subtext: CRAFT
arts & crafts, NOT.
sales & craft . . YES.
the line between ‘arts’, vs. ‘crafts’ – has basically disappeared, or become very very thin.
too skinny to notice.
I mean, maybe the color theorists like Barnett Newman, or drip painters such Jackson Pollock are under the line.
but today, that line is not – an enemy camp.
it’s not so much about theory so much anymore, as it is about: craft, skills. legacy / ingenuity. authenticity.
though it’s always about . . creativity, expression, and soul.
though it’s funny to realize, that while this generation cannot afford the huge canvases of the Pollock gen /
it’s like they have instead . . ‘fractured’ into a million smaller pieces.
Artist-made DIY & CRAFT, such SILK SCREEN PRINTS on any kind of fashion, you name it: dresses, caps, T-SHIRTS, & all kinds of textiles, incl. beach towels (Selenasmountain), and shower curtains (Home Edition at ESSEX FLOWERS), have all been exhibited in cutting edge galleries.
not to forget xerox, digital & even letter press . . self-published paper print editions, & ZINES . . .
really kicked off seriously, . . when artists were able to sell their products, at indie art & book fairs, and most importantly – via their own websites, and/or other indie, digital ‘storefront’ platforms.
easy payments via Paypal, and Venmo, tipped the scale – to an all-out explosion.
@heatherbenjamin_: “a few totes now available online. will not be reprinted.”
@heatherbenjamin_: “last couple remaining book fair tees are at the link in my bio * worn by angel @meiow_mix.”
images via Instagram @heatherbenjamin_
to purchase . . .
see: HEATHER BENJAMIN – WEBSITE
~HEATHER BENJAMIN . . MERCH, SALES & CRAFT |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | April 18th, 2019, 3:52pm
subtext: CRAFT.
since we are currently seeing the world, increasingly through the lens of CRAFT these days.
let’s pause for a moment, and give a proper high-five to the photographer / behind that photo of Heather Benjamin,
just posted, and, add another . . ONE !!
it’s so easy to take photos for granted, these days.
but, still, they aren’t all – so . . equally haunting.
as well, as Mr. Trogdon’s photos travel to us, through the (now highly recognized) new age medium of craft explosion / we call/ the DIY SELF-PUBLISHED . . ZINE !!
there’s a double or halo- effect – to the dimensions of craft, invoked here.
and, since we get his photos . . from or nor from his zines / off what he posts to IG / Instagram,
by extension, does that make IG . . . a craft ?
is social media – just another albeit ‘future world’ . . craft ?
I mean, it is kind of like . . scrimshaw ? !!! quilting. souvenir collecting.
18th C Japanese woodblock printing. type-setting. fonts. illustration. early travel books & essay.
colonial broad-sheets. posters / advertising, movie, show posters, etc . .
digital zines for sure,
the endless paper . . ‘banners’.
like quilts were the endless . . textile banners.
self-published – the key word.
and in craft, too: hand-made / self-made / self-published.
@vbdbct: “HEATHER BENJAMIN, unused pic taken for ‘FUGITIVE’, Heather and I’s newsprint poster fanzine . . ”
image via Instgram @vbdbct / BEN CHARLES TROGDON
see: BCT – TATTOO PUNK FANZINE / seems based in “New York, New York”.
or, rather a mailbox in New York, New York, 10013
that would be a Tribeca, Manhattan mailing address.
he seems to post photos from many locations, incl Brooklyn, Queens, LA and . . Chile.
damn. of course,
yeah, that’s – right.
zines, check.
photo portraiture, check.
illustration, & diy printing, custom typeface, check.
custom website / blog, check.
tattoos are . . craft, too.
~BCT / BEN CHARLES TROGDON . . ANOTHER PHOTO / PINK COWBOY HAT / of HEATHER BENJAMIN |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | April 17th, 2019, 5:08pm
HOWDY Y’ALL . . .
LAABF / see: PRINTED MATTER’S – LA ART BOOK FAIR
THIS WEEKEND / APRIL 12, 13, 14, 2019.
@heatherbenjamin_: howdy y’all. come see me at LAABF all weekend, table P95.
**PHOTO** by @vbdbct / BEN CHARLES TROGDON / for our new collab fanzine . . . “FUGITIVE”.
*RELEASE PARTY* *TOMORROW / SAT / AFTER THE FAIR* *THESE DAYS GALLERY & STORE IN DOWNTOWN LA*
*HEATHER BENJAMIN – PHOTO BY: BEN CHARLES TROGDON / @vbdbct*
*image via Instagram @heatherbenjamin_*
IT’S ALSO A RECEPTION / OPENING PARTY . . . !!!!
for HEATHER’s solo exhibition / “COWGIRL DENTAL FLOSS” / being concurrently exhibited at . . . THESES DAYS.
def, check out: THESE DAYS . . . .
~HEATHER BENJAMIN . . LAABF / TABLE P95 |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | April 12th, 2019, 2:51pm
talking about . . . ‘disembodiment’ !!!!!
EMMY THELANDER – ‘Outfits for Acrobats’
April 2019
PRACTICE GALLERY, 319 North 11th St., 2nd Fl., unit 2g. Philadelphia, PA 19107
HRS: FIRST FRIDAYS & SAT & SUN 2 – 6 PM & BY APPOINTMENT
“If a free-floating person spins fast enough they could turn into an electromagnetic wave.
Flying trapeze artists are halfway toward disembodiment.”
more about: ‘Outfits for Acrobats’ – THE PRACTICE
more about: THE PRACTICE / AN INDIE – COLLABORATIVE ART SPACE
def, check out: EMMY THELANDER / ARTIST PORTFOLIO WEBSITE
EMMY THELANDER, at the opening.
I wonder if the show is has anything do with her . . surname ???
EMMY THELANDER . . Acrobat drawings
& looking very much . . spun out !!!
2 PHOTOS ABOVE, from the opening – thank you, NICHOLAS STEINDORF.
EMMY THELANDER, ‘Outfits for Acrobats’ video clip.
image via Instagram @practicegallery
~EMMY THELANDER . . ‘Outfits for Acrobats’ / PRACTICE GALLERY, Philadelphia / April |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | April 11th, 2019, 10:38am
I really am fascinated by this piece.
the title.
the materials.
the lightness of the construct / yet the dark, underworld – undertones.
the sense of craft, as well as . . art.
a lightness of being / and yet . . an entry to a way scary place.
dust to dust.
and . . a lightness of being. perfecto.
up at GAZEBO thru April 14 / 12 – 6 PM
see: GAZEBO
DANIEL GIORDANO, ‘Self-Portrait 150 Years From Now’, 2018-2019,
moisturizing face mask, cuttlefish ink, dust, acrylic polymer emulsion, urinal cake, epoxy paste,
wire hanger. 15.5 x 12 x 7 in.
PHOTOS via Instagram @danieljgiordano
~’Love of the Common Man’ . . GAZEBO / DANIEL GIORDANO . . one last look |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | April 11th, 2019, 10:04am
that cold hard, hot !! cutting edge.
‘Love of the Common Man’ – RUSSELL BARSANTI, DANIEL GIORDANO, SAM SIEGEL
presented by GAZEBO
hosted by Mery Gates, 1345 Dekalb Ave, Bushwick, Brooklyn
open: SAT & SUN APRIL 13 & 14, 2019 / 12 noon – 6 PM & BY APPOINTMENT
above:
RUSSELL BARSANTI, ‘Untitled’, 2019.
UV prints on sintra and adhesive vinyl, artist’s steel frame.
56 x 32 in.
above:
DANIEL GIORDANO, ‘Self-Portrait 150 Years Ago’, 2017-2019′,
moisturizing face mask, rabbit fur, 24 karat gold, Tang dink mix, epoxy paste, wire hanger.
11.5 x 8.5 x 22.5 in.
above:
SAM SIEGEL, ‘For my loving’, 2019.
chromogenic print, artist’s aluminum frame.
14.375 x 11.375 in.
ALL PHOTOS COURTESY: SAMUEL BOEHM / GAZEBO
~’Love of the Common Man’ . . GAZEBO / INSTALLATION PIX |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | April 10th, 2019, 8:06am
GAZEBO PRESENTS:
‘Love of the Common Man’ . . RUSSELL BARSANTI, DANIEL GIORDANO, SAM SIEGEL
opening TODAY – SAT APRIL 6, 2019 / 6 – 9 PM
on view April 7th, 13th, and 14th / 12 – 6 PM & weekdays by appointment
hosted by MERY GATES, 1345 DeKalb Ave, Brooklyn
see: GAZEBO / gazebo.space
GAZEBO . . is pleased to present ‘Love of the Common Man’, an exhibition of new work by Russell Barsanti, Daniel Giordano and Sam Siegel. Utilizing contemporary materials, the 3 artists produce work that references both the mechanized and the workaday. Each of the artists lives and works in the New York City metropolitan area.
