Olivier Zahm Is Not a Sleaze, He's An Artist

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Ravi Somaiya

11/12/09 05:20AM

Filed to: olivier zahm

The mysterious Purple magazine founding Frenchman will be bring his unique blend of naked ladies, naked ladies, naked ladies, famous people and black-and-white pictures to a gallery in December, reports Blackbook. It's not tits - it's ART.

Zahm, who by the way appears to wear prescription sunglasses indoors, will be occupying the Half Gallery on Forsyth Street from the 1st into next year. There are no details on the gallery's website except this picture, which promises more of the same moody posturing/shots of genitals to be found on his website [NSFW, although arty NSFW like Francois Truffaut might whack off to].

The following replies are approved. To see additional replies that are pending approval, click Show Pending. Warning: These may contain graphic material.

RollsRoyceRevenge Ravi Somaiya 11/12/09 11:13AM

It's the alternate-universe Keith Gessen & Emily Gould, where he wrote "All Ze Sad Young How You Say? Literary Men," and she scribbled random cantos from Dante on public buildings. #fameballs

snugbug RollsRoyceRevenge 11/12/09 12:19PM

@RollsRoyceRevenge: You really do have a thing for Emily Gould, don't you Triple R? Once I realized that, I started looking forward to all your comments, because I adore people fixated on personages that matter little to the rest of the world. We should try to tag-team for a day: You work in an Emily Gould reference in every comment, I accomplish the same with Arthur Cravan. #fameballs

RollsRoyceRevenge snugbug 11/12/09 12:58PM

@snugbug: Better either one of them than Mandie Erikson.

I'm just sayin'.

RollsRoyceRevenge snugbug 11/12/09 02:26PM

@snugbug: Waitaminute! What am I thinking? This is obviously alternate-universe Yaniv Raz and Heather Graham! #fameballs

flossy Ravi Somaiya 11/12/09 08:24AM

What exactly is your beef with Olivier Zahm? That he runs a magazine and wears sunglasses inside? Purple is awesome—about as cutting-edge as something printed out on dead trees can be. If anything, the world needs more Purples, not fewer. #fameballs

snugbug flossy 11/12/09 09:21AM

@flossy: I'd say blame the olde American puritanism bug, except Google leads us to believe that Ravi Somayia is a gent of the British persuasion. #fameballs

burbere002 flossy 11/12/09 10:24AM

@flossy: Poor photo composition coupled with random totemic items of the wealthy and passed off as "art" add nothing to the cultural conversation. Plus, the guy looks like a dork.

justusethisone Ravi Somaiya 11/12/09 10:47AM

Especially for a Parisian he has an amazing career - for those of us who know the late 80s art scene, Zahm's reviews on the new directions underway - which demanded thinking - were intelligent, and he could walk the walk and talk the talk. Just read them and see, the usual places and art journals through the early 90s. But it seems he went for his inner-SergeG., took his motorcycle, love of being pictured, and eye for beautiful models, and made a living out of it - which ironically fits perfectly with a segment of the least-intelligent part of the art world today. Purple is dross, a Euro-fashion excuse for art junkie-slackers to think they are connected in some larger zeitgeist. Zahm though, like SergeG. is now hoping to brand himself above of that, so it seems. Let's see.

atlasspanked Ravi Somaiya 11/12/09 11:38AM

Jesus, the shite that people label as art. With perhaps two exceptions, all those photos are just boring flashed snapshots. Apparently, in the 'art' world, it's all about acting arty on the cocktail circuit. #fameballs