~ART CLUB 2000 – A LOOK BACK: 1970 !!

NEXT UP – WHAT ELSE IS THE NEW YEAR GOOD FOR – BUT, A LOOK BACK ?

WE’VE GOT SOME ARCHIVAL PIX – FROM the DANNY McDONALD / ART CLUB 2000 – SUMMER 1997 EXHIBIT: ‘1970’ – at COLIN de LAND’S AMERICAN FINE ARTS – WHEN IT HEADLINED THE EDGE – in SOHO !!

artlovers’ roaming contributor, music critic, party crasher and big mouth – SIMON CERIGO – was one of the artists featured in the show . . . which asked: “where were you – in 1970?”.

art club - Simon on bike
SIMON CERIGO, with daughter, KATE CERIGO in tow, rides up to the opening, MAY 26, 1997.
Kate was 11. Simon was 45.
Simon’s t-shirt reads: THE ABSOLUTE SOUND – always the cutting edge audiophile & music fan – Simon was a devout follower of high end music electronics – on which to hear that cutting edge music – and ‘THE ABSOLUTE SOUND’ – was the high end audiophile bible of the time.

 art club 200 Charlie & John waters
sitting in the window – looking at the camera – CHARLIE FINCH !! as JOHN WATERS – strolls by !!
ART CLUB 2000, ‘1970’ – COLIN de LAND AMERICAN FINE ARTS. SOHO, NYC. MAY 26 1997.
it was the summer show and ran till SEPT 1, 1997.

art club # 2
KATE on the gallery front steps.

art club # 3
the gallery also had one of those ubiquitous Soho banners.

art club # 5
ART CLUB / 1970 – the sign for the show.

art club # 6
yep, that’s DANIEL aka DANNY McDONALD – in the red T.

art club # 7
the youngest member of ART CLUB 2000, and Simon says: the best looking, CRAIG WADLIN in the theme appropriate paisley shirt Simon on the right. and yeah, Simon does need shades indoors. you know what that means, don’t ya ?
. . . ‘medicated’ out of his skull. what else is new.

art club # 8
DANIEL McDONALD tinkers with the video installation. different interviews ran on the different monitors at the same time. when it worked.
ok, so what ART CLUB 2000 did for this exhibit, ‘1970’ – was they asked several, mostly well known artists, (Simon was the least known), in a taped interview: “Where were you in 1970 ?”
Simon’s answer, that won him a one-way ticket into this insider club ?
“I was in Providence Town, MASS hanging out with JOHN WATERS and DIVINE, the whole group. at a dive bar called PIGGY’S TRUCKSTOP – where I was the DJ. I was 18. I had been at WOODSTOCK – the summer before.”
some of the other artists interviewed: VITO ACCONCI, ISA GENZKEN, LES LEVINE. ALEX KATZ, CAROLEE SCHNEEMAN & HENRY FLYNT. just goes to show ya, how fleeting fame is, and Simon is probably still the most interesting, edgey, and most unknown – not to mention, baddest – of the lot !! and the only one you’ll still see out on the scene – ok. sometimes JOHN WATERS pops up – but he wasn’t interviewed.

art club # 9
CHARLIE FINCH on the couch, Kate next to him.

art club # 10
in the center, that’s a (younger) WALTER ROBINSON. on the right is his ex-wife.

art club - Simon
MR. KNOW IT ALL. SIMON CERIGO.
ART CLUB 2000 – ‘1970’. COLIN de LAND AMERICAN FINE ARTS.
MAY 26, 1997.
PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH

art club naked
‘Untitled’ (Paramount Hotel/Nude). 8 x 10 in. C-print. 1992-93
an early ART CLUB 2000 – self-produced image !!
yes, that’s a bleached blonde DANIEL McDONALD, in the dark socks !! on the extreme left.
the only real break-out artist of the group, would be photographer PATTERSON BECKWITH, in the center, his face just above the back haired Asian beauty.
ART CLUB 2000 – a group of intense (7 members at the max) art students from COOPER UNION – was initiated under the guiding hand and auspices of COLIN de LAND, back in 1992.
the image is from the ART CLUB 2000 – web archive: Between Bridges: ART CLUB 2000
you can also score a little more info on them, here: ART CLUB 2000
(CRAIG WADLIN’S PHOTOGRAPHY website.)

art club 2000
(another ghost of Xmas past) – COLIN de LAND.
ART CLUB 2000 – ‘Untitled (Individuals of Style Portrait, Studio Sample with Colin de land). 11 x 14 in. digital print. unique, 1993.
posted on: Between Bridges: ART CLUB 2000




~HUMA BHABHA/WHITNEY 2010 BIENNIAL

Huma Biennial 2010
artwork by HUMA BHABHA – image courtesy/ATM GALLERY

BILL BRADY of ATM – is pleased to announce that gallery artist – HUMA BHABHA – has been included in the selection for the upcoming WHITNEY 2010 BIENNIAL. HUMA BHABHA always serves up both a great visual and contextual statement – of rich complexity and superior originality.

but overall – the selection seems a little on the ‘strange’ art side of things, with a lot of the artists unknown to this scribe.
THE BRUCE HIGH QUALITY FOUNDATION is given a chance to show they deserve their recent p.r. – can they jump to the plate ?
DANNY McDONALD, best known for his work with ART CLUB 2000 – sprung out of the glory days of COLIN DeLAND and AMERICAN FINE ARTS – is a surprise pop-up. good luck, Danny !! ARI MARCOPOULOS rings a bell – and his participation should be both lively and pictorial. the big question mark is – GEORGE CONDO – what the hell – is he doing in the mix – can a slot in the WHITNEY BIENNIAL – be bought ?

watch: a brief statement by the 2010 BIENNIAL curators, FRANCESCO BONAMI & GARY CARRION – MURAYARI !!
it sounds more like an apology than anything else – not a good sign – for the first step – going into a big project – whose rep, in fact the whole brand – has been severely diminished, one could even say, squandered over a past decade – of very lame – outings.

you can see: an interesting take on the Museum itself in this video clip, 2nd option down here !! – and the 2010 animation logo – is swift !! but the naming of the names seem to take a dubious jittery second place vibe. these guys seem more scared – than anything else. you know – like when a pol or CEO gets the chairperson seat – outta default – cause no one else wants to handle the hot potato – of a sinking ship. but maybe, just maybe – their steely low-down – will hit a steely mark ?


Bill Brady atm logo




~HAPPY NEW YEAR: JOCKO WEYLAND & ELK GALLERY !!

ELK invite

THINGS THAT STAY, THINGS THAT GO
DANNY TINNENY’S SELECTIVE SALVAGE
DEC 11, 2009 – JAN 3, 2010
ELK GALLERY – 426 PRESIDENT ST. – BROOKLYN – NY
HRS: FRI-SAT/1-7PM

JOCKO WEYLAND wrote us a lengthy, but worthy missive on this ‘alternative’ show on the glorious banks of the GOWANUS CANAL !! – the site of a one time on-site/found/rove exhibit under the ELK umbrella.
too bad we couldn’t make the opening – Friday, Dec 11 – supposedly they had bonfires going in 55 gallon oil drums .. and beer. but it was also the biggest rainstorm of the year. so go figure.

anyways, JOCKO writes:

“With Bond Street on one side, the Gowanus Canal on the other, bordered by
Carroll to the south and the cobblestones of President Street to the north,
“The Lot” is a repository of gritty and occasionally sublime readymade
beauty.  Almost everything there has a functional purpose, though much has
stayed past its prime thanks to the preservationist instincts of Danny
Tinneny, the lot’s owner,  “arranger” and undisputed king. All these objects
help give the lot its unique character and often transcend their utilitarian
origins to enter the realm of the purely sculptural, combining undeniable
formal qualities and socio-historical resonance. Posing questions as to what
is art and what is not without essaying any dogmatic answers, the lot’s
contents blur that supposed boundary with Duchampian aplomb. An accumulation
of weathered, battered, and engrossing remnants of the Gowanus’ industrial
past and its more recent multi-use incarnation, the aesthetically rich
environment has resulted from both chance and judicious reclamation. Whether
it’s a peacefully decaying 1958 Oldsmobile 88, various bollards, a backhoe,
forklifts, a Grove crane, rusted dumpsters, bales of wire, oil drums,
numerous ladders, stacks of wood, sandbags, tires, and shipping containers,
they all are part of a not entirely accidental cement sculpture garden.  Set
off by the big skies above the canal, ringed by an aluminum barbed-wire
topped fence, the weedy domain with its semi-feral cats hunting amongst the
detritus is evidence of a keen sensitivity to the appeal of what many
consider junk.

