STO and KELIE . .
INVITE YOU TO CELEBRATE the 10 YEAR ANNIVERSARY of CINDERS, the once BROOKLYN-based exhibition space & book/zine store, and now nomadic, online-based whirly-ghirly of an alternative art ‘space’ . . they call CINDERS, with a huge huge group show.
CINDERS GALLERY PRESENTS – ‘DECADE of DECADUNCE’
THE OPENING RECEPTION WILL TAKE PLACE: THURSDAY JULY 10, 2014 / 7-10 PM
& WILL BE OPEN EVERYDAY 12-7 PM / WITH “LOTS OF EVENTS” HAPPENING THROUGHOUT THE MONTH.
DOISSER OUTPOST, SOUTH STREET SEAPORT
FULTON ST btwn FRONT & SOUTH ST, LOWER MANHATTAN
talking bout . . DOSSIER OUTPOST,
can’t believe I missed that INDIGO DYEING WORKSHOP !!
but back to CINDERS:
for the artist line-up so far, see: CINDERS CELEBRATES 10 YEARS
also check out: CINDERS GALLERY
ok, if I had a knife pressed up against my throat and had to pick 2 artists, whose work I would really want to see, that would be: BRIAN CHIPPENDALE and JUNGIL HONG.
ok, make that 4. add ALLYSON MELLBERG . . & JEREMY TAYLOR.
Look for RON REGE JR to be in the show as well. and KEVIN HOOYMAN.
the list is really . . unstoppable.
SOME PIX from the ARTLOVERS ARCHIVE . . .
‘EARLY WORM GETS THE BIRD’, with BRIAN CHIPPENDALE, JUNGIL HONG & KEVIN HOOYMAN
the show ran NOV 16 – DEC 30, 2007.
CINDERS, when it was at . . 103 HAVEMEYER ST – in WILLIAMSBURG, BROOKLYN.
BRIAN CHIPPENDALE, collage painting.
BRIAN CHIPPENDALE, with his work behind him – at the opening.
JUNGIL HONG, painting.
KELIE BOWMAN, left, with JUNGIL HONG at the opening.
KEVIN HOOYMAN, detail, drawing.
KEVIN HOOYMAN at the opening.
& FROM:
‘AN UNEARTHLY CHILD’ – new works by ALLYSON MELLBERG.
SEPT 10 – OCT 10, 2010.
CINDERS – 103 HAVEMEYER, WILLIAMSBURG, BROOKLYN.
ALLYSON MELLBERG.
ALLYSON uses home-made pigments, made from walnuts and such.
ALLYSON MELLBERG, detail, ‘Compulsive Consumption’.
ALLYSON MELLBERG, and STO – at the opening.
ALL PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH, except for the ‘DECADE of DECADUNCE’ card at the top.
~CINDERS CELEBRATES 10 YEARS . . |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | June 30th, 2014, 8:35am
RON REGE JR via CINDERS
thought it might restore some fun, and order . . in the universe, to put RON REGE on the art media map in the same breath as the big JEFF KOONS WHITNEY RETROSPECTIVE.
scroll down that page to see images from the exhibit.
just btw, I did see the original exhibit . . . of the early suspended basketballs, at one-time k-e-y hot spot: INTERNATIONAL WITH MONUMENT, which has apparently been resurrected on facebook. the place was a very big deal in its time. it totally switched up the ‘gears’ on the East Village art scene of the mid 80s. I clearly remember being . . stunned.
and quelle mystified.
JEFF KOONS, ‘Made in Heaven’, 1989. lithograph on paper on canvas.
125 x 272 in. Rudolf & Ute Scharpff Collection. copyright Jeff Koons via WHITNEY
and, I did see the original ‘Made in Heaven’ show at Sonnabend, cusp of the 1990s. it was one of the most glorious, shocking, vulnerable, and in-your-face ‘things’ I had ever encountered. although no explicit image from the show is on the family-friendly Whitney website, I’m thinking from the the press statements, there are parental warnings, that there might be some in this retrospective, which makes it a must-see.
