~TAILI WU . . ‘YEAR of the METAL OX’ / CURATED by GRUMPY BERT / CHINESE AMERICAN MUSEUM, LA

The Chinese American Museum LA / Los Angeles, California . . . camla.org
welcomes the ‘YEAR of the METAL OX’ – with an online exhibition featuring 14 Asian American
artists from throughout the USA.
the show ‘runs’ . . MARCH 6 – JUNE 6, 2021
and is is guest curated by . . ALBERT CHAU aka GRUMPY BERT !!!!
see: ‘YEAR of the OX’ – Chinese American Museum / LA
some of the work is also for sale /
see: GRUMPY BERT – YEAR of the OX / Chinese American Museum LA

note: ‘The Metal OX’ – is an ancient Chinese Lunar Zodiac animal symbolically known for:
STRENGTH & RESILIENCE . . . !!!!

TAILI WU . . is included in this LA show & is showing a quite very wonderful stop animation . . !!
it is titled: ‘OVERTURN / flipping away bad things & bringing good luck :)’
note: the soundtrack, ‘Fun’ is by LEZET & his nephew VANJA.

YES !!!!

you . . . . can watch it on her Instagram …… !!

see: TAILI WU – Instagram / ‘OVERTURN / flipping away bad things & bringing good luck :)’

above 2 images: still photos of TAILI WU’s stop animation, ‘OVERTURN / flipping away bad things & bringing good luck :)’

images via Instagram @tailiwu




~TAILI WU, ‘Cow Girl’ & ‘Rain or Shine’ . . GRUMPY BERT RED ENVELOPE SHOW 2021 / Year of the OX

radical / fresh !!


TAILI WU, ‘Cow Girl’, 2021
gouache, watercolor paper / 3-1/2 x 7-7/8 in.
($55)
see: TAILI WU, ‘Cow Girl’ – GRUMPY BERT RED ENVELOPE SHOW 2021


TAILI WU, ‘Rain or Shine’, 2021
gouache, watercolor paper / 3-1/2 x 7-7/8 in.
($55)
see: TAILI WU, ‘Rain or Shine’ – GRUMPY BERT RED ENVELOPE SHOW 2021

note: TAII WU . . is a stop-motion artist, illustrator, and animal detective based in NY – aka ‘Monster Shaper’ – for her love of making creatures & puppets.

see:
Taili Wu / Monster Shaper . . !!
Taili Wu – artist portfolio
Taili WU – Instagram




~AMANDA CASTILLO, ‘Cowkid’ & ‘Milkgirl’ . . GRUMPY BET RED ENELOPE SHOW 2021 / Year of the OX

HAPPY . . . CHINESE LUNAR NEW YEAR !!
ALL YE . . NEO-APPALACHIA, NEW WAVE RADICAL OUTSIDERS / NEW AGE CRAFTERS & FOLKIES / PLUS ALL THE BACK-TO-THE-EARTH EARTHLINGS !!
COME ON !! LET’S TAKE BACK – THE WORLD !!!


AMANDA CASTILLO, ‘Cowkid’, 2021
Black & White Ink / 3-1/2 x 7-7/8 in.
($88)
see: AMANDA CASTILLO, ‘Cowkid’ – GRUMPY BERT RED ENVELOPE SHOW 2021


AMANDA CASTILLO, ‘Milkgirl’, 2021
Black & White Ink / 3-1/2 x 7-7/8 in.
($88)
see: AMANDA CASTILLO, ‘Milkgirl’ – GRUMPY BERT RED ENVELOPE SHOW 2021

note: AMANDA COSTILLO . . is an illustrator, cartoonist, & storyteller based in the Bay Area of California – currently working with Random House Graphic as the artist and co-author of an upcoming graphic novel series, ‘MAPMAKERS’ – set to start publishing in 2021.


see: AMANDA COSTILLO – PORTFOLIO WEBSITE




~DIANA VUONG , ‘Celebrating OX 2’ . . GRUMPY BERT RED ENVELOPE SHOW 2021 / Year of the OX

IF !!!
only life could be so simple HAPPY – again.


DIANA VUONG, ‘Celebrating OX 2’, 2021
Digital on iPad, printed vinyl and cut & colored pencils and marker.
3-1/2 x 7-7/8 in.
($50)

see: DIANA VUONG / GRUMPY BERT – RED ENVELOPE SHOW 2021




~TRACY LEUNG, ‘AFTER FLOWER MARKET’ . . GRUMPY BERT RED ENVELOPE SHOW 2021 / Year of the OX

2021 – YEAR OF THE OX !!
so, who’s the real winner – the Rat, or the OX ?

