ART DIVA
The Lady Gagas of the World/
From Edie Siegewick to Madonna

Kofi Fosu Forson

I met Suzanne Mallouk at Hunter College. She was the artist Jean-Michel Basquiat's lover and confidant. My first impression of her was her stark beauty; the black brunette, pale skin and thick redness of her lipstick.

We went off to see a reading I gave and stopped for pizza, watched her remove her lipstick with a napkin then after eating the pizza watched her apply the lipstick again. We headed off downtown still not believing she was Basquiat's lover until she presented me with a gallery book featuring a photograph of her and Basquiat. I kissed Suzanne that night this began a brief hang-out of a relationship which ended when I did an interview for Whitehot magazine and last saw her at John Lurie's art opening in New York.

The art diva is pronouncedly an attractive girl with a certain look judged by her face, body, hair but most importantly an articulate attitude of body and style. What she struggles with is a sense of beauty and ego and the pursuit of power in men and herself.

I have attracted the art girl in the past. What she seeks in me is the need for friendship and mentorship always making way for the more powerful man. What I have learned in this is to pursue my ego more as an ART GOD present with heart, ego and humility and not so much the egomaniac. I have since also learned to honor the art diva and let her go. Ours is a source of creative empowerment and not for sex or money. My role is more engaging than the typical man with power. I possess more creative strength and must allow the art diva to follow her dreams.

What I have learnt about the art diva is to notice her and stay away. I don't benefit from her any more. I have the experience to inspire her but to involve myself in a creative or personal relationship is detrimental to my health. It is a form of her using me to gain an advantage whereas in the end she lets me down. I keep this as a part of my history having worked with actresses and artist models and what is now the virtual model.

The virtual model leaves very little room for contact outside of telephone calls and emails and now with Facebook there's a constant everyday need to communicate. There are causes for creativity and productions and a means of emotional contact. What I've learned here as well is that the model takes advantage since the virtual lacks any means of humanness. This provides her with a greater advantage to control the relationship making it more probable for the man to seek contact whereby she is wanted and needed more so pursued giving her control.

Much like art divas in the past Nico, Siegewick, Madonna and now Lady Gaga, they seek power where ever they can find it. Their beauty is a cause for ego issues. What becomes of her is a woman seeking the highest esteem with no fault and continues to carry herself in the company of power less philosophical more control.