MAYA HAYUK – ‘SEXY GAZEBO: Believing is Believing’ – last weekend !!
the show runs: FEBRUARY 13 – MARCH 15, 2009
CINDERS – 103 HAVEMEYER ST – bet HOPE + GRAND – WILLIAMSBURG – BROOKLYN
HRS: WED-SUN: 1-7PM
read more about the show: here !!
well, anyone who knows her, knows Maya can be a pain – or is it only me. or is it me that’s the pain – o.k. – we both have big chips on our shoulders – I wonder why, could it have anything to do with lack of well-deserved recognition & success ? maybe.
at, any rate the show is all-out beautiful, totally striking and you know, positive – so, we find – we can’t in all conscience deny her, her moment in the sun, esp considering how bad – the rest of the global art world was – last week !!!
so, MAYA for you and KELI & STO at CINDERS – here’s some pix – and the rest of you couch potatoes – go see it – for yourself and maybe even – spring for a piece – to put up on the walls – and save everyone, in Brooklyn – that we love, from having to become ‘apt squatters’ !! no joke.
this is no way to treat our best most talented people – no matter the – $$ crisis.
KELI BOWMAN.
Kelie was about to leave for CHILE for 2 and a half weeks. . She’s going down there with MAYA HAYUK and WOLFY and KAYROCK – to paint wall murals on the streets. . she says the culture there is full of street art and the powers that be – actually encourage muralists, who paint with brushes – and depict narrative scenes or abstract designs – as opposed to ‘taggers’ or ‘writers’ who use spray paint to leave initials-only tags.
she says if they see you roller brushing over the tags – they are very happy to let you paint to your heart’s content.
on the floor – a new BRIAN CHIPPENDALE – now going for over $2,600 and up – we told ya to score one a few years ago – when they were just about $1,000. what can we say. you can take a horse to water – you can’t make him drink.
STO – behind him – the display for his new – CINDERS VIP/MEMBERSHIP CLUB – you too, can join for $50.
see: their website for details – JOIN OUR NEW MEMBERSHIP CLUB !!
the CINDERS MEMBERSHIP CLUB – Brooklyn’s answer to the recession !!
that looks to be a great KELIE BOWMAN watercolor on the left.
an array of STO’s work – priced to go – on the right !!
‘FEEL THE DARKNESS’ – a (sad) sign of the times !! esp in the art world.
MAYA HAYUK, ‘SEXY GAZEBO’, 2008. painting installation with lights & plants.
MAYA HAYUK, ‘JAWS OF LIFE’, 2008. acrylic on paper. 16 x 20 in. ($400)
MAYA HAYUK, ‘Oneida’s hacky sack’, 2009. acrylic on canvas, 30 x 30 in. ($800)
MAYA HAYUK, ‘Predicting the end of the world since the dawn of time’, 2009.
acrylic on canvas, wood, mirror, 13 x 13 x 14 in. ($2,500)
PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH
~MAYA HAYUK – SEXY GAZEBO/last days at CINDERS !! |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | March 12th, 2009, 9:46pm
. . . well the island (aka Manhattan) was so depressing, the ART FAIR WEEKEND – BASICALLY BEING A BIG BUST – except for a few bright lights – that we thought we’d take our chances seeking inspiration & delight – as opposed to cheesy headlines, police brutality, and bad rip-offs – back over the East River – to Brooklyn – Williamsburg – to be specific – after scoring so well with that really fine NICK KUSZYK opening – ‘JAMMER SLAMMER’ – at McCAIG WELLES a couple of nights back. (more on that soon !!)
of course the new ‘WELCOME TO WILLIAMSBURG’ billboard – is this one: it proclaims, FREE MADOFF !
you’re free to make your own interpretation of just what that means, the best thing about art: freedom of thought – including your own !! but I’m pretty sure it’s meant to be ironic.
(at first glance I thought it said : FREE MADOFFI – as in rhymes with KHADAFFI !! …)
so cheesy headlines and commentary on rip-offs prevail here, too – must be in the air.
they do say 2009 – is – the year of JUSTICE.
in case you are wondering what that little scribble at the top of his forehead, says: it says – this !!
but pretty darn soon – like in the span of 2 short blocks, political & criminal ill winds disappeared – like a breath of fresh mountain air, like Switzerland in Brooklyn – with the sighting of the newly installed, for Spring – plastic flower arrangements in re-cycled old tire tubes – at The City Reliquary Storefront Museum !!
