DAN ASHER – ‘AN ANTHROPOLOGIST on MARS’
OPENS FRI MARCH 16, 2018 / 6 – 8 PM
the show runs thru APRIL 22, 2018
GALLERY MARTOS, 41 ELIZABETH ST., CHINATOWN, NYC
HRS: TUES-SUN / 10AM – 6PM
with . . NEVER BEFORE SEEN WORKS FROM THE ESTATE !!!!
‘THE KING’ – IS IN THE HOUSE !!!!
DAN ASHER, ‘UNTITLED’, 1980s, oil on canvas. 56 x 56 in.
IMAGE COURTESY: MARTOS GALLERY.
$100 – CASH & CARRY !!!!!
ORIGINAL ARTWORK – SIGNED & DATED !!!!!
WE GOT – 3 !!!!!
‘VELVET ROPES’ / a guest ‘performance’ at the Agatha/Vi Ser Pa Kunst, booth . . NADA NYC, Sun March 11th
was presented by GIFC/GOT IT FOR CHEAP a project of . . O-Ola, L.A.
it included over 60 artists’ original works on paper – all priced at $100.
all signed & dated / cash & carry.
ANDREW GUENTHER, drawing & cigarette on paper. approx. 11-1/2 x 16-1/2 in. / GIFC $100. / SIGNED & DATED 2018.
towards the end of the last day, while I was retrieving my ‘SpongeBob’ fleece/quilt, from the ‘ESSEX FLOWERS – HOME EDITION’ booth, my kid Theo went to check out ANDREW GUENTHER’S work . . at GIFC/’VELVET ROPES’ – at the Agatha/Vi Ser Pa Kunst booth. Andrew had posted about it – on his Instagram: @andrewguenther_art
lol, he came back . . with 2 !!
ANDREW GUENTHER, white & black paint (clock ‘face’), & black ink drawing (her body) on photo print, approx. 11-1/2 x 16-1/2 in. / GIFC $100. / SIGNED & DATED 2018.
this image harked back to a much earlier painting series of Andrew’s, that had originated in part with paper plates, & maybe Picasso ? . . and, which later morphed into his ‘Mother Nature – Earth Mother’. . pendant series.
see: ANDREW GUENTHER / EAT THE LEAF: Earth Mother Pendant
(& yes, we have 3 !!)
& yes, they were both signed, and dated on the front, & in both cases – in the left-hand corner.
I had – to see this !!
CHRIS REXROAD . . of GIFC/O-OLA GALLERY, L.A., and VICTORIA DUFFEE, co-editor of Vi Ser Pa Kunst Magazine, Norway.
O-OLA . . is a gallery “located in Chinatown, Los Angeles, CA & home base for the traveling show series: GIFC/GOT IT FOR CHEAP.
VICTORIA DUFFEE is . . “an American artist based in Oslo. She received her BFA from SVA/School of Visual Arts in NYC and is now an MFA candidate at Oslo National Academy of the Arts. Her work has been exhibited in New York City and Los Angeles, as well as at Yale University in Connecticut.” ~Vi Ser Pa Kunst
Vi Ser Pa Kunst / (We Look at Art) . . published out of Oslo, Norway / is edited by ANDREAS BREVIK & VICTORIA DUFFEE.
see: Vi Ser Pa Kunst / viserpakunst.com
the GIFC art works were displayed in a few large binders, and there were quite a few works for offer, in the ANDREW GUENTHER ‘section’.
all $100 – CASH & CARRY.
this one was . . . amazing !!
detail, ‘male reproduction parts’ / looking like long white candles, hand-painted on folk art pottery, on a
‘national geographic’ photo . . ANDREW GUENTHER / GIFC series.
ANDREW GUENTHER, ‘CLOCK’ . . some were very graphic.
this painted & collaged piece, was very . . post-modern.
ANDREW GUENTHER, ink & crayon, possible self-portrait (!!!!).
approx. 11-1/2 x 16-1/2 in. / GIFC $100. / SIGNED & DATED 2018.
my fave !!
was still, the very first one. the crazy, mad one / the naked dude on a deserted island !!
but, still . . dancing.
it might be . . just a guess, but guess – I will:
I think this is how Andrew feels, a lot of the time / art world be damned.
yes. I know – the feeling.
and. just like that.
you throw your money down, you get the work !!
