‘IT’S OK To MAKE MISTAKES’
OPENS To-NITE – SAT JUNE 16, 2007 – 6-10PM
THE SHOW RUNS FROM: SAT JUNE 16 – SAT JULY 1, 2007
RIVIERA GALLERY – 103 METROPOLITAN AVE – WILLIAMSBURG, BROOKLYN
GALLERY HOURS:
Thursday and Friday: 2 – 8PM
Saturday and Sunday: 12noon – 6PM
(or by private appointment 1-718-599-5589)
‘IT’S OK TO MAKE MISTAKES’
JUERG LEHNI AND LAURENZ BRUNNER PRESENT:
– HEKTOR – A PORTABLE SPRAY-PAINT OUTPUT DEVICE !!!
“HEKTOR is a portable Spray-paint Output Device for laptop computers. It was created in close collaboration with engineer Uli Franke for Jurg Lehni’s diploma project at ecal (ecole cantonale d’art de Lausanne) in 2002.
Hektor’s light and fragile installation consists of only two motors, toothed belts and a can holder that handles regular spray cans. The can is moved along drawing paths just as the human hand or old plotters would. During operation, the mechanism sometimes trembles and wobbles, and the paint often drips. The contrasts between these low-tech aspects and the high-tech touch of the construction hold ambiguous and poetic qualities and make Hektor enjoyable to watch in action. . .”
websites of interest:
www.hektor.ch/
www.scratchdisk.com
www.lineto.com
www.scriptographer.com
www.vectorama.org
www.laurenzbrunner.com
RIVIERA GALLERY
DIRECTIONS: 103 Metropolitan Avenue in Williamsburg, BROOKLY.
Take the L train to BEDFORD AVENUE stop.
Walk south 5 blocks and take right on to METROPOLITAN AVENUE.
Walk 2 blocks to corner of WYTHE and METROPOLITAN.
UP-DATE: TUES JUNE 19, 2007
from left: JUERG LEHNI, HEKTOR’S creator, CHLOE DERDERIAN, RIVIERA’S new Managing Director, LAURENZ BRUNNER, guest collaborator – graphics/content, and MATT OWEN, one of the founding Directors, RIVIERA GALLERY, at the opening.
‘IT’S OK TO MAKE MISTAKES’ – JUERG LEHNI and LAURENZ BRUNNER PRESENT:
HEKTOR – A PORTABLE SPRAY-PAINT OUTPUT DEVICE,
RIVIERA GALLERY, Williamsburg, BROOKLYN, June 16, 2007
PHOTO: Nancy Smith
YEP, HEKTOR was a “light and fragile” low-fi production, and it was fascinating to watch the little machine that could, decorate the gallery walls. the designs were text driven,
but the choice of fonts, tone, (graphics & message), and the spray paint hue made for a very visual and poetic experience. The designs were pre-programmed into a laptop computer, and sent to HEKTOR, which just seemed to be jerry rigged on 2 lines, actually 2 “toothed belts”, connected to 2 pulleys at the top of the wall. it was fascinating to watch the designs evolve.
HEKTOR had to re-claim its “balance” by making a little circle after each complete letter or design glyph, and as the design moved down the wall, and the tether lines became longer, the control of the spray can became more fragile and tenuous – but never really, losing it, all together, for a moment. it basically wobbled and wavered, as the press release rightly stated, and the line became less focused, but it was very much a fun thing. it was like HEKTOR became animate and human, given a little “more rope”. the contrast between the hi-tech, as in the pre-programmed computer directions, and the low-tech messenger, was indeed fun to watch. it was definitely an out-put device that was poetic, as compared to a hi-end printer that spits out clean computer designs, to the dot, and yes, HEKTOR – therefore “conveys the abstract geometries contained in these graphics in a different way than normal printers do.”
