This Saturday, Shepard Fairey’s much anticipated exhibit at Jonathan Levine Gallery in NY will open to the public. E Pluribus Venom, which translates “Out of many, poison,” is the title of his latest collection, and the politically-charged pieces blend a Norman Rockwell aesthetic with Art Noveau and Fairey’s classic revolutionary propaganda style to both communicate and question the current state of the “American Machine.” Using a mix of stencil, collage mixed media, paint, and screen print, Fairey adopts classic American symbolism (like currency and other attributes of the American Dream) to suggest a world in which unification serves only to homogenize and disenfranchise. Other works in the collection serve to honor those who fight against the ignorance currently innate to the American system, adding a shy strength to the message of the overall assembly.

There will be an opening reception Saturday night from 6-9 pm, and the the exhibition will be up for viewing from June 23rd – July 23rd. E Pluribus Venom will then be moved (exact dates undisclosed as of today) to a second space in DUMBO, Brooklyn.

Every so often, I review my browsing history and start to feel a bit jaded. I mean, surely there’s more to life than secret retail sales, snarky blogs, and open bars… right? (I don’t know where you’re getting these crackpot ideas from, Luce. -ed.) Fortunately, the folks at Literago have come along to buoy my spirits and spread the word about literary happenings in the Windy City area. I think it’s a genius idea – a bit like Myopenbar, but for bookish types, and/or those of us who would like to meet and perhaps even date bookish types. Chicago gets a bad rap at times for its elusive cultural scene — it’s all there, across music, art, fashion, and yes, literature, but connecting to events and people can get a bit frustrating. One pervasive problem has been divisions between neighborhoods and cliques throughout the city – for example, folks in Andersonville may have a tough time hearing about a reading or a workshop in Pilsen. Literago fills the gaps by providing a home on the interweb for literary events, including an editorially reviewed calendar and corresponding weekly newsletter. The site is not just a clearing-house of activities, however, as you can also find essays (”Bulletins”, on topics such as Punk Planet and McSweeney’s) on the state of literature in Chicago and beyond. Finally, if you really want to dig in, there’s a comprehensive list of local resources such as publications, publishers, venues, and other websites. The Chicago literary community owes co-founders Gretchen and Eugenia a big high-five. Awesome stuff.

My last pair of sunglasses (very classy, very chic Diors) recently met an unfortunate demise, and it’s days like today (very sunny, very hungover) I kick myself that I haven’t yet replaced them. It doesn’t help me feel any better seeing these super-hot “Tron” shades over at Uncrate, either — the team at Spy seem to be channeling all the Transformers love around at the moment; contrary to popular belief, I don’t have a problem with that at all. Tech specs are pretty awesome, too: along with an injection-molded Epsylon frame and hand-crafted custom metal frame, these babies come in your choice of blue, pink, black or checkered for a slick $115. If you’ll excuse me now, I have a pool of self-pity to wade in.

I’m definitely not the only girl with enough purses in my closet to last several lifetimes, but it’s embarrassing how much effort and energy is expended by the industry to satiate my purse obsession. The amount of bananas lost over the eco-friendly “I’m Not a Plastic Bag” shopping tote is proof that fashion consumers are sounding the S.O.S. for alternatives.

Sao Paulo’s Maria Lixo (”lixo” in Portuguese means “trash”) is an option that extends beyond hype because mostly, it’s already been existing without it. For her line, Chelsea College of Art and Design post-graduate Maria gathers colorful plastic bags — those that people recognize (Harrod’s) or are visually interesting (sacks from Sao Paulo’s Japanese shopping district) make the cut — and treats them so they’re stiff. She adds a lining, leftover scraps of fabric and leather for decoration and sews the creations into pretty clutches, totes and wallets. In her words, it’s “fashion, created in part from the trash of the fashion industry.” In our words, it’s a commendable contribution to the reduce, reuse and recycle effort. In a further boost to the environmentally friendly nature of her bags, she’s planning to make the switch to vegetable leather. So it’s true, then: One person’s trash is indeed another one’s treasure.

What TASTE has done to the can — and the food inside it — takes tinned food to a whole new level. TASTE has dubbed itself as “the World's First Luxury Canned Food Line” and they are not playing around. TASTE means serious business with an attractive label and first-class, all-natural ingredients. With items like Premium Italian (hand) Grilled Zucchini and Premium Shelled Chilean Razor Clams (packed fresh, of course).

TASTE has definitely raised the bar for the canned food world. You'll have to try TASTE for yourself to believe it…but our guess is when it debuts at the Summer Fancy Foods Show in New York this July, they'll be a whole lot of TASTE to be found.

Although the construction controversy at 123 W. 15th St. in Manhattan touches on so many property rights issues, I’m going to narrow the scope for this week’s Talk Shop Friday post. Valhalla, as the owners the Rath Family has dubbed the building, sits (or is slated to sit) 74 feet high at the intersection of Chelsea and Greenwich Village. The surrounding neighborhood is historic and mostly aesthetically uniform– we’re talking lots of ‘quaint’ Brownstones here. Valhalla at once extravagant and frugal in its design– “an avant-garde take on postmodern impressionist design” incorporating the newest and most efficient green building technologies (e.g. geothermal wells) that will make the building relatively self-sufficient and free to heat. Neighbors of Valhalla are in an uproar, boisterously evoking that “not in my front yard” mentality. Folks, this is a difficult issue. Where do we draw the line between maintaining the historical visual appeal of a neighborhood and innovating our way into the future with sometimes extravagant architectural designs that incorporate energy-efficient green building technologies? Is there a way to do both? All other issues aside (financial, prior tenant eviction, etc.), what do you think?

Background Reading: NYT Article