The Museum of Bad Art: Masterworks

Located in the basement of a theater, the Museum of Bad Art (MOBA) is a unique institution dedicated to the celebration of artistic effort, however misguided. The Museum of Bad Art: Masterworks presents a pulsating collection of more than seventy never-before-published pieces of artwork from MOBA's permanent collection. Comprised largely of canvases found discarded on curbside trash piles or obtained for a pittance at thrift stores, this innovative compilation occupies a niche previously ignored in the international community of art collection, preservation, and interpretation. If the subjectivity of art appreciation were ever in doubt, this astonishing assortment of artistic commentaries will fan the flames of controversy. It is clear that many of these artists suffered for their art; now it's your turn. (more...)

Aesthetic Surgery

From liposuction to lip implants, this book explores all the ins and outs of body sculpting, focusing on the artistry of aesthetic surgery and the extremes to which people go to "improve" their looks. Topics include: History of aesthetic surgery (with unpublished medical photos!); Ethnicity and aesthetic surgery; Surgery in movies; Spotlight on Ivo Pitanguy, the "Michelangelo of the scalpel"; Interviews with the world's most famous aesthetic surgeons; Before and after photos of transformed body parts, from the top of the head to the tips of the toes; Caricatures and jokes about aesthetic surgery; Bibliography including links to plastic surgery websites. (more...)

Deathtripping: Underground Trash Cinema

This exhaustive study focuses on the New York filmmakers that coalesced around the radical manifesto espoused by downtown filmmaker Nick Zedd: "none shall emerge unscathed." Placing their work within the wider alternative film and downtown post-punk scenes, Deathtripping offers detailed analyses of the movement’s films alongside interviews with the filmmakers and their collaborators, including Richard Kern, Nick Zedd, Tommy Turner, Beth B, Joe Coleman, and Lydia Lunch. (more...)