What ever happened to Sex
Subjugation of Self-Realignment

Kofi Fosu Forson

I love therefore I am prick as echoed in previous blog suggests feel for deluge of snobbery found in most men on Saturday nights.

What ever happened to sex? It’s communicative when penis enters vagina but in postmodernist age, what are its potential constructs and circumstances? Has internet divulged truth behind reality versus virtual reality?

In modernism, Playboy, Hustler and Penthouse secured a commercial language for men as bachelors. This however predates what became of pornography in postmodernist era and how it made its way into internet and expression of such behavior as scat, mature sex and suggested rape.

Pornography and art can be found in works by Kathy Acker, Robert Mapplethorpe and even interventions by Vanessa Beecroft suggest an understanding of female body as property.

Fetish photography in works by Dave Naz and Richard Kern are less pornographic as they are drawn from non-commercial, humanistic and eccentric libidinal drive. Most models found here are qualifiedly everyday women.

Language in sex during modern age has seen an evolution from rebellious stage of 50’s nuclear family to “sex and drug culture” of 60’s and free sex revolution of disco 70’s. A.I.D.S. brought awareness in the 80’s. Rock and roll music and concert festivals, Lalapalooza and Lilith Fair, were re-established in 90’s. It inspired ad campaigns promoting use of condoms.

Television brought a sense of sophistication into popular culture with shows like Miami Vice. Moonlighting and Remington Steele explored gender politics. But with advent of cable, shows like Red Shoe Diaries and Hitch-Hiker took sexuality to a whole ‘nother level. Sex and The City was first to permeate popular culture. However, it purports that frank discussions of sex between women is enlightening. Further from the point, it painted a desperate portrayal, bland and comical in what is expected to be multi-dimensional.

This has permeated society as postmodernist woman is indeed a spectacle of many dimensions but in truth she is less transforming and more transitory, searching for an understanding.

Such is life, male or female. Currently, coitus is revisited in virtual state. Humanistically, body is in constant motion. Concentratedness on practice of making love and perception of women is more O.B.G.Y.N than revolutionalizing what was Donna Summer and is and always will be Madonna Ciccone.

Have You Been To Desire
American Cinema

Kofi Fosu Forson

I would quit my practice as an independent artist, never publish a book and become a tailor if it meant feeding into notion that image is everything.

I would rather be Spike Lee than Denzel Washington. The same goes for a life as Woody Allen than George Clooney.

Given that impression, I truly admire evolution of American artists in film. As we all remember Kevin Costner, the honorable American’s directorial success, Dances with Wolves, was an example of an actor who goes beyond his charm to indeed become an artist.

George Clooney is on his way amongst them to redeem himself of tabloid dreams and concentrate on re-establishing American cinema.

Paul Thomas Anderson is an example of that, a young filmmaker who goes through the great film schools to become legendary at a young age. John Singleton comes to mind. Artistry in this sense is not reminiscent of David Lynch or Jim Jarmusch. It’s more so the tradition that begot Scorsese, Spielberg and Lucas.

Who have existed as great filmmakers or even actors in modern American cinema? How far back do we have to go? Teen idols certified popularity of what we see now in young performers. This was true in film as well as music.

No one exemplified this more than James Dean. In both Nicholas Ray’s Rebel without a Cause as well as Giant he proved his authority and command over American film screen. Johnny Dep descends from this angle in his own phantasmagoric and at times illusive comedic brilliance.

Gordon Parks’ Shaft and Dennis Hopper’s Easy Rider are worth mentioning. Uniquely, Clint Eastwood is an American treasure.

The idol found his calling in 80’s brat-pack movies much necessitated in what we found in Quinton Tarrantino. He proved once again that an artist hungry for creativity with knowledge of history can indeed make a quintessential American film, Pulp Fiction.

With success of Julian Schnabel’s The Diving Bell and The Butterfly and The Coen Bothers’ No Country for Old Men, the torch has been passed on and the tradition continues.

Photo by Kobina Anan Jr.

Love, Conquest, Death?

Kofi Fosu Forson

Life is much the milk to death as chocolate. In existence one singularly reforms as that of molasses or chocolate milk.

In aspirations, we proceed par the course unlimitedly by the notion of love. It's not only grand. It propels grandeur. This then forms a balance with romance and etiquette.

Do we love in the total human condition of self and others or are we party to tit and tongue for merriment or furthering a rather sexual existence? Do we not approach this vantage point with a soliloquy of our very own? Is it not possible to exist per authored script based on ones desires, love/hate, life/death?

