~LISA YUSKAVAGE . . another look

LISA YUSKAVAGE / SEPT 27-NOV 5, 2011
DAVID ZWIRNER – 519 West 19th St – CHELSEA, NYC


this was the other painting – that had a trace image, reference to KARA WALKER . . . walking by . . . the profile of the woman in the (middle range) background – carrying a hot pot of porridge – with the kind of trademark Walker pigtail.
LISA YUSKAVAGE, ‘Edge of Towners’, 2011. oil on linen, 55 x 66 in.


FRAU KOLB, visiting from LA views: LISA YUSKAVAGE, ‘Afternoon Feeding’, 2011. oil on linen, 86 x 71 in.
here the artist makes reference to her own heritage. according to the gallery press release, although many in the opening night room thought these to be “Puritan Pilgrim” ancestors – they are actually “19th Century babushka-wearing Russian peasants” ancestors.
hey, my ancestors, in part, too. though mine were on the other side of the pale, translate: hate line, i.e. the shtetl.


you could trace an interesting evolution in the work . . . from the previous books and full color catalogs put out by Ms. Yuskavage . . .


and available for public perusing – in the magazine rack – excuse my french. at the entry to the gallery.


the work was more hazy and out of real-time. less historical and less layered in meanings . . . and art theory.


there were some very still-life realistic or conservative images . . .
LISA YUSKAVAGE, ‘Persimmons’, 2006. oil on linen, 48 x 72 in.


as well as the somewhat skewed, possibly sad, but never twisted, definitely over-the-top – ‘kewpie dolls’ – that made her famous.
LISA YUSKAVAGE, ‘Painted Things’ 2006. oil on linen, 48 x 72 in.


the twin poles of – society ?
but no historical references at all.


LISA YUSKAVAGE . . from gallery catalog 2006.


detail, LISA YUSKAVAGE, gallery catalog 2006.


yes, this girl was at the opening . . . with flowers indeed – abloom, in her hair – a tribute ?


. . . for all you international & non-local web fans – the space is huge and gorgeous and thankfully – they just let the paintings be. with a lot of breathing & viewing space between the images – and even more thankfully, she didn’t go all hog wild trying to fill it with mammoth chest-beating over-scale works. a real supremo exhibit.
and a nice break-out start – to the season.

PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH




~LISA YUSKAVAGE: OPENING PIX


IMAGE: COURTESY DAVID ZWIRNER GALLERY/SCREEN GRAB OFF GALLERY WEBSITE.

LISA YUSKAVAGE – OPENING TO-NITE: TUES SEPT 27, 2011 / 6-8PM
the show runs SEPT 27 – NOV 5, 2011
DAVID ZWIRNER GALLERY – 519 W. 19th St – CHELSEA, NYC


LISA YUSKAVAGE . . .


NATASHA LYONNE . . . of ‘AMERICAN PIE’ FAME.


CHARLOTTE RONSON


CHUCK CLOSE


CHUCK CLOSE


DAVID SALLE


JOHN CURRIN


LISA YUSKAVAGE, ‘Outskirts’, 2011. oil on linen, 86 x 120 x 2 in.


yeah, there are actually 2 (bad) girls here.


and yeah, all the paintings are pretty explicit. and yes, this bad girl – wild child has a bouquet of flowers up her butt – does that make her a good girl ? it’s all rather lyrical, as opposed to hard core nasty.


the 2 profiled twins, looking to be naughty boys – have the most sinister, eerie touch in the show.
the new work benefits from – a whiff of stylistic dialog with KARA WALKER.
. . . . as well as with a nod to the hard plastics – within the never sentimental – often grotesque, also over-the-top realm of JOHN CURRIN.


but the specific narrative here is with the Irish ? well. some kind of ancestral folklore. this little leprechaun, is straight out of Lord of the Rings.


and yes, there’s another little man, from olden times, up on the cliff – looking guard out over the scene – in the other direction . . . towards the village landscape. a number of the paintings in the show – have this tension between past and present. the buttoned up Puritan Pilgrim ancestors – and what we have evolved to as a culture – in a couple of short centuries. (see that top header image, again).
that’s freedom for ya. we’ve come along way. don’t knock it. but perhaps – be wary.
of all the fun & games. that sweet spot – can be just on the edge – of too soft. culturally.
and, maybe still too outrageous, too-in-your face for some. Hallmark cards gone fuzzy hard-core . . . there-in lies the power.
painting-wise . . . it’s right on.


detail, LISA YUSKAVAGE, ‘Triptych’, 2011, oil on linen, Triptych. each 77-1/4 x 70-1/8 x 1-1/2 in.
and often luminous.

PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH
(NOTE: PHOTOS FROM THE OPENING POSTED: THURS SEPT 29, 2001 – 6:50 AM)




~OMKAR LEWIS: HERE COMES SATURN !!


left, OMKAR LEWIS, JUST BACK FROM INDIA & THAILAND, ON A DOWNTOWN MANHATTAN ROOF TOP, WITH HIS REAL-LIFE BRO . . DOWNTOWN ART WORLD CURATOR, ARTIST, and MOVER & GROOVER: HESH (HASH HALPER).
PHOTO: NANCY SMITH, NYC SEPT 20, 2011

HESH’S (older) brother, he comes from a family of 6 siblings – OMKAR LEWIS has landed on the large metropolis of an island we fondly call NEW YORK CITY – as a cosmically in-tune – advance man for some heavy duty astrological waves in the making. AS he tells it: SATURN . . . the well known and universally feared “heavyweight of the astrological pantheon” . . . is soon to be exerting his considerable celestial power upon us.

OMKAR will be giving a lecture to-nite: TUES SEPT 27, 2011/ 7-9 PM
location: In Praise of the Void – 169 CANAL ST at ELIZABETH – BOTTOM BUZZER/TOP FLOOR
$20 – SUGGESTED DONATION
no one turned away for lack of funds.

see:FACEBOOK/EVENTS

‘SATURN IN LIBRA: An Introduction and Overview of the Upcoming Depth of his Power – An Indian Astrology Lecture by OMKAR LEWIS’

as OMKAR tells it:

“in this lecture we will introduce you to the ancient myth and lore of LORD SATURN . . . the heavyweight of the astrological pantheon. . . the time of Saturn’s movement is upon us, in November 2011 he will begin to infuse our planet with a power unseen in 28 years.”

“Saturn has been cast by many as an energy to be feared and avoided – but when faced properly he offers the sincere supplicant lasting lessons in wisdom and lifelong gifts.”

OMKAR LEWIS is a Vedic Sciences consultant and student of Yoga, Meditation and Philosophy. He has spent the past 4 years studying Indian Astrology (Jyotisha) and Design (Vastu) in India and Thailand. He currently lives in Thailand – where he trains with his teacher – “in bringing out the practical wisdom of classical spirituality – for the modern person.”

OMKAR: “Indian Astrology – aka Vedic Astrology or Jyotisha – is a classical science that serves as a mirror of life so that we may harmonize our innermost experience with the greater world . . . By interpreting timeless symbols in Nature – the Planets and Stars – Vedic astrology illuminates the confusion and lack of clarity that is an inherent part of the human experience.” (!!)

PERSONALLY, I’m thinking: the planets and stars are NOT (just) timeless symbols, per se – but actual forces – exerting influence upon us and our interconnected paths in society – as our life force and individual natures ebb and flow . . . probably just semantics. the proof is in the pudding: OMKAR is here, on time – with the info. the ancient texts – have never been surpassed. astrology is just like the trees and grass and water – just cause we – modern society mowed them under – doesn’t mean – they don’t exist and furthermore: rule . . . as in nourish. and inspire.
the astrology charts are just like the caveman drawings of France – connect the dots – that already exist – a pattern someone has left for us ? – in a symbolic or graphic (wordless/visual ) code. hey language came way later . . . and is locale specific, NOT universal. visual code is universal, or tries to be . . . nancy.

SATURN has been known since pre-historic times. (I knew it !! – those cavemen ancestors of ours – there’s a reason why they supplanted the Neanderthal . . they could follow the ‘dots’ . . on cave walls, probably in fires, and in the skies. just imagine what the star-filled heavens, twinkling dots – stars and group constellations, the moving dots – planets – looked like – to them. to the Romans, SATURN was the powerful god of the Harvest, of reaping, (you reap what you sow – get it), and the God of Time. His weapon was the scythe. He ruled over agriculture – when agriculture was king – he stood for justice (you reap – what you sow) and by extension of thought: strength.