JUERG LEHNI, who is a graphic design artist himself, created HEKTOR and apparently invites other artists to collaborate with him, to create exhibitions featuring HEKTOR’S spray paint possibilities . . In this New York HEKTOR debut, he has invited the graphic design artist, LAURENZ BRUNNER to in-put visual “content”. Both artists are Swiss Germans, who are currently in NYC living in the downtown Manhattan area, on a temporary residency grant (GRAPHIC DESIGN) funded by the
CULTURAL DEPARTMENT of ZURICH.
the show is up for 2 weeks, don’t believe there will be any more live demonstrations, but HEKTOR will be there, and the designs in themselves, as finished product are
fascinating enough to stand on their own, though just why they are so compelling in their simplicity – is hard to put into words. must be that special HEKTOR touch, not to mention the a-head of the curve sensibilites of JUERG LEHNI and LAURENZ BRUNNER.
more photos from the opening
VIEW HEKTOR In ACTION
there’s a link to live action clips of HEKTOR here:
RIVIERA GALLERY – HEKTOR: http://seeyouattheriviera.com/hektor
RIVIERA GALLERY – http://seeyouattheriviera.com
~IT’S OK TO MAKE MISTAKES/RIVIERA/opens SAT/up-date |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | June 16th, 2007, 9:07am
TED McGRATH and CHRIS SILAS NEAL – exhibited new works on paper last month at
RIVIERA GALLERY, in Williamsburg, BROOKLYN.
the show was titled: TED McGRATH AND CHRIS SILAS NEAL
and ran: MAY 10 – JUNE 3, 2007
.. . “two of New York’s hardest working illustrators, Ted and Chris channel pop, folk, fine art and doodles into works that have the power to be both hilariously charming and subversively dark.” –
RIVERIA GALLERY
both have really interesting, really different websites.
the CHRIS SILAS NEAL site opens with a blog account of his projects. the latest entry, as of this post, 6/5/07 – relates his recent time with NICKELODEON, don’t miss the QUICKTIME player of the FINAL TV SPOT !
IMAGE: COURTESY CHRISTOPHER SILAS NEAL
check out the CHRISTOPHER SILAS NEAL site: http://redsilas.com
………………………………………………………………
the TED McGRATH site is presented in more of a portfolio format…
IMAGE: COURTESY TED McGRATH
check out the TED McGRATH site: http://www.tedmcgrath.com
the show is archived under EXHIBITIONS>2007
RIVERIA GALLERY – http://seeyouattheriviera.com
~TED McGRATH/CHRIS SILAS NEAL |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | June 16th, 2007, 8:29am
. . . . the most astute blue chip buy of the season:
NOTE: the actual Maison Tropicale bought at CHRISTIE’S was a slightly different house,
but follows along these guidelines.
JEAN PROUVE, ‘A TROPICAL HOUSE’, exhibited in the HAMMER MUSEUM courtyard,
OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 2005.
PHOTO: COURTESY HAMMER MUSEUM
archival notes from the HAMMER MUSEUM (OCT 4, 2005):
. . . “A prefabricated metal house constructed by French designer JEAN PROUVE, known as the Tropical House, will be installed in the Hammer Museum courtyard
during October and November 2005. Installation of Jean Prouve: A Tropical House will begin October 4, and deinstallation will begin in January 2006.
The installation and deinstallation periods will last for approximately two weeks and are integral aspects of the display, allowing the public to observe, first-hand, Prouve’s notions of prefabricated architecture in practice.
Prouve designed the Tropical house in 1949 as a prototype for inexpensive, readily
assembled housing that could be easily transported to France’s African colonies. Fabricated in Prouve’s French workshops, the components for the house were completed in 1951 and were flown disassembled to Africa in the cargo hold of an airplane. The house was erected in the town of Brazzaville, Congo, where it remained for nearly 50 years. In 1999 the Tropical House was disassembled and shipped back to France for restoration…”
an excellent essay by ROBERT RUBIN, About Jean Prouve’s Tropical House, as well as a striking series of installation photographs can be found on the HAMMER MUSEUM website: www.hammer.ucla.edu/exhibitions/95/index.htm
THE NEW YORK TIMES, JUNE 6, 2007 – Metro Briefing, Page B8
MANHATTAN: HOTIELIER BUYS 1951 HOUSE
“The hotelier ANDRE BALAZS bought Maison Tropicale, a small 1951 aluminum-paneled house by the French designer JEAN PROUVE, for $4.97 million yesterday, Christie’s auction house said. Christie’s had estimated that the house would go for $4 million to $6 million. (The final price ncluded Christie’s commission: 20 percent of the first $500,000 and 12 percent of the rest.) The house had been on view since mid May in Long Island City. Prouve designed it as a prototype for prefabricated homes for French colonial officials stationed in Africa.