(though is that a local streetwalker – we caught on camera ? oh, well, let’s just move on.. enough with the political/sociological commentary – let’s do the neighborhood tour – just for art !! appreciation !!)
the museum seems to have a show up called ‘THE FIGHT FOR FAIR PRICE AND FAIR PROFIT IN DEPRESSION ERA NEW YORK’ – that runs JANUARY 30 – MAY 3, 2009 & which seems to center on: SPILT MILK !!
since the museum is only open to the public – SAT & SUN 12 noon-6pm – we couldn’t go in and find out – though we were certainly wanting too !!
read more about the show: here !!
note: “pivotal moments in the story are illustrated with miniature dioramas !!” – we’ve got to return on a weekend.
the display features vintage glass milk bottles and lace doillies representing, milk, I guess. pretty enough.
(the white yarn spilling out & swirling around – was the ‘spilt’ milk – though it sort of reminded us of the ‘intestines’ spilling out of the R. Robots inner guts !! at NICK KUSZYK’S – ‘JAMMER SLAMMER’ – you’ll see, soon enough !! we’ve got R. Robot on the brain !!)
the other window still features the PULLEY COLLECTION of GAIL MITCHELL – but, too much sunlight to get a good shot.
PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH
~CITY RELIQUARY MUSEUM/OVER SPILT MILK !! |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | March 12th, 2009, 8:50pm
NEW YORK POST – WEDNESDAY MARCH 11, 2009/PHOTO CREDIT: KYODO
FILE THIS UNDER: MAYBE THE NYPD SHOULD GET 10% of ART SALES – AFTER THEY MAKE AN ARREST – FOR STREET ‘ART’ -&- UP THE STREET CRED & DOLLAR VALUE OF THE ART ? !! ESP WHEN THEY’RE HELPING AN ARTIST – WHOSE WORK OTHERWISE – HAS SLIPPED INTO CREATIVE DECLINE ?!!
. . . well, the NEW YORK POST knows a good thing when they they see it – it’s the best place to to catch the latest on the subway wars.
Japanese artist NARA, in town for a show, was arrested for scribbling a small smiley face on the First Avenue L train stop at 3:30 am on Feb 27, 2009, “when officers saw him using a marker on the wall.”
Rumors were swirling the night of his BOESKY opening, (Feb 28), that NARA had been arrested – but no info was made available at that time. why it surfaced today, almost 2 weeks later – is anybody’s guess, but since a street arrest – is big business and there are extensive quotes from his lawyer, and a nice array of photos – is it crossing the line to speculate – that Nara’s own people put this publicity in play ?
don’t think Nara set out to get deliberately arrested, and are we surprised for scribbling something as banal as a smiley face, no !! – but his people sure knew a good thing – when they saw it.
It seems like the NYPD might have caught on that publicizing these arrests rather than tapping down the illegal scrawlings – only feeds the flames, esp when the rather small penalty is exposed. In this case according to the Post: “He was released after spending the night in jail and will have the charges dropped if he does not get in legal trouble for a year, officials said.”
that’s kinda lame – considering that if you have a graff record of any kind, and you are Canadian for example – you can never visit this country, cross these USA borders ever. as Canadian artist MATTHEW FEYLD, who resides in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada knows only too well. He had some minor graff infraction/record from way back when he was a kid – and he was not permitted to cross the border to attend a group show at Cinders last year, in fact pretty much just exactly a year ago. (Feb 22- March 23, 2008). what gives ? M-O-N-E-Y, and celebrity. duh !!
following simple logic – you’d think catching a graff vandal from another country, as in Japan – in the act – on local shores – would get him, Nara – the permanent boot – ?
obviously money and celebrity – kicked in – a big factor in the American justice system, whether people like it or not, no one denies that having a good private lawyer trumps most situations. esp of this nature. and when your work retails in the $125,000 – $500,000 range – expect one helluva good lawyer to show up – on the dot – and the ‘well-greased’ kid gloves to come out. let me tell ya, if not, its definite not going to be one night in jail and all charges dropped. For damn sure it ain’t gonna be: ” ‘Like in the movies’, he [Nara] told Art In America.” dude, what movies do you watch ?
