BILL BRADY PRESENTS . . a TOMOO GOKITA – NYC POP-UP
the show of 12 black and white paintings on paper – opened MARCH 4, 2016
and runs . . thru March 31, 2016
JOHNSON TRADING GALLERY, 72 FRANKLIN ST, TRIBECA, NYC
see: BILL BRADY GALLERY
BILL currently has a big TOMOO GOKITA show on, up – at his new MIAMI space.
the show, called ‘Damage Control’ (is that an inside joke, lol ?) . . is the inaugural show for the gallery’s new permanent home at 7200 NW Miami Court – in what I hear is Miami’s very happening, Little River District.
and which same space I heard is, way large & tres beautiful, bye the way !!
congrats, Bill.
TOMOO GOKITA, painting on paper.
yes. the world needs a nurse. and, not a jolly one. a big, mean one.
start to put this place in some kind of global order, a kinder holding pattern – with a big, big . . time out room.
TOMOO GOKITA . . is the only artist I can think of, who is showing in NYC right now, who is hardcore enough to bring to the table, after the recent terror events. in Brussels, yesterday, and in Turkey, was it last week ? losing track – not a good sign.
TOMOO GOKITA, painting on paper.
yes, it’s a harsh world. and not in the R CRUMB context either.
outcomes uncertain, but still the same human bio drives: love, or at least sex. family, drama.
the human bio-reproductive circus – in all its gory, I mean . . GLORY !!
TOMOO GOKITA, painting on paper.
what is: sensuality ?
what is: the life span of a flower ?
is it . . too much to: hope ?
the questions they ask are precious, but the paintings themselves are . . not.
they verge on brut, and then circle right back again, to the timeless, universal human . . tale.
black & white – just dials it up.
to a whole new level of . . raw.
there are 12 paintings on paper that circle the room, and, most effectively. as they tell their open-ended, never-ending stories. we can all relate.
they look to be 16 x 20 in. – something like that.
each one is very unique, and very striking.
Tokyo-based TOMOO GOKITA – at the opening.
Tomoo Gokita (b. 1969) has been showing with Bill Brady since 2003, 2004 ? I do well remember the stir his openings always created at the cutting edge Bill Brady – ATM. Tomoo has gone on to huge success, among many other exhibits – in 2014 he was the honored subject of a large-scale solo exhibition, Tomoo Gokita: The Great Circus presented at the Kawamura Memorial DIC Museum of Art in Sakura, Japan.
re: going onto success, seems like so has . . Bill.
BILL BRADY . . . looking good, and doing even b-e-t-t-e-r.
PAUL JOHNSON of JOHNSON TRADING GALLERY – the GOKITA POP-UP / NYC host.
it was a really interesting venue, in and of its own, but also as a stage for Tommo’s stark, edgy work.
design + vision.
great pairing.
TAYLOR McKIMENS fresh off his big success with those huge head paintings at THE HOLE – Taylor told me he’s off to a 3 month residency in Greece and then . . omg, he’s moving to LA !!
oh no. we will miss you.
and yes, that’s a MISAKI KWAI piece behind him, on display in the Johnson Trading Gallery venue.
KAWS . .
I’m liking KAWS even more, be-KAWS !! I hear he’s been going around buying up young NYC artists’ work.
name one ? a very happy ANDY CAHILL, who painted those wild, crack-crazy pieces in the recent ‘Anthem of the Sun’ group show at CANADA.
TODD JAMES – REAS.
BRIAN WILLMONT, had some crazy big shows of his own work going on recently, and he owns/runs the totally trippin’ GREENPOINT TERMINAL GALLERY, in Brooklyn.
ERIC SHAW . . had a great piece in that way-ahead-of-the-curve, big ‘DUCKS’ group show, RYAN TRAVIS CHRISTIAN curated at GREENPOINT TERMINAL, last OCT 24 – NOV 29, 2014.
Eric’s piece was a crazy flat rendition of Donald . . Donald Duck, lol – called ‘DuckDuck’.
wtf, here’s the link – it was a great show.
see: ‘Duck’ – artlovers archive
~DUCKS . . PIX FROM THE EXHIBIT
PETER SUTHERLAND, with TOMOO GOKITA, at the opening.
you can begin to see how interesting the Johnson Trading Gallery venue is.
preservation, history, architecture + cutting edge design + painterly vision . . on this night, with: TOMOO.
I mean, where else would you get to just casually lean up against a classic, mint condition .. JUNZO SAKAKURA lounge chair from 1957 ?
or check out the contemporary .. ROBERT LOUGHLIN painted chair ?
yeah, I want that.
collector EUGENE HU . . looked comfy in a FELTRI armchair.
he had brought Tommo’s huge book, ‘TOMOO GOKITA – 777’ . . for Tomoo to sign, which he did.
table by – WILLY RIZZO
just . . . BE-KAWS !!!!!!
yep, that’s KAWS’ reflection in the mirror.
