Face Addict

Last night, having felt like I've been majorly culture-deprived, I went to the ICA to catch Face Addict, having missed the UK premiere last week and after reading some words by the director Edo Bertoglio, I was determined not to let this one slip by me.  Edo Bertoglio arrived in New York in 1976 and stayed there until 1990, living the New York 'downtown' years to the max, the glory period being 1978-1982.  He became the photographer for Andy Warhol's Interview magazine and subsequently fell into the whole Factory crowd.  'Fell' being the operative word as Bertolgio fell hard into a destructive herion addiction that made him leave New York and go back to his hometown Lugano, Switzerland.  A few years ago, he decided to return to New York, to open up his photographic archive and look at those faces that he shot, many of them now dead swept up in AIDS and ODs in the mid-80's.  The film itself revisits his New York that no longer exists and the 'survivors' of the scene who are now much changed.  The film recounts and reminisces through Bergtoglio and other survivors such as French fashion stylist/designer/photographer Maripol, Bertoglio's ex-girlfriend, the hilarious Glenn O'Brien who has done everything from fashion advertising and journalism to stand-up comedy and poetry and Debbie Harry also puts in a few words too. There's a bit of a disconnect between the people these survivors  have evolved into and the young wild things of the New York no wave scene that repeatedly get shown through Bertoglio's photographs.  The disconnect though is a good thing seeing as those that still insisted on partying to death quite literally drove themselves into a graveyard.

Bertoglio may have found it hard to open up those archives and look at those faces once again but as an outside spectator, somebody who was born just after that New York heyday era, selfishly I look upon the effort, and the blatant desire to look special taken upon these characters (and that's how they are portrayed...) in the pictures. The sharp angles and dramatic shapes that both men and women sought to create in their clothes and their make-up and the complete unbashed abandon people had towards the way they lookedc.  Looking at this set of images that Bertoglio took on his rooftop of the underground 'IT' girls (too derivative a name as they were all pretty much involved in their own random creative endeavours)... there's a latent sense of danger as they stand strong and beautiful and it's unknown whether they will survive or not.  Underneath the immaculate make-up, the carefully chosen pieces that always look 'sharp', lies something sharper...

Maripol who styled Madonna at various points in her career, most notably the 'Like a Virgin' wedding look, also took pictures, mainly polaroids on a camera given to her by Bertoglio.  Again there's a violent burst of energy in these that is still very relevant now as we look ahead to a season of strong shapes and self-determined attitude.

I never got to see Downtown 81, the film directed by Bertoglio, produced by Maripol and co-written by Glenn O'Brien, starring the legendary American artist Jean Michel Basquiat and featuring a cast full of those New York things but I'll attempt to pick it up to immerse myself in a time and place that is ever so close to my time but comes off as entirely strange and alien. 

Comments

[detour2mode]

love this post!! the pictures are really good! thanks for sharing

[roxanne]

great images! this post is getting bookmarked as inspiration for sure.

[KD]

Wow, fantastic pictures. I love the Anna Sui one.

[Lola]

These images are amazing the women all look fierce. . .and very beautiful, you can see something that seems to me at least, to be much more hidden today.

[WendyB]

I used to have quite a collection of Maripol-designed jewelry.

[Aja]

So many recognizable faces in there.

[anna]

Oh wow. This takes me back {giving my age away a bit here}. Things weren't always better "back in the day"...but I will say this: The 80's were the last non-retro period. 80's culture did a slight nod to the pop art 60's--but for the most part it was a forward looking decade. The 90's tried to recycle the 70's, the Naughties are recycling the 80's...but the 80's were themselves.

[Daiane]

so many stories...i'm really impressed. thanks for the post, susie!

[selina]

what amazing pictures to show. i love how if you squint they could be street style pictures now but then the makeup and hair is just so awesome, all of the ladies are wearing harsh lipstick

[Make Do & Mend]

Glorious post and amazing photos - I must have a viewing as the late 70s early 80s were such a dynamic changing time in NY - the influence of NY, after late 60s to mid 70s Europe is a fantastic journey in fashion, art, cinema and music.

[giancinephile]

The Factory era gets me all yped up as the likes of Andy Warhol and Joe Dallesandro are beyond iconic!

So, this pretty much induces wonderful hit of nostalgia over a lost era.

[lisa]

I really enjoyed the pictures, and knowing the story behind them made them all the more poignant. Thanks for sharing them.

[zana]

COMPLETELY exquisite. I am so enraptured with the whole no wave scene, its so scarce to find an archive of photos documenting that era...

[SwanDiamondRose]

amazing. i had never heard of him.

[theue]

awesome post!

[Annie Spandex]

Sooo cool. Makes me think of Roxy Music's Country Life.

[Mike]

is that grace jones?
what a great post!

[AngieMontreal]

Love this post, so inspiring! Makes me really want to take it up a notch, especially with the makeup.

[patti]

Thank you for posting these...looking at the images is as satisfying as eating great food.

[Danielle]

Anna Sui pic is a treasure.

Also, is it just me or does everyone appear to be ashen and malnourished?

All the drugs and partying I guess...

[Eunice]

Loved this post!

[Mer]

inspiring post

[adreamer]

amazing pictures. ott make up looks strangley awesome. love the anna sui pic

[adreamer]

oh and .... i asked you a few questions a while back for my zine. and now the zine is published. all details on my blog. your answers are in part 2 in the story "the 4 letter word" :)

[cassette45]

you showed up in my inbox this morn via urban outfitters. rock on! I loved the looks you put together!

[Laia]

These portraits are so insanely awesome, have you checked out Maripol's book Maripolarama? It has her polaroids and they are also wonderful.

[Cathy]

Incredible post - they still look modern even today, and very beautiful. Being pale was part of the look of that time and influenced by Japanese fashion, Geisha make up and Siouxie Sioux. I remember using a very nearly white foundation with a touch of pink and dying my hair much darker than its normal color to increase the contrast.

[caroline]

this is a very fantastic post - thank you very much!

i identify with your feelings on it being a fascinating and alien yet strangely familiar period.

also: anna sui looks amazing in that photo!

[lady coveted]

holy crap... i step away from the reader for one day, and i miss this! what an amazing slew of photos... anna sui? it's hard to believe, but i don't think i've seen a better pic of her. also, i just love all the lips here...just as i was getting over the whole 80's thing...

[April]

Wonderful! Although I think they spelled Exene's name wrong?

[L]

Those birds look straight outta 'Liquid Sky'...

[rollergirl]

Faaabulous! Esp the regulation red lippy! I meant to go to this. Have I missed it?

[madame]

Luciana is sadly now dead. She was a wonderful painter, lovely person. Edwige has her own blog now and she posts amazing pictures from back in the day http://discorough.blogspot.com/. So many amazing women.....thanks for this post!

[NewssyLee]

Thanks to you

[bobble-bee]

why we girls don't look this rad anymore????