In fact the Post goes on to relate:
“At the opening for his exhibit at the Marianne Boesky Gallery in Chelsea on Feb 28, Nara, who lives in Tochigi, Japan called the arrest ‘a nice experience in my life’ in which he got to meet people he would not otherwise have encountered.” They should have left him in there for 24 hrs more – without a well-paid lawyer watching his back – he might not be singing such a sweet tune.
In fact Nara, whose works have gone at auction for as much as $1.5 million – was charged “with resisting arrest, making graffiti, criminal mischief, possession of graffiti tools and damaging property.” and apparently the only serious aftermath, apart from that social picnic of a night in a New York City jail – will be to add greater value to his now, shlocky work. “Staff at the gallery declined comment yesterday, but a Japanese television crew doing a piece on Nara said the arrest would only give the artist more street cred at home. ‘He’s going to get big notoriety for this here and in Japan’.”
the cops are definitely on the hot seat for graff – they are watching those surveillance cameras 24/7. so be warned. case in point. a well-informed, or sharp-eyed – passerby at the Williamsburg L train- LORIMER – stop – last weekend – was almost arrested, in the span of the 2 seconds it took to take out a small tourist-like digital camera, and try to snap 3 or 4 shots of a new (alleged) POSTER BOY ad. the image speaks to the current war zone – all on its own !! and from the intensity of the defacement – I would venture to say street artist, and poor boy, native New Yorker, i.e. homeboy – – Poster Boy’s recent run-in with the cops – wasn’t exactly – the “nice experience in my life” – million dollar tourist art celeb Nara was treated to !! nor was it for the few anonymous others, who seem to have added their own personal feelings re the NYPD – to the ‘collage’.
so, final words: make sure when you vandalize the sparkling clean property here, even with a little marker scrawled smiley face !! that, you have a big gallery behind you. otherwise the word out on the street seems to be that your nights in jail & your journey through the court system – will be no lark in the park. and if you are a regular tourist – as opposed to a celeb – chances are – you won’t be coming back.
PHOTOS: ANONYMOUS ?/COURTESY: NANCY SMITH
yep, that’s how bad things are. don’t know who took ’em – they just landed on my desk.
~NARA/latest subway cuff |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | March 11th, 2009, 9:24am
NICK KUSZYK – ‘JAMMER SLAMMER’ – !!
MARCH 6 – MARCH 29, 2009
McCAIG WELLES – 129 ROEBLING ST – WILLIAMSBURG – BROOKLYN. NY.
NEW GALLERY HRS:
MON & TUES: BY APPOINTMENT
WED-FRI: 11am – 7pm
SAT & SUN: noon-7pm
read more about Nick and the show: here !!
also of interest, the gallery notes that:
in August 2009, R . NICHOLAS KUSZYK will have a children’s book coming out.
Published by Penguin Group Inc, it’s titled: ‘R Robot Saves Lunch’ !!
Nick told us a little background on the book – at the opening – specifically – how it came to be !!
A friend of his, who is a Pilates instructor, was wearing one of Nick’s limited production T-shirts with a Robot – on it – during a class – when one of the students admired it, and asked for contact info on the artist. short story made even more brief: the student called Nick and said, hi I loved the T-shirt your friend was wearing, I’m the head of Penguin Children’s Books – wanna do a book ? – the rest, as they say – is history !!
of course !! – we got some great pix at the opening, including the amazing mural wall Nick, with the help of a few good pals slinging paint brushes – put up just for the show.
they’ll be coming up shortly !!
~NICK KUSZYK/JAMMER SLAMMER !! |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | March 10th, 2009, 1:13pm
‘DOG POOP’ – by – TAYLOR McKIMENS. whoever says artists aren’t – relevant – or prescient !! – eat this !!
THE ARTLOVERS – DOG POOP DIARIES – SPRING 2009.
DOG POOP !! PATRICK McMULLAN, THE ARMORY & ART DUBAI – how’s that for a bunch of losers all in one sentence !! and . . . .
