~’IT’S AN INVASION’ . . WILD & WACKY CRACKY.
‘IT’S AN INVASION’
APRIL 29 – MAY 10, 2014
CURATED BY JOSH HUBBARD, KELSEY BENNET & LELE SAVERI
PHILLIP SPRADLEY, PROGRAM DIRECTOR
NATIONAL ARTS CLUB
EXHIBITION PIX – PART III
JACK RIDLEY III, ‘Muddy and New’, 2014
crayon on moleskin, 11 x 14 in.
($420)
just to clarify what I said about this being a ‘committed show’ . . full of metaphors on the issues of life, and, well . . survival. with a lot of them being very raw, if not outright scary thoughts . .
that doesn’t mean, this wasn’t also . . a wild and wonderful explosion of the ‘plastic’ arts – and, no more did one see that – than in the paintings !!
the concept of ‘meaningful’ and ‘far-out’ – ‘was perfectly captured in JACK RIDLEY’S . . ‘Muddy and New’.
yes, life is . . muddy, and it’s new. (as in ongoing). nothing is clear cut and hardy anything is crystal clear, simple or logical. there’s no clear path to anything, on the art scene, or on the political front . .
I mean just a month after that ‘missing’ Malaysian airplane just disappeared into thin air, I see Russia and China are now best friends, yep they buddied up big time – this, despite Michelle Obama, with daughters in tow rushing over to China, the week following the plane’s disappearance – and literally jumping through the hoops / ropes for the Chinese masses. how did she ever let them ‘play’ her like that ? talk about taking a (humiliation) bullet for the home team.
and on the digital front – the web. the brave new frontier is a full-on hackers game. from top corporations, on down to the small indie sites such as this one.
speaking of which. there was funny article in the New York Post a few days ago, seems the FBI can’t recruit enough smart tech guys to join in the digital front line – vs hacking, cause “they all want to smoke weed on the way to the interview”.
well, good luck on unraveling . . that one.
they also said, there’s only 2 types of businesses in the US. the ones that know they’ve been hacked by the Chinese, and the ones . . that don’t.
well, ‘maybe I was crazy’ . . .
well, maybe I was . . ‘happy’.
so, does anybody else know the meaning of ‘golliwogg’ . .
just saying.
well, GOLLY !!
GOTH !! and, ‘fuck me . . SWINE’.
yeah, TOM RAPP and ‘Pearls Before Swine’ – does jump to mind.
well, surprise, surprise.
CASH $$$ / MONEY . . makes the world go ’round and round’.
ok, just one more political . . wave length.
did you see the big gorgeous lay-out on ‘golf courses blooming in China’ in the Wall Street Journal, last weekend. MAY 16, 2014. even though, “officially, the Chinese government placed a ban on golf development in 2004 … developers say some local governments encourage it to help them meet the central government’s target for gross domestic product.” the article continues . . .
“There is also the delicate task of figuring out where to move villagers displaced when a golf course is built; usually the developer must pay for new housing elsewhere“.
and so, if you are wondering why ‘separatists are knifing random train commuters in far-flung Chinese provinces’ – don’t be looking for the answers on CNN, if you really want the scoop – just read the Business and Real Estate sections.
just like . . truth from a babe’s mouth.
speaking of . . ‘crayons’ !!
and scribbles.
TAYLOR McKIMENS, ‘Happy Days are Here Again’, 2014.
acrylic flashe and acrylic gouache on canvas. 5 x 4 ft.
(price upon request)
of course, we can always count on TAYLOR McKIMENS to bring the focus . . back on home !!
p.s. quelle funnie, how “happy”, thanks Pharrell – became such a lightning rod, and a single word, at that – for the U.S.A. !!
don’t know whether to laugh, or cry. we want to be happy – so bad !!
looks like Taylor is with me on this one – looks kinda ‘drippy’ out there, for all the being . . ‘happy’ ?!!
happy ? I just dunno.
though then again, this painting makes me happy. this is me – at my . . happiest.
it’s been real fun watching Taylor’s work evolve, ever since those early, sleazy all-dressed hamburgers with the works. on sesame buns. ca 2002.
yep, don’t let this busy bee – sting ya !!
Taylor’s trademark ‘logo’ from way back, it even made an early appearance . . as an ‘avert’ link button to Taylor’s website – on artlovers, ca. 2005-7.
RAY MARTINEZ, ‘Disrupt’, 2014.
ink on paper, 14 x 17 in.
($200)
needs no words, except, damn – $200 !! shoulda bought it !!
DAN SANTORO, ‘Cowboy Angel’, 2014.
acrylic & pencil. 14 x 17 in.
($1,500)
I heard DAN SANTORO is a tattoo artist, too. he had some pretty great stuff, in the show. wicked. simple, but w-i-c-k-e-d.
we’ve got our trail of tears here – too.
BRENDAN LYNCH, ‘1. Other Works in the Show 2. Gifts 3. Painting. (Dan Santoro)’, 2014. 11 x 14 in.
(not for sale).
yep, there is always the class clown, who is really smarter than anybody else, and in this show – that’s Brendan Lynch. I’m told he wanted to make ‘replica’ facsimiles of all the pieces in the show, but didn’t quite manage that awesome goal. very far out, very wacky cracky.
plus I really liked how he used the word, ‘gifts’ in his title.
awesome metaphor for what was going.
awesome metaphor for ‘cultural’ invasion, as opposed to . . military.
DAN SANTORO, ‘Statue of Liberty’, acrylic & pencil.
16.25 x 24.25 in.
($1, 500)
one more DAN SANTORO, one: because I like his style. very graphic.
but also very . . informational, between the child-like, but sophisticated ‘lines’.
two: I was going to bring up our own Native American ‘rip-off’ of land – re the Chinese displacing the ancestral keepers of their pristine out-reaches, but thought . . well maybe that’s flogging the dog.
but, yeah we have our own trail of tears – for sure.
TODD JAMES, ‘Pyramid Scheme’, 2014.
gouache and graphite on paper. 15 x 22.25 in.
($2,000)
I got no words, speechless.
SARAH BEREZA, ‘Tire Fire in Green’, 2013. 84 x 57 in.
oil on canvas, frame: wood, resin, foam, enamel.
($8,000)
long live the burning issues.
which brings us to: GHOSTS !!
WHICH WILL BE – THE NEXT & LAST POST IN THIS ‘INVASION’ SERIES.
MORE PIX TO FOLLOW.
PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH