. . . in fact recently RIRKRIT TIRAVANiJ’S newest project – a – kind of study/work/gathering studio/house/garden in THAILAND was profiled in The New York Times Style Magazine – DESIGN SPRING 2008. Page 128.
“The Thai artist Rirkrit Tiravanija’s latest project – a house in Chiang Mai – was a group effort with singular results. Alix Browne pays a social call. PHOTOGRAPHY BY Jason Schmidt.”
the article begins: . . . “As an artist, Tiravanija is a catlyst for human interaction; his work revolves playfully around things food, music and, more often than not, architecture. In 1977 he recreated Philip Johnson’s Glass House at half-scale and installed it in the sculpture garden of the Museum of Modern Art as an art studio for children. Two years later, he created a full-scale replica of his own East Village apartment at Gaven brown’s Enterprise on West 15th Street, complete with a bedroom and a working kitchen and bathroom.. The “apartment” was open 24 hours a day to anyone who cared to stop by for a home-cooked meal, a nap or shower.
And when he recently decided to build a house for himself, his wife, the photographer Antoinette Aurell, and Aurell’s two teenage children, this too was an exercise in the value of human interaction – or what the French theorist and curator Nicolas Bourriaud has coined “relational aesthetics”. . . .
and ends with a quote from architect Neil Logan, (who describes his role in the house as “design development”): . . . “It was really about all parties trying to work out a problem together. Maybe that’s the nice thing about relational aesthetics. It’s the opposite of a vision rendered. It’s a collaborative thing that no one person could predict.”
~RIRKRIT TIRAVANIJA/New York Times |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | April 19th, 2008, 1:23am
DAN COLEN & NATE LOWMAN – ‘WET PAIN’ – aka – ‘CLO$ING DOWN $ALE’
MARCH 28 – APRIL 26, 2008
MACCARONE GALLERY in collaboration with PERES PROJECTS Berlin/Los Angeles
MACCARONE GALLERY – 630 GREENWICH ST – WEST VILLAGE – NYC
‘WET PAIN’ = STATIC ELECTRICITY
This is an interesting exhibit in terms of how static it plays out – especially for an exhibit that aspires to be so in flux. Even the title seems to have been changed at some point, the show being called ‘CLO$ING DOWN $ALE’ on the invite/poster & now, ‘WET PAIN’ on the gallery website !!
It was RIRKRIT TIRAVANIJA who made the momentarily startling and absolutely correct observation, when happened upon in the show on a recent Saturday – (see previous post) –
that for a ‘slacker’ aspired show of spontaneous & deconstructionist ambiance – actually everything – every element of the show – had a deliberate and controlled placement & final visual effect. even the cardboard boxes supposedly jumbled into the window and the clothes seemingly picked thru and randomly arrayed on the metal clothes racks. This is not a value judgement – nor a critical assessment – its just an interesting and ironic fact. (after all, static can be electric !!) Particularly given the source. though it might have been a critical assessment by Rirkrit – in his mind. It’s compelling to contemplate the paradox: how casual and thrown-together/at-the-moment, in-the-moment, organic – Rirkrit’s installations are – even though they are generally speaking much bigger and more involved productions, such as re-assembling an apartment, or re-creating a Thai Kitchen performance/installation, and actually sheds a more intimate light on Rirkrit’s own work – in that – the element of spontaneous placement & organization – is actually – probably – very much more of a carefully considered (and beautiful element) of the overall design – than one might have formerly realized . . . and, easy to overlook, or under-estimate in the over-all schematic impact.
Its kind of funny to think of the paradox – that Rirkrit’s academic & intellectual or polemic leanings, produce work that seems freely, really – organically – is the best word – evolved structures, rather than deliberately hyper-designed ambiences – and, the seemingly random thrown together casual ‘slacker’ output of ‘WET PAIN’ – especially as defined by the little narrative story, presented as a ‘stage play/theater’ script’ that accompanies the show,
(see: gallery website/PRESS RELEASE/’WET PAIN’)
assembled by DAN COLEN and NATE LOWMAN – has such a careful and static rendering.
