caroline contillo

The above video is “space seeing - space hearing” made by Valie Export in 1973, and i have been hypnotized by it in the halls of galleries twice now. First, at the feminist performance art exhibit at the academie der kunst in berlin, and more recently as part of the here is every exhibition [...]

Leila Waddell (1880-1932), Crowley’s most famed Scarlet Woman, is a powerful historical figure in magic and Thelema in her own right. Immortalized in The Book of Lies and the Confessions and familiarly addressed by Crowley as Laylah, she was a writer, magician, musician, daughter of Irish immigrants to Australia, mother, and founding member of the [...]

Expressionist exotic dancer and actress in German silent movies, Anita Berber epitomized for many the decadence of Weimar-era Berlin (1918-1933). However, recent scholars have re-evaluated her as an icon of unfettered sexuality and a precursor of modern-day performance artists.
more.

Dorothy Ierne Wilde, known as Dolly Wilde, (July 11, 1895 – April 10, 1941) was an Anglo-Irish socialite, made famous by her family connections and her reputation as a witty conversationalist. Her charm and humor made her a popular guest at salons in Paris between the wars, standing out even in a social circle known [...]

Tamara de Lempicka is today regarded as the most fasionable of all the Art Deco painters. Her own life mirrored the daring of her own work.
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Vivien was born in London, England to a wealthy British father and an American mother from Jackson, Michigan. She grew up in Paris and London. Upon inheriting her father’s fortune at 21, she emigrated permanently to France.
In Paris, Vivien’s dress and lifestyle were as notorious among the bohemian set as was her verse. She lived [...]

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walking down 11th ave at magic hour, originally uploaded by ccontill.

indefinite and dumbfounded
spineless luminescent blobs
And armored scuttling featherweights
rest their nervous systems.
Silt extending as far as the
Fan can grow.
Vents of noxious tendrils
Shooting grit
And
sand.

The enigmatic artist known as the Baroness Elsa von Freytag-Loringhoven (1874-1927), a friend and collaborator of Duchamp, Man Ray and Djuna Barnes, is considered by art historians to be the first New York Dadaist. She made sculpture, wrote avant-garde poetry and made controversial, sexually charged street theater.
more.

One of the few women Surrealists, Kay Sage achieved notable success during her career. Her paintings of harsh geometric and architectural forms casting long shadows across parched, desolate settings reflect the psychological landscape of post-war despair. More.