the following posts first appeared on the artlovers home page:
the week of APRIL 20TH, 2007
~JAN ALBERT, our movie reviewer wrote:
“Michael Arias’s labor of love, his first full length animation feature, which was produced in Japan, has its American debut at the Museum of Modern Art, Wednesday, April 25th and runs for a week. DON’T MISS IT –
it is an absolute stunner and a must-see for artists, animation, and movie fans,
of all ages.”
~READ JAN ALBERT’S REVIEW
~ . . . upon seeing that statement, artlovers jumped up and caught the last 2 premiere screenings at MoMA, and was also able to score a few photos of the film’s director, MICHAEL ARIAS.
(with the absolutely divine intervention of fate – happening to cross paths with BARBARA LONDON, the very next night, at the 27TH STREET CHELSEA gallery openings – who in turn, set up the photo shoot.)
BARBARA LONDON is the Associate Curator, Department of Media, MoMA (The Museum of Modern Art) and, the person responsible for bringing this remarkable film to
MoMA’s premiere series.
~artlovers posted the following – on the home page/MONDAY APRIL 30TH, 2007.
“If you like your ‘anime’ – Japanese style: straight up, totally poetic & cutthroat, all at the same time; visually stunning, and uniquely animated,
(just to note a few instances: . . really liked how the characters were set in motion at their ‘feet’ points; loved the dirty rain moisture on the abandoned car window, as it was rolled down; the apocalyptic ‘inner Minataur’ scene was a pure visual free-for-all, and I tumbled with it; . . and there were some striking ‘DICK TRACY’ – ‘NECKFACE’ type drawing flourishes on some of the bad guys . .. )
with a fast paced ‘street smart’ narrative and pinpoint sound effects – not to mention great music by PLAID – then, drop everything!! and get to MoMA – TONIGHT – MONDAY APRIL 30TH for the last advance screening (8:30pm) – otherwise, sorry to tell you, your next chance to view this artist-ruled MICHAEL ARIAS helmed feature will be the limited engagement commercial run – tentatively scheduled for mid-summer . . . and . . . if you’ve ever been called a “borderline autustic artist/savant” to your face – then WHITE is your BOY!.
“PLANET EARTH, this is Agent White: TRANSFORM!!”
” . . with TEKKONKINKREET, his first feature length animation –
DIRECTOR MICHAEL ARIAS translates the unconventional work of popular “underground” manga artist TAIYO MATSUMOTO into
a graphically detailed, amazing to watch – fast paced film of – real
entertainment art.
“. . the flawless screenwriting by ANTHONY WEINTRAUB – shoots along at the same speed as the animation, yet captures all the poetic undertow of the characters – moving the storyline forward with absolutely the minimum amount of dialog, while catching the “TREASURE TOWN” street vibe – right on.”
~UP-DATE: POSTED – TUES MAY 1, 2007:
“the last screening: – the MoMA theater was packed with young professionals of all genres. the energy was intense & exciting and there was a wave of spontaneous clapping at the film’s conclusion.
BRENDAN O’CONNOR, a 3rd Year animation student at SVA (School of Visual Arts, NYC) whom, we meet as we left the screening – told us among other things, . . . 1. that TEKKONKINKREET wasn’t quote unquote “strictly anime” – (although anime seems to be evolving into a term more and more commonly used to describe all animation coming out of Japan), but a full-on true animation production; 2. that MICHAEL ARIAS wrote TOON SHADERS – his favorite animation code, in the MAYA system, and, 3. that he had seen the more commercially tooted PAPRIKA, also an animation feature just released out of Japan, and, in his opinion TEKKONKINKREET was the better film! ” . . .