* YO, if anyone knows LAURA WATSON at KCD – tell her she’s on artlovers, too !! *
* a clueless moron if I ever did see one !! don’t let HER ruin YOUR art par-tay !! *
* let her work – her magic for BANANA REPUBLIC !! *
* what Banana Republic vs. the NEW MUSEUM – no diff ?!! * * see: below !! *
* SAT MARCH 7: how pathetic to see PATRICK McMULLAN whining in PAGE SIX today – about how he got shut out of the VANITY FAIR OSCAR PARTY – because Getty/WireImage had the ‘exclusive rights’ !! what’s the matter Patrick – can’t take your own medicine ? . . . He’s been acting like an over-grown tantrum-throwing ape demanding exclusive rights and taking paychecks out of the hands of (smarter) art world shutterbugs since forever in this town !! and its the kiss-of-death for the parties concerned – cause he doesn’t know the turf at all. he couldn’t tell a JOE BRADLEY from a JOE GRILLO – if his life, or those of the badly suited young clones – he sends out in his stead – depended on it . .
plus he can’t photograph art, either – because its all just “ambient background” !! ….
name names ? sure !! ART REVIEW MAGAZINE (2002): Patrick demanded that the other photog handling the downtown scene (one Nancy Smith) be tossed along with her pay check – if they wanted h-i-s uptown photos of wanna-bes air kissing.. he holds the same stranglehold on the WHITNEY parties, incl their BIENNIAL bashes. no wonder, there’s no excitement around that played-out gig any more !! the most recent occasion where he has been the death-kiss-of-the-art-party ? how ’bout the slow boring, not to say embarrassing, decline of the p.r. rush for the recent ELIZABETH PEYTON retrospective at the NEW MUSEUM !! some moron of a clueless media consultant for KCD WORLDWIDE, named LAURA WATSON !! let him pull his uninspired monopoly shtick there – and this despite, GAVIN BROWN, who reps ELIZABETH PEYTON !! – inviting another photog – the same NANCY SMITH – to cover the opening, specifically for his gallery !! at least Getty/WireImage pays for their exclusive rights !! Patrick just whines and annoys the hell out everybody – never mind single-handedly killing the entire scene & taking the WHITNEY & THE NEW MUSEUM down with him.
* and, while we are talking ’bout dog poop – COLIN DeLAND must be rolling over in his grave *
* HEADS-UP LADIES !! don’t EVER send your ever lovin’ hubby out art shopping alone. check out what the ARMORY’S got waiting for them !! ASHLEY DUPRE – MOVE OVER !! *
. . . more POOP – the ARMORY.
coverage of that fair used to dominate the whole weekend. this year, 2009 – it didn’t even score one line in the NEW YORK TIMES !! and basically – the only other coverage elsewhere – amounted to – a who’s who – of who didn’t buy in. and no, it wasn’t just the economy – it was the total lack of inspiration, not to mention – art brains – on the part of the corporate shopping mall-like organizers. the most interesting item to surface – was the following academic parlay on the newly installed – ‘ESCORT’ service – now available, for free, at the ARMORY. I guess, if you’re gonna try to sell art and you have no brains or talent, that’s the way to go.
. . . According to that usually staid & totally behind-the-curve BRIT PUBLISHED – PSEUDO ART/TABLOID/PAID-FOR-AUCTION-RAG: THE ART NEWSPAPER:
“The Armory’s latest innovation is their ‘Docent Program’ – whereby overseas collectors, important visitors, or just the plain curious can call the VIP HOTLINE to have them escorted around …. [their word, not mine !!] …. the event by a COMPLIMENTARY docent worthy of any museums.”
[If I were a museum … o-u-c-h !!]
not only that .. it goes on to say:
“as Kari MORRIS, executive assistant to her brother, show president Paul, puts it: ‘Our specially-selected docents have the minds of academics and the bodies of centrefolds’.” !! !! !!
what kind of business are they running there, anyways ?
and, where pray tell – where dodoo – they find all these gorgeous academic museum docent-worthy bombshells ? who, also claim to have a handle on the CONTEMPORARY ART WORLD, no less – !! we thought Larry ‘Gogo’ Gagosian – had the monopoly on this kind of brainy leggy bodacious talent. it’s probably more like: skanks with graduate degrees – on the prowl. BRETT MICHAELS – MOVE OVER !!
the article only gets worse, or more comic – depending on whether you have a hubby out alone on the island – ‘art shopping’ – it goes on to quote Kari, as she compares their star docent … “known as ‘kisser’ ” – a New Zealand hottie, oops I mean art academic – “claiming to have had a Kennedy amongst her walk-thru clients” – to her … “rival art-history expert – a delicious Russian blonde codenamed Nataliya.” !!
like we said. COLIN De LAND must be rolling over in his grave.
maybe he’s saying – I’d rather have a dog poop on my grave !!
seriously, I couldn’t make this stuff up in my wildest dreams – its right there in black ink & white on PAGE 2.
in the Diary Section.