The seller, Eric Touchaleaume, a French antiques dealer, as said he plans to use the proceeds to finance a Prouve museum that will travel in another Maison Tropicale.”
CHRISTIE’S, NEW YORK – AUCTION DATE: JUNE 5, 2007
illustration not available
LOT 0311
JEAN PROUVE (1901-1984)
THE PROTOTYPE LARGE MAISON TROPICALE FOR BRAZZAVILLE, 1950-51
ESTIMATE: $4,000,000-6,000,000
SOLD FOR: $4,968,000
note: the property offered for sale as LOT 0311 consists solely of the prototype Maison Tropicale created by Jean Prouve. Photographic illustrations (not available on-line) may include the base, which includes the iroko decking and the tall pillars from which the prototype is raised on short, adjustable, telescopic pillars was not designed by Jean Prouve. The iroko base and the tall pillars, designed and manufactured by the present owner to provide an optional platform for the prototype Maison Tropicale, are not being offered for sale in this auction but will be made available for purchase by the successful bidder via a private sale.
note: the base was bought privately.
CHRISTIE’S
from the artlovers archives:
CATHRINE PROUVE, JEAN PROUVE’S DAUGHTER .. and
SERGE PROUVE, JEAN PROUVE’S GRANDSON, (said to resemble his grandfather),
sitting at one of his grandpa’s original work desks …
a folding chair by JEAN PROUVE,
at the opening of: ‘Furniture and Architecture by JEAN PROUVE’,
curated by PATRICK SEQUIN,
SONNABEND GALLERY, FEB 22, 2003
Photos: Nancy Smith
these photos first posted in artnet, MARCH 17, 2003
~JEAN PROUVE/CHRISTIE’S/ANDRE BALAZS |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | June 15th, 2007, 12:56pm
URS FISHER, in front of his painting, ‘A Novel & Its Novelist’,
in ‘Fig, Nut and Pear’, his one man show at Gavin Brown’s enterprise
FEB 19, 2005
PHOTO: Nancy Smith
the one image worth cruising the FRANCOIS PINAULT, PALOZZI GRASSI in VENICE, for – is ‘JET SET LADY’ by URS FISCHER. it is a huge tree ‘infrastructure’ containing many small artworks on paper, or as the site describes it:.. “simultaneously beautiful and ugly, mammoth and intimate, ‘JET SET LADY’ is a three dimensional map of the artist’s mind in the form of a tree…”
(..have absolutely no idea why the word “ugly” is used here … ?!!)
the site doesn’t allow images to be lifted …(once a businessman always a businessman) nor hyperlinked – so go to:
www.palazzograssi.it/sequence1
then hit: ENGLISH
then hit: artists
then hit: URS FISCHER
more URS FISCHER, ‘Fig, Nut and Pear’ photos
~URS FISCHER/GBE/PALAZZO GRASSI |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | June 15th, 2007, 10:43am
RUDOLF STINGEL is in the news regarding his participation in ‘SEQUENCE 1’ – a FRANCOIS PINAULT presentation of contemporary art (from his personal collection) that just opened, in his PALAZZO GRASSI exhibition hall in Venice. The exhibit was curated by ALISON M. GINGERAS, and focuses on 16 artists, Mr. Stingel being one of them. Some of the works were reportedly commissioned just for the show, including a pavilion-like structure within which one can find a silver-paneled room and chandelier installation by Mr. Stingel. Besides being an avid art collector and exhibitor on a grand museum quality scale, Francois Pinault owns CHRISTIE’S AUCTION HOUSE.
RUDOLF STINGEL has recently presented 2 installations in New York City that really caught our imaginations. The first was a very striking installation of one large single painting – a portrait of his NYC dealer, PAULA COOPER, in the large and beautifully designed gallery space in Chelsea that bears her name. The exhibit opened on Feb 12, 2005, PAULA COOPER GALLERY, (Chelsea), NYC.