The lot has had many lives, first as a car salvage business and now as the
home to the office of a moving company, a woodshop, parking for movie
stylist RVs, and many other activities, including Macro-sea’s summer 2009
dumpster pool project, for which Tinneny was both enlightened landlord and
crucial participant. Now more changes are afoot, and before that
transformation occurs there is an opportunity to take stock of these sundry
inanimate things and see them in a new light. “Things that Stay, Things that
Go” contextualizes these gems that were saved on purpose (and some that
stayed just because) in a garage-turned-gallery and its courtyard. An homage
to the past and present, the inspired ad-hoc arrangement Tinneny has brought
to his workaday surroundings will be reconfigured into an installation
replete with aesthetic and historical allusions and minimalist charm. Tools
and useful implements’ impact on the sculpture of the last 100 years can be
pondered, as can the graphic material that was saved for decorative
purposes, seen through the prism of one man’s unselfconsciously artful
attitude toward debris. A collective wish to fully appreciate the lot’s
magical diversity is at work in this exhibition, from the fire call box to a
chest-high safe, the vintage matador prints, a tarp-covered AMC Javelin, a
toolbox full of 1940s records and  “The Watchman” mannequin, along with the
all the other selectively salvaged treasures. In this display machines,
practical devices and pictorial ephemera generate a nuanced tonal
conversation about volume, shape, and feel, as well as a chance to celebrate
Tinneny’s discriminating eye for the beauty inherent in functionally.

Directions: F train to Carroll Street Stop, walk east (towards the Gowanus)
on Carroll Street, left on Hoyt, then right on President. Go to the end of
the street through the gate into the lot and walk about seventy-five feet
until “Things that Stay, Things that Go” is seen to the right.

Presented with the cooperation and support of the Tinneny family and
Macro-Sea.”

there is an excellent slide show of the exhibit: on the ELK website !!
ALL PHOTOS BY ROB ERICKSON !!
here’s some favs – it was hard to edit them down . . .

ELK - Horizontal boat

Elk - blue tarp

ELK - stove

ELK cables

ELK Danny
inset photo of DANNY TINNENY – by JONATHAN KROLL.

looking good – or what !!?? GOWANUS CANAL !!

while you are on the ELK website – look around – it’s a nice little alternative cruise . . . with some real punch.
FOR SURE, don’t miss the ELK sounds: here !!
on the top right, under ONE ELK SOUND; ANOTHER ELK SOUND.
and the zines and the films and the books !!

note: JOCKO WEYLAND IS A WRITER, PHOTOGRAPHER, and CHRONICLER OF SKATEBOARDING, AMONG OTHER PASTIMES – in AMERICA. when we saw his film – ‘BEIJING SUMMER’ – under the ELK/FILMS archive – there was something about BEIJING, and GOWANUS CANAL – that resonated in our head.
of course – ALFREDO MARTINEZ – !! – former GOWANUS CANAL celebrity resident and current CHINA ARTIST-in-RESIDENCE !!
Jocko Weyland wrote that funny piece on ALFREDO for VICE !!
see: JOCKO WEYLAND on ALFREDO MARTINEZ !! in CHINA !!
for more on JOCKO WEYLAND, check out: RAW CHINA – PHOTOS BY JOCKO WEYLAND !!
and if you have 10 more mins, check out: JOCK WEYLAND on OPEN CITY – THE ELK & THE SKATEBOARDER !!


