~Animal Collective

Feels front

feels-inside

feels-CD

feels, the second CD by the New York based Animal Collective,
is probably the most important alternative CD of 2005. A real gem of an album,
it marches forward from where the Animal Collective left us in 2004,
when they released their legendary debut CD – Sung Tongs .

The feels CD, like Sung Tongs, continues the
Animal Collective’s search for new sounds, while at the same time being much
more accessible. In comparison to Sung Tongs, feels,
has a lot more lyrics, which help flesh out the meaning of the songs.
This does not stop the group from using those lyrics as an abstract sound
element in their quest to explore new sonic territory. Surprisingly all
this experimentation does not result in self-indulgence.
The new CD is as tight as Sung Tongs in its desire to create
new musical paths towards emotive authenticity.

It’s the sexiest experimental music we’ve ever heard . .

IF artlovers had a soundtrack – this would be it !

ANIMAL COLLECTIVE, feels, Fat Cat Records 2005
Layout by Rob Carmichael

animal collective




~DEVENDRA BANHART/The New York Times Style Magazine

Devendra   1

Devendra # 2

Devendra # 3

Devendra # 4

DEVENDRA BANHART & his back-up tour band: HAIRY FAIRY appeared in an amazing photo shoot in the MEN’S FASHION SPRING 2006 issue of: THE NEW YORK TIMES STYLE MAGAZINE – titled:

‘GENDER TROUBLE’ – “IT’S A BOY. IT’S A GIRL. IT’S ANDROGYNY. DAPHNE MERKIN PEEKS UNDER THE SKIRT OF FASHION’S LATEST PASSION.”

PHOTOGRAPHY BY: JEAN-BAPTISTE MONDINO

all images scanned from: THE NEW YORK TIMES STYLE MAGAZINE – MEN’S FASHION SPRING 2006.

some quotes from the text by DAPHNE MERKIN:
“Gender, as anyone who has sipped at the supremely relativizing potion of postmodernist theory has come to understand, is a fragile construct, wobbling atop its binary foundation. ….
“whether he (Banhart) is dressed in a regulation suit and tie offset only with a brooch and a bracelet, or decked out in flowing robes accessorized with strands of oversize beads, there is something about his presence, as there is about the rest of his languishing tribe, that subverts our cruder epectations of what it means to be feminine or masculine. Perhaps it’s only that they give those of us who sedulously avoid the taint of transgression in our own more workaday performances pause to reflect on the endless mystery of gender.
“Might it be more of a floating signifier than a fixed set of attributes?
“And are we, in the end, only as blue or pink as we feel?”




~CocoRosie

CocoRosie

CocoRosie/Musicians – Photographed by ROBERT MAXWELL – image scanned from THE NEW YORK TIMES STYLE MAGAZINE – WOMEN’S FASHION SPRING 2006.

BIANCA CASADY (left) and her older sister, SIERRA, are the NYC Indie cult band of the moment. They recently toured with ANTONY AND THE JOHNSONS, to introduce their 2nd album, ‘NOAH’S ARK’.

BIANCA CASADY aka RED BONE SLIM opened ‘RED BONE SLIM VS. ITSELF: An Exhibition of Drawings’ on March 9, 2006, in the AFF Storefront, 123 Ludlow Street on the Lower East Side.

from the press release:
… “these drawings trespass through themes of gender/race disphoria and familial roles .. to the meditative psychadelia of possession states and third eye travel”.
RED BONE SLIM’S past shows include ‘Yo mire un garza mora dandole combate a un rio’ – a group show curated by DEVENDRA BANHART at the ATELIER CARDENAS BELLANGER in Paris, September 2005 & another DEVENDRA BANHART show at ROTH HOROWITZ in NYC, in December of 2004. SLIM’S work can be seen on the album sleeves of CocoRosie’s ‘La Maison de mon Reve’ and ‘Noah’s Ark’ – as well as on the cover of the Voodoo-EROS compilation ‘The Enlightened Family’.

The opening was amazing – a kind of modern day Freida Kahlo meets THE THIRD EYE and gets rid of that boring mural painter boyfriend. Even Antony, of Antony and the Johnsons, who has so much charisma in person it is unbelieveable, showed up, in the final minutes. There were sparse strings of colored lights & fragile colored tissue paper cut-outs of mysterious symbols adding to the festive, but charged & low-key ambience.

photos from the opening: ‘RED BONE SLIM VS. ITSELF’, an exhibition of drawings,
by BIANCA CASADY, aka RED BONE SLIM, The Voodoo-EROS Museum of Nice Items, (**AFF**), March 9, 2006

more photos of: MILITIA SHIMKOVITZ & ‘The Enlightened Family’ compiliation, artwork by BIANCA CASADY aka RED BONE SLIM

voodoo-EROS




~THE EARLY SHOW:Rirkrit Tiravanija, Ruth Root, Spencer Sweeney

Rirkrit Tiravanija

RIRKRIT TIRAVANIJA – in ‘The Early Show’

Ruth Root

RUTH ROOT – in ‘The Early Show’

