Bending Minds With Photographer Rodolphe Simeon

Vee Hua 華婷婷1 min readAugust 24, 2008Add comment

Our recent trip to Canada brought with it many, many introductions to talented young artists… one of which was Rodolphe Simeon, who currently resides in Paris. The images shown below are from Simeon’s M-People series, a series which is heavy on makeup, concept, and androgyny — all good things when done correctly. Other galleries on Simeon’s website include a portrait study of street people, women, musicians, and miscellaneous fun characters.

Simeon doesn’t really need our help, as he has been published internationally and domestically in publications such as Esquire and Rolling Stone, but his work is definitely worth taking a look at.

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Vee Hua 華婷婷

Vee Hua 華婷婷 (they/she) is a writer, filmmaker, and organizer with semi-nomadic tendencies. Much of their work unifies their metaphysical interests with their belief that art can positively transform the self and society. They are the Editor-in-Chief of REDEFINE, Interim Managing Editor of South Seattle Emerald, and Co-Chair of the Seattle Arts Commission. They also previously served as the Executive Director of the interdisciplinary community hub, Northwest Film Forum, where they played a key role in making the space more welcoming and accessible for diverse audiences.

In 2017, Vee released the narrative short film, Searching Skies — which touches on Syrian refugee resettlement in the United States — and co-organized The Seventh Art Stand, a national film and civil rights discussion series against Islamophobia. 2022 sees the release of their next short film, Reckless Spirits, which is a metaphysical, multi-lingual POC buddy comedy for a bleak new era, in anticipation of a feature film.

Vee is passionate about cultural space, the environment, and finding ways to covertly and overtly disrupt oppressive structures. They also regularly share observational human stories through their storytelling newsletter, RAMBLIN’ WITH VEE!, and are pursuing a Master’s in Tribal Resource and Environmental Stewardship under the Native American Studies Department at the University of Minnesota.

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The brainchild of filmmaker and musician Danny Denial, the second annual BAZZOOKAFEST is a physical and virtual space where BIPOC artists, creators, entrepreneurs and business owners can connect, and celebrate strength in solidarity. Open to all-ages and demographics, the FREE two-day festival takes place on Friday, August 19 and Saturday, August 20 at Jefferson Park in Beacon Hill. On Friday evening is BAZZOOKA BALL; from 5pm to 10pm, drag performances will be presented by BeautyBoiz and the Royal House of Noir. Saturday includes a BIPOC marketplace during the daytime, with live music running from 5pm to 10pm. Performers will include Shaina Shepherd, Down North, Bijoux, Rainbow Coalition Death Cult, Combat Mommy, Jaiden Grayson, Da Kween, Supercoze, and Brujita XO. /// INTERESTED IN BEING A VENDOR??? E-mail Vee at hellomynameisvee@gmail.com /// Hosted in partnership with Northwest Film Forum @nwfilmforum, REDEFINE magazine, and The Vera Project @veraproject FREE WITH RSVP: bit.ly/bazzooka2022 Funded by Seattle Parks & Rec @seattleparksandrec #REDEFINEmagazine #MusicJournalism #MusicWriting #MusicReview #BlackMusican #BlackMusicans #BIPOCMusician #BIPOCMusicians @supercoze @shainashepherdmusic @jaidengraysonmusic @dakween @thedivinesupreme @downnorthband @bijoux_seattle @jaysonkochan_official @beautyboizevents @fuckdannydenial @bazzookafest
REDEFINE Magazine -- redefinemag.net -- has a PAID Arts Writer internship opportunity for a young adult who is be a skilled emerging writer in need of mentorship and guidance Whatever they would be covering would be co-created and focused on BIPOC / LGBTQ+ / people with disabilities, and is intended to serve / help the artistic ecosystem of the Pacific Northwest. /// REDEFINE magazine is an independent publication dedicated to conscious growth through long-form arts journalism. Through interdisciplinary coverage, it shines light upon a rainbow spectrum⁠ of innovative thinkers and boundary-pushing artists, who engage in complex ruminations about self and society through their craft. REDEFINE was founded in 2004, initially as a print publication before it moved online in 2006. It focuses on how the arts influence and are influenced by other walks of life — including literature, philosophy, science, spirituality, politics, and philanthropy — with the intention of inspiring