ELK logo




~MERRY XMAS NYC – BECCA KACANDA !! & MEATHAUS !!

so, . . . . here’s CHRISTMAS PRESENT !!
MERRY XMAS FROM NYC – or is it, to NYC !! – from BECCA KACANDA !!

Becca xmas # 1

large becca xmas

Becca at Festival
BECCA KACANDA – at the first BROOKLYN COMICS AND GRAPHICS FESTIVAL,
WILLIAMSBURG. NEW YORK CITY. DEC 5, 2009
PHOTO: NANCY SMITH
ARTWORK BY BECCA KACANDA !!

see: more of BECCA’s work and the underground world of comics NYC – on MEATHAUS !!

meathaus

and yeah, check out: MEATHAUS !! – it’s a great little animated gem of a cutting edge NYC comics website !!

MERRY XMAS !! Y’ALL – XXX, KATE CERIGO !!




~ANOTHER GHOST OF CHRISTMAS PAST: JOSH HARRIS/THE BUBBLE DECADE

. . . caught a-n-o-t-h-e-r GHOST !! of Christmas Past – JOSH HARRIS on CNBC – ‘THE BUBBLE DECADE’ – !!
He was featured just before their coverage of: AOL BUYS TIME WARNER !!
and, yeah, he has what ? 10 sound bites and there is is insisting, was it Pseudo, or the whole damn thing – was just . . .”an art project” !! internet seer be damned, I am an artist.
Friday, Dec 24, 2009 – 3 PM !!

Josh Bubbe decade # 1

Josh bubble decade # 2

see: CNBC ORIGINAL – THE BUBBLE DECADE
see: CNBC – THE BUBBLE DECADE

PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH




~THE GHOST OF XMAS PAST: DASH SNOW

ok. this being NYC, I recently had occasion to drop by a doctor’s office on the Lower East Side, and being such, instead of PEOPLE MAGAZINE lying around for bored waiting clients – the mag of choice was – INKED !! a tattoo chronicle.

with nothing better to do – and bored out of my mind – I flipped through and what do I see on page 30 – the Ghost of Xmas Past !!

dash ghost # 1
a young Dash Snow. no mistaking the face – nor – the DAY OF THE DEAD ink.

dash ghost # 2
it was used as a ‘stock’ photo in an ad – for tooth cleaning utensils for hipsters !!
the good people of INKED were totally clueless as to who they had in the photo.
there was no name, there wasn’t even a photo credit. Dash must have sat for some ink photog who sold his image – I guess without permission – duh – to shill electric toothbrushes. or maybe they just lifted it off the net.
watch out – maybe your Facebook photo will be – ‘orphaned’ – next.
he is wearing a grill set – get it ?
of course the ink – is the best drawing ever seen on skin, no doubt.

 dash ghost # 3
but one good thing, he is face-to-face – in mag world ghost life – with a hot babe – forever.

dash ghost page 30
it’s on page 30 – someone else can dig for the dirt.
it was more than – enough, to stumble upon the ghost, for me.
though if the DIA FOUNDATION ancestors actually set their high-priced lawyers on the trail – yeah – I’d like a finder’s fee. duh.
kind of like Dash’s way – of supporting the site – from afar. fat chance. but you never know – so I’m putting it in writing.
they actually asked for my archival pix – for use – for free. another stingy story. what else is new.

dash ghost # 4
see: INKEDMAG.COM !!

dash ghost # 5
it was just sitting there. waiting to be set free.

dash ghost # 6
INKED JUNE/JULY 2009.

Dash RIP graff # 1
and, then a little further on, at the corner of BOWERY & SPRING, this new tag work – has to be for DASH.
D.S. R.I.P. 09

DASH IRAK 09 # 1
and, what’s that . . .

Dash Irak # 1
IRAK IRAK
NEW YORK NEW YORK.

PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH – DEC 4, 2009
LOWER EAST SIDE, NYC.

