MAX SCHUMANN, then the Associate Director of PRINTED MATTER,
at his customary perch inside the alternative book shop.
Archival Photo by: NANCY SMITH, NYC, Oct 22, 2005.
MAX announced this past January, 2023 that he would be stepping down as Executive Director, and sure enough, slightly behind schedule, Printed Matter announced that this Sept 13th, 2023 week, would be his last. “After eight years in the role of Director, and more than thirty years contributing” . . immeasurably to the growth of this arts-focused indie voice, including the Art Book Fairs, in multiple & various roles, and in a big way inspiring the indie Zine movement & personally bringing to life, along the way – many small, limited edition artist books.
“With so many exciting projects on the horizon it will be difficult to leave, however I feel that the time is right for me to move on to other pursuits, chief among them my return to my artwork.”
~Max Schumann
There will be an “informal send-off” to Max on Thurs Sept 14, 2023 from 6 – 8 PM at the Chelsea storefront, 231 11th Avenue, NYC.
see: PRINTED MATTER
“return to his artwork”, is not a glib statement / Printed Matter, the N.Y., and now L.A. Art Book Fairs, and other people’s projects in general devoured Max, and he gave his creative and visionary ‘all’ – but, now maybe the painter inside Max can step forward again, and
may the new, great American atmospheric, realist, politically-hinged painter of our generation, emerge, and receive the recognition he deserves.
I caught a few of his humble, but deeply-felt, early painting shows, but my fav was:
‘Max Schumann: The Return of Freedom’, Taxter & Spengelmann, Chelsea, NYC /
November 30 – January 12, 2008.
this was the hard copy invite, exhibit poster / card. it was approx 4 x 6 in.
the illustration is a work of Max’s, ‘CHEVY CHASE’S GRAND BAHAMA VACATION.’
MAX SCHUMANN, ‘Untitled, (The Last Terroir)’, acrylic on board / 42 x 72 in.
MAX SCHUMANN at the ‘Return of Freedom’ opening.
MAX SCHUMANN, ‘FREEDOM – $500′.
I think that was the price, but maybe the title.
maybe – both !!
hard to say – so many years later.
my notes long lost – into years’ worth of filed archive binders.
but – great painting, no doubt.
MAX SCHUMANN, ‘EXCELLENCE – $200’, in ‘THE RETURN of FREEDOM’, PART I,
his second solo show at TAXTER & SPENGLEMANN, NYC.
November 30 – December 22, 2007
ALL PHOTOS: ARCHIVAL COLLECTION of NANCY SMITH / NANCY SMITH PHOTOS, NOV 30, 2007
~MAX SCHUMANN steps down from PRINTED MATTER . . . |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | September 13th, 2023, 4:30pm
MAKE MY DAY . . . !!!
MY DARLING LITTLE CHARLIE BROWN WANNABE – UPDATES . . !!
SOME FREEZE FRAMES – from a new Luke Murphy LED animated project.
LUKE MURPHY, ‘Reading the News’, 2023
CANADA GALLERY BOOTH 5 – FREIZE SEOUL
up thru . . . SAT SEPT 9th.
LUKE MURPHY, ‘Reading the News’, 2023.
wire armature, LED matrix panels, video driver hardware, software, power supplies,
PC, code. 30 x 25 x 2 in.
Audio by Luke Murphy / yes, you want the ‘spacey’ . . audio !!
see the animation: @canada.nyc / Instagram
note: all screen shots via @canada.nyc Instagram
also, see: @lukemurphy49 on Instagram
PLEASE, also note: LUKE MURPHY designed & installed – the animated DELI LED ‘RESIST’ BANNER that runs, like a new age, cross-stitch embroidery,
at the top of this page . . . !!
~LUKE MURPHY . . ‘READING THE NEWS’ / CANADA at FREIZE SEOUL 2023 / thru SAT SEPT 9 |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | September 9th, 2023, 12:11pm
so long, ALFIE !!
yep.
Still, finding s-o-l-a-c-e for Alfie / Alfredo Martinez – The Real Fake Basquiat, RIP
in all . . the right places.
may you be on your way – to sweeter, kinder, and smarter . . pastures.