In retrospect, that ‘static’ placement constitutes an interesting, invisible torque – to how these 2 artists are trying to make a statement about their particular brand of culture – celebrity tabloids, street smarts, male angst & hard partying – almost in direct opposition to Rirkrit’s ‘cultural’ territory – which tends to be more of a global ‘higher’ ground projection. kind of like The National Enquirer vs. The New York Times !!
‘WET PAIN’S’ static dynamic also helps the exhibit manage a kind of artistic ‘get-over’ – 2 hard partying guys – who just managed by the skin-of-their-teeth to pull off a full fledged exhibit in such a huge & serious exhibition space – while actually interpreting the space in a deviously deliberate, and yet, seemingly raw way. The stark empty spaces between the sparse works is actually very fine tuned. or at least they hoped to hell, you’d think so . . the whole idea being to be ultra stylish and ambitious – while seeming casually at play.
. . . in ‘WET PAIN’ (get it ? – ‘WET PAIN-T’) – DAN COLEN and NATE LOWMAN by playing the creative ‘chaos’ element – low-profile and very contained . . just like dropping that extra ‘T’ – achieve a kind of static ‘electricity’ . . and succeed as this generation’s ULTIMATE ‘POSERS’.
this is an archival RIRKRIT TIRAVANIJA installation shot – ‘untitled (Demonstration No. 3)’, 2001
installation, van, diverse utensils, 8 monitors – on the videos there were sequences of the artist’s journey/IMAGE COURTESY:YOKOHAMA TRIENNALE 2001
pix from the current MACCARONE exhibit: DAN COLEN & NATE LOWMAN – ‘WET PAIN’:
PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH
RIRKRIT TIRAVANIJA tours the DAN COLEN/NATE LOWMAN collaboration – ‘WET PAIN’ ….
the boxes could be seen from the street – at the bottom of the big display windows
the view from the street
the show’s over-size posters in the window. what we’re trying to get at – devilishly deliberate detail in the ‘spontaneously’ effected lettering, which becomes ‘static’ design in the repeat !!
the first view of the installation
a traveler’s ‘sunshade’ !!
“dude its about your mama”
“Dude, you got the joke wrong”
“LIFE’S A BEACH”
“PEACE, MAN”
Jaguar, electronics and sound system, Christmas tree
a jumble of home-made video loops on small monitors & assorted electronics filled the interior haphazardly, seemingly held together by packing tape.
one of the small interior monitors spooled a Mexican band – while a Spanish street beat/sound loop played
in another room, in the vast MACCARONE space – “it’s about rape”
detail, bottom previous painting – “damn!”
“STOP & THINK”
“Easy Japanesy”, 2008, Steel I-beam. metal, tire, aluminum rim, drywall, dimensions variable … drywall? guess, therefore it comes with the crashed-in wall !!!
see: recent pix of DAN COLEN & NATE LOWMAN, RYAN McGINLEY OPENING, APRIL 3, 2008
MACCARONE
~DAN COLEN & NATE LOWMAN/WET PAIN |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | April 17th, 2008, 12:12pm
RIRKRIT TIRAVANIJA walking through the DAN COLEN / NATE LOWMAN collaborative show – ‘WET PAIN’ – MACCARONE GALLERY, the West Village, NYC, SAT APRIL 5, 2008
PHOTO: NANCY SMITH
‘WET PAIN’ is up until APRIL 26, 2008 – see: MACCARONE
~RIRKRIT TIRAVANIJA |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | April 11th, 2008, 11:49am
RYAN McGINLEY – ‘I KNOW WHERE THE SUMMER GOES’
opened THURS APRIL 3, 2008
the show runs APRIL 3 – MAY 3, 2008
TEAM – 83 GRAND ST – SOHO – NYC
read & see more about this show: TEAM/McGINLEY EXHIBIT
some pix from the opening – APRIL 3, 2008:
from left: A-RON and RYAN McGINLEY
A-RON (the Don) and RYAN McGINLEY, outside on the street, as the McGINLEY opening – ‘I KNOW WHERE SUMMER GOES’ – winds down.
