congratulations !!!!
to originally from North Carolina, now Brooklyn-based quilter . . . ZAK FOSTER !!!!!
who made the ASAP Rocky / ERL branded / vintage-based quilt . . . that upstaged the entire fashion world – at this year’s MET GALA !!
see: ZAK FOSTER QUILTS – website
see: ZAK FOSTER / Instagram @zakfoster.quilts
ASAP Rocky . . .
wrapped in a one-of-a-kind “ERL” co-branded / authentic vintage quilt assemblage / handmade by Brooklyn’s own . . . ZAK FOSTER.
image via Instagram @diet_prada
so . . .
wouldn’t it be funny to see a whole city of men running around in re-cycled quilt ‘capes’, or, even full-body throw, ‘granny square’ crochet afghans, for that matter / draping their hurried bodies !!
why cut them old quilts up – for custom suits, ala BODE ?
just leave em as is / to let their deep soothing magic & rockin’ power emanate, true to form / for: protection, for comfort, for warmth, for ease, for . . . emotional support !!
as the world burns, floods, freezes, dries up, and as always, fights / with not enough water & not enough food – up next.
next Afghan-based/Qaedea terrorist attack . . on the American horizon / within one or 2 years,
and, that’s in newspaper hard copy print – according to even: . . . WYNKEN, BLINKEN, BIDEN, & NOD.
Antony Blinken, being our current Secretary of State, you obviously know who sleepy Joe Biden is, as some people call him. I’m not going to say the ‘T’ word, but F all of them.
what the hell.
ok, it’s a tough job, wear a quilt !!
Influencer ?
ASAP Rocky is my vote for . . INFLUENCER of YEAR / 2021.
hands down.
and, with just one sweep . . . of the cape.
&
&
&
some brief notes – for the Millennials, among us !!
I remember growing up, not one of my teachers died.
I mean, maybe I went to one teacher-related funeral in grade 7, and that was her dad, that died.
this is . . . EUGENE FIELD / 1850-1895
he wrote the (once) famous, ultimate / childhood lullaby rhyme, ‘Wynken, Blyken and Nod’,
where children could fall asleep knowing their world was full of stars, and glittering fish in a twinkling / sky / sea.
when, there were only a handful of planets in the sky, most people lived on farms, and climate change ? – an absolute non-topic.
funny . . . how we went from 9 planets / to an ‘infinite’ universe of constellations / well, in my lifetime / yet, to diminishing . . . shrinking resources – with NO real global plan in sight.
when they start mining on the moon, and, oh yes !! – they are planning it as we speak – then, trust me, the whole global, bio-survival game plan implodes,
and, not just for the wave-seeking surfers.
that ‘man in the moon’ controls the tides, our reproduction cycles, and of course – oversees our emotions.
it’s not – just a rolling rock full of minerals to be . . mined & extracted 7 sent back to earth.
mark my words, and don’t blame me.
I’m with the ancient Greeks, and all indigenous peoples . . who believe the planets, the stars, the sun, and the moon – are the Gods.
the sky is frigging sacred / hands off, dudes.
or may you be doomed to living in caves – with only synthetic fiber to keep you warm.
so, I’m thinking . . newspaper men,
and ‘writers of light verse for children’ . . . aka the ‘influencers’ of their generation,
maybe, just maybe . . . they should have thought ahead – just a tiny little bit.
but, even at that – just a little bit of some forward thinking, was beyond the era’s mind-set / industrial revolution evolution.
as, is ‘moon mining’ – for ours.
and yes, it’s most definite – in the works.
but even so,
what do our children – fall asleep to ?
I don’t want to ruin your day, but it’s not starry skies.
it’s a mighty long list / a mighty coarse & scary list that veers from web predators, global food shortage, bio virus attacks & teachers dying / to other endangered species, including wild animals & trees / pinging extreme weather alerts, amber alerts – onto porn, to violence . . and, even onto their own contemporary Greta Thunberg . . . on repeat. gentle good-night verse ?
not.
no wonder people everywhere, with all manners of skills, clothing, or even education levels,
loved, loved loved / Zak Foster’s ‘Memory Quilt’ on . . . ASAP Rocky.
no wonder people love . . vintage and antique quilts, & . . . in fact – handiwork of all kinds.
it’s not – just the skills,
it’s their comfort – zone . . . !!!!
it’s their thriftiness, mindfulness of resources, and re-cycling sustainability.
not to forget: joyful, cheerful patterns, colors & fabric / and all cotton, btw.