KOONS sort of fell from grace after that show. the only reason being that the usual suspect New York City art critics always miss – the top 1%.
by 2002, when I started working at artnet (2002-2004), he was sort of a dead fish in a stagnant pond, but I managed to contribute to his re-boot, by being his biggest fan on . . artnet.
then when things got super hot for him, again, par for the course, I lost interest.
to my way of thinking, things had gotten mundane. played-out. and that was 30 years ago already !!
cutting edge, NOT.
JEFF KOONS with legendary art dealer ILEANA SONNABEND, at one of his many openings at her gallery, this being the gallery in Chelsea, NYC. NOV 9, 2002
PHOTO & COPYRIGHT: NANCY SMITH
JEFF KOONS opens ‘POPEYE’ at SONNABEND, NYC. NOV 8, 2003.
PHOTO & COPYRIGHT: NANCY SMITH
and, so in true contrarian underground style, I bring you: RON REGE JR.
check out: CINDERS INTERVIEWS RON REGE JR, JUNE 2014 !!
RON REGE JR, ‘THE CARTOON UTOPIA’, via CINDERS
P.S. did somebody take some go west !! . . shrooms, peyote, or what ?
maybe it was just a . . hike in the mountains at sunset ?
I mean, compare this archival photo of RON from 2009 (below) – to the full-on psychedelic RON REGE JR, today !! – on that Cinders interview link !!
omg lordy !!
RON REGE JR in 2009, at the very first BROOKLYN COMICS & GRAPHICS FESTIVAL, NYC DEC 5, 2009.
PHOTO & COPYRIGHT: NANCY SMITH
yep, check out: the original RON REGE JR 2009 post !!
damn, if it’s not . . PARALLEL UNIVERSES.
RON REGE . . morphs from ‘straight man’ – to ‘magician’ uber-man !!
while JEFF KOONS . . morphed from ‘porn star’ to family man with a gazillion kids.
RON REGE JR, “MAGIC IS NEITHER WHITE NOR BLACK, FOR NATURE HAS NO MASTER”.
image via artlovers NOV 2009
*magic = science.
*and further, life on this worldly plane = ghosts.
yeah. go back and hit that: link
~RON REGE JR vs JEFF KOONS ?!! |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | June 26th, 2014, 9:13am
CLOSER TO HOME . . our friends
from CINDERS will be at the . .
2nd ANNUAL BUSHWICK ART BOOK & ZINE FAIR
this weekend, JUNE 20 – 22, 2014
with BBQ by MILES AWAY
BEER provided by PBR/PABST BLUE RIBBON
for: more info !!
SIGNAL – 260 JOHNSON AVE, BROOKLYN.
~CINDERS . . goes BUSHWICK ART BOOK & ZINE FAIR |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | June 21st, 2014, 10:16am
MELISSA VANDENBERG and PAUL HOWE stage a trial of ‘Sew to Speak’, Summer 2013, Elsewhere Storefront Theater.
image via ELSEWHERE P.R.
ELSEWHERE . . is an artist-run, non-profit contemporary art organization, set in a former thrift store in downtown Greensboro, NC / North Carolina.
Utilizing the massive 58-year inventory, Elsewhere’s environment of art and everyday objects invokes new models for creative response, living, doing, and exchanging in our downtown neighborhood and across the world.
SO, a team of curators from Elsewhere will be presenting at the ATLANTA CONTEMPORARY ART CENTER’S – 9/50 SOUTHEAST PRESENTERS SUMMIT – this weekend.
according to the press release:
This year’s 9/50 Summit was organized by the Atlanta Contemporary Art Center, Seed Space and Elsewhere.
… the organizers, the summit exists as an “attempt to bring Southeastern nonprofit and independent contemporary art presenters and publishers together under one roof to showcase rigor, excellence, ambition, and uniqueness in their local context.” Eighteen organizations from the nine represented southeastern states will be presenting, as well as keynote presenter BARRY BLINDERMAN from the Illinois State University College of Fine Arts.”
hello – BARRY !!
anybody who was on the Lower East Side / Downtown NYC art scene of the early 80s – knows Barry.
why am I not surprised to see his name – popping up here !!
SO, Elsewhere’s exhibit will present its Southern Constellations fellowship program. Now entering its second year, Southern Constellations is a National Endowment for the Arts funded initiative that builds an expanded network of experimental, interdisciplinary art practices to support collaboration across the region.
PRESENTATIONS . . at the ACAC are FREE and OPEN TO THE PUBLIC.
this event is happening this weekend:
SAT JUNE 21, 2014/11am-5pm and SUN JUNE 22, 2014/12pm-5pm
at the ATLANTA CONTEMPORARY ART CENTER in ATLANTA, GA / GEORGIA
ELSEWHERE . . will host performances by Atlanta musicians ERIC FONTAINE and MAJID ARIAM of graphic scores – created by Alabama based composer and musician ANDREW RAFFO DEWAR, who was a Southern Constellations Fellow in 2013.
for sure, check out: the tumblr roll !!
3 of my fave posts: then, and . . NOW !!
presentation by the . . . OHR-O’KEEFE MUSEUM OF ART
focusing on the incomparable ceramics .. of the wild & truly genius – ‘mad potter of Biloxi’, Mississippi – GEORGE OHR !!
hello, GREEN GATES !!
~ELSEWHERE . . goes 9/50 |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | June 21st, 2014, 8:53am
MORTADELLA, LAMBRUSCO . . & A FEW ‘CLASSIC’ BEAUTIES, i.e. PAINTINGS !! . . at LONGHOUSE PROJECTS, LOWER WEST SIDE, MANHATTAN.
LONGHOUSE PROJECTS INVITES YOU TO THE CLOSING RECEPTION for:
PAUL BRANCA . . ‘Commedia (Nut Delight)’
FRI, JUNE 20, 2014 / 6-8 PM
Meats from Di Palo’s will be sliced & served by . . FRANKO SOPRANO
PAUL BRANCA’S ‘Commedia (Nut Delight)’, TAKAO ONO’S ‘Summertime Fragment’, and paintings by KIMBER SMITH will be on view thru SAT JUNE 21, 2014.
LONGHOUSE PROJECTS – 285 SPRING ST. just west of HUDSON – WEST SIDE, NYC
PAUL BRANCA, LONGHOUSE PROJECTS
PAUL BRANCA, LONGHOUSE PROJECTS
TAKAO ONO, LONGHOUSE PROJECTS
TAKAO ONO, LONGHOUSE PROJECTS
TAKAO ONO, LONGHOUSE PROJECTS
KIMBER SMITH, LONGHOUSE PROJECTS
more: about the show & artists
~PAUL BRANCA, TAKAO ONO, KIMBER SMITH & FRANKO SOPRANO . . CLOSING PARTY / TO-NITE FRI JUNE 20 |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | June 20th, 2014, 2:12pm
don’t blink – & – BIG PAR-TAY, for sure.
170 SUFFOLK ST – OPENING PARTY – SAT MAY 31, 2014 / 7 – 10 PM
the show runs for only 5 days / thru THURS JUNE 5, 2014
HRS: SAT MAY 31 – THURS JUNE 5 / 12 PM – 6 PM
170 SUFFOLK ST, NEW YORK, NY – LOWER EAST SIDE
CURATED BY THE 3 PERSON CREW BEHIND . . . the fab NEW YEAR’S EVE 2014 / 15 WARREN ST:
SEAN VEGEZZI, ABELINE COHEN & ANDREW KASS.
guess this is the SUMMER’S EVE 2014 EDITION !! featuring work by:
KEEFE BUTLER, SEAN VEGEZZI, MATT JACKSON, JACK IRVING, JACK SHANNON, MERCER TULIS, ABELINE COHEN, ANDREW KASS, ALEC MARTIN, SPENCER TULIS, LORENZO BUENO, TOMMY MALEKOFF, and CODY RANALDO,
bound to be a . . BLAST.
~170 SUFFOLK ST – OPENS SAT – DON’T BLINK !! |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | May 30th, 2014, 9:35pm
‘IT’S AN INVASION’
APRIL 29 – MAY 10, 2014
CURATED BY JOSH HUBBARD, KELSEY BENNETT and LELE SAVERI
PHILLIP SPRADLEY, PROGRAM DIRECTOR
NATIONAL ARTS CLUB
EXHIBITION PIX – PART IV
GHOSTLY . . .
LUCK YOU COLLECTIVE, MASKS BY LUCK YOU, VARIOUS.
(Price upon request)
LUCK YOU COLLECTIVE, MASKS BY LUCK YOU, VARIOUS.
(Price upon request)
LUCK YOU COLLECTIVE, MASKS BY LUCK YOU, VARIOUS.
(Price upon request)
DAN SANTORO, ‘Hunter’, 2014.
acrylic and pencil, 16.25 x 24.25 in.
($1,000)
ABEL MACIAS, ‘So Real’, 2013.
charcoal, gouache, book cover. 12 x 13 in.
($2,000)
ABEL MACIAS, ‘Fast and Painless’, 2013.
charcoal, ink, book. 13 x 10 in.
($1,800)
ABEL MACIAS, ‘Telepathy’, 2013.
charcoal, acrylic, book. 13 x 10 in.
($1,800)
SEAN MAUNG, ‘Uptown Couple’, 2010.
C-print. 8 x 10 in.
($150)
SEAN MAUNG, ‘Gates Avenue’, 2013.
C-print, 8 x 10 in.
($150)
MERYL SMITH, ‘(Sculpture) Untitled’. 2014.
wire, mesh screen, paper mache, synthetic fur.
($5,000)
ADAM ROSSITER, ‘Weapons’, 2014.
Lenticular. 35.5 x 23.5 in.
($3,200)
ADAM ROSSITER, ‘Weapons’, 2014 – seen from a different angle.
ASGER CARLSEN, ‘Untitled’, 2010.
pigment print. 40 x 32 cm.
($1,900 edition 2/5)
ANDREW SUTHERLAND, ‘Hourglass (1)’, 2013-2014.
archival ink jet print in artist frame. 41 x 31 in.
(Price upon request)
PETER SUTHERLAND, ‘Gimme the Ice Scraper’, 2007.
mounted archival inkjet print in frame. 20 x 24 in.
$1,500)
CHERYL DUNN, ‘I Probably Don’t Fucking Like You’, 2010.
Raw print. 20 x 30 in.
($1,400 edition of 5-1AP)
CHERYL DUNN, ‘Paddy Cake in the Bronx’, 2013.
Raw print. 20 x 30 in.
($1,400 edition of 5-1AP)
THOM STEVENSON, ‘Monsters are Real’, 2011.
acrylic, china marker, gouache, xerography on paper. 8.5 x 11 in.
($1,100)
THOM STEVENSON, ‘Anatomical Study of a Failed Marriage’, 2011.
acrylic, china marker, gouache, xerography on paper. 8.5 x 11 in.
($1,100)
PRISCILLA JEONG, ‘Did My Soap Expire Yesterday’, 2014.
mixed media. 3 ft. 8 in. x 14 in.
($2,500)
ghosts, don’t need . . no words.
PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH
~’IT’S AN INVASION’ . . GHOSTLY !! |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | May 28th, 2014, 8:36pm
‘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
~’IT’S AN INVASION’ . . WILD & WACKY CRACKY. |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | May 23rd, 2014, 9:44am
‘IT’S AN INVASION’
APRIL 29 – MAY 10, 2014
CURATED BY JOSH HUBBARD, KELSEY BENNETT & LELE SAVERI
PHILLIP SPRADLEY, PROGRAM DIRECTOR
NATIONAL ARTS CLUB
EXHIBITION PIX – PART II
SEAN VEGEZZI, ‘I’d Sleep Better if Sean Vegezzi was Mayor’, 2014.
cinder block, 20 x 24′ digital print, artist jacket, artist made button, set of master keys. 4 x 8 ft.
(Price upon request)
SEAN told me he had a “wall” in the show . . well, turns out it was a 4 x 8 ft. stretched canvas – but you know what ?