Up-DATE: MAY 10, 2007:
the official website says the DVD will be released soon – !! – JUNE 27th !!!
the: TEKKONKINKREET OFFICIAL WEBSITE
. . . okay okay, artlovers being essentially paparazzi . . . . we couldn’t resist just one furtive shot at one of the screenings –
and surprise surprise we caught a frame right on – and its so ironic because it is one of the most fleeting and rare images in the entire movie – the love scene – between a gangster & his newly pregnant wife – and its. LITERALLY ! – the only 2 seconds of a female presence, any female presence – in what is, otherwise an entirely all male cast of characters. . her most poignant line; spoken just as her young husband gets blown away; and, in response to his telling her what to name the baby . . with his last dying breath, apparently a boy’s name – is: ” I would …. never have a boy.”
. . . “I’M SO TOUCHED YOU’RE CONCERNED ABOUT MY HEALTH”,
TEKKONKINKREET, Museum of Modern Art, NYC premiere screening,
MARCH 31, 2007
PHOTO: Nancy Smith
THE MUSEUM of MODERN ART: www.moma.org
TEKKONKINKREET OFFICIAL WEBSITE: www.tekkon.net
~MICHAEL ARIAS/TEKKONKINKREET/MoMA |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | May 10th, 2007, 9:37am
. . . if you’re in JAPAN, you can catch the last weekend of:
‘Blood Bath & Beyond’, starring CHRISTIAN HOLSTAD, RYAN SCHAEFER, and
CLAUDE WAMPLER.
HIROMI YOSHII Gallery, TOKYO.
APRIL 13 – MAY 12, 2007
. . and while you’re there, send us some digital pix, better yet, use your cellphone . . . we’re dying to see work from a show with this kind of upbeat title – esp. Christian’s work – seems, Hiromi doesn’t believe in posting images on his website.
(image: courtesy HIROMI YOSHII website – it’s the only one posted for the show – it seems to be the poster for the show – perhaps by Christian Holstad himself ? there’s no accreditation for the image – pretty funny for a gallery that’s so protective of its intellectual property!)
UP-DATE: MAY 15, 2007
CHRISTIAN HOLSTAD was kind enough to clue us in . . .
he says .. ” the exhibition is a collaboration with CLAUDE WAMPLER and RYAN SCHAEFER.
its a fairly complicated show. an installation in which the viewer enters into a refrigerator
door in a butter colored waiting room. they are met by their guide who takes them through
the maze of rooms. the show’s theme is our mutual feelings of horror in regards to
contemporary culture and what contemporary culture finds horrifying.
Jennifer Anniston meets a disorder called B.I.I.D.
this is it in a nutshell.
the second part of the show is a video bus tour to a traditional Japanese house in
Kamakura. this takes place at the ending of the show.”
.
PHOTOS: COURTESY CHRISTIAN HOLSTAD
Christian Holstad
Hiromi Yoshii Gallery
Daniel Reich Gallery
~CHRISTIAN HOLSTAD/HIROMI YOSHII/last weekend |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | May 8th, 2007, 8:06pm
KIKI SMITH in 1992 – PHOTO BY MARK ENGER.
“A private pistol shooting lesson with KIKI at her schoolhouse in upstate NY, 1992.”
~KIKI SMITH/Photo by MARK ENGER |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | May 8th, 2007, 7:49pm
SETON SMITH, sister to KIKI, daughter of TONY, usually residing in Paris, FRANCE – drops by the Rirkrit Tiravanija show,
‘Untitled 1992 (Free)’
Presented by Gavin Brown’s enterprise and David Zwirner.
David Zwirner, March 31, 2007
Photos: Nancy Smith
~SETON SMITH/RIRKRIT TIRAVANIJA |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | May 8th, 2007, 7:43pm
the ‘Rirkrit Tiravanija – Gordon Matta-Clark’ installation/exhibit has been extended thru Sat, MAY 19, 2007
Presented by Gavin Brown’s enterprise and David Zwirner, at:
DAVID ZWIRNER GALLERY – 519 West 19th Street
. . . they are serving 5 times as much food each day, then they did in the original installation,
at 303 Gallery, in Soho, back in 1992.
above, Thai rice bags,
RIRKRIT TIRAVANIJA, ‘Untitled 1992(Free)’, David Zwirner, March 31, 2007
Photo: Nancy Smith
TONY, Rirkrit’s (Thai-American) assistant (dig that ‘MAPLE LEAFS’ t-shirt !) comes to the gallery, 3 times a week, to prepare the food. They have to use 40 qt. pots to cook the food in, instead of the original 15 qt. size.