Do I choose to love for its sake or do I love based on the idea of love? I love therefore I'm a prick. Such is the ego's trick. I love therefore I exist. It can then be rendered in completion with a human accord. Love is a spirit of voluminous proportions. It lengthens the life/death march all the way to its end. Sex, a form of communicative expression derived from love is at first physical. It grants pleasure. In postmodernist soceity sex is the chocolate cake. That is if we agree life to be milk to death's chocolate.

Love is not free to exist. It knows damage, death and intellect. Gradually we are reborn. Peter Greenaway, British filmmaker, treats love as death within a chamber of culinary, aesthetique delights in his film Cook, Wife, Thief, Lover.

Intellect and sex is a notion marginalized due to its relevance to neurosis. Such is the playground found in virtual reality.

Pornography is no longer hard copy. It has been dismissed as virtual behavior, force fitting into everyday culture, from mind-crime prime-time television to governmental politics. Love knows no brand and like Coca Cola it reaches its point of marketing where we are soon to want and ask for Diet Love to go with our Organic Sex.

Iconic Male
Pussypower
Kofi Fosu Forson

After Civil Rights movement of 50’s and 60’s, much of what was considered safeguarding of humanity gave way to channeling of spirituality through sex, drugs and rock and roll.

Given extremism surrounding politics, music inspired mission founded in social conscientiousness, opening doors for common man, celebrated as macho, international, political, all manifested through music, cinema, literature and art.

Briefly, among men who helped further this cause were Fela, Lou Reed, Helmut Newton and Isaac Hayes. Individually, they created works of art which spearheaded particular turn in evolution of iconic male.

What was reflective among these men neared originality, set of circumstance which is made applicable within philosophy and sexuality.

Postmodernist male is definitive by his own irony. He is subservient to female in matters of sex. If not, it’s cause for pornography.

Space between which male/female discretions are allowed form of dialogue, usually involve party politics and celebrity.

Exchanging Mp3 files has replaced what once was new music. Otherwise rock and roll will never die. It’s been given a relative form, hip hop to Christian rock.

Currently, iconic male is divided in his thoughts as much as races are divided. There isn’t a common thread that aligns him. Racially, these barriers are understood. As far as gender warfare much accord is projected towards articulation of what is female.

This newness is credited as female sex organ no longer literal. In cyber world, it provokes means of intellect, philosophy which binds conscience of man.

To fcuk is to be animal. To embrace “pussypower” is to be new world man.

Future 80’s
Julian Schnabel Factor

Kofi Fosu Forson


Who remembers Johnny Mnemonic, Robert Longo’s sci-fi film starring Keanu Reeves?

It was time when art world saw diversification in lives of artists like Longo, David Salle and Cindy Sherman. They all saw it fit to transform creative process from fine art to film.

All these artists had garnered individual success in ever lucrative art market of 1980’s. Much was celebrated in world of art, literature and film.

Be it that some of these works of literature were being translated into film as in Jay Mclnerny’s Bright Lights, Big City and those of Brett Easton Ellis, Less Than Zero, and others that followed decade or so later, it seemed natural for some of these artists to find new source of inspiration in art of cinema.

Unfortunately, they failed to attract any attention. It could be interpreted as these artists not having mastered craft of filmmaking.

Perhaps it seemed evident that working within frame of canvas and camera was relevant to structure of frame by frame in process of making movies. However so, these artists enjoy occasional comeback, finding themselves doing new works of art or being rewarded for their role in history.

Therein lays the Julian Schnabel factor. He’s truly the only fine artist among his contemporaries who succeeded at filmmaking and continues to paint. His film Basquiat was poetic success and The Diving Bell and The Butterfly is currently receiving rave reviews.

Is ghost of 1980’s hovering over this current decade? Schnabel would surely prove that to be true.

Another film maker from 1980’s, Jim Jarmusch, who stemmed from that creative environment along with Schnabel, won awards at Cannes Film Festival in respective years for their directorial achievement.

With success of You Tube and internet in general, creativity has been given a new voice. That was true element found in 1980’s.

As with Google many inquiring minds can now know Suzanne Malouk. To only have her back as Venus to entertain us once again, perhaps we can forget this Britney thing once and for all.

Sarkozy and Bruni
Politics, Art and Sex

Kofi Fosu Forson

Power is definitive psychologically as political and intellectual. Within these realms of existence, wealth of influence can be profound.

Nicolas Sarkozy, French president and Carla Bruni, one time supermodel are in midst of torrid media love affair. Outcry here is purely operatic, made so by themes of politics and sex. Uniformly, it is pageantry of politics and sex that drives this courtship. Sex lives of men in power have always been glorified, from celebrity to athlete.

Why is “Sarkozy and Bruni” important? Much reason J.F.K and Monroe, Ted Hughes and Sylvia Plath and Brian Ferry and Jeri Hall are important.

