Tomboy

Princess Nokia
16 x 12 inches, oil on canvas paper, 2017

"Who that is, hoe? That girl is a tomboy." That's how Tomboy by the Bronx rapper Princess Nokia starts. Then she goes on about her "little titties and phat belly" (both of which she shows off in the video for Tomboy) boasting about her prowess. Princess Nokia is Destiny Nicole Frasqueri, an Afro-Nuyorican (that's a new one for me too—a New York Puerto Rican) hip hop recording artist. Despite offers from major labels, she decided to do it all herself. Tomboy is from the mixtape 1992, indeed named after the year she was born.

Internet Art

Princess Nokia
12 x 16 inches, oil on canvas paper, 2016

Internet Art, a movement in the tradition of subversive anti-art groups going back to the Dadaists, is a fairly recent development in art art history. Even though there already is now "Post-Internet Art," the artists associated with Internet Art (or Net-Art) are still young and vibrant. The most interesting artists to emerge from this movement are a loose conglomerate of women, all now in their early thirties, associated with third-wave feminism. Recently I presented a two hour talk at the Art Center of Bonita Springs on 21st century art which was centered around three of the artists involved in the group mentioned above: Genevieve Belleveau, Ann Hirsch, and Jillian Mayer. Other noteworthy artists associated with these include Angela Washko and Faith Holland. To my own surprise I found the latter included within my Facebook friends. I had met her in New York in 2008, when both of us had exhibitions at White Columns. While a nice platform to follow one's career, she also provides me with updates about what's new and interesting in cultural New York. That's where I found the video Tomboy by Princess Nokia.