Spencer Sweeney

SPENCER SWEENEY – in ‘The early Show’

These 3 images were just added to the Art Lovers Photo report on ‘The Early Show’ curated by ELYSIA BOROWY-REEDER, SCOTT and TYSON REEDER of the GENERAL STORE, Milwaukee, at WHITE COLUMNS, NYC, opening Oct 28, 2005
photos: Nancy Smith

to see the whole report: THE EARLY SHOW




~American Dreamz

American Dreamz - blonde
Photograph by GLEN WILSON – Courtesy of UNIVERSAL

American dreamz-movie listing

Film Review
April 24, 2006 by JAN ALBERT

AMERICAN DREAMZ
Opens April 21, 2006

I laughed alot at American Dreamz. Maybe I am relaxing my standards, but I think most critics were a little too tough on this genial little film, penalizing director/writer Paul Weitz (American Pie) for not going far enough.
I applaud him for even coming up with the idea of combining an American Idol-like talent show, the threat of terrorism, and the White House of George W. Bush into a comedy.

Briefly, the story centers around production of American Dreamz, the nation’s #1 TV show, and what happens when an Arab terrorist infiltrates as a contestant and the President of the U.S. appears as a guest judge to boost his plummeting popularity in the polls.

After an acid-tongued, sharp start, things get a little softer, but if the film doesn’t soar
throughout, there are still several priceless moments. I loved it when a terrorist watching American Dreamz in a desert tent via satellite, exclaims rapturously after watching their sleeper cell contestant warble “My Way”, – “he nailed it!”

Mandy Moore as a wanna be Idol with a heart of brass and Hugh Grant as the swarmy Simon Cowellesque-impresario of the show – 2 utterly self involved people who briefly need each other – more than acquit themselves, and the rest of the players (including Dennis Quaid as the President, dumber than a board but with the stirrings of a conscience and William Dafoe as the Karl Rove power behind the throne) look like they are having such a good time, it’s infectious.

For the film historians among you, compare this to Bye Bye Birdy, rather than The Americanization of Emily.

True, it doesn’t sink its teeth into this rich material the way a great satire like THANK YOU FOR SMOKING does, but it wins my vote for at least nibbling around the edges. I give American Dreamz a solid middle of the road B (an A to Universal’s promotion team for the film’s tag line — “IMAGINE A COUNTRY WHERE MORE PEOPLE VOTE FOR A POP IDOL THAN THEIR NEXT PRESIDENT.”)

Relax and enjoy it, then go home and read a newspaper like the President in the film does.

American dreamz-small Hugh




~Ashley Reid/Chris Verene/DANIEL REICH temp.Space

Ashley reid/Chris Verene

ASHLEY REID and CHRIS VERENE at the ‘Chris Verene – Self Esteem Salon’. Ashley curated this exhibition and performance by Chris Verene at the DANIEL REICH temp.Space@Hotel Chelsea, NYC, which ran from Nov 16 – 19, 2006.
photo: Nov 19, 2005, Nancy Smith

Chris verene-card

the card for the show.

to see an extensive photo report on the show, plus photos of CARLTON DEWOODY at the performance and in past fantasies, as well as, the first published photo of ASHLEY REID’S own photographic work, and exclusive photos inside DANIEL REICH’s own apt at the HOTEL CHELSEA, see: more HOTEL CHELSEA PIX




~Tara DeLong/&/DANIEL REICH interview

Tara DeLong # 1

tara DeLong # 2

Tara DeLong performs at the inaugral party, Daniel Reich temp.Space@Hotel Chelsea, NYC, Nov 4, 2005
photos: Nancy Smith

What’s not to get about a hard core radical white hot ‘Lesbo’ chick … or as others have penned her .. a ‘feisty Mexican industrial’ – & – let’s not forget: TALENTED !! rapper & performance artist! HARD DRIVING! TARA DELONG performed with a back-up crew as feisty as she was … as well as half naked gorgeous ‘lesbian’ chicks handing out tequilla shots (very) freely to the audience. This was the inaugral performance for what was to be a short lived alternative art performance space run by DANIEL REICH in a back room, tucked away behind the sign-in desk, on the ground floor of the HOTEL CHELSEA – too wild even for the Hotel Chelsea, the space only managed to put on about 3 shows before it was shut down.

Daniel Reich -the man behind the party

DANIEL REICH – the man behind the party. Tara DeLong performance, Daniel Reich
temp.Space@Hotel Chelsea, NYC, Nov 4, 2005
photo: Nancy Smith

to see a really fun interview with DANIEL REICH that was posted in the HOTEL CHELSEA BLOG,
go to: DANIEL REICH interview

more: Tara DeLong Hotel Chelsea performance photos




~Sumakshi Singh/VAN HARRISON

Sumakshi Singh

SUMAKSHI SINGH opened ‘Lumps, Bumps and Things that are Art’, on February 17th, 2006 – at the VAN HARRISON GALLERY, NYC. pictured above at the opening, from left:
gallerist Van Harrison; the artist, Sumakshi Singh; her boyfriend, Carl Petrucci; and, at the right, Travis Harrison, the gallery’s co-director in its NYC re-location.
photo: Nancy Smith

