STEVE MUMFORD, BAGHDAD JOURNAL – AN ARTIST IN OCCUPIED IRAQ, booksigning, Barnes & Noble, Chelsea, NYC, Sept 21, 2005
Photo: Nancy Smith
PLATE 96 – Private Daniel Zurlo and Spc. Walter Daza on guard duty, Bravo Co. – STEVE MUMFORD, BAGHDAD JOURNAL – AN ARTIST IN OCCUPIED IRAQ.
Photo: Nancy Smith
STEVE MUMFORD
BAGHDAD JOURNAL – AN ARTIST IN OCCUPIED IRAQ
Drawn & Quarterly Books, MONTREAL, 2005
Publisher: Chris Oliveros
Publication Design: Black Eye Design
for a review & more photos: Art Lovers Photos, STEVE MUMFORD, 2005-12-18
~Steve Mumford/BAGHDAD JOURNAL |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | December 26th, 2005, 10:30pm
Maurizio Cattelan’s WRONG GALLERY will curate a show-within-a-show
at this year’s WHITNEY BIENNIAL, which opens March 2nd.
Occupying the museum’s 5th floor, the WRONG GALLERY exhibit will NOT coincide
with the dates of the biennial itself, but will open on Jan 21 and run through May 21.
News on the street is that the WRONG GALLERY will resurrect at the TATE MODERN, in London. (Its no longer on 20th Street, where it used to have its display window(s) next to the
old ANDREW KREPS location.)
Its also circulating that the WRONG GALLERY is currently fabricating small replicas of its
windows, including the ELIZABETH PEYTON one, for eventual sale in the TATE gift shop ?
Photo: Maurizio Cattelan, at the Damien Hirst opening, GAGOSIAN GALLERY,
Chelsea, New York, March 11, 2005
Photo: Nancy Smith
to see a photo of:
ELIZABETH PEYTON @ the WRONG GALLERY
PAWEL ALTHAMER@ the WRONG GALLERY
Photos by: Nancy Smith
UPDATE/BREAKING NEWS:…FROM LONDON:
The Wrong Gallery actually opens at the TATE MODERN, today, Dec 21st !!! The Wrong Gallery will have an exhibition space of approximately one metre square, which can be seen through a locked single glass door. The Tate Modern tells us: ….AS the Wrong curators say, ‘The Wrong Gallery is the back door to contemporary art, and its always locked’. !!!
further: from 2002 … until recently The Wrong Gallery was sandwiched between two doors on 20th St, Chelsea, New York. In September 2005, the Wrong Gallery was evicted from this site, and the original door is being relocated to the Tate Modern.
Ann Coxon, Assistant Curator, Displays, Tate Modern will be the organiser for the gallery and the programme in collaboration with the original Wrong Gallery founders/directors: Maurizio Cattelan, Massimiliano Gioni and Ali Subotnick. There will be about 6 displays per year. The Wrong Gallery will be located on level 3, of the Tate Modern “within the changing Tate collection displays due to be completed in May 2006.” The January edition of TATE ETC will include a special magazine project produced by The Wrong Gallery, to coincide with this new venture.
The first artist to be selected to exhibit at the London Wrong Gallery will be Berlin-based DOROTHY IANNNONE (b. Boston, USA, 1933).
want more info …… Tate Modern
~Maurizio Cattelan/ THE WRONG GALLERY |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | December 17th, 2005, 2:14pm
Edward G. Robinson (as ‘Wolf’ Larsen) in The Sea Wolf (1941), directed by Michael Curtiz
(Photo credit: Warner Bros./Photofest) (Copyright: Warner Bros.)
Ralph Eggleston, Pre-production sketch, For the Birds, 11 x 17″, Pastel
(Copyright: Disney/Pixar)
Pete Docter, Sullivan and Mike, Monsters, Inc., 11 x 8 1/2″, Marker
(Copyright: Disney/Pixar)
Teddy Newton, Edna Mode (aka “E”), The Incredibles, 11 x 8 1/2″, Pastel
(Copyright: Pixar)
MOMA FILM SERIES
PIXAR – 20 YEARS OF ANIMATION
12/14/05 – 2/6/ 2006
ARTIST’S CHOICE: STEPHEN SONDHEIM
12/19/05 – 1/8/06
Film Review
December 2005 by JAN ALBERT
MOMA deserves kudos for presenting two stellar film series this season. The Pixar Animation retrospective should pull in the crowds
with the first overview of the trail blazing film studio that introduced the first completely computer generated animated feature film
a mere 10 years ago. As John Lasseter (director of Toy Story and Toy Story 2 and the forthcoming CARS) reminded himself
at the press preview, the company’s name comes from Pixel, (the smallest visual component that makes up the picture on your
computer screen) and Art, and the art of Pixar has always been inspired by the technology.
