Журнал Andy Warhol's Interview Россия Interview № 1 | Page 273

ENGLISH SUMMARY /273
NICOLA
FORMICHETTI
p. 232
by CHRISTOPHER MAKOS
The stylist for Lady Gaga and designer for
fashion house Mugler in the role of Andy War-
hol for our time.
Nicola Formichetti and Christopher Makos met
for the first time on the shoot for Interview Rus-
sia. Nicola is 34 years old; Christopher is 30 years
older. Nicola, like a true child of the “Apple gen-
eration”, adores his iPhone, writes in all social net-
works simultaneously, answers emails as fast as he
talks and daily pontificates to 100,000 followers
on Twitter. Chistopher still remembers how it was
like to live without text messages, the “like” button
and retweet. But they, in fact, have more in com-
mon than it would seem. Makos was Andy Warhol’s
personal photographer from 1983 to the end of his
life. Christopher meets Nicola in his New York stu-
dio on 20th Street. Before Formichetti, this studio
has been visited by John Lennon, Mick Jagger and
Elizabeth Taylor. Makos and Formichetti discuss
art, sex, music, Gaga, Warhol and politics. Any-
thing, but the upcoming shoot. Two days later they
are here again on the set, where there is nothing but
lights and a huge bag of clothes. But what else do
you need?
NICOLA: Chistopher, this is the first time in
front of the camera that I have gotten rid of my in-
security! But I have to ask you one important ques-
tion: is the naked ass picture too much?
CHRISTOPHER: What are you talking about?
It’s Interview!
NICOLA: OK, that’s why I love you and the
Russians. Because my friend always teased me
about my flat Japanese butt. Finally, I will prove
him wrong. I normally think a lot about my shoots,
but when I learned that it would be you shooting
me I was terrified. Oh God! Makos is too famous!
CHRISTOPHER: I like working with you.
It’s great that we have nothing to prove to each oth-
er, right?
NICOLA: I used you as my mirror, as you had
none in the studio.
CHRISTOPHER (laughs): Mirrors are only
good when having sex. Are you on Facebook?
NICOLA: Of course!
CHRISTOPHER: Are we friends yet?
NICOLA: No, because I’m maxed out and can’t
add any more.
CHRISTOPHER: Oh, I get how it works: I can
be your friend, but you can’t be mine! (Laughs.) If
you have so many friends, it means you’re popular.
The notion of fame has changed so much these
days. Trashy celebrities are dubious role models
these days. What do real stars do these days?
NICOLA: I have no idea! When Interview was
launched was it supposed to have been a celebrity
magazine?
CHRISTOPHER: Do you really want to know?
Andy wanted to go to movie screenings and no one
would invite him. So he decided to start a magazine
so that people would invite him.
NICOLA: That’s genius! It’s like how I wanted
to become a fashion editor because no one would
invite me to fashion shows. I just wanted a damn
ticket.
CHRISTOPHER: Andy himself walked up and
down Madison Avenue giving out magazines...
NICOLA: I’m sure he had them pre-signed too.
CHRISTOPHER: Of course! I used to have
stacks of them here until I put them in the garbage.
Then not long ago someone told me I was crazy and
told me to look up their worth. So I guess they were
valuable. But I really don’t like living in the past. I’ll
always be doing my thing.
NICOLA: Same for Gaga too, I think. If she is
suddenly no longer famous tomorrow, she’d still do
her thing in some dirty gay bar.
CHRISTOPHER: About the Internet: they say
you’re obsessed with your iPhone?
NICOLA: Yeah, I’m always holding it. It’s this
and a cigarette. I even want to make my own maga-
zine for the iPhone. Everything needs to be in big-
ger graphics, like my grandmother’s cellphone—
with huge buttons and letters. iPad applications are
great, of course, but I want an hourly magazine to
come to me.
CHRISTOPHER: Albums and big photo books
and art cannot be done for the iPad. They will be
with us forever. Digital publishing will remain. Ev-
erything in the middle will die. What do you think
about the new Twitter stars: Ashton Kutcher and
Justin Bieber, who looks like a lesbian!
NICOLA: How much did Warhol`s paintings
sell for at the time?
CHRISTOPHER: Portraits would only go for
$25,000, while people like [David] Hockney,
[Frank] Stella and [Robert] Rauschenberg would
charge ten times more for commissions. And Andy
could never get a review!
NICOLA: That’s wonderful and comforting to
hear. Fuck journalists!
CHRISTOPHER: It must be weird for you that
for the first time you have to be subjected to reviews
because of Mugler. For me it’s just terrible. Because
when you’re at the top, people around you will kill
you! I would never personally want to be at the very
top.