GRUMPY BERT’S ANNUAL RED ENVELOPE SHOW 2021 – IS ONLINE !!
see: ALL PRODUCTS GRUMPY BERT – RED ENVELOPE 2021

TRACY LEUNG, ‘AFTER FLOWER MARKET’, 2021
ink pens / 7 x 7-7/8 in.
($98) / SOLD

see: TRACY LEUNG, ‘AFTER FLOWER MARKET’ – GRUMPY BERT

note: TRACY LEUNG . . is a Hong Kong-born designer & illustrator now based in NY. Her clints include MOMA & The Met.


see: TRACY LEUNG on Instagram @tlsyltd




~DANIEL RAMIREZ, ‘The Bow’ . . GRUMPY BERT RED ENVELOPE SHOW 2012 / Year of the OX

GRUMPY BERT’S ANNUAL RED ENVELOPE SHOW – IS ONLINE !!
see: ALL PRODUCTS GRUMPY BERT – RED ENVELOPE 2021

stay Grumpy !! Bert !!
forced to retreat to an online / only show this year . . YEAR of the COVID !!
& with all things China . . are about as popular as Corona Beer /
except !! this invite-only show is always !! always !! a delight,
from hyper-cute to Star Wars futuristic, deeply traditional to . . darkly gruesome goth.
yes, illustrators with heart – come out in force – even for . . . ‘Year of the OX’.

so,
you might think the OX would be mundane, and you . . would be WRONG.
besides, these Red Envelopes wish you . . good luck, health, wealth, happiness, and prosperity.

besides which, the wise man – in these global & trying times – needs all his can absorb from all cultures / especially re: origin tales, fables & really the oft-hidden secrets of human nature, esp as influenced by the celestial stars and in this case, the moon / all the better to you maneuver your way through a multi-national life – just that much better, and surely – smarter.
and maybe, even more . . blessed.
whether it be Native American, Viking or Ancient China.
‘Fiddler on the Roof’, or . . Lin Miranda’s ‘Hamilton’.
we can all relate to universal truths, humanity, and the wish for happiness.
we all live on the same earth / under the same sky.


DANIEL RAMIRIZ, ‘The Bow’, 2021.
3-1/2 x 7-7/8 in. on a traditional red envelope
Prisma Color pencils, Markers & Gel-pen
($65)

see: Daniel Ramairiz – ‘The Bow’ on GRUMPY BERT

Daniel Ramiriz was born & raised in Brooklyn /
see: @onlythestare / Instagram




~PRECOG 6 / PRINTED MATTER VIRTUAL ART BOOK FAIR / FEB 24-28, 2021

PRECOG VOL 6:
‘When the object sins and the diva sings and the spider crawls out of the web someone else made …’

I have 3 drawings in the new Precog 6 … !!!
debuting this weekend at: Printed Matter Virtual Art Book Fair / Feb 24-28, 2021
with over 400 exhibitors / from 43 countries.


NANCY SMITH, ‘Mirror, Mirror’, 1985, NYC.
charcoal on paper / 38 x 50 in.
inspired by a medieval Italian Tarot card deck, I was pregnant with my daughter, Kate.


NANCY SMITH, ‘Industrial Boy’, 1985, NYC.
charcoal on paper / 38 x 50 in.
this is me . . in my most awkward, androgynous state,
lamenting climate change, back in 1985.


NANCY SMITH, Flowers in a Vase’, 1985, NYC.
charcoal on paper / 38 x 50 in.
yes !!, that is a large format for paper drawing.
but . . it’s a heavy-weight good quality acid-free paper / at the time we lived in a downtown 5 floor walk-up loft space, for very cheap, and with little in the way of heat, etc. I can’t emphasize how raw it was. it was just a step above squatting. the rest of the building was still used to store textiles.
it’s now . . very very expensive condos.
the upside, besides being dirt cheap / was that it was situated on Leonard St. in Tribeca, just below Broadway / so, right around the corner from the famous Pearl Paint. it was super easy to saunter in, & cheap-ish !! to get that kind of large scale drawing paper back in the 80s, and then walk home to work on it.


PRECOG VOL. 6: the cover art !!! / which I absolutely adore . . . !!!!!!!

