
1. Editor’s Note: E-Issue 02
February 20th, 2021
It’s finally here. Eight articles, four artist interviews, a cover photoshoot. The fruits of an eruption of creativity, the trails of which are billowing across one of the world’s great metropolises. It is with great honor that I present to you GAD’s E-Issue 02, dedicated to New York City.
This E-Issue drops at a critical time in New York’s history. “Is NYC dead?” was a question on many people’s minds as the pandemic prompted a massive exodus out of the city. While the pandemic has delivered a lasting shock to the Big Apple and its creative communities, artists have discovered ways to continue their practice amidst political and sanitary crises. We applaud their resilience and flexibility. Instead of talking about “a new normal,” they showed us that 2021 could be a new extraordinary. Many creatives left the city, but as epitomized by our cover story You Can Take The Girl Out Of The City by Blair Cannon and Christian Barberena, the New York state of mind continues to thrive and survive, wherever it finds itself.
The spring of 2021 marks a new beginning for the United States: the start of a new administration, which we hope will bring about a more actionable movement towards diversity and inclusion. Amanda Gorman’s poignant inauguration poem The Hill We Climb resonated with people, not only in the United States, but across the world, and many of us were personally inspired by her words of hope and optimism as we look towards turning the page on a difficult year.
This issue celebrates creativity in all of its multidisciplinary formats: we interviewed conceptual artists, DJs, graphic designers, models, and cinematographers who call or have called New York City their home. We highlighted stylists, photographers, exhibitions, and curators. To all those who contributed to this issue, we thank and appreciate you. You inspired us to go bigger and brighter.
We also thank all our readers and supporters who made E-Issue 01 a giant success. After publishing our first six articles on the thriving Abu Dhabi. and Dubai’s art scenes, we received submissions after submissions from the UAE and beyond.
This E-Issue drops at a critical time in New York’s history. “Is NYC dead?” was a question on many people’s minds as the pandemic prompted a massive exodus out of the city. While the pandemic has delivered a lasting shock to the Big Apple and its creative communities, artists have discovered ways to continue their practice amidst political and sanitary crises. We applaud their resilience and flexibility. Instead of talking about “a new normal,” they showed us that 2021 could be a new extraordinary. Many creatives left the city, but as epitomized by our cover story You Can Take The Girl Out Of The City by Blair Cannon and Christian Barberena, the New York state of mind continues to thrive and survive, wherever it finds itself.
The spring of 2021 marks a new beginning for the United States: the start of a new administration, which we hope will bring about a more actionable movement towards diversity and inclusion. Amanda Gorman’s poignant inauguration poem The Hill We Climb resonated with people, not only in the United States, but across the world, and many of us were personally inspired by her words of hope and optimism as we look towards turning the page on a difficult year.
This issue celebrates creativity in all of its multidisciplinary formats: we interviewed conceptual artists, DJs, graphic designers, models, and cinematographers who call or have called New York City their home. We highlighted stylists, photographers, exhibitions, and curators. To all those who contributed to this issue, we thank and appreciate you. You inspired us to go bigger and brighter.
We also thank all our readers and supporters who made E-Issue 01 a giant success. After publishing our first six articles on the thriving Abu Dhabi. and Dubai’s art scenes, we received submissions after submissions from the UAE and beyond.
We published a total of 23 articles as part of our E-Issue 01++, and we foresee this wave of spontaneous submissions continuing well into this E-Issue 02.
We keep our UAE readers in mind as we release this issue, and we hope that you will embrace and learn more about the thriving New York art scene. Global Art Daily has always been a vehicle to connect people across continents, and I am personally thrilled to see our network expand with each release.
We start with ‘What’s On in NYC’, an article written by Sala Shaker proposing a selection of recent exhibitions in New York. We then turn to our recurring Pop(Corn) section, featuring New York and Dubai-based model and graphic designer Zeid Jaouni. The interview is followed by our cover shoot, an incredible editorial directed and styled by Blair Cannon and Christian Barberena, presenting us an ode to New York which we are excited to present to you here in-full. We then move to our Rapport, a reflection on New York’s past and future modernity, followed by an interview with Kindergarten Records, a DJ collective based in Brooklyn, for an in-depth analysis of the future of the electronic music scene in the city. Larayb Abrar covered Contact High: A Visual History of Hip-Hop further testifying to the growing bridge between Abu Dhabi and New York. We also interviewed Wei Han who shared with us his views on independent filmmaking after shooting a music video in the middle of a pandemic. Finally, Vikram Divecha ends this issue with an anectodal interview and reflections on New York, Dubai, and his practice along the nodes of negotiations and encounters.
