NOLAN SIMON, attends the DANIEL REICH SOIREE for SEAN RASPET, at the CHELSEA HOTEL, MARCH 7, 2008
PHOTO: NANCY SMITH
NOLAN SIMON actually has work in the JOHN CONNELLY PRESENTS exhibit – ‘A New High In Getting Low’ profiled in the previous post.
NOLAN SIMON’S 2 pieces are in the center towards the left. One, titled, ‘2001, Hatred of Capitalism, Dating Handbook’, 2008 – comprises of the two posters on the wall – with each portraying one black twin tower. The other piece is directly underneath, on the floor – a DVD Monitor (looks like a TV), with a DVD and a wool blanket, titled, ‘Leviathan’ 2008. ‘A New High In Getting Low’/INSTALLATION PHOTO COURTESY: JOHN CONNELLY PRESENTS
We caught up with Nolan Simon at the DANIEL REICH/Chelsea Hotel event this past Friday evening, and we had an interesting talk with him and a few of his friends. The NEW YORK TIMES Review of the JCP show – ‘A New High In Getting Low’ – had just come out that day, and they all seemed to be seriously buzzed about one phrase in the KAREN ROSENBERG review . . .
“A few paintings stand out from the glut of appropriation, assemblage and mixed media-works.”
They thought that, that was pretty funny – and pretty dead wrong !!! if not completely laughable – totally missing the point of the show & therefore completely alienating a big ‘drift’ among a certain – very intense group of serious young art makers – usually with serious graduate degrees under their belts, and serious intellectual artistic aspirations in their heads. .
(and usually dressed all in black, or at least in a serious young professional clean-cut sort-of-tailoring attire – with a very cool demeanor and style – but definitely not “too cool for school” – we’re not naming names here !!) Just very intense, very intellectual, usually thematically driven.
(as opposed to, let’s say for the sake of brevity and our international audience – the other art ‘camp’ – favoring dramatic or handmade costume/attire – someone like a JOE GRILLO (DEARRAINDROP) or a BRIAN CHIPPENDALE – equally intense, equally serious, and accomplished – but much more colorful in dress and personality. simple rule of thumb: artists that don’t appropriate – and generate original creative visual art favor expressive clothing with handmade accents – serious young creative visual thinkers – that do favor appropriation – seem to wear all black. the 2 groups are like polar opposites – water and oil – and, they never ever cross-over – someone should curate a show: 50-50 !! along the lines of Gavin Brown’s famous ‘Stoners vs.
Chuggers’ or whatever it was called – except it would have to called something more like: Right Hand Side of the Brain vs. Left Hand Side – / – hippies vs. hipsters !! that centuries old yin yang concept seems pretty durable – even today – in cutting edge NYC.
but yo! – this is New York Fu*king City – and that’s what makes this the hugest & most dynamic art center – in the world – that it is so huge and so diverse and wave after wave of young artists from different generations, even within the same schools – (JOE GRILLO & BRIAN CHIPPENNDALE both sprung from RISD – as did, SEAN RASPET) – land here and want to tear up the town and make it their own. A generation can be defined by single year here in the Big Apple art scene.
anyways, back to the Chelsea hotel – they were having a great laugh at the phrase: “glut of appropriation” – they were like: “right on appropriation – let’s do more !!”, and I have to say in this case I think they are right.
Several reasons come to mind, but I’ll stick to the main issues, as demonstrated in the JCP show.
ONE. these artists always make it very clear that they are appropriating. Unlike RICHARD PRINCE’S full frontal appropriation of – the JIM KRANTZ MARLBORO COWBOY series – they usually present the appropriated images – as a part of a greater whole, of their creative expression. Usually by incorporating the ‘lifted’ cultural images in: A) in a ‘sculpturalized’ format – simple example: SCOTT HUG’S ‘JFK’ (see previous post) or B) as part of a large thematic installation (see SEAN RASPET’S ‘The Ones We Work For’).
NOLA SIMON’S pieces, above, fall kind of within both definitions, sculpturual in terms of ‘posters’ with ‘2 paperback books’ and a monitor on the floor – really a min-installation – within a greater installation – which would be the show itself as a whole – tethered to a thematic discourse (NYC after 9/11).
TWO. well really, maybe you had to be at the opening – thoguh I don’t think so – but the graphic appropriated art, assemblages and mixed media pieces were the heart of the show – and note: without any reliance on text or long written descriptions. They were extremely effective and very very visual, each artist really took appropriation, or mixed media, or assemblage and really made it their own original creative statement. just check out the photos in previous post. I think it was nice the curators included some painting, but they certainly couldn’t have made the show on their own – in the very least. If you want to go see painting – go check out JOE BRADLEY’S paintings in the Biennial.
if you want to see ‘conceptual art’ – from what I’m hearing – even the Biennial is soaked with it – it seems to be pretty mid-level, and laughable – and that’s being polite. The JCP show ‘A New High In Getting Low’ – is the – real deal alternative. smarter and edgier.
two final remarks:
it was interesting to hear Nolan Simon refer to JEFF KOONS’ early work – the appropriated pieces he did – before he started acquiring copyright lawsuits – as his best pieces. but that’s a whole other story – as being a photographer, I’m pretty much behind copyright laws, but being a documentary photographer – crossing the line is hard to define – and what’s more, in this case, I agree with him.
and re: the actual exhibit at hand, SEAN RASPET’S ‘The Generation’ – for some reason – I didn’t feel like taking any photos. the actual images were black and white and not really that noteworthy – the heavy-duty theme, VALERIE SOLANAS’ MANIFESTO – notwithstanding. The best part of the show was how they were arranged with push pins – a little hastily – onto the silver mylar covered walls. a picture would have be worth a thousand words.
~APPROPRIATION GLUT !! RIGHT ON !!/NOLAN SIMON |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | March 10th, 2008, 10:09am
‘A New High in Getting Low (NYC)’
FEBRUARY 23 – MARCH 29, 2008
JOHN CONNELLY PRESENTS – 625 W27TH STREET – CHELSEA – NYC
This big group survey show – also scored a write-up in last Friday’s NEW YORK TIMES – MARCH 7, 2008 (by KAREN ROSENBERG). It’s the NYC expanded version of the original presentation. which took place at the Berlin GERMANY gallery – Artnews Projects, last OCTOBER 2007.
MS. ROSENBERG wrote: “Art made in New York since 9/11 is the theme, or rather the mood, of this 36-artist group show… With oblique references to the economy and to drug culture, the title suggests a citywide diagnosis of post-traumatic stress or even a kind of manic depression.”
artlovers was at the opening, alerted to the show by JEFFREY TRANCHELL, who had several friends in the show. here’s a bunch of pix from the opening, which took place on FEB 23, 2008.
JOHN CONNELLY
ELI SUDBRACK aka ASSUME VIVID ASTRO FOCUS
(that’s gallerist JACK HANLEY behind him, at left of photo.)
ASSUME VIVID ASTRO FOCUS, ‘hands’, 2007, hi-fi print & sequins, 50 x31.6 ins., edition 1 of 3 AP1
detail, ASSUME VIVID ASTRO FOCUS, ‘hands’
SCOTT HUG – always to be counted on – to have focused & twisty, most often politically pointed, work in any show he’s in . . .
outdid himself, with this subtle, yet deeply provocative piece. MS. ROSENBERG was struck by it too, she wrote . . “Resurrected Pop describes the work (of Tom Burr…), and that of Scott Hug, whose ‘JFK’ (2007) pairs a black mirror with a photograph of President Kennedy in dark shades. One is celebratory (Tom Burr), the other mournful; both feel current.”
SCOTT HUG, ‘JFK’, 2007, black mirror, digital print on canvas, custom frame, diptych, each: 15-1/4 x 11-3/4 x 1-3/4 ins.
TOM BURR, ‘Slacks’, 2008, wood, magazine pages, book pages, thumb tacks, gold mirrored plexi – also scored a mention in the NEW YORK TIMES as . . “celebratory” & “current”.