NICOLA: That’s why I never wanted to be a
fashion designer...I’m too scared to read reviews.
CHRISTOPHER: ...there are even more re-
views out there because of all the bloggers.
NICOLA: Thousands. It’s hard to tell Suzy
Menkes apart from a blogger in Mexico...and I love
that bloggers sit front row at fashion shows.
CHRISTOPHER: It must drive editors crazy!
NICOLA: They hate it! They feel like they
worked too hard for twenty years to sit in the third
row behind guys like BryanBoy or Tommy Ton.
I have to do Mugler for me and only me. I can’t do
a show to please journalists. But why do they even
have to write a bad review?
CHRISTOPHER: You recently opened a pop-
up shop in New York. A bunch of teenagers came
there to take pictures with you. Do you feel like
you’re famous?
NICOLA: Well, those were kids that are my
digital friends. But it’s still strange. They asked me
to sign magazines with my pictures, and I told
them, “Are you crazy—why ruin your magazine?”
But some of them cried. And I really couldn’t un-
derstand that.
CHRISTOPHER: Because you’re a pop star!
NICOLA (laughs): I don’t know, I never think of
my projects in terms of success. It’s more like jerk-
ing off. Do it. Clean up after yourself. On to the
next thing.
TERENCE KOH
p. 226
by BIANCA JAGGER
Artist Koh is 34, and has gilded expert collec-
tors lining up for his works. Jagger sees a mis-
sionary in him.
Terence Koh makes sculptures and installations
from chocolate, sperm, blood, sex-shop toys and
objects from flea markets. Collectors are ready to
lay out up to $500,000 for the ephemeral material
and the fashionable young name. Bianca Jagger
is indifferent to money, but is interested in artists
who agitate society, and who the masses follow.
Bianca examines whether he is one of these artists.
BIANCA: Do you think that young people
have lost faith in politicians, and faith in life along
with it? I think artists can be role models for young
people today, be an inspiration for them. Do you
see yourself as someone who could play that kind
of role?
TERENCE: I do see that, because the artist is
always both a mirror and a sponge. Yesterday, for
example, I was walking in Zuccotti Park where
Occupy Wall Street is happening. In the middle of
the park a speaker was saying that there are a few
pillars of society: the farmer, the artist and two
others I don’t remember, but he was talking about
the role of the artist as the person who absorbs,
observes and reacts to events.
BIANCA: Just like Ai Weiwei! My foundation,
Arts for Human Rights, recently gave an award
to Ai; he risked everything to stand up for freedom
of expression in China. I think he personifies
the brave artist. And now he is under arbitrary
bail conditions, not allowed to leave the city or
make any kind of statements. I saw you did an on-
line interview with him—but it was mute!
TERENCE: Yes, the words were not audible.
For technical reasons. But it was a lucky error. The
lack of sound alluded to severe censorship.
BIANCA: How did you become acquainted
with him?
TERENCE: I was doing an exhibition in China
and I asked the curator to introduce us. I went to
his studio in Beijing. Instead of saying “hello”
Ai pushed me gently, and then poked my sunglass-
es. It was shocking, but I remained silent—he ap-
parently just wanted to break the ice.
BIANCA: That was before he was arrested?
TERENCE: Yes, long before. Even before that
there was surveillance. Going to modern-day Chi-
na for me has a sense of danger as well. It feels very
ominous. And you suddenly start thinking thoughts
you do not have when in New York. It’s interesting,
but not a good feeling.
BIANCA: The doorman is watching. And so is
Big Brother.
TERENCE: Exactly. Big Brother is watching.
It’s very George Orwell.
BIANCA: I just remembered a story. I am a
huge fan of social networking. I have a Twitter ac-
count @BiancaJagger and my foundation has a
Facebook page. Recently I also made a personal
Facebook page. I wanted to attract attention to my
foundation’s page, I sent messages, invitations.
And a few days ago Facebook administrators de-
cided to block my page, because I tried to contact
an art dealer, Mary Boone. They wrote me: “Do
you really know this person? We believe that you
sent a message to a person that you do not know,
therefore, we are blocking your page.” It’s laugh-
able! You can contact anyone you want, until they
notice you’re reaching out to someone famous.
Facebook has become a network that requires sub-
mission and obedience. It reminds one of countries
with totalitarian regimes and the rulers who follow
the personal lives of their peoples. So, yes, Big
Brother is watching.
TERENCE: And Facebook is banned in China.
BIANCA: And what’s more, many think that
we here in Great Britain and the US believe in de-
mocracy. But we sit “under surveillance” by Face-
book and other social networks. This reminds
one more of an authoritarian state than a demo-
cratic one.
TERENCE: Facebook is so popular. Politics
is also about popularity. I think it’s called an