I’m gonna go with . . wall !!
it’s a huge metaphor, and I’m sure you can break it down, meaning-wise . . . for yourself !!
detail of the digital print . . yeah he’s reaching down to help somebody up.
and for sure, it’s an illicit, though obviously, plenty easily accessible . . subway infrastructure.
and . . his point:
so, yeah those are young kids getting in there. so, so much for security, homeland security, FEMA and . . real world bad guys.
just like there were graffiti writer/artists, or property ‘vandals’ as some would call them in the past . . these kids are the hyper-modern day equivalent. I guess you could call them . . interloper artists !! – they don’t leave ‘tags’, they just take the pix – to prove they were there.
and you don’t feel so safe anymore, do you.
Sean Vegezzi . . for mayor !!
and, in fact . . that’s a pretty good motto for the whole entire show.
‘It’s An Invasion’ – is not really a ‘party’ show, though it does have black walls, and it’s not a decadent show full of bravado, it’s certainly not a ‘strung-out’ disco party-on forever fever kind of thing, either.
it’s more about breaking down the status quo of the NYC art scene, and the new artists it chose to highlight are really – if you look at the work carefully, in a word: committed.
committed to social change, and: ‘awareness’.
things have got to change, and give the new talent . . a voice.
it’s not just about . . the ‘market place’, let alone the secondary auction marketplace. ELI BROAD and his band of merry $$$$ artists, JEFF KOONS, CINDY SHERMAN, and even BASQUIAT – are so 1985 !!
my god doesn’t anybody look up and see – it’s 2014.
that Broad-branded art scene has been done and over, three decades ago.
I know Sean Vegezzi and his crew – saw the World Trade Center Towers go down, and they are not going to forget it. 15 WARREN ST – hello.
the world got a whole lot more raw & scarier – after ELI BROAD first cruised the alleys of the NYC art scene, with his bags of cash, and let me tell y’all, the foundations of all his billions involved the notorious HANK GREENBERG and the early AIG, so do your own financial ‘scandal’ homework, I can’t connect all the dots . . for ya. but you do know what . . robber baron means ?
this is what this show is talking about.
this is a piece of fabric that got torn on one of Sean’s earliest escapades into the subterranean. the real ‘underground’.
the button: says it all . . in under 1-1/2 inches.
it’s not hard to crack the code, and it’s also a metaphor for the underground art scene as well.
in other words:
look out, all ye posers . . coming to get ya !!
this is what SEAN VEGEZZI has to say about these keys, and the work in general:
“I’d rather not talk about how I acquired them, but I will tell you what they are.
They are a set of municipal master keys that open everything from subway car doors to electrical cabinets to mailboxes to elevators. NYCTA, FDNY, NYC GOV they’re all there. And then there’s the hatch tools that open all of the subway emergency exits in New York City.
The photograph is a print of my friends Chris and Mike climbing down into the Fulton Transit Center, to a corridor that connects the center to the WTC site. That photo is from 2011.”
and they look to be all of what . . 17, 18, maybe 20 years old ?
Sean himself is all of what, 23, 24 now ? I first met him when he was 16 and he already had a deep history of urban ‘interloping’ under his belt, and the pix – to prove it.
just, you know . . city kids !!
grit, grit and more grit !!
hatch tool.
hatch tool.
translation: well, if anybody bad wanted to ‘hack’ into New York City, apparently it’s just . . child’s play !!
so merry dreams, and sleep well, tonight.
actually that was a pretty interesting ‘dead end’ corner, that Sean’s wall occupied.
that’s a custom ‘carpet’ by tattoo artist MARK CROSS on the floor under that big piece of vintage ‘status quo’ furniture, and a ‘painting’ by JACK RIDLEY III on the wall, to the right. more on that Ridley piece – in the next post.
MARK CROSS, ‘Blanket’. woven thread, 2013.
($2,500)
it was a pretty, (ugly ?) arresting image, and worked perfect on the floor, though it was termed . . a blanket.
a ‘loser’ .. in a posh place.
funnie.
what more do you have to say, about countering . . the status quo.
it’s funnie to think about a tattoo artist . . contemplating so much FLESH !!
and skin. and u-g-l-y. and s-a-d.
the first time I saw custom printed ‘carpets’ was when PETER SUTHERLAND exhibited some – as art works, during the last decade – at ATM.
also in this corner, metaphor – one could find, GIUSEPPE FURCOLO & OTHELO GERVACIO’S . . ‘Phenakistoscope’, 2012.
mixed media. 6 x 2.5 ft.