JOSHUA SMITH – with a piece many were talking about at the opening – as being the metaphorical and tangible cornerstone of the show.
a view of JOSHUA SMITH’S ‘Untitled’, 2008 – an Eliptical trainer coated in black enamel paint.
detail, JOSHUA SMITH, black enamel painted Eliptical trainer.
our very fave piece, among many faves !! in the whole show – so cool. a hanging light !!!
BRIAN CLIFTON, ‘I want to believe in something. My stepfather recently passed away. NFS. “Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind.” Self-stylization distorts a genuine personality. Feeling openly influenced by someone, and this being a sign of love. February 2008. My sense of self as formless and relative. Compassion. I enjoy nice lighting’, 2008 – hanging light, Dimensions variable.
MICHAEL PHELAN, ‘Tomorrow’s a new day…’, 2008, (black) Glass rocks on the floor
A. L. STEINER, ‘Surviving is criminal, modernity is pornographic’, 2008, 4 digital c-prints, various dimensions
detail, A.L. STEINER, ‘Surviving is criminal, modernity is pornographic’.
another MICHAEL PHELAN piece, ‘Crazy Time’, ‘How Can I Help?’, and ‘Hi Bob?’, – all images 2008, ea. 30 x 22 ins., edition 2 of 10
frame from: SAM GORDON, ’24 HOURS In NEW YORK (The Lost Kinetic World, Volumes 1-12), 2005-7, i-Pod, cord, set of 12 dvds; index and text, edition 2 of 7
PETER COFFIN had work in the show – he also has a solo showing coming up, in fact opening MARCH 22, 2008, at ANDREW KREPS.
TRAVIS BOYER and A.K. BURNS. Travis had work in the show.
LISA KIRK, said to have helped organize the show, also had work in the show – she’s clutching her ‘bumper sticker’ – ‘I LOVE GLOBAL WARMING’
at right, JUSTIN SAMSON. he had an installation of several components, which were assemblages and sculptural and very tribal in feel. they were brought to life on opening night by a (tribal) performance by LABANNA BLY
JUSTIN SAMSON, the opening night live performance, intertwined into his sculptures – just beginning to take off.
a better view of the JUSTIN SAMSON installation.
detail, JUSTIN SAMSON, ‘Hall of Loss drummer’, 2008
JUSTIN SAMSON – ‘Pre-atlantian Ritualistic Artifacts’, 2008
JUSTIN SAMSON + LABANNA BLY – detail of the opening night performance
LABANNA BLY – she made her – ‘pre-Atlantian’ – voice changer mask
KRISTIE BROWN and GENEVIEVE KANMEL. KRISTIE and GENEVIEVE with LABANNA BLY, are the core members of an all-girl music collective – ORGY AZTEC !!
gallery goers at the opening were encouraged to join in – this is Angie.
JUSTIN SAMSON and LABANNA BLY.
PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH
see: gallery installation shots/JCP
JOHN CONNELLY PRESENTS
~JCP/A New High in Getting Low |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | March 9th, 2008, 5:19pm
LISA OPPENHEIM, detail, ‘The Sun is Always Setting Somewhere Else’, 2006, looped slide projection, dimensions variable/PHOTO COURTESY: LISA COOLEY FINE ART
‘GUT OF THE QUANTIFIER’ opens to-nite – SUNDAY – MARCH 9, 2008 6-8PM
the show runs MARCH 9 – APRIL 20, 2008
LISA COOLEY FINE ART – 34 ORCHARD ST – LOWER EAST SIDE – NYC
a group show featuring the work of:
TAUBA AUERBACH, BARB CHOIT, DAN ESTABROOK, TATIANA ECHEVERRI FERNANDEZ, BRION GYSIN, LISA OPPENHEIM, FRED SANDBACK, PAUL SHARITS, MATT SHERIDAN SMITH & SUE TOMPKINS
we recently caught up with LISA COOLEY at a recent John Connelly Presents opening:
LISA COOLEY at the ‘A New High in Getting Low’ opening, JOHN CONNELLY PRESENTS, FEB 23, 2008
PHOTO: NANCY SMITH
LISA COOLEY FINE ART
~LISA COOLEY/opening to-nite |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | March 9th, 2008, 4:56pm
ANIMAL COLLECTIVE !! & WHITE MAGIC FANS !! TAKE NOTE:
DANCE PAR-TAY !! TO-NITE !!