WIKIPEDIA: In ancient times it was the most distant of the 5 known planets (!!) – and thus a major character (player) in various (diverse) mythologies. in HINDU ASTROLOGY – there are 9 astrological objects, known as Navagrahas. SATURN, one of them, known as ‘Shani’ – judges everyone based on the good and bad deeds performed in life (!!)

ha, no wonder SATURN is so feared. watch out: Day of Judgement be upon us. or: YOU BETTER WATCH OUT, YOU BETTER BE GOOD. SANTA CLAUS IS .. COMING TO TOWN. and it’s black coal or gifts – get it ?

FURTHERMORE – and A TRUER MORE PROFOUND TESTAMENT to the POWER of the VEDIC STUDIES – that OMKAR LEWIS brings to town – CANNOT BE FOUND FOUND:

WIKIPEDIA: in the 5th C CE, the Indian astronomical text – Surya Siddhanta – estimated the diameter of SATURN as 73,882 miles, an error of less than 1% from the currently accepted value of 74,580 miles !!


SATURN – IS THE SLOWEST MOVING PLANET – IN OUR SOLAR SYSTEM – CHANGING ASTROLOGICAL SIGNS – ONLY EVERY 2.5 YEARS.
INFO & IMAGE COURTESY: OMKAR LEWIS

from WIKIPEDIA: the average distance between Saturn and the Sun is over 1,400,000,000 km (or 9AU) – it takes Saturn 10,759 Earth days or about 29-1/2 years – to finish ONE revolution around the sun. we take 24 hrs.

see: SATURN/WIKIPEDIA – where they have some great NASA from outer space pix, an animated chart of Saturn’s movement around the sun – and a ton of great mythological history, too.

from WIKIPEDIA: in JEWISH MYSTICISM (and Mesopotamian mythology) the archangel CASSIEL is associated with the planet SATURN. He is also the controller of the moon (!!) and the direction: NORTH (!!)
(be that why OMKAR comes our way – from India ? just asking . . . )

CASSIEL (HEBREW – QAFSIEL) . . . is the Latin name of an archangel in post-biblical Judeo-Christian religion, particularly that of the KABBALAH.

Unlike many other angels, CASSIEL is known for simply watching the events of the cosmos unfold with little interference. he is the angel of solitude and tears, and said to preside over the deaths of kings . . .


ILLUSTRATION OF CASSIEL – from THE MAGUS by FRANCIS BARRETT – 1801
SOURCE: WIKIPEDIA

In the magical text BERIT MENUCHAH, Cassiel is associated with KEFITZAT HADERECH – the ability to travel quickly through space. (!!) . . . . the internet – just asking ?

MAGIC SPELLS using his name are cast to create DESTRUCTION, to scatter crowds, to cause a person to wander aimlessly, or to fall from a position of power (!!). (AUNT PIGGY in TORONTO – LOOK OUT !!)


QAFSIEF AMULET – FROM THE 15th C.
SOURCE: WIKIPEDIA

Ancient Hebrew amulets bearing his name are used to drive away one’s enemies – the words on the charm are written with the blood of a bird and then tied to the foot of a dove. the dove is then set to flight, taking one’s enemy with it. (!!)

Should the bird refuse to fly, it is a sign that one’s enemies won’t depart, either.

see: CASSIEL/WIKIPEDIA




~FOR SALE: ALFREDO MARTINEZ GUN PAINTING ON CANVAS – $800/still available.


FOR SALE: ALFREDO MARTINEZ, ‘GUN PAINTING’, FALL 2011 – signed and dated … $800.
size approx: 2 x 3 ft.
acrylic paint on canvas – you can see the signature at the bottom left.

it’s an interesting piece because – have you ever seen Alfredo paint in more than one color, i.e. red, or black – before ? he gets the off-primary colors looking almost neon. in fact, it’s almost a black light effect. and, check out that violet purple mauve trademark – on the bottom left. a-n-i-m-a-t-e-d.

it’s also unique for him, in that it’s on canvas as opposed to his usual – heavily collaged paper piecework . . .


you can buy this piece directly thru artlovers – use the NANCY SMITH: contact – link at the top left hand margin of the home page / nsmith0014@aol.com

welcome to our online gallery . . . it will archive on our “If I Had $200” page.

if you are NOT local – you will be covering the shipping costs . . . but, it be no big deal – we’ll put it in a tube.

PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH




~SOLD TO WIGGS: LAST 2 ALFREDO MARTINEZ PRISON DRAWING T-SHIRTS – $80 ea.


SOLD TO WIGGS . . . on JUNE 21, 2011.
you can catch WIGGS, yourself: @FWiggs
THE LAST 2 – of a LIMITED EDITION of 12 – ‘ALFREDO MARTINEZ DRAWING FROM PRISON’ – T-SHIRTS. (plus 2 A.P./ARTIST PROOFS)
SOLD FOR $80 ea. – one to wear & one to keep.


these T-SHIRTS were the very first . . . under the radar . . . FOR SALE listing on artlovers. under the IF I HAD $200 – column, natch . . .
WIGGS saw the posting first & put his $$ down. LIKE they say: the early bird gets the worm.
see: the original T-SHIRT post /IF I HAD $200


the t-shirts were produced by me.
they are my first limited edition production, so far: NANCY SMITH IMPRINT: 01.
yeah, that’s right: be looking for more.
they are a numbered limited edition of 12 – and no more, I ain’t DAMIEN HIRST – and maybe I shouldn’t be so proud of that – coz while he be laughing all the way to the ‘dot’ bank – I’m thinking: food stamps ? just like 3/4 of the rest – of this sorry town.

anyways . . . they are also noteworthy because . . .
they were custom silkscreened – by the late great MARK ENGER, himself – of EXPLODING SKY WORLDWIDE.

they were produced in JULY 2003 – while Alfredo was still in prison – for that little BASQUIAT CAPER.

ALFREDO smuggled out this pencil drawing on ruled notebook paper – of himself on food strike – to me, through the regular mail. one of the reasons he went on hunger strike – was because they would not let him do any art – and it made him crazy. . . not to mention deeply in-bred authority issues . . . one of the most common denominators – of the whole damn crew.

but, JOSH called it: WE LIVE IN PUBLIC. PSEUDO. JUPITER COMMUNICATIONS, though not in that order . . . think about it.

. . . FACEBOOK is becoming more and more evil – every day. more real life hardcore stalking action, or what. soon gonna be just as wild, as we were. the true grit WE LIVE IN PUBLIC – forget the preppy stuff – as we speak. you can now ‘follow’ people like on twitter – by ‘subscription’ i.e. without their permission.
you can already tag photos – without permission . . . sounds just like 24/7 WE LIVE IN PUBLIC surveillance – to me.


nice graphite ink job – or what ?
Mark Enger did beautiful work – he was a master silkscreener. the best.

these last 2 t-shirts – were actually additionally signed and dated by Alfredo – himself, last summer JUNE 21, 2011 – at Josh’s ex-loft in Williamsburg.

PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH




~ALFIE MARTINEZ/TALKING TO A SCHNABEL DAUGHTER ?


oh oh that little genie in the bottle: aka street buzz . . .
has ALFREDO MARTINEZ singing LA LA LA LA – LOLA !!

$10 for the first confirmed sighting. warning: could just be art pals.


ALFREDO MARTINEZ, on the right. with him, C.J.
Photographed at the opening of Alfredo’s – ‘NEW WORK AFTER CHINA’ show, NCGV, NYC. FEB 25, 2011.
PHOTO : NANCY SMITH

see: more pix from the show . . .

and, YEAH NYC girls STILL want guns. witness the bad action last night on the F train in Brooklyn . . .
no joke.
go back & see that ALFREDO MARTINEZ ‘WORK AFTER CHINA’ EXHIBIT link & scroll down – to the chicks holding guns, if you can’t follow what I’m saying . . .


LA LA LA LOLA – SCHNABEL. SOHO. NYC. MAY 11, 2007.
PHOTO: NANCY SMITH

oh oh might have to take this down in a hurry – what, Alfie too big a guy to share a little laugh – among friends on a rainy night ? I didn’t think so – all good !!
let the new Fall season – begin !!