Many of Pixar’s top animators were on hand at the opening and it was kind of touching to see how jazzed the best and brightest
of today’s computer artists seemed to be about receiving their first full retrospective at the museum. It was fun watching them
check out their animated bios (which the public will be able to access via computers in the galleries) and trying to explain
the fine points of digital animation to us journalists – who manage to manipulate a few words on a good day! The way the
preparatory sketches and video monitors are arranged on the floor it becomes apparent how much drawing and sculpting and
painting still goes into creating computer animation. That’s heartening news in a year when Disney made the bittersweet
announcement that it had reached the end of an era — the studio which pioneered the animated feature (Snow White-1937)
will no longer produce hand drawn films.
In addition to screening all the major Pixar features, this is a great opportunity to see the short cartoons Lasseter and his
colleagues have produced since the mid 1980s, including One Man Band, a cute riff on dueling street musicians,
which is having its debut at MOMA in conjunction with the exhibition.
KIDS UNDER 16 ADMITTED FREE.
But, I must admit I am personally more excited about MOMA’s masterstroke in asking Stephen Sondheim to curate
one of the museum’s periodic “Artist’s Choice†shows. Sondheim, the preeminent artist of the American musical theater
over the past 40 years, was there at the birth of West Side Story, contributing lyrics. He cut his creative teeth on Gypsy
and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, deconstructed the medium in works like Company, reconstructed
every genre of theater song that had preceded him in Follies, and tackled American politics in Assassins. One of his most
brilliant shows, Sweeney Todd, is now on Broadway, born again in a bare bones, musically thrilling revival from Britain.
Sondheim has always been a big film fan and he has devoted all of his choices to the museum’s film collection, which for me
is like receiving a big box of chocolates. All of the choices look delicious – in fact, I’ve tasted many of them before and
know how good they are. For those of you who prefer the savory to the sweet, just consider this a wonderful
smorgasbord–a tasting menu of the cinematic treats that stimulate the pictures Stephen Sondheim creates
with words and music.
And he’s picked some great flicks, judging by the ones I’ve seen already:
My all time favorite scary movie — Dead of Night (1945) a fantastically atmospheric and “creepy,†as Sondheim puts it – collection
of 5 supernatural short film stories within a 6th dreamscape. By the end, you won’t be sure if that feeling of deja vu has been
induced by the film or whether you’ve been there in another life. Whatever – it’s not an easy film to shake.
The Sea Wolf (1941) directed by Michael Curtiz. Sondheim selects this as “my favorite of the Warner Brothers stock
company melodramas.†EG Robinson and John Garfield square off on shipboard, surrounded by a crew that
seems pretty intent on killing themselves before they reach shore. A heck of a story with great big scenes for
grandstanding actors. Screenplay by Robert Rossen (from Jack London’s novel), who would go on to direct
Garfield in Body & Soul before being blacklisted in the 50s.
Pygmalion (1938) directed by Anthony Asquith. “For the performances,†says Sondheim, and I second that emotion.
The divine squaring off of the elusive, elegant Leslie Howard and the emotional guttersnipe with the poise of a princess,
played by the wonderful Wendy Hiller. I remember what a great discovery this film was for me when I saw it at MOMA
20 years ago and realized how Bernard Shaw’s play had kindled the flame of one of the greatest musicals ever – MY FAIR LADY.
The Thief of Baghdad (1940) Boy this is a different vision of Bagdad than the one we are all carrying around today.
This luminous 1940s color film which won the Oscar for cinematography, is full of kitchy dialogue and fantastical sights.
The blind prince recalls his lover’s eyebrows as resembling, “two crescent moons.†There are flying carpets, jolly genies,
and an evil vizier who observes as he turns Sabu (the title character who saves the day) into a dog, “it’s amazing how an
annoying kid can make an extremely pleasant dog.†A true flight of fantasy by one of the cinema’s most joyful genies,
co-director Michael Powell. Take your little kids to this one – they’ll love it and so will you.
Lest you think, Sondheim’s picks all predate the modern age, there’s :
The Barbarian Invasions (2003) directed by Denys Arcand.
As Sondheim says, “a truly literate movie-full of ideas, as well as emotion and a portrait of an era which includes
everything from its politics to its sexual morality.â€â€”If you enjoy this, go home and rent Arcand’s 1986 talkfest,
The Decline of the American Empire, which introduced many of the same characters and actors seen in “Barbarian Invasions.â€
They are fascinating bookends to a generation.
