. . . caught the totally kickin’ BROOKLYN EXPRESS DRUMLINE a few weekends ago.
you could hear the big drum pulse from blocks away – and then they came down 14Th STREET – struttin’ into sight. great sound. and then, every so often, the marching suddenly stops – as if, on a dime – and they offer up an awesome precision display.
seeing is believing – check out !! an early clip/on myspace !!
from their press release:
“BROOKLYN EXPRESS DRUMLINE is a slowly yet rapidly growing drumline. In the beginning, we started out with only three of us, Directors Errol, Karl, and Kevin. Our ambition and goal was to set up a drumline that serve the community and entertain those around us while having fun ourselves.
We started off by raising money in Central Park, and on train rides home on our spare time. People thought we were trying to pocket their money especially when they always saw us, but we knew that the money was going for a good cause. Today, over 5 months later, we can proudly say that we have grown … including supporters like Mr. Brian Figeroux, radio station WHCR 90.3FM and presidential candidate Barack Obama.
We are still looking for financial support and a practice location.
The drumline has 20+ members with only about 7 drums…. We are slowly and gradually growing in membership. In the year 2008 we plan on expanding our drumline into a band so that more kids from the communities can join and have something to do after school to better their lives and skills other than looking for trouble.
DONATIONS are welcome. It takes thousands of dollars to purchase equipment and drums and to maintain a good drumline.”
check out their very cool site –
they’re on the web at: Brooklyn Express Drumline
BROOKLYN EXPRESS DRUMLINE DIRECTOR – ERROL A. BROWN Jr. –
check out his bio !! – here !!
this is just how it begins: . . . “I never use to like drumming at all, but at the age of 9, I was sent on a mission to learn how to play drums. My old church sent me to learn how to play drums from another church and I was suppose to come back and teach the kids from my church. Surprisingly my new skill brushed off on two of my close friends, Rockcliff and Karl. Soon it also brushed off onto people like Tristan, Jodiane and two other friends of mine, and it kept on spreading..
My life was really taken to another level when I joined The Brooklyn “Steppers” Marching Band. I was a part of the re-known percussion line, “black Fire Percussion . . .
I have been drumming for about 9 years now.” Errol currently attends Vaughn College of Aeronautics and Technology, majoring in flight operations, and aspires to become a pilot.
PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH, NYC, MARCH 22, 2008
~BROOKLYN EXPRESS DRUMLINE |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | March 26th, 2008, 3:21am
PINK / AIKO – ‘BRICK LADIES OF NYC’
MARCH 21 – APRIL 20, 2008
AD HOC ART – BROOKLYN – NYC
PIX FROM THE OPENING – FRIDAY, MARCH 21, 2008 – AIKO !!
AIKO, branding, AD HOC ART
AIKO signs books for fans, AD HOC ART
that’s AIKO, on the right. with her, performance artist, AKIRA, AD HOC ART
AIKO speaks with a fan, her work behind her, AD HOC ART
AIKO, large canvas, AD HOC ART
AIKO, large painting on canvas, AD HOC ART
detail, previous painting, check put the AIKO tag at bottom right, AIKO, AD HOC ART
AIKO, large painting on canvas, AD HOC ART
detail, AIKO, large canvas, AD HOC ART
AIKO, small canvas, with DJ/artist JOHN BREINER spinning at the opening, AD HOC ART
AIKO, ‘chaos came’, AD HOC ART
AIKO, small canvas painting, AD HOC ART
AIKO, large canvas, AD HOC ART
detail, AIKO, large canvas, AD HOC ART
detail, same painting, AIKO, AD HOC ART
AIKO, merch display, AD HOC ART
AIKO, yellow bunny, merch display, AD HOC ART
the back wall was a collage/array of small shaped paintings on masonite board, by LADY PINK and AIKO, AD HOC ART
the back wall, paintings by LADY PINK and AIKO, AD HOC ART
AIKO, small shaped painting on board, back wall, AD HOC ART
AIKO, small shaped painting on board, back wall, AD HOC ART
AIKO, ‘pig’, back wall, AD HOC ART
AIKO, ‘bunny’, back wall, AD HOC ART
from left, PMP/AD HOC CO-FOUNDER GARRISON BUXTON, with AD HOC ART GALLERY DIRECTOR ANDREW MICHAEL FORD at the opening. ANDREW MICHAEL FORD curated the show – ‘PINK /AIKO – BRICK LADIES OF NYC’, AD HOC ART, MARCH 21, 2008
ALISON BUXTON, behind-the-scenes VIP, PMP & AD HOC ART, at the ‘LADY PINK / AIKO BRICK LADIES OF NYC’ opening, AD HOC ART, MARCH 21, 2008
at the AD HOC ART opening, cosmic maven, and art lover – EL – who swears the reason the world is going to hell – is because recently deceased – BAIRD JONES is pulling the strings from the afterworld !!!