~ANDREW GUENTHER/TALKING TO A FISH/OPENING PIX

ANDREW GUENTHER: ‘Talking to a Fish and Paraphernalia’
opening: SEPT 15, 2011 / 6-8 PM
the show runs SEPT 15, 2011 – OCT 22, 2011
FREIGHT+VOLUME – 530 W. 24th St – CHELSEA


(above) the show’s card – augured well. a striking sort of primitive graphic – just this side of awkward to be very deliberate . . . and . . . attention-getting.


from the left: ANDREW GUENTHER with NICK LAWRENCE of FREIGHT+VOLUME . . .


ANDREW GUENTHER, with his wife . . . artist TIFFANY POLLOCK.
I’ve known Andrew, and watched his work play its course out on the scene – since 2000/2001. he was always, a very very original guy. an edgy visual thinker and strange world plasti-cist . . . there are always a few (formal) threads, going on at the same time.


ANDREW GUENTHER, ‘Negative Window’, 2010. acrylic on unprimed canvas. 78 x 60 in.


the newest wave of young ‘turks’ . . .
from left: DAN FLANAGAN, TRAVIS PRATT and CHRIS BIDDY.


. . but wait a second, we got a little bit ahead of ourselves . . . lets go back & start at the beginning . . . NICK LAWRENCE stands at the doorway to his year-old re-claimed space . . . a nice sized gallery – with room for several rooms . . .


gallery artist MICHAEL SCOGGINS, also hangs out – at the starting point.


in the entry project room niche – Andrew’s animated, talking fish aquarium – with 2 tiny little fish. one was even white and one was black, swimming by . . .


the most interesting part of the loop – apart from the images, of course – was the narrator’s voice – a certain type of gentle female voice – speaking in almost nursery rhyme cadence: as you grow you will . . . with a kind of hippie European new age accent . . .


hello. Andrew and Tiffany have a sweet young new toddler, named Easter Lily – so here’s talking to ya ?


trust me – this comes from a new age dad’s: love. and intelligence.
hey, this is what happens when you spring from the head of a death metal diehard.
sexual biology – the key to human nature.
not to mention: human digestion of liquid protein. and waste elimination . . . being a big part of the human condition.
here’s to: life.


just barley related in theme – in the next room are a series of ‘unconnected’ paintings.
ANDREW GUENTHER, ‘Sick Whale’, 2011. acrylic on unprimed canvas. 120 x 78 in.


ANDREW GUENTHER, ‘Vase’, 2010. acrylic on unprimed canvas, 120 x 78 in.
new wave – Matisse.


a smaller m/m mutli-media piece – and one of my personal favs.
ANDREW GUENTHER, ‘Bread’, 2011. oil, wood, and papier-mache on linen. 28 x 20 x 5 in.


yeah, it’s looking to be a papier-mache: loaf of bread. bread, fish. you know, the whole deal.
painter’s easel, flower. so, does that spell: shaman ?
detail, ANDREW GUENTHER, ‘Bread’.


yep, holds a nice place – on the wall. super ironic, too.


the middle room – is the paper pie plate face room . . . grinning femmes, only.


there’s that large one, and these two middle-sized ones.
ANDREW GUENTHER, ‘Wheat’ 2011, and ‘Corn’, 2011.
acrylic, colored pencil, cardboard and papier-mache. 18 x 36 in. ea.


and then two tinier ones . . . looking all the world like: Cave of Forgotten Prehistoric Man meets 21st century . . . painter.


ANDREW GUENTHER, ‘Plate Face’, (Yellow and Black), 2011. papier-mache, cardboard, and watercolor on paper. 8 x 6 in.


ANDREW GUENTHER, ‘Plate Face’, (Beach), 2011. papier-mache, cardboard, and watercolor on paper. 8 x 6 in.


‘Plate Face’, (Beach) from the side . . .


a kind of Gumby – for the new age ? hello . . . rainbow.


turn the corner, and the last room – is a black and white photo room.


a feather . . . in the sand.


some dramatic cactii . . .


and. what the saturn . . . even some wild, as in ‘found’, urban ‘weedy’.
Andrew told me later, this photo was taken on his recent trip to Berlin, and this uncultivated spontaneous weed was sprouting – so innocently in the front steps of – a pre-school. talk about – survival of the fittest.


ok, one last photo. love the hi-contrast compositions – among the organics, dude.


BILL BRADY in the photo section. he says he is moving ATM to Kansas City.
look out.


and the last piece – a bean bag game. you put your own head – around that. minimal but – loaded, gesture.


full circle – we caught up to Andrew outside with MICHAEL MAXWELL. Michael Maxwell helped Andrew print the black and white photos – from the original 35mm negatives.
nice job. nice show. one of the best, and most thoughtful, (art) plastic-minded shows in town.

PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH




~PETER SUTHERLAND/OPENING PIX . . .

PETER SUTHERLAND – ‘VICTORY OVER DARKNESS – CURATED BY FABIOLA ALONDRA
OPENING: SEPT 20, 2011 / 6-8 PM
the show runs SEPT 20 – OCT 15, 2011
HALF GALLERY – 208 FORSYTHE – LOWER EAST SIDE, NEW YORK CITY


the crowded scene on the street – outside the gallery . . .


PETER SUTHERLAND, on the right.
with him – from left: LEANN, HELENE, and LOUIS EISNER.


Peter’s brother, ANDREW SUTHERLAND on the left. with him, DOMINIC NEITZ, on the right.


ANDREW SUTHERLAND is also an artist – but leans towards the 3-D – as opposed to photography. this rather ‘weedy’ basketball is his – it adorns the entryway to the gallery . .


PETER SUTHERLAND can also veer to non-photographic works: such as assemblages, found objects, and custom-made projects, such as rugs. this is the first time I’ve seen his ‘sand’ painting.


PETER SUTHERLAND, ‘sand’ painting. . .
I really liked them . . . they reminded me of the early, non-objective, ironic as hell, one color, concrete-colored – painted canvases of Joe Bradley !!


PETER SUTHERLAND, looks to be some kind of found and re-claimed arcade game . . . yes. that’s the Half Gallery’s BILL POWERS – in the neon yellow shirt.


from left: movers and groovers JAKE and HESH . . make the scene – stopping in front of the arcade game console – natch !!


JAKE, HESH and GILLIAN.


looking at the photos . . .


a photo assemblage . . .


PETER SUTHERLAND, detail – above photo assemblage.
that must be . . . “the people going under the fence are trying to get into a free reggae concert in Prospect Park, Brooklyn.”


PETER SUTHERLAND, and the show’s curator: FABIOLA ALONDRA – nice job.
way way nice. very understated and focused, diverse and even radiant – all at the same time.


on the right, photographer PORTS BISHOP – with his new web venture partner – YUMIKO SAKUMA.

PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH




~OK !!

OK !! . . . here – where we at:

PETER SUTHERLAND – HALF GALLERY – OPENING PIX: GOING LIVE LATER TO-DAY: WED SEPT 21 !!

ANDREW GUENTHER – FREIGHT+VOLUME – TONS OF GREAT !! OPENING PIX !! – GOING LIVE TOMORROW: THURS – SEPT 22 !! – around late afternoon.

AND YO. SHOUT OUT TO: HESH & JAKE – DUDES: GOT GREAT PIX of the you-know-what !!
will post pix – shortly – over weekend – or – first thing next week – !! – YOU ROCK !!
(or is that: roll !! ha.)

final note:

. . . about that zen-like LUKELAB banner above: Radiation Art, Two Randoms . . . if you click on it – you can make a pinpoint impact – from your end !!
much thanks to the REV LUKE MURPHY aka LUKELAB – for supporting the site – with his profound tech skills !!
much obliged.




~PETER SUTHERLAND/VICTORY OVER DARKNESS/OPENING/TUES . . .

PETER SUTHERLAND – ‘VICTORY OVER DARKNESS’ – OPENING TUES SEPT 20, 2011 / 6-8 PM
the show runs SEPT 20 – OCT 15, 2011
HRS: MON-FRIDAY, 10-6 PM
HALF GALLERY – 208 FORSYTH – LOWER EAST SIDE