Mary Elizabeth Kimbrough Visual Artist

“Seeing a Fassbinder retrospective is better than drugs, liquor and s*x put together”. John Waters.

Born on this day: inspired, despairing and uncompromising director, playwright, actor and turbulent New German cinema visionary, Rainer Werner Fassbinder (31 May 1945 – 10 June 1982) – a true titan of European art cinema. Expressions like “wunderkind,” “monstre sacré” and “enfant terrible” are all applicable here. All these decades later, his best films (off the top of my head, my favourites include Ali: Fear Eats the Soul (1974), Martha (1974), Fear of Fear (1975), Fox and His Friends (1975), In a Year of 13 Moons (1978), Veronika Voss (1982) and Querelle (1982)) still sting like a slap across the face. (I studied the history of German cinema at university. I remember the class watching Ali: Fear Eats the Soul and pretty much everyone crying at its devastating conclusion and then having to pull themselves together when the lights were switched on!). Fassbinder also elicited career-best performances from the crème de la crème of German actresses like Brigitte Mira, Margit Carstensen, Irm Hermann, Ingrid Caven, Hanna Schygulla, Barbara Valentin, Rosel Zech, Barbara Sukowa and Christiane Maybach. “Fassbinder had the reputation of being quite difficult to deal with in real life, but anyone who made as many films as his years on earth (especially if they’re all good) deserves the privilege of being a true monster,” John Waters concludes in his 1987 book of essays Crackpot. “If Fassbinder ever got any sleep, maybe his genius would have evaporated.” Pictured: portrait of a genius at work – Fassbinder by Michael Friedel.

🏮 Visited the gardens recently and loved the lights at night!

Gemini Season

Monday May 18

✨Mercury s*xtile Neptune (Gemini-Aries 4º)
A lyrical vibration, you will be brilliantly imaginative and artistically sophisticated, especially with writing, speaking, or theatrical acting assignments.

⭐️Venus s*xtile Mars (Cancer-Ta**us 1º)
A s*xy, warm, and affectionate vibration, perfect for spine-tingling romance.

Mars enters Ta**us, to stay until June 28
❤️Venus enters Cancer