DINI DIXON , ‘I’m Basking’, 2022.
Porcelain, Kintsugi. 7.5 x 5 x 4.75 in.
image courtesy of the gallery
ED. VARIE is pleased to present:
DINI DIXON – ‘DEPICTING RESURGENCE’
a SOLO SHOW of NEW ARTIFACTS / CREATED in COLLABORATION with ARTSHACK, BROOKLYN
the ARTSHACK RESIDENCY PROGRAM -&- is CURATED BY: ALVA CALYMAYOR.
OPENING RECEPTION – FRI SEPT 8 / 6 – 9 PM
the exhibit continues thru . . . SUN SEPT 24, 2023.
ED. VARIE, 95 Avenue B, Ground Floor, L.E.S., NYC 10009
just off Tompkins Square Park, take the L to 1st Ave; F to 2nd Ave; or 6 to Astor Place.
Gallery & Bookstore HRS: Weekends 12 – 6 PM
& also by Appointment
a little about . . DINI DIXON:
“this is a new body of work from the California and New York-based artist . . created in collaboration with Dixon’s summer residency at Artshack, Brooklyn. For the past 10 years, clay has been Dixon’s primary medium. It is through the unruly medium of clay that Dixon feels she can most intuitively express the precarious quality of the mind & externalize her emotions.
The resilience Dixon observes in nature is a beautiful representation of malleability. The forest is always adapting to changes in climate; stalks & flowers are fortified by the wind, cold, and other challenges. Similarly, the mind can evolve after traumatic experiences. Threats in nature are visible whereas the emotional struggles people face are frequently internal. In order to heal the spirit one must first acknowledge conflicts, giving them a tangible state that can be deconstructed. Often difficult as our personal struggles can be pitted against us.
Clay is often associated with fragility and vulnerability, similar to qualities women are asked to disguise in order to be taken seriously. Dixon confronts these associations by subverting conventions of the craft, allowing cracks that materialize to show. Visible flaws embody the transparency surrounding mental health Dixon celebrates in her work.”
DINI DIXON b. 1991, Santa Barbara, CA, received a BFA in Ceramics from Pratt Institute in 2015. Dixon works on her ceramics & clay animation at her studio in Brooklyn.”
~ED. VARIE PRESS RELEASE
~DINI DIXON . . ‘DEPICTING RESURGENCE’ / ED. VARIE / LOWER EAST SIDE, NYC / OPENS FRI SEPT 8 |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | September 8th, 2023, 9:16am
still seeing . . . . s-o-l-a-c-e for ALFIE / ALFREDO MARTINEZ – THE REAL FAKE BASQUIAT, RIP
in all the right places !!!!
‘ANTONE KONST: IN a SEA of NOTHING’
SEPT 6 – OCT 28, 2023
JACK TILTON GALLERY, 8 EAST 76th St., NYC
ANTONE KONST, ‘The Lady (Dancer with Flutes)’, 2023.
oil on linen / 82 x 86 in.
image courtesy of the artist
in the invite:
ANTONE KONST, ‘Flowers’, 2023.
oil on linen / 125.5 x 77 in.
~ANTONE KONST . . ‘IN A SEA of NOTHING’ / JACK TILTON GALLERY, NYC |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | September 8th, 2023, 8:42am
meanwhile, over in Detroit – things are a little bit less gritty,
but, no less hard-core.
but, maybe – more dirty ????
or, dir-tay, as they say !!!!
Par-tay on !!!! Detroit !!!! !!!!
and, if Alfredo’s ghost is flitting about – my man, go find some . . respite.
among – the flowers.
shout out to: JEFFREY TRANCHELL.
PLANT EXCHANGE – @lavendercountrydetroit
SAT SEPT 30, 2023 / 4 – 7 PM
12333 MacKay, DETROIT
seeds, starters / bulbs & clippings / house plants, too
GIVE / TAKE / TRADE
~LAVENDER COUNTRY DETROIT / PLANT EXCHANGE / GIVE, TAKE, TRADE / DETROIT / SAT SEPT 30 |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | August 31st, 2023, 10:53am
LABOR DAY WEEKEND . . . !!!!!!!
‘MANY MOONS’,
PAINTINGS BY ALBERT SHELTON aka REALIST_RADIO
CLOSING PARTY & BBQ – LABOR DAY, SEPT 4 / 3 – 7 PM
FREDDY’S BAR & BACKROOM /
627 5th Ave., Brooklyn, NY
ALBERT SHELTON, ’90 Seconds to Midnight’, 2023.
watercolor, sumi ink on Arches paper.
24 x 18 in.
USD $400 (SOLD)
image courtesy of the artist
ALBERT SHELTON, ‘Springs Eternal’, 2022.
watercolor, sumi ink on Arches,
24 x 18 in.
USD $500
image courtesy of the artist
ALBERT SHELTON, ‘Space Dusted’, 2023.
oil on canvas
48 x 36 in.
USD $3,000
image courtesy of the artist
~ALBERT SHELTON . . ‘MANY MOONS’ / FREDDY’S BROOKLYN / CLOSING PARTY & BBQ / SEPT 4 |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | August 30th, 2023, 10:09am
you wanna see . . chaos, baby ?!!
blasting out-of-control fires, death valley deserts, barreling cars, & blown-up starry . . skies !!
then, get your sorry ass down to FREDDY’S DIVE BAR – in BROOKLYN.
‘MANY MOONS’ . . .
Paintings by ALBERT SHELTON aka @REALIST_RADIO (IG)
On View until . . . SUN SEPT 3, 2023
FREDDY’S BAR & BACKROOM* /
627 5th Ave., Brooklyn, NY
HRS: 12-4 AM
MON & WED: COMEDY
TUES: RESIDENCIES
THURS: BURLESQUE
FRI & SAT: MUSIC / see website for upcoming events
*not to be confused with FREDDY’S UPSTATE / which is a re-commissioned rural church /
curatorial project run by . . Josh Abelow
~ALBERT SHELTON AKA REALIST RADIO / ‘MANY MOONS’ / FREDDYS / BROOKLYN / up thru . . SEPT 3 |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | August 24th, 2023, 12:29pm
I am very sorry to tell everybody . . .
that ALFREDO MARTINEZ aka The Real Fake Basquiat / passed away in his sleep, this past Sunday Aug 20, 2023.
After a long illness, may he be . . . at peace.
he was something like, 54.
ALFREDO MARTINEZ, with one of the big guns he used to assemble from online parts, in his New Jersey studio.
March 28, 2020.
Photo: Courtesy of the Artist
a young 30ish, ALFREDO MARTINEZ, just hitting the art scene / at a presentation he did at EXIT ART, curated by KENNY SCHACTER.
Soho, NYC. March 25, 1999.
Archival Photo by: NANCY SMITH /
shown inserted into a large paper ‘quilt’ / I did of Alfredo, and his work, for one of his group shows, that never materialized, but that’s – a whole other story (!!)
NANCY SMITH, ‘ALFREDO MARTINEZ SOUVENIR – PAPER QUILT’, 2021.
with archival 35mm photos, original exhibition invites, glue stick, mylar, card-stock, etc.
approx. 6 x 6 ft.
(left), JOSH HARRIS, of ‘WE LIVE IN PUBLIC’, and Pseudo fame; and . . . ALFREDO MARTINEZ re-enact the famous Andy Warhol + Basquiat pose / to commemorate Josh’s facilitation of Alfredo’s safe return from secret detention in China, (I absolutely kid you, not !!).
Photographed in Jeff Gompertz’s loft in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY, in the summer of 2010.
Archival Photo by: NANCY SMITH / also inserted into my ‘ALFREDO MARTINEZ – SOUVENIR PAPER QUILT’, of 2021.
JEFF GOMPERTZ built the 99+ resident artists’ pod hotel that featured prominently in, ‘Quiet’, the early tech / surveillance-wired, $1 million+ dollar, New Year’s Eve blow-out bash / and, no-holds-barred, 24/7 interactive art installation, which spanned multiple floors of a gritty, old downtown warehouse, in Tribeca, on Broadway, that Josh Harris and Pseudo, his early dot.com / multi-media company produced – to celebrate the Dawn of the 2020 Millennial, and which also included / one of Josh’s many anti-technology touches, a live stripper window, until neighbors complained. and which managed to run for almost 2 weeks, despite tons of outrageous press / until it was shut by the PDNY, the NYFD, and FEMA, all the same time !!
they thought at one point, we were a suicide cult. / nope !!
we were just bio-humans about to hit the new age of computers and social media, big time / and, we weren’t going – quietly. even as we created it, bye the way.
catch that – if you can. and yes, that was B-I-O, with a capital B.
ALFREDO, ran the notorious ‘shooting gallery’, stocked with real, and very big guns, that anyone could take a turn shooting, under the supervision, of a gun pro, of course in the basement. (and, there were no accidents by the way, which was pretty crazy considering the entire place was open to the public 24/7 for almost 2 weeks, and there were open, and I mean: FREE!! bars on every floor, pretty much almost every night. (I kid you, not !!)
In fact, Josh and Alfredo were able to get the ‘Shooting Gallery’ up and running; with a ‘FILM PROP-PERMIT’, which in a way – it was,
as ‘Quiet’, the exact, and extreme opposite of it’s moniker, and that’s an under-statement / and it’s frontier, tech-era streaming, live surveillance – went on to become the heart and soul, of ONDI TIMONER’S 2009, Sundance Grand Jury Award winning documentary . . ‘WE LIVE IN PUBLIC’, which has an ’86’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes, by the way.
and it’s still – very much alive, and kicking.
and therefore, so will be: Alfredo. RIP.
~ALFREDO MARTINEZ / RIP |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | August 22nd, 2023, 6:21pm
DARLA ROSE TAYLOR . . . . . !!!!!
DARLA and the DARLINGS . . . !!!!!!!!!!
DREAM POP – COME & GET ME . . . !!!!!
LIVE with . . . DJs DIRTY PRESTON, THOMAS SCHMID & MICHAEL WYNNE /
HIGHLAND PLACE & MAPLEWOOD AVE., MAPLEWOOD, N.J. / 6 PM SHARP / SAT AUG 19th.
def, listen to the track: Darlaa – ‘Shadows’ / Distrokid
and, check out: . . . @darlaamusic on Instagram
~DARLA and the DARLINGS / MAPLEWOOD, NJ / SAT AUG 19 / 6 PM SHARP !! |
Posted in Indie Music Reviews, The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | August 18th, 2023, 4:20pm
speaking about: MAGIC . . . !!
there’s LIGHT & SOUND / in them there, plants & water !!
ESTEBAN CABEZA de BACA, HEIDI HOWARD / WAVE HILL AQUATIC GARDEN
photo via Instagram @wavehill
‘LIGHT FROM WATER’ . . .
WAVE HILL’S next exhibit, begins – this SAT AUG 19, 2023 /
the exhibit, in Wave Hill’s GLYNDOR GALLERY, “features collaborative works by artists HEIDI HOWARD & ESTEBAN CABEZA de BACA, some inspired by Wave Hill’s stunning Aquatic Garden.”I have always been fascinated by ponds,” comments Howard about the experience of creating work in that serene garden space, “My mother – LIZ PHILLIPS, also in the show – grew up next to a pond and spoke about it as if it were her best friend.” For Cabeza de Baca, the Aquatic Garden is special “because of how it reflects light in water and water buoyantly refracts light, which became the guiding principle for the exhibition.”
the exhibit runs thru . . NOV 26, 2023.
def, see: WAVE HILL PUBLIC GARDEN and CULTURAL CENTER
4900 Independence Ave., BRONX, NY 10471
see: more about: ‘Light from Water’ – WAVE HILL WEBSITE
note: the ‘ARTISTS RECEPTION’ is on – SUN SEPT 17, 2023 / 1-4 PM
~HEIDI HOWARD, ESTEBAN CABEZA de BACA, with LIZ PHILLIPS / ‘LIGHT FROM WATER’ / WAVE HILL / BRONX NY / SAT AUG 19 – NOV 26, 2023 |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | August 18th, 2023, 12:27pm
