~JIM JOE VS LEWY: THE BOOK

DIARY / AN 800 PAGE INDEX OF COLLABORATIVE DRAWINGS BY JIM JOE & LEWY / LIMITED EDITION OF 100 / EACH WITH A UNIQUE DRAWING AS THE COVER / EACH SIGNED & NUMBERED ON THE BACK PAGE / $250 EACH

PS: JUST SOLD OUT – IT WAS AVAILABLE LAST TIME I LOOKED (LAST WEEK).

btw: 100 x $250 = $25,000.

check it out: JIM JOE VS LEWY WEBSITE / DIARY

one of the more interesting & original ‘statements’ of the JIM JOE VS LEWY, ‘PIECE OF DIRT’ POP-UP SHOW – was the book. if you couldn’t spring for a drawing, (line painting ?) on canvas
. . maybe you could peel off enough greenbacks – for a limited edition, signed & numbered, very large, DIY, almost BIBLICAL . . . book of drawings ?!!

I did.

JIM-JOE-VS-LEWY-DIARY---#-1
the ‘book’ – was on the ‘sales’ desk as you entered the show.
but you couldn’t flip through that one – it was being kept in mint condition – as in, FOR SALE.

JIM-JOE-vS-LEWY---DIARY---hanging-sample
but there was one you could freely rifle through – hanging by chain, in a back corner of the room.

JIM-JOE-vS-LEWY---hanging-by-a-chain
it was kind of a communal vs dominant bully kind of thing. no. really, everyone was very polite about taking turns, but some dedicated followers insisted on perusing the entire 800 pages. really.

JIM-JOE-VS-LEWY---DIARY---COMMUNAL-AFFAIR
it was like a giant – flip book.

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inside, it was very straight-forward, with minimal fuss. a great lay-out, great graphics, font, etc. gray tones, frame on page, etc etc.
just like everything in this show: absolutely on point.
trend setter.
ahead of the curve.

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DIY. LOW-FI.
but definite the image was . . KING.

communal-#-5
lol, the pages were . . numbered.
oh gawd, love that. the placement, the scale/size. the font.
the sheer audacity, scale & . . irony.
800 pages.

communal-#-6
429.
do I have to spell it – love how it’s . . TYPE FONT !!
you have to know . . when to fold.

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action.

kinetic sculpture – in another era ?
also totally dug that any ‘conceptualism’ was treated – as just another part of the game.
a design / production decision. aka . . the way things were. that made the show pop. the totality.

in, and of itself – a radical decision.

also: vs. the ZINE !! that slim red-headed DIY art book . . stepson.

communal-#-8
hand-written, hand-formed . . letters – rule. year of the monkey.

somebody will write the paper, no doubt: digital computers & the renaissance of the DIY script / calligraphy.

small gestures – that really really count.

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this book – has heft.
ball . . and chain ?
(ever get an email . . from SEAN VEGEZZI ?!!)

JOWY-ROMANO-of-SUBWAY-ART-BLOG---JIM-JOE-VS-LEWY,-PIECE-OF-DIRT
yes, that is: JOWY ROMANO . . of subway art blog . .

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shadows, too.
ghost army.

BENEDICT---JIM-JOE-VS-LEWY,-APRIL-2016-NYC
I went back to see the show again the next day, and to buy a book.
BENEDICT was manning the sales desk.

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there were two copies on the desk, numbers 28 & 29.

JIM-JOE-VS-LEWY---DIARY---MY-COPY
I picked the one on the right.
besides having the most minimal of all dragon-y scrawls, it proclaimed:
YOURE NOT PERFECT EITHER.

take that (fill in the blank) haters.
go find . . your own ghost army.

JIM-JOE-VS-LEWY---doggie-inthe-corner
plus, a little doggie – in the corner !!

JIM-JOE-VS-LEWY---DIARY---29-out-of-100-
29/100.

PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH
JIM JOE VS LEWY, ‘PIECE OF DIRT’, 148 BOWERY, CHINATOWN, NYC. POP-UP, APRIL 2-10, 2016.
OPENED APRIL 1, 2016
PHOTOS TAKEN: APRIL 1 & 2, 2016.