RUSSELL BARSANTI . . is displaying 2 wall works. They portray varied subject matter but partly function as portraits. The works consist of UV prints on adhesive vinyl & sintra and are mounted inside heavy-duty steel frames. Both were made in 2019.
Barsanti was born in Norwalk, Connecticut.
DANIEL GIORDANO . . is presenting 3 new sculptures. Two resemble face masks and a third appears as a large column. They are made from a variety of materials and are pieced together in his sstudio on the the top floor of a former factory in the Hudson Valley. The sculptures were completed in 2019.
Giordano was born in Poughkeepsie, New York.
SAM SIEGEL . . is showing several photographic works. The works are chromogenic prints that depict various laser-etched crystals. They are matted and enclosed in aluminum frames. They were produced in 2018 and 2019.
Siegel was born in Los Angeles, California.
note:
This is GAZEBO’s inaugural exhibition. Gazebo is a new project by SAMUEL BOEHM.
According to Wikipedia, a gazebo provides: ‘shade, shelter, ornamental features in a landscape, and a place to rest.” Much like an actual gazebo, Gazebo will move around as needed.
Gazebo would like to thank MERY GATES for hosting this first exhibition.
~Gazebo press release
all images courtesy: GAZEBO
~’Love of the Common Man’ . . RUSSELL BARSANTI, DANIEL GIORDANO, SAM SIEGEL / presented by GAZEBO / OPENS SAT APRIL 6 / 6-9 PM |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | April 6th, 2019, 10:20am
MORE PIX !!!!
‘THE SOCRATES ANNUAL 2018’ – CLOSING PARTY / Sunday, March 24, 2019
see: SOCRATES SCULPTURE PARK – SOCRATES ANNUAL 2018 EXHIBITION
changing gears !!
heading into the light, literally & yet still . . very very curious.
AMY BRENER, ‘FORT-DRESS’, 2018.
steel, plexiglas, resin, pigment, found objects. 12 x 3 x 3 ft.
although quite static, the piece lifts upwards, translucent, pink and fluttery.
it must really glow in strong sunlight, unfortunately this day was a bit overcast.
‘FORT-DRESS’ . . “is a partial shelter within an abstraction of the female form. Viewers may walk into the back inhabiting the dress as if wearing it, and look out through its panels made of translucent pink resin and embedded with an arsenal of functional tools and gadgets.”
~SOCRATES SCULPTURE PARK – AMY BRENER
also speaks to re-cycling, but more in terms of . . memory jars ?
memory jar of the street / of random foundness.
civilization / tools.
future forward / contemplation.
from translucent pink – to BLUE !!
again, one can only imagine how gorgeous these transparent blues are, on a sunny day.
LEANDER MIENARDUS KNUST, ‘Re-Material Wall’, 2018.
hot rolled steel, reclaimed pine, soil, golden trumpet vine, glass jars, copper sulfate and water, copper piping, rubber coated wire, polychrome wire, solar panel.
10 x 2 x 2 ft.
“The solar panel atop Leander Mienardus Knust’s ‘Re-Material Wall’, powers an electroforming process that slowly transfers copper molecules from suspended pipes to individual wires each floating in a solution-filled jar. Over time these molecules accumulate and take unique forms as a physical trace of their carrier electricity, while the steel rusts, wood warps, vines grow, and piping disappears.”
~LEANDER MIENARDUS KNUST – PROJECT / SOCRATES SCULPTURE PARK
it’s interesting to contemplate how static re: objects . . Amy Brener’s piece is, and how ‘active’ this one is re: its objects.
in both, objects become: subjects. archival artifacts in Amy’s / decomposing science in Leander’s.
in both – colored light flickers about, animating the ‘composition’.
I’ve seen Amy’s work before, most notably up at Bobo’s Hudson Valley Art & Music Fest, a few summers ago – but this is my first time coming upon Leander.
also a show stopper. in a real nice way. plus science is cool.
LEANDER MEINARDUS KNUST, b. Philadelphia 1991, now lives & works in NYC. received his BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2015. “His work reflects an interest in growth and decay, and he uses methods that demonstrate the process of change and ephemera.”
~LEANDER MEINARDUS KNUST / ARTIST BIO – SOCRATES SCULPTURE PARK
SHERWIN BANFIELD and his 3 part sculpture, ‘A CYPHER IN QUEENS’, 2018.
steel, winterstone, wood, resin, cement, paper.
9 x 10 x 4 ft.
while most of the projects centered on human-made objects, whether sheltering, harming, self-destructing, questionable, encasing, and even embracing nature / 2 projects were straight-out . . . PORTRAITS.
unlike ANTONE KONST’S imaginary, world-weary but giving ‘Free Peddler’, SHERWIN BANFIELD’S sculpture grouping was about real people, now dead. further these 3 men are cultural heroes that belong to the Queens community, as Queens is the NYC borough where the Socrates Sculpture Park is situated, this proved to be a deeply emotional work, very moving, against a field of theory, in a sense.
his was a memorial to reality.
the abstract designs, a kind of graphic ‘street code’ – on the reverse of the columns, were just as compelling as the realistic, powerful faces.
SHERWIN BANFIELD’S . . ‘A CYPHER IN QUEENS’,
“is a 3-part audio sculpture combining the busts of Queens’ Hip Hop legends Jam Master Jay, Phife Dawg, and Prodigy – with their music. The sculptural forms are inspired by stacked speaker boxes seen on streets during Carnival celebrations & . . ‘slit gongs’, tall painted wood musical instruments made by the Tin Mweleun peoples of Ambrym Island in the Pacific Ocean.”
~SHERWIN BANFIELD PROJECT – SOCRATES SCULPTURE PARK
note: a ‘Hip Hop Cypher’ . . is a ‘participatory gathering of onlookers forming a circle to experience the frequencies of a freestyle battle between Emcees, DJs or breakdancers.’ (the web)
Mr. Banfield was born in Trinidad & Tobago in 1976, and lives & works in Astoria, Queens.
see: SHERWIN BANFIELD / BIO – SOCRATES SCULPTURE PARK
SHERWIN BANFIELD “received his BFA from Parsons, The New School for Design in 1999. He works primarily in illustration, sculpture and painting. A dedicated portraitist, Banfield believes people’s stories can be told through gesture, texture, and composition.” (Socrates Sculpture Park bio)
which makes his ‘graphics’ (re: the advanced ‘schooling’), even more . . compelling.
soulful. wild. expressionistic. unpredictable. deeply of the street. etc. etc.
there seems to be a lot of his island culture – still deep at heart.
P / PRODIGY
JMJ / JAM MASTER JAY
5 – PHIFE DAWG
PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH
~’THE SOCRATES ANNUAL 2018′ . . CLOSING PARTY / PART II . . AMY BRENER, LEANDER MIENARDUS KNUST, SHERWIN BANFIELD |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | April 5th, 2019, 12:33pm
I did . . .
make it to ‘THE SOCRATES ANNUAL 2018’ closing party / Sunday March 24, 2019.
it was quite the wonderful time, with beautiful outdoors weather, right on the water, overlooking the iconic East River – with clear views Manhattan.
and, with many charming, very approachable, often clearly, and/or inadvertently . . interactive pieces, to wander about.
ANTONE KONST, with fellow Brooklyn-based artist, JOHN SZLASA.
note: large MARK di SUVERO raw metal sculpture in the background / his outdoor sculpture studio, is adjacent.
I was told di Suvero actually donated the slice of land, Socrates Sculpture Park is located upon.
ANTONE KONST, ‘Free Peddler’, 218, seen from the back, where all the interactive action is.
note: the “Lady and the Tramp” vibe, most jolly, loyal . . little dog.
the cutest . . albeit slightly ‘deconstructed’, doggie.
the ‘free exchange’ ‘backpack’ / ‘shelves’ of the ‘itinerant peddler’.
the was the ‘interactive’ element: take something / bring something. free exchange.
I got a free pot of garden blooms to take home, I guess my pix – are what I brought in exchange.
but make no mistake, this peddler is . . female.
with quite the strangest, most stubborn & determined, but maybe weary . . face.
it’s a lot of . . walking, with a heavy load.
well, at least she has a nice Woody Allen-type . . sun hat.
RONEN GAMIL, ‘HOME (-) AND GARDEN’, 2018.
Steel, drinking cans, aluminum, copper wire, plexiglas, flooring, paint, perennial woodland plants, compost, bulbs, woodchips, bricks.
each tent – assemblage: 18 x 32 x 32 in.
moving on from Antone’s larger-than-life, story-book peddler, the next thing to catch my fancy . . . .
were these ‘hobbit-sized’, or perhaps . . even tinier ‘houses’, for ‘fairies’, wood nymphs, or just plain ole Beatrix Potter squirrels, and the such. they seemed both magical, and shamanistic.
little ‘habitats’, made from re-cycled materials, surrounded by very cozy woodlands, they def seemed lived-in, home to small creature families, and most curious . . in a wonderful, innocent, smoke coming out of the chimney, childhood book way.
this set seemed like . . little hi-rise McMansions, with multiple floors, and big floor-to-ceiling windows, fit for a prosperous mouse family !!
these seemed more like tents fit for small adventurous . . hobbits, or gnomes.
so imagine my surprise, when I looked up the artist on the Socrates website, and found that, however playful and imaginary & also storybook – they seemed in person, in text . . they lived a more ‘political’ reality !!
with talk of “homeless encampments” ???
I had trouble connecting the dots, though maybe an agenda was . . necessary to get the project taken seriously, and/or considered ?? considered ??
see: RONEN GAMIL – PROJECT / SOCRATES SCULPTURE PARK
I mean, wasn’t it enough of a creative leap, to connect re-cycled soda cans – with animal shelters, albeit of the Beatrix Potter fashion ?
it’s an interesting case of theory – leads to Fiction and Fanciful day dreams.
I could see him selling brightly colored nylon ‘tents’ for American dolls, at Wallmart – as opposed to making human-size tents for stressed-out & desperate homeless. though I suppose instant, mobile ‘nylon’ or recycled material shelters are perhaps a very good idea – for humanity.
such as where the present world is & where, it’s heading to be.
interestingly, Mr. Gamil’s real-life travels, have included homeless camps, around the glove. According to his bio on the Socrates website, he’s a native New Yorker, born in Brooklyn in 1980. He received his B.A. in 2008, and a Masters of Urban Planning in 2009, from the City College of New York, so he def has some very bona-fide academic roots / pun intended . . because he’s also a professional gardener !!
in fact, he is currently the horticultural supervisor at Prospect Park !!
see: RONEN GAMIL – BIO / SOCRATES SCULPTURAL PARK
things took a decidedly more desolate, and brute / dystopian tone, with these collapsed forms – of human making.
one part, after-STAR WARS / one part, pre- MAD MAX.
NICHOLAS MISSEL, ‘The Read Deal: Soft Touch & A Gentle Push’, 2018.
Silicone Rubber / 12 x 7 x 4 / 10 x 6 x 5 ft.
“A pair of enormous limp silicone machines, the Park’s compact loader, and a decommissioned bulldozer, that will lie sprawled across Socrate’s lawn. Cast from working pieces of equipment involved with traces of dirt, rust and debris, the sculptures can be understood as a meditation on global patterns of industrial production, material circulation, and the sustainablity of existence on earth.”
~Socrates Sculpture Park
see: NICHOLAS MISSEL – SOCRATES SCULPTURE PARK WEBSITE
funny, how old machines – have such . . old human souls.
PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH
~’THE SOCRATES ANNUAL 2018′ . . CLOSING PARTY / PART I . . ANTONE KONST, RONEN GAMIL, NICHOLAS MISSEL |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | April 2nd, 2019, 2:22pm
‘THE SOCRATES ANNUAL’ GROUP SHOW – is closing today, SUN MARCH 24, 2019 . . with a reception / 3 – 5 PM
SOCRATES SCULPTURE PARK, 32-01 Vernon Blvd., Long Island City, Queens NY 11106
entrance is free, but please RSVP at their link above.
more on: ‘The Socrates Annual 2018’ – Socrates Sculpture Park
image via Instagram @annntone
~ANTONE KONST . . GOOD-BYE for now, ‘FREE PEDDLER’ / SOCRATES SCULPTURE PARK / CLOSING PARTY SUN MARCH 25 / 3-5 PM |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | March 24th, 2019, 8:22am