Dash on gawker
read more about: IRAK & DASH & SNOW & DEATH/GAWKER !!
GAWKER has a bad habit – of not posting photo credits.
so, sorry no can do, as well. dudes, that’s how you end up with ‘orphaned’ pix – shilling electric toothbrushes,
down the road.
funny. how they think electric toothbrushes will go down well with ink aficionados !! must be that drill sound.

want more pix – IRAK – the website – has been co-opted, but this is still a good link.

 dash portrait files
see: ALEX SINS – Fuck what ya heard! – DASH SNOW

MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY NEW YEAR.
and, dudes. don’t eat the snow. white or yellow. bad fer ya.




~KIM DEITCH & HIS WORLD

Kim Deitch the search for

also caught this poster at the BROOKLYN COMICS AND GRAPHICS FESTIVAL !!

Coming Spring 2010 from Fantagraphics:
A BRAND NEW COLLECTION – FROM KIM DEITCH !
‘The Search For Smilin’ Ed !’
KEEP YOUR EYES PEELED!

More Kim Deitch books available from FANTAGRAPHICS:
ALL WALDO COMICS, BEYOND THE PALE, and DEITCH’S PICTORAMA !!

Kim Deitch Kramers ergot
KIM DEITCH at the artist book signing of KRAMER’S ERGOT 7. DESERT ISLAND, BROOKLYN. Dec 6, 2008
PHOTO: NANCY SMITH
see: the complete report !!

you can read a brief, but really fascinating artist bio on KIM DEITCH, on the FANTAGRAPHICS website, here !!
and if you scroll down just a tiny bit, you can hit links to his books, including a large image of each cover, but even more fun, each book comes with a really cool – video tour – of the pages !!
for example, check out this tour of: ‘DEITCH’S PICTORAMA’ !!


Deitch's Pictorama

‘DEITCH’S PICTORAMA’ !!

kim deitch large image




~RON REGE JR

FILE THIS UNDER: sometimes in the tiniest of books – resides the biggest magic.

Ron Rege # 1
RON REGE Jr. at the first ever BROOKLYN COMICS AND GRAPHICS FESTIVAL. WILLIAMSBURG.
Dec 5, 2009.

Ron rege # 2
apart from his hardcover DRAWN AND QUARTERLY books – Ron Rege Jr. had some arresting black and white sheets.
these turned out to be studies from his – DIY mini books !!

Ron Rege # 3
they were in a limited editions of 100 and sold for $1 apiece – of, course I scored one – and here is Ron signing it !!
it is about 4 in. square !! well, 1/4 in. more on the width, 1/4 in. less on the height !!
held together with one staple in the center – it is 3 sheets or 6 pages altogether.

Ron # 4
this is the cover.
is is dated 4.29.09 and the title says: ‘WHAT IS NOW WHAT IS NEW WHAT IS IT ???
believe, that block to the left – is his name – logo.
what really drew me to the book – apart from its DIY: little book – big excursion into the world. of thought.
not to mention the sub-texts of graphic art & design !! and, did we mention, charm.
was the cross-over into graff.

ron # 5
at first – the message seems to be the opposite of Noah Lyons ???
the first page states: ‘A SWEET, GENTLE TIME IS OURS A SIMPLE CLEAR QUIET PRACTICE NOW IS NOW PERFECT EASY ALWAYS NOW ……’
except you’ll note that that message – is in the shape of a hand gun !!
the right hand side says:
RAY OF LIGHT WANTS TO SHINE ON YOU!
EVERYTHING IS TEMPORARY
IS THIS THE GREATEST LESSON
OF LIFE – IN PREPARATION FOR DEATH?
ONLY LOVE IS ETERNAL

RON REGE # 6
he also exposes some of his own polar opposite – issues !! incl. stylististic !!
the right hand page says:
THERE IS EVIDENCE TO SUGGEST THAT OUR UNIVERSE AND EVERYTHING IN IT ARE GHOSTLY IMAGES, PROJECTIONS FROM A LEVEL OF REALITY SO BEYOND OUR OWN IT IS LITERALY BEYOND BOTH SPACE AND TIME.
my sentiments, exactly !!

ron even larger
here’s that last page – writ large !!

Ron magic
[he is referring to science]
“MAGIC IS NEITHER WHITE NOR BLACK, FOR NATURE HAS NO MASTER” – PARACELSUS

Ron # 10
the back cover – with the RON REGE JR logo – name block.

PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH
SCANS from: RON REGE JR – 4.29.09 / WHAT IS NOW WHAT IS NEW WHAT IS US ???




~NOAH LYON/MATT LEINES/LITTLE BOOK/BIG WORLD

Noah # 1
NYC-based NOAH LYON – aka RETARD RIOT – had a booth at the recent BROOKLYN COMICS and GRAPHICS FESTIVAL.
Sat, Dec 5, 2009. Williamsburg.

Noah # 2
he makes tiny hand-made, very low-fi black and white comic books – but he presents them in a very arresting way – in plexiglass boxes !! Noah is someone who straddles that fine line between fine artist and comic book artist.

Noah # 3
he also makes T-shirts – that speak for themselves, duh.
all of his work – is a commentary.

noah # 4
he also makes buttons. tons of them.

noah # 5
his most recent publication is a collaboration with MATT LEINES – this is very interesting. for 2 reasons.
one: they both straddle that fine line between art and comics.
two: they are almost polar opposites !! Matt is very detail-oriented and obsessive, whereas Noah is: scribble it out, turn it upside and tear the world apart. Matt Leines never uses words and Noah is pretty much all about words, or at least thoughts.
Matt is introspective and Noah is extroverted. Matt cannot abide to have his photo taken, and Noah loves to grandstand !!
in this front cover, the face is pretty much all Matt Leines, the guest. but. the curly multi-eyeballs forehead – is all Noah !!
by the way the book is all of 2-1/2 x 4 in. !!
8 pages altogether including the cover. LOW-FI – YES !! DIY – YES !!
small package – big message – great art – YES !!

noah # 6
little creative acts add up. little creative acts can be very revealing. little books can tell big stories.
if only little creative acts could change the world.
and yes, Noah was sweet enough to inscribe this one to me . . .

noah # 7
so can you tell the NOAH from the MATT ?!!
hint: any Matt Leines fan – could tell you in a nanosecond – the tale of the tiger is Matt.
the polar opposite clash and mesh !! – is all Noah.

noah # 8
Noah’s messages are always – right on point !!
unfortunately for where we are all heading, or is that beheading ?!!
plus – I also like long knives !!

noah # 9
so this is the back cover.
so clueless – where’s MATT ?
it’s all in the eyes.

PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH
pictorial scans from NOAH LYON – RETARD RIOT ISSUE twenty eight.
Printed in BROOKLYN SEPT. 2009

yeah, check out: RETARD RIOT !!
just make sure you – come back out !!

retard riot logo




~BROOKLYN COMICS & GRAPHICS FESTIVAL

Brooklyn Comics & Graphics festival
(poster illustration: CHARLES BURNS)

the first ever BROOKLYN COMICS AND GRAPHICS FESTIVAL took place this past SAT DEC 5, 2009, 11am-7pm – at OUR LADY OF CONSOLATION CHURCH – 184 METROPOLITAN AVE – in WILLIAMSBURG.
presented by PICTUREBOX and DESERT ISLAND, with over 50 exhibitors and a full schedule of panel discussions and book signings, admission was free.
check out: BROOKLYN COMICS & GRAPHICS FESTIVAL for details . . .

. . . so, if you were in New York City – this weekend – this was the only game in town. and it was fun, despite the fact that the organizers DAN NADEL of PICTUREBOX and GABRIEL FOWLER of DESERT ISLAND seemed a little frazzled, and I guess understandably so. one can only guess at what kind of drama and mini-struggles went on behind the scenes – these comic books guys are some serious dudes . . . don’t ever mistake ‘comics’ – as in comedians !! with comics as in small mostly soft bound books !! it’s a whole world apart. if not a whole other planet. Gabriel Fowler in particular – does much better in the quiet calm of his Desert Island, than he does in the midst of a teeming Williamsburg church basement on a stormy night !!
The crowd was mostly male, and seemed to be comprised of pretty serious comics aficionados. but nobody was really laughing, except maybe GARY PANTER – who seemed to be in the best mood – of anybody !!
and Frankie Santoro !! who had had a good day – as in, “raked it in” – selling classic ‘collector’ comics, and let’s leave it at that. my gut feeling was that not many of the youngest exhibitors manged to cover their minimal participation table costs.
($150 for artists, $200 for publishers). the new SMOKE SIGNAL #3 – made its debut at the fest – but appeared to be somewhat of a dud – except for the front cover. just joking, guys !! – its great. esp the front cover by ANDERS NILSEN !!
also loved the center spread by DASH SHAW !!