Barry Lyndon (1975) directed by Stanley Kubrick.
I always felt this was a vastly underrated picture with Ryan O’Neal & Marisa Berenson. Sondheim admires it
for its control and sumptuous presentation; “the use of extravagantly beautiful photography to depict
bloodlessness and violence.â€
L’Histoire d’Adele H. (1975) directed by Francois Trauffaut.
This horrifying and heartbreaking film about Victor Hugo’s daughter, Adele, and her obsession with a soldier still
packs a wallop. Sondheim notes that it is virtually the same scenario as the Italian film, Passione d’Amore, which
planted the seed for his own musical, Passion. Sondheim says both films move him, “but in opposite ways, which makes
for an interesting comparison.â€
Anyway – this all gives me a tremendous desire to see the Sondheim picks I haven’t caught up with yet, including:
Gus Vant Sant’s Elephant (2003). Sondheim praises its minimalist style as “even creepier than Dead of Night!â€
Karacter (Dir. Mike Von Tieh) He describes this 1997 Dutch foreign film Oscar winner as “a Dickensian tale
with rich and strange characters, many established in just a few strokes.â€
Hal Hartley’s Henry Fool (1997) with Parker Posey and James Urbaniak :“completely original in tone and story
but not just a private whim like a lot of independent movies. It’s genuinely mysterious.â€
Akira Kurasawas High and Low, Kon Ichikawas Nobi – Fires on the Plain – “good and shockingâ€, Louis Malle’s Le Voleur (The Thief)
with Jean Paul Belmondo & Genievieve Bujold, and The Organizer, directed by Mario Monicelli, whom Sondheim cites
as “one of my favorite directors and this is my favorite film of his.â€
Finally, a shout out for The Last of Sheila – the 1973 film Stephen Sondheim wrote himself with actor,
Tony Perkins of Psycho fame!
An Agatha Christie – like mystery involving Hollywood actors, directors, producers, and assorted hangers-on,
trying to bed or kill each other during a “truth or dare†kind of cruise arranged by their host, James Coburn, played
with that fine, devilish smile of his. Wonderful fun performances from the whole company – Joan Hackett, Richard Benjamin,
Raquel Welch, Dyan Cannon, James Mason and Ian McShane (after a full career in secondary roles now enjoying
his BIG moment in the sun as the super sinister bad guy in DEADWOOD on HBO). It’s a blast—a campy, clever, suspenseful
and nasty mystery to solve.
After you’ve absorbed some of Sondheim’s movie picks at MOMA, rent The Last of Shelia, then pay the $ to see his
masterpiece (and I do not say that lightly), Sweeney Todd on Broadway. In my humble opinion, sitting in the dark
with a bunch of like-minded individuals, letting beautiful images, sound and ideas wash over you,
is the perfect way to pass the holidays.
For the schedule & more Information: www.moma.org.
~Pixar & Stephen Sondheim |
Posted in Movie Reviews | By Jan Albert | December 17th, 2005, 12:06pm
DEVANDRA BANHART’S new CD, CRIPPLE CROW, is a musical celebration
underlining this Pied Piper’s neo-folk and ethnic influences. In the last couple
of years, Devendra has gone from an obscure folk singer to a celebrated advocate
of alternative-folk by promoting and playing with JOANNA NEWSOM, ANTONY
AND THE JOHNSONS and VASHTI BUNYAN. This troubadour, who started
out with only an acoustic guitar and insightful and poetic lyrics, has greatly
expanded his musical and vocal presentation.
CRIPPLE CROW is a beautiful testament to his musical and spiritual evolution.
The gems on this CD include: QUEENBEE, I FEEL JUST LIKE A CHILD,
DRAGONFLYS, CHINESE CHILDREN, LONG HAIRED CHILD and
KOREAN DOGWOOD. The whole CD is just a joy to listen to.
The mystical cover is a great contemporary South American take on the
famous Beatles album cover – Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.
4 of the songs have Spanish lyrics, and reflect Devendra’s Venezulean
childhood musical influences.
above images from the CRIPPLE CROW CD cover ‘booklet’, artwork and
calligraphy by Devendra Banhart
DEVENDRA BANHART CRIPPLE CROW, 2005 XL Recordings Ltd.
XL Recordings has an interesting website
you can see a video of DEVENDRA’S ‘I Heard Somebody Say’ there
Above Photos: Devendra Banhart, and his tour band Hairy Fairy at the CRIPPLE CROW CD launch,
VIRGIN MEGASTORE, UNION SQUARE, NYC, Sept 13, 2005
Photos by: Nancy Smith
see more artlovers photos from this event
~Devendra Banhart |
Posted in Indie Music Reviews | By Simon Cerigo | December 10th, 2005, 1:44pm
HEATHER HUBBS came on board as the NADA Art Fair Miami Director last Fall 2004.
