From the lens of Photographer Bill Eppridge and brought to our attention by Retronaut, 1960s NYC goes skating. You get the feeling that someone just pulled up with a truck full of boards, handed them out and looked on as everyone went a little nuts. We can’t pretend we weren’t pulled in by the amazing garms some of these guys are sporting but these images are just about big fun. Respect to all the perfectly turned out ladies who don’t even bat an eyelid as out of control kids hurtle towards their ankles. Images via Life.

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It is Saturday afternoon here on the East Coast and we’re wasting the day by tidying up the office. In the process we found a few more sets of our Titelmedia drink coasters (in case you did not know, Titelmedia is Highsnobiety, Snobette, Radcollector, Lilsnob, and us).

They make a perfect addition to your coffee table, bar, or just about anywhere you want to lay down your beverage. For the letterpress nerds: each coaster was hand stamped and printed by Repeat Press.

There are two ways to win a set of the coasters:

1. head over to Facebook and LIKE the Selectism page and this contest post.
2. or follow SELECTISM on Instagram for even better odds of winning.

Good luck all.

The daily commute often feels like a massive waste of time. Getting from A-B is a necessity but the time spent doing it is usually filled staring out of a window or devising a complex lottery fraud plan allowing you to spend your mornings in bed as surely God intended. Diego Gimenez decided to put his hours drive to good use. Taking images of his fellow commuters, a snapshot of a stranger’s world lasting just seconds. When you spend a lot of time in your motor, it becomes a second home; cramped, filled with unnecessary trash and tat, but nonetheless your very own. Because of that, there’s something very personal about these images, even if the subject isn’t staring directly into the lens, even if nothing of note happens – Diego has managed to make something out of seemingly nothing. It’s Nice That has more.

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Award winning surf photographer Patrick Trefz brings together a diverse collection of images from his travels around the globe in Surfer’s Blood. Portraits, action shots, rolling waves and board obsessives, there’s enough variety to attract those who have never particularly take an interest in the sport. In fact, ’sport’ is possibly the wrong word to describe what’s depicted in this volume. This is all about hardcore passion, an age old culture and a dedication to throwing yourself full pelt at some very angry looking water. Incredible images that will make you want to grab a board and give it a try. Released in June.

Published by Powerhouse. Available from Amazon.

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We don’t particularly enjoy screaming ‘One not to miss!’ at you but seriously, if you have the urge to catch an exhibition and you find yourself in London then hit the newly opened Yayoi Kusama retrospective at the Tate Modern. Obsessed with repeating patterns, dots and intense colour, the 83 year old has accumulated a body of work that includes just about every media you could think of. Apart from being an incredible talent, she also looks like an 80’s Hollywood movie idea of a conceptual artist, which makes us feel like we really are in the presence of greatness. If you need any encouragement spare a couple of minutes and watch on.

“The nine decades of Yayoi Kusama’s life have taken her from rural Japan to the New York art scene to contemporary Tokyo, in a career in which she has continuously innovated and re-invented her style.”

Not sure how we missed these on release but a heads up from Arkitip was most welcome. Peter Mendelsund designed editions of classic Franz Kafka works. Mendelsund, art director at Pantheon Books, part of Knopf Publishing, had always hoped to design covers for Kafka novels and talks extensively on his website about the ideas and decisions behind the bold imagery he carries through the set. Under the Schocken Books header, another Knopf off-shoot, he manages to distill key themes running through the son of Prague’s work, into beautiful, deceptively simple designs.

“Whenever I’m asked (and I’m asked with some frequency) which authors I’d most like to design jackets for, I always say Kafka ..There’s just something about Kafka- and this something is so very hard to pin down.” Find them at Amazon.

If you’ve ever wished to come face to face with a six metre high inflatable Murakami then you might want to book a flight to Qatar. Murakami’s Altered Ego exhibition opens today at the Al Riwaq Exhibition Hall and features the usual eye-popping riot of cartoonish nightmares and psychedelic pop art. A man very aware of his stature in the art world, the big (literally) draw has to be the sinister ‘balloon’ version of himself standing guard at the entrance. Reminding visitors that Murakami sees all and will cover it in pink paint if it stands still long enough, this is nothing short of awesome.

The exhibition also includes new canvas work, most notably a 100 metre, three wall piece described as a reaction to the Japan earthquake and its aftermath. The show was described as a “dialogue with one’s own ego,” but Murakami takes time to look outside himself for this incredible piece.

Anyone who has found themselves staggering out of Frieze Art Fair will understand the low grade migraine that results from visual overload. These images remind us of that feeling, but if you don’t leave a Murakami exhibition feeling a bit spaced-out you probably didn’t get your money’s worth. More at CR blog.

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As we reported here last week, one of our favorite road trip/party/bedroom accoutrements—the Polaroid SX-70—is getting polished up and put in a useful, good-looking kit, thanks to a collaboration between outerwear mavens Holden and analog saviors, The Impossible Project. Now we’ve got some details on the camera case, which is itself a little collaboration between Holden and Tanner Goods—Portland fabricators of heritage leather.

Made from domestically sourced, vegetable-tanned English bridle leather, the hand-stitched camera case should easily outlast anything you put inside it. Of course, it’s meant to hold the SX-70, and, to that end, features a special sleeve pocket for film. Close it all up with a leather flap fitted with a brass knob closure, and you should be very happy indeed.

“[This] is, in essence, everything we love about a collaboration,” Co-Founder and Creative Director of Tanner Goods, Sam Huff, says of the project. “Aside from all of us being fans of the Polaroid medium, the camera itself is one of those iconic designs that is one of our all-time favorites … While Holden and Tanner Goods create products for different markets, we both share a few important ideals: durability, utility and craftsmanship.”

More looks in our gallery…

How many reading this remember hunting down copies of Deadline back in the day? In the States it was a pain in the ass. Mailorder was usually the best option but even then, it took some months for those back issues to crawl off a boat from the U.K. The covers took me in. Imagine being 15 years old and seeing this slightly butch punk girl on the cover with a cigarette in her mouth… I definitely did not gravitate to it for any other reason. But truth be told, once inside, the discovery of the Tank Girl saga. Those new to Tank Girl can skip the movie and go straight to the current graphic novels.

Step into the late 90’s and the first Gorillaz record which had that very familiar comic art style of Jamie Hewlett. I was pretty much sold.

Today, ABSOLUT delivers their latest artist collaborative, part of their city series with ABSOLUT LONDON featuring the art of Mr. Hewlett, who takes on the history of London’s fashion scene over the last 200 years. On the bottle you’ll find all those scenes represented: the dandy’s, the punks, the mods, and our favorites, those terrace riding 80’s casuals.

Bottles ABSOLUT LONDON will go on sale starting March 1 at Selfridges and Harvey Nichols. You also have the chance to win one of 50 special tinsets on their Facebook page. Good luck, collectors.

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This is the iconic image of Calvin & Hobbes that may of us remember from the early 90’s. Bill Watterson, the creator and artist behind what two of the most well recognized characters in modern day comic strips, painted this watercolor for the cover of the Calvin & Hobbes 1989/1990 calendar. The very rare artwork will hit the auction block on February 23 during Heritage Auction’s Vintage Comics & Comic Art Signature event, at the Fletcher-Sinclair Mansion (Ukrainian Institute of America) on Fifth Avenue. The artwork is expected to exceed $50,000, as reported by Artdaily. This is comic art at its best.