I used to see this guy walking the streets, in Bushwick in fact. way before he was famous. 16 yrs ago.
now, it’s funny to see his original, raw ‘roofies’ in Jersey, coming in off the tunnel. pure gold and nobody here much knows it. ain’t that the truth. was really so outraged when the city didn’t go crazy over his MACY’S balloon, too. remember writing a big rant about it. but, now . . it’s Tomoo coming up = big.
I wonder if they will give Tomoo – a MACY’S Thanksgiving balloon . . as if !!
‘they’ would never be cool enough, but just imagine – what a world it might be, if everybody were just that much more . . cool ?
TOMOO GOKITA, painting on paper.
ah, Tommo. you have us – in your black and white . . cross hairs.
oh, the drama.
of the hardcore romantic imagination.
yes – you do !!
realism – takes a swipe.
PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH
~TOMOO GOKITA . . BILL BRADY – NYC POP-UP at JOHNSON TRADING GALLERY |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | March 23rd, 2016, 11:44am
Fresco Magazine – Winter/ Spring 2016 . . features cover art by JR / @jr
image via Instgram . . . @fresco_art
see: Frescoartgallery.com
yep. the world needs a nurse. a big, scary one.
~JR . . via FRESCO / bring on the nurses !! |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | March 23rd, 2016, 11:26am
THE NEWSSTAND ZINE SHOP, which existed throughout 2013 in the LORIMER St. subway station . .
has spent the past 5 months resurrected – in MoMA’s . . ‘New Photography 2015’ exhibition.
today is the last day of the show, and MoMA is allowing THE NEWSSTAND to stay open after hours . .
until 10 PM, tonight !! !! !!
COME ON BY !! !! !!
PAR-TAY ON !! !! !!
SPECIAL: HALF-PRICE / AFTER-HOURS ACCESS / 5:30 – 10 PM / TONIGHT, SAT MARCH 19, 2016
‘THE NEWSSTAND / LELE SAVERI’ . . installation is on the 3rd FLOOR
in the . . . ‘OCEAN of IMAGES: New Photography 2015’ exhibit
MoMA / MUSEUM of MODERN ART – 11 W.53rd St., Manhattan, NYC
PHOTO courtesy: PAT McCARTHY
~NEWSSTAND MoMA . . CLOSING PARTY – tonight !! |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | March 19th, 2016, 1:41pm
WINTERERISE: LOREN MUNK, ROBERT SELWYN, PETE GOURFAIN & RUTH HARDINGER
opened SAT JAN 16, 2016
the 4 person show runs thru MARCH 20, 2016 / this weekend !!
490 ATLANTIC, 490 Atlantic Ave, Brooklyn
PIX FROM THE OPENING . . . SAT JAN 16, 2016
LOREN MUNK, ‘History of Art Timeline’, 2004-2006.
oil on linen, 54 x 96 in.
($40,000)
LOREN MUNK, detail, ‘History of Art Timeline’.
LOREN MUNK, detail, ‘History of Art Timeline’.
LOREN MUNK, ‘Minimalism to Neo-Expressionism’, 2014-2015.
oil on linen, 42 x 42 in.
($14,000)
LOREN MUNK, detail, ‘Minimalism to Neo-Expressionism’.
LOREN MUNK . . at the opening.
PETE GOURFAIN, detail, ‘HANS EYS TRUILE’.
PETE GIURFAIN, detail, ‘HANS EYS TRUILE’.
PETE GOURFAIN, ‘HANS EYS TRUILE’, 1993.
ink on Pang Pi paper, 21 x 25 in. (framed).
($2,400)
PETE GOURFAIN, ‘Finnegans Wake’, 1990.
ink on Okuwara paper, 38 x 50 in. (unframed).
($10,000)
PETE GOURFAIN, detail, ‘Finnegans Wake’.
ROBERT SELWYN and PETE GOURFAIN . . .
Robert’s painting is behind them – on the wall.
ROBERT SELWYN, ‘Rupture’, 2016.
oil on canvas, 43 x 45 in.
($14,500)
ROBERT SELWYN, ‘Bouquet’, 2015.
oil on linen, 23 x 27 in.
(6,800)
ROBERT SELWYN, ‘Arrangement’, 2015.
oil on linen, 34 x 40 in.
($14,000)
RUTH HARDINGGER, ‘Boxing with Time’, 2016.
Cardboard, string, rope, wood, 12 x 8 x 4 ft.