SATURDAY – MARCH 8, 2008 – 10PM – $6 AT THE DOOR
GLASSLANDS – 289 KENT – WILLIAMSBURG – BROOKLYN – NY
(btwn SOUTH 1ST + SOUTH 2ND – L to Bedford, J to Marcy)
NEW YORK NIGHT TRAIN presents Part Time Punks and Jah Division
DJ’s MICHAEL STOCK (filmmaker) and BENJAMIN WHITE (GoGoGo Airheart guitarist) of L.A.’s most popular subcultural dance party – PART TIME PUNKS – lay down hours of post-punk dance action with DJ JONATHAN TOUBIN – while – THE SOCIAL REGISTRY’S dub – JOY DIVISION – cover band – JAH DIVISION – performs with an expanded line-up featuring members of ANIMAL COLLECTIVE, WHITE MAGIC, and all-star SOCIAL REGISTRY cast.
see: NEW YORK NIGHT TRAIN
see: GLASSLANDS
~GLASSLANDS/DANCE PARTY !! |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | March 8th, 2008, 6:44pm
“Rosson Crow at the opening of her show at Honor Fraser in Los Angeles, honorfraser.com, and YES she wore the outfit to the dinner…”PHOTO/COURTESY: CANADA
ROSSON CROW is scheduled to be in the abstract painting group show, ‘SUBSTRACTION’, curated by Nicola Vassell, coming up at DEITCH PROJECTS at the end of this month – opening: FRI MARCH 29, 2008 6-9PM.
that’s just the newest addition – to the ‘UPDATES’ PHOTO GALLERY on CANADA . . . take the cruise: it’s most definitely fun !!!
CANADA
~RAINY DAY CRUISE: CANADA |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | March 8th, 2008, 4:17pm
special MEMORIAL . . . .
DAVID ASKEVOLD SCREENING – to-nite – SAT MARCH 8, 2008 6-8PM
SHORT FILMS and VIDEOS FROM 1967 to 2006
CANADA – 55 CHRYSTIE ST – BETWN HESTER + CANAL – CHINATOWN – NYC
‘My Recall of an Imprint from a Hypothetical Jungle’ – DAVID ASKEVOLD, 1973, 6:00 min./IMAGE COURTESY: CANADA
DAVID ASKEVOLD – THREE EASY PIECES – INVITE IMAGE/COURTESY: CANADA
DAVID ASKEVOLD – THREE EASY PIECES – up thru SUNDAY MARCH 9, 2008
the show ran: FEBRUARY 1 – MARCH 9, 2008
CANADA – 55 CHRYSTIE – HOURS: WED-SUN 12-6PM
last day to catch this show, tomorrow !!
The NEW YORK TIMES finally !! kicked in with some really relevant contemporary reviews this past FRIDAY, MARCH 7, 2008 – and included a KAREN ROSENBERG review of this show. Sadly, it is noted – that DAVID ASKEVOLD died this past January, and that the show was planned before his death. The show is described as including a series of paintings he made last year and a video from the 90s. Ms. Rosenberg also notes that David Askevold was “a founding member of the 1970s contemporary scene in Halifax, Nova Scotia. {CANADA!!} {whose} . . .better-known participants included the ur-conceptualists Lawrence Weiner, Dan Graham and Lucy Lippard.” She concludes with a description of his short video ’16 Candles’, and says: “this elegant, evocative piece bears comparison to the work of fellow Canadian Conceptualist, Rodney Graham, and suggests that a more comprehensive look at Mr. Askevold’s work is in order.”
BELOW – archival photos: DAVID ASKEVOLD, at his exhibit, ‘THE IMMEDIATE LANDSCAPE’, CANADA, MAY 20-JUNE 19, 2005
PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH
DAVID ASKEVOLD in front of one of his large scale digital photo collages, CANADA, MAY 21, 2005
DAVID ASKEVOLD, large scale digital photo collage, CANADA, MAY 21, 2005
detail, above digital photo collage, DAVID ASKEVOLD, CANADA, MAY 21, 2005
detail, above photo collage, DAVID ASKEVOLD, CANADA, MAY 21, 2005
CANADA
~DAVID ASKEVOLD/screening to-nite |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | March 8th, 2008, 2:31pm
last day to catch !!