With the release of new issues, GAD’s movement grows, and we will soon be expanding our editorial team. Follow us on @globalartdaily to follow our Open Editorial positions, coming very soon.
On behalf of GAD’s Editorial Board, we hope you enjoy reading E-Issue 02.
And as always: stay curious, stay global.
Sophie Arni
Founder, Editor-in-Chief
We keep our UAE readers in mind as we release this issue, and we hope that you will embrace and learn more about the thriving New York art scene. Global Art Daily has always been a vehicle to connect people across continents, and I am personally thrilled to see our network expand with each release.
We start with ‘What’s On in NYC’, an article written by Sala Shaker proposing a selection of recent exhibitions in New York. We then turn to our recurring Pop(Corn) section, featuring New York and Dubai-based model and graphic designer Zeid Jaouni. The interview is followed by our cover shoot, an incredible editorial directed and styled by Blair Cannon and Christian Barberena, presenting us an ode to New York which we are excited to present to you here in-full. We then move to our Rapport, a reflection on New York’s past and future modernity, followed by an interview with Kindergarten Records, a DJ collective based in Brooklyn, for an in-depth analysis of the future of the electronic music scene in the city. Larayb Abrar covered Contact High: A Visual History of Hip-Hop further testifying to the growing bridge between Abu Dhabi and New York. We also interviewed Wei Han who shared with us his views on independent filmmaking after shooting a music video in the middle of a pandemic. Finally, Vikram Divecha ends this issue with an anectodal interview and reflections on New York, Dubai, and his practice along the nodes of negotiations and encounters.
With the release of new issues, GAD’s movement grows, and we will soon be expanding our editorial team. Follow us on @globalartdaily to follow our Open Editorial positions, coming very soon.
On behalf of GAD’s Editorial Board, we hope you enjoy reading E-Issue 02.
And as always: stay curious, stay global.
Sophie Arni
Founder, Editor-in-Chief
1. GAD E-Issue 02, NYC, Spring 2021. Cover Image: Blair Cannon and Christian Barberena, You Can Take The Girl Out Of The City, 2021. Shot by Allegra Messina.
2. What’s On in NYC, by Sala Shaker Image: Larry Cook, The Visiting Room #4, 2019. Digital photograph, 40 x 30 inches. Courtesy of the artist and MoMA PS1.
3. Pop(Corn): Zeid Jaouni, by Daniel H Rey and Sophie Arni Photo: Amal Flower Kay.
4. You Can Take The Girl Out Of The City Creative Direction and Styling: Blair Cannon and Christian Barberena. Photography: Allegra Messina. Model: Halimotu Shokunbi with The Lions LA. Makeup: Taylour Chanel. Hair: Jordan Alex. Shot for GAD E-Issue 02, Spring 2021.
5. Rapport: NYC, by Global Art Daily Editorial Board Image: "From Empire Building looking north on Broadway past Trinity Church, New York City." The New York Public Library Digital Collections. 1850 - 1930. [cropped]
6. Kindergarten Records Discuss The Future of Electronic Music, by Global Art Daily Editorial Board Image: Kindergarten Records event in collaboration with Metamorph, 2020. Photo: Kamilo Bustamante
7. Sole DXB Brings NY Hip-Hop to Abu Dhabi by Layrab Abrar Image: Contact High: A Visual History of Hip Hop, 2020, Manarat Al Saadiyat, Abu Dhabi. Installation view. Photo: Farel Bisotto
8. Wei Han Finds ‘Home’ in New York, by Global Art Daily Editorial Board Image: Still, The Saints, Home, 2020. Music video directed by Wei Han. Image: Wei Han. Courtesy of the artist.
9. Vikram Divecha: Encounters and Negotiations Image: Vikram Divecha, Road Marking, 2017. Photo: Road Marking Crew, Lexington Ave, Btw E77 St - E78 St, Manhattan, New York. Courtesy of the artist.