Clarissa Dalrymple & Joan Jonas

Delusional Downtown Divas & Rob Pruitt

Delusional Downtown Divas & Rob Pruitt

While I was gone… this happened on my birthday Oct. 29th in New York!

New York is THEE art mecca. I felt like I was living in a magazine when First Person started there. The energy and work was real. The artists, infrastructure, collectors, collections, and interaction was unbeatable. So, hah hah, while I was sitting in my much needed Cali retreat before winter hit, our First Person artist fave, Rob Pruitt, whom we reviewed in Issue #1, finally realised his dream of producing / directing THE FIRST ANNUAL ART AWARDS! So cool, and such great recognition. Psyched LA was recognized for their Kippenberger show. Cash prize? Or just a wonderfully creative fundraiser… it feels nice to have a coming together to just say, “Good work and thank you”.

Artist of the Year
: MARY HEILMANN Curator of the Year
: CONNIE BUTLER Exhibition Outside the United States: JEFF KOONS, Château de Versailles, France
 Group Show of the Year, Gallery: Who’s Afraid of Jasper Johns?, Tony Shafrazi Gallery, New York
 Group Show of the Year, Museum
: The Pictures Generation, 1974–1984, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
 Calvin Klein Collection New Artist of the Year Award: RYAN TRECARTIN The Rob Pruitt Award: CYNTHIA PLASTER CASTER Solo Show of the Year, Gallery: Manzoni: A Retrospective, Gagosian Gallery, New York
 Solo Show of the Year, Museum: Martin Kippenberger: The Problem Perspective, Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, and Museum of Modern Art, New York
 Writer of the Year: JERRY SALTZ

-Photos Rachel Chandler

Dominant Legs open tonight for GIRLS at Swedish Music Hall SF

Two great tastes that go together. We promoted GIRLS first ever show downstairs at Cafe Du Nord, thanks Guy! And tonight, we’re happy to welcome them home from their 2 month world tour. Curious to see Hanna’s band, Dominant Legs that we keep missing!

-Doors 7pm, Show 8pm :: : : : Some pretty people and sounds tonight guaranteed.

B.Nguyen, Founder / Creative Director

Broken Embraces

Tonight I had a pretty romantic evening alone and attended the Academy screening of the new Almodovar film. I asked the woman across from me in the restaurant afterwards if they gave awards to Colorists. She said that would go to Camera. But, it’s a whole different skill I thought to myself. It showed on the Embarcardero, and after meditation instead of bitching about how far it was, cabfare, not finding the venue for the first part of the film… I just looked out onto how beautiful the Bay Bridge was, and wandered into Delancey House for a dessert, which reversed back into a tortilla soup after stimulating my taste buds. (More on this unique restaurant later).

When I first saw Almodovar, I thought, geezus - trannies and more drama than a Mexican soap opera could ever drag out. But brilliant colors, larger than life characters, and tears, hospitals, gay / straight sex… all that leads to a different walk of life that he is exploring. I also first thought after seeing a David Lynch film, ‘yeah, toss in a midget and some close up of fire, et voila. But after letting these films kind of get into my psyche, they are totally suspenseful, scary, and full of questions. Of course, I’ve matured, and these films can be viewed a million times only to find more layers of complex intentions that maybe are there or aren’t.  That’s the generosity of film, is that it is accessible, over and over. And with youtube, digital print, we can be immersed in other worlds and learn so much instantly it’s just how do we navigate all this?

See more than just a movie poster film. See something that will break your heart once in a while or make you want to take a long walk along the waterfront after and the long way home. Perhaps not as light feeling as exiting Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon but I did get a sense that “something” happened.

