~OLAFUR ELIASSON/P.S.1

OLAFUR ELIASSON – ‘TAKE YOUR TIME’ – this is your last !! chance to check it out !!
APRIL 20 – JUNE 30, 2008
P.S.1 CONTEMPORARY ART CENTER
for times & info: P.S.1

there is also an associate exhibit at MoMA.

. . . to our eye – the 2 most interesting parts of the Danish-Icelandic artist OLAFUR ELIASSON’S installation/exhibit – ‘TAKE YOUR TIME’ – (besides the title!!) at P.S.1 are the 2 water pieces.
and of those – one is definitely better than the other. Although ‘Reversed waterfall’ is pretty good – and looks real good in the site – ‘Beauty’ – on the other hand is spectacular – and rises way beyond the sublime. I would put ‘Beauty’ in a class with the 2 URS FISCHER offerings of this year – the dug-out hole at GBE, titled ‘You’ & the currently running (up til JULY 12th !!) ‘Who’s Afraid of Jasper Johns’ at TONY SHAFRAZI – and, I guess that would put ROB PRUITT’S ‘VIAGRA FALLS’ – into the victory waterworld ring, too !!
Though, while Mr. Eliasson’s waterworks take on a gothic and fairy tale aspect – the comparison only serves to better illustrate the funny, rushing and ‘Woodstock revivial’ DIY nature of Mr. Pruitt’s ‘Viagra Falls’ !!
see: GAVIN & URS .. and ROB PRUITT rock TONY !!

Eli # 1
. . . approaching ‘Reversed waterfall’.

Eli # 2
OLAFUR ELIASSON, ‘reversed waterfall’, 1998.
Scaffolding, steel, water, foil, hose, and pump. Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary.

Eli # 3
the base – interesting for its rawness. and coldness.

Eli # 4
it’s a reverse waterfall, because a pump delivers the water upwards into staged compartments – till the flow hits the top one and then it exits (downwards) thru a pipe . . . so there is no water cascading downwards, at all. only water moving up. somewhat like a common, albeit, giant, kid’s sand toy that can be seen on ocean beaches.

Eli # 5
‘Reverse waterfall’ – one of the most striking features of this fountain ..NOT !! is the huge racket of the water as it hits each succeeding metal unit on the way up. esp. in the open configuration of P.S.1 – its a huge huge clanging sound that echoes throughout the entire building. It sounds like a huge swimming pool full of dedicated strong swimmers – but in the school-like, really school/derived setting – that is P.S.1 – its really strange to note the huge sound of water being churned – but minus the clatter & laughter of children.

Eli # 6
another interesting aspect of the piece – is how you can move around it – and the water dynamics become hidden – even though it is so relatively a narrow and ‘transparent’ structure.

Eli # 7
from head-on – you wouldn’t even know that water was crashing upwards through it.

Eli # 9
on the other side of the hallway – directly opposite to the open room of the ‘Reversed waterfall’ – is a doorway leading to very dark, a very black – elaborately constructed entry. at first you expect another (tedious) video display theater – but NOT !!

Eli # 10
warning !! . . . about to enter . . . ‘Beauty’ !!

Eli # 8
even the security guard, who we remember being there, at P.S.1 – forever. can’t contain her excitement at showing ‘Beauty’ off – and there is it – can you see it ?

Eli # 11
‘Beauty’ – that’s pretty much, exactly !!how it looks, until your eyes adjust somewhat to the blackness. it just stops you cold – completely – it is so unlike anything you
have ever seen before. or coulsd have imagined. and it is silent. and it is magical. it is the lightest thing on earth. it’s hard to comprehend at first. a changing play of almost spectrum pure light reflected onto a wall, actually a spray – of the fine fine water mist.

Eli # 11 A
here’s the previous photo – photo shopped – so you can actually see what it is.
OLAFUR ELIASSON – ‘Beauty’, 1993. Fresnel lamp, water nozzles, hose, wood, and pump. Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, purchased with funds provided by Paul Frankel.
“A spotlight shines obliquely through a curtain of fine mist, creating an indoor rainbow. Your experience of the visual effects is generated by the intersection of water and light and varies in relation to your viewing position within the room.” ~ P.S.1 press release

Eli # 12

Eli # 13

Eli # 14

Eli # 15

Eli # 16

Eli # 17

Eli # 18

Eli # 20
once you got over being transfixed – you realized you could get right up, in front of it, you could slice your hand though the mist – and even walk around it. that was a strange, strange, contrary feeling – because its effect, its presence – was so intangible. you could even look up, and see how it worked.

it was so the opposite of ‘Reverse waterfall’ in many ways. it was so hidden and dark. and it was so silent. it was as deathly silent, totally silent, as ‘Reverse waterfall’ was clamorous and clanging. even the nozzles that emitted the mist made not a sound, not even a technical whisper.
. . . but in another way, like ‘Reverse waterfall’ – it benefited, gained in visual dynamic & conceptual subtext – from being placed in the basement of P.S. 1 – a transformed old institutional Victorian school – whose careful restoration had saved, impeccably, the original infrastructure. it was totally eerie to come across this absolutely silent mist of ever changing light – in its austere stage, in the school’s basement. It was as if you were Hermoine, and you had stumbled across the forbidden secret of life – hidden deep in the HOGWARTS dungeon.
It was like a forbidden beauty.
. . . when the overhead nozzles – came into realization – it took on an even scarier aspect. NAZI concentration camp death showers. or a GRIMM Bros. fairy tale. we’re like – whoa we would have wondered right in – we did wonder right in – and – totally transfixed by the fragile shimmer beauty – we would have died – unable to turn away – in time.
. . . is that Danish-Icelandic subtext ?