THE ART NEWSPAPER/THE ARMORY SHOW EDITION/4-5, MARCH 2009.
it’s handed out for free at the fair – if you don’t believe me.
the item – it’s the lead item on the left hand side – doesn’t list an author. I think it’s supposed to be funny.
‘DIFFERENT EVERY DAY’ – artwork by STO.
. . . more POOP – ART DUBAI !! somebody get that SHEIK a YIDDISH DICTIONARY, PRONTO !!
of course, the other really funny quote, also unintentional, I think — surfaced in the same broadsheet.
on PAGE 4.
in an article titled: ‘INTERNATIONAL FAIRS/FINANCIAL SITUATION FORCES GALLERY WITHDRAWALS’.
ANDREW GOLDSTEIN reports:
“The Armory is not the only fair to see some exhibitors melt away. More than two dozen galleries who showed at ART DUBAI last year will not be back when the fair returns later this month. ‘We just decided not to do it, it’s a big schlep said, New York dealer Bonni Benrubi.”
yo !! – do they even have – YIDDISH DICTIONARIES – in DUBAI – or do ya think they are casually familiar with the term: schlep ? !!!
in case not, SCHLEP – is New York – for – not worth the time of day.
ok. so we don’t wanna just leave a bad taste in your mouth.
so, QUESTION: just how prescient were those poop-painting artists ?
ANSWER: FALL 2007 – was the magic season for all things that smell bad and look gross on the sidewalks.
TAYLOR McKIMENS exhibited his dog poop painting in 2007. Here he is at the opening, Sept 14, 2007.
The show was called ‘Cabinet of Curiosities’ and it was curated by KATHY GRAYSON. And it rolled out at, as an early hit – in the then, newly re-located to Brooklyn – THE JOURNAL GALLERY.
another TAYLOR McKIMENS painting – from the same show – an early precursor of his Drip family of homeboys – also caught that McMULLAN/ARMORY/DUBAI vibe !!
see more on the show: 2007-10-24 !!
and, let’s give Sto from CINDERS – his fair shake – at kickin’ the Dog Poop, too !!
STO at the opening of his solo show – ‘My Prayer for You’ – running Oct 12-Nov 11, 2007, at CINDERS.
wow – 2 dog poop paintings in the same season – how rare is that – !!
looking back – STO had some other great ahead-of-their-time takes on today’s “ambience” . . . as Patrick so knowingly – calls art – on his website.
STO – INTERNAL – MAP OF ANXIETY .
STO – ‘I AIN’T GOING WITHOUT A FIGHT, YOU PECKERHEAD !!’
there was actually a dog – an ugly one at that, but for sure, NYC accessory fashionable at the opening !!
we were hoping that was a little real poop deposited next to the appropriate piece of greenery Sto so thoughtfully provided, but no – its just a piece of the faux greenery !!
the sign says: “clean up the mess you make.”
fun or what !! here’s 2 more !!
STO – ‘COMIN’ TO GET YA’ – aka – artlovers’ new mantra !!!
STO – ?? !!!
see more on the show: MY PRAYER FOR YOU
see: MY PRAYER FOR YOU /IF I HAD $200 !!
and, guess who we meet for the first time at the opening ?
proving: that – all things – and all paths – that are t-r-u-e – do come full circle !!
PORTS BISHOP, at left – introduces us to a – startled NICK KUSZYK !!
NICK KUSZYK and PORTS BISHOP. CINDERS GALLERY & BOOKSTORE, BROOKLYN, NYC. OCT 12, 2007 !!
PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH
and, what do you know – contrary to all that bullsh*t – dumped on ya – last week – all in the name of art – there was one great opening, last weekend – and it was NICK KUSZYK’S !!
NICK KUSZYK – ‘JAMMER SLAMMER’ – now up at McCAIG-WELLES – running MARCH 6-29, 2009 !!
129 ROEBLING ST / BROOKLYN.
the opening was last Saturday, March 7, with a small opening for friends the night before.
of course !! we were there & the pix will be featured this week !! yo – robots rule !!
and they don’t leave poop – or do they ? these robot guys only, seem to spill their guts !!
see: McCAIG WELLES/NICK KUSZYK !!
~DOG POOP !! PATRICK McMULLAN/THE ARMORY & ART DUBAI |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | March 7th, 2009, 8:54pm
check out: JESSE A GREENBERG.com
we got our wish – MORE !! JESSE GREENBERG – in NEW YORK CITY !! – at the SCOPE FAIR !!
SCOPE is located at LINCOLN CENTER – corner 62nd ST. & 10th AVE.
JESSE – is showing in the OKAY MOUNTAIN GALLERY BOOTH.
OKAY MOUNTAIN is an artist-run gallery collective out of AUSTIN, TEXAS !!
~JESSE GREENBERG/SCOPE !! |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | March 5th, 2009, 5:02pm
ERIK FOSS PRESENTS: ‘HOMELESS AMERIKA’ – and, we add – it’s n-o-t a joke people, wake up !!
ERIK writes to tell us:
“This installation will be in SCOPE NEW YORK during the ARMORY WEEK.
The gallery that is showing it is SHOOTING GALLERY from – SAN FRANCISCO, CA.
It is my first piece in a New York City art fair, and I am proud to present: ‘HOMELESS AMERIKA’.
The piece is made of homeless signs that were purchased from the homeless.
The American flag is painted with spray paint. It stands 8 feet tall by 12 feet across.
A portion of the proceeds will be donated to local Manhattan homeless shelters.
I think the piece needs no explanation.”
SCOPE is at LINCOLN CENTER this year & runs thru MARCH 8th.
SHOOTING GALLERY is located at booth no. AO3.
~ERIK FOSS/SCOPE !! |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | March 5th, 2009, 4:42pm
In February/March 2009, Babel – an artist non-profit initiative situated in TRONDHEIM, NORWAY – will present ‘NEWSPEAK’ – a series of three exhibitions and a workshop on writing about art.
Themes and dates for the exhibitions:
~ Provocation (February 20 – 25)
~ Emotion (February 27 – March 4)
~ Speculation (March 6 – 13)
An open call project – artists were asked to send in digital submissions before January 15, 2009.
The project’s focus is on: “the dynamic relation between art production and the written reflection on the art (critical, theoretical, etc.)”
Before the first show, JAN BACKLUND (artist/writer/COPENHAGEN) will lead a workshop on writing about art, and at the same time, “we announce a writing competition: writers are invited to submit texts about one or more of the three exhibitions in NEWSPEAK.”
All submitted texts and photo-documentation of the exhibitions will be published, both in print and at this web site.”
see: NEWSPEAK/BABEL/NORWEGIAN
there is an ENGLISH/OPTION at top of the site. [ENGLISH / NORSK !!]
we have to thank STEN ARES SANDBECK, based in Oslo, Norway for sending this in.
we know Sten from the NATIONALMUSEUM SHOWS – specifically the TALL ARTIST SHOW – aka – FUCK THE LITTLE MAN !! He was one of the giant artists in the show – the white tent against the wall is his, see link for photos.
see: NATIONALMUSEUM/BERLIN/NORDIC GIANTS !!
Sten will be exhibiting two pieces in the BABEL ‘NEWSPEAK’ show – during the ’emotion’ part – ‘Shelter’ and ‘White Flag’ – both of which were also shown in the NATIONALMUSEUM TALL GIANT SHOW – and most gloriously, STEN has sent in some wonderful hi-resolution jpegs of the works !! WOW !!
STEN ARE SANDBECK – ‘SHELTER’.
STEN ARE SANDBECK – ‘WHITE FLAG’.
ALL PHOTOS COURTESY & COPYRIGHT/STEN ARE SANDBECK.
you can see more of Sten’s work: here !!
Sten explained the ‘NEWSPEAK’ project a little better to us: “The exhibition series is based on a mix of open proposals and invitations and focuses upon the dynamic relation between art production and the written reflection upon art. Parallel to the show, a workshop on writing on art and a writing competition based on the exhibitions will be held. All submitted texts and photo-documentation of the exhibitions will be published, both in print and at the Babel website.”
he goes on to say: “That was a lot to read and if you’re still hanging on, I apologize for the inconvenience, but one likes to try to communicate, even from this far off outpost of civilization – the ancient transatlantic connection keeping our hopes up – the Vikings, they say founding (or more accurately finding !!) ‘wine-land’ – the predecessor of New York City !!”
he also said something really funny, though I’m not exactly sure – what it means – (there’s a lot of possibilities !!) – at the beginning of his email, as initially I didn’t quite ‘get’ the submission – as he just sent the poster, with no explanation – (above) – which was all in Norwegian !! or I guess – NORSK !!