($15,000)
PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH
~LOREN MUNK, ROBERT SELWYN, PETE GOURFAIN & RUTH HARDINGER . . last weekend |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | March 19th, 2016, 10:10am
STEVE POWERS, ‘I AWOKE IN THE DREAM AGAIN’.
image via Instagram . . @steveespopowers
STEVE POWERS, ‘WHAT I WAS GONNA SAY. . VOL 8’.
image via Instagram . . @steveepopowers
~STEVE POWERS, I awoke in a dream – what was I gonna say ? |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | March 19th, 2016, 10:01am
here’s the finished mural . . .
DANNY SOBOR, ‘LATE NIGHT DRIVE’, 2016.
“my first ever outdoor mural on @eastroomchicago. Thank you @billycraven & @galerief for the opportunity.”
image & text via Instagram . . @dannysobor
~DANNY SOBOR . . ‘LATE NIGHT DRIVE’, CHICAGO |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | March 19th, 2016, 9:45am
PITR . . is also an urban-focused, ultra-graphic artist, who showed alongside DANNY SOBOR in that 2 man DEC 2015 show, ‘JUNGLE’
. . at CHICAGO TRUBORN GALLERY.
PIZZA IN THE RAIN, ‘watercolor, aerosol, Gold Leaf . . on 140 lb. cold press paper’.
image via Instagram . . @pizzaintherain
this is a recent post of his.
it’s interesting, because like many Instagram posts ‘in the genre’, it shows the scale, of the drawing, and the art ‘utensil’, in this case – a fine point watercolor brush. it feels very immediate. and intimate.
I also really like it, because it’s got this great throw-back ‘Beavis & Butthead’ vibe.
the profile. the white empty, but still expressive eyes. the macabre aspect.
PLUS: this is exactly how I feel right now – that slit throat, dis-associated from his n body proper.
lol.
yes !! – that’s me. no doubt about it.
I’m totally short circuiting, I just can’t keep up with posting all the OPENING PIX – I take in real time. it’s impossible. I am already behind by 7 posts !!
and it’s just been Feb. what happened to . . Feb !!
too much. I’d rather run and catch the shows, then stop and post the pix. obviously.
plus, I like to stop and think about things, sometimes. imagine that.
but, mostly it’s because . . I’m so contrarian !!
even to myself.
what ? a great celebrity-driven + awesome deep large format naked photos . . opening, GREGORY CREWDSON, no less – lol.
what ? TOMOO GOKITA at JOHNSON TRADING ?
what ? the new kids on the block, GRETTA JOHNSON & ANDY CAHILL, who I just meet last week at CANADA, pop up the very next weekend. and the even newer ones: LAUREN HILL, and NICHOLAS MOENICH at his show – at the new Brooklyn apt pop-up, run by MICHAEL FLEMING . . called MOUNTAIN ?
and, what about that YALE MFA GRAD CLASS crew at EMMY THELANDER’s closing. omg. omg. my head is just cut off from my body.
I gotta get on it.
damn.
put this site back together – like Humpty Dumpty.
in the meantime – of course, total distraction of the Instagram feed – reigns !!
so, take just one more little ride of the ‘URBAN IMAGINATION’ – with me / SKILLS !!
and, then tomorrow, I promise – I will get back on schedule.
PIZZA IN THE RAIN, ‘Flight 2932 (MDW-SMF) / 8:30 a.m.’
again, digging the ‘scale’ and, the ‘utensil’.
image via Instagram . . @pizzaintherain
PIZZA IN THE RAIN, ‘Flight 872 (OAK – ORD) / 4:15 p.m.’
love how he articulates urban architecture.
damn. that’s good.
steely, and POETIC. imaginary, and fierce. realist & playful. graphic and, novel.
skills.
image via Instagram . . @pizzainthereain
ah, YES.
THE GHOST of . . . MOEBIUS.
~ PIZZA IN THE RAIN / PITR . . . |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | March 17th, 2016, 9:34am
DANNY SOBOR – WIP – WORK IN PROGRESS
“layin’ some lines down on his 1st outdoor mural of the season”
image & text via Instagram . . @billycraven
BILLY CRAVEN . . . is a Chicago-based screen printer & co-proprietor of GALERIE F – in Chicago.
he just posted this photo yesterday.
~DANNY SOBOR at work . . . |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | March 17th, 2016, 9:17am
just because . . it’s Monday.
and this . . is my #mood.
DANNY SABOR, linocut, 2016.