Eli # 20
the Fresnel lamp overhead.

Eli # 22
looking thru ‘Beauty’ … from behind the mist’s veil.

Eli # 23

Eli # 24

Eli # 25

Eli # 26
the stairs leading back up to the exit. ‘Beauty’ was wonderfully staged.

PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH, JUNE 19, 2008

P.S.1




~RAIN BIRD/P.F.1

Rain bird
RAIN BIRD/’ENTER THE MUSEUM’/IMAGE COURTESY: RAIN BIRD

way yeah !! – enter the RAIN BIRD MUSEUM – this is pretty much – the coolest (virtual) museum trip I’ve ever taken …. enter: the RAIN BIRD MUSEUM !!

. . . is that animated virtual hostess – the best & coolest ever, or what !!!

I think its the combination of graphics that look so 50’s – with content that’s so now !! – i.e. – “the intelligent use of water !!” . . and, all this from a scientific/technical company that goes way back to the 30’s !! . . that has me so flipped out. this site is wild !!!

. . . just take that RAIN BIRD museum tour. & then check out the rest of the site. nuff said. this site – should keep you busy for the weekend !!

. . . and don’t !! miss the link on the website’s lefthand index/under ‘COMMUNITY’ – to the RAIN BIRD 2008 TOURNAMENT Of ROSES FLOAT – titled ‘PRESERVATION CELEBRATION’ – which was honored with the Sweepstakes Trophy for the ‘Most Beautiful Float’ in the 2008 parade !!
here’s the link !! – RAIN BIRD FLOAT !!
. . . no wonder this company is over 7 decades old & still !! going strong !!

Rain bird float
RAIN BIRD 2008 TOURNAMENT OF ROSES – FLOAT/IMAGE COURTESY: RAIN BIRD

rain bird logo
National Geographic logo/COURTESY: RAIN BIRD

RAIN BIRD – “the world’s leader in irrigation” – & their DAVE SHANE – provided the IRRIGATION SYSTEM for PUBLIC FARM ONE.

. . . after all, after lightweight rooftop soil – what could be more important !!

(bye the way – I don’t notice a credit to bug and disease control on the PUBLIC FARM ONE website !! – yo, if you garden in NYC – you get the thought wave !! if they have bees & butterflies – they’re going to get – the pests, too. just ask any New Yorker with a terrace garden – its hard to believe – but they still find their way – right up there – 20TH floor and counting !!)

PUBLIC FARM ONE/P.S.1




~THE GAIA INSITUTE/P.F.1

GAIA
“TWIN LAKES … after”/PHOTO COURTESY: THE GAIA INSTITUTE

. . . what could be more important to a ‘floating-in-the-sky’ terrace/container garden, such as P.F.1 – than a lightweight planting soil ?

AMALE ANDRAOS & DAN WOOD got their “ultra-lightweight growing medium” from THE GAIA INSTITUTE: ‘GAIA SOIL / FOR GREEN ROOFS’ – PAUL S. MANKIEWICZ & JOHN HALENAR.

The GAIA INSTITUTE based in the BRONX, NYC – is a not-for-profit organization that:
” . . couples ecological engineering and restoration with the integration of human communities in natural systems.
“While much environmental engineering has the worthy aim of minimizing harm, The Gaia Institute explores, through research and development, design and construction, how human activities and waste products can be treated to increase ecological productivity, biodiversity, environmental quality, and economic well being.
“The purpose of The Gaia Institute is to test through demonstration the means by which the ecological components of backyards, communities, towns and cities, as wel as watersheds nd estuaries, can be enhanced through integrated wastes-into-resources technologies.”/THE GAIA INSTITUTE

. . . THE GAIA INSTITUTE website – with its briefly stated missions, visions & projects is worth a look.
check it out !!: THE GAIA INSTITUTE

GAIA SOIL

GAIA SOIL – the “revolutionary, ultra-lightweight green roof solution” – “Now, green roofs can grow nearly everywhere – Made from locally recycled materials – Created and patented by THE GAIA INSTITUTE” !!

check it out !!, maybe you can put some on YOUR roof !!: GAIA SOIL FOR GREEN ROOFS

PUBLIC FARM 1/P.S.1




~AMALE ANDRAOS & DAN WOOD/WORKac

Amale & Dan # 1
AMALE ANDRAOS & DAN WOOD of WORK Architecture Company (New York) at the opening reception of P.F.1 /PUBLIC FARM ONE at P.S.1 – the winning design of the 9th Annual YOUNG ARCHITECTS PROGRAM/THE MUSEUM OF MODERN ART/MoMA & P.S.1.

Amale & Dan - picking skirt
AMALE ANDRAOS & DAN WOOD in the courtyard annex at P.S.1. Dan is wearing a ‘picking’ skirt – with great zeal & style. His socks flashed a wonderful shade of neon green too, just like his wonderfully hued shirt !!