“Thank you for getting back to me – you are perfectly right … the event is certainly a long way from NYC; it must be madness enough to cover that” – [here’s the fun part:] – “going global suicide (those who do end up growing out of any practical proportions or consider canonizing extreme narrowmindedness – art history, for instance.)” STEN – what are you saying – write some more on this !!
and no, it’s “not too far-out …geographically or mentally !!” – as you put it.
do you mean global suicide re: the impact that the US has on the rest of the world, or global suicide re: the NYC centric art world ? come on – lay it down – we can take it !!
you gotta love how narrative these Nordics are, with their ancient story-telling genes – in his own words, he concludes:
“Just to let you know, I’m also running a web-based artspace at www.undisclosed.no, the idea based upon galleries representation of their shows online, just skipping the actual show !! .. Invited artists produce a series of jpegs of a certain size, none of them representing artworks, but rather to be considered as artworks in themselves. And quite important – non-saleable – only pure art ! I might pass you some information on the next show. Let me know if you’d rather I didn’t”. (yes, do !!)
“Lars, the organizer of NATIONALMUSEUM and an old friend of mine, will be presented in April.”
“Its again snowing heavily outside, don’t know how things are in NY, but over here they just removed tons of snow the other day and now the streets are full again – a traditional postcard winter with snow in our face, red cheeks, smoke from your mouth and squeaky sounds as you walk — We’ll stay inside today.”
Very best from Oslo, Sten.
OMG X 1,000 !! – did you check out that www.undisclosed.no site ?
A-B-S-O-L-U-T-E-L-Y A-M-A-Z-I-N-G !!
no friggin wonder people in the rest of the world get pissed off that ART HISTORY – quote unquote – begins and ends in America or NYC !!
you have to hit each icon – going down, by the 3rd one down, they really start going crazy mad beautiful !!
~NEWSPEAK/BABEL !! |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | March 1st, 2009, 10:40pm
OPENING TO-NITE !! – SAT FEB 28 / 7-9 PM
‘IT HURTS’ – an exhibition by REMED and ZBIOK
the show runs: FEB 28 – MARCH 22, 2009
BROOKLNITE GALLERY – 334 MALCOLM X BLVD – BROOKLYN, NY
BROOKLYNITE GALLERY CONTRIBUTES TO POSITIVE INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS BY UNITING FRANCE & POLAND THROUGH STREET ART !!
from the press release:
Brooklyn, NY – A troubled economy, a planet in peril, a new leader taking the helm … so many questions left unanswered … IT HURTS. Brooklynite Gallery however, will pass on the government bail-out in favor of something better. instead we present – ZBIOK and REMED, ‘IT HURTS” – the new exhibition a.k.a. gallery-size healing force.
Parisian street artist, Remed takes every style past its due date and makes it fresh. Art Nouveau and “Free to be You and Me” graphics of the seventies are made strikingly contemporary. if you were to synthesize into a single body of work, the “New Image” of the early eighties with the graffiti writers who entered the New York art world at that time … Remed would emerge. Experienced with a limited time frame for execution, Remed solved color interactions quickly and accurately. The English language is manipulated with formidable typographic skill and a vicious sense of style. You know Remed is special when you see his transmutation of the curved arms of the French avant-garde. He’s paid his dues, he’s dubbing over history.
“Addicted to color” … Polish street artist – Zbiok makes work that can have the same effect on its viewers. Rooted in post-Iron Curtain Poland, he has ties to punk and hip-hop, but his work looks like no other artist’s associated with either. The feel of eighties graffiti is there as an intangible, not limited to any one visual clue.
His imagery is far reaching in the sources of influence it indicates. Sometimes matching a political sensibility to his electric colors and pop savvy, Zbiok’s pieces are immediate, while inviting longer meditation on their full complexity. In a recent interview he noted the influence of music on his work, highlighting his all-inclusive scope as “jazz to death metal”. His characters and iconography feel refreshingly alien to American street art thus far.
‘IT HURTS’ is an acknowledgement that everybody feels things strongly — that each of us is viscerally affected by people and events near us. Yet, even halfway around the world, a person or event can hit us like a force of nature. Loving someone so much it feels like an entity unto itself, feeling an overwhelming urge to change the world — nothing can make you more vulnerable. But nothing else will go as far to amplify your joy.
