MATT ENGER – MY NEW COLT PATTERSON – 1838 REVOLVER
PHOTO: COURTESY OF MATT ENGER/EXPLODING SKY
FILE UNDER: what did I tell ya – R.I.P.
. . . well, so the world turns.
truth is stranger than fiction, and maybe – just maybe, the future does unfold in your dreams. and the artists, the true artists – quick to burn your sorry ass. I’m sorry to say. watch out – not quite knowing how, but for sure, why !! – hold the key.
crazy, wild shamans – the lot of them.
MARK ENGER – SILK SCREEN – VINYLS.
MARK ENGER – EXPLODING SKY – STUDIO VISIT. NEWARK, N.J. APRIL 2010
PHOTO: NANCY SMITH
if you walked through bitter cold snowy Jersey this week, you might just think the state was in mourning for last week’s sad loss of local son – MARK ENGER – whose silk screen studio re-located to NEWARK, NEW JERSEY in the big gentrification of 2004. All the city and state buildings had their flags flying at half mast. but no, it wasn’t just in Jersey – it was all over the country, and it sure weren’t for no dumb ass artist – cowboy hero or not. it was for the 20 people gunned down in ARIZONA, and left seriously wounded or plain outright dead. no second chances dead and just pretty much as if so – as in gravely wounded. the now termed – Arizona massacre – and esp for Rep. GABRIELLE GIFFORDS – who was effectively ‘cored’. that is shot right through head – in such a way – that she is most likely now effectively a living zombie, a dead walking.
R.I.P.
seriously R.I.P.
seriously I say this – with all sadness and huge sorrow for my adopted country. that I revere. with only the kind of reverence – only anybody who has also walked the giant morass of an immigration battle – it is to be here, now can know. and let’s just leave it at that: paid my dues and lost a lot in the doing – to be here. in the land of the free and the home of the brave.
so I feel it’s important to state quite plainly now – that though my crew has a huge fascination for guns, all kinds of guns, I’d have to say it’s not to glorify guns or promote crazy madmen. nor the companies that produce and sell madmen magazines that re-load 30 shots at the speed of a hair trigger touch. we are the generation that came after COLUMBINE. yes, just like 9/11 – I think there are milestones in history – that mark the civilization and the cultural imprint – ‘before’ and ‘after’. and Columbine is one of them. the first mass shooting by armed students at a high school. the dialog that followed extended all the way as to whether to install in-case-of-emergency loaded guns in frie engine red break-the-glass boxes in every high school throughout the country. the train of thought collapsed when the next thought came up – so, then who should be taught to handle those use-only-in-emergency guns, anyways. the staff, the students, only the staff. who wants gun culture taught in every school in America. I do. yeah you heard me right. at the very time I want all the guns off the street and out of the gangs – I want my kid to know how to shot. when fired upon. period. end of story. martial arts, and yoga should be mandatory.
the world is getting rougher and tougher and harder – not easier and sweeter, ok. maybe more fat. for westerners. but it sure ain’t global homey and sweet. and yeah I’m brain damaged., I’m a New Yorker who witnessed 9/11 up close and personal on Grand St.and FDR on the 20th floor – about what, a mile as the crow flies. saw the 2nd plane make a big detour turn on the EAST RIVER and fly right thru that baby – the 2nd tower. lucky I couldn’t see the jumpers – only heard the cries. yeah it made a mark. it took a toll.
raising my kids on the corner of RIVINGTON and the BOWERY in the 80’s – talk about gun play. on the roof. cops & robbers all the time. drug wars. gangs. junkies nodding out pushing their kids in swings in the park with huge hunting guns falling out of their baggy pants pockets. yeah. terrorists harnessing airplanes full of commercial passengers and turning them into missiles – weapons of mass destruction taking down 2,000+ people, New Yorkers, just your average every day schmoos – in front of my eyes and wondering if my kid can come home, will come home from school . . so what do I know about being attacked. a New York City friggin artist. never mind all the New York Times science articles asking: so. where are the aliens ? don’t get me started. one hint: RNA. nano-particles – there ya go – you breath them in – that’s why so many people do yoga. no, I’m not joking. don’t you watch TV. interplanetary space is so vast – that space travel has to be so tiny – we can only get as small as our lunchbox-sized orbiters, em but . . . well you get it . . . or ya don’t read some cutting edge science, physics. – I can’t break down – everything for ya.
yeah, it was a long time ago – and like forever America was so innocent and so invulnerable. that American boys grew up with the mandatory cowboy holster and guns – nobody cared that we wiped out the “first natives”. no to mention the huge sci-fi water pistols !! rifles !! man those things needed to be tripod – stabilized they were so big. and no, I’m not against toy guns. esp if i am not against ‘art’ guns. I’m just saying that this is what it is – this is our time. this is our culture. not flowers not landscape not nudes.