Amale & Dan # 3
. . . not all just fun & games & gardening !! – PUBLIC FARM ONE – had some amazing stats re: its infrastructure & vision … posted on columns around the main structure.
PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH, JUNE 19, 2008

. . . and so, of, course it was no surprise to hit their website/WORK.ac & find some pretty amazing graphics, design elements & projects.

Work ac/website
frame from the opening animation/IMAGE COURTESY/WORKac website

CHECK OUT !! their website !!: WORKac

. . . and don’t skip – hitting those little icons – along the bottom of the website screen – those are their many projects & project proposals – to date !!

you can see P.F.1/PUBLIC FARM ONE – which they really, seriously focused on – though pretty presitigious, being sponsored by MoMA, as well as it’s affliate P.S.1 – is actually a relatively small (budget) project/proposal for them – in the relative scale of all things: architecture !!

. . . our fave of all their proposals & projects – was their master plan 2002 for MAKKAH WESTERN GATEWAY – MAKKAH, Saudi Arabia.

Makkah
MAKKAH WESTERN GATEWAY PROPOSAL/IMAGE COURTESY: WORKac/website

Makkah # 2
MAKKAH WESTERN GATEWAY PROPOSAL/IMAGE COURTESY: WORKac/website

. . . . of course – their attention to detail, vision, lightheartedness/in seriousness, and innovative design – and just – how much work goes into these proposals – is also made abundantly clear in a quick visit to the website devoted to PUBLIC FARM ONE at P.S. 1 – as these few examples of the renderings found on the site – make clear in an instant.

farm the entrance
P.F.1 – THE ENTRANCE/IMAGE COURTESY: P.F.1

Farm - market
P.F.1 – THE MARKET/IMAGE COURTESY: P.F.1

farm-pool
P.F.1- THE POOL/IMAGE COURTESY: P.F.1

check out !!: PUBLIC FARM 1/P.S.1




~PUBLIC FARM ONE/P.S.1

THE MUSEUM OF MODERN ART & P.S.1 … SELECT . . . WORK ARCHITECTURE COMPANY (New York) – as the winner of their – 9th ANNUAL YOUNG ARCHITECTS PROGRAM.

P.F.1 – PUBLIC FARM ONE – designed & presented by WORK ARCHITECTURE COMPANY – of New York – headed by founding partners AMALE ANDRAOS and DAN WOOD – was first unveiled in the P.S.1 COURTYARD – THURSDAY NIGHT – JUNE 19, 2008.

The winning landscape – which includes a working, albeit ‘floating’ farm – is open to the public starting today, JUNE 20, 2008. Situated in the outdoor courtyard – it will serve as an interactive environment for the 2008 Warm Up summer music series – a popular summertime gathering – at P.S.1, Long Island City, Queens. NYC.

“The purpose of the MoMA/P.S.1 Young Architects program .. is to provide emerging young talent in architecture with the chance to prepare and present architectural solutions for a specific site. This year, five finalists … were asked to present an urban landscape for the large entrance courtyard of P.S.1, with the allotted project budget of $70,000. Essential to the design were elements of shade, water, seating and bar areas. ….

“P.F.1 (Public Farm One) is an urban farm concept that evokes the look of a flying carpet landing in the P.S.1 courtyard. Constructed from large cardboard tubes, its top surface will be a working farm, blooming with a variety of vegetables and plants. ….

“BARRY BERGDOLL (Philip Johnson Chief Curator, Department of Architecture and Design, MoMA) says, “Thirty years after REM KOOLHAAS published Delirious New York, the influential manifesto which celebrated the often unlikely and hybrid mixture of functions in the city’s huge buildings and dense districts, AMALE ANDRAOS and DAN WOOD of WORK Architecture Company bring us the improbable merger of a flying carpet and a farmer’s market, a cultivated and cultivatable piece of infrastructure that is a timely comment on issues from post-industrialization to sustainability. Here, the productive garden meets the art gallery, and the urban schoolyard acquires greenery.” ~ P.S.1 press release

Farm # 1
as you approach – you can have no idea – that that tip of ‘industrial’ looking ‘no-color’ containers – supported by tubular columns – peeping out over the truly concrete gate – is actually – not !! another concrete element – in the P.S.1 courtyard – but the underpinning of a very young, green & growing garden.

Farm # 2
as you enter the courtyard – you’re still not prepared – for what is to be.

Farm # 3
oh oh – the fun begins. a red periscope !! and the industrial containers begin to signal their true mandate – home to potted plants. a multitude of carefully tended, diverse green foliage beginning to spill out above the courtyard. . a green thumb porch floating high overhead.

farm # 4
a view in the opposite direction. that’s what they mean by ..”magic carpet”.

Farm # 5

farm # 6

farm # 8
a view of the containers from underneath. the back center one – is an empty “picking” hole – which the ‘hi-rise’ gardener climbs into from a ladder placed underneath – to be able to access and cultivate the ‘potted’ containers within reach.

farm # 7
magic carpet … meets very urban ‘citi’ bank hi-rise.

farm # 9
now there’s a farming sight – you don’t get to see every day – possibly only in New York & at this particular moment – a hi-rise garden – tended to by – a young WORK Architecture Company associate – resplendent in her – little black cocktail dress !!

Farm # 10
she’s carrying a really sweet – hand woven – cane basket – to harvest some herbs … sure footed

Farm # 10 B
and, carefree as can be – though she’s way high & the slope is no joke – 17 degrees !!
for sure she has left her party heels at home, and, traded in for some ballerina flats..

farm # 10 A

farm # 11
also enjoying the triumph & delights of the just finished project – ANDRES LEPIK, Curator, Department of Architecture and Design, MoMA, with his wife, Cristina.
An exhibition of the designs of all 5 finalists, including, in addition to WORK Architecture Company – Matter Architecture Practice (New York), MONAD Architects – Eric Goldemberg + Veronica Zalcberg (Miami), su11 architecture + design (New York), and THEM/Lynch+Crembil (New York) – organized by Mr. Lepik – will be presented in MoMA’s Louise Reinhardt Smith Gallery from July 15 to October 20, 2008.

farm # 29
AMALE ANDRAOS and DAN WOOD – of WORK Architecture Company (New York) – the winning team of the Ninth Annual Young Architects Program/The Museum of Modern Art and P.S.1 – with their design, realized: PUBLIC FARM ONE.

Farm # 30
BARRY BERGDOLL, Philip Johnson Chief Curator, Department of Architecture and Design, MOMA/The Museum of Modern Art.

farm # 31
MICHAEL GRADY ROBERTSON, Agricultural Supervisor, aka a gardener – of the QUEENS COUNTY FARM MUSEUM – who consulted on the garden, seeding schedule, types of plants, etc.
check out: QUEENS COUNTY FARM MUSEUM
p.s. he told us – he never went up onto the suspended-in-the-air-garden – saying … “he’s a farmer and he likes .. his soil and plants on the ground.” . . . meaning he’s down-to-earth. I guess, as opposed to artists and architects !!

farm # 32
from left: DANIEL A. SESIL, Partner LERA – the consulting structural engineer for the project, with DAN WOOD/WORK Architecture Company.

farm # 33
from left: ANNA KENOFF and HAVILAND ARGO – the project managers/DESIGN TEAM LEADERS of PUBLIC FARM ONE for WORK Architecture Company (New York).

Farm # 34
ART DOMANTAY – who was in charge of the actual construction of the project.

farm # 12
“The drip irrigation system is designed to deliver a controlled amount of water to each planter-tube. A series of drip tubes with adjustable emitters branch off of four main irrigation lines which are fed by a rainwater collecting cistern. The rainwater system should collect up to 6,000 gallons of water over the course of the summer. The irrigation system was designed in collaboration with Atlantic Irrigation and was installed by Lenny Librizzi and his team from the Council on the Environment of New York City. A solar-powered pump moves rainwater up through a column and then throughout the farm.”
IRRIGATION CONSULTANT: Atlantic Irrigation Specialties/MATT HART
IRRIGATION SYSTEM: Rain Bird/DAVE SHANE

farm # 13
well, so far – the farm/garden – seems to be doing pretty well..

farm # 14
what’s that ?

farm # 15
we’ve come across the wading pool.

farm # 16
we weren’t the only ones to appreciate its simple but refreshing design.

farm # 17
the periscope in action.

farm # 20
information about the farm & its workings – were presented in really nice graphics & formats

farm # 21
graphic design by PROJECT PROJECTS

farm love tunnel # 1
. . . a ‘spare’ structural column, “just in case one fails” – in the courtyard annex

Farm # 27

farm love tunnel # 3

Farm love tunnel # 4

Farm # 35
a highlite of the opening preview – DAN WOOD puts on a specially designed ‘picking’ skirt – so the ‘hi-rise’ farmers can harvest the crops, while they stand on ….. ladders !!

the PICKING SKIRT: “The P.S.1 farmers will wear picking skirts, designed by ELODIE BLANCHARD of ElasticCo., in order to harvest crops from the tubes. The garment can unfold and attach to the tubes during picking, and fold up again for carrying produce. The skirt has hooks and clips for gardening gloves and shovels.”/P.F.1

farm # 36
ladders – and reach up through empty containers aka ‘picking holes’ – which are scattered about the potted crop containers – for easy pickins’.

farm # 39

farm 40
AMALE ANDRAOS and DAN WOOD of WORK Architecture Company (New York).
Both Amale Andraos and Dan Wood were at some point – OM (Operating Managers) – for REM KOOLHAAS – which is how they met.

farm # 42
and what’s a farm – without animals ?

farm # 43

farm # 48
at some point, the farm started feeling like Beijing? so strange, to go from nondescript beige industrial containers, to state-of-the-art hi-rise irrigation to chickens to Chinese tourist ambience. and all, so lightheartedly.

Farm-Alanna
ALANNA HEISS, founder and Director, P.S. 1 Contemporary Art Center, a MoMA Affiliate.
P.S.1 was founded in 1971 by ALANNA HEISS as The Institute of Art and Urban Resources Inc., and was originally primarily dedicated to the transformation of abandoned and underutilized buildings in New York City into exhibition, performance, and studio spaces for artists. P.S.1 today is a center for innovative contemporary art with an international range.

PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH. JUNE 19, 2008

check out: WORKac
AMALE ANDRAOS & DAN WOOD/WORK Architecture Company/website !!

check out: publicfarm1.org
a site devoted to Public Farm One – with lots of pix of its evolution !!
& credits for the contributors of all kinds .. specialized tech support, gardening systems & consultation, artistic/design support, etc.

P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center




~STERLING RUBY/MOCA L.A.