-Opens Christmas in theatres in the US

-B.Nguyen, Founder

Olaf is a donut. Great and chewy. Without pretention.
Breuning was in our first issue. My opening question to him was, “So is the rent cheap around here?” “Good question”, he replied. He lives near this giant wormhole with tourists surrounding it. Hmmm…
His work is awesome. Always asking these universal questions and answering them with something completely surprising, funny, entertaining and with newness. His last show at Metro Pictures that I saw was made from crap he shopped around for in Chinatown; ping pong balls, tea sets, etc. but he made these larger than life whimsy sculptures out of them. If you are in NYC, do check this out. I always love not knowing what you’re getting into and having no expectations.
Aside, these two warmly sophisticated ladies at Books Inc. on Van Ness asked for my autograph on their First Person Magz. Made my week. We’ll be restocking there soon as well. They should reconsider their name to Magazines Inc. because their selection is the best in the City. Andre Agassi will be signing there on Friday. And from what I’ve read his bio is pretty intense. “My dad wanted me to be #1 seed in tennis before I was even born.” Hang in there tiger!
-B.Nguyen, Founder

Olaf is a donut. Great and chewy. Without pretention.

Breuning was in our first issue. My opening question to him was, “So is the rent cheap around here?” “Good question”, he replied. He lives near this giant wormhole with tourists surrounding it. Hmmm…

His work is awesome. Always asking these universal questions and answering them with something completely surprising, funny, entertaining and with newness. His last show at Metro Pictures that I saw was made from crap he shopped around for in Chinatown; ping pong balls, tea sets, etc. but he made these larger than life whimsy sculptures out of them. If you are in NYC, do check this out. I always love not knowing what you’re getting into and having no expectations.

Aside, these two warmly sophisticated ladies at Books Inc. on Van Ness asked for my autograph on their First Person Magz. Made my week. We’ll be restocking there soon as well. They should reconsider their name to Magazines Inc. because their selection is the best in the City. Andre Agassi will be signing there on Friday. And from what I’ve read his bio is pretty intense. “My dad wanted me to be #1 seed in tennis before I was even born.” Hang in there tiger!

-B.Nguyen, Founder

The new Oakland Museum renovations!
Pictured here, I’m pretty sure I know that stance anywhere, is curator Rene De Guzman who served a good heaping of exhibitions at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts for a decade. Excited to see what he will do at the newly branded “OMCA”. Going for a brief tour and delightful luncheon today.
-B.Nguyen, Curator First Person

The new Oakland Museum renovations!

Pictured here, I’m pretty sure I know that stance anywhere, is curator Rene De Guzman who served a good heaping of exhibitions at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts for a decade. Excited to see what he will do at the newly branded “OMCA”. Going for a brief tour and delightful luncheon today.

-B.Nguyen, Curator First Person

Who doesn’t love figs or lip balm?
My fave parfums to wear are Comme Des Garcons and Diptyque, and now they’ve invented the “solid perfume”. Gimme gimme, so cute.

Who doesn’t love figs or lip balm?

My fave parfums to wear are Comme Des Garcons and Diptyque, and now they’ve invented the “solid perfume”. Gimme gimme, so cute.

I can’t kick this feeling!
I could spend forevs on Gag’s site shopping. It’s so weird and fun. Can’t wait for her show here in SF. Dec. 12 is sold out, so we’ll be there (Adam come on!) on Sunday is my Funday, Dec. 13. I think we can upgrade to meet n’ greet status… workin’ that…
xoxoox She’s THEEEE Coolestt! xo bNguyen, Founder / Raver

I can’t kick this feeling!

I could spend forevs on Gag’s site shopping. It’s so weird and fun. Can’t wait for her show here in SF. Dec. 12 is sold out, so we’ll be there (Adam come on!) on Sunday is my Funday, Dec. 13. I think we can upgrade to meet n’ greet status… workin’ that…

xoxoox She’s THEEEE Coolestt! xo bNguyen, Founder / Raver

This little treasure is the 7” that got away… thank you so much Bonnie Prince Billy for doing this. It makes me sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo happy.

-Betty, Yours Truly, First Person is for you.