FUTURE BEN aka YOUNG KID – shows us his IMAGE NODE ELECTRONIC ARTS T-SHIRT, and – it is pretty cool. AD HOC ART
see: IMAGE NODE here & PMP, too
TODD POLENBERG of IMAGE NODE – catching up on some dinner, the back room, ‘LADY PINK / AIKO THE BRICK LADIES OF NYC’ opening, AD HOC ART
art fans, STEPHEN KEY & C.J. at the AD HOC ART opening
designer C.J. at the afterparty, ‘LADY PINK / AIKO BRICK LADIES OF NYC’, AD HOC ART
spotted at the afterparty – a custom rider, AD HOC ART
some home style break dancing, afterparty, ‘LADY PINK / AIKO BRICK LADIES OF NYC’, AD HOC ART
PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH
AD HOC ART
~AIKO |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | March 26th, 2008, 3:20am
PINK / AIKO – ‘BRICK LADIES OF NYC’
MARCH 21 – APRIL 20, 2008
AD HOC ART – BROOKLYN – NYC
PIX FROM THE OPENING – FRIDAY, MARCH 21, 2008 – PINK !!
AD HOC ART, in the back room, some PINK on the walls.
LADY PINK, AD HOC ART
LADY PINK, AD HOC ART
LADY PINK, AD HOC ART
the show’s sign in the gallery proper – ‘BRICK LADIES of NYC’ – PINK / AIKO, AD HOC ART
‘PINK’ , AD HOC ART
LADY PINK, AD HOC ART, BROOKLYN, NYC, MARCH 21, 2008
LADY PINK, AD HOC ART, BROOKLYN, NYC, MARCH 21, 2008
LADY PINK, AD HOC ART, BROOKLYN, NYC, MARCH 21, 2008
and – check out her: website !!
CHRIS/CYCLE, AD HOC ART, BROOKLYN, NYC, MARCH 21, 2008
DANTE ROSS, LADY PINK OPENING, AD HOC ART, BROOKLYN, NYC, MARCH 21, 2008
(google this guy !!) and – check out his: website !!
from left: mare 139, Jennifer, and Eric HAZE, LADY PINK OPENING, AD HOC ART, BROOKLYN, NYC, MARCH 21, 2008
meres (CEO/5POINTS/LONG ISLAND CITY, QUEENS) and DIZM, LADY PINK OPENING, AD HOC ART, MARCH 21, 2008
NIC 707 – LADY PINK OPENING, AD HOC ART, MARCH 21, 2008
VEE BRAVO getting a close-up of the ‘ACB’ memorial on the LADY PINK painting.
ACB died at the age of 26, in 2006. more about ACB, start here !!
close-up: ACB memorial on LADY PINK painting – there are several references to ACB – on many of the LADY PINK paintings.
painting by LADY PINK, AD HOC ART
painting by LADY PINK, AD HOC ART
detail, above painting by LADY PINK
‘QUEEN MATILDA’, LADY PINK, AD HOC ART
detail, ‘QUEEN MATILDA’, LADY PINK
detail, at the bottom, ‘QUEEN MATILDA’, LADY PINK
detail, ‘QUEEN MATILDA’, LADY PINK
detail, LADY PINK, from the back wall. AD HOC ART
clothes designer, C.J. – at the after party.
a huge LADY PINK canvas at the after party
detail, bottom/above canvas, LADY PINK, AD HOC ART after party
from left: AD HOC ART GALLERY DIRECTOR, ANDREW MICHAEL FORD, who curated the show, ‘THE BRICK LADIES of NYC – PINK / AIKO’ with AD HOC ART co-founder RAY CROSS. at the after party
photographer and graphic designer, TING-HSIN WANG, who takes the ‘party’ photos for the AD HOC ART website, at the after party
one of TING-HSIN WANG’S animal photos – she is currently working on display designs at the BROOKLYN ZOO !! SWEET.
PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH
AD HOC ART
Probably temporary – so, for what it’s worth – if you’re bored today !!
p.s. – PAGE SIX MAGAZINE – ISSUE MAR 30, 2008 (PRIMA GALLERINAS) – re: there’s “nothing happening in BROOKLYN .. in art” – right. stick to what you do best: trust fund baby gossip & celebrity spawn profiles – !! and keep your paws off the art scene – or look as stupid as MADONNA.
well, who is gonna take PAGE SIX seriously about the art scene – anyways. its fun if you keep it as that, a mindless read while you slog thru breakfast. think half that stuff is “paid for” P.R. anyways – who do you think bankrolled that article. 2 guesses, maybe that last ‘profile’ ? as they say – “just asking”.
and while we’re at it: RANDY KENNEDY over at the New York Times didn’t seem that enamored of the WHITNEY BIENNIAL, either, but they hid it in the DINING SECTION !!!
(WED, MARCH 26, 2008 – PAGE F6 – ‘ART MEETS FEAST, AND FEAST STEALS THE SHOW’)
~LADY PINK |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | March 26th, 2008, 3:19am
LADY PINK / AIKO – ‘BRICK LADIES OF NYC’
OPENS To-NITE – FRIDAY – MARCH 21, 2008 – 7-10PM
the show runs: MARCH 21 – APRIL 20, 2008
AD HOC ART – 49 BOGART ST – UNIT 1G – BUZZER 22 – BROOKLYN, NY
(EAST WILLIAMSBURG INDUSTRIAL PARK)
HOURS: WED-SUN 1-8PM
see: AD HOC ART for directions, BACKGROUND INFO on the artists & advance images !!
AFTER PARTY:
featuring DJ Painted, DJ $mall change, & Doc Delay
FRIDAY, MARCH 21, 10PM – late !!
MARBLE & STONE INC – $5 suggested donation
8 INGRAHAM STREET – BROOKLYN, NY
LADY PINK, ‘QUEEN MATILDA’, 6 x 4 ft., acrylic on canvas, ($36,000)/PHOTO:COURTESY AD HOC ART
LADY PINK, ‘WHITE HEART DRIPPING’, 75 x 35 ins., acrylic on wood, ($1,000)/PHOTO COURTESY/AD HOC ART
LADY PINK, ‘HEART PORTRAIT’, 52 x 66 ins., spray enamel on canvas, ($7,600)/PHOTO COURTESY: AD HOC ART
AIKO, ‘untitled’, 37 x 22 ins., ($1,900)/PHOTO COURTESY: AD HOC ART
a card for: PMP – which runs AD HOC ART – and is also PERIPHERAL MEDIA PROJECTS – silkscreen freelance & collaboration
see: PMP
AD HOC ART
~LADY PINK & AIKO/AD HOC ART/to-nite !! |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | March 21st, 2008, 12:07pm
THIS FRIDAY, MARCH 21, 2008 – MUSIC & REVELRY BEGINS at 8 PM !!!
THE REDEMPTION CENTER – 987 PACIFIC ST. – BTWN CLASSON + GRAND – BROOKLYN !!!
and – it’s: F-R-E-E !!!!!
with hometown favorites BRIAN BELOTT & ANNIE PEARLMAN performing as PRIVATE TIME !!
see: PRIVATE TIME/myspace
and Orgy Aztec – of the – JUSTIN SAMSON/LABANNA BLY – John Connelly Presents – ‘New High In Getting Low’ – OPENING !!
see: ‘New High in Getting Low’
and . . adopted NYC hometown faves – BOBO !! from Philly !!!
see: BOBO on artlovers last Spring !!
see: BOBO/myspace
and also featuring: RAXTSFK, DJ Waste Money, and performance art by: KATE LEVANT, JACQUES VIDAL & ANAIS DALY
C or G train to CLINTON/WASHINGTON STOP is CLOSEST ROUTE
UP-DATE: MON APRIL 7, 2008
. . . hear FOXY PRODUCTION, on 27TH ST – is going to have a BOBO exhibit !! – this summer, JUNE 2008 – that should be worth seeing !!
~PRIVATE TIME, BOBO & ORGY AZTEC/to-nite !! |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | March 21st, 2008, 11:42am
GLENN O’BRIEN interviewed JEAN MICHEL BASQUIAT on his cable access TV show: TV PARTY – way back in the day (1978-1982). what a great historical archive.
OMG – Glenn was sooo cute ! He was so serious, and way way cool – and they were giving him such a hard time. First Jean Michel, (note the mohawk !!) comes down on him for not pronouncing his street tag – SAMO – right. “it’s SAME-oh !!”
and then the callers-in.
if they were guys – they just wanted to know how to get into the MUDD CLUB. if they were girls they just wanted to hook up with Glenn !! so much for art content. but give Glenn credit for trying – at least he got the goods – Jean Michel – just as his star started to really catch on fire – but before he flamed out – on tape forever – and now on YouTube.