BROOKLYNITE GALLERY is located at 334 Malcolm X Blvd (between Decatur & Bainbridge Streets) Brooklyn, just 2 blocks from the Utica Ave subway stop on the A or C lines.
GALLERY HRS: THURS-SAT / 1-7 PM
just can’t get enough of that REMED image:
and here’s another one:
check out his: REMED/MySpace page !!
and then there is: ZBIOK !!
check out his: ZBIOK the cool one – website !!
~ZBIOK/REMED/”it hurts” |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | February 28th, 2009, 1:44pm
yo !! yo !! yo !! l-a-s-t d-a-y to catch:
THE STANTON CHAPTER PRESENTS:
‘BEFORE I DIE’ – an exhibit of photographs by SEAN VEGEZZI – curated by MINT 7 SERF
STANTON CHAPTER – 176 STANTON – LOWER EAST SIDE – NYC
SAT – FEB 28, 2009 / 12 noon- 6PM
. . . the sweetest toughest show on the face of the earth.
SEAN VEGEZZI – 18 yr. old TRIBECA HOMEBOY – hit NYC with his first solo show this month c/o of his good friends and mentors – at the STANTON CHAPTER aka THE CANAL CHAPTER aka 1134 NYC – MINT & SERF.
* & YES !! the undercover graffiti cops (aka the ‘vandal’ squad) did come and close down the opening, supposedly for underage drinking (?) but, not the show. well the opening was ending anyway, and they didn’t haul anyone off in handcuffs. and, just how undercover could these cops be, they were a good 30+, these kids were all in their teens and young 20s !! the cops looked ridiculous storming in. (there was a male cop and female cop. the female looked the harder of the two !!). who puts these guys up to this sh*t, anyways ? They didn’t even look like they knew why they were there. It’s a losing battle. the tag world is outta control – yo, its big business – the cops on one side – the huge corporate sponsors on the other – what a crazy world !! and luckily – NYC is caught in the middle !! *
we were able to catch up with SEAN at the show this past week, for one last long look. we asked him if he had ever been hassled by the cops. he said that a few years ago, (by the way he is still in high school, graduating this Spring, and waiting on admission to either MICA or SVA) after a show or party – somewhere, he was grabbed by a group of cops and handled very roughly. He was thrown to the ground, and the cops threatened to come after him – if he didn’t give up the names of the kids in his photos – which were at that time posted on his website – NYCEXPOSED – which he did not. but the cops got his high school ID and with it his address – so he had to take down the website. He said they also threw all his stuff from his pockets into the street, and they looked like they meant business.
LOL – of course if you look for NYCEXPOSED.COM now, you’ll find that great domain name – has been hijacked by some lame bogus porn/tourist site !!
SEAN VEGEZZI also sent us – some hi-rez jegs of his work – to post for his many fans on the site, many in the international art & street art community unable to make the show in person.
SEAN VEGEZZI, ‘Highline Nap’, Digital C Print. 11 x 14 ins. Edition of 4. ($150)
this photo is one of the earliest included in the show. It was taken in 2006, when Sean was 15 yrs old. That’s his pal, who later got sent back to a strict Japanese boarding school – for ‘acting out’ and to save him from the bad influences of NYC !! it’s not really that scary, as trains haven’t traveled those obsolete Chelsea highline tracks in decades. Sean told us, scrambling up the highline metalwork was his first foray into the city’s ‘secret’ infrastructures – before he was bold enough to traverse the forbidden underground tunnels.
SEAN VEGEZZI, ‘Greenpoint is Burning’, Digital C Print, 11 x 14 in. Ediiton of 4. ($175).
this is another of his pals. and, he says YES !! his friend was scared. he was 7 stories high and that’s why he is lying face down on the scaffolding, literally, holding on – for dear life.
two more photos in the show: ALL PHOTOS BY & COPYRIGHT OF: SEAN VEGEZZI
see: the first post/SEAN VEGEZZI at STANTON CHAPTER !!
NOTE: something to look forward to !!
SEAN VEGEZZI is going to collaborate with artlovers this summer, 2009 – in posting a series of his hi-rez pix – along with the background stories, and, with more narrative details !!
as well as, some answers to some of his mostly frequently asked questions: like how do you get down there, unseen. check back in JUNE !!
~SEAN VEGEZZI/last call |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | February 28th, 2009, 12:09pm