CONCLUSION:
in the paper today, I read that the new AUKUS alliance / Australia, United Kingdom and USA, deems their paramount goal is to help Australia develop nuclear-submarine capability . . to counter China’s growing ‘influence’ in the Indo-Pacific region.
no no no.
that’s so dumb-ass backwards.
what about the marine life, the barrier reefs, what kind polluting greenhouse footprint does a project like that entail ? why does talk of war – continually push up against our already stretched-to-the-limit psychic
ambience day-to-day / dream to dream.
no, don’t frigging build another nuclear-powered submarine / just frigging do the world a favor, and ban them – all. across the globe / no exceptions.
just start shutting it down, people.
no wonder, all people want to contemplate – are . . . QUILTS.
creative, sustainable, peaceful solutions – let the alternative world – begin, already.
we miss you, so much . . John Lennon.
~ZAK FOSTER / ERL / ASAP Rocky Quilt / Met Gala |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | September 16th, 2021, 9:27am
on the 20th anniversary of the World Trade Center attack, here’s my story.
‘9-11 / MY STORY: NANCY SMITH’
and, yes !!
a quilt can very much ‘turn over’ with the same significance . . of a tarot card !!
you better – believe it.
there’s some, deep dark magic . . in them there / old quilts.
after our landlord bought us out, from the storefront on Rivington St. & the Bowery, in 1996 we moved to help ‘warehouse’ a one bedroom / penthouse apt on the top of a 20 story building on Grand & FDR – in the Lower East Side. it even had this really nice, but tiny narrow terrace – that opened up to the outdoors.
and, yes. that’s my watercolor !!
the place had a great view of the East River, and the railing was perfect – for hanging out my vintage quilts in the sun, as I worked on them, to repair them / restore, and make them alive again.
this was 20+ years ago, btw.
facing due south, you could even see . . .
. . . the World Trade Center, towers.
but. because the terrace was so narrow, you had to really contort your body to get a decent view of a quilt / against the Twin Towers, so I only did it once.
in the Spring of 1999. this is NO . . photo-shop.
this is a 35mm photo & I have the negatives to prove it.
here, it is in full view / it was a ‘barn’ quilt, an old, raggedy quilt that had finally been relegated to the last step / to cover old machinery in a barn.
you can note the holes and worn areas, especially on the borders, and these are what I repair.
as well, in this case I fully re-quilted this old faded beauty, with all repairs done by hand.
I only hand-stitch, I don’t even know – how to operate a sewing machine.
I couldn’t use one – even if my life depended on it.
and of course, working by hand, gets your very up-close & personal with the history of each quilt, and, each quilt maker.
so of course, while working on it . . I started to research – its history and pattern.
LO, and behold !!
turns out, it’s an old American frontier / pioneer . . . pattern called: “Lightning Strikes”.
it was a reminder to be super careful especially around the wooden barns, regarding fire, and in the wooden homes, whose only warmth came from burning hearth fires / and especially on the prairies, to be vigilant also re: wild fires.
and, in being a reminder: it was a warning, to be conscious / to stay aware, and being aware – you will feel safe, and you are wished comfort, warmth, and safety by the quilt maker / who is probably your mother, wife, or sister . . . as you lay asleep, and dream your dreams.
so . . .
what 800 number are you going to call, when your quilt project divines: danger, a threat of fire, a deadly . . . lightning strike ?
so yeah, less than 16 months later, I watched this tragedy unfold from the same birds-eye-view of my 20th floor terrace. I came running out upon hearing the terrible first impact, and I actually even watched as the 2nd plane come north up the East River, and then made a sharp u-turn, and at full speed flew directly – into the second tower.
so, while the clueless TV anchors were proclaiming, that a small airplane, or helicopter, had ‘accidentally’ collided with the World Trade Center, I was calling my kid’s middle school, and telling the principal, not to let the kids out for recess – because . . . “we are under attack”.
at first, she thought I was just plain dang crazy, but not for long, like maybe 5 – 10 minutes at the most, later / and, the whole city was in . . lock-down.
and shock. it was unbelievable.