JOHN WATERS scoped out the RYAN McGINLEY show.
NATE LOWMAN drops by.
DAN COLEN, also at the RYAN McGINLEY, ‘I KNOW WHERE SUMMER GOES’ opening.
NATE LOWMAN & DAN COLEN currently have a collaborative show up at MACCARONE – titled: ‘WET PAIN’, it is up until APRIL 26, 2008.
supposedly the opening was hugely packed & yes, one of those OLSEN twins, MARY KATE , did come by for like 2 seconds.
see more on that show: MACCARONE/’WET PAIN’
PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH
TEAM
~RYAN McGINLEY |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | April 11th, 2008, 11:07am
‘AFTER THE REALITY 2’ – curated by HOROMI YOSHII
APRIL 5 – MAY 3, 2008
DEITCH PROJECTS – 76 GRAND ST – SOHO
. . . the show opened last Saturday, April 5. the worst show to hit NYC in years. it was embarrassing to watch the opening collapse – as word quickly spread about how bad it was. Jeffrey made a big show of slinking out, in a big (old) limo, way before closing time.
while we are on the subject, apologies to ROSSON CROW, but that other DEITCH show, ‘SUBSTRACTION’, just around the corner, at the Wooster street location, is really bad, too.
too bad, her painting looked really good in that wonderful group show – PERRY RUBENSTEIN showcased her work in – last year. called ‘ACCIDENTAL PAINTING’, it ran from APRIL 4 – 28, 2007, and, it still looks good!!
check it out: ‘ACCIDENTAL PAINTING’, PERRY RUBENSTEIN
DEITCH PROJECTS
~HIROMI YOSHII-After the Reality 2/SUBSTRACTION |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | April 11th, 2008, 10:17am
WALTER ROBINSON, ‘Motel Marriage’, acrylic on board, 17-1/4 x 24-1/4 ins./PHOTO: COURTESY METRO PICTURES
WALTER ROBINSON – ’80s Paintings’
opened SATURDAY APRIL 5, 2008
the show runs APRIL 5 – MAY 3, 2008
METRO PICTURES – 519 WEST 24TH STREET – CHELSEA – NYC
see a ‘slide’ show of the exhibit on the gallery: website !!
some pix from the opening – APRIL 5, 2008:
WALTER ROBINSON greets us.
ALEXIS ROCKMAN, in green shirt, drops by the WALTER ROBINSON opening
Alexis Rockman currently has a show up at LEO KOENIG, called ‘South’,
it runs until APRIL 26, 2008.
there is a survey of the show on the gallery: website !!
WILLOUGHBY SHARP (claim to fame: 60’s/70’s minimalist art mag – “AVALANCHE’), LISA ROSEN and WALTER ROBINSON.
’80’s Paintings’ by WALTER ROBINSON
’80’s Painting’ by WALTER ROBINSON
’80’s Painting’ by WALTER ROBINSON
PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH
METRO PICTURES
~WALTER ROBINSON |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | April 11th, 2008, 10:17am
ANTHONY HADEN GUEST drops by the ‘GARY PANTER: Pictures from the Psychedelic Swamp:1972-2001’ opening, CLEMENTINE, APRIL 4, 2008
PHOTO: NANCY SMITH
ANTHONY HADEN GUEST – HACKED BY A HO !!
makes the rounds of the openings last weekend – blissfully unaware that his confidential email is being circulated behind his back & that he is the laughing stock of his down & dirty party ‘pals’ !!