positive social change. /// ABOUT THE ROLE As the Interdisciplinary Arts Writer Intern, you will work closely with the Editor-in-Chief to research, identify, and write long-form interviews, reviews, or features that offer a deep and expansive view of the arts. Exact articles and focus areas will be custom-tailored to honor shared tastes between REDEFINE and the writer, though all coverage must adhere to REDEFINE's mission, focus on independent communities underrepresented in mainstream press, challenge the status quo, and contribute to positive social change. The role is primarily remote with in-person work as an option if the intern and site agree. This internship is designed to be 6 months, though extensions may be possible and must be discussed between the CCWD Program Manager and REDEFINE site supervisor. Scheduling for this position is negotiated with the REDEFINE site supervisor. REDEFINE work hours: Monday – Friday, 9am – 5pm (flexible) with some possible weekend or evening hours for events. /// *DEADLINE AUGUST 12* PAYMENT IS $17.50 AN HOUR AT 15 HOURS A WEEK. APPLY / LEARN MORE: tinyurl.com/NWFL-CCWD #REDEFINEmagazine #MusicJournalism #MusicWriting #MusicReview
Nana Mensah Interview: Queen of Glory Expertly Blends Humor and Pathos in a Ghanaian-American Family Story READ THE INTERVIEW by @alison.j.smith: https://bit.ly/redefinenana /// As writer-director-actor Nana Mensah @itsnanamensah of Queen of Glory explains, she wanted to reimagine ubiquitous narratives of flailing young adults. “A lot of times with that quarter-life crisis genre, people are just making enough money to buy the weed and pay the rent, and that wasn’t really my experience,” Mensah explains. “[With] my experience, especially being the child of West African immigrants, there was never going to be an opportunity to kind of coast à la Slackers. So I thought it’d be so interesting to have a character who is experiencing this quarter-life crisis and also is holding it down at work. I don’t think we get to see women be on top of their game in their profession and then perhaps falling apart in their personal life.” “I interviewed some directors and spoke about the project in the very beginning, and they all had takes that were super interesting, but they just weren’t the film that I was looking to make,” Mensah explains. “I wasn’t doubling down on the strife narrative of what it is to be Black and a woman and from the Bronx. I wanted it to be a little more nuanced – a little bit more dynamic.” /// Out now on @filmmovement - screening at @thegrandcinema in Tacoma starting August 16, with other national dates throughout the summer. #NanaMensah @queenofgloryfilm #NewYorkArtist #NewYorkArtists #NewYorkFilmmaker #NewYorkFilmmakers #NYCArtist #NYCArtists #NYCFilmmaker #NYCFilmmakers #BlackArtist #BlackArtists #BlackFilmmaker #BlackFilmmakers #QueenOfGlory #GhanianAmerican #Ghana #GhanianFilm #Ghanian #GhanianFilms #Humor #Dramedy
Nana Mensah Interview: Queen of Glory Expertly Blends Humor and Pathos in a Ghanaian-American Family Story READ THE INTERVIEW by @alison.j.smith: https://bit.ly/redefinenana /// When Sarah, a no-nonsense molecular biologist at Columbia University, receives a call informing her of her mother’s death, her default response is denial. “There must be some sort of mistake,” she says. As the protagonist of Queen of Glory — by writer, director, and lead actor Nana Mensah @itsnanamensah — Sarah mainly views her mother as an indefatigable taskmaster. Although the viewer never sees the mother’s face or hears her voice, we can vividly imagine her exacting nature. Even after her death, Sarah keeps wondering, “Is this what she would have wanted?” as she plans a traditional Ghanaian funeral for an immigrant woman who built the later portion of her life in New York. Spotlighting Sarah in all her messy complexity, Queen of Glory combines the lightness of academic satire with the weightiness of family drama. With quips about Ghanaian divorces and weddings, Queen of Glory is both affectionate and honest. While Sarah balances the “old country” with the new, Queen of Glory plumbs the fraught dynamics of scattered immigrant families, to deeply moving effect. /// Out now on @filmmovement - screening at @thegrandcinema in Tacoma starting August 16, with other national dates throughout the summer. #NanaMensah @queenofgloryfilm #NewYorkArtist #NewYorkArtists #NewYorkFilmmaker #NewYorkFilmmakers #NYCArtist #NYCArtists #NYCFilmmaker #NYCFilmmakers #BlackArtist #BlackArtists #BlackFilmmaker #BlackFilmmakers #QueenOfGlory #GhanianAmerican #Ghana #GhanianFilm #Ghanian #GhanianFilms #Humor #Dramedy