Have a restful weekend…

-First Person Family

Joshua Churchill Opening at NOMA GALLERY SF
Churchill’s show collaboration at Adobe Books a few months ago, was the most transformative work I had seen there. Taking notes from Gordon Matta Clark, they carved into the walls to expose grids of natural light from the back garden and built a sound environment to set you in an entirely different space. His installation / sculpture at Bay Area Now two years ago was also the most challenging piece, inviting one to sit in a dark-like prison cell and spend time with him.
Opening Friday, Nov.13 6pm - 9pm, 80 Maiden Lane SF
Joshua Churchill, Untitled, 2009, digital c-print, 12 x 16”
After, I’ll be heading over to Triple Crown to see the sweetest DJ Tim Sweeney for a Beats in Space set!
-B.Nguyen, Founder

Joshua Churchill Opening at NOMA GALLERY SF

Churchill’s show collaboration at Adobe Books a few months ago, was the most transformative work I had seen there. Taking notes from Gordon Matta Clark, they carved into the walls to expose grids of natural light from the back garden and built a sound environment to set you in an entirely different space. His installation / sculpture at Bay Area Now two years ago was also the most challenging piece, inviting one to sit in a dark-like prison cell and spend time with him.

Opening Friday, Nov.13 6pm - 9pm, 80 Maiden Lane SF

Joshua Churchill, Untitled, 2009, digital c-print, 12 x 16”

After, I’ll be heading over to Triple Crown to see the sweetest DJ Tim Sweeney for a Beats in Space set!

-B.Nguyen, Founder

Longtime friend Andrea Crews
Maroussia, is so amazing! This is a piece from her latest collection. The first time we met was at her fashion show in Paris, where she is still currently based. She teamed up with a thrift store charity shop and asked all the major fashion houses to customise the second-hand clothing. So Chanel made a pair of used jeans into a fab pearl cluster fuck all over (dying that I never bought these), JC de Castlebajac screened Sylvester Stallone’s face on a cotton light jacket, the kind you’d def roll the sleeves up for, and Agnes B customised a cocktail prom party frock. All original one of a kinds, reversing the whole knock-off concept.
Luv you gurllllll. Congrats on yr shop et al.
-B.Nguyen, Creative D.

Longtime friend Andrea Crews

Maroussia, is so amazing! This is a piece from her latest collection. The first time we met was at her fashion show in Paris, where she is still currently based. She teamed up with a thrift store charity shop and asked all the major fashion houses to customise the second-hand clothing. So Chanel made a pair of used jeans into a fab pearl cluster fuck all over (dying that I never bought these), JC de Castlebajac screened Sylvester Stallone’s face on a cotton light jacket, the kind you’d def roll the sleeves up for, and Agnes B customised a cocktail prom party frock. All original one of a kinds, reversing the whole knock-off concept.

Luv you gurllllll. Congrats on yr shop et al.

-B.Nguyen, Creative D.

Wow! Francois Nars at Colette
Founder of the makeup Nars collection takes photographs of icons combining his makeup genius. Show includes stars Marc Jacobs, Amber Valetta and pictured here, the one and only Isabella Rosselini (love).
-Patti P., Style Editor FP

Wow! Francois Nars at Colette

Founder of the makeup Nars collection takes photographs of icons combining his makeup genius. Show includes stars Marc Jacobs, Amber Valetta and pictured here, the one and only Isabella Rosselini (love).

-Patti P., Style Editor FP

And hurrah, Jacqueline on her first solo show in SF.
We will be there to support her and wiggle to Nate Boyce/Eats Tapes/Wobbly performing inside her sculpture tomorrow night at QNE.
-B.Nguyen, You know who

And hurrah, Jacqueline on her first solo show in SF.

We will be there to support her and wiggle to Nate Boyce/Eats Tapes/Wobbly performing inside her sculpture tomorrow night at QNE.

-B.Nguyen, You know who