RUDOLF STINGEL at the opening of his installation,
PAULA COOPER GALLERY, NYC
FEB 12, 2005
RUDOLF STINGEL, large painting, PORTRAIT Of PAULA COOPER,
PAULA COOPER GALLERY, FEB 12, 2005
PAULA COOPER, photographed at the opening,
RUDOLF STINGEL installation, PAULA COOPER GALLERY,
FEB 12, 2005
ABOVE PHOTOS: Nancy Smith
A VIEW OF THE RUDOLF STINGEL INSTALLATION,
PAULA COOPER GALLERY, FEB 2005
PHOTO: COURTESY PAULA COOPER GALLERY
The second installation, presented a year later, was even more intriguing, and very different.
Mr. STINGEL installed a complete gallery floor of ‘mirror-polished aluminum’, in
the aptly and poetically, wonderfully named, ‘Hiding in the Light’, a small group exhibit, curated by NEVILLE WAKEFIELD, at MARY BOONE GALLERY (CHELSEA), that ran from Jan 12 – Feb 25, 2006.
Looking back at the photos, it still resonates as one of the most beautiful and critically awesome exhibits, ever. Resonates is the perfect word, for this exhibit, in more ways than one, and the RUDOLF STINGEL floor certainly contributed greatly. Sublimely invisible and reflectively dynamic all at once, it was installed in a seemingly seamless effort, from wall to wall, creating a 4th dimension that could be there, or not. You felt something magical happening the minute you walked in, but the effect was so sublime, you didn’t always realize you were actually walking on a perfectly reflective surface. It was curious, beautiful.
in the foreground, CAROL BOVE, ‘YSL’ (hanging lines of crystal-like beads)
reflected in the RUDOLF STINGEL mirrored floor, note the gallery-goers,
considering the ‘properties’ of the floor underfoot . .
a bronze, life-size, ‘Lifeboat’ by JEFF KOONS, adrift on the RUDOLF STINGEL
mirror-polished aluminum floor,
with a reflection of ALEKSANDRA MIR’S ‘Beauty Free’ canvas.
‘Hiding in the Light’, curated by NEVILLE WAKEFIELD,
MARY BOONE GALLERY (Chelsea), Jan 28, 2007
PHOTOS: Nancy Smith
see: more photos of this exhibit: posted 2006-05-12
RUDOLF STINGEL, ‘Untitled’, dimensions variable,
mirror-polished aluminum, 2004
PHOTO: COURTESY MARY BOONE GALLERY
There are no images of the present RUDOLF STINGEL installation at
PALAZZO GRASSI posted on their website.
IT’S got a lot of not very impressive web glitz & flash – BUT its not very generous with the images. not very functional at all. after all, M. Pinault, we can’t all get to Venice, it would sink. is your exhibit archival in spirit, or just another artworld touristas destination ?
. . but anyways, with the words..”silver paneled room and a chandelier” one might imagine it to be reflective and sublimely magical, if it is at all, even remotely, a close cousin to these 2 pieces/installations, above..
palazzograssi.it
~RUDOLF STINGEL/VENICE/PAULA COOPER/MARY BOONE |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | June 14th, 2007, 3:09pm
LOT 4
RUDOLPH STINGEL, b. 1957
Untitled, 2002
Celotex insulation board, wood and aluminium in two parts.
overall 94-1/4 x 67-1/8 ins.
This work is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity signed by the artist.
ESTIMATE: $60,000-80,000
SOLD FOR: $734,000
PART I
CONTEMPORARY ART
MAY 17, 2007 NEW YORK
PHILLIPS de PURY & COMPANY
PHILLIPS de PURY & COMPANY
~RUDOLF STINGEL/PHILLIPS/MAY 17 |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | June 14th, 2007, 2:10pm
DAMIEN HIRST diamond encrusted skull – ‘For the Love of God’,
image: courtesy White Cube, London
DAMIEN HIRST, . . . For the Love of Money or (Bad) Art Marketing 101.
Damien Hirst & White Cube have put forth an “extraordinary diamond skull,
‘For the Love of God’, a life-size cast of a human skull in platinum, covered entirely
by 8,601 VVS to flawless pave-set diamonds. They want $100,000,000, YES!! that’s
100 million $$ US !!, for it. the story goes something like, its got $30 million worth of diamonds, and therefore the artist and the dealer get to split the remaining 70 million, left over. As of this posting – they haven’t found a taker, yet.
(well, at least the new owner doesn’t have to hire a scuba diver to jump in and clean it, once a week, which Damien’s ‘aquarium/fish tank’ pieces require.)