ANTHONY HADEN GUEST, born 1937, is a BRITISH PEER with a long lineage of doctor/soldier/statesman fighters. He just missed being the 5TH BARON, his (younger) brother from his dad’s 2nd marriage – seems to have scored that title. His dad sounds most unusual – a professional dancer, his stage name was PETER MICHAEL.
see:THE PEERAGE
He also has a website: moi
excerpt:
ORIGINAL POST: APRIL 6, 2008 – HOME PAGE
. . . anybody who has written anything ‘CONFIDENTIAL’ to ANTHONY HADEN GUEST – in the last little while – be warned – his email account’s security was breached.
Anthony – watch out for that art groupie, 40+ years younger than yourself – who has been ‘doing’ ya. Not only is she notorious for spreading VD among th art world “elite” – well, at least the – truly bon vivant ones – just ask a couple of your well-known pals – but, when you recently used her computer to check your email – she hacked into your account, after you left – and has been telling everyone about CHARLIE FINCH’S supposedly ‘confidential’ emails to you – esp re: “I hate my wife.”
. . . so, it was actually no surprise to see Charlie running around in Chelsea yesterday, on the way to WALTER ROBINSON’S opening at METRO PICTURES, telling everyone – “I’m back” – and exclaiming profusely happily – how he had just filed divorce papers . . “but don’t tell anybody” – trust me, Charlie – thanks to Anthony’s little ‘helper’ – everyone already knows !!
CHARLIE FINCH greets fans & well-wishers last weekend, in CHELSEA.
back from self-imposed exile up-state, he says he is back in his old apt in the East Village and ready to hit the scene in full force, again. He was on his way to the WALTER ROBINSON opening at METRO PICTURES, APRIL 5, 2008
PHOTO: NANCY SMITH
~ANTHONY HADEN GUEST/CHARLIE FINCH |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | April 11th, 2008, 8:33am
OMG – look at this !! PAGE SIX is the best !!!
. . . the caption reads: “Natalie Portman strolls arm in arm around the West Village with her hairy new beau, Devendra Banhart.”
PHOTO CREDIT: Abaca/Ramey
PAGE SIX – NEW YORK POST, Thursday, April 10, 2008
~DEVENDRA & NATALIE PORTMAN !! |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | April 10th, 2008, 10:50am
portrait of DARK FAIR co-founder, JOHN RIEPENHOFF by PORTS BISHOP, taken at the DARK FAIR, using only reflected ‘glowstick’ illumination/PHOTO COURTESY: LITTLE CAKES LITTLE GALLERY
or, as we like to call him, John ‘Lennon lives’ Riepenhoff – when we manage to get his name spelled right !!
JOHN RIEPENHOFF runs the GREEN GALLERY in Milwaukee, as well as being part of MILWAUKEE INTERNATIONAL – the 5 person crew that brought NYC – the DARK FAIR.
check out: THE GREEN GALLERY
PHOTOGRAPHER PORTS BISHOP set up his tripod and medium format camera to take portraits at the DARK FAIR – powered only by 100% glowstick juice.
Participants were able to choose from three differently colored and arranged light boards, illuminated only by glowsticks, sit on a chair, and hold still for a couple of minutes, and have their ‘souvenir’ photo portrait taken at what will most certainly prove itself to be – one historic NYC art event.
HANNA FUSHIHARA ARON, wrote in the LITTLE CAKES press release: “The reflection of such unnatural light casts an otherworldly phosphorescence that could only come from the world of Sci-Fi or that of a rave. ..”
Ports Bishop’s digital ‘Glow Portraits’ were available for $20 – while an 8 x 10 ins. signed color print was available for $100.
see: PORTS BISHOP
see: LITTLE CAKES
ORIGINAL POST: THURSDAY, APRIL 3, 2008 – HOME PAGE
. . . no, JOHN RIEPENHOFF wasn’t at the SCOTT & TYSON REEDER OPENING – last nite – a beautiful gem of a show – he’s ALREADY in TOKYO !! . . at the 101 TOKYO ART FAIR !! where it’s said he is showing his “miniature art gallery tour” – some kind of contraption.. “where you climb a ladder – put your head up a box – and see a miniature fair” . . . as TYSON REEDER put it.
so, it does sound like we picked up on the right vibe – JOHN LENNON has come back to earth & inhabits JOHN RIEPENHOFF’S body.
