Artists doní¢â‚¬â„¢t always have an intention in mind when creating art. Part of the reason is that as time passes, an artistí¢â‚¬â„¢s understanding of their work can be clarified or can change all together. This has been the case for most of the art Ií¢â‚¬â„¢ve produced. My work tends to focus on feminist questions of sexuality and includes a variety of abrasive and thought provoking images. These images include myself having sex with a raw pig heart, dancing with a dead chicken that I use as a prosthetic penis and performing a strip tease that I interrupt to binge eat cup cakes.

í‚  

The recent cancellation of Cosimo Cavallaroí¢â‚¬â„¢s art show at Lab Gallery, in New York City, which included a chocolate sculpture of a nude crucified Christ, entitled My Sweet Lord, has profound consequences for the art world. Artists who use Christian imagery to deliver their message are no strangers to controversy; in fact they seem to court it. But that may soon change because the demonstrations that closed Cavallaroí¢â‚¬â„¢s show represent a new and effective threat to artistic expression.

This year was the 20th Images Festival, and it seemed like something of a coming out party for this until-recently underground scene. With great venues stretching across Toronto and all kinds of mixed media and diverse programming, it seemed like a sure fire hit. Maybe I missed out on some of the more cutting edge programming (see Jesika Joyí¢â‚¬â„¢s article in this section on her video project, which screened at the Images Festival this year), or maybe it was just bad luck. Either way, I was treated to some pretty mediocre programming.

The ReelWorld Film Festival has officially kicked off and will run till the 15th. Check out their full schedule at www.reelworld.ca and view this year's trailer below. Visit Capital Mag soon to see reviews of films screening at ReelWorld. For other festival news, click here.

By sharing his stunning photographic project, Fashion Gas Mask, this month's guest curator, Andrew Lindy (www.andrewlindy.com), encourages Capitalmag readers to wander with and wonder at the world around them. Read Andrew Lindyí¢â‚¬â„¢s A History of Diversion: A Future of Violence.

By Christian Martiusí‚  

Fred Herzogí¢â‚¬â„¢s photography exhibition is extensive, almost excessive. But this arrangement of overabundance traverses the visual spectrum.It often depicts images of overcrowded streets, jammed full of bright neon and gaudy advertisements, or shop windows teeming with row upon row of similar products, priced and hung like carcasses, waiting to be plucked. The unifying theme that gathers these pictures together is the sense of a city shaped by its economy, dominated by its impact and divided by its effects.

I was going to write a series of totally meaningless sentences to illustrate the manipulative power of diversion but then I got off track and decided to start this issueí¢â‚¬â„¢s theme with the following story, only by then it was too late and we had this paragraph as our definite start, but looking back on it now, we do end-up with these past few meaningless sentences to kick us off, so, yeah biotch.

(Continued from page 1.) We pretty much leapt out with these here brains in no time, while the advances in technology and population size have basically engulfed the fragile arrival of civilization/human cooperation while it sorts itself out within ancient clannish and individualist ways.

Every month Capitalmag.com will be showcasing some of the best short films from around the world, beginning with the multi-award winning About A Girl from British director Brian Percival. This stunning portrayal of a young girlí¢â‚¬â„¢s aspirations delivered in a monologue and inter-cut with flashes of her real life earned Percival a prestigious BAFTA award in 2002. A stunning performance from Ashley Thewlis and an unforgettable ending have earned About A Girl a well deserved place in British short film history.

(Continued from page 2. ) If there is something I can do in art, ití¢â‚¬â„¢s to show a few important contradictions. It is sad, it is hopeful and it - the mind - is definitely resilient. Even, the clumsy fit of contemporary individualism and cooperation is full-on absurd. And funny.