MOCA FOCUS: ‘STERLING RUBY – SUPERMAX 2008’ – opens today.
the show runs JUNE 19 – AUGUST 19, 2008
MOCA PACIFIC DESIGN CENTER, THE MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART, LOS ANGELES

“MOCA Focus: Sterling Ruby, SUPERMAX 2008 is the eighth installment of MOCA’S series of one-person exhibitions of work by emerging artists in Southern California. Presented at MOCA Pacific Design Center, the exhibition will feature new works in an installment specifically designed for the space. Sterling Ruby’s works in collage, ceramics, video, and sculpture tackle received notions of aesthetic tropes and social stereotypes that are based on visual signs. Often monumental in scale, Ruby’s works immerse the viewer in sets of formal codes and gestures that refer to transience, transgression, and transference – phenomena that are social and psychological, physical and emotional. Born in Bittburg, Germany, in 1972, Ruby received BFAs from the Pennsylvania School of Art and Design in 1998 and from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2002. After relocating to Los Angeles in 2003, Ruby received an MFA from Art Center College of Design in 2005, and his work has been featured in numerous exhibitions internationally. The exhibition will be accompanied by a fully illustrated catalogue with an essay by MOCA Curator Philipp Kaiser.” ~MOCA press release

Sterling MOCA # 1
STERLING RUBY, ‘Big Grid/DACSKKKK’, 2008, Formica, 36 x 84 x 84 ins.
collection of Norman and Norah Stone, San Francisco, courtesy Thea Westreich Art Advisory Services. Photo: Robert Wedemeyer/IMAGE COURTESY: MOCA

Sterling MOCA # 2
STERLING RUBY, ‘SP21’, 2008, spray paint on canvas, 100 x 144 ins.
courtesy of the artist and Metro Pictures, NYC.
Photo: Robert Wedemeyer/IMAGE COURTESY: MOCA

Sterling MOCA # 3
STERLING RUBY, ‘The Bride’, 2008, PVC pipe, formica, urethane, spray paint and wood,
192 x 72 x 48 ins. courtesy of the artist and Galleria Emi Fontana, Milan, Italy.
Photo: Robert Wedemeyer/IMAGE COURTESY: MOCA

. . . buzz on 27th street says . . . STERLING keeps a small army of assistants – working around the clock – to keep all his dealers, something like 5 now, and counting !! – happy. FOXY PRODUCTION was the first gallery to show his work in NYC – first showcasing STERLING RUBY’S work in a one man show, Winter of 2004 (JAN 22-FEB 28, 2004).

Michael Gillespie met Sterling Ruby in Chicago – at one of the art fairs. Chicago was very hot – at that time – for new art, as in brand !! new – right on the cutting edge – art.

FOXY PRODUCTION also gave Sterling a one man show in the Spring of 2005 (APRIL 14-JUNE 4, 2005), and, of course more recently – FOXY PRODUCTION presented STERLING RUBY – ‘SUPEROVERPASS’ – last year – that exhibit running APRIL 27 – MAY 26, 2007. artlovers was at the opening.

Sterling Ruby/FOXY 2007
STERLING RUBY opens ‘SUPEROVERPASS’ at FOXY PRODUCTION, NYC, APRIL 27, 2007
PHOTO: NANCY SMITH

see: more pix from the STERLING RUBY/’SUPEROVERPASS’ opening at FOXY PRODUCTION.

see: more info/STERLING RUBY/’SUPEROVERPASS’
note: the card for the show – it’s a close-up detail – of the kind of cryptic lettering – that is scratched into the formica sculpture pieces. seemingly at random, and just found here and there – that is, sparsely. but all of the formica pieces so far, anyway – are marked in this way.

FOXY PRODUCTION also showed a large STERLING RUBY Formica piece in the recent ARMORY ART FAIR 2008.

Sterling-Armory
STERLING RUBY, ‘Headless Dick’, Formica, screws, wood, glue – at the FOXY PRODUCTION booth, ARMORY ART FAIR/SHOW (..whatever)
PHOTO: NANCY SMITH
see: more pix/FOXY PRODUCTION/ARMORY
where – there’s also a couple of pix of the large STERLING RUBY sculpture, ‘Big Grid’ – that the MARC FOXX Gallery out of Los Angeles, presented in their booth. you can make out the incised markings pretty well, on the right hand side of this piece – in the photos.

check out: STERLING RUBY/artist page/on FOXY PRODUCTION

MOCA/The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles




~The Mountain Goats

Mountain Goats All Hail West Texas

The Mountain Goats-back cover

Mountain Goats-CD-All Hail west texas

Since I feel that The Mountain Goats’ new CD, Heretic Pride, (see my review below), is one of the best CDs of the decade, it is my duty to mention another Mountain Goats masterpiece, ALL HAIL WEST TEXAS. This 2001 CD is a great example of John Darnielle’s signature ‘low-fi’ style of that time.

If one goes through a list of CDs that The Mountain Goats have issued, one will be amazed. This ‘guy with a guitar’ played and wrote faster and deeper than he breathed. A lot of the material went to very independent compilations.

I was introduced to his music, when I happened upon Zopilote Machine in 1994.
By the time ALL HAIL WEST TEXAS came out, I had searched and digested most of his output.

Mr. John Darnielle was also an intelligent and vocal advocate for underground music then. I will not get into details about the songs, except to mention the fact that The Mountain Goats have ‘great heart’ – as seen in the songs: “Color In Your Cheeks”, “The Best Ever Death Metal Band in Denton” and “The Mess Inside”.

Get this CD, and see . . . if you have a great heart.

The Mountain Goats, ALL HAIL WEST TEXAS, copyright 2001, EMPEROR JONES (EJ41CD)

P.S. “The Best Ever Death Metal Band in Denton” has become a cult classic – here are 5 live versions. All are great.

1. The Mountain Goats/YouTube !!

2. The Mountain Goats/YouTube !!

3. The Mountain Goats/YouTube !!

4. The Mountain Goats/YouTube !!

5. The Mountain Goats/YouTube !!

and check out:

– The Mountain Goats/”One Fine Day”YouTube !!

– The Mountain Goats/”Going To Georgia”/YouTube !!

– The Mountain Goats/”Sax Rohmer #1″/YouTube !!

see: The Mountain Goats/official website !!




~a look back/CRISTINA TORO

cristina # 1
CRISTINA TORO/IMAGE COURTESY: LITTLE CAKES LITTLE GALLERY

cristina # 2
CRISTINA TORO/installation shot/IMAGE COURTESY: LITTLE CAKES LITTLE GALLERY

. . . one of Hanna’s favorite shows, (and artlovers’ too !!) was the two-part show Little Cakes Little Gallery presented 2 winters ago: FEB 2 – MARCH 18, 2007 – ‘The More She Saw – The Less She Spoke’ – paintings by CRISTINA TORO. unfortunately, artlovers’ coverage of the show, fell thru the cracks, as, at that time – artlovers was dealing with its own gentrification/eviction issues – from it’s Lower East Side home of more than 10 yrs . . .

so, as a gesture of thank you towards Hanna Fushihara Aron – for her vision & contribution to the art scene – which, we are sure will continue – just in another context & locale – here’s a special look back.

cristina # 3
the image from the card/a large painting by CRISTINA TORO/IMAGE COURTESY: LITTLE CAKES LITTLE GALLERY

CRISTINA TORO – a show of some large & some small – highly detailed acrylic paintings.
‘The More She Saw – The Less She Spoke’
a two-part show – that ran: FEB 2-FEB 18, 2007/MARCH 2-18, 2007
LITTLE CAKES LITTLE GALLERY – 625 EAST 6TH ST. #1B – EAST VILLAGE – NYC

some background:
“CRISTINA TORO – was born during the summer of 1983 on the small island of Puerto Rico. As a child she explored the island’s rain forests and El Morro castle with her father. She learned letters, numbers, and the names of animals by climbing inside heavily collaged cardboard boxes filled with images carefully chosen by her mother… She had many pets including countless canaries, a gray miniature schnauzer, and a small orchid whose flowers looked like tigers. At the age of ten Cristina and her family moved to the swampy and strange land of Florida where she resided until a year ago when she moved to the frozen north of New York state in order to invent new ways of living and making art. She enjoys growing vegetables in her garden during warmer months and singing to herself while playing hypnotic music on her autoharp.
“The paintings in ‘The More She Saw – The Less She Spoke’ were created during the first year Cristina lived in the temperate Northeast. Having lived her whole life in tropical climates, she adjusted to her new surroundings by retreating into her new home, not unlike a sea creature retreating inside its shell, in order to make her secretive, personal paintings. She found comfort in surrounding herself with remnants of her childhood like the delicate vellum cards embossed and painted by her mother, her small collection of embroidered baby blankets and handkerchiefs, and old books on botany and science. At this time, Cristina also rediscovered her works of art made as a child and began to relate deeply to how she had rendered people, trees and flowers. Much of this can be seen in the stylized simplicity she uses to paint some of the characters in her paintings that verge on standing alone as symbols and the way Cristina deliberately chooses to defy conventional perspective. This can be seen clearly in her larger works which at first trick many into believing that she is using collage to obtain the flattened effect of layered patterns when in fact she paints all of this by hand. Other influences that can be readily recognized are from the miniature paintings of India, Persia, and Turkey, the Unicorn Tapestries, and Chinese landscape paintings.” ~Little Cakes press release

. . . if I remember correctly, Hanna told me she met Cristina Toro – when Cristina sent her some submissions, examples of her artwork, unsolicted, via the Internet, and, Hanna loved them – at first sight !!

cristina # 4
CRISTINA TORO. behind her – a view of her show: ‘The More She Saw – The Less She Spoke’, Part II – at Little Cakes Little Gallery, East Village, NYC, March 2-18, 2007

cristina # 5
CRISTINA TORO, small acrylic painting, on canvas.

cristina # 7
CRISTINA TORO.

cristina # 8
installation shot, CRISTINA TORO.

crisitina # 9
CRISTINA TORO.

cristina # 10
CRISTINA TORO.

cristina # 11
CRISTINA TORO with her work.

cristina # 12
Cristina brought along her pal, & fellow painter, ULYSSES JACKSON – he’s in the tiny back office – just behind the viewing/exhibition space at Little Cakes, which is in a ground floor storefront/apt on 6th St. in the East Village.

PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH, MARCH 23, 2007

the above pix – were from Part II – of the exhibit – here are, some pix from Part I:

cristina # 13
CRISTINA TORO, small painting, acrylic on canvas stretcher.

