THE DECLINE AND FALL OF THE ART WORLD, PART II: THE OTHER 99%
DAMIEN CRISP, NOAH LYON, CRISTINA de MIGUEL, and LAURINA PAPERINA
SEPT 12 – OCT 12, 2013
FREIGHT+VOLUME – 530 W 24 ST – CHELSEA, NYC
THE OTHER 99% . . WANTS TO BE . . . HEARD !!
DAMIEN CRISP’s work – that small array of framed work, on your right – just when you enter the gallery. he seems to be the ‘theorist’ for . . the gang.
DAMIEN CRISP, ‘Untitled from the 21st Century Series’, 2013.
acrylic and oil pastel on paper. 12 x 9 in.
($1,000)
DAMIEN CRISP, ‘Untitled from the 21st Century’, 2013.
acrylic and oil pastel on paper. 12 x 9 in.
($1,000)
large painting by CRISTINA de MIGUEL. ‘Patatia o Don Simon’, 2012.
acrylic on canvas, 96 x 84 in.
($10,000)
Simon ?
Ghost in the Machine ?
CRISTINA de MIGUEL, ‘My Artist Statement’, 2013.
acrylic and pastel on canvas, 24 x 18 in.
($1,000)
love the young turks – trooping by, in a line !!
they got the – message.
CRISTINA de MIGUEL, ‘Graduate Students in a Critique’, 2012.
acrylic, oil and asphaltum on canvas, 60 x 48 in.
($7,500)
haha.
dedicated to JERRY BLACKMAN, NICHOLAS STEINDORF & all . . my young friends at YALE.
all I can say is: you’re gonna miss me – when I’m gone.
NOAH LYON, from left:
‘Duck Nein Augen’, 2013. acrylic on canvas, 36 x 36 in.
(SOLD)
‘Just One of Those days’, 2013. acrylic on canvas, 36 x 36 in.
($5,000)
‘A Pigeon Landed on My Brain’, 2013. mixed media on canvas. 36 x 36 in.
($4,000)
NOAH LYON, from left:
‘Want It’, 2013. acrylic on canvas, 36 x 356 in.
($4,000)
‘Please Don’t Touch the Art, Jeff Koons’, 2013. acrylic on canvas, 36 x 36 in.
($4,000)
‘Major Breakthrough’, 2011. acrylic on canvas, 48 x 48 in.
($5,000)
ps: NOAH LYON (b. 1979) has one of the more vibrant Q+A bios in the catalog.
“.. we lived on Chrystie St in the early 80’s when it was all drug dealers, junkies and prostitutes, but there was all this amazing art on the street and music in the air. I literally learned to walk on the streets that Haring and Basquait were painting on .. I really remember RICHARD HAMBELTON’S ‘Shadowman’ paintings. Those were fucking crazy. Punk flyers were everywhere.”
yeah. those were the days. we were there.
Kate and Theo were born at the same time – in an illegal storefront just around the corner, 5 Rivington St, just 2 doors up from the Bowery. Richard Hambelton sublet the place to us – he collected the rent, but stiffed the landlord. end of long story .. we went to landlord tenant court and lived there for 8 years (!!) rent free. with only a hotplate.
Richard used to make his girlfriend, Bonnie – hook johns on the corner .. in black fishnet stockings.
Keith Haring gave us a huge cardboard chalk piece, and Jean Michel used to coo to Kate in her stroller.
just when you . . thought you’ve seen it all .. WTF !!
LAURINA PAPERINA, drawing on the wall …
like I said .. at the corner of ‘street smart’ and ‘art savvy’ – C-R-A-S-H !!
LAURINA PAPERINA, ‘BAD’, 2009-13, mixed media on Post it Notes
approx 47.2 x 114.17 in.
($12,000)
LAURINA PAPERINA, detail, ‘BAD’, ‘GARY HUME’.
LAURINA PAPERINA, detail, ‘BAD’, ‘DAVID SHRIGLEY’
LAURINA PAPERINA, detail, ‘BAD’, JONATHAN MEESE, JIMMY DURHAN, SIMON STARLING, KEITH HARING.
LAURINA PAPERINA, detail, ‘BAD’, TRACY EMIN.