($2,800)
curator JOSH HUBBARD was giving it a spin, for me.
yep, the show was chock full of . . metaphors.
classic, underground, or . . what.
not only was it a marvel of engineering, and a beauty to behold, but it was kinetic. And, user-friendly.
engaging, audience engaging is – the word.
and it spoke to . . fate, and magic !!
put that art up on those walls, pull a rabbit out of a hat ?
OTHELO GERVACIO, ‘Nevermind’, 2014.
Watercolor and gold leaf. 51 x 35 in. with frame.
($3,000)
more stationary, but just as . . challenging.
and . . magic.
talk about an enduring ‘interloper’ through-the-centuries image.
detail, OTHELO GERVACIO, ‘Nevermimd’.
like I said, a show in a posh place full of . . metaphors.
asking . . the BIG QUESTIONS.
you know . . ‘LIFE’ !! survival, belief systems, the works.
cutting edge NEW YORK CITY, and full of . . grit.
as opposed to ‘secondary’ market.
yeah, damn straight . . I’m referring to ‘LIFE’ – THE JOURNAL ‘shows’ at VENUS OVER MANHATTAN, opening next week.
DOWNTOWN art . . by way of Brooklyn goes uptown, ha. and 10 years old.
I mean, some of that stuff is great, I should know, I covered pretty much all of it more than 10 years ago, when it was cutting edge.
with a shout out to: LIEF RITCHEY.
is the mainstream finally catching up. 10 years later.
I guess better late than never. I guess there goes the value of my early art scene photo archive – upwards !! and mucho !!
what am I bitchin . . about ?!!
ha. what did I tell ya. always a contrarian to the very last drop !!
shades of Dan Asher. (!!)
but don’t go calling it ‘cutting’ edge, is all. call . . a spade a spade.
there’s life, and then there’s LIFE . . after the fact.
and with the THE JOURNAL, as with pretty VENUS, it’s NOT ‘LIFE’ . . it’s just secondary market.
or . . wanting to make one.
MORE PIX – TO FOLLOW.
PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH
~’IT’S AN INVASION’ . . THE WALL, THE RUG, and THE PHENAKISTOSCOPE ?!! |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | May 21st, 2014, 11:21am
‘IT’S AN INVASION’ – CURATED BY JOSH HUBBARD, KELSEY BENNETT & LELE SAVERI
PHILLIP SPRADLEY, NATIONAL ARTS CLUB – PROGRAM DIRECTOR
APRIL 29 – MAY 10, 2014
NATIONAL ARTS CLUB – 15 GRAMERCY PARK SOUTH, NYC
EXHIBITION PIX – PART I
no doubt about it – this rough and tumble group show at the National Arts Club – was the best thing to happen, as in . . pop-up !! FRIEZE ART FAIR WEEK, NYC 2014.
it was the perfect storm.
the perfect ‘invasion’.
the perfect clash between posh (the venue) and . . what’s happening – heavy !!
the perfect antidote vs. the mostly academia-driven . . art fairs.
except, for maybe the MARIE LORENZ hand-made rowboat, a nice inclusion . .
picturesque.
but, wake up – this is work from over a decade ago, not exactly cutting edge.
well, maybe that is .. cutting edge – to the status quo ?
though still, a nice . . ‘island’ theme – touch.
but, ‘It’s An Invasion’ . . stood for something, and lived up to it.
that being: the big ‘challenge’.
as in . . ‘throw-down, baby’ !! to the otherwise absolutely stifling status quo – here in NYC.
the fact that it happened at the otherwise staid National Arts Club – was just, a happy riot of competing visual signals – on the corner of what was – and what . . is !!
bringing back the – grit !!
you went up a short staircase, in a very over-decorated but gorgeous ornate old-school clubby building, and once you caught a glimpse of the hallway beyond the velvet rope – you knew you were in the right place.
and, you’re . . in !!
look at the . . ‘blue sq.’ at center – in that entry hallway – in photo above.
yes, that is . .
JACK GREER, ‘Urine’, 2014. color pencil on paper over wood support.