I hadn’t even had – my morning coffee yet. I felt so ill, and so aware of: history.
I do still remember so vividly, thinking . . how did it even come to pass, that I – as a Canadian, who grew up in Montreal, had came to be here, to witness this ?
that all this time / quite unknowingly, I had been stitching, & putting hands to – a real warning.
when my kids finally got home, we actually had to go get them in person / this is what they saw.
and then, it was . . . gone.
along, with the many people inside, & the sadly fated first responders – who had rushed in, to save them, only to perish as well.
the worst part was when the buildings pancaked / and you heard millions of screams, like many birds in panic – for a few minutes / and then: complete silence, and a horrible, horrible smell of burnt human flesh, that hovered overhead, for days.
NEVER, NEVER – FORGET.
PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH
~9-11 / MY STORY . . . |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | September 14th, 2021, 9:59am
SHAKE THAT – BODY !!!!!!!
‘SHAKE THE PATTERN’ – GROUP SHOW
OPENS THURS SEPT 2 / 5 – 7 PM
& runs thru . . . OCT 2, 2021
SHELTER GALLERY, 179 East Broadway, NYC 10002
HRS: TUES-SAT / 12-6 PM
note: the venue is down one fight of stairs
An Ambitious, Radical-leaning, Pictorial & Narrative / Revolt-Proclaiming – group show of 10 Women Artists:
RAQUEL ALBARRAN, NICOLE APPEL, KARIN CAMPBELL, JACQUELINE CEDAR, HYEGYEONG CHOI, MYASIA DOWDELL,
LILY GIBEON, REBECCA GOYETTE, CHRISTINE LEWIS, & JUANITA ROGERS
see: the exhibition statement – SHELTER GALLERY
some highlights:
NICOLE APPEL, ‘untitled’, 2019.
collage on paper / 6 x 4.5 in.
image via Instagram @shelter_gallery
JACQUELINE CEDAR, ‘NY Ninja’, 2021.
Colored pencil on paper / 9 x
image via Instagram @jacquelinecedar
KARIN CAMPBELL, ‘Drawing’.
image via Instagram @karinhcampbell
HyeGyeong CHOI, ‘I wish I was hiking with her’,
acrylic on canvas / 36 x 30 in.
image via Instagram @choiry_g
note: all images via Instagram
~’SHAKE THE PATTERN’ / SHELTER / L.E.S. / OPENS TO-NITE THURS SEPT 2 |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | September 2nd, 2021, 9:47am
MARIE LORENZ: “Anyone need a ride across the River STYX this weekend ?”
MARIE LORENZ, ‘WATER TAXI, TIDE TAXI, DEATH TAXI’, AUG 28-29, 2021 / CATSKILL CREEK. UPSTATE N.Y.
#charon #death #taxi #underworld #catskillcreek
looks like: deadly cold water, slow rowing, with only the eerie sound of the dipping rhythmic oars & the bittersweet music sound of funeral chimes,
layered by . . darkness & solemn sadness.
presented by: JAG Projects x NADA x FORELAND, CATSKILL, N.Y.
image via Instagram / @lorenzmarie
usually a passage of delight & exploration / history, science & indie rebel art – on a small indie scale /
this is a funerary boat /
listen to the sad chimes & feel the sad coldness of the deep dark water:
MOST, DEF – HIT: . . this link / to the clip on her IG / @marielorenz
artlovers flashback:
MARIE LORENZ, at her ‘sweeter-minded’, but still history-looking / display of her hand-made ancient water ‘vessels’ /
at this summer’s 2021 – NADA / GOVERNORS ISLAND, N.Y.C.
PHOTO: NANCY SMITH / artloversnewyork.com
MAY 7, 2021
note:
STYX . . . “in Greek mythology, STYX is one of the Rivers of the underworld / In Homer’s ‘Iliad & Odyssey’, the gods swear by the water of STYX as their most binding oath.”
~Wikipedia
CHARON . . . “in Greek mythology, the son of EREBUS & NYX (Night) . . whose duty it was to ferry over the Rivers STYX, and ACHERON those souls of the deceased who had received the rites of burial . . .
and who eventually became to be known as the image of death & of the world below.
~Wikipedia / Charon
~MARIE LORENZ / WATER TAXI / of DEATH / JAG x NADA x FORELAND / CATSKILL, N.Y. / AUG 28 & 29 |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | August 29th, 2021, 10:06am
the summer of 2021.
it’s already in the military history books / but, if as the start of WWW III, remains to be seen. it might be the summer of love & creative freedom / up in the Catskills, but not around the globe.
the targeted civillian as well as U.S.A. military killing / has begun.
surprise, surprise, Not.
what a . . bloody b-o-d-y / cruel death trap that excuse for an ‘airport’ is.
it’s not an airport, it’s a killing field.
with a wretched, talk about ‘medieval’, sewer-infested moat, aka ‘canal’ around it . . to catch the dead / once fleeing / bodies. bodies. bodies.
is it only the artists – with their sense of volume & space – that could have told you that weeks ago ?
maybe they need more artists – in the Pentagon.
you know, maybe when we are all ‘trans-morphed’ into robotic A.I., it really won’t be so bad.
and, if you are looking for your art – without political, and / or social awareness / community commentary / temperature . . all isolated & pure, well, you are looking in all the wrong places, if you’re looking here.
as you might have already – intuited by our LUKE MURPHY / LukeLab.com animated, digital . . ‘RESIST’ banner – that runs across this page.
FUN FACT: I do, as I write this / remember when I first met PATRICK MOHUNDRO, who runs P.A.D. / who as a 2nd year MFA student presented: ‘The Big Short’, a brilliant compendium of small, alternative, indie curatorial projects / in a cramped Hunter office basement, in Feb of 2018 . . that one of the first things he said to me, was: how much he liked the ‘RESIST’ banner – on the artlovers website, just btw.
see: ‘THE BIG SHORT’ / MOHUNDRO & JANOWICK – HUNTER / artloversnewyork – FEB 2018
well, get out there, to the Catskills, and show your ‘freedom’ colors – people !!
I wanna say, don’t jump up and down / on the glass floor !!!
as, you listen to early 60s Rolling Stones blaring through your car radio, as the perfect, angry anthem soundtrack – c/o CHARLIE WATTS, RIP this past week.
P.A.D. x CRAIG POOR MONTEITH / DON’T STEP ON THE GLASS !!!!
CRAIG POOR MONTEITH, ‘Leaded Stained Glass’ packing pad / will be presented by P.A.D. – this glorious summer weekend.
note: JESSI LI lamp including limbs / aka body parts – at the top.
CRAIG POOR MONTEITH, ‘stained, leaded glass Moving Pad’, 2021 / P.A.D.
ps: well, ‘glass’ . . has only been a really really big topic – on artlovers this year. D.I.Y. and, people sick of the screens & and a grass roots / peaceful . . intellectual revolt vs. the high price / elitist ticket / blue chip / art market / auction circuit.
JEFFREY TRANCHELL, of ‘Turn Onz’, Detroit / & my go-to for all things D.I.Y., but esp. glass & the associated field of electric lamps & light switches / & just artists going (sustainable) crazy, creative wild on functional objects in general . . . tells me:
“I know CRAIG . . very well, he learned to solder glass at my house in Detroit.”
surprise, surprise, NOT.
CRAIG POOR MONTEITH, ‘stained, leaded glass Moving Pad’, 2021 at P.A.D.
as well, my other D.I.Y. stained glass maven, JONNY CAMPOLO who is a Brooklyn-based friend of Jeffrey’s / whose fused glass light switches, where presented by ‘Turn Onz’, Detroit – at the recent Nada, Governors Island / and covered on these pages, told me:
“Craig is a friend of mine, and Jeff’s. Craig has a cool story – his mom [quite the craftsperson, esp ceramics I believe, or was that his grandfather ? – Nancy],
was a stained glass artist, and taught him everything.”
both images above, the ‘light’ & the ‘dark’ . . . . !!!!!:
CRAIG POOR MONTEITH, stained, leaded glass floor piece . . at P.A.D. x JAG Projects x NADA x Foreland.
note: the fluctuation of color / as the light hits the glass, dependent on ambiance and time of day & type of camera, I guess / and how it is reflected / recorded back to us – via a camera.
isn’t . . stained glass, such a wonderful, mysterious, man-made of natural materials – object / surface ? it plays with light. it plays with spatial perception. it can be transparent, it can be opaque.
it can be strong, or fragile.
and, for this . . to be a parody of the whole P.A.D. / Project Art Distribution / soft moving pad – concept ?
that’s so, so . . .
unbelievable – ACE !!!!!!!!!
artlovers flashback:
CRAIG POOR MONTEITH, March 7, 2013, NYC.
PHOTO: NANCY SMITH / artloversnewyork.com
see: CRAIG POOR MONTEITH / PETER HUTCHINSON OPENING, FREIGHT & VOLUME, Chelsea, N.Y. – March 7, 2013
artlovers flashback:
co-curators: EMILY JANOWICK, and . . . PATRICK MOHUNDRO – at ‘THE BIG SHORT’, HUNTER /
PHOTO: NANCY SMITH / artloversnewyork.com
FEB 3, 2018
see: ‘THE BIG SHORT’ – HUNTER / artloversnewyork
all images: via Instagram c/O P.A.D. / @art_project_distribution / unless otherwise noted
~P.A.D. x CRAIG POOR MONTEITH x NADA x FORELAND, CATSKILL, N.Y. / SAT & SUN AUG 28-29 |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | August 27th, 2021, 11:41am
ok, People !! listen up !!!!!
we are still !! talking about . . rock your ‘body’, with these JESSI LI – lamps !!
and, subtext: it’s still – creative art played out on . . functional objects !!
in a word: from light switches . . to lamps / turn on . . the lights, world !!
both via Indie artist-curators: ‘TURN ONZ’ being presented by JEFFREY TRANCHELL,
and ‘P.A.D.’ by PATRICK MOHUNDRO.
and still, on the NADA platform.
thank you as well, to another artist-curator, involved here: JESSE GREENBERG / JAG Projects.
though interestingly enough, we jumped from an island surrounded by the big Apple waters, to the Hudson Valley mountains /
though we still find ourselves, in sustainable historic / exhibition housing, thank you, FORELAND x NADA.
though I do ask myself:
how can there be so much joyful, creative freedom – on this side of the geo-political world / and, so little – on the other.
you can celebrate your body here, / or – be running for your life, there.
the lush, free environs of the ‘Big Apple’, NYC vs. the deathtrap deadline this weekend portends / for the ‘graveyard of the nations’ – Afghanistan.
JESSI LI, sculptural lamp, 2021.
note: the body – limbs.
which you can find at:
P.A.D. pop-up / JAG x NADA x Foreland.
image via Instagram @project_art_distribution / P.A.D.
JESSI LI . . Functional, Sculptural . . . Lamp.
image via: @project_art_distribution
check out: Jessi Li on IG / @jessililili
JESSI LI . . .
image via IG / @project_art_distribution
JESSI LI . . .
image via IG / project_art_distribution
ROCK YOUR BODY – !!
& YOUR . . CREATIVE FREEDOM / & SUPPORT ARTISTS – NOW.
EVEN, IF IT’S NOT PERFECT, IT IS STILL DEFINITE – REACHING FOR THE LIGHT.
~P.A.D. x JESSI LI / SCULPTURAL LAMPS / JAG x NADA x FORELAND, CATSKILL, N.Y. / SAT & SUN AUG 28-29 |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | August 26th, 2021, 9:54am
YOUR BODY IS – YOUR E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G !!
TRAGEDY – MEETS DEFIANCE !!
SHOW – YOUR COLORS !! EVERY-BODY !!