I KNOW, I KNOW !! haha – love how Laurina goes for the – NEON !!
you can even call up the effect on Instagram.
anybody else catch . . Khloe Kardashian’s Instagram – ode to crackhead hubby Lamar ?
ps: it’s TRACEY, not Tracy.
LAURINA PAPERINA, detail, ‘BAD’, YOKO ONO, meh. but what’s with . . that CROW ?!!!
LAURINA PAPERINA, detail, ‘BAD’, ‘FUCK .. KIKI SMITH’
amen.
KIKI SMITH: the biggest snob, and ripper off of .. other people’s mojo !!
on the Lower East Side .. from day one. trust me – I know.
PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH
~THE DECLINE & FALL, PART II . . THE EXHIBIT |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | October 10th, 2013, 9:07am
in a subtitle: CRASHING MTYHS & BUILDING THEM BACK-UP, ART WORK by ART WORK.
I hardly know where to begin. this a 2 part show – that asks a lot of questions re the state of the art world.
everyone knows it’s kind of a big mess. and that’s not necessarily . . as in: a big hot mess.
everyone just hopes as I do, that eventually – the great genuine authentic art will . . out.
will win. will be recognized.
hopefully – you get to live . . to see the day, the grapes on the vine drop into your hands.
and, hopefully it’s not a springboard to fame – caused by your sudden, too early death.
the show is called .. THE DECLINE AND FALL OF THE ART WORLD.
presented & curated by the hyper dynamic, deeply ambitious, and I mean that in a good way (!!) NICK LAWRENCE, who wears many hats . . at his 24th St NYC gallery . . FREIGHT+VOLUME.
the topic was so vast and reached so deep – it was broken down into 2 shows, and is accompanied by a full color, thought. & art packed . . catalog.
PART I: THE ONE-PERCENTERS . . featured ALEX GINGROW, KAREN FINLEY, LOREN MUNK, MICHAEL SCOGGINS, and WILLIAM POWHIDA & JADE TOWNSEND. it ran JULY 11 – SEPT 13, 2013.
see: DECLINE & FALL, PART I
PART II: THE OTHER 99% . . features DAMIEN CRISP, NOAH LYON, CRISTINA de MIGUEL, and LAURINA PAPERINA.
it opened SEPT 12, and the exhibit is still up.
. . thru this SAT OCT 12, 2013.
so, you still have a chance to catch it, and you should.
esp, as this second part aspires . . to give us some answers – and the main one seems to be, a sense of humor gets you through the day, and just maybe through another art season !!
I didn’t make it to Part I, as I was kinda not making it .. thru the summer in art mode. probably due to all the questions – this show poses !!
my bad !!
but I did make it to PART II – and I was NOT DISAPPOINTED.
it was a bit of an Alice in Wonderland road map. the gallery was divided into separate viewing partitions for each artist – which was very effective, in this case .. and very cool.
the exhibit started off, very serious, with art ‘statements’ by DAMIEN CRISP, and moved onto ‘painting’ that was a tiny bit whiny, but perhaps deservedly so, by Cristina de Miguel. but that stance .. was just a necessary cog, presented some thinking, in short: was the . . set-up, for moving on.
you then progress through NOAH LYON’s retard riot – gone serious straight man, as IF !! room, glimpses of which did post on artlovers in the past month.
and then . . you hit LAURINA PAPERINA in the last room, like a car crash !!
a SOUTH PARK-LIKE . . CAR CRASH !!
SPLATT !! the icons go tumbling to their extreme death demises.
see: DECLINE & FALL, PART II
I’ll get into all of the above in a little more detail, but here’s a heads-up, if you can make it to the show .. PICK UP A COPY OF THE SHOW’S CATALOG !!
a gem of a printed publication . . it is chock-full of .. not only full color illustrations of some very diverse cutting edge art, but also puts on paper .. interesting thoughts. put forward by writers, and the artists themselves. this is important because this is not just an exhibit of art, but an ‘outpouring’ of thought . . by a very diverse and really remarkable group of visual artists who walk the art scene pretty much 24-7.