guns and quilts = America.
guns. war. expansion of will and territory – victory by force of hand and pattern.
quilts. sampling. binary pattern leads to evolution, thought. physics. leads to computers. leads to nano biology and RNA – if you can crack a super nano nutshell of a definition.
that being said, I have to say I was shocked at reports that SARAH PALIN “included Giffords on a map that targeted 20 Democrats for defeat in last November’s congressional elections. The map included cross hairs over each district, and in urging their defeat, she told supporters, ‘don’t retreat, reload.'” wow. that’s sad. that the political rhetoric has come so low. truth be told I’m kind of disillusioned that the country I paid such hard dues to be in – stoops so low. all in the name of freedom and democracy. I mean I’m all for free speech – but this is just bad. tell me that crazed gunman of all of 22 years – didn’t shoot 20 victims for her 20 cross hairs. tell me the Mexican border towns don’t have police forces – not even female officers are safe. tell me Arizona isn’t fever pitch politics. the gunman is just the crazy who picks up the cultural vibe – kind of the mass safety tab – that blows – the high pitched radar that goes crazy from overload. the one brain in the gene pool – that short circuits. instead of creates. that doesn’t dream . . .
or as the mainstream media says: “The shootings have prompted an ongoing feud among politicians and pundits over what motivated (the shooter) – politics or insanity.”
looks to be one and the same. American politics, just like NYC art world, I might add – is a very low ball game – now, anyways. always personally thought – the B-BOYS, the break dancers, the real hard-core old school ones – should rule.
of course – NYErs are reportedly rushing to buy guns – before they are banned. 33 percent increase in requested mandatory FBI background checks over last Monday. and anyway don’t they have any gun laws in Arizona – how did that unstable kid ever get through high school – let alone get his hands on guns ? how come they weren’t cursing him out on FACEBOOK. bet they thought he was too crazy – gonna come to school and blast ya.
of course, a little later on Palin reportedly justified her words by saying OBAMA said in one of his campaign speeches – that “if they bring a knife – we bring a gun” – which brings us right back to the Civil War – does it not – and the deadly steely serious amount of bloodshed that was needed to win that one . . . so much so the wining general was said to have been helped by his growing up near, or was it – that his father or one of his relatives owned one – a slaughterhouse. so he could stand the stench. talk about blood libel. and so it goes.
full circle.
R.I.P. MARK ENGER. EXPLODING SKY – THE BLOODY CIVIL WAR THAT UNITED THIS GREAT COUNTRY – LIVES ON.
MARK ENGER – CIVIL WAR ENACTMENT – ARCHIVAL PHOTO FROM HIS STUDIO
PHOTO: NANCY SMITH
MARK ENGER – GUN PLAY
STUDIO PHOTO: NANCY SMITH
MARK ENGER – SOUTHERN BOY – DON’T TREAD ON ME.
STUDIO PHOTO: NANCY SMITH
MARK ENGER – SILK SCREEN – ON CANVAS
STUDIO PHOTO: NANCY SMITH
MARK ENGER – STUDIO VISIT – EXPLODING SKY WORLDWIDE. NEWARK, N.J. MARCH 2010
PHOTO: NANCY SMITH
HELL, YA – WE WIPED OUT THE ‘FIRST NATIVES’, TOO. GUN CULTURE MADE THIS COUNTRY.
MARK ENGER, SILK SCREEN WITH PAINT.
STUDIO PHOTO: NANCY SMITH
CRACK says:
tell me about guns . . . versus abstract paintings on tarps – with gestural lines . . . no, Charlie – I don’t think Joe Schmoo – MaGoo – is on the mark, the bull’s eye this time around . . . been there done that. or at least the one person who could make a play for him – just ain’t talkin’ . . . just ain’t friendly.
something like: the mojo wars and canada . . . got me singin’ the blues. got me down.
I immigrated from Canada, did ya know ?
pretty much – went to high school with that dude with the 70s mustache . . .
talk about herd instinct in the urban jungle. and to think I set it off – well there ya go, CHARLIE FINCH – you have LAURA NAKADATE, I have the boys. the Joes. Joe Grillo, Joe Bradley. or like they used to, emphasis – used to – say bout Walter Robinson – he that make you, can take you down.
don’t ever believe your own press. young dudes.
isn’t that such a truism – it’s a friggin’ cliche.
or: keep the media beasts fed – or they get mighty cranky. at the very least invite them to the after party. seriously, dude.
someone actually wrote in to tell me – “when I google JOE BRADLEY – all I get are artlovers photos”. no joke.
took a lot of heavy lifting – to get that babe to fly.
it’s at this point – where you hope nobody is left reading – except C.F. no. not the comic artist/musician – but Charlie Finch the scribe, so that – you can say – what’s really – on your mind !!
ha. I like gun play. mental gun play. web gun play. bang – you’re dead.
just today, Simon reminded me – sneaking around my scribbled notes. I swear he reads my crumpled up discarded scribbles and, my emails, I bet. it’s ok – I read his – that I was, emphasis was – gonna start the New Year with this little ditty:
eenie meanie miney moe
who is the art world’s biggest schmoo – Walter Robinson !!
but I had no idea where the thought came from – except I awoke with it on the tip of my tongue. New Year’s day. and scribbled it down. funny except for that fact that he fired me – for being so “successful” . . .
it’s a New York thing, forget it if you never lived here – you’ll never get it.
AND NOW I HEAR – IT’S ALL THE RAGE – name calling Walter Robinson – a schmoo. ha.
who woulda thought. paranormal thought could revolve around – such minor activity . . .
re-energized now – looking back at those tattered New Year’s Eve notes with new respect – they also go on to say:
eenie meanie miney splatter
in the art world architecture doesn’t really matter
SPERONE WATERWATER was better off – as a squatter.
eenie meanie miney – yid
don’t come to New York – unless – you’re a rich kid.
eenie meanie miney – pouts
whatever happened to – talent outs ?
eenie meanie miney – dotter
I’m growing my hair white – so I can be in Harry Potter
eenie meanie miney – daughter – got a crush so bad
on Luna Lovegood’s father !!
web gun play – calling names – wish lists. sure I have my own form of the game.
and it sure ain’t wishy-washy dumb.
case in point – ok.
referencing my memorial cry for MARK ENGER, (post below.)
who are the stupid and stupider ‘art’ critics who play – such a losing game in this town. ok.
here’s my kind of list. my kind of game.
let’s start at the top – the first name rhymes with my last name. duh. except put an R for an N.
who ?
gets it right 80% of the time – though always guaranteed to get the bottom feeders – while completely and consistently missing the top 1% – that sails right over her head – so who cares.
need more clues: she would bring you RACHEL HARRISON, disses SHEPARD FAIREY, and just told you last weekend, one year later – after the fact !! that performance art was dead and that that idiot MARINA was the swan song. and oh yeah, look for paintings to be the new big thing = esp local New York City ones. oh yeah that’s original thinking – as if this site’s thesis wasn’t built on that premise 10 years ago. man, if she’s cutting edge – I must be TRON.
MATT ENGER – EXPLODING SKY – MINIATURE HAND CAST GUN
COLT – 1873 PEACEMAKER – that’s what it was called for real – get it !!
5.5 INCH BARREL – MADE IN U.S.A.
open the tiny box – it’s a lapel pin.
it’s signed M ENGER 2010 – yeah – he signed it for me.
MATT ENGER SIGNING HIS MINIATURE REPLICA COLT – 1873 PEACEMAKER – STUDIO VISIT, NEWARK, N.J. OCT 9, 2010
PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH
~GUN PLAY |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | January 14th, 2011, 3:24pm
MARK ENGER 1963 – 2011
FILE UNDER: MARK ENGER – LIVE ON FOREVER – THANKS TO THE POWER of VIDEO !!
if you’ve followed artlovers – you’ve caught the EXPLODING SKY logo on the site many a time – before a major MAY 2010 web crash caused our grid formatting to change . . . the EXPL SKY logo brought up 2 different videos at various times. both made by snakemonkeytv.
the first to go up – was a serious one – a visit to Mark’s – EXPLODING SKY WORLDWIDE studio – where we see him doing what he loved best – MARK ENGER – master silk screener at work . . .
yes, you better watch: MARK ENGER – of EXPLODING SKY – SILK SCREENER SUPREMO – AT WORK !!
the next video that surfaced under the EXPL SKY logo – was quite a little bit more wild crazy – but 100% Mark – who was not just a super talented guy – but a funny wild brilliant crazy streak slice of dark American South pie – kinda guy.
and yes, that ciggie habit – skull and bones – it did him in.
yep, watch it: and cry – with laughter. MARK ENGER, 1964-2011 – R.I.P. WE MISS YA – YOU CRAZY CRAZY GUY.
oh oh. ok !! so the man or should we say, the brain behind snakemonkeytv – turns to be none other than Lower East Side underground legend: M. HENRY JONES !!
check out: snakemonkeytv !!
check out: EXPLODING SKY
check out: EXPLODING SKY WORLDWIDE/blogspot
MARK ENGER – A GREAT ARTIST – AND A DEAR FRIEND, R.I.P.
PHOTO: NANCY SMITH, NOV 11, 2006. NYC.
P.S. JOSH HARRIS – JUST WROTE IN:
“MARK ENGER IS MY HERO. A GREAT ARTIST WHO UNDERSTOOD WHAT IT MEANS TO GO FOR IT, ALL THE WAY”
AMEN.
~MARK ENGER, R.I.P. – LIVE ON !! |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | January 8th, 2011, 5:07pm
MARK ENGER, at his studio in Newark, NEW JERSEY – APRIL 2010
PHOTO: NANCY SMITH
R.I.P. – MARK ENGER (1963-2011) – beloved silkscreen artist, true bro, and general all-around-best underground artist – who never received the recognition he deserved – in this dumbed-down town of stupid galleries, stupider no-real-mojo gallerists – and even stupidier ‘art’ critics.
add him to the list that started with the DAN ASHER death last year. and I guess one day you can add me to it, too.
R.I.P. New York Friggin City – how can one town that likes to term itself the center of the art world – be so delusional about its lame game – and blow it so badly. I just don’t know.
I’ve been fighting it for almost 30 yrs. I came to New York in 1981. the first party I got invited to – was courtesy of Jean Michel, as in BASQUIAT – and I never looked back. so, you tell me. I put a curse on this town with all its blood-sucking vultures, trust fund babies, users – all in capitals – and downright fakes – may you all fail and be forgotten . . .
Born April 9, 1963, 47 yr. old MARK ENGER – who ran the notorious EXPLODING SKY WORLDWIDE silkscreen shop – along with his identical twin bro – MATT ENGER – finally succumbed to a year-long battle with throat cancer, yesterday Friday Jan 7, 2011. Mark was an amazing artist, and so is Matt !! – and a great fun guy, to boot. a true redneck cowboy army brat – his was also a true NYC Lower East Side underground hero – where he and his bro set up shop in 1990. You’ve read a lot about Mark if you follow artlovers – because he was a big part of the – JOSH HARRIS/PSEUDO.COM/WE LIVE IN PUBLIC/QUIET crew . . . he had his 5 mins of cinematic fame – as one the film’s most striking featured cameos – the drunken cowboy who couldn’t get back into the Quiet party . . . in ONDI TIMONER’S 2009 SUNDANCE winner – WE LIVE IN PUBLIC – the story of “the most famous internet guru you’ve never heard of” – Josh Harris . . Mark was the guy who put the silkscreen ‘tags’ or circle ‘targets’ on the in-house crew’s gray workshirts – if you scored a Mark Enger set of concentric circles on your uniform – you were QUIET hierarchy.
yeah, you better believe I had them all over my QUIET-issued in-house crew shirts !!
Born in FORT SILL, OKLAHOMA Mark, and twin bro Matt grew up army brats, surrounded by military types, archeologists, and Native Americans. Their dad served in the Korean war. some kind of a big shot in the chain of command – and went on to become a big Civil War buff, when he returned home – where he makes replica guns for Civil War enactments and shares his love of gun collecting with the twins – both of whom have an amazing collection of vintage shotguns, rifles, pistols, you name it. They taught a lot of people in their art world circle how to shoot and handle guns – including me, my son Theo and most notably Josh Harris. in other words they come by their gun play, American Indian imagery, Civil War portraits, and war protests – good ole Southern anarchy in a nutshell – for real. bonafide true grit American boys – if I ever did see one.
Our heart-felt condolences go to out Matt, who was with Mark yesterday and held his bro’s hand – as he slowly faded into a cowboy’s final sunset.
MATT ENGER and MARK ENGER – on their bikes.
date unknown, photog unknown. PHOTO IN MY ARCHIVES/COURTESY: MARK ENGER
you can check out: their minimalist – but engaging website here !!
they are also on: EXPLODING SKY/blogspot
KIKI SMITH in 1992 – PHOTO BY MARK ENGER/COURTESY: MARK ENGER
Mark captioned this photo:
“A private pistol shooting lesson with KIKI at her schoolhouse in upstate NY, 1992.”
MARK ENGER was at various times throughout a career short on mainstream recognition, but long on insider admiration – a creative influence and production assistant to many artists, most prominently among them: KIKI SMITH, DONALD BAECHLER, and JOSH HARRIS. He was in fact a key technical and creative consultant contributing behind the scenes – to Kiki’s earliest successes. For decades he and Matt – collectively known as EXPLODING SKY WORLDWIDE – produced the iconic silkscreen ‘coin’ images, you see plastered all over Donald Baechler’s paintings. Josh Harris wore a Mark Enger custom-silkscreened work jacket – emblazoned with the WE LIVE IN PUBLIC logo and LUVVY the CLOWN image – throughout his recent international media reign – in the wake of the huge success of SUNDANCE winner and HARRIS biopic – the critically acclaimed WE LIVE IN PUBLIC – to a huge huge number of film festivals and TV interviews around the world. If you remember the early days of this very site, artloversnewyork – before our MAY 2010 crash and subsequent re-building – an EXPLODING SKY logo supported this site’s – art lovers photo page – by way of trade in artwork, from the very first days of inception – April 2005.
JOSH HARRIS, MARK ENGER, THEO CERIGO, with POWDER aka ALEX ARCADIA in the background – target practice at the landfill.
UP-STATE NY. LIVINGSTON. THANKSGIVING 2001.
PHOTO: NANCY SMITH
when Josh left NYC in the wake of the tech bubble melt-down – for the retreat of an apple orchard in up-state New York – he took the Enger Bros with him. The twins lived in two separate and crazy wild ramshackle trailers on the farm – festooned with their art, and their vintage gun collections. and yes. a run-of-the-mill visit from a heater utility repair man – did spark a serious inspection – guns out and cocked – by the local sheriff and his seriously spooked crew.
at a MARCH 2006 – WE LOVE IN PUBLIC/QUIET PARTY – RE-UNION in CHINATOWN, NYC:
from left, top row:
MATT ENGER, JOSH HARRIS and MARK ENGER, and yes. that ciggie hanging out of his mouth, habit killed him.
great coat or what. white jeans. damn yes, Mark was a great one for fashion statement.
kneeling in front:
JEFF GOMPERTZ – who built the notorious underground bunker/pod hotel – each compartment hard-wired with 24/7 surveillance cameras and individual monitors that played several feeds in real time time !! – housing the 99+ resident artists, and a few paid hookers – at the famed PSEUDO.COM – $1million dollar off-the-walls art bash/millennium party, called ‘QUIET’ – footage of which features prominently in: ONDI TIMONER’S 2009 SUNDANCE WINNER – WE LIVE IN PUBLIC.
PHOTO: NANCY SMITH
MATT ENGER and MARK ENGER at the opening of their Spring 2010 art show – at a small gallery on the fringes of Soho.
PHOTO: NANCY SMITH
MARK ENGER sporting one of his custom screened work jackets – this one with his own EXLODING SKY logo.
PHOTO: NANCY SMITH
MARK ENGER – a display of his silk screened jackets in Soho last year.
PHOTO: NANCY SMITH
MARK ENGER – detail of a recent silk screen painting, yep. the last supper invaded by the wild wild west.
MARK ENGER – A GREAT ARTIST – AND – A FRIEND, R.I.P.
PHOTO: NANCY SMITH
~MARK ENGER, R.I.P. (1963-2011) |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | January 8th, 2011, 1:26pm
FILE UNDER: BLU GETS BUFFED at MOCA, LOS ANGELES.
I had to think long and hard about this one. esp out of respect for NYC’s own SURE, a 24 yr.old Brooklyn-bred street sticker bomber who was recently killed while on a tour of duty as an Intelligence Officer for the United States Marine Corps in Afghanistan.
(see post – DEC 2010).
My hard-won conclusion is that MOCA, JEFFREY DEITCH & most likely ELI BROAD and all the other small-minded ‘officials’ in Los Angeles – got it all wrong. period.
This mural by BLU was not an insult to any military group, and particularly not to any veterans. This mural was a mark of respect for those who serve our country – it said: YOU BETTER MAKE SURE THESE BOYS AREN’T GETTING KILLED FOR CRASS COMMERCIAL REASONS.
it ensured a dialog to that point and any dialog to that point – that focuses on the men and women who go off to fight our wars and the fact that they do come back dead in coffins – should be supported, discussed, debated and lauded – not whitewashed.
the fact that the cultural and political skin is so thin – esp it seems in L.A. – makes one wonder – just how close to home – this mural – really was.
R.I.P. L.A. – R.I.P. MOCA.
watch: BYE BYE BLU – MURAL CENSORED BY MOCA, LOS ANGELES – by JetSetGraffiti/YouTube
check out: JetSetGraffiti.com
the best photos and commentary are on: UNURTH STREET ART
from which this sampling is taken:
BLU GETS BUFFED @ MOCA, Los Angeles
PHOTO COURTESY: UNURTH
PHOTO COURTESY: UNURTH
which also posted the official MOCA response:
and, where UNURTH – also posted the absolute bottom-line conclusion & last word:
“To me, this is a terrible explanation. The concept that street art and graffiti must be ‘appropriate’, to the point of not making political statements, is absurd and contrary to the history of the medium. In this context, I doubt the ‘Art on the Streets’ show will be appropriate to its title.”
so . . .
R.I.P. – JEFFREY DEITCH – guess the transition to L.A. from NEW YORK – isn’t working out so well for ya. anybody really surprised. not.
you are either too fake for the place, or the place is too fake for you. go figure – you should have been better able to play – this out. though I do give you credit for putting the mural up in the first place.
as for showing street art in the highly commercial institutional blue chip wanna make money museum art world – always an iffy idea, (didn’t they arrest SHEPARD FAIREY at the opening of his Chicago show ?) – like, we like to say in NYC . . .
if the heat’s too hot – stay out of the kitchen (where the real artists be . . . )
DEDICATED TO SURE.
~FREEDOM OF SPEEECH, R.I.P. |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | January 6th, 2011, 3:20pm
HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO MY FRIENDS ~ 2011 special ~ keep warm and enjoy the oxygen in earth! yum yum!
love and more love and more more butter, misaki and village girls
HAPPY HOLIDAY 2011 From TIBET / LOVE and OXYGEN – MISAKI KAWAI
misakikawai.com
~FROM TIBET: LOVE & OXYGEN, MISAKI !! |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | January 2nd, 2011, 1:24pm
PHOTO: COURTESY CINDERS GALLERY, BROOKLYN
from KELIE & STO:
The surviving family members of CINDERS GALLERY wish to extend an invitation to the memorial service of their soon to be departed 103 Havemeyer.
Please join us for a final celebration for 103 Havemeyer, who will die on December 22nd, 2010.
We will be honoring 103 Havemeyer’s life in a memorial service with family and friends on:
THURS DECEMBER 30th, 2010 at 6 PM
CINDERS GALLERY – 103 HAVEMEYER STREET, BROOKLYN.
with performances by – but not limited to:
Bow Ribbon and friends
Tunde Adebimpe (TV on the Radio)
Lucky Dragons
Beach Fossils
Knyfe Hyts
Light Hits (Jessie Rose Vala + Kelie Bowman)
Maya Hayuk
Diane Barcelowsky
MV Carbon
Cassie Ramone (Vivian Girls & Babies)
Guardian Alien
Choos Majik (Todd Pendu)
Sto Temple Pile-Up (DUBKNOWDUB)
Todd Chandler (Dark Dark Dark)
Colin Langenous (USAisamonster)
Mike Colin (Aa & Valentropo)
George Ferrandi (Cloud Seeding Circus)
R.A.F. (Mudboy/Raphael Lyon)
103 Havemeyer FUNeral.
yep, they got gentrified out. it’s a sad day for Brooklyn.
I had this dream a few nights ago.
everyone was sitting around a huge family dinner table, and a happy little bluebird flitted overhead, like gentle music.
merry as it gently flew about among the many guests.
out of nowhere a huge horrible wide-gaping open snake mouth sprung out from under the table – it’s vicious jaws snapping at the sweet little bluebird.
for sure the bluebird would escape unharmed – how could a snake catch a bird /
but the little bird flew too low, lingered too close and the snake grabbed it right in its chest. its belly. and crunched it. crushed it dead.
end of story. no second chances. no looking back.
~CINDERS, R.I.P. |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | December 30th, 2010, 12:31pm
GIVE ME YOUR SOULZ.
this just in from FAUST:
“At the end of each year I like to create a greeting card to send to all my friends and family. However, this month has been particularly challenging with the passing of my best friend and partner-in-crime Sure. In addition to being one of the most prolific graffiti writers in New York, Sure was an Intelligence Officer in the United States Marine Corps. This year he was based in Afghanistan and on December 5th was killed at the age of 24.
One of Sure’s closest friends came up with the idea to create custom Christmas ornaments to give to his closest friends and family so that they can celebrate the holidays with him every year. So in place of my usual card, I hope you enjoy this tribute.” – Faust
www.faustnewyork.com
IMAGES COURTESY/FAUST
saddened and intrigued – I looked for some more images of the work, or news on the web.
I found Faust had sent out a poignant release to Brooklyn Street Art on Dec 6, 2010 regarding the sad passing of his Brooklyn-born buddy.
. . . . “Last night he [Sure] was killed in Afghanistan where he was stationed as an Intelligence Officer in the United States Marine Corps. Sure was born and bred in Brooklyn and recognized for his exceptional handstyle which brought together elements of classic New York graffiti with ornamental calligraphy. His script signatures could be found throughout the city and were a major influence on myself and countless others.”
SURE portrait courtesy of FAUST/from BROOKLYN STREET ART
“Sure also received great recognition as one of the most prominent sticker bombers of all time. Of the thousands of stickers he put up, nearly every one of them was individually hand done in an incredible array of styles. This was recently exemplified in ‘Stickers: From Punk Rock to Contemporary Art’ (Rizzoli) by DB Burkeman, and in Martha Cooper’s latest book: ‘Name Tagging’ (Mark Batty Publishing) which features an interview with Sure.”
SURE artwork courtesy of Faust/from BROOKLYN STREET ART
Faust continues: “Sure was like a brother to me. He was my partner-in-crime and my best friend. I am grateful for the time we had and that everywhere I go in New York city I see his name and know that his presence will be felt by many long after his passing.”
MARTHA COOPER, the long-time well-known graffiti photo-documentarian posted a brief tribute, along with several of her photos of SURE’S work on 12oz Prophet:
“I heard the extremely sad and shocking news (this morning) that SURE had been killed in Afghanistan while in the line of duty. SURE’S beautiful,
hand drawn stickers have been a constant presence on NYC’s streets for many years, usually alongside those of his writing partner, FAUST. I admired SURE’S elegantly executed handstyles long before I had the pleasure of meeting him. Slender and quiet, he didn’t fit the stereotype of either a writer or a Marine but he seemingly combined the 2 worlds with ease. He had already served two tours of duty in Iraq when he shipped off to Afghanistan a few months ago. He was just 24 years old.”
here are a few of her photos:
SURE – GIVE ME YOUR SOULZ
PHOTO: MARTHA COOPER/12oz PROPHET
SURE – RULER
PHOTO: MARTHA COOPER/12oz PROPHET
to see more of MARTHA COOPER’S PHOTOS of SURE’S WORK, see: 2oz PROPHET/R.I.P. SURE
I found the MARTHA COOPER INTERVIEW with SURE and FAUST posted on the MARY BATTY PUBLISHER website.
yes, you should go there & read it. here is a small sampling:
SURE – STICKER KIT
PHOTO BY MARTHA COOPER/MARK BATTY PUBLISHER
intro from MARK BATTY, the publisher of ‘Name Tagging’:
“Martha Cooper has just passed along the tragic news that SURE – one of New York’s most prolific and talented contemporary graffiti writers has been killed in the line of duty in Afghanistan. I’d met him but can’t say I knew him. He and his running partner FAUST were at the launch party for ‘Name Tagging’, which features an interview with these two masterful letterers (see below). He even mentioned the idea of putting together some sort of graffiti book based on his time over there.
Writing this now reminds me how distant too many of us in the media and creative arts remain from the fact that this country continues to fight two wars. There are so many brave men and women who volunteer to go to these dangerous places and put their lives on the line for us and we take them for granted. Born and bred in Brooklyn, SURE loved New York City. Part of him will forever be part of the city as the remnants of his calligraphic mastery attest.”
SURE & FAUST – PHOTO BY MARTHA COOPER – ‘Name Tagging’/COURTESY MARK BATTY PUBLISHER
this how the fascinating interview begins . . . .
SURE & FAUST Interview from ‘Name Tagging’:
You two have blanketed New York City with stickers. Wherever you see FAUST, you see SURE. How did you team up ?
FAUST: In 2001 when I was in high school I started noticing SURE tags in Soho, Lower East Side, Upper East Side and places where most writers weren’t going. They were original and consistent but not a NY style. I thought he was from out of town but friends said he was a high school kid from Queens. We met up around Astor Place and 8th and Broadway and started writing together.
After I graduated from high school in 2002, I didn’t catch tags in college. I kept my hands clean because the cops were chasing me. We didn’t start catching tags together again until SURE joined the Marines. Our partnership solidified then.
Your handstyles are so distinctive that some writers actually think you’re the same person. Did you develop them together ?
SURE: We’re both big fans of TWIST. I first saw a TWIST tag around 2000. I don’t think anybody uses a chisel tip better than he does. The ideas that he uses have influenced us. We feel that he has great technique in his letters and the way he combines them. His letters are all individually very strong and he uses the letters that precede and follow to fill each one’s negative space. His middle letters are regimented, real solid and go up and down so well. He kicks out the “R” which complements the loop of the “T” and has a lot of form. He has ridiculously good flow” . . .
(note: art readers – TWIST is better known to you as BARRY McGEE.)
as seems befitting, we leave the last words to SURE . . . here, but you can continue to follow the interview on that MARK BATTY LINK . . .
or better yet, order yourself a copy of MARTHA COOPER’S – ‘Name Tagging’ – where his quiet yet intense and very elegant work & words – live on.
check out: MARTHA COOPER – ‘NAME TAGGING’ – MARK BATTY PUBLISHER/96 pages/6.25 x 6.25 in./Casebound/Publication date: MAY 2010
PRICE: $12.95 + shipping
~SURE, R.I.P. |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | December 29th, 2010, 8:57am
JUST in FROM OUR NORWEGIAN FRIEND – LARS MONRAD VAAGE: SEASON’S GREETINGS, MERRY CHRISTMAS.
LARS says he is currently living in Paris. “I have given up painting, and am now fishing full time for trout, the prettiest sculpture. The picture is from Hardangervidda in Norway, the largest high-mountain plateau in Europe.”
check out: LARS MONRAD VAAGE
if you are interested in the roots of YULE & YULETIDE, here’s 2 good starts:
see: YULETIDE
see: YULETIDE
~SEASON’S GREETINGS FROM LARS |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | December 26th, 2010, 12:54pm
HAPPY HOLIDAYS !! – ALL !!
VINTAGE ORNAMENT, in the shape of an apron !! (ca. 1940 ?)
found in HOUSING WORKSHOPS THRIFT SHOP/23rd ST, NYC ($2)
~HAPPY HOLIDAYS !! |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | December 24th, 2010, 12:32am
. . . f*ck me.
TRON !! – who cares about stories when you are racing through an alternative universe – on a day-glo grid – at the most unimaginable high speed.
if you want a story – read a friggin book. state of the art screen time. you most def walk out a little more perceptually stunned, then when you went in – that’s for sure.
yeah. TRON in 3D – it’s so, so, not about the story, duh. its about speed on the grid. free falls thru vast twisting space. the vortex that is web.
conceptual. not so much. mathematical no. spatial. yes.
even the official website – falls flat – too much emphasis on the narrative – when – really the film is a great . . . big, huge. visual blow-out. the trailer is dumb, don’t let it turn you off. they shoulda just let it run free – like it does in the movie.
it’s #1 – for a reason. and it’s not the story. it’s like people who can’t see the art, unless – there is a story. a background. forget story, think alt. alternative . . . reality. visual mind trip. the story is just the pretext. you don’t need it – and thank god, unlike Avatar – they really don’t serve it up . . .
its all about the production – and they aced it. twisted and tweaked that flat screen, deep. big time.
and, talking about – twist.
as in, talking bout users.
there’s users, you know people who use ya – and then spit on ya – and then there’s users, like in web users. funny / a funny divergence of meaning – for one little word.
I got a fortune cookie with my take-out General Tsao’s Chicken – just the other day.
it said: “throw mud – lose ground”. ha.
so, here’s a question for ya: can you lose ground – on an open-ended infinitely spatial grid. aka the web ?
I guess so. maybe. I mean you can fall thru a shattering spatial crystal. and die. actually – really shatter. turns out, things are really brittle on the grid.
but, can you lose ground – calling a spade a spade in this crummy little island and its narrowing little art world. TRON gonna wipe you out. you are so boring.
unless your art is really . . touching the earth – down-right-to-honest – good. like what makes ordinary day-to-day human birth – equivalent to – paranormal experience !!
in the end, our primitive little celestial globe – aka earth – seems so sweet, just like Justin Samson’s baby photo and all that rad Philly art – (below/previous post) – esp. after the endless day-glo night of the alternative logic board.
talk about hard edged w-i-r-e-d. no let-up. no sunset.
and yeah. speaking of which, yes. I caught the rare lunar eclipse on the winter solstice – last nite. like an eerie sleep walker – totally unaware, a light of moonbeam so strong it woke me – from 2 rooms away – beckoned to me like a strange magic witch on a lonely moor – and called to me – follow the path to the kitchen. where I looked up – what up, with this dumb sleep walking and eerie bright night sky – and then I saw the moon grow dark and be eclipsed. and the room turned dull red.
lucky I didn’t get beamed up, right then and there. kidnapped by aliens – good grief – Disney what are you thinking ? alien races needing our earth moms . . . to raise their kiddies ?
no joke. it’s the animated trailer before Tron comes on. good grief. if that isn’t enough to stop you in your tracks, what is ? maybe Holland Carter in the New York Times, this past Saturday Dec 18, admonishing Huma Bhabha, – sounds Star Wars does it not – not to lose her soul – in the race to fill up on – her new over-size ambitions ? as if we didn’t see that coming.
“Much of the work in both shows is dated 2010, which could point to the problem: overproduction in a short time. It wouldn’t hurt if, at this juncture, Ms. Bhabha slowed down a little and – for sure – forgot about trying to fill Blum’s ridiculously large Chelsea space. She’s coming into mid-career, a period when a style can, without vigilance, turn into a set of moves.”
oops, I feel the ground moving. caught between the web and a hard place.
UP-DATE: FRI DEC 24, 2010 12:34 AM
. . . . ok. ok. if you are a cool dude under 21 – and live in a 24/7 wired man cave – you might find the TRON #2 narrative “corny”, and the fight scenes . . . just so-so !!
esp the bit with the slick chicks and the evil DJ Brit dude – duh is nowhere near BATMAN the movie – resonance.
but then again – KICK-ASS (ha) might just be your favorite (groan) release of the year.
if you are a serious film buff – esp sci fi – you might also find the narrative lacking.
but, if you look at art, esp gallery art 24/7 – and, you are a big big comics fan – illustration zombie and computer animation geek – hands down, you’ll agree – the spatial ride – the computer animation, I guess – is the word ? – is superb, far-out, flung-out, beyond comprehension and absolutely flawless. it’s not just special effects – it is space travel at amazing speed. thrilling. and multi-dimensional beyond current vocabulary definition. and it is 99% of the movie anyways, so. from my art world perch, or is that porch ? I still say – hell yeah – TRON 2 – FLIES !!
~T-R-O-N !! |
Posted in Movie Reviews, The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | December 22nd, 2010, 2:12am