Vi Ser Pa Kunst . . .
the magazine is quite – the riot !!
esp for an art – mag !!
designed like a retro American ‘How to’/’crafts’ book, it has a nice shiny feel, and a great, small paperback book . . ‘weight’.
slim. really lively graphics – throughout. fun to turn the pages.
with a great range of articles inside, some quite colorful.
it’s not afraid to be nationalistic & homey, either.
so surprising, so refreshing. so dis-arming !!
“STREET ART/VEGETABLE FARMING – HOW TO BE A SAMI ARTIST” . . . . LOL !!!!!!!
see: Vi Ser Pa Kunst – Facebook
ps: I’m so digging, how the color palette & ‘vibe’ of the mag cover – works so well, with the Andrew Guenther ‘Desert Island’ drawing, above.)
lone male artist dancing / lone female artist painting. sunsets / sunrises. swirls of pink & blue. pale yellow.
a moment of . . random visual sympatico, for sure.
“I DON’T GET IT!”
“OK”.
DRAWING BY MARTIN SKAUEN
lots of male parts . . in this post.
interview . . with ‘GEIR TORE HOLM: HOW TO BE A SAMI ARTIST.’
see: GEIR TORE HOLM – INTERVIEW ONLINE
that’s . . just how I talk to my huge Akita puppy !!
can definitely . . relate.
the Table of Contents . . .
got my eyeball – on you !!
Vi Ser Pa Kunst is published at irregular intervals / online & offline.
For advertisements, contributions and inquiries, contact: viserpakunst(at)gmail.com
www.viserpakunst.com
supported by ARTS COUNCIL NORWAY
PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH
one of the highlights of strolling through NADA was catching this crazy, new age ‘pointillist’ (!!) painting by ANDY CAHILL. it absolutely floored me.
though it . . surprised me, NOT !!
that not one of the usual suspects / art bloggers, including the main stream art press – mentioned this work in their art fair coverage ?
how could anybody be so . . absolutely clueless about the strength & brilliance of Andy’s work ?
“one snake to another” / pretty much sums up the whole . . scene.
does, nothing ever change ?
you could define the term ‘herd mentality’ – by the art fair weekend, if nothing else.
ANDY CAHILL, ‘One Snake to Another’, at the SAFE GALLERY booth at NADA NYC 2018.
lookin’ good, Pal !!
too wonky – for words.
it reminded me of ancient Roman mosaics – on steroids.
SAFE GALLERY co-directors: SARAH WELSH ELLIOTT and PALI KASHI.
a gorgeous textile piece, ‘Double Runner’ by SOPHIE STONE, and pedal-pushed-to-the-floor . . assemblage by KARI CHOLNOKY, behind them.
PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH
‘AUTO BODY Presents: SACRED STUDIO OBJECTS’ . . at 6BASE in the BRONX
OPENING RECEPTION . . TO-NITE / SAT MARCH 10, 2018 / 5 – 8 PM
the show is up thru APRIL 22, 2018
6BASE – 728 E.136th ST., 6B, BRONX, NY 10454
HRS: SAT & SUN / 12 – 5 PM or by appointment
The tomb of Bobby Smith, tiplet pigeon, will be on loan from the Babylon Cemetery for the next 6 weeks, to AUTO BODY’S presentation of sacred studio objects – at 6BASE in the BRONX.
IMAGE VIA INSTAGRAM @pigeon_pat
“Founded in 2016 by MARINA GLUCKMAN, 6BASE is a rotating artist’s studio & exhibition program in the South Bronx, New York. Artists are invited to use the space as their studio for a month and present their work in an exhibition following their stay. Occupying a floor of an industrial warehouse built in 1931, 6BASE is located in a loft that is divided into 7 bays. 6BASE is in one of these bays (approx 450 sq ft) & the others are the artist’s studios.”
read more: 6BASE/about
‘PROGRADE TORADORE’ – FRI MARCH 9, 2018 / 6 – 11 PM
MADDIE BRAUN, SOFI BRAZZEAL, HANNAH BUONAGURO, NATHAN GWYNNE, JOSH FEIGIN, RYAN FOERSTER, JEN FISHER, RACHEL JAMES
READING STARTS AT . . 8 PM
FREE DOGS W DIRTY D OIL
CONSTANCE – 219 MADISON ST., CHINATOWN, NYC.