the show is very much, not just about art, but the thinking behind – the art. this small book – helps put the artists on the ‘map’, and our ‘times’ on the table. it’s both a great ‘flip book’ of images, and a very enjoyable read, Q+A to your heart’s . . content. information at your fingertips.
plus a couple of down right surprises.
the biggest one for me being . . what a great painter LOREN MUNK, aka street & art videographer JAMES KALM is.
it is his . . I’m thinking: art world street map on crack, painting . . that graces the cover !!
and then, being a total moronic fan of the outrageous, and comic book art, hitting LAURINA PAPERINA’S twisted-out cartoons . . at the end of the tunnel – was a great . . head-on collision .. at the corner of ‘street smart’ and ‘art savvy’.
and guess what: she’s even trending !!
got BANKSY .. anybody ?
the front cover of the catalog: THE DECLINE AND FALL OF THE ART WORLD.
PUBLISHED by FREIGHT+VOLUME, SUMMER 2013. NYC.
artwork, detail by . . LOREN MONK, ‘THE EAST VILLAGE 1979-1989’, 2011-2013.
Oil on linen, 84 x 145 in.
pg 145 in the catalog
LAURINA PAPERINA, ‘Kill Banksy’, 2013
mixed media om wood, 20 x 30 centimeters
as in .. KILL ALL ARTISTS, dummy.
and if the art world keeps it up, yes – you will !!
and, further: there’s nobody who does talk about the DECLINE & FALL of the art world and the REAL WORLD . . more than BANKSY, bless his little street art . . heart.
not for naught . . is he a living, bleeding legend.
ps
and, about that . . BANKSY !!
leave it to tenacious New Yorkers, fans fans and more fans !! to hunt him down !!
hope Bansky doe NOT become . . the next Lady Di.
I mean seriously, he might have under-estimated this town, or what.
IS THIS THE FAMOUSLY RECLUSIVE, NEVER BEEN PHOTOGRAPHED . . BANKSY ?
the DAILY MAIL is saying .. YES !!
PHOTO: THOMAS McKEAN via THE DAILY MAIL
see: Is This Banksy ?
~THE DECLINE & FALL OF THE ART WORLD / F+V |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | October 9th, 2013, 2:01pm
so, apparently . . MYTHS are trending.
what bigger myth is there . . than the one about . . MONEY !!!!$$
well, maybe the one about the . . ART WORLD !!
DAMIEN CRISP, ‘Untitled from 21st Century Series (detail), 2013. mixed media on paper, 8 x 8 in.
image: FREIGHT+VOLUME
THE DECLINE AND FALL OF THE ART WORLD,
PART II: THE OTHER 99%
Featuring DAMIEN CRISP, NOAH LYON, CRISTINA de MIGUEL, and LAURINA PAPERINA
it’s a great show . . .
see: the GALLERY WEBSITE !!
more info: NEW MYTHS: PART II – THE OTHER 99%
the show went up: SEPT 12, 2013
and runs thru: this SAT OCT 12, 2013 – THIS IS YOUR LAST CHANCE – TO SEE IT.
FREIGHT+VOLUME, 530 WEST 24th ST – CHELSEA, NYC
TO BE CONTINUED – !!
P.S.
FREIGHT+ VOLUME is at . . the TEXAS CONTEMPORARY ART FAIR
BOOTH # 207
THURS OCT 10 – SUN OCT 13, 1013
GEORGE R. BROWN CONVENTION CENTER, HALL A – 1001 AVENIDA De LAS AMERICAS, HOUSTON, TEXAS
~NEW MYTHS: THE DECLINE & FALL of the ART WORLD / F+V: NYC & TEXAS |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | October 8th, 2013, 4:25pm
‘LAW OF THE DESERT BORN’
the GRAPHIC NOVEL coming out this week . . .
has a great website, too.
not so much a personal journal, as an official movie-like . . website.
very cool.
FIRST: yes, check out: THE CREATORS PAGE with BIOS, the FBI . . hahaha !!
THEN, SEE: ‘LAW OF THE DESERT BORN’ / website – go for it !!
they also have: a great trailer up on YouTube !! –
IMAGE: LAW OF THE DESERT BORN – A GRAPHIC NOVEL / TRAILER on YouTube
IMAGE: LAW OF THE DESERT BORN – A GRAPHIC NOVEL / SOURCE: WEBSITE
continues . . .
~LAW OF THE DESERT BORN . . |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | October 8th, 2013, 4:21pm
ok – back to our regularly scheduled news, but still FRIGGIN’ . . OMG !!
so. of course, ISABEL GREENBERG, of the soon-to-be released graphic novel, ‘THE ENCYCLOPEDIA of EARLY EARTH’, has a a-m-a-z-i-n-g website.
most def, check out: EARLY EARTH – ISABEL GREENBERG
IMAGE via: EARLY EARTH – ISABEL GREENBERG
~ISABEL GREENBERG . . but, of course !! |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | October 8th, 2013, 4:13pm
OMG, ALFREDO MARTINEZ . . is ‘trending’, too !!
this, just in from . . Alfredo:
“a skull drawing of mine sold for 750 at
christies i made the Estimate
thank god
some other people, not so much… nerve
racking, glad I did not know [at the] time”
can this be true.
would need to verify, should be on the Christie’s website ?
– back in 5.
HAHA. FILE UNDER: SOME MYTHS – NEVER CHANGE !!
Yes, ALFREDO did sell a piece at Christie’s, but back .. in the summer of 2012 !!
but then again, if you read his email . . he didn’t exactly say when .. did he ?
though the implication was yesterday. last week . . last month . . ?
I mean . . this is a big ploy, er .. play !! for attention, or what.
but ok – we will give him a pass.
IMAGE VIA: CHRISTIE’S
ALFREDO MARTINEZ (American, b 1967)
Untitled (Skull and Guns)
Price realized: $750
Estimate: $600-$800
LOT 105 / SALE 2573 – CHRISTIE’S INTERIORS, NEW YORK, ROCKEFELLER PLAZA
17-18 JULY 2012
see: CHRISTIE’S – ALFREDO MARTINEZ
LOT DESCRIPTION
CHRISTIE’S: signed with artist’s monogram, signed again with initials, dated and inscribed:
AM NTCJWS 2007 – lower left.
Nancy: that would prob be ‘NYC’ – NEW YORK CITY. not ‘NTC’.
CHRISTIE’S: collage – watercolor, ink & wash on paper. 32-1/2 x 32 – 3/4 in.
executed in 2007.
Nancy: what, executed ? imprisoned yes. not executed. yet.
Nancy: that looks to be . . handmade paper – an Alfredo specialty.
Nancy: jeez, what a publicity hound, or what.
Alfredo. not me.
that’s so desperado. so outlaw. so Alfredo, you never what’s .. true or fiction.
but so, i-n-t-e-r-e-s-t-i-n-g !!
Alfredo made into the uptight Christie’s archive ..
and ok, ok. I’m a newshound, too.
but of.. another sort.
but damn, yeah I am . . an enabler.
~ALFREDO & Christie’s ? |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | October 8th, 2013, 3:32pm
can you believe . . . ‘DUMBO’ – is TRENDING !!!
BANKSY is in town, NYC – for a month-long residency, and apparently – he touches everything, and everyone !!
got that ?!!
go, Banksy !!
BANKY is a bit of myth, himself. already. isn’t he.
see: Rebel Rocket Attack (on DUMBO!!)- POSTED to YouTube by BANKSY, OCT 6, 2013.
way to go BANKSY – that is so, friggin right !!
for background: Banksy YouTube video features .. by TechHive
SO: is this city – hot, or what !!
no wonder all the crows are congregating.
~DUMBO & BANKSY ?!! |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | October 8th, 2013, 3:21pm
SPEAKING OF WHICH .. going up the mountain, and coming back down.
unknown seasons and . . wrathful deities !!
this week’s WALL STREET JOURNAL includes a small, but super interesting article on the resurgence of ‘graphic novels’, essentially better produced, or extended format .. comic books, i.e. books which depend on their illustrations, with a minimum of words or dialog – to get the story going.
according to the WSJ article, “Classic Westerns and ‘creation’ stories”, “stories that deal in old tales, stories that adapt and embellish older source material, from Eastern creation myths to fairy tales. . are the latest source for graphic novels.”
note . . as opposed to a recent publication history of pumping up. . sci fi or traditional comic book superhero themes.
and apparently some very well produced, large-format books are in the pipeline.
one of the books highlighted in the article, is ‘Law of the Desert Born’, illustrated by THOMAS YEATES with . . a “plot based on a 1946 short story by Western writer LOUIS L’AMOUR, who published close to 90 novels before his death at 80 in 1988.” The book was spearheaded by the author’s son BEAU L’AMOUR, 52..
“To research the visuals for the graphic adaption, the writer’s son, BEAU L’AMOUR, .. visited the areas where much of the story takes place, including Puerto De Luna, New Mexico ..”
the book’s credits: Adapter CHARLES SANTINO, co-writers BEAU L’AMOUR and KATHERINE NOLAN, illustrator: THOMAS YEATES.
PAGE FROM: ‘LAW OF THE DESERT BORN’, illustration by THOMAS YEATES, image via OLD MYTHS GET GRAPHIC/WALL STREET JOURNAL
another book they discuss, to appear on store shelves this upcoming DEC, is: ‘THE ENCYCLOPEDIA of EARLY EARTH’ by the 25-year old London-based author/illustrator . . ISABEL GREENBERG.
“She borrowed elements from the Old Testament, folk and fairy tales, and Greek mythology for her fiction world “early earth’ in which raven gods toy with the inhabitants below.”
“The whole book is really about storytelling and how there are certain stories that move you”, says Ms. Greenberg, 25, adding . . “I like how very similar stories in cultures come back.”
PAGE FROM ‘THE ENCYCLOPEDIA of EARLY EARTH’ by writer/illustraator ISABEL GREENBERG. IMAGE via OLD MYTHS GET GRAPHIC/WALL STREET JOURNAL
READ THE ARTICLE: OLD MYTHS GET GRAPHIC – BY ANNA RUSSELL, WALL STREET JOURNAL. OCT 3, 2013
note: if this link doesn’t get you in, just re-goggle the article by it’s title.
the WSJ is making a squirrely attempt to boost subscriptions / get their content – paid for.
but also: DIG THAT REFERENCE TO RAVENS !!! or what !!!
so, ARE RAVENS and CROWS, CAW CAW . . RELATED ?
YES !! both are members of the CORVUS family of birds.
BUT . . BIG DIFFERENCE.
ONE, the RAVEN IS EVIL, whereas the other, the CROW IS SMART.
both were important to early men, farmers etc for their . . advance warnings.
RAVENS are big players in fairy tales and myths. including recent epic movies.
CROWS are big players in farm mythology and actually in .. JAPAN, where crow imagery dominates – from day one, time immemorial. and, also in the contemporary arts. (just google it. Japan/crow imagery)
CROWS also played a big part in American folk art, also from day one, i.e. early native peoples tales .. on thru . . the characterization of black ‘folks’ as crows – in popular American culture, before we got politically correct-ed . .
RAVENS IN PETRIFIED FOREST NATIONAL PARK, ARIZONA. source: WIKIPEDIA
RAVENS are larger and associated with mythic evil and death . . due to their habit for eating only CARRION, i.e. dead animal meat.
where you see ravens, you find . . the dead body.
their scary caw caw caw – makes for great sound bites.
the Raven, with it’s large body of ravishing black plumage, a ‘croaking’ call, and a diet of CARRION .. “has long been considered a bird of ill omen .. of interest to creators of myths and legends. French anthropologist CLAUDE LEVI-STRAUSS proposed ‘ravens obtained mythic status because it was a mediator animal between life and death.’ As a carrion bird, ravens became associated with the dead and lost souls.”
“In Sweden they are known as ghosts of murdered people”.
source: WIKIPEDIA
CROW. source: WIKIPEDIA
whereas, CROWS are known for . . their INTELLIGENCE.
found in cities and farms, urban and rural areas alike . . they are frontline SURVIVORS.
they seem to eat anything, including consumer produce !! google: Japan/annoying crows !!
they are said to have an omnivorus diet, but apparently that includes carrion when called for . .
the collective name for a group of crows is a flock or a ‘murder’ . . I think that’s because they gang up .. on their prey or feeding target. or alert farmers to ‘murder’ in the crops.
