~UNDER THE VOLCANO – advance peek !!

PARKOUR – FOR HIPSTERS vs the NYPD !!

I heard mint&serf’s pop-up last Sat got shut down by the NYPD because they were essentially ‘squatting’ without permission – in an ‘abandoned’ parking garage. supposedly they managed to stay up for a good hour, and they had about 100 people there. but everything lives a virtual life now, f-o-r-e-v-e-r so . . . go indie !!
& long live social media !!

I liked that they did that, hijacked a place, rather than just a a wall, lordy !! – so urban subversive – !!
I even liked their use of ‘rsvp’ and secret location – game !!
created great buzz for the pop-up genre – in general !!
everybody has their own – style, street style, free-form.
in true street cred style, with true grit/ low-down guts, and innovation.
F the institutions, and galleries – going nowhere, and certainly NOT on point.
cheers for . . . the hardcore hippity-hop lo-down, low-fi par-tay. . .
doing the street dance, making your mark – underground NYC style !!

NO WORRIES, hopefully – on our show being shut down.

THEO has a signed & dated, totally legit & legal – 4 day use . . commercial lease. the developer of the space, which is a big big empty storefront at 169 Bowery, just south of Delancey . . is a friend of his, who is being very generous in letting us have the space for one weekend, $10 a day (!!) who is putting up with all the chaos that this entails, including tons of paperwork – right smack in the middle of its renovation.

THEO & KATE, with a small volunteer crew of young artist pals, are working mad crazy to get the show up – right now !! they could only get into the space late yesterday afternoon, just in time to deliver the work, start to unpack it, and roughly start planning it out.

here’s a few sneak peeks !!


NANCY SMITH, ‘Seeker’, watercolor on arches paper, 18 x 24 in.


NANCY SMITH, framed watercolor – wall.


DAN ASHER, large large drawing, black acrylic paint on linen-paper.


SIMON CERIGO, ‘QUEEN of ENGLAND, SURF BUTT’, multi-media, including acrylic paint, and indie ‘band’ t-shirt, on stretched canvas.


the entrance is a big glass plate door – at the right.
the construction scaffolding is still up. we hope to have some UNDER THE VOLCANO posters plastered over it – tomorrow.

169 BOWERY, an under-renovation storefront – just shy of DELANCEY ST, on the border – where Chinatown meets the Lower East Side, face-to-face.
right in the the heart of the (don’t blink) downtown LIGHTING & CHANDELIER district.

‘UNDER THE VOLCANO: SIMON CERIGO, DAN ASHER, NANCY SMITH’
A 2 DAY POP-UP PAINTING SHOW – FOCUSING ON THE TRUE GRIT UNDER-BELLY of the LOWER EAST SIDE 80s UNDERGROUND ART SCENE
OPENING RECEPTION: SAT JUNE 6, 2015 / 2-10 PM
DOORS OPEN: SAT JUNE 6, at 2 PM
also open on SUN JUNE 7 / 11 AM – 6 PM
169 BOWERY – CURATED BY KATE & THEO CERIGO

& . . NO, WE ARE NOT GOING TO BE . . . SHUT DOWN,
and yes . . . OPEN TO ALL, TOTALLY LEGIT & NO RSVP REQUIRED.

IT’S A HUGE, HUGE RAW SPACE, GREAT BIG WALLS, NICE LIGHT TOO – !!!!!!
good going, first-time show producer/curator – THEO CERIGO !!
SIMON is ROLLIN’ OVER IN HIS GRAVE, and so is . . . DAN !!
THE GHOST ARMY – IS ON THE MARCH !!
go, INDIE !!!!

more info: underthevolcano.les@gmail.com

INSTALLATION PHOTOS: are from KATE CERIGO, who just sent them in via her iPhone !! – from on-site !!

hurray – for the digital world.
ha, we didn’t even have computers back in those mad crazy wild low rent, 80s days !!
blowing up images on an xerox machine, at a copy shop – was the only ‘technical’ magic, available to us !!!
but it was party-on hard, central !!!!!

the biggest downside of course, was that there was little in the way of alternative options, in terms ways of getting your work out, and your voice – heard.
but you know what, F that.
we felt the electricity, we all had dirt cheap storefront / apt studios. we felt the excitement & fire in the air. we felt the love. everyday was an adventure.
you could make a living, pay your rent & eat, and have just enough left over to party some, just on your street smarts. all the action was in the Lower East Side. you didn’t have to travel, it was all happening below 14th St. F the ‘stodgey’ low-ceiling ‘no-brains’ that ran the status quo publications, newspapers, mags/magazines, and rusty-crusty gallery ‘markets’.
we left them behind the dust, and EVERYDAY !!!!
everyday – was a trip. a hustle here, a sold painting there. a flip. a trade.
a ripped-down Keith Haring black chalk subway poster – could bring in $5 grand. no sweat.
I know – because we did that – check !!
you could buy a limited edition, David Salle ‘garbage day’ line drawing print, also white chalk on black paper – for $2,000 and flip it for over $20 grand . . within 2 years.
I know – because I did that, check !!
and that was almost – a whole year’s rent, so . . are you beginning to get – the L.E.S. 80s picture ?!!
and so. it went.
those were the days, for sure.
when the pauper art kings, Basquiat crowns, and all – ruled the streets.

yep, F the stodgey.

I see it’s not them you are reading today – it’s ME !!!

talent – always outs.
that’s the one thing I always loved about the art world, from day one – above all else.

ring that curator’s bell, and the dance will surely . . . grow and grow.