come hang out, on the stoop.
so,
‘ESSEX FLOWERS – HOME EDITION’ . . has a secondary, pop-up home !!
at this weekend’s . . NADA ART FAIR.
it’s a bit of a moveable feast, being cash & carry & also offerings shift around / make sure to ask: what’s up with DETROIT !!
the gallery’s 1st ‘HOME EDITION’ exhibit, running thru this Sun March 11, 2018 btw & which is a pretty major & very innovative multi-layered group show / located in their storefront, 19 Monroe St. deep in Chinatown / has bubbled up, in mini-format, & transformed into a . . ‘typical’ NYC brownstone stoop sale.
with . . some pretty special ‘home goods’ on display / y’all.
bubbled up, on the other side of lower downtown, at the Skylight Clarkson North, ground floor / warehouse-like . . 550 Washington St. in West Soho.
in the NADA 2018 Projects Space – Booth 4.23
JEFFREY TRANCHELL, of the ESSEX FLOWERS Gallery collective, curated the show, and built-up the ‘stoop’.
strictly speaking, it’s not quite a stairway to heaven, because it’s concentrated focus is on home ‘objects’ – that ‘function’, but that being said, everything is hand-made, one-of-a-kind, often fanciful, and often very wild !!
I mean: ‘little pink houses’ . . or what / ?!!
case in point, the KATIE STOUT – papier-mache, 3-legged chair Jeffrey is sitting on.
equal parts: home ‘decor’ & home ‘function’ / 100% . . wild.
DENISE KUPFERSCHMIDT, cute kitchen kitty (?) retro wall ‘kitsch’, was looking like clay . . but was actually FAUX. paint on cardboard and hardware.
the one painting, by . . MAX MASLANSKY, likewise appears to be both very decorative and functional, framed & sturdy, with a ‘pegboard’ motif, but . . gaze upon it just one moment longer, & watch it jump totally off the grid. what is, put so poker-faced before you, is quite the wild side, e-r-o-t-i-c.
‘ESSEX FLOWERS – HOME EDITION’ – NADA.
is quite the . . contrary corner.
an ‘ornamental’ gate by MICHAEL WETZEL, is seemingly totally functional, and yet dreamy / minimalist.
yet also, British arts & crafts Romantic, meets American light-hearted . . gothic ?
yet that also might be illusion, turns out. because,it’s more mural, than metal gate / being crafted of pink foam & aqua resin !!
the colored ‘glass’ inserts are plastic.
still, a pretty picture – and could be a real nice room divider, for real !!
it also veers the vibe, from what could have been heavily ‘wacky’, towards almost . . chapel-like. reverent.
a very reflective, architectural melody . . amidst a huge chaotic art fair, which has all but fallen away.
but, the main focus of the ‘stoop sale’ . . is its array of ceramics.
except of course, for that weirdo, rolled-up . .
slightly craft-beaded,’Tweety-Bird’ blanket – more on that, later.
when I first turned the corner, and came upon this 3-D build-out, and, I guess also because of the stained glass chapel-like ‘gate’ above, all my first impression was: candleholders & shiny glazed vessels, . .
I thought, wow: how fun. this booth looks just like a gift shop in the Jewish Museum, or the Met / thinking that was totally . . cool.
but, apparently, the Essex Flowers crew ain’t nothing, if not . . contextually, conceptually, many-layered !!
I mean, somethings were candle holders, and somethings were . . not.
and now, I don’t even think there were any candle holders, at all.
I mean, nothing was . . candlesticks !!
these were long-necked vases !! but maybe, they could . . hold candles ?
many of the ceramic art works Jeffrey was showing were a real treat, not just for their forms, & glazes, but because they are not local, but artisan-artists from the burgeoning new Detroit art scene. a fluid ceramics collective who go by the name of their small ‘rural’ town, which Detroit has grown to encircle – HAMTRAMCK, HAMTRAMCK CERAMCK .. !!
def, see: HAMTRAMCK CERAMCK/about
this was a faux cactus, growing in a pot – by JESSE HAMERMAN.
this was a pretty nice bowl, to eat your morning porridge in.
it was fashioned by . . BB / BRADEN BAER, of the HAMTRAMCK collective.
sometimes their pottery is just branded, ‘Hamtramck’ & sometimes it is signed by the individual artist.
this was actually, a working ‘Statue of Liberty’ lamp – by JORY RABINOVITZ !!
and this was an ‘ET’ . . fill-in-the-blank-yourself !! by . . MAGGIE SULLIVAN !!
whether it works or not, is prob best left – up to your own imagination.