Tony greets some artist pals: from left, LIZ LIDEN (who shows at BUIA) and on the right, JULIETA ARANDA. that’s the GORDON MATTA-CLARK alternative dumpster ‘urban multi-dwelling’, behind them.
Photos: Nancy Smith
RIRKRIT TIRAVANIJA, ‘Untitled 1992 (Free)’, re-created at David Zwirner,
May 27, 2007
DAVID ZWIRNER
~RIRKRIT TIRAVANIJA/GORDON MATTA-CLARK/extended |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | May 8th, 2007, 2:32pm
RICCI ALBENDA , ‘PANORAMA’ opens to-nite, SAT, MAY 5, 6-8PM
ANDREW KREPS GALLERY – 525 WEST 22nd STREET
the show runs from MAY 5 – JUNE 16, 2007
image: courtesy Andrew Kreps Gallery
Andrew Kreps Gallery
~RICCI ALBENDA/ANDREW KREPS/opens to-nite/SAT |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | May 5th, 2007, 1:14pm
BABYDADDY and ANA MATRONIC of Brit band SCISSOR SISTERS photographed
at the TAKASHI MURAKAMI opening, GAGOSAN GALLERY, NYC,
May 1, 2007
Supposedly they’re playing at DEITCH PROJECTS to-nite (Sat, May 5) at a
M.A.C. Cosmetics event – the gig made PAGE SIX.
Photo: Nancy Smith
DEITCH PROJECTS
~SCISSOR SISTERS/MURAKAMI/DEITCH PROJECTS |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | May 5th, 2007, 12:58pm
MARC JACOBS and TAKASHI MURAKAMI,
at the opening of ‘TAKASHI MURAKAMI’ – MAY 1 – JUNE 9, 2007
GAGOSIAN GALLERY UP-TOWN
980 MADISON AVENUE, NYC
Photo: Nancy Smith
GAGOSIAN GALLERY
~MARC JACOBS-&-TAKASHI MURAKAMI/MEGA/GAGOSIAN |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | May 4th, 2007, 4:39pm
KIERSTEN ESSENPREIS:
Half
Shut
Knife
– and –
JOHN ORTH
Oh, Glory.
Rivulets.
Crystalline.
OPENS TO-NITE, FRIDAY May 4, 7-10PM
CINDERS GALLERY – 103 Havemeyer Street, Brooklyn
Cinders Gallery
~KIERSTEN ESSENPREIS/JOHN ORTH/CINDERS/FRIDAY |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | May 4th, 2007, 12:18pm
assume vivid astro focus, ‘ a very anxious feeling’,
opens to-nite: THURSDAY MAY 3, 6-8PM
John Connelly Presents – 625 WEST 27th STREET
the show runs from MAY 3 – JUNE 16, 2007
(image: detail scanned from the show’s poster)
UP-DATE: MAY 4, 2007
ELI SUDBRACK aka assume vivid astro focus – at the opening last night.
on the right, KENNY SCHARF, with assume vivid astro focus production team member,
CHRISTOPHE, left, at the totally packed opening, which spilled out onto the street.
assume vivid astro focus – opens – ‘a vey anxious feeling’ , May 3, 2007
the exhibit was designed to invite audience participation.
masks with 3D lenses were given out at the door, and you had to take your shoes off to enter, since the whole place was papered with 3D pattern . . including the floor.
above Photos: Nancy Smith, May 3, 2007
more photos from the opening to post shortly
John Connelly Presents
~assume vivid astro focus/John Connelly Presents/THURS/ELI SUDBRACK/KENNY SCHARF |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | May 4th, 2007, 11:45am