J.F.K and Marilyn Monroe were modernity in sex. Ted Hughes and Sylvia Plath were much the soap opera. Brian Ferry and Jerry Hall were rock and roll couple. Sarkozy and Bruni are postmodernist in terms of sex as language.

Dialogue of this nature has undergone rampant sophistication. As celebrities, they challenge virtuousness, resulting in matter of embrace or conflict. Much of this is decidedly fodder for gossip, ironically celebrated as headline news.

Why then do “Sakozy and Bruni” matter not purely as political charade but rather congruent to principle of gender politics, artist and muse, power and sex and very element begotten by Andy Warhol; that of prominent gentleman and his model partner?

1980’s saw like of Jay Mclnerny and others deemed yuppie sipping on martinis and accompanying occasional model. Perception of model in pop culture has been around forever. But 1950’s to 60’s saw model not purely as carnival act but prominent as popular icon. Rock and roll culture with its mix of sex and drugs furthered the partnership of prominent models with men of culture and power.

Perhaps Nicolas Sarkozy and Carla Bruni are undergoing something seasonal. Judging by pattern with which Bruni has maneuvered from man to man they are likely to enjoy this as sex of century.

This says little about prowess of Mick Jagger and Eric Clapton. Either that or this is more about sex life of mere rock and roll groupie who seems to have overachieved.

Barthes by Bar Light
Image/ Music/ Text

Kofi Fosu Forson

Model qualified by genre ascribes a notion that is familiar within its means and circumstance.

Painting made famous by Rene Magritte of gentlemen in bowler hat would suggest an example of dignity and popularism which can be rectified in Bill Clinton as first rock and roll president of America.

Vaclav Havel of the Czech Republic may have laid claim to that title internationally but role of an American president suggests more authority and grace, much like photograph of Winston Churchill on motorcycle.

Model in his or her stature accentuates manner definitive as language pertinent to role.

In literature, Sam Sheperd posed with unlit cigarette from his lips. Hollywood captured Vince Vaughn slouched with slabs of meat in background. In politics, Ronald Reagan was dressed as a cowboy. Rock and roll presented an image of Juliette Lewis fronting her band. Sex revealed Cicciolina running for office. Celebrity gave us David Bowie and Iman. Fashion defined punk as Vivian Westwood.

Music is sound heard or overheard, from train running over train tracks to Muddy Waters playing blues. Beatles reinvented art form. Led Zeppelin revolutionized aura and sound. Replacements discovered rock and roll can be simple and still be of foundation and greatness. Guns ‘n Roses were real thing. Nirvana changed the world.

Motions made in music are theatrical, literary, cinematic… It is staged as a means of entertainment. On disc, it encapsulates a moment. Commercially, it’s used in advertisements and serves as background noise, however musical. Overall, the world revolves around sound of music through dance and means of communicating.

Text is formed in copy definable by dialogue. Novel reveals link between author and reader. Painting or photograph can be read as text. Meaning evaluation of written or completed work using signifiers to create thought or evoke feeling can be read as text.

Reading Roland Barthes has completed my understanding and manipulating of ideas exercised in creative process. In doing so, I have come to rationalize appropriation of original thought, literary output and editing.

Originality is not a gift. It is a manifestation.

Prospectus Ubiquitous

Kofi Fosu Forson


Life is emergence of baby out of uterus. This alone signifies its meaning.

Other than that we are brought into a world of disposability. Nothing matters and if it does all is bound by greatest illusion of love.

Only prospectus for existing is one conditions him/herself to fend of mystery that in truth magic never resonates. Experience of life is nothing more than an illusion.

To experience magic in its superficiality therefore is to die and watch your self spin around life’s circle.

What then is magnified in concourse with our existence is essence of person. This is marked by probabilities which certify uniqueness of individual.

In commercial city, if one is evenly balanced as both innocent and experienced, he/she can transform their realities through those they meet. If one, male, is sitting across from a woman of extreme beauty and sensuality, he prejudges woman’s essence, leaving him to fantasize.

Strong perception will cause a thinking man to imagine or perhaps exist in an isolated sense of creativity. An example is transmuting extreme negative light approaching from the conscience of another by spontaneously hearing loud rock and roll.

Sexual energy doesn’t always warrant promiscuity. Guidance of one’s train of thought relieves banality of female sex organ into infinity. Defense therefore is in evaluating person as individual.

If death is German woman walking dog or sixty year old redhead smoking cigarette, life is Patti Smith hugging me on Houston and Sixth.

Life after death would be telling everybody about it.

Tickdelaroo at Zidos 1997

Gino Tomac: Guitar
Kofi "Fos" Fosu: Vocals/Percussion
Dylan Roddick: Guitar