‘DRAKE’ mug, by BENNY SAGINAW, one of the HAMTRAMCK founders.
as in, the Real, Fake . . ‘McCoy’ !!
a popular American . . commercial pottery, from the past.
could this gorgeous thing, be a candle holder ?
actually I think it’s a vase for some very lucky, long stemmed flowers.
it was made by PATRICK QUINN, of HAMTRAMCK !!
this piece was made by AMBER LOCKE, also of HAMTRAMCK CERAMCK.
it’s a . . toothbrush holder.
reverse magic / AMBER LOCKE, ‘toothbrush holder’. HAMTRAMCK CERAMCK.
also hanging on the faux brick wall, a small clay mosaic by JONATHAN HARTSHORN.
there are several, ask Jeffrey to show you them.
coming back down to the earthy, earth earth – a few offerings by TD / THEODORE SIDEL.
oh yeah, that . . . “TWEETY-BIRD” !!
that’s . . mine !!
“LOOKIN GOOD, PAL!”
NANCY SMITH, ‘SpongeBob . . meet TWEETY-BIRD’, 2018.
44 x 30 in.
Reclaimed & hand-stitched repair . . of a thrift shop / vintage ‘SpongeBob SquarePants’ children’s fleece.
using:
vintage sequin patches: ‘Tweety Bird’ & ‘Warhol’s Marilyn’ (!!) / the damage is hidden by the Marilyn patch,
assorted vintage plastic craft beads, vintage plastic buttons, & vintage baby trinkets.
cotton embroidery thread.
PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH
ESSEX FLOWERS . . ‘HOME EDITION’
OPENED FRI FEB 23, 2018
and runs thru this SUN MARCH 11, 2018
ESSEX FLOWERS, 19 MONROE ST, CHINATOWN
HRS: SAT & SUN / 12 – 6 PM
the main room was brightly lit, pun intended !!
it had many more artists, and they all played off each other, in a nice, ‘cool’ way.
coming out of that almost ‘ritualistic’ home life, that was the multi-layered front room, this was almost like stepping off the escalator in Macy’s, iF !!
Macy’s was totally cutting edge, and absolutely . . WONKY !!
here’s a very personal sampling / best case scenario: GO SEE IT, FOR YOURSELF !!
coming around the ‘Privacy Screen’/ RUFUS TUREEN’s room divider, was a nice mythical bridge of both worlds: form, function, & flat-out expressionistic / DIY erotic . . mythology !!
in other words: the (very) deep end . . of ‘FAMILY’ LIFE.
3 hand-painted silk scarves by SOPHY NAESS. 22 in. sq., 100% silk.
with a glimpse into the CATBOX CONTEMPORARY . . ‘CATELLITE’, featuring miniature paintings by NICK IRZYK, on the right.
SOPHY NAESS, 3 hand-painted . . silk scarves.
SOPHY NAESS, hand-painted silk scarves.
bubble bath !!
detail, CATBOX CONTEMPORARY . . visiting ‘platform’ / ‘CATELLITE’.
miniature murals, by NICK IRZYK, inside the CATBOX . . ‘Catellite’.
they beckon . . come in. come in. come in.
walk on the mini side !!
& don’t take things, like . . scale / gallery walls, home life ?
. . for granted.
yes, HOME LIFE, is serious .. fun.
COLBY BIRD, shovel.
glimpsed . . on either side,
‘Mirror’ and ‘The Square’, inkjet print mounted on plywood by . . OFRA LAPID.
COLBY BIRD.
ILANA HARRIS-BABOU, dysfunctional ceramic tools.
MARTHA MYSKO, ‘Peach Cinder’, 2017.
from “Selective Memory” / house paint, nail polish, artificial plant, cinder block.
ANDREA McGINTY, ‘Untitled’, 2018.
coffee maker, digital photo custom printed book.
MELISSA BROWN, ‘THE TABLOID DECK’ . . Novelty ‘Predictive’ . . Playing cards !!