It was the very first day of real snow, preceded by a very heavy windy cold rain – so they weren’t sure if this brought out the huge, mostly robust guy crowd – or if they were lucky !! conversely: that it was bad weather – which might have discouraged the less die-hard of the breed from slogging through the cold wet misery outside – cause they didn’t have any crowd control plans . . . and it was crowded. super crowded. all day from the get-go.
for me, it was way more fun to be at, esp since it was the first time they ever did this – than running around at any played-out art fair in Miami, mostly because of the (genuine) talent – that popped up, with such startling & graphic !!
appeal. put it this way, if forced to pick between Vito Schnabel parading around the one-trick pony, not to mention, visually challenged Bruce Almighty ‘nerds’ (the New York Times word for them, not mine !!) – in thrift shop polo shirts – no less.
then, yes. I considered myself damn lucky, even in a New York City snowstorm, as opposed to that Florida hotel pool heat – to see CHARLES BURNS in person !! signing books, a gracious GARY PANTER offering a brief chat, an intense DAVID SANDLIN unraveling his 27 ft. long foot self-produced artist book. not to mention RON REGE Jr – who can actually be made to crack a smile – and, meeting the very influential and under-rated (in the rat world !! I mean art world) MAT BRINKMAN – for the first time – I consider just that – a super special moment. and to cap it off – to actually have had, a somewhat grumpy DAN NADEL hand me over a comp copy, the very first time ever, after almost a decade of covering his adventures !! of explicit JAPANESE MANGA !! – yo, give me New York City – even a tiny church basement, in Brooklyn no less – over Miami Basel – any day.

comics # 3
you have to give GABRIEL FOWLER credit for producing this great silkscreen over-size poster for the event.
the one and only CHARLES BURNS provided the intense black and white imagery – and even DAN NADEL – had a hand in it. he designed the text lay-out. nice job all around. it goes for $30 – if all you had was $30 – this is where you’d put it. beautiful job. one of the best posters of that quality – I’ve ever seen.

comics # 4

comics # 5

comics # 6

comics # 7

comics # 9
CHARLES BURNS !!

comics # 43

comics # 10
CHARLES BURNS inscribing his book – ‘BLACK HOLE’ – in white !! for some lucky fan.

comics # 44
GABRIELLE BELL – ‘CECIL AND JORDAN IN NEW YORK STORIES’.

comics # 11
GARY PANTER.
Mr. Panter teaches at SVA.

comics # 12
he was signing the top of his hard cover boxed book.
well, actually most of these guys will draw some little doodle for ya, as well as sign the book.

comics # 13
DAVID SANDLIN.
he also teaches at SVA.

comics # 14
DAVID SANDLIN

comics # 15
DAVID SANDLIN

comics # 16
DAVID SANDLIN – ‘SLUMBURBIA !!
this is a self-produced book that incorporates silk screen prints into one long 27 ft contiguous banner – that opens up in a series of Japanese art book-like gestures – is the best way I can explain it. Mr. Sandlin produces the silkscreens, and assembles the over-size books in his silkscreen shop at SVA. The prints are in an edition of 40 each – of which 15 sets were assembled into the hard cover ‘portfolio’ type book. The books go for $6,000.
hey, if all you had was $6,000 – you’d most def – go for this !! I wouldn’t hesitate for a momento !!

comics # 17
DAVID SANDLIN – how the prints begin to appear in the book.

comics # 19
DAVID SANDLIN.

comics # 20
DAVIS SANDLIN.

comics # 21
DAVID SANDLIN.