18 x 18 in.
lucky timing, two of the 3 curators were manning the show, JOSH HUBBARD, above – and KELSEY BENNETT. all of the curators are artists, and all 3 had work in the show.
right on.
JOSH HUBBARD, ‘Do You Believe That?’, 2014.
felt on vintage fabric, 55 x 34.5 in.
($1,000,000 / open to offers)
so fun. okay so the room was dark, or at least the walls were. and the lighting didn’t ‘absolutely’ suit all the pieces, esp this one, but that was half the fun, taking the posh . . and going over-the-top. looking back, I’m liking this presentation, a lot.
just get that art, up.
pop-up vs white box vs tent, you gotta shake things up, sometimes.
like I said bring back . . the grit !!
I asked JOSH HUBBARD if he did all the that hand-stitching, and he said: yes.
nice job, from one hand stitcher, I re-store vintage quilts – to another.
funny thing, when he answered . . I got a ‘London calling’ kind of feeling.
the accent, the grace, duh.
sure enough, besides being artist & curator – he is also a Brit guitarist, he used to play with DIRTY PRETTY THINGS, one of our recently departed music reviewer Simon Cerigo’s faves . . oh well, c’est la vie. no words possible on that score, anymore.
anyways, seems JOSH HUBBARD recently joined forces with singer MICHAEL IAN CUMMINGS to form the New York City based-band . . SKATERS.
CHECK OUT: SKATERS – ‘DEADBOLT’, published OCT 16, 2013, YouTube
just to show you, how it goes in NYC, the band also just scored a really nice interview with – INTERVIEW, last week or so, actually APRIL 29, 2014 – and where you can find their pretty nice cover of THE SMITHS – ‘THIS CHARMING MAN’.
see: SKATERS – EXCLUSIVE SONG PREMIERE/INTERVIEW
this: is their official website – SKATERS
KELSEY BENNETT. a co-curator of the show, she has 2 color photos in the ad hoc exhibit.
apparently it’s through her connections, TONY BENNETT, the famous crooner, and . . loves-to-paint guy – is her uncle, that this show happened.
good move, National Arts Club. thanks.
KELSEY BENNETT, ‘Crypt Keep in the Sun’, 2013.
digital c-print, 12 x 18 in.
($350)
KELSEY BENNETT, ‘Raw Thrills’, 2013.
digital c-print, 12 x 18 in.
($350)
LELE SAVERI, a selection of his monotone xerox photograph / collages.
Lele Saveri . . the final, and third co-curator of ‘It’s An Invasion’ . . was not around the day I passed by, but he has a pretty big, and mighty ‘hip’ presence on the web, just google him.
and, re: the dark walls.
in fact, as I look back at the installation pix, I’m liking more and more – the look of those dark walls, so – party-time, club time . . feels very, immediate.
contrarian !! low-fi. just – happening.
so, grit.
LELE SAVERI . .
left: ‘Untitled (Invasion No. 8)’, 2014. xerox, 8.5 x 11 in. ($100 edition of 10).
right: ‘Untitled (Invasion No. 9)’, 2014, xerox, 8.5 x 11 in. ($100 edition of 10).
RYAN McGINLEY, ‘Shane (Flashlight)’, 2013.
c-print, 45 x 30 in.
($14,000 + frame)
actually there were quite a lot of photographs in the show, prob the most famous contributor being – McGINLEY.
and it was a . . beaut, and I bet that is a good price, too.
detail, RYAN McGINLEY, ‘Shane (Flashlight)’.
it was a treat to see it, in person. very . . raw.
TODD JORDAN, ‘Aiden, New York City, September 2011.’
digital c-print, 32 x 22 in.
($1,500)
maybe not quite as mainstream famous as McGINLEY, TOOD JORDAN – still has quite a following of his own, and . . you can see why.
it’s hard to put into words, what’s so drop-dead stunning about this work, and maybe that’s why – it is so fascinating.
I bet at that price, it’s a steal – though no edition number is given.
MORE PIX – TO FOLLOW.
PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH
~’IT’S AN INVASION’ . . YOU’RE IN !! |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | May 14th, 2014, 9:19am