JESSE PASCA – ‘My Heart as a Stock Market’
FEBRUARY 13 – MARCH 8, 2008
MEHR GALLERY (MIDTOWN)
436 W. 18TH STREET, CHELSEA – NYC
JESSE PASCA, ‘My Heart as a Stock Market’, 2000-2002, ink, colored pencil on paper, 18 x 12 ins./IMAGE COURTESY: MEHR GALLERY
This is a sweet, refreshingly light-hearted show that presents itself beautifully in the natural light of the gallery. No wonder it scored a neat little write-up (by Rachel Wolff) in the NEW YORK Magazine culture blog: VULTURE – Edited by Dan Kois & Lane Brown.
see: VULTURE POST/JESSE PASCA
A born New Yorker, JESSE PASCA continues to live and work out of NYC and Sag Harbor, NY. She received an MA with Honors in Art Education from City College of New York, and a BFA from SVA (School of Visual Arts, NY).
There are 8 drawings in the show. Four are based on horizontal grid tables, and the rest are vertical. we liked the vertical ones best – though looking back – we did really like this horizontal one, too.
JESSE PASCA, ‘A Certain Knowldege’, 2008, gouache, latex, ink, marker on w/c paper, 22 x 15 ins. ($2,500)
our super favorite was the ‘purple’ chart featured at the top of this post – because the alternating horizontal bands of purple and black gave a kinetic impression of ‘zipper’ folded paper.
detail, JESSE PASCA, ‘My Heart as a Stock Market’, 2000-2002, ink, colored pencil on paper, 18 x 12 ins. ($2,000)
too bad, the photograph can’t quite catch the optical illusion.
the left hand margin of the grid tables is in tiny handwritten ink script:
detail, JESSE PASCA, ‘My Heart as a Stock Market’, 2000-2002
another vertical ‘heart’ chart, we really liked:
JESSE PASCA, ‘If I Could Tell You I Would Let You Know’, 2008, pencil, gouache, latex, ink, marker on w/c paper, 15 x 22 ins.
detail, JESSE PASCA, ‘If I Could Tell You I Would Let You Know’
detail, JESSE PASCA, ‘If I Could tel You I V Would Let You Know’
. . . what can we say, looking back, the horizontal ones started to reveal themselves as pretty interesting, too.
JESSE PASCA, ‘My Heart as a Stock Market: Alternative Landscape (B)’, 2008, ink on watercolor paper, 26 x 30 ins.
PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH
see more images: gallery website
MEHR GALLERY (MIDTOWN)
~JESSE PASCA |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | March 8th, 2008, 1:00pm
‘SPACING OUT’ – curated by Cinders Gallery
OPENING TO-NITE – !!- FRIDAY – MARCH 7, 2008 – 7-11PM
the show runs: MARCH 7 – MARCH 29, 2008
SPACE 1026 – 1026 ARCH STREET – 2Nd FLOOR – PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA
gallery hours: open everyday / noon-midnight
featuring the work of: DIANE BARCELOWSKY, KELIE BOWMAN, CHRIS DUNCAN, GEORGE FERRANDI, MATT FURIE, KEVIN HOOYMAN,DAVID HORVITZ, HILARY PECIS, SHAWN REED, STO & more !!!
KELIE BOWMAN at a CINDERS opening, OCT 12, 2007
STO also at a CINDERS opening, OCT 12, 2007
STO, acrylic on board, CINDERS. OCT 12, 2007
STO, acrylic on board, CINDERS. OCT 12, 2007
STO ‘BELIEVE’, acrylic on board, CINDERS. OCT 12, 2007
KELIE BOWMAN, ‘How To Build A House’, screenprint on vintage ledger page, CINDERS. FEB 22, 2008
DIANE BARCELOWSKY, painting on paper, CINDERS. JAN 5, 2008
KEVIN HOOYMAN, drawing on paper, CINDERS. NOV 16, 2008
see: more on KEVIN HOOYMAN
SHAWN REED, LITTLE CAKES. OCT 11, 2007
see: more pix – SHAWN REED at LITTLE CAKES
PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH
more info see: SPACE1026/SPACING OUT
CINDERS GALLERY
~CINDERS in PHILLY !! |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | March 7th, 2008, 11:30am
1. JOE BRADLEY
JOE BRADLEY – at the MICHAEL WILLIAMS opening. CANADA, OCT 11, 2007
2. CHEYNEY THOMPSON
CHEYNEY THOMPSON at his debut solo show. ANDREW KREPS,
MARCH 13, 2007
note: this photo first posted on artnet – in ART LOVERS NEW YORK-PHOTOS BY NANCY SMITH – in the PEOPLE SECTION
see: artnet/ART LOVERS/SPRING 2004
3. ROE ETHRIDGE
ROE ETHRIDGE in a early photo, also first posted on artnet – ART LOVERS NEW YORK, at an opening of his photographs, ANDREW KREPS, APRIL 17, 2004
see: artnet/ART LOVERS SPRING 2004
ROE ETHRIDGE, at the RICCI ALBENDA opening, ANDREW KREPS,
MAY 5, 2007
4. AGATHE SNOW
AGATHE SNOW, ‘Mother Complex’, 2005, mixed media, in ‘I Throw Herring to the Dog’, CANADA, July 13, 2005
first posted: art lovers SUMMER 2005
5. GANG GANG DANCE – BRIAN DeGRAW
BRIAN DeGRAW, outside a RITA AKERMANN – ANGEL BLOOD – performance, KENNY SCHACTER’S West Village Gallery, NYC. OCT 12, 2003
first posted: art lovers SUMMER 2006
PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH
see: photos of BIENNIAL 2008 curators: SHAMIM MOMIN & HENRIETTE HULDISCH/THE BOMB/FEB 13, 2007
WHITNEY BIENNIAL 2008
~5 TO WATCH/WHITNEY BIENNIAL |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | March 5th, 2008, 1:31pm
NICOLA VASSELL, a gallery director at DEITCH PROJECTS, and MAD VICKY – at the opening of: BIANCA CASADY – Lil Girl Slim “COSMIC WILLINGNESS”, DEITCH PROJECTS, OCT 6, 2007
NICOLA VASSELL is photo profiled, as ‘THE BROKER’ – gallery director & writer, in the new issue of PAPER MAGAZINE (MARCH 2008). She will be curating an upcoming show at DEITCH PROJECTS – to open at the end of this month. (MARCH 29, 6-9PM). Called ‘SUBSTRACTION’ – it aims to show . . “how today’s abstract painters are updating New York School abstraction with the energy of the streets, and the jam packed frequencies they dispense.”
Included in the show – DAN COLEN, ROSSON CROW and STERLING RUBY.
LEIF RITCHEY – at the Lil Girl Slim “Cosmic Willingness” opening. (Leif was actually the only one other person Bianca asked to help her with mounting this exhibit).
TOOYA RITCHEY, at right, with Leif’s sister, CHRISTINA, both wearing LEIF & TOOYA handmade dresses, at the – Lil Girl Slim “Cosmic Willingness” opening.
MAD VICKY’S sister, SIERRA CASADY, (in red) at the Lil Girl Slim “Cosmic Willingness” opening. together they are Coco Rosie. Leif & Tooya made her outfit.
Sierra later performed in this Leif & Tooya costume.
self portrait, MAD VICKY LOPEZ aka Ll Girl Slim aka Red Bone Slim aka Bianca Casady aka . . . . . in – Lil Girl Slim “Cosmic Willingness”.
self portrait, with her sister, BIANCA CASADY, also known as RASTA MAD VICKY LOPEZ . Lil Girl Slim “Cosmic Willingness’, DEITCH PROJECTS, NYC, OCTOBER 2007
PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH
more about the show: DEITCH PROJECTS
~MAD VICKY & FRIENDS/NICOLA VASSAL/NYC |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | March 5th, 2008, 12:23pm