“printed this linocut with the awesome people @signalreurn yesterday. excited to hop on their letterpress machines in the coming months”.
image & text via Instagram . . @dannysobor
DANNY SOBOR: “sketchbook to block”.
image via Instagram . . @dannysobor
DANNY SOBOR . . ‘Susie’s’, 2015.
image via Instagram . . @dannysobor
DANNY SOBOR is a 24 yr. old artist who was born (1992), works & lives in Chicago.
I first noticed his work via the CHICAGO TRUBORN GALLERY Instagram feed (@chicagotruborn) – where he was in a totally super / all about the drawing !! & intensely captivating . . very ‘urban’ graphic / skills / illustration – 2 person show called: ‘Jungle’ (Dec 2015), with PITR / PIZZA IN THE RAIN / @PIZZAINTHERAIN.
see: DANNYSOBOR.COM – website
see: CHICAGO TRUBORN GALLERY – CHICAGO
I really, really related to that recent linocut image of DANNY SOBOR’S . . featured at the top of this post: the beautiful, semi-mystical, inward / outward, graphic – but magical, magic – graphic realism ? self-portrait with . . red roses. that’s what I call . . a very ‘concise’ trip.
and damn, if that isn’t . . ‘Monday’ . . I don’t know – what is.
I also really liked where it took me . . a really sweet, totally dedicated letterpress print shop called: SIGNAL RETURN PRESS / @SIGNALRETURN.
very community-minded & preservation-minded.
yeah, starting Monday off . . on the right foot.
see: SIGNAL RETURN PRESS.ORG
IMAGE via . . Signal Return Press
~DANNY SOBOR . . & SIGNAL RETURN PRESS / bye way of CHICAGO TRUBORN GALLERY |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | March 14th, 2016, 11:01am
Bring on the sunshine !!
Bring on the heat !!
Bring on the . . SOLAR FLARES !!
‘ANTHEM of the SUN’
a group show organized by PALI KASHI
opened SAT FEB 20, 2016
and runs thru MARCH 20, 2016
CANADA – 333 BROOME ST, Lower East Side, NYC
more info: ‘Anthem of the Sun’ – CANADA
PIX FROM THE OPENING – SAT FEB 20, 2016
ANDY CAHILL, with work in the show . . at the opening & just . . be-KAWS !!!!!!!!!!!
be-cause . . KAWS bought some of his work !!
unknown guest beside . . one of Andy Cahill’s 2 paintings in the show.
ANDY CAHILL, ‘LAMP PREY’, 2015
acrylic & crayon on bleached linen. 24 x 24 in.
all I can say is: if CRACK is WHACK – then, what do you call this ?!!
and, can SWIZZ BEATS & The Dean Collection . . be far behind ?
PHILIP H. ASHLEY, ‘untitled’, 2016
brass, steel & hydrocal on wooden support. 19 x 16 in.
MAIA RUTH LEE . . . seems to be everywhere – that’s really happening.
MAIA RUTH LEE, ‘Economy of language’, 2016
heat sensitive fabric on electric heat blanket. 67 x 50.5 x 2.5 in.
on the wall: PALI KASHI, ‘Untitled’, 2016
PALI KASHI . . . ‘Untitled’, 2016
acrylic medium on lucite frame. 38 x 21.5 x 1.5 in.
ELIZABETH FERRY, ‘Just Her’, 2014
styrofoam, hydrocal, pigment, assorted minerals, flowers. 96 x 48 x 12 in.
detail, ELIZABETH FERRY, ‘Just Her’.
JERRY the MARBLE FAUN, ‘Prospect’, 2016
alabaster & salvaged barbells. 14 x 19.5 x 10 in.
BEN DOWELL, ‘Untitled’, 2014.
oil on canvas. 72 x 72 in.
IAN COOPER, ‘Screening (Greynbow)’, 2015
screen printed & hand-dyed cotton jersey, felt, vinyl, bias tape, aluminum, thread, powdercoated steel, painted lumber, MDF, & PVC with hardware.
67 x 61 x 52 in.
IAN COOPER, ‘Screening’, reverse . .
detail, IAN COOPER, ‘screening’.
AINE VONNEGUT, ‘On the Earth, in Hell and in Heaven’, 2016.
iron box, plastic, polymer clay, wire, aluminum foil & water.
18 x 18 x 18 in.
detail, AINE VONNEGUT, ‘On the Earth . .’
detail, AINE VONNEFGUT, ‘On the Earth . .’
AINE VONNEGUT.
PETER SUTHERLAND, basking in the high octane energy, of the newbies – inside !!
great night.
heat-ful, as opposed to hate-ful, lol.
just the way we like it – with the volume turned . . hardcore & full up.
PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH
~ANTHEM of the SUN . . bring on the solar flares !!!! |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | March 9th, 2016, 11:52am
