ART Artists On the Margins: Molly Crabapple In a world where everyone with a smartphone can be a photographer and anyone with photoshop can twist images to suit their agenda, we’re becoming numb to the power of a photograph. Molly Crabapple believes that the power of art is to soap-box images that jaded eyes might overlook. Crabapple’s art style couples a dark playfulness with spidery sketchy lines and a saucy confrontational quality that’s present whether she’s rendering the curve of a burlesque dancer’s ass or highlighting the censorship around Guantanamo Bay with startling blank spaces in lieu of the faces she was not officially permitted to draw. Her work is outward-facing, staring down the world, an almost masculine sensibility more in common with the radical politics of someone like Rivera rather than the reflective qualities of something more Kahlo-esque. The daughter of an artist and a Marxist, Crabapple spent her teens and early twenties hustling in the modern bohemian demimonde as both artist and ‘professional naked girl’: then Occupy Wall Street happened. In the wake of the economic downturn, she found her niche among the protests and calls for a more equal society, combining her art and her socialist ideals, drawing the revolution. Her ‘General Strike’ poster from Occupy made the transition from street art to the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art -- something she regards with wry amusement -and she now travels the world writing and drawing in places that cameras might not always be permitted, including Syria, Athens, Gitmo and Gaza.
TV
WORDS BY MAIA MATHIEU
Dublin’s Best Geeky Relatable Character of the Month: MC Grindah from People Just Do Nothing Spots: Gamers World
GAMES
When a fan of board or card games walks into Gamers World, they know they have come to the right place. To their right, are shelves adorned with card games including the big three; Yu Gi Oh!, Magic and Pokémon. To their left, shelves displaying a bounty of board games including classic titles such as Settlers of Catan. The shop provides a relaxed retail experience which draws many to frequent this board gaming juggernaut of Jervis street.
WORDS BY ROXANE VON HURTER
Gamers World can be found at 1 Jervis Street, Dublin 1.
WORDS BY SAM HAYES
JUMBLE | 6
My new year’s resolution is to take one of MC Grindah’s home truths as a life lesson: “set your goals low, so you might be able to achieve them.” What may sound depressing, is in fact the key to a successful life. Rather than being self-deprecating and humble in his role, MC Grindah (Allan Mustafa), from BBC comedy People Just Do Nothing, is known for his arrogance and prominence on pirate radio Kurupt FM. Grindah embodies that total self-admiration present only in the extremely clever or extremely stupid. Either way it doesn’t bother him, on the contrary, it spurs him on. So why not aspire to it? Ignorance is bliss, or as Grindah might say: “I’ve never done anything in life that didn’t work out perfectly.” See what I’m getting at here? Grindah is comfortable in who he is and he does what he loves. So this year, the year of 2018, I am putting my efforts into a new me. A me, who when I look in the mirror, is able to comfortably say “spot on,” like Grindah does each morning. A me, who when push comes to shove, can prioritise myself in pursuit of, well... me.
The shop has a room where patrons can play tabletop games during the shop’s opening hours of 10am to 10pm on weekdays and until 6pm on weekends. It must be noted however, that tables must be rented after 6pm. The only time you cannot do this is during one of the venue’s regular social events. From board game launches to competitive tournaments, there is a reason for any fan of tabletop games to keep an eye on the shop’s Facebook page. The shop’s website offers the ability to order board games and card games with free shipping to Ireland and the UK. It also has a nifty Wishlist feature, though it is missing information on many upcoming events. Overall however, the shop offers everything a board gamer could need.