JEAN MICHEL BASQUIAT on the left, and yep, that’s a young Glenn O’Brien on the right !!
p.s. SAMO – stood for: same old same old – shit. It was scrawled all over SOHO – big – at the time.
images/COURTESY:YouTube/GLENN O’BRIEN TV PARTY
watch the clip: here !!!
more on: TV PARTY
check out: the TV PARTY website !!
more on: GLENN O’BRIEN
see: GLENN O’BRIEN/PAUL McCARTHY/Chocolate Santa opening/NOV 15, 2007
see: GLENN O’BRIEN with WALTER ROBINSON/KOSTABI-Name That Painting-taping/OCT 13, 2006
~GLENN O’BRIEN INTERVIEWS JEAN MICHEL |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | March 15th, 2008, 11:44am
RICHARD DUPONT – ‘TERMINAL STAGE’
MARCH 14 – MAY 3, 2008
LEVER HOUSE LOBBY GALLERY – 390 PARK AVE – NY
Nine figures, ea. approx. 80 ins. tall in cast polyurethane resin
these larger than life-size free standing self-portraits – started with a full body laser scan, and then through the use of computer programming, DUPONT maneuvers the forms into surreal shapes which were then converted into a three dimensional model and cast.
ABY ROSEN, of LEVER HOUSE has indeed assembled a stunning public art piece with this show of RICHARD DUPONT’S eerie futuristic polyresin figures – presented with flair and audacity in the transparency of the building’s street level floor-to-ceiling glass walled entrance lobby.
a view inside the LEVER HOUSE LOBBY
RICHARD DUPONT, in a classic stance, with one of his sculptures at right
from left, PER SKARSTEDT, the man who made RICHARD PRINCE, and LARRY GAGOSIAN, the man who made everybody else.
on the right, BOB COLACELLO, ANDY WARHOL associate, and INTERVIEW Editor for 12 years, starting in the early 70s. with SYDIE LANSING.
GLENN O’BRIEN the newly appointed co-editorial director for Brant Publications, including INTERVIEW, where he is the new editor-in-chief, with his wife, GINA NANNI, of COMPANY AGENDA, a P.R. firm.
Glenn O’Brien was previously an editor, and (art director!) at INTERVIEW back in the day, “when he was about 24” – before the COLACELLO reign. He left to go work for ROLLING STONE, as their NY bureau chief.
PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH
see: more photos from the opening
read: about LEVER HOUSE
it has an interesting architectural history – it was the first modern structure to be built on the New York City grid.
check out: the LEVER HOUSE website !!
RICHARD DUPONT is represented by TRACY WILLIAMS LTD, New York
see: TRACY WILLIAMS LTD
~RICHARD DUPONT/LEVER HOUSE |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | March 14th, 2008, 9:52am
JOSHUA SMITH, photographed outside the gallery, on 27Th STREET, in CHELSEA, opening night, JOHN CONNELLY PRESENTS ‘A New High In Getting Low’, FEB 23, 2008
PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH
. . look closely at the photos, on the lower left hand side is a tag – DAM!
I think that street artist just got picked up by the cops. There is a street tagger’s (aka graffiti vandal) arrest written up – in today’s (MONDAY MARCH 10, 2008) – NEW YORK POST – that strangely enough refers to that tag – DAM!
in the section: ‘NYPD DAILY BLOTTER’ on Page 16 – it says:
“Police nabbed an Upper East Side graffiti vandal for spray-painting his tag name on several FDNY/NYPD call boxes, cops said yesterday.
Police spotted TAL KESTERBERG, 16, allegedly spraying his tag, “Dam” on a box at Second Avenue and East 93rd Street at 10:30 p.m. Saturday.
Kestenberg also allegedly sprayed five other boxes. He was charged with making graffiti and criminal mischief.”
wow – gotta stay off the NYPD property – !!
(foreign fans: that’s NYPD – as in – NEW YORK POLICE DEPARTMENT)
P.S. – its ironic that in the context of a show with no “singular theme except for the criteria of living and working in New York post 9/l” – a tag that expresses the situation so succinctly – as in DAM! – its hard, tough and crooked, esp if you are broke – and/or you’re young and you want to be heard – is forever linked to, or has actually become a part of that context – albeit uninvited. a kind of 100% ‘reality’ check-in by the street artists – that just was destined to be – even in the art world truth is stranger than fiction. I mean look at the tag – DAM! – it sure ain’t – AMAZE – or – even TWIST – BARRY McGEE’S street tag – from way back in the day San Francisco.
UP-DATE: TUES MARCH 11, 2008
say what ? DAM! – the governor of New York, ELIOT SPITZER just hit a ‘A New High in Getting Low’ !!! The rabidly feral gov, made his worst enemies light up – and shocked the whole town – when he was outed yesterday with a $1,000/hour high class (illicit) hooker habit !!! and supposedly he liked it down and dirty – or as has been reported in the tabloids, NEW YORK POST (again) …”she had been told (Client-9) would ask you to do things that, like, you might not think were safe, you know, I mean that, very basic things.” ‘Kristen’ responded, “I have a way of dealing wit that. I’d be like.’Listen dude, you really want the sex?”
DAM! no wonder the ‘rainbow’ neo-hippie artists and the black clad super hipster dudes are all going crazy at the same time !!!!
and yeah – the art world is way out of control here – its so shocking !! white box therapy sessions & ELLEN HARVEY portraits at the pathetic Whitney – and – young 16 yr olds wannabes spray painting, oh my god – spray painting NYPD street boxes – !! – what’s the world coming too. they probably threw him, the tagger, into the tombs too, (central booking) and I hear from other taggers that when the cops pick you up – you can get kicked to the head pretty bad – when no one is looking – the guy I heard of – needed stitches – if the other really bad dudes in central booking don’t eat you up alive, later. and don’t be carrying a pocket knife in the subways, esp in Queens – young white males – though god knows if you think you need one – you probably do!! – you get thrown into the holding cells for 2 days and 3 nights – with the very teen wolf packs – you were needing to defend yourself against, except you are locked inside, with no way out !!! and the cops ain’t gonna be on your side – they are laughing all the way to the bank – on overtime double time hi-risk security details, hey Rudy G knows about those too. and guarding street boxes, of course.
UP-DATE: MON APRIL 7, 2008
regarding SPITZER’S successor, the very cheesy new Gov DAVID PATERSON, personally – I think getting blow jobs from the highly paid ($150,000/yr) “aides” in your office, who depend on you – for their job – and greet your wife with a big lying smile when she comes to official functions – is way worse than paying a professional whore – at least SPITZER kept his dick out of the workplace, beyond office politics and, out of his wife’s face. CHRISTIE BRINKLEY set the bar – when she kicked her hubby to the curb – for banging a young slut and installing her in his office, and on payroll. and, for what its worth I’d rather have a smart ass in the governor’s office – than a nitwit. politically its scary – in New York right now – everyone is just keeping their eyes to the ground – no one wants to look up. its too scary. but the taggers are almost eradicated, there is whole elite unit dedicated to chasing them and according to iO, over at OVERSPRAY MAGAZINE – the unit is actually composed of former taggers – no fair !!
NYC 2008 – the politics are WAY dirty – but at least the city utility boxes are clean.
UP-DATE: WED APRIL 9, 2008
how dirty get this: self-proclaimed reformer CHRISTINE QUINN – the so-called “MISS TRANSPARENCY” & NEW SPEAKER OF THE NEW YORK CITY COUNCIL – has been caught with her pants down too – ok, not her pants – just her bullshit. seems like she’s (oh, it’s her aides excuse moi – bottom line: same diff) stuffing millions of tax payer city budget dollars into fake ‘holding’ grants for agencies that don’t even exist, (and with such fancy imaginary names – they actually scored press notice for their inventiveness and poetic ring !!). and guess where the huge lion’s share of this hidden public wealth – earmarked to benefit the community – and usually that means the down and outers !! – ended up – no surprise – I’m sure to many art world downtown denizens worth big bucks – and chic often, HOLLYWOOD – cache – well, on the CHELSEA HIGH LINE PROJECT, duh – which just happens to be in her own jurisdiction. surprise surprise. like they say: money goes to money.
and talk about throwing money away, or at least into a never ending money pit – -ok. its a gorgeous concept, but have you ever walked under it? – its a rotting pile of fragile degraded metal – looking even more fragile, and about to come down any minute, increasing proportionately to the amount of work being done on it – they work here – it sags (seriously) there, and not just sags – nobody local walks under it – even the hard hats working on it – wouldn’t be caught dead walking under it – and if you manage to make eye contact with them – they actually roll their eyes upward – be better to take the whole thing and put a plastic/resin bridge/garden support, get JEFF KOONS, to design it, or OLAFUR ELIASSON !! – but who am I – Wendy Williams ?
as for how GOV PATTERSON is doing – how’s this: you know all those bright dynamic Lower East Side and Harlem and BROOKLYN and BRONX city kids – who get dead ended in our city schools – and at 14, chase Chinese graduate students into traffic, where they get hit & die – as way to show off to their friends and neighbors – well here’s why. ..in “another blow to Mayor BLOOMBERG” and City Schools Chancellor JOEL KLEIN, the Albany legislators PATTERSON now leads, made it easier for teachers to get tenure – ya’ll know what we’re talkin’ bout – 100% paid salaries with benefits – for the rest of your life – no matter how bad and boring you are , or burn -out & become. check out Manhattan’s Laguardia High School – last time I was in there – there were some ripe examples – in the English Dept – anybody wanna guess – or he is already gone? – of tenure gone wrong – this guy was downright demented, and they’re still standing in front of a class of the city’s best and brightest – and collecting full salary.
so back to tenure – get this – the agreed upon revisions – sought by teacher unions – duh – “will prohibit school districts from denying or granting tenure based on criteria like student test scores. and we wonder why people think artists are so whacked-out. any successful artist has to be so together and work so hard – to get (basically) nowhere – that this looks like the biggest joke ever. I mean come on guys. you make the grade – you produce kids with skills – or you get lost – yada yada – read a little further and you find out: surprise surprise – Gov Patterson’s dad !!! Basil, is a lawyer representing the teachers union – !! – and, the teachers union spent nearly $2.5 million, $2.5 million – on lobbying – gave more than $714,000 to political parties and, allegedly threatened political retribution in the form of public criticism and the withholding of public political endorsements – if their tenure bill didn’t pass. spanking clean tag free NY Fuc*ing city!!
(factual stats from today’s article – APRIL 9, 2008 – NEW YORK POST – titled: “Mike loses teacher-tenure fight” by KENNETH LOVETT – the political pages are now – more fun than PAGE SIX.
not so much fun:
I just read about young USA NAVY SEALS of 19 – who should be throwing footballs – throwing themselves to death – on grenades – to save their buddies – on BAGDHAD rooftops – and it makes me want to puke.
RED ROVER, RED ROVER. let Wendy come over. as in – Wendy Williams, who seriously is so much smarter & sharper – than all of those guys in gov’t – put together.
the first time I ever happened on Wendy Williams, at the extreme right of your NYC radio dial – she was saying how dumb the US army guys were – years ago – re: IRAQ – that obviously it was a big death trap – another manipulatively brilliant move – to suck the life out of us. doesn’t the US ever get it – re: KILLING FIELDS – don’t send the boys in – just the electronics.
JCP/A New High In Getting Low
~DAM! caught/with JOSHUA SMITH |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | March 10th, 2008, 12:50pm
NOLAN SIMON, attends the DANIEL REICH SOIREE for SEAN RASPET, at the CHELSEA HOTEL, MARCH 7, 2008
PHOTO: NANCY SMITH
NOLAN SIMON actually has work in the JOHN CONNELLY PRESENTS exhibit – ‘A New High In Getting Low’ profiled in the previous post.
NOLAN SIMON’S 2 pieces are in the center towards the left. One, titled, ‘2001, Hatred of Capitalism, Dating Handbook’, 2008 – comprises of the two posters on the wall – with each portraying one black twin tower. The other piece is directly underneath, on the floor – a DVD Monitor (looks like a TV), with a DVD and a wool blanket, titled, ‘Leviathan’ 2008. ‘A New High In Getting Low’/INSTALLATION PHOTO COURTESY: JOHN CONNELLY PRESENTS
We caught up with Nolan Simon at the DANIEL REICH/Chelsea Hotel event this past Friday evening, and we had an interesting talk with him and a few of his friends. The NEW YORK TIMES Review of the JCP show – ‘A New High In Getting Low’ – had just come out that day, and they all seemed to be seriously buzzed about one phrase in the KAREN ROSENBERG review . . .
“A few paintings stand out from the glut of appropriation, assemblage and mixed media-works.”
They thought that, that was pretty funny – and pretty dead wrong !!! if not completely laughable – totally missing the point of the show & therefore completely alienating a big ‘drift’ among a certain – very intense group of serious young art makers – usually with serious graduate degrees under their belts, and serious intellectual artistic aspirations in their heads. .
(and usually dressed all in black, or at least in a serious young professional clean-cut sort-of-tailoring attire – with a very cool demeanor and style – but definitely not “too cool for school” – we’re not naming names here !!) Just very intense, very intellectual, usually thematically driven.
(as opposed to, let’s say for the sake of brevity and our international audience – the other art ‘camp’ – favoring dramatic or handmade costume/attire – someone like a JOE GRILLO (DEARRAINDROP) or a BRIAN CHIPPENDALE – equally intense, equally serious, and accomplished – but much more colorful in dress and personality. simple rule of thumb: artists that don’t appropriate – and generate original creative visual art favor expressive clothing with handmade accents – serious young creative visual thinkers – that do favor appropriation – seem to wear all black. the 2 groups are like polar opposites – water and oil – and, they never ever cross-over – someone should curate a show: 50-50 !! along the lines of Gavin Brown’s famous ‘Stoners vs.
Chuggers’ or whatever it was called – except it would have to called something more like: Right Hand Side of the Brain vs. Left Hand Side – / – hippies vs. hipsters !! that centuries old yin yang concept seems pretty durable – even today – in cutting edge NYC.
but yo! – this is New York Fu*king City – and that’s what makes this the hugest & most dynamic art center – in the world – that it is so huge and so diverse and wave after wave of young artists from different generations, even within the same schools – (JOE GRILLO & BRIAN CHIPPENNDALE both sprung from RISD – as did, SEAN RASPET) – land here and want to tear up the town and make it their own. A generation can be defined by single year here in the Big Apple art scene.
anyways, back to the Chelsea hotel – they were having a great laugh at the phrase: “glut of appropriation” – they were like: “right on appropriation – let’s do more !!”, and I have to say in this case I think they are right.
Several reasons come to mind, but I’ll stick to the main issues, as demonstrated in the JCP show.
ONE. these artists always make it very clear that they are appropriating. Unlike RICHARD PRINCE’S full frontal appropriation of – the JIM KRANTZ MARLBORO COWBOY series – they usually present the appropriated images – as a part of a greater whole, of their creative expression. Usually by incorporating the ‘lifted’ cultural images in: A) in a ‘sculpturalized’ format – simple example: SCOTT HUG’S ‘JFK’ (see previous post) or B) as part of a large thematic installation (see SEAN RASPET’S ‘The Ones We Work For’).
NOLA SIMON’S pieces, above, fall kind of within both definitions, sculpturual in terms of ‘posters’ with ‘2 paperback books’ and a monitor on the floor – really a min-installation – within a greater installation – which would be the show itself as a whole – tethered to a thematic discourse (NYC after 9/11).
TWO. well really, maybe you had to be at the opening – thoguh I don’t think so – but the graphic appropriated art, assemblages and mixed media pieces were the heart of the show – and note: without any reliance on text or long written descriptions. They were extremely effective and very very visual, each artist really took appropriation, or mixed media, or assemblage and really made it their own original creative statement. just check out the photos in previous post. I think it was nice the curators included some painting, but they certainly couldn’t have made the show on their own – in the very least. If you want to go see painting – go check out JOE BRADLEY’S paintings in the Biennial.
if you want to see ‘conceptual art’ – from what I’m hearing – even the Biennial is soaked with it – it seems to be pretty mid-level, and laughable – and that’s being polite. The JCP show ‘A New High In Getting Low’ – is the – real deal alternative. smarter and edgier.
two final remarks:
it was interesting to hear Nolan Simon refer to JEFF KOONS’ early work – the appropriated pieces he did – before he started acquiring copyright lawsuits – as his best pieces. but that’s a whole other story – as being a photographer, I’m pretty much behind copyright laws, but being a documentary photographer – crossing the line is hard to define – and what’s more, in this case, I agree with him.
and re: the actual exhibit at hand, SEAN RASPET’S ‘The Generation’ – for some reason – I didn’t feel like taking any photos. the actual images were black and white and not really that noteworthy – the heavy-duty theme, VALERIE SOLANAS’ MANIFESTO – notwithstanding. The best part of the show was how they were arranged with push pins – a little hastily – onto the silver mylar covered walls. a picture would have be worth a thousand words.
~APPROPRIATION GLUT !! RIGHT ON !!/NOLAN SIMON |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | March 10th, 2008, 10:09am
‘A New High in Getting Low (NYC)’
FEBRUARY 23 – MARCH 29, 2008
JOHN CONNELLY PRESENTS – 625 W27TH STREET – CHELSEA – NYC
This big group survey show – also scored a write-up in last Friday’s NEW YORK TIMES – MARCH 7, 2008 (by KAREN ROSENBERG). It’s the NYC expanded version of the original presentation. which took place at the Berlin GERMANY gallery – Artnews Projects, last OCTOBER 2007.
MS. ROSENBERG wrote: “Art made in New York since 9/11 is the theme, or rather the mood, of this 36-artist group show… With oblique references to the economy and to drug culture, the title suggests a citywide diagnosis of post-traumatic stress or even a kind of manic depression.”
artlovers was at the opening, alerted to the show by JEFFREY TRANCHELL, who had several friends in the show. here’s a bunch of pix from the opening, which took place on FEB 23, 2008.
JOHN CONNELLY
ELI SUDBRACK aka ASSUME VIVID ASTRO FOCUS
(that’s gallerist JACK HANLEY behind him, at left of photo.)
ASSUME VIVID ASTRO FOCUS, ‘hands’, 2007, hi-fi print & sequins, 50 x31.6 ins., edition 1 of 3 AP1
detail, ASSUME VIVID ASTRO FOCUS, ‘hands’
SCOTT HUG – always to be counted on – to have focused & twisty, most often politically pointed, work in any show he’s in . . .
outdid himself, with this subtle, yet deeply provocative piece. MS. ROSENBERG was struck by it too, she wrote . . “Resurrected Pop describes the work (of Tom Burr…), and that of Scott Hug, whose ‘JFK’ (2007) pairs a black mirror with a photograph of President Kennedy in dark shades. One is celebratory (Tom Burr), the other mournful; both feel current.”
SCOTT HUG, ‘JFK’, 2007, black mirror, digital print on canvas, custom frame, diptych, each: 15-1/4 x 11-3/4 x 1-3/4 ins.
TOM BURR, ‘Slacks’, 2008, wood, magazine pages, book pages, thumb tacks, gold mirrored plexi – also scored a mention in the NEW YORK TIMES as . . “celebratory” & “current”.
JOSHUA SMITH – with a piece many were talking about at the opening – as being the metaphorical and tangible cornerstone of the show.
a view of JOSHUA SMITH’S ‘Untitled’, 2008 – an Eliptical trainer coated in black enamel paint.
detail, JOSHUA SMITH, black enamel painted Eliptical trainer.
our very fave piece, among many faves !! in the whole show – so cool. a hanging light !!!
BRIAN CLIFTON, ‘I want to believe in something. My stepfather recently passed away. NFS. “Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind.” Self-stylization distorts a genuine personality. Feeling openly influenced by someone, and this being a sign of love. February 2008. My sense of self as formless and relative. Compassion. I enjoy nice lighting’, 2008 – hanging light, Dimensions variable.
MICHAEL PHELAN, ‘Tomorrow’s a new day…’, 2008, (black) Glass rocks on the floor
A. L. STEINER, ‘Surviving is criminal, modernity is pornographic’, 2008, 4 digital c-prints, various dimensions
detail, A.L. STEINER, ‘Surviving is criminal, modernity is pornographic’.
another MICHAEL PHELAN piece, ‘Crazy Time’, ‘How Can I Help?’, and ‘Hi Bob?’, – all images 2008, ea. 30 x 22 ins., edition 2 of 10
frame from: SAM GORDON, ’24 HOURS In NEW YORK (The Lost Kinetic World, Volumes 1-12), 2005-7, i-Pod, cord, set of 12 dvds; index and text, edition 2 of 7
PETER COFFIN had work in the show – he also has a solo showing coming up, in fact opening MARCH 22, 2008, at ANDREW KREPS.
TRAVIS BOYER and A.K. BURNS. Travis had work in the show.
LISA KIRK, said to have helped organize the show, also had work in the show – she’s clutching her ‘bumper sticker’ – ‘I LOVE GLOBAL WARMING’
at right, JUSTIN SAMSON. he had an installation of several components, which were assemblages and sculptural and very tribal in feel. they were brought to life on opening night by a (tribal) performance by LABANNA BLY
JUSTIN SAMSON, the opening night live performance, intertwined into his sculptures – just beginning to take off.
a better view of the JUSTIN SAMSON installation.
detail, JUSTIN SAMSON, ‘Hall of Loss drummer’, 2008
JUSTIN SAMSON – ‘Pre-atlantian Ritualistic Artifacts’, 2008
JUSTIN SAMSON + LABANNA BLY – detail of the opening night performance
LABANNA BLY – she made her – ‘pre-Atlantian’ – voice changer mask
KRISTIE BROWN and GENEVIEVE KANMEL. KRISTIE and GENEVIEVE with LABANNA BLY, are the core members of an all-girl music collective – ORGY AZTEC !!
gallery goers at the opening were encouraged to join in – this is Angie.
JUSTIN SAMSON and LABANNA BLY.
PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH
see: gallery installation shots/JCP
JOHN CONNELLY PRESENTS
~JCP/A New High in Getting Low |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | March 9th, 2008, 5:19pm