#metoo #women #artists #real #history #NYC
PATRICK MOHUNDRO of P.A.D. / Project Art Distribution
presents / among other items . . .
a new . . . ‘MENDIETA’ tee by REBECCA BALDWIN
via a one weekend only – pop-up / SAT & SUN / AUG 28-29, 2021
c/o JESSE GREENBERG / JAG Projects x NADA at FORELAND /
in partnership with Upstate Art Weekend /
Sat Aug 28 & Sun Aug 29 / 11am – 8pm
361 Main Street, Catskill, N.Y. 12414
FREE & OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
see: ABOUT FORELAND
see: INTRO NADA x FORELAND
see: JAG PROJECTS
Follow: P.A.D. on IG / @project_art_distribution
Foreland, Catskill N.Y IMAGE / via JAG Projects
new ‘MENDIETA’ tee by REBECCA BALDWIN /
presented by P.A.D.
Image via: IG DANA NOTINE / @dananotine
see: REBECCA BALDWIN / HUNTER MFA THESIS 2019
REBECCA BALDWIN / MENDIETA TEE / P.A.D.
Image & Graphics via: P.A.D. IG / @project_art_distribution
REBECCA BALDWIN / MENDIETA TEE / P.A.D.
Image & Graphics via: P.A.D. IG / @project_art_distribution
COME – ON !!
EVERY-BODY !! / ROCK THAT – BODY !!
~P.A.D. x REBECCA BALDWIN / MENDIETA TEE / JAG x NADA x FORELAND, CATSKILL, N.Y. / SAT & SUN AUG 28 – 29 |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | August 25th, 2021, 4:02pm
P.A.D. x D.o.R / SIDEWALK POP-UP, SOHO, NYC / SAT AUG 21, 2021
11-7 PM / in front of the Donald Judd Foundation / SPRING & MERCER.
the art world moves on, with the ‘fluidity of water’, and no blue chip paddle – can stop it.
SO,
EVERY-BODY / ROCK THAT BODY . . !!!
ROCK – YOUR BODY !!
with . . HEAD / BRAIN GAMES !!
small local gestures, on-point souvenirs, info graphix / & big global thoughts.
TIME – TO BE: TIMELY !!!
see: PATRICK MOHUNDRO & ‘BELONGING TO P.A.D. (Project Art Distribution)’ / ART SPIEL / SOPHIA MA, March 12, 2021
D.o.R. / DEPARTMENT of REFLECTION . . .
seems to be a diverse, evolving artist collaborative based in Miami, Florida.
driven by a passionate ‘awareness’ consciousness / they ironically use great ‘info’ graphics.
see: D.o.R / Department of Reflection website / & hit up all the pages
esp: their about page
image via D.o.R website
some advance images via the P.A.D IG:
‘GOLDEN FLYING FISH’ by SEBASTIAN DUNCAN-PORTUONDO / D.o.R.
SEBASTIAN DUNCAN-PORTUONDO / D.o.R.
SEBASTIAN DUNCAN-PORTUONDO / D.o.R.
NINA SARNELLE / D.o.R
a small ‘momento’ of Santa Monica Beach aka ‘Silicone Beach’, with remnants of microchips, hard-drives & dvds.
NINA SARNELLE / D.O.R.
NINA SARNELLE / D.o.R.
‘Little Birches’ – hanging car air fresheners – by misael soto / D.o.R.
image via IG / @misaelsoto
misael soto / D.o.R
an editioned series of hanging sculptures – for your vehicle.
made to be hung from the rear view mirror / the air suppressors are made of asphalt tar.
image via IG / misaelsoto
‘Git ahead’ – ANGEL GARCIA / D.o.R.
‘Git Ahead’ – ANGEL GARCIA / D.o.R.
‘Git Ahead’ – ANGEL GARCIA / D.o.R.
JAN WEINGARTEN / D.o.R.
JAN WEINGARTEN / D.o.R.
ANGEL GARCIA & misael soto / D.o.R.
“come collaborate with ANGEL GARCIA & misael soto – to determine which hand will touch misael’s body, next.”
misael soto – is the founder of D.o.R. / Department of Reflection.
born in Puerto Rico in 1986 / now based in Miami, misael received their MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, in 2018.
EVERY-BODY !!
ROCK THAT BODY – NOW !!!!!!!!
ALL IMAGES: VIA INSTAGRAM @project_art-distribution / unless otherwise noted
~P.A.D. x D.o.R. / SIDEWALK POP-UP / SOHO / SAT AUG 21, 11-7 PM |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | August 20th, 2021, 10:49am
just in case you didn’t realize how bad / & just how fast, bad things – were getting /
one word: Afghanistan
I’m so not into brutality – in the name of religion, or . . . gov’t.
ROCK YOUR BODY – DON’T DESTROY / IT.
SAFEGUARD – YOUR BODY.
NOTHING / COULD BE – MORE, TIMELY.
btw: have you noticed ?
we are so no longer in the era of . . . JACKSON POLLOCK or ROTHKO.
everything is coming up: narrative, figurative and, totally bio-based / even down to the veggies.
dugudagii – ‘worried’, posted on Instagram – Aug 17, 2021
image via Instagram @dugudagii
dugudagii . . born in 1977 / Tokyo
“started self-taught painting & graphic production in 2000. (that would put him in his 20s)
Started creating three-dimensional objects using resin in 2009.
His works are mainly composed of transparent shapes in which plants – are encapsulated.”
~Gallery Target / Tokyo, Japan
~dugudagii / ‘Worried’ / Tokyo, Japan |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | August 18th, 2021, 5:18pm
hitting all the right – ANXIETIES !!
‘TIMELY’ . . . a big, ambitious, somewhat themed, diverse group gathering / debut show for this gallery,
curated by the gallery’s founder / director: TESSA KRIEG
runs thru . . . SEPT 6, 2021.
11 NEWEL, 11 NEWEL ST., GREENPOINT, BROOKLYN, N.Y. 11222.
HRS: SUN-MON / 11-4 PM
WHAT’S A HUMAN BODY – IF NOT, A MEASUREMENT OF TIME ?
SO,
EVERY-BODY !!
ROCK YOUR BODY !! NOW !!
GALLERIST / CURATOR . . TESSA KRIEG.
works by DAN BAINBRIDGE behind her / artist IRENA JUREK, to the right.
TESSA invokes her show, with a poem of her own making / loosely blocking out – a series of ‘timely’ scenarios.
I’m taking these lines – as my guide:
“Read the clock Read the signs” /
“Cosmic simplicity bracketed into good and evil” /
“Running out of time” /
“Quantum extinguishment”.
a word about the space. it’s quite nice, I knew a few people in the room who who would die for a ground floor space like this. it’s deceptively large, and runs more narrow than wide, which actually suits exhibitions of art, while casting an intimate spell.
looking back on the evening, and how to break down what was a bit of a wide open theme, with a lot of players,
about 20 artists – I recalled the sensuous, snake-like / and surprising venue and how it moved, most of all.
it was alike a: BODY !!
a ‘TIMELY’ BODY – OF THOUGHT.
a . . give-me-more-time – to be a living, thriving artist – body, on this earth / kind of cosmic sci-fi – game board.
and, like any ‘body map’: it started with . . . THE TOES !!!!!
1. TOES:
DAN BAINBRIDGE – BIC LIGHTER FIGURINES
tiny clothed / Star Wars like, survivor-like human-leaning furry puppet-like tiny animals, the size of a Bic lighter / approx 3 in. in height / they were amusing, wiggly, balanced in small groups – arrayed on shelves, at the entrance to the show, which at this point remained hidden behind a corner /
they were indeed: the toes.
they were so charmingly imaginative, and yet so real . . esp with the little red gears in their mouths, I had to ask: are they animated ?
no . . .
but, they do set a fire in motion.
hot enough for ya, climate change ?
DAN BAINBRIDGE, with his tiny fire brigade !!
setting the intro – for ‘Timely’ / body.
I might have been more open to them, than your average NYC art reviewer, who cringes at cute – because I’m such a fan of the cutting edge & super endearing work . . of what are called the ‘illustrators’ – in this current culture / still considered by many, part & parcel of the graphic design scene / incl. video/digital games, animation etc.