CROWS are capable of tool use, tool construction and even “meta-tool” use, which is advanced tool-on-tool use. CROWS are considered to be among the most INTELLIGENT animals that inhabit our bio-sphere.
in other words . . CROWS are REALLY SMART.
and they COMMUNICATE … with humans.
see: META-TOOL USE & ANALOGICAL REASONING IN CROWS
if you’ve ever had the opportunity to trip lightly . . in an empty corn field, then you know what I’m atalkin’ about. first one and then two, and then whole gang .. will come hang out.
make your acquaintance.
CROWS play a big part in American folklore, past.
see: THE CROWS ARE IN THE CORN – WAKE UP !!
including the First Peoples – i.e native Americans, aka Indians.
see: SIOUX CROW FOLKTALE
and American folklore . . PRESENT.
Writers, bloggers, twetters .. with frontier ‘radar’ .. are CROWS.
example: CAW CAW . . CARLO McCORMICK !!
so too, therefore . . by extension: are – cutting edge artists.
THOUGH, of course in the grand ole USA, we also have the specialized term: JIM CROW.
image: FERRIS STATE UNIVERSITY
image: FERRIS STATE UNIVERSITY
the name for the former practice of SEGREGATING black folks in the USA. criminal laws enacted and pursued from 1876 to 1965. so much for Lincoln and the Civil war, which abolished slavery . . in name.
among the laws: sexual interactions between black men and white women .. were illegal. but the other way, around was ok.
see: WHAT WAS JIM CROW – FERRIS UNIVERSITY.
there was of course another more gentle tradition of whites referring to black folks as crows, esp the menfolks.
DISNEY CROW – IMAGE: CROWS In DISNEY ANIMATION
which comes down to us, culturally most famously: via WALT DISNEY !!
and most famously of all . . in the widely beloved 1941 animation: ‘DUMBO’.
where a line of high steppin’ smart lookin’ crows did an animated prance & uttered the famous chorus: “what’s de matter wid his ears.”
not for naught .. we have the expression: to crow.
CAW CAW !!
GOT, CROW ?
~OLD MYTHS . . GET GRAPHIC / CROWS vs RAVENS, DUMBO ? |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | October 8th, 2013, 7:26am
HASH HALPER PRESENTS TRISTAN REGINATO, ‘AN UNKNOWN SEASON’ – PART II
PELL ST – CHINATOWN
THE DESCENT
HASH HALPER descending the TRISTAN REGINATO marbled paper staircase, for almost the last time.
seems, sadly, the space was just a . . summer fling.
but, HASH is moving on. he has teamed up with AMY LI in her new 166 MOTT – ALTERNATIVE ART SPACE.
so look for more . . shows, on the down low.
amazing, what beautiful light .. can filter through a narrow doorway – in dense late afternoon .. Chinatown.
and find it’s way to play among .. the swirly, hand-marbled paper sheets.
amazing the .. contrast between the new art, and the old .. scene playing out on the street.
HASH liked to point out how the old lettering on the door now reads: ART, LIES INC instead of the former: ART SUPPLIES.
back out on the street, the real world closes in, and life resumes.
and such is the transitory way . . of the world.
you go up the mountain, and then . . you come down.
PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH
~HASH HALPER . . PELL ST PART II |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | October 7th, 2013, 9:19am
AN UNKNOWN SEASON . . .
PART I – THE ASCENT.
while I was over at 166 MOTT meeting AMY LI, HASH HALPER dropped by and invited me over to see his ‘summer palace’ . . . YEAR of 2013.
a very strange, but sweet spot – a little further on, deep into Chinatown – on historic Pell St.
Chinatown, as in: downtown. New York City.
don’t know how an inner city photo shot, came out like that .. but sure looks like Hash is walking in the Himalayas, or what.
just strolling in a small village – with Chinese storefront banners all a flutter.
a mountain/skyscraper horizon – hulking in the distance, against an endless cloudy blue sky.
must be the ancestor ‘gods’ of Chinatown . . taking over. for sure.
I just press the shutter button. I never calculate the view.
that’s why, or when .. . photography crosses over into art – but, like they say: another story, for another time. who am I.
I just write the story.
I just follow the . . the breadcrumbs.
it was among one of the strangest places I had ever been to – and that’s saying a lot. at first glance: it was a just a narrow gated doorway . . on a bustling Chinatown street.
but beyond that anonymous street level door, was a steep narrow staircase .. literally plastered in hand-marbled paper designs. Hash led the way.
the phrase: a ‘marbled’ staircase – did come to mind.
TRISTAN REGINATO & HASH HALPER.
the intense 24-7 marbling had been done by TRISTAN REGINATO, a young artist on the NYC cutting edge . . who just happened to materialize out of nowhere . . he’s on the left, in the cap.
I guess it was he, who Hash been dialing up – from his phone.
they are both wearing one-of-a-kind t-shirts . . of Tristan’s design & making.
TRISTAN REGINATO, handmade marbling. and I do mean 24-7. and I do mean . . intense.
at the top of the marbled and mysterious ‘stairway to heaven’, or at the very least . . an upward ‘tunnel of hand wrought creativity’ . . HASH had transformed what had probably been a small illegal apartment . . into an exhibition space.
even after the ‘swirly’ stairway set-up . . it was still striking . . to find oneself confronted by a larger-than-life, metal-forged human skeleton. a ‘head-less’ skeleton at that.
with his displaced head, alluding to medieval European armor, at his feet.
taking visual clues from the helmet-like head, the stand-alone figure . . spoke ‘knightly’, a noble ‘gnarly’ old skeleton . . who looked as if he had seen many a harsh century go by.
kind of like in ‘Raiders of the Ark’ – the one with the ghostly mean eternal knights . . who guard the holy grail.
TRISTAN REGINATO, and his, yes !! – headless skeleton.
a curious metal ‘has-been’ creature, with his head loped off at the neck, at the spine. a violently red, candle in it’s place. it had obviously been lit too. so, that was spooky, and ritualistic .. and metaphors, abounded.
poetic. mysterious. unknowing, unknown . . .
so many fleeting questions .. arise from the twisted, beaten . . heated, and then frozen metal.
Tristan’s metaphysical meandering .. seemed poised between the European stride of the skeleton, and his head, to a world view . . that seemed to point back – to the orient.
the strange placement of a very eastern arts inspired candelabra,resting on the floor, just behind the splayed feet. and also dripping with previously lit, candle wax.
so, is there a link between the cutting edge and the past ? is there an ancient dialog that remains, ghostly hovering – informing all ages.
if yes, it’s called the creative unconscious.
and the yearning for answers amidst death, immortality, and decay. though in a sense the metal frame had escaped decay – but then, where was the flesh ? is there life without flesh.
without history.
without .. ancestors.
we’ve had metal wrought ‘beings’ . . incised and formed with symbols from day one of our discovery of the ‘metal arts’ . . from complex ‘mini’ scaled mass cosmos Hindu creations .. to giant inticate many-armed Tibetan gods, buddhas . . who materialize to the call of ancient chants, or just the tinkle of a temple bell . .
there’s a lot of knowledge we forgot, and a lot . . we never knew.
I think we basically just get by on . . like 5% – of what’s really out there.
is this skeleton saying: . . we better power up soon, expand our belief system ?
the piece raised many questions, there was no clear narrative, but for the ones the viewer himself, projected onto it’s strong, but eroded metal figure, and the red flower-like candle trail . . at it’s feet.
a small piece of fabric fluttered in the window . . like a Tibetan prayer flag.
‘AN UNKNOWN SEASON’ it said.
the summer had been ‘an unknown season’ to me, too. I had been lost in ‘unknowing’ the future, unknowing my life – but I had made it to the last day of Hash and Tristan’s show.
so, yeah . . I’ll take that as a sign, a validation of . . going forward.
continues . . . or rather: TO BE CONTINUED.
PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH
~HASH HALPER . . PELL ST / TRISTAN REGINATO |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | October 6th, 2013, 10:23am