Cristina # 14
CRISTINA TORO – large acrylic painting on canvas stretcher.

cristina # 15
detail, top left hand corner. CRISTINA TORO.

cristina # 16
detail, CRISTINA TORO.

cristina # 17
detail, CRISTINA TORO.

cristina # 18
CRISTINA TORO, large, finely detailed, acrylic painting on canvas.
(yes, it’s the painting for the show’s card – above.)

cristina # 19
CRISTINA TORO, detail left hand edge.

cristina # 20
CRISTINA TORO, detail bottom edge.

cristina # 21
CRISTINA TORO, detail.

cristina # 22
CRISTINA TORO, detail.
(particularly love this section – as it appears to reproduce a ‘dot’ pattern printed on plastic – as in a shower curtain, or maybe the shiny plastic ’tissue’ paper – fresh flowers – often come wrapped in !!)

PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH. CRISTINA TORO, Part 1, ‘The More She Saw – The Less She Spoke’ – Little Cakes Little Gallery, East Village, NYC. FEB 2, 2007

more info: CRISTINA TORO/at Little Cakes




~last show at Little Cakes, in NYC, for now.

Home

‘EVERYONE NEEDS A HOME’ – street art on the fence surrounding a new hi-rise hi-cost residential construction site – on the site of the former – BOYS & GIRLS CLUB – opposite the HAMILTON FISH POOL – on the Lower East Side.
PHOTO: NANCY SMITH, JUNE 6, 2008

. . . leaving the Little Cakes opening – for EVAH FAN & BRENDAN MONROE – last week – we chanced upon this artistic/cultural/political/income/class inequity tensions & whatever else is going down around here, in NYC, esp on the Lower East Side and the East Village – that says it all – straight up !! & … from the street – !!

soon enough NYC is going to be just a Disneyland version of itself – with all the real art sucked right out of it – an ugly inner city of the very very rich and the very very poor. just like everybody always said – if you ever read a book or went to the movies.

case in point: HANNA FUSHIHARA ARON and Little Cakes – her visionary outpost – have lost their lease – to the real estate greed wars. well, we are the ones who are sad – cause the NYC art scene & therefore pretty much the global art scene – will definitely be in for a big big loss – because even though Little Cakes was small small small – it was big big big in content, vision & cutting edge presentation. Hanna Fushihara Aron and David Aron – on the other hand – seem (somewhat) relieved to get out from under – what was already – a pretty weighty rental overhead, already a pretty big nut to crack – even before the current crunch – esp. for a small venue that specialized in bringing brand new young artists to New York City. In fact – a whole new world seems to be opening up for them – which might just signal a new sign of the times, esp for the creative free spirits among us – the return to the land & just saying NO – to the city – I’m sure it does. They have found a whole house & plenty of acreage of land upstate for a fraction, like 1/3 !! of what they pay for their tiny storefront now – and its being sold out from under them anyways – which means its impossible to hold onto – even if they wanted too – and, they are hoping to get into farming and gardening – real time. Hanna says she wants to specialize in locally grown, organic Japanese vegetables.

we’re really happy for Hanna and David and wish them well. hopefully – we can catch up with them – same time next year – and see what they are up to. I’m sure it will be an amazing journey for them. but it doesn’t say too much for the art scene here – and, it’s our loss.

so, now you know what’s so ‘really’ special about the current Little Cakes Little Gallery show – besides the fact – that it is !! so really special all on its own !! – and why you should go by and check it out – cause if you blink – you’ll have missed out – big time.

Hanna card
the card for: ‘Bed & Breakfast’/image: ‘Soil Release’, detail, 6 x 6 ins, acrylic & gouache on paper. collaboration FAN & MONROE/image courtesy: the artists & Little Cakes Little Gallery

‘BED and BREAKFAST’ – new works by EVAH FAN and BRENDAN MONROE
inspired by home gardening
JUNE 6 – 29th, 2008
LITTLE CAKES LITTLE GALLERY – 625 East 6th St. #1B – East Village – NYC
gallery hours: Fri – Sun 1-6pm/or by appointment (1-646-342-1056)

Little Cakes Little Gallery




~EVAH FAN & BRENDAN MONROE/LITTLE CAKES/opens to-day !!

Hanna-tomato
tomato plant, detail, ‘The Cook, the Thief and the Pompost Kyle’, EVAH FAN & BRENDAN MONROE/PHOTO COURTESY:LITTLE CAKES

LITTLE CAKES LITTLE GALLERY presents:
‘Bed and Breakfast’ – a show inspired by home gardening –
NEW WORKS BY: EVAH FAN & BRENDAN MONROE !!
there will be a special reception for the artists – who have just come in from Berkeley, California – where they live and work – to install the show – at the Little Cakes Little Gallery – today – !! – FRIDAY JUNE 6, 2008, from 1-7 PM.
otherwise the show runs: JUNE 6 – JUNE 29, 2008
LITTLE CAKES LITTLE GALLERY – 625 EAST 6TH ST#1B – bet AVE B & C – EAST VILLAGE
GALLERY HOURS: FRI thru SUN: 1-6PM & By APPOINTMENT

if you are unfamiliar with their work – you can check out a nice article & STUDIO VISIT – posted on FECAL FACE – out of SAN FRANCISCO – by TRIPPE – last year – OCT 9, 2007.
check it out: here !!

from the Little Cakes press release:

“This show has been brewing for a few years now and we are very happy to have it come to fruition, just as all the farmers markets and community gardens are starting to hit their stride here in New York. We are alos proud to be collaborating with Brendan and Evah on such a hot topic which is incredibly close to our own hearts, gardening and growing your own food.