(why play as a human – when you can be a . . . squirrel ?)
esp when Chinese New Year rolls around, and Grumpy Bert tosses the most delightful imaginary animal / people
horoscopic designs – on lucky red envelopes / up into the creative ether.
see: GRUMPY BERT – THE RED ENVELOPE SHOW
oh no. here come the enemy – start your fires !!
I couldn’t help thinking: lord, how long before we are all reduced to wandering survival tribes – dressed in animal clothing.
seriously.
2. THE LEGS / THE WINGS / THE SPINE / THE EVOLUTION of MOTION
turn the corner into the main room – and here is: THE LEGS, THE SPINE, THE BACK BONE of MOTION !!
DAN BANBRIDGE, ‘Echolocation Pegasus’, mixed media / 72 x 16 x 90 in.
except this large-sized model – really was animated – with moving parts !!
DAN BAINBRIDGE, ‘Pegasus’ detail.
3. MOVING UP THE LEGS into THE real BIO WORKS – THE INTESTINES & DIGESTIVE ORGANS !!
and, then: arms & hands.
ANDY RALPH, a kind of very biological morphing of horse – to man ?!!
ANDY RALPH, ‘FIVE LEGGED SLAB’,
rose gold mirror, stainless steel kidney bowls, lettuce, glazed ceramic tiles, sanded grout, tar,
wood, tin cans, black socks, and uncooked pinto beans / approx 20 x 20 x 42 in.
note: on the right, a painting by JAQUELINE CEDAR /
acrylic on stretched spandex / 72 x 60 in.
JAQUELINE CEDAR, ‘Put me Out’, acrylic on stretched spandex / 72 x 60 in.
image via Instagram @jaquelinecedar
note: she’s got both limbs / the legs & arms !!
ANDY RALPH, the top.
image via the gallery website
4. THE GONADS – THE MIDDLE BODY / GENDER FLUIDITY /SEX ORGANS & if bio appropriate / REPRODUCTION
JUSTIN ORTIZ, ‘Trona’ / 6 x 8 in.
JUSTIN ORTIZ, ‘Wall person’, 6 x 8 in.
RENFIELD PEALE, ‘Gender Fantasies (#2)’, acrylic on canvas
24 x 24 in.
IRENA JUREK . . with her acrylic on sculpy figure, ‘Luck Guy’.
which I’m classifying under: sex. & juicy. fruit.
just because . . isn’t is obvious ?
5. THE HEART / LOVE & HATE / CONFLICT vs HARMONY
NOELLE VELEZ, ‘Bubblegum Stretch’, acrylic on panel
8 x 12 in.
also under: matters of the HEART !!
JOE W. SPEIER, ‘Millennial Painting #1’, 36 x 48 in.
6. and finally – THE HEAD, THE MIND / COMPREHENSION, TIME & MEMORY
CATHERINE MULLIGAN, ‘2014’, oil on board
8 x 10 in.
in the further-back room, TIME . . TICKS ON WITHOUT – PAUSE !!
BLINN & LAMBERT animated / digital wall projection . .
BLINN AND LAMBERT / NICHOLAS STEINDORF & KYLE WILLIAMS
‘At Work’, 6 minute / animated digital video loop
watch: the animated loop – on Instagram c/o @artloversnewyork
NOTE: the BLINN AND LAMBERT / animated ‘At Work’ loop – as originally posted to their @blinn-and-lambert IG story in advance of the opening / & photographed by them.
EMMY THELANDER and ANDREW FRANCIS at the opening / outside on the typical Greenpoint, Brooklyn street- at dusk.
Emmy teaches drawing in the BFA program at Hunter, and Digital Design at Hostos.
Andrew will teach sculpture this semester in the Visual Arts Department at Wagner, on Staten Island.
PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH / unless otherwise noted
from the opening / FRI AUG 6, 2021.
~’TIMELY’ / CURATED BY TESSA KRIEG / 11 NEWEL / OPENING PIX |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | August 15th, 2021, 12:03pm