Drawing upon a musical practice that is deeply rooted in her sense of embodiment and spiritual understanding of the world, Japanese vocal musician @Hatis_Noit ハチスノイト uses voice as her primary instrument. Her latest record, Aura, was released in summer 2022 on Erased Tapes; it features eight tracks of otherworldly ambiance that intentionally transcends time, while offering sonic space for healing. READ THE INTERVIEW by Vee Hua @hellomynameisvee http://bit.ly/redefinelotus /// Many anecdotes that Hatis Noit shares about her artistic practice are so hyper-connected to the terrestrial that they begin to take on otherworldly dimensions. The name Hatis Noit, for instance, is taken from Japanese folklore and translates to “stem of a lotus flower.” With the lotus symbolizing the living world and the root symbolizing the spiritual realm, Hatis Noit, through her music, becomes the the conduit which connects the two. “When we listen to music, we can connect to the other world, which sometimes could be a memory from the past… a future world or anywhere else…” she muses. “When I found this word, I thought it was a perfect name for music to me.” /// Photography by Özge Cöne #HatisNoit #LondonArtist #JapaneseArtist #JapaneseArtists #JapaneseMusician #JapaneseMusicians @ErasedTapesRecords #AmbientMusic #LotusRoot #JapaneseMythology #JapaneseFolklore #JapaneseFolk #VocalMusic #InternationalMusic #MulticulturalMusic #LondonArtists #UKArtist #UKArtists #UKMusician #UKMusicians
Drawing upon a musical practice that is deeply rooted in her sense of embodiment and spiritual understanding of the world, Japanese vocal musician @Hatis_Noit ハチスノイト uses voice as her primary instrument. Her latest record, Aura, was released in summer 2022 on Erased Tapes; it features eight tracks of otherworldly ambiance that intentionally transcends time, while offering sonic space for healing. READ THE INTERVIEW by Vee Hua @hellomynameisvee http://bit.ly/redefinelotus Many anecdotes that Hatis Noit shares about her artistic practice are so hyper-connected to the terrestrial that they begin to take on otherworldly dimensions. The name Hatis Noit, for instance, is taken from Japanese folklore and translates to “stem of a lotus flower.” With the lotus symbolizing the living world and the root symbolizing the spiritual realm, Hatis Noit, through her music, becomes the the conduit which connects the two. “When we listen to music, we can connect to the other world, which sometimes could be a memory from the past… a future world or anywhere else…” she muses. “When I found this word, I thought it was a perfect name for music to me.” #HatisNoit #LondonArtist #JapaneseArtist #JapaneseArtists #JapaneseMusician #JapaneseMusicians @ErasedTapesRecords #AmbientMusic #LotusRoot #JapaneseMythology #JapaneseFolklore #JapaneseFolk #VocalMusic #InternationalMusic #MulticulturalMusic #LondonArtists #UKArtist #UKArtists #UKMusician #UKMusicians
New interview with BAILEY HIKAWA @baileyhikawa -- all-around excellent human being / creator of trippy sculptural phone cases and excellent customizable facemasks are things you may have seen around in the internet ether ~~~ by Vee Hua @hellomynameisvee 🌞 DIRECT LINK 🌞 https://bit.ly/redefinebailey redefinemag.net /// ✨️ EXCERPT ✨️ There are many colorful narrative threads one could pull from the artistic practice of Los Angeles born-and-raised visual artist Bailey Hikawa. With a formal background in painting and a storied history with performance, Hikawa is deftly capable of interfacing with many disciplines. Her latest pursuits? Objects. Hikawa is a self-described “maker” — a title which is perhaps best illustrated by her recent undertakings, which include a series of highly-customized origami facemasks and an ever-growing line of ergonomic, sculptural phone cases. The former began as an emergency response to the COVID-19 pandemic; the latter is very much an happy accident that Hikawa stumbled upon while tinkering in her art studio years ago. Both are playful spins on the mundane, offering style and substance to goods that everyday consumers might take for granted. #BaileyHikawa #LosAngelesArtist #LosAngelesArtists #JapaneseAmerican #SculpturalObject #Hikawa #SculpturalObjects #REDEFINEmagazine #REDEFINEmag #ExperimentalMusic #ArtsJournalism #ArtistInterview #ArtistInterviews #ArtJournalism #Playful #PhoneCases #Sculpture #Object #ArtObject #ArtObjects
Tzewoon Chan Interview: Blue Island 憂鬱之島 Connects Decades of Counterculture Movements in China ~ by Alison J. Smith @alison.j.smith: https://bit.ly/redefineisland (Presented with a historical gimeline of Hong Kong protests from 1967 to present) /// When documentary filmmaker Tzewoon Chan began making his genre-bending film Blue Island 憂鬱之島 (2022) in 2017, Hong Kong was between social movements. Coming out of a previous project, Yellowing (2016), which explored the explosive 2014 pro-democracy Umbrella Movement, he knew he needed to try something unorthodox to bring focus back to his city. In 2019, he witnessed another attention-grabbing mass mobilization that changed the arc of his project yet again. Following the introduction of a law enabling suspects from Hong Kong to be tried in mainland Chinese courts, a threat to the independence of Hong Kong’s judiciary under the delicate “one country, two systems” compromise, hundreds of thousands of citizens took to the streets in months-long demonstrations... As a documentary with narrative components, Blue Island displays an irreverence towards genre boundaries, even as the ideas it explores are dead serious. The daring conceit of Blue Island @blueislandmovie  is that three young activists, each one active in the 2019 protests, play younger versions of older dissidents who resisted both Chinese and British governments in the past. As they wrestle with how to faithfully embody memories that are not their own, the past reverberates into the present with resounding force. Facing the specter of the 2020 National Security Law passed in response to the 2019 protests — which criminalized verbal support for Hong Kong sovereignty — these activists are forced to constantly weigh sacrifice against safety. And the viewer feels it all. /// Blue Island screens at Northwest Film Forum @nwfilmforum in Seattle from July 13th to 21st. It is part of Icarus Films’ dGenerate Films Collection. @icarusfilms_ #SeattleFilm #REDEFINEmagazine #REDEFINEmag #FilmReview #FilmReviews #SeattleFilms #SeattleFilmmaker #SeattleFilmmakers #FilmJournalism #DirectorInterview #HongKongProtest #DocumentaryFilm #DocumentaryFilms #HongKongProtests #HK
Tzewoon Chan Interview: Blue Island 憂鬱之島 Connects Decades of Counterculture Movements in China ~ by Alison J. Smith @alison.j.smith: https://bit.ly/redefineisland (Presented with a historical gimeline of Hong Kong protests from 1967 to present) /// When documentary filmmaker Tzewoon Chan began making his genre-bending film Blue Island 憂鬱之島 (2022) in 2017, Hong Kong was between social movements. Coming out of a previous project, Yellowing (2016), which explored the explosive 2014 pro-democracy Umbrella Movement, he knew he needed to try something unorthodox to bring focus back to his city. In 2019, he witnessed another attention-grabbing mass mobilization that changed the arc of his project yet again. Following the introduction of a law enabling suspects from Hong Kong to be tried in mainland Chinese courts, a threat to the independence of Hong Kong’s judiciary under the delicate “one country, two systems” compromise, hundreds of thousands of citizens took to the streets in months-long demonstrations... As a documentary with narrative components, Blue Island displays an irreverence towards genre boundaries, even as the ideas it explores are dead serious. The daring conceit of Blue Island @blueislandmovie is that three young activists, each one active in the 2019 protests, play younger versions of older dissidents who resisted both Chinese and British governments in the past. As they wrestle with how to faithfully embody memories that are not their own, the past reverberates into the present with resounding force. Facing the specter of the 2020 National Security Law passed in response to the 2019 protests — which criminalized verbal support for Hong Kong sovereignty — these activists are forced to constantly weigh sacrifice against safety. And the viewer feels it all. /// Blue Island screens at Northwest Film Forum @nwfilmforum in Seattle from July 13th to 21st. It is part of Icarus Films’ dGenerate Films Collection. @icarusfilms_ #SeattleFilm #REDEFINEmagazine #REDEFINEmag #FilmReview #FilmReviews #SeattleFilms #SeattleFilmmaker #SeattleFilmmakers #FilmJournalism #DirectorInterview #HongKongProtest #DocumentaryFilm #DocumentaryFilms #HongKongProtests #HK
With all the conversations around abortion access lately, @midwest_access_coalition and @kytranshealth wanted to talk about using non-gendered language in your discussions. Trans people, especially trans People of Color, are disproportionately affected by abortion bans, yet trans people are almost always left out of these conversations. Instead of saying Women, simply use ✨PREGNANT PEOPLE✨ or ✨PEOPLE WHO NEED ABORTIONS✨ Trans people will need the help of abortion funds more than ever if Roe falls and it’s imperative that they receive our support, respect and validation. Reposted from @unrseattle who reposted from @kytranshealth 🏳️‍⚧️ #TransHealth #Abortion #AbortionFunds #Trans #Dobbs #ProAbortion #PracticalSupport #Prochoice #AbortionIsHealthCare #TransRights