In this show, Evah Fan and Brendan Monroe get inspiration from the primary meaning of gardening to their own individual definitions of it being nurturing and having a sense of responsibility. To them, and to many of us who have learned to enjoy getting dirt under our finger nails, gardening is very ‘do-it-yourself’ in the same way punk rock is/was to us; making your own zines, putting out your own music, making your own food ! In this show, they have chosen to use their artwork to enrich the ‘soil’ of our lives.

The show’s installation will include paintings, sculptural works, and collaborative pieces. Brendan will focus on the micro worlds within the botanic landscape. He takes reference from science and interprets his fascination with it to create something that draws our attention to the multitude of possibilities that are happening just below the focus of our eyes. Evah will portray gardening with her quirky point of view. She is interested in creating simple narratives with small doses of ambiguity and naive humor.”

here are some images from the show – sent along by HANNA FUSHIHARA ARON, the Little Cakes Little Gallery founding Director. all 3 images below/courtesy: the artists & Little Cakes Little Gallery.

EVah # 1
collaboration EVAH FAN & BRENDAN MONROE, ‘Soil Release’ , 6 x 6 ins., acrylic & gouache on paper

Evah # 2
‘Pollination’, BRENDAN MONROE, 11 x 15.75 ins.

Evah # 3
detail, ‘Night Watch’, EVAH FAN, 5 x 7 ins.

P.S. – all I can say, is – this is a very special event – for more than one reason – & one reason – being that – usually, because the space is so small – Hanna doesn’t have openings !! so, if you are strolling about in the beautiful sunshine – you should definitely make a point to stop by – don’t cry to me – when you learn – what a truly special – event you have missed – NYC – doesn’t often toss ’em up so intimate – and – so inspired.

some pix from the opening afternoon reception:

Bed # 2
BRENDAN MONROE does the larger landscape pieces.

Bed # 3
EVAH FAN does the tinier figurative pieces. you catch the tiny collaborative piece – ‘Float Like a Butterfly, Sting Like a Bee’, 2.25 x 6 x 3 ins. just above her head.

Bed # 4
Evah made the tiny figure, Brendan made the leaf.

Bed # 6
detail, EVAH FAN, ‘Field Study 1’.

Bed # 9
BRENDAN MONROE, ‘Pollination’, 11 x 11.5 ins.
Brendan works with acrylic paint on paper.

Bed # 10
detail, BRENDAN MONROE, ‘Pollination’.

Bed # 11
‘Soil Artifacts’, 6 x 6 ins. collaboration. Evah paints the small figures, Brendan does the ‘background’ – plant & soil/scapes.

Bed # 12
detail, ‘Soil Artifacts’, collaboration – EVAH FAN & BRENDAN MONROE

Bed # 13
a view of the installation, ‘Bed and Breakfast’ by EVAH FAN & BRENDAN MONROE, inside Little Cakes Little Gallery – in the left hand corner – the collaborative floor sculpture – ‘The Cook, the Thief and the Pompost Kyle’. the garden soil & plants, (the large ones, and the small seedlings just sprouting !!), are made from aluminum wire, and dirt by BRENDAN MONROE. The tiny figures are made from Sculpey by EVAH FAN. . . . and in fact, the first photo at the top of this post – the tomato plant – is actually – a close-up detail from this (small) floor sculpture !!

Bed # 14
‘The Cook, the Thief and the Pompost Pyle’ – collaborative sculpture by EVAH FAN & BRENDAN MONROE.

BEd #16
detail, ‘The Cook, the Thief and the Pompost Kyle’

Bed # 17
figures by EVAH FAN, (fake) stem and (real) dirt by BRENDAN MONROE, ‘The Cook, the Thief and the Pompost Kyle’ !!

bed # 18
guess, that’s the cook. figure by EVAH FAN.

Bed # 19
guess, that’s the thief !! figure by EVAH FAN.

Bed # 20
seedlings by BRENDAN MONROE, in ‘The Cook, the Thief and the Pompost Kyle’.

Bed shirt
Evah is wearing an interesting shirt – that’s the Golden Gate Bridge on it !!

Bed # 23
DAVID ARON wears a silkscreen t-shirt by SHAWN REED.

Bed # 25
TOOYA & LEIF RITCHEY drop by.

Bed # 26
PETE VOGL of Bow Ribbons

Bed # 27
HARRISON OWEN, founding Director of FINGERED GALLERY in Bushwick.
they have an opening to-nite (SAT JUNE 7, 2008) at 7pm. – works by AMOR MUNOZ from Mexico City
see: FINGERED GALLERY/255 McKIBBIN ST. #207/BROOLYN

Bed # 28
he is wearing an interesting hand silk screened cap – ‘VILLAGE FOOT’

Bed # 29
DJ JAIKO SUZUKI, of the band ELECTROPUTAS – shows up.

Bed # 30
visiting from Berkeley California, EVAH FAN & BRENDAN MONROE inside Little Cakes Little Gallery, in the East Village – on a sunny NYC afternoon.

Bed Dress
. . . bye the way, Hanna is wearing a handmade limited edition dress by BARBARA SCHAUWECKER of BOBBI CLOTHES.

PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH

LITTLE CAKES LITTLE GALLERY