A hurricane had just damaged the original site location, and it was Heather who proposed
The Ice Palace Film Studio (59 NW 14th St, Miami) location. A little hesitant, because the Ice Palace is situated in a “hard core” area, and not in Miami Beach proper, the venue proved to be a huge success, and remains the location for the 3rd annual NADA Art Fair Miami this year.
The Ice Palace turned out to be a popular location for 2 main reasons: 1st – the beautiful outdoor garden, hammocks and all, that greets visitors and sets the ambience, and 2nd – the venue is large and spacious, with high ceilings and enough ground floor area space for every exhibitor to have equal sized booths. Supposedly the individual booths are even larger this year.
NADA’s success, as an independent fair, has spawned many smaller imitator alternative satellite fairs, such as FRISBEE, which is run by founder/director, Anat Ebai.
Last year’s NADA fair had 61 contemporary art galleries and non-profits, representing New York City, the USA and overseas. This year’s has 83. The word on the street is that everybody made money last year, ranging from $5,000 to over $200,000 in individual gallery sales.
This year a booth at the fair costs $6,000, with discounts for non-profits.
This is the first year that being a member of the NADA alliance did NOT guarantee a place in the fair. Each gallery, the application process was also open to non-NADA members, had to submit a proposal/application back in early Sept. The fair participants were then decided by a committee composed of the 4 founding members and a board. Although Heather runs the meetings, and organizes the process, she does not have a vote on the committee’s final decisions, although her input is said to be influential.
The 4 founding members of NADA, (NEW ART DEALERS ALLIANCE) are: John Connelly of JOHN CONNELLY PRESENTS, Zach Feuer of ZACH FEUER GALLERY (LFL), Zach Miner, and Sheri Pasquarella, (the last 2 being individual members, of which there are now 13 and who, for the most part, are independent curators and/or art consultants).
The 2005 committee board members were: Michael Gillespie of FOXY PRODUCTION, Becky Smith of BELLWETHER GALLERY, Michael Waugh of MOMENTA ART, and Claudia Altman-Siegel, currently Director of LUHRING AUGUSTINE, with Claudia representing the voice of the individual members.
NADA is a not-for-profit professional association, which besides running the fair, also initiates members-only seminars, with professional/art business themes, and produces artist talks, gallery walks, and benefits, etc., which are open to the public.
Although, NADA, founded in 2002, is a new organization, it represents many of the most dynamic and important young power players on the scene today, and the stakes are already high, moneywise. Heather seems to be able to stay on top of the pack and keep its best interests flourishing, as a whole.
Heather came to NADA with excellent credentials, a hands-on down-to-earth manner, and some serious hard core ‘art fair’ experience, having worked previously, for 6 years, for THOMAS BLACKMAN ASSOCIATES, or TBA, the well-known producers of the prestigious ART CHICAGO FAIRS. She started as the proverbial ‘go fer’ and exited as a Director/&/right hand assistant to Thomas Blackman.
Apart from gradually wielding a strong hand in the organizational details, Heather was instrumental in the decision to enliven the Chicago Art Fair by inviting young new galleries to participate at no charge. Called the 2001 International Invitational – this addition to the Chicago Art fair was a huge success. Heather was credited with inviting a dynamic line-up of new galleries, which were very ‘close to the bone’, focusing particularly on the newly emerging scenes in both New York and San Francisco, and in the process, made a name for herself, both as a visionary, curator, and organizer.
The 2001 CHICAGO International Invitational in fact, set the scene for her NADA position today, by introducing her to the young NYC galleries, that were later to become key Nada members. She made a lasting impression on them, not only in how she promoted the cause of new voices and so ably pinpointed fresh art scenes, but also, in how well she dealt with them, on an organizational level, especially within the context of a huge traditional fair.
Needless to say, the 2001 International invitational was a milestone. In Dec 2001, she produced the now famous STRAY SHOWS, for TBA, a series of 16 alternative shows, organized around the Chicago undeground scene. She also produced the Chicago Art Fair International Invitational, for TBA, for several more years, thru 2004 – inviting to Chicago, such cutting edge galleries as FOXY PRODUCTION and DANIEL REICH out of NYC , and JACK HANLEY from San Francisco.
Photo: HEATHER HUBBS, on Ludlow St, Lower East Side, NYC, Oct 2, 2005
Photo by: Nancy Smith
~Heather Hubbs/NADA |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | December 4th, 2005, 4:39pm