comics # 23
we finally get to meet MAT BRINKMAN !!
we’ve been a big fan of his – since forever !!
he is one comic artist who has been able, like MATT LEINES – to cross the unspoken divide between fine art and cartoon art – and his work – does pop up in art shows here in NYC, and in L.A., and elsewhere.

comics # 24
MAT BRINKMAN.

comics # 25
MAT BRINKMAN – I think that is his logo ??!!

comics # 26
MAT BRINKMAN.

comics # 27
MAT BRINKMAN.

comics # 28
MAT BRINKMAN.

comics # 29
MAT BRINKMAN – no doubt about it – great stuff.

comics # 30
DAN NADEL of PICTUREBOX and a co-organizer/founder of the event.

comics # 31
GABRIEL FOWLER of DESERT ISLAND – the other co-organizer/founder of the fest.
but, seriously dude – you bit the dust with me. maybe there is a reason – you’re marooned on a desert island.

comics # 32
moving on – JAMES McSHANE.

comics 34 AA
JAMES McSHANE.

comics # 35
NOAH LYON – looking good.

comics # 36
with array of his small, politically charged and seriously funny dude – self-published books !!

comics # 37
NOAH LYON. his latest – LOL !!
a collaboration with MATT LEINES !! what a wicked & funny combo – or what !!

comics # 38
the awesome RON REGE Jr !!

comics # 39
RON REGE Jr. – ‘AGAINST PAIN’ !!

comics # 40
RON REGE Jr. – these are – DRAWN AND QUARTERLY – publications.

comics # 41
RON REGE Jr.

comics # 42
inside a RON REGE Jr. book – !!

comics # 45
Uninhabitable Mansions !!

comics # 46
CHRIS DIKEN, ROBBIE GUERTIN and SARA JONES – of Uninhabitable Mansions.

comics # 47
‘TWO WOUNDS’ – by CHRIS DIKEN

comics # 48
ROBBIE GUERTIN’s strangest little book – ever.

comics # 49
a glimpse behind the scenes.

comics # 50
SAM GASKIN and KEN DAHL – at the SECRET ACRES table.

comics # 51
SAM GASKIN.

comics # 52
a good natured SAM GASKIN – cracked a grin – when asked if it was a self portrait !!

comics # 53
a serious KEN DAHL.

comics # 54
and KEN DAHL’S – intense ?!! – is that the right word – flight of dark imagination.

comics # 55
SAM GASKIN – a church basement burstin’ full of talent – or what !!

comics # 56
MOLLY COLLEEN O’CONNELL and CHRIS DAY of CLOSED CAPTION COMICS – outta Philly !!

comics # 57
JAMES TURK.

# 59
VICTOR KERLOW.

comics # 60
VICTOR KERLOW contributed to this collection.
‘SUPERTALK 2009’.

comics # 62
PANAYIOTIS TERZIS.

comics # 63
exhibited his ‘PANRAY’.

Becca
BECCA KACANDA – she did that wonderful abstract color paisley design – on the back cover of SMOKE SIGNAL #2.
but otherwise, the comic world evidently is pretty much – a man’s world.

comics # 65
PAKITO BOCINO of LA DERNIER CRI – outta PARIS, FRANCE.
DERNIER CRI currently have a show up at – CINDERS – its up through DEC 19, 2009.
check it out: CINDERS !!

comics # 66
PAKITO BOCINO. LA DERNIER CRI – a legendary crew out of FRANCE.

comics # 67
JOSEPH LAMBERT, SEAN FORD and ALEX KIM.

comics # 68
‘OILY SKIN’ by SEAN FORD.

comics # 70
JACK TURNBULL.

comics # 71
illustration by JACK TURNBULL.

cmics # 72
JACK TURNBULL – also responsible for this wicked piece !!

comics # 73
CYRUS LUBIN aka FAMOUS CLASS, also in the band BOOGIE BOARDER. and MAURA in the Brooklyn band, DARLINGS.

comics # 78
and last, but not least, hometown fav – FRANK SANTORO – who made out like a bandit selling rare collector comics !!

comics # 79
FRANK SANTORO with his own book.
he is also one of the few comic artists who can cross the line into “fine art”.

yo, that’s it, folks !!
PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH