NEW YORK ARTISTS – ON THE MOVE
& relevant.
HEADS UP !!
these (very) limited edition prints become available . . on the 30th of August 2019.
Distassi Art Presents: 2 Al Diaz Limited Edition Prints . . .
‘Tolerate Civilization’ & ‘Because War is just a 3 Lettered Word’
“With a . . career that spans 5 decades, this first generation NYC subway graffiti artist is bringing his poignant works to London.
Distassi Art is proud to announce 2 very limited edition / prints marking Diaz’s . . debut transatlantic partnership.
‘Tolerate Civilization’ . . sees the New Yorker explore notions of society, with various historical references.
‘Because War is just a 3 Lettered Word’ . . sets military imagery against blooming flowers.
Both pieces contain WET PAINT lettering / i.e. slicing out individual letters & then reassembling them to form socially-charged messages, and SAMO tags.”
these carefully crafted editions will be printed by . . House of Roulx.
~Distassi Press Release
set to sell . . . at 425 GBP / $521.84 USD, the prints will be available via Distassi Art’s ‘Spotlight’ online / portal,
and will be sold exclusively – through this London-based dealer.
~ sized at 18 x 24 in., the prints include a small white border for easy framing.
~ printed on premium Hahanemuhle William Turner matte fine art paper, 310 GSM, they are flat sheets – not off a roll.
~ they are hand-cut, with hand-deckled edges, and are hand-varnished twice post-print.
~ they are printed with archival pigment in the US.
~ this is a limited edition print run of 20 pieces each.
~ an artist proof is also available (600 GBP / $736.71 USD).
see: Distassi Art
see: AL DIAZ – SAMO / Distassi Art
see: SAMO / BASQUIAT & AL DIAZ .. Wikipedia & A GREAT READ !!
see: Al Diaz – artist website
a few golden nuggets from the above resources:
~ AL DIAZ was tagging trains of the New York subway, in the 70s – aged 12, as ‘Bomb-One.’
~ in the years between 1977-79, Al and his high school buddy, Jean-Michel Basquiat, were covering the walls of Lower Manhattan with: SAMO.
so, go back & read those links / they are super fun,
and informative. these 2 kids blew-up the art scene, single-handedly.
it was quite the rebel / collaborative . . moment.
AL DIAZ . . signing the limited edition Distassi print:
‘Because War is just a 3 Lettered Word’.
image via Instagram @albert_diaz
AL DIAZ . . ‘Because War is just a 3 Lettered Word’ / Distassi Art
image courtesy & copyright of . . Distassi Art
AL DIAZ . . signing the limited edition Distassi print:
‘Tolerate Civilization’.
image via Instagram @albert.diaz
AL DIAZ, ‘Tolerate Civilization’ / Distassi Art
image courtesy & copyright of . . Distassi Art
~AL DIAZ . . LONDON |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | August 25th, 2019, 10:17am
NEW YORK ARTISTS – ON THE MOVE
HALEY JOSEPHS . . is in this summer’s August residency, at The Macedonia Institute,
located upstate in beautiful, rural . . Chatham NY 12037.
their artist-in-residence program provides housing and studio space for 1 month.
see: The Macedonia Institute
see: Haley Josephs – artist website
HALEY JOSEPHS . . new work / The Macedonia Institute
image via Instagram @haley.josephs
image via The Macedonia Institute / mobile device
~HALEY JOSEPHS . . CHATHAM, NY |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | August 24th, 2019, 9:34am
NEW YORK ARTISTS – ON THE MOVE
HALEY JOSEPHS had new works in a group show, this summer in SHANGHAI !!
‘Right Behind Your Eyes’
curated by SARAH FAUX
June 29 – Aug 15, 2019
Capsule Shanghai Art Gallery, First Floor, Building 16, Anfu Lu 275 Nong, Shanghai, China
see: ‘Right Behind Your Eyes’ / Capsule Gallery
see: CAPSULE SHANGHAI
see: HALEY JOSEPHS – ARTIST WEBSITE
HALEY JOSEPHS, ‘Spiral Bubble’
oil on canvas / 16 x 20 in.
image via Instagram @haley.josephs
~HALEY JOSEPHS . . CHINA |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | August 23rd, 2019, 10:35am
NEW YORK ARTISTS – ON THE MOVE
subtext: Industrial
LIZZIE WRIGHT HAS WORK . . in:
‘Now that I’m a woman, everything is strange’
opening Sat Sept 14 / 6 – 9 PM
and running thru . . OCT 6, 2019.
Good Children Gallery, 4037 St. Claude Ave., New Orleans, LA 70117
Good Children Gallery . . “is a pioneer artist-run space in the St. Claude Arts District,
aimed at enhancing the cultural landscape of New Orleans. The space serves as a bellwether for artistic endeavors by exhibiting engaging work form local, national, and international artists.”
~Good Children gallery: about
see: Good Children Gallery
see: LIZZIE WRIGHT – ARTIST WEBSITE
curated by JESSICA BIZER, ‘Now that I’m a woman …’,
“is an immersive mixed media exhibition inspired by song lyrics from the film ‘The Last Unicorn’.
Channeling the idea of the “witchy woman”, the show explores fluidity and shape-shifting as sources for feminine power.” ~Good Children Gallery
all images via Instagram @lizziewright
LIZZIE WRIGHT . . . ‘Shoe Box’, 2019.
converted salt lamp, plaster cast Adidas, dyed faux fur, painted plexi,
aluminum, and plywood / secret dimensions.
~LIZZIE WRIGHT . . NEW ORLEANS |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | August 22nd, 2019, 9:50am
HUDSON VALLEY / NEW YORK ARTISTS – ON THE MOVE
NICK PAYNE . . showing in a 3 person show at HARPY !!
opening tomorrow evening / SAT AUG 17th / 6 – 9 PM
“Quick train ride from NYC.”
‘TREVOR BAIRD, ANDREA LUKIC, NICK PAYNE’
AUG 17 – SEPT 14, 2019
HARPY, 92 Park Ave #2, Rutherford, New Jersey 07070
see: HARPY ABOUT for hours & travel directions
see: HARPY GALLERY
“the objective is to bring something different to Rutherford and the surrounding areas of New Jersey.”
see: NICK PAYNE – ARTIST WEBSITE
NICK PAYNE . . ‘I’ve always wanted to go up to a total stranger and …..’, 2019.
watercolor & pencil on paper / 18 x 24 in.
($1,750.)
image via Instagram @senyor_amigo
BTW: HARPY – GREAT LOGO !! GREAT NAME !! QUITE THE – FLAME !!
~NICK PAYNE . . NEW JERSEY |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | August 16th, 2019, 6:01pm
NEW YORK ARTISTS – ON THE MOVE
R. BLAIR SULLIVAN is moving to . . REYKJAVIK, ICELAND, in the fall, 2019.
NYC STUDIO VISIT – MAY 11, 2019.
luckily I was able to catch him in his studio recently: Sat May 11, 2019.
the studio is small, compact . . but holds a lot / both storage, ‘forage’, supplies, computer, works in progress, & works complete, and on exhibit.
the space is located under the Essex Flowers storefront gallery, 19 Monroe St, Chinatown, Two Bridges / Lower East Side / Manhattan, NYC.
even though it’s sub-level, it had natural light coming from windows facing a tiny, mostly ventilation / inner ‘courtyard’, which made it feel fresh, and filled with agreeable light, both natural and man-made.
the lighting was important – because the works were subtle in surface, details, material and . . shape.
hand-sculpted, they were almost: bones.
this head (phone) . . of ‘hands’– was one of several that referenced / or were of a series of similar 3-D sculptures made from ‘cold porcelain’ / just like the ‘wishbone’ sharing hands, ‘Holding (First Position)’, 2018 . . featured in the post below – covering his participation in ‘Stream 5: Give and Take’, a Two Chairs curatorial presentation / alongside a rural stream, in Vermont.
Cold Porcelain . . “is an inexpensive, non-toxic, easy-to-work material, which despite is name, is not porcelain (clay).
its main components being cornstarch and white glue.” (the web)
and, they do project a mysterious smooth, strong but fragile appearing surface – very fluid, yet rigid. totally in tune with that specific DIY medium.
like I said, very human bone-like.
while many other pieces were fashioned simply from ‘foraged’ computer screen filters, on the right; and some were a combo – the middle. no matter, all things R. Blair Sullivan: light, light-handed . .
and somehow: historical ?
black line drawing, detail.
R. Blair Sullivan: wishbone . . legs.
obviously, very radical & contemporary / yet feeling ‘ancient’ ?
maybe, because bare bones – are associated with . . archaeologist ‘digs’ ?
the works are kind of a cross between ‘craft’ and DIY . . vs. pure concept.
the impression I got was more concept – than craft.
the skills, though flawless, fluid, were subservient.
it was visual ‘poetry’ . . . over ‘function’.
another – combo.
a small mirror-like . . inner (/) landscape ?
other pieces were . . waver-y !! reflective, and optical.
made from old TV or computer monitor screens / which he forages off the streets.
well, if waver-y, isn’t a word, it should be.
a more typical . . found artist / ‘metal’ sculptural forage, with some kind of very unusual, scientific ‘light show’ / going on behind the ‘scenes’.
I didn’t even want to ask – what it was. how it worked. though, now I notice a wire of some kind, hanging from it. the pure mystery was – astounding. gorgeous. kinetic. magical.
a kind of . . animated ‘sunset – in a ‘snow-globe’.
Northern Lights, anybody ?
note: re the wire . . .
there are a small set of LED lights inside the sculpture, to illuminate the ‘content’.
this had depth. solidity, weight. and, yet . . what was going on – inside.
very scientific / amoeba-like, when you looked deeper. a sense of both ‘found’ ‘assemblage’, and folk art . . DNA ?
as if people, could do . . DNA – DIY !!
are these pieces, light boxes ?
LED lights.
this one definitely skews . . folk art, and history. and DIY.
that’s an old vintage ‘popcorn’ quilt, puffing around / and, an Appalachian folk art, shrunken dried & carved – apple head !!
btw: the teeth . . are fashioned from white Sculpy / polymer clay.
Blair, or Ryan as his friends call him . . told me, he made the carved apple head himself.
it is a traditional North American, mostly Appalachian folk art / made from dried apples, sometimes called shrunken heads. they were commonly used as DIY doll heads.
the apple is peeled, then carved, then dunked in lemon juice & water, to keep it from turning yellow / then dried.
often put on the top of a stick. then clothed, I guess.
the Seneca Indians were the first American peoples to make these dolls, they went on to become popular with the ‘whittlers’ of the Appalachian Blue Ridge mountains. (the web)
this plexi-case, holds an actual, cloth-based DIY doll family / folk art, he picked up in . . Ohio.
I believe that’s where he grew up.
note: Ryan is from . . Lancaster, Ohio.
so that’s his Chinese-influenced, landscape brushwork watercolor in the background, and a close-up of the precious, hand-made ragged doll family. the branch, is a piece of ‘bark engrabed naturally, ot organically by beetle egg pathways, which he found on Etsy !!
a note from Ryan:
“the ‘Chinese’ landscape, as you call it, was done in collaboration with my, at the time, 3 year old daughter. The dolls are ‘worry dolls’, and it’s called ‘Family’.”
lovely.
R. Blair Sullivan . . also has a series of lenticular candles . . happening.
as well as, a whole pile of DIY (?) candles – in flame / black & white primitive – photos.
note: the ‘Candle Flames’ . . .
“are called ‘chemigrams’. No camera and no darkroom. They are basically paintings done on on photo paper with photo chemistry. The interesting thing about the candle flames in particular however, is that it’s all done with black-and-white chemistry and because I did the process in reverse, I got color out of it – which was a surprise to me.”
~R. BLAIR SULLIVAN
does he hand color . . the flames ?
it’s kind of a zen situation, even though the artist in there with you, you don’t want to break the poetry, by asking . . too many questions.
note: the ‘Candle Flames’ . . .
“are called ‘chemigrams’. No camera and no darkroom. They are basically paintings done on on photo paper with photo chemistry. The interesting thing about the candle flames in particular however, is that it’s all done with black-and-white chemistry and because I did the process in reverse, I got color out of it – which was a surprise to me.”
~R. BLAIR SULLIVAN
R. BLAIR SULLIVAN, for whatever reasons, Iceland . . calls.
life is, is, is . . . a mystery, or so they say !!
yet, sometimes as it plays out, it definite feels like, as if it fulfills . . a destiny.
Mr. R. Blair Sullivan . . . .
Mr. Snowdrop / Mr. Flame / Mr. Cold / Mr. Folk art / Mr. Waverl-y / Mr. Innovator / optical scientist.
Mr. Forager !!
Happy Trails !! in Iceland . . land of snow, and winter folk / and folk tales / told around the fire.
see: R. BLAIR SULLIVAN – ARTIST PORTFOLIO WEBSITE
PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH
~R. BLAIR SULLIVAN . . ICELAND |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | August 14th, 2019, 3:39pm
NEW YORK ARTISTS – ON THE MOVE
BENEVOLENCE – OVER VIOLENCE !! !! !! !!
R. BLAIR SULLIVAN – IN VERMONT, THE BEAUTIFUL GREEN MOUNTAIN STATE.
& if bye any chance . . you knew, or heard of Goddard College / located in Plainfield, Vermont. .
back in the 70s, then you know I went there, and never really – came back.
it was the first open curriculum classroom college, ever . . .
I was in the pottery studio hand-building 24/7.
The Who – ‘Magic Bus’ was the song we lived by.
there was a lot of folk art study, primal woodblock printing, new age weaving and radical architecture DIY & salvage among others / lots of wood, windows, and not too many square corners.
Baba Ram Dass caravans to San Francisco – left from the school’s sunny meadows, which were wild-flowered and wild, as we all were – on their journey west / and it was of course, the original home to the now famous, Bread & Puppet Theater.
I was the one & only exchange student from Montreal (!!) (global), & therefore attended tuition-free (!!) (benevolent). the irony, maybe not / being it was the most expensive school in the U.S. at the time.
it was so, so . . the best & strangest year of my life. it was hard to leave.
Quebec was very conflicted, and language rights fascist at the time.
‘STREAM 5: GIVE and TAKE’ . . . with:
Xinhao Cheng, Wallis Couverte, Juneau Projects, Gwen Smith, Haim Steinbach, R. Blair Sullivan, Tomoe Tsutsmi, & Mans Wrange.
Two Chairs, AUG 10-11, 2019 / 12-5 PM
South Windham, Vermont 05359
TWO CHAIRS . . is a “curatorial enterprise made up of artists, curators, and thinkers. This year Two Chairs is expanding its program during August by combining its annual group exhibition in and around a stream in South Windham, Vermont entitled ‘Stream Chapter 5: Give & Take’ . . with an artist residency in collaboration with Meadows Bee Farm that will take place concurrently. We propose . . to create an event that reaches out to an even larger audience – local, national and international. For several years, we have curated group exhibitions that have primarily investigated the effects of human activity on the natural environment. This year our project will include a range of artists who work in a more participatory manner by exploring ideas of benevolence, sharing and care both locally, and globally.”
see: STREAM CHAPTER 5 – TWO CHAIRS / KICKSTARTER
TWO CHAIRS . . “since 2014, Two Chairs has produced multiple projects that stage dynamic associations between artists and unexpected sites – including a stream in Vermont, St.Mark’s Bookstore in NYC, and a Manhattan living room in an old-school Yorkville apartment.”
see: About / 2 Chairs
see: 2 Chairs / 2chairs.org
note: Two Chairs is NYC-based.
see: R. BLAIR SULLIVAN – ARTIST PORTFOLIO WEBSITE
image via Instagram @3ifocal / R. Blair Sullivan
Ryan will be showing this piece, quelle beaut !!
R. Blair Sullivan . . ‘Holding (First Position)’, 2018
cold porcelain with spirulina / 13 x 7 x 2 in.
it’s hand-sculpted & the spirulina – is mixed into the clay. think – on that.
spirulina: filamentous cyanobacteria which form tangled masses in warm alkaline lakes in Africa and Central and South America / prepared as a food or food additive / powder / is a rich source of many vitamins and minerals. . . . “It is incredibly healthy.” “It increases energy levels.”
but . . watch out for contaminated strands, “if grown in unsafe conditions”, i.e. alongside some bad character toxic algae.
bio fact: applies to all life forms, apparently.
source: the web at a quick glance.
the Two Chairs logo – very cool.
~R. BLAIR SULLIVAN . . VERMONT |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | August 9th, 2019, 1:42pm
NEW YORK ARTISTS – ON THE MOVE
the ‘Olde Man’ . . goes to China !!
but, does everybody know: RUFUS TUREEN has taken his performance / art – to China ?
who knew . . downtown, indie gallery underground performance art – riffing off vintage French royals, with a good dose of (French) impressionist brush work, (French) pantomime, and huge curly (French) powder white wigs, would have art world ‘legs’ . . let alone travel ?!!
& to . . China !!!!!!
that’s like – totally around the world / map-wise & culturally.
if you happen to be in Ningbo, Shanghai, China – you can still catch the show, it’s up thru AUG 31.
LL Art Project, Ningbo, Shanghai . . presents:
‘Am I Who I Was’ – Rufus Tureen
July 21 – Aug 31, 2019
all 3 images above: via Instagram @rufustureen
RUFUS TUREEN, just before an ‘Olde Man’ performance.
Essex Flowers, NYC / Nov 3, 2018
PHOTO: NANCY SMITH / artloversnewyork
MOST !! DEF !! . . check-out: RUFUS TUREEN, ‘OLDE MAN’ – BEST of 2018 / artloversnewyork
***** WITH LOTS of PIX, PIX & MORE (MAGICAL) PIX – of the art & the ‘transformative’ / ‘interactive’ performance !!!!!!!! *****
YES. check out that . . link.
NYC taking over the world, and this is – why.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
~RUFUS TUREEN . . CHINA |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | August 7th, 2019, 10:08am
NEW YORK ARTISTS – ON THE MOVE
well, everybody knows KAWS went to Japan.
what’s amazing . . is:
1. what a ‘cult’ hero’s welcome KAWS got over there.
BRIAN DONNELLY actually showed up, (or had to) in person to camp / more like tent,
with the lucky ones who won tix to pitch cookie-cutter style tents & roast marshmallows in tiny identical bonfires . . around ‘Companion’, as if the blown-up sculpture was . . a water fall ?
well, come on, the view of Mt Fuji – is amazing.
the great HOKUSAI – is probably rollin’ his eyes, from the grave !!
but it’s so damn so flat plastic graphic, he’d love it.
2. the cross transfer of this solitary, angst-ridden lonely figure going over, so huge in Japan, esp among the leading edge designers, while Hello Kitty cousins, aunts & uncles, rainbow unicorn ponies, powder puffy girlies, anime sailor cuties, and glitter-trippy mushrooms of all sizes . . have fractured into a gazillion million cultural take-over pieces, esp among the youngest here ?
I mean, the KAWS . . ‘Companion’ Macy’s Thanksgiving Day balloon, was only shown / flown . . once, in 2012, the year it was made made, and presented with great fanfare, btw.
it was a big fail / ‘too negative’, lol.
there’s d-e-f-i-n-i-t-e-l-y a cultural ‘thesis’, waiting to be written – there.
bet, NARA . . is bawling his brains out – with jealousy.
*NARA as in one-word name, (you know – like Madonna),
doesn’t even google anymore – without his full moniker: Yoshitoma Nara.
Nara was pumped up to be a big art star in the 80s.
how the once mighty – fall.
ditto: Murakami.
like I said: waiting for the grand thesis / that I don’t have the patience to do in full.
writing a blog ? / stuck in the fast lane.
and, yet maybe that’s all you need / the heads-up.
Image via Instagram @kaws #repost @arr.allrightsreserved #KAWSHOLIDAY
~KAWS . . JAPAN |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | August 7th, 2019, 9:37am
HUDSON VALLEY / NEW YORK ARTISTS – ON THE MOVE
DANIEL GIORDANO – ‘Even Cowboys Get Caught in the Rain’
OPENS . . THURS JULY 25 / 6 – 9 PM
the show runs thru . . AUG 31, 2019
WAAP / WIL ABALLE ART PROJECTS, 1129 EAST HASTINGS St., VANCOUVER, B.C., CANADA V6A 1S3
HRS: TUES-SAT / 12PM – 5PM
see more: DANIEL GIORDANO – ‘EVEN COWBOYS’ / WAAP
see: DANIEL GIORDANO – ARTIST WEBSITE
DANIEL GIORDANO, ‘Cyrano & Prayer Hands II’, 2018.
Ink, watercolor, and correctional fluid on paper / 11 x 14 in.
($1,000. CDN)
image via Instagram @danieljgiordano
invite via Instagram @waapart
DANIEL GIORDANO . . hanging the show, yesterday.
the opening is . . to-nite !!!
image via Instagram @waapart
DANIEL GIORDANO, small smoky-light pink colored light bulb, wooden pipe with even smokier, sensual glass form / 3-D sculpture.
can’t decide if its more symbolism . . than diy / def, leaning in with . . the sensual.
ok, yeah. more symbolism – than DIY !!
IMAGE VIA INSTAGRAM @waapart
~DANIEL GIORDANO . . VANCOUVER |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | July 25th, 2019, 1:01pm
