Friendship and familiarity form the foundation for Nicole Lesser‘s intimate photographs. The women in her work, often pictured in various states of undress, are so comfortable with Lesser’s gaze they fully drop their defenses and personify nonchalance. It all feels like a rare behind the scenes glimpse into a highly specific time in these girls’ lives. From an interview with Fjord:

I am at the age where I want to find out who I want to be, and I see my companions going through the same thing. These photographs are my personal sentiments, intimate portraits and daily snapshots of my life and those I am intrigued by.

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Gay Chicano Joe Jimenez writes beautiful poems. I felt almost hypnotized as I heard him speak recently at Stories Cafe in Echo Park. He had just arrived after a long trip from San Antonio– and yet his words exuded an air of tranquil confidence, bewitching in their casual rhythm.

I couldn’t help wishing I could see Jimenez’ vivid, autobiographical poems translated into visual language. The wish was quickly granted when I discovered that the great Dino Dinco is fully on the same wavelength. He shot a gorgeous short film on 16mm with Jimenez last year, called “El Abuelo.” Check it out, along with a couple of Joe’s poems, after the jump.

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Jakup Ferri hails from Kosovo’s capital city, Prishtina– a place he calls “invisible and isolated from the western art world.” After studying in Amsterdam, Ferri developed an interest in outsider art. His illustrations are infused with the idea of Kosovo’s cultural “lateness.”

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I’m not a big fan of toys, but I love Hello, Brute. Created by Portland-based designer Jon Knox, Hello, Brute is an ongoing series of lovingly sculpted limpid-eyed little buddies both shy and chic, day-glo and demure. Knox’s latest limited edition creation, Pepper Version 2, goes on sale today at 3:00pm. Anyone got $175 I could borrow?

Pop Culture Axiom #83,576: a good persona is an invisible persona. If you can play a role to perfection, then you can transgress almost any social boundary and no one will be the wiser, but one slip and you’re a total joke. What’s the one key difference between the Trix Rabbit and James Bond? Chronic wardrobe malfunctions. Otherwise he’d just be a total badass con artist who gets tons of free cereal. Instead, he’s mocked by children and presumably left to starve to death.

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I know you don’t need any more incentive to leave the house tonight than the mere mention of an amazing screening of video art– but would it be the cherry on the cake to know there’s going to be a pygmy goat present? Because there will be. And his name is Oreo.

The brilliant Ben Bigelow curated Goat Helper with Michael Mallis, and they’ve built an entire goat-themed happening based around a series of thrilling videos from some of my favorite people. To name a few: Jacob Ciocci & Shana Moulton (two of the geniuses from Deterioration, They Said), Party Food, Jon Clark, Mike Jitlov (The Wizard of Speed and Time), and the creator of Gumby, Art Clokey. Swing by Show Cave in Eagle Rock to check it out tonight! The screening starts at 9:00 PM sharp– goats can’t stand it when you’re late.

This LIVE screening of experimental video art and animation is framed within a performance including: light installation, live video, goat themed food art, costumed “Helpers”, and of course Oreo the beloved pygmy goat.

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Have you ever been touched in a way that confused you? Thrilled you? Helped you understand someone better? Have you ever longed for human contact? At Mastodon Mesa, we know how you feel. We’re putting together a group exhibition for July called “The Touching Show.” Focusing on touch as a social phenomenon, rather than a tactile one, we’d like to examine the ways in which humans have abandoned touch in favor of language as a primary form of communication.

We’re encouraging a broad, multi-disciplinary interpretation of this theme, and planning two consecutive events: the art opening at our new space in the Pacific Design Center, followed by a series of interactive performance pieces at awesome Eagle Rock art space Show Cave later in the evening.

This is an open invitation to join in the fun. Send me an e-mail and let’s talk about it!

Brooklyn band Neighbors are making some glorious music. My bud Matt Rubin just released their first 7″, Hooligans, on Paper Brigade– but my judgement has not been swayed by mere bonds of familiarity– Neighbors’ twinkling tunes simply fit inside my brain like the missing piece of an uncompleted snyth-pop puzzle, somewhere between early The The, Pet Shop Boys, and Passion Pit. In just four songs, Neighbors create a sonic world that’s both cinematic and epically personal. But don’t take my word for it– listen:

Bursting with visual information, Brian Kenny‘s work engulfs the viewer in a raging storm of violence and masculinity. His consistently confrontational aesthetic spreads across a variety of disciplines including painting, sculpture, and video, but Kenny’s most awe-inspiring work comes in the form of found shooting range targets outfitted with roccoco doodles of scantily clad thugs, vibrant colors, bullet holes and symbols of sportsmanship.

Butt Magazine and American Apparel have just unveiled a delightful set of beefcake beach towels, one of which features Kenny’s handsome physique. Check out the titillating towel after the jump, along with a selection of the artist’s awe-inspiring recent pieces.

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FACT: the year after Indiana University faculty member Alfred Kinsey published his famous Sexual Behavior in the Human Male, future cult leader and mass murderer, Jim Jones, began his undergraduate studies here. The way I figure, weird historical overlaps like that must be happening all the time, so why not explore a little and see what kinds of hidden treasure the Hoosier State has to offer?

So far I’ve discovered a combination haunted train/railway museum, two gas stations–one abandoned and one active–frequented by juggalos, and the secret lakeside retreat of none other than John “Cougar” Mellencamp. They will be presented here for your amusement… whenever I get around to it. Until then, enjoy this delicious pun brought to you by one of our many local churches.

I usually try to CC Satan, Shiva, and Osiris on those, just to cover my bases.