Kumi Yamashita

If we had a third thumb, we'd give Kumi Yamashita three thumbs up. The Japanese artist creates stunning visual effects with lighting and simple forms, like letters of the alphabet, children's blocks and shoeprints. Yamashita finds the rare balance between beauty and brains.

Mapplethorpe: Polaroids

I happened upon this new book of Robert Mapplethorpe's early Polaroids around the same time I read Ryan McGinley's recent interview of Jack Walls (Mapplethorpe's long-term boyfriend). Both the collection of black-and-white photographs and the interview are as great for their content as they are for insights into an era not usually glimpsed elsewhere. McGinley's involvement is like the exclamation mark highlighting how relevant Mapplethorpe's …

Top Five Cool Hunting Videos of 2007

At the close of our second year producing videos, we’re a little boggled by all the incredible places and people we covered. We traveled to Seoul, South Korea for an international b-boy tournament, visited the “Nose” of Chanel at their Parisian perfume labs, interviewed Juana Molina in Argentina and went to Portland, OR twice, shooting episodes that include Audiodregs, Esque and Nau there. The year …