PRECOG VOL 6: ‘When the object sins and the diva sings and the spider crawls out of the web someone else made …’ / publishing Spring 2021
see: Precog Store – for advance ordering

PRECOG . . . was founded,
as an Indie curatorial publishing project, “that explores science, technology, techno plastics, cyber culture and feminism” / by . . . 3 women:
FLORENCIA ESCUDERO / Co-editor, Publisher
GABY COLLINS-FERNANDEZ / Co-editor, Publisher
KELLIE KONAPELSKY / Co-editor, Publisher, Graphic Designer
see: PRECOG MAGAZINE


see: PRINTED MATTER VIRTUAL ART BOOK FAIR – 2021

FLASHBACK:


from top left: NICHOLAS STEINDORF, GABY COLLINS-FERNANDEZ, KELLIE KONAPELSKY
bottom center: FLORENCIA ESCUDERO
PHOTO: NANCY SMITH
at the HALEY JOSEPHS, ‘Paintings & Drawings for Childhood’s End’ opening / L.E.S.
JACK BARRET GALLERY, almost exactly a year ago / last March 1, 2020.

NICHOLAS STEINDORF . . had just collaborated with Gaby, Kellie & Florencia,
on their PRECOG X VDC / Virtual Dream Center / Digital Online Interactive Game Engine.




~PHIL COTE . . ‘Almost Everything’ / JAG Projects / HESSE FLATOW / closing event SAT FEB 13 / 4-6

time . . . is relentless.

it’s already . . . the last days to see:

PHIL COTE: ‘Almost Everything’
curated by JESSE ARAN GREENBERG / JAG Projects at HESSE FLATOW

PHIL . . will be at the closing party / event, today – SAT FEB 13, 2021 / from 4 – 6 pm.


PHIL COTE, ‘Strange Presence’, 2019.
oil on canvas / 24 x 24 in.


detail.
artwork images via Instagram @paintco

yeah, BRO !!
in these uncertain, ancient ferocity / times.
wishing you . . . well.




~DREW GILLESPIE . . ‘Wishing Well’

wishing you, WELL !!

DREW GILLESPIE, detail installation . .
“Drewy ‘Good Enough’ Andrews”, 202l.
multi-media installation in ‘The First Story: A Show about Twinning’.
presented by JAG Projects, hosted by Marinaro Gallery
up thru . . . Feb 28, 2021.


DREW GILLESPIE, detail install photo of his ‘Twinning’ installation.
image via Instagram @bobo_newyorkcity

such . . . a loaded image.
I’ve written about ‘wishing wells’ lately, specifically with regard to the big LED animated floor ‘cubes’ that LUKE MURPHY has been exhibiting.


this one is from his recent show at THE HOLE /
install photo via THE HOLE – ‘CUBED’.

to my mind, traditionally the phrase ‘Wishing Well’ was a symbol for deep inner reflection, a dive into the ‘personal’ unknown, and perhaps . . even a lucky dream come true.

Drew’s wishing well, is a lot more bizarre.
and yet somehow, in twisting out like this, the whole concept of ‘wishing well’ got twisted out too, but in a good form, and in a more outward . . narrative. I mean maybe his evil twin, aside /
‘wishing well’ ?
wishing YOU, well !!
in these politically fraught / mask wearing, global / deadly pandemic times.




~DREW GILLESPIE . . “Drewy ‘Good Enough’ Andrews” / ‘TWINNING’ / JAG PROJECTS, MARINARO

Twinning ? it’s complicated . . !!
especially when you’re stuck at the bottom of a wishing well, and . . talking to a therapy bot.

DREW GILLESPIE . . gives it a shot.

JESSE ARAN GREENBERG / JAG Projects presents a group show . .
‘The First Story: A Show about Twinning’ – running thru FEB 28, 2021
Marinaro Gallery, Sub-Basement


(above 2 images edited from Instagram @jesse_aran_greenberg)


some projects are not made for flat screens !!
watch: the video / @bobo_newyorkcity on Instagram

the text:
“. . . a sculpture of a wishing well about the relationship between 2 identical twin brothers.
the well includes a ‘live’ video feed of a therapy session between a therapist chatbot and a paranoid twin, named Drew Andrews, who is stuck at the bottom of the wishing well.
He is mostly complaining to his therapist about his annoyng twin brother, Andy Andrews, who obsessively follows him around and imitates his every gesture.”


DREW GILLESPIE, “Drewy ‘Good Enough’ Andrews”, 2021
mixed media, dimensions Variable
image via Marinaro Gallery

see: ‘The First Story’ . . Marinaro Gallery

FLASHBACK:


DREW GILLESPIE . . .
BOBO / JAG Projects present . . . ‘MUD FEST’ / Hudson Valley, upstate NY, weekend of July 22-23, 2017.
archival photo: NANCY SMITH, July 23, 2017.