Sumakshi Singh-card

the card for: ‘Lumps, Bumps and Things that are Art’ – installations by SUMAKSHI SINGH. The show ran from February 17 – March 18, 2006 at the initial VAN HARRISON gallery space on 26th Street, in CHELSEA. Newly re-locating to NYC from Chicago, this was Van Harrison’s 3rd show in New York City. (The gallery’s very first NYC show, ‘CARL Z. SUDDATH – New Drawings + Scuplture’ scored a review in the FEB 2006 ARTFORUM.) Caught up in a typical NYC landlord ‘screws-to-the-head’ power play – the gallery is currently in the midst of re-locating – probably to the East Village. Van likes to make his own mark, as anyone who is familiar with his gallery’s Chicago legacy knows, and he wants some space in which to flex his curatorial and creative flair, and get a bit away from the classic Chelsea, “I am a real gallery!” white box format.

on MARCH 7th, 2006 the artlovers home page stated:
… ‘new kids on the block * VAN & TRAVIS HARRISON * have a hit on their hands with their 3rd show – ‘Lumps, Bumps and Things that are Art’ installations by Chicago -based artist * SUMAKSHI SINGH * if you get the impression from the card, above .. that the show’s all about large painting * you’d be absolutely WRONG !! * its one of those shows that seem invisible when you walk in, slowly revealing itself to be exquisite & inventive both visually & conceptually – its also about the only show in town where you can purchase one-of-a-kind artwork – from an artist on the fast track – for between $200- $800 * Van Harrison recently re-located his gallery from Chicago, and runs the NYC venture with his brother, Travis.’

The show also received – a more descriptive – write-up in the GALLERY ‘PICK’ list of the Village Voice, MARCH 15-21, 2006 issue.
Written by R.C. BAKER here’s what was said:
“You make think this empty gallery’s plumbing has gone bad – water stains the wall to shin height; puddles gather in corners; gypsum board buckles; mildew and fungus sprout haphazardly. But those tiny, colorful mushrooms are actually polymer clay and the puddles synthetic, and of course it’s all for sale. That immemorial question “But is it art? gets answered here with wry, backhanded grace.”

photos from the opening

more info: VAN HARRISON GALLERY




~JOE BRADLEY/CANADA/THE NEW YORK TIMES

Joe Bradley-opening

JOE BRADLEY opened a show of beautifully minimal and yet totally resonant and ‘animated’ paintings at CANADA, NYC. Titled ‘Kurgan Waves’, the show opened on January 27, 2006 and ran until March 4, 2006.
the above photo is a view of 2 of the large scale, but thinly produced paintings. The sparse production irionically only added to the ‘depth’ of the expressiveness of the totally abstract but evocative work. ‘The show is amazing – in how such simple minimalism could be so stunning in its visual resonance, depth and character’ – artlovers home page (March 7, 2006)
this photo was taken at the opening, hence the beer bottles on the floor.
photo: Nancy Smith

‘KURGAN WAVES’ garnered JOE BRADLEY a highlighted review (with an image) in the FRIDAY FEBRUARY 17, 2006 NEW YORK TIMES. Written by KEN JOHNSON, the review appeared on the prestigious THE LISTINGS page.
The text by Mr. Johnson was very perceptive .. here are some quotes:
“In art, pretending to be dumber, more juvenile or less rational than you are usually serves an advanced sophistication. It certainly does in the surprisingly sweet and mysteriously resonant exhibition by Joe Bradley, a young New York-based painter having his third solo show. Mr. Bradley’s multipanel paintings consist of flimsy, store-bought canvases brusquely painted single colors and arranged to create the much simplified images of armless, big-shouldered figures resembling primitive video game characters. Standing almost nine feet … (they) seem to have been gathered for some kind of tribal ceremony……”
“To use a Minimalist vocabulary or such unabashedly anthropomorphic purposes is somehow comical….. But it also vividly expresses how we may experience even the most abstract artworks as animated by life-like or supernatural energies. We may not be as sophisticated as we think.”

this is a visual scan of the NEW YORK TIMES article.

Joe Bradley-N Y Times

JOE BRADLEY, as MALIBU VON, is the frontman of the NYC band – Cheesesburger

photos from the opening

CANADA




~Richard Johnson/PAGE SIX

Richard Johnson

for all you PAGE SIX FANS: here’s a photo from the recent artlovers archives. RICHARD JOHNSON with his son, DAMON JOHNSON at a BAIRD JONES celebrity art event. Chelsea, NYC.
June 2nd, 2005
Photo: Nancy Smith

to see more photos from this event, hit: celebrity art
& scroll down past the DEARRAINDROP photos – to the 14th row.

there’s also a photo of Damon’s mom – P.R. maven: NADINE JOHNSON, in the Art Lovers New York 2003 Archive on artnet,
1st photo, 2nd row down from the top.
Photo taken at Mr. Chow, NYC, May 13, 2003
Photo: Nancy Smith