TYSON REEDER further confirmed that, as if we hadn’t guessed – JOHN LENNON is JOHN RIEPENHOFF’S favorite artist !!
. . . also at 101 TOKYO – atm Gallery out of NYC, THE HAPPY LION out of L.A. & WILLY WONKA out of OSLO. 101 TOKYO features 28 galleries in all – and opens – today: THURS APRIL 3 – running thru Sunday, April 6, 2008
see: 101 TOKYO
~JOHN RIEPENHOFF/PORTS BISHOP/101 TOKYO |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | April 10th, 2008, 10:30am
ORIGINAL POST: SAT MARCH 29, 2008 – HOME PAGE
. . yep, the DARK FAIR delivered, lines to get in – snaked around the block & the buzz increased all nite long – as word of the excitement, fun and really dark space, so dark as to be electric, from random bursts of day-glow paint, black lights, glow stix & sparse candle flickers!! – not to mention the mostly cutting edge art & definitely the – coolest out-of-town visitors & galleries – quickly circulated. it was easy to forget that this was a FAIR, not a show !! even the “booths” are set-up to be like booths in a dark, black, black, black & exotic dive-y Thai restaurant. but, buyer be advised – there was !! some real good art to be bought, and at entry level prices!! some examples ? . . super deals on limited edition glow-in-the-dark prints by the likes of ARA PETERSON & MELISSA BROWN at PICTUREBOX . . . and, JACK HANLEY finally kicked in – with some great black & white drawings by OLIVER HALSMAN ROSENBERG – with OLIVER himself, manning the booth – and, giving free home-made TAROT CARD READINGS !! SPENCER SWEENEY, also manning his booth – has some great candles, who was the model ? – just behind him, at the GAVIN BROWN booth. of the visitors, INOVA had the most intense booth, with an interactive sensory ‘machine’ by CLARA JO & HARRELL FLETCHER. …
brand new, totally cool entry-level priced art was offered up at both the GENERAL STORE & the GREEN GALLERY booths…(duh!!), and, the folks at the OTHER GALLERY out of WINNIPEG & at ANGSTROM out of L.A. & DALLAS – were also very interesting… the DARK FAIR only runs one more day – too short!! – today, (SAT) until 9PM… so, if you are into really contemporary art – that should be your number one destination. then hit the armory. the big opening to-nite (SAT) of course is ‘SUBSTRACTION’ at DEITCH PROJECTS (WOOSTER ST.) with: KRISTEN BAKER, DAN COLEN, ROSSON CROW, ELIZABETH NEEL, STERLING RUBY & AARON YOUNG (6-9PM).
ORIGINAL POST: TUESDAY, APRIL 1, 2008 – HOME PAGE
THE DARK FAIR AFTER-GLO !!
. . . THE FOLKS BEHIND THE DARK FAIR – THE RAWEST & BEST TIME – ART WISE – THIS CITY HAS SEEN IN A LONG LONG TIME – ARE: ELYSIA BOROWY-REEDER, TYSON REEDER, SCOTT REEDER, JOHN (‘LENNON LIVES AGAIN’) RIEPENHOFF & NICK FRANK – aka – collectively – MILWAUKEE INTERNATIONAL
see: MILWAUKEE INTERNATIONAL
. . . credit for bringing this blast to NYC also has to be given to GIANNI JETZER, the Director of the SWISS INSTITUTE.
see: SWISS INSTITUTE CONTEMPORARY ART NEW YORK
the background story – briefly stated – goes something like this: MATTHEW HIGGS, of WHITE COLUMNS, who might know the MILWAUKEE boys from shared GBE/passerby relationships (?) turned GIANNI JETZER onto the first ever MILWAUKEE INTERNATIONAL ART FAIR, that took place OCT 20-21, 2006 in beer hall – MILWAUKEE . . . GIANNI had such a great time – he invited the crew to do something at the SWISS INSTITUTE & voila!! – THE DARK FAIR – the underground alternative – to the increasingly crass commercialism & trade fair vibe of the AMORY – !!
see: FIRST MILWAUKEE INTERNATIONAL ART FAIR
. . . it’s interesting to note that ‘booths’ in the first fair (in Milwaukee) cost the grand total of $150 !! the booths at the DARK FAIR jumped in price to $800 per booth – with over 20 booths participating, that’s a total haul of at least $16,000 (still peanuts compared to ARMORY costs – where just the in-put ‘hook-up’ for the each booth’s lap top computer cost $250/per individual access I.D. !!) with most of that paying the costs of the visiting MILWAUKEE crew’s stay in NYC & the considerable costs of paying overtime 24/7 labor crews – to set up the fair – including painting the whole place – BLACK – 100% – and buying the plywood, etc, & constructing the ‘restaurant’ style indiviual gallery booths – & – then of course, dismantling it, and restoring the white walls of the SWISS INSTITUTE exhibition space.
(word was circulating that, inspired by this installation – the MILWAUKEE CREW wants to do an . . . ‘ICE FAIR’ – !! what the hell was that, you said – and you were answered . . you know – like go to . . WINNIPEG, MANITOBA, in CANADA and build each gallery little individual ice fishing huts on a frozen river … yikes.)
. . . back to the DARK FAIR:
we’re even going to let them into the artlovers (un)official NYC HALL OF ART SHOW FAME – because – even though they didn’t !! get shut down by the FIRE DEPT – the only requisite for Hall of Fame show acclaim – the FDNY – did show !! a crew of about 6-8 firefighters with looks of complete disbelief across their wary faces !! showed up at about 11 pm, and even though the show didn’t get shut down – it was a close & tense call for a while. so ok. this show is legend.
(up there with QUIET & RAGNORAK !!)
and yeah – MADONNA !! – you sure look and sound stupid. “nothing going on in the art world in NYC” – did you read her sound bite in the New York Times this past weekend – has-been chick – go back to London – its really rockin’ there. Young Brits, right !! . .
TAYLOR McKIMENS, not to mention JOE GRILLO – was spotted walking around the DARK FAIR, Friday nite !! as well, as a reported CINDY SHERMAN/DAVID BYRNE sighting . .
oh, yeah TAYLOR McKIMENS & BRIAN BELOTT had these great collaboration glow-in-the-dark monster black light ‘posters’ at the PICTUREBOX booth. (approx. $800 a piece – a steal !!) and … you had to have seen PORTS BISHOP taking large format tripod photo portraits, on – 100% glow stix juice !!!
see: VERNISSAGE TV CLIP/DARK FAIR OPENING
see: PIX FROM THE DARK FAIR OPENING !!
see: MILWAUKEE INTERNATIONAL
. . . JIM DRAIN and ARA PETERSON were spotted at the DEITCH ‘SUBSTRACTION’ opening. supposedly ROSSON CROW was all dolled up L.A. style !! and, just in – SIMON CERIGO says he saw CHARLIE WATTS of the ROLLING STONES – at the WHITE COLUMNS opening last Saturday, as well.
. . . if you missed the DARK FAIR – loser !! – there is still a chance to see these guys – up close and personal – SCOTT REEDER & TYSON REEDER OPEN A SHOW OF THEIR OWN WORK at DANIEL REICH GALLERY, on WED APRIL 2, 2008 (6-8 pm). called simply – ‘SCOTT REEDER / TYSON REEDER’ – the show runs APRIL 2 – MAY 17, 2008.
see: DANIEL REICH
JOHN RIEPENHOFF should be on hand at the opening as well – he usually is – at their openings.
~THE DARK FAIR / AFTER-GLO |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | April 3rd, 2008, 1:17pm