They have also made available, for the lesser pocket-booked, a series of silkscreens depicting the skull, cutely titled: ‘For the Love of God, Laugh’ !
These silkscreens are in an edition of 250, and they are sprinkled with real diamond dust !! These prints are going for: 10,000 British pounds+VAT
you can see pictures of the skull & prints on the White Cube, LONDON website:
LAUNCH VIEWING ROOM
and for the data, check here:
VIEWING ROOM/data:
bad enough as that is, a young and slightly eccentric, or is it obsessive, collector,
down in Tribeca – is telling anyone who will listen, the unsubstantiated claim that: ” . . Damien Hirst is the world’s richest living artist, having amassed a personal fortune that clocks in at over: 250 million pounds (US$500 million)”.
to celebrate this top tier OCEANS 11 heist of the artworld:
here’s some never-before-published artlovers photos, from 2005:
DAMIEN HIRST opens, ‘THE ELUSIVE TRUTH’ at GAGOSIAN GALLERY, CHELSEA, NYC. (24th STREET), MARCH 11, 2005
The show ran from March 11 – May 21, 2005
Photos: Nancy Smith
DAMIEN HIRST opens ‘THE ELUSIVE TRUTH’, GAGOSIAN GALLERY, 24th STREET, NYC.
DAMIEN HIRST greets some fans at the opening.
STEVE BUSCEMI makes the DAMIEN HIRST opening.
MAURIZIO CATTELAN also dropped by the DAMIEN HIRST opening.
one of the paintings in the show. DAMIEN HIRST, ‘ Minerals’, 2000-2003,
oil and acrylic on canvas, 72 x 89 ins.
large painting, DAMIEN HIRST, in ‘THE ELUSIVE TRUTH’, GAGOSIAN GALLERY,
24th STREET, NYC, MARCH 11, 2005
see more: DAMIEN HIRST – ‘THE ELUSIVE TRUTH’ (2005), GAGOSIAN GALLERY
~DAMIEN HIRST/$100 million/man |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | June 13th, 2007, 4:37pm
LOT 31
DAMIEN HIRST b. 1965
Naja Haje, 2000
Gloss household paint on canvas. 60 x 52 ins.
ESTIMATE: $800,000-1,200,000
SOLD FOR: $846,000
PART I
CONTEMPORARY ART
MAY 17, 2007 NEW YORK
PHILLIPS de PURY & COMPANY
PHILLIPS de PURY & COMPANY
~DAMIEN HIRST/PHILLIPS/MAY 17 |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | June 13th, 2007, 3:44pm
LOT 30
DAMIEN HIRST b. 1965
Loss of Memory is Worse than Death, 1994
Painted steel cage, formaldehyde containers, mask, gloves, and syringe.
42 x 84 x 30 uns.
ESTIMATE: $300,000-400
SOLD FOR: 600,000
PART I
CONTEMPORARY ART
MAY 17, 2007 NEW YORK
PHILLIPS de PURY & COMPANY
PHILLIPS de PURY & COMPANY
~DAMIEN HIRST/PHILLIPS/MAY 17 |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | June 13th, 2007, 3:37pm
After one spin of the second Peter Bjorn And John CD, Writer’s Block, I
became an enthusiastic advocate for Globalism. Here’s a Sewdish group that have
made a great new CD – with all the lyrics in English.
Even though the musical references from the Beatles; 80’s new wave; Guided
by Voices; and all those great Sarah Record bands (e.g. The Field Mice) are there,
the music is totally fresh and new.
The monster song is ‘Up Against The Wall’ – JOY DIVISION comes to mind.
‘Objects Of My Affection’, ‘The Chills’, ‘Young Folks’, and ‘Roll The Credits’ are
also massive.
The emotional tone is young and exuberant, hopeful but wary. The lyrics are simple
but very sharp and right on. Take a ride on this CD to another world and enjoy.
Artwork & Handwriting by Graham Samuels
Original Band Photo by Johan Bergmark
Peter Bjorn And John, Writer’s Block EMI MUSIC PUBLISHING SCANDINAVIA AB
copyright 2006 V2 MUSIC SCANDINAVIA AB
www.peterbjornandjohn.com
~Peter Bjorn And John |
Posted in Indie Music Reviews | By Simon Cerigo | June 12th, 2007, 10:16am