New interview with OHYUNG @ohyungli is up by Miles Ginoza @weeaboo.diaspora ~ read it at https://bit.ly/redefineohyung /// The early afternoon sunlight is streaming into OHYUNG‘s New York apartment when we meet over video call to discuss their latest album, imagine naked!, released this spring as a double cassette tape on NNA Tapes. There’s a peaceful energy and contemplative slowness to our conversation that feels in step with the ethos of the album, an expansive two-hour journey through eleven ambient pieces. As we unpack the album, OHYUNG — or Robert Ouyang Rusli — speaks with an assured humility rooted in the understanding that their artistic practice is grounded in self-fulfillment. “I wouldn’t consider it cutting edge music,” they admit. “I feel like it serves an important purpose for me as an exercise of stillness and also just something that calms me down.” When the upcoming release of imagine naked! was announced earlier this year, to call it a surprise wouldn’t exactly be fair. While OHYUNG has never made an ambient album before, their previous records have had brief moments of ambient bliss amidst a dizzying melting pot of experimental hip-hop, avant garde noise, chopped and screwed beats, freeform jazz, heartfelt shoegaze, and frenetic jungle and club music. Still, OHYUNG has gained a reputation for maximalism and a short attention span in their music making, and this move to focus solely on ambient music feels like a curveball. “I think a big part of my practice is playing with the unexpected,” they reflect. “I enjoy—for better or worse—making something that I feel people don’t expect me to make based on what I’ve made before.” /// Photos by Acudus Aranyian READ THE INTERVIEW: https://bit.ly/redefineohyung #AsianMusician #AsianMusicians #NNATapes @nnatapes #AsianAmericanMusician #AsianAmericanMusicians #REDEFINEmagazine #REDEFINEmag #ExperimentalMusic #MusicJournalism #AlbumReview #AlbumReviews #MusicFeature #MusicFeatures #MusicMagazine #AmbientMusic #OHYUNG #AmbientMusician #AmbientMusicians #ExperimentalMusician #ExperimentalMusicians
New interview with OHYUNG @ohyungli is up by Miles Ginoza @weeaboo.diaspora ~ read it at https://bit.ly/redefineohyung /// The early afternoon sunlight is streaming into OHYUNG‘s New York apartment when we meet over video call to discuss their latest album, imagine naked!, released this spring as a double cassette tape on NNA Tapes. There’s a peaceful energy and contemplative slowness to our conversation that feels in step with the ethos of the album, an expansive two-hour journey through eleven ambient pieces. As we unpack the album, OHYUNG — or Robert Ouyang Rusli — speaks with an assured humility rooted in the understanding that their artistic practice is grounded in self-fulfillment. “I wouldn’t consider it cutting edge music,” they admit. “I feel like it serves an important purpose for me as an exercise of stillness and also just something that calms me down.” When the upcoming release of imagine naked! was announced earlier this year, to call it a surprise wouldn’t exactly be fair. While OHYUNG has never made an ambient album before, their previous records have had brief moments of ambient bliss amidst a dizzying melting pot of experimental hip-hop, avant garde noise, chopped and screwed beats, freeform jazz, heartfelt shoegaze, and frenetic jungle and club music. Still, OHYUNG has gained a reputation for maximalism and a short attention span in their music making, and this move to focus solely on ambient music feels like a curveball. “I think a big part of my practice is playing with the unexpected,” they reflect. “I enjoy—for better or worse—making something that I feel people don’t expect me to make based on what I’ve made before.” /// Photos by Acudus Aranyian READ THE INTERVIEW: https://bit.ly/redefineohyung #AsianMusician #AsianMusicians #NNATapes @nnatapes #AsianAmericanMusician #AsianAmericanMusicians #REDEFINEmagazine #REDEFINEmag #ExperimentalMusic #MusicJournalism #AlbumReview #AlbumReviews #MusicFeature #MusicFeatures #MusicMagazine #AmbientMusic #OHYUNG #AmbientMusician #AmbientMusicians #ExperimentalMusician #ExperimentalMusicians
Written by Vee Hua 華婷婷
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