ERIKA SOMOGYI, ‘rainbow’ . . . clay & yarn.
vessels & craft / kitchen pot holders, made on a tiny kids’ loom.
RACHEL DOMM, Lay’s Wavy Chips . . ceramic, 2017.
AMY RUHL, The Royal Historian of Oz, Il. . . .
‘MOMMY’, from the “Between Tin Men’, Collection / ceramic.
PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH
ESSEX FLOWERS . . ‘HOME EDITION’
OPENED FRI FEB 23, 2018
the group show runs thru . . MARCH 11, 2018
it’s wild !!
don’t miss it.
ESSEX FLOWERS, 19 MONROE ST., CHINATOWN
HRS: SAT & SUN / 12-6 PM & by appointment
PHILIP HINGE of CATBOX CONTEMPORARY, with EMILY JANOWICK.
Emily Janowick was the co-curator of the recent ‘THE BIG SHORT’, up at Hunter.
CATBOX CONTEMPORARY has an off-gallery . . ‘CATELLITE’ installation – in the ESSEX FLOWERS ‘HOME EDITION’ show, too !!
MICHAEL MAHALCHICK & LIZZIE WRIGHT.
Lizzie made those eerie, neon-colored LED lamps . . that had sent the magic dial way up, in the darkened front room, at the nighttime opening !!
one of Lizzie’s lamps to the right.
MAHALCHICK had an ‘inter-dimensional’ installation, that was right under my repaired, early 20th C. crib quilt !! the auditory part of it was a mint condition / vintage Mickey Mouse portable vinyl record player !! just what every kid had in their basement, back in the day, maybe from the 50s ?
and . . it worked.
so it was a little bit of ‘home’ ‘decor’ history . . in dialog.
even at that, maybe a 30 year difference in age, between the log cabin patchwork quilt and the factory-made record player, it was such a big leap in . . family culture, and kid ‘dynamics’. visuals / graphics. fabrication. spirit. though both were very . . lively, when you broke it down into basics / and ‘kid’ joyful.
I totally loved how it said . . “hi kids!” !!!!!
under my re-paired quilt / since it was so long in the making, for anybody to take my re-claimed / preservation-minded, creative-stitched / quilt projects seriously.
finally . . a home, even if temporary. a ‘rental’, lol.
a baby footstep into the art world conversation.
thank you, co-curator JEFFREY TRANCHELL & . . ESSEX FLOWERS !!
the Mahalchick record player sat on a curious, but very useful, moveable, fluid, segmented wooden table, ‘Squat’ by SARA MURPHY. the table was very adaptable, and was also more ‘illustrative’ / of like, a Greek goddess ? from a proper angle.
it was actually split into two parts / with another part, just around the corner.
Sara had a foot, in both rooms.
in the background, on the right, is a glimpse of a very animated, wall divider: a ‘Privacy Screen’ by RUFUS TUREEN. silkscreen, acrylic, hollow doors, canvas.
all these elements – wove together.
detail, RUFUS TUREEN . . ‘Privacy Screen’.
Mahalchick had these strange, talk-about-dark-magic !! vintage, vinyl albums . . re-purposed, into 3-d artwork, & oh oh . . BABY !!
a little wild child baby, under the once raggedy, now happy . . baby crib quilt.
‘Home is where the heart is !!” ~MELISSA BROWN.
you can see the naked ‘butt’ of the Sara Murphy ‘goddess’ table, now . . !!
FERTILITY !! oh la la. & a big issue re: HOME.
that is a rough & wild, DIY hand-woven rag rug by MICHAEL WELSH, on the floor. one of the other few items – that managed to hold a place – in both rooms / day or night, every chic home . . needs a nice, cushy rug !!
also very traditional, btw – in the form & in the making.
MICHAEL MAHALCHICK, ‘standard’ LPS, anything, but.
he encased them in some kind of weird pigment, rubber combo. very durable as artworks, btw. at $500 a pop, a very good deal. a sculpture, really.
re: pigment.
that swirl of ‘tie-dye’, was a ‘Flag’, by ANDREA McGINTY.
a kind of even more . . DIY venture, made from old sweatpants, it kept that dark room: honest & hardcore . . to the very last drop.
something a teenager would do, down in the basement.
above it all, declaring ancient Romans . . abound.
RYAN FALKOWITZ, ‘New Flag’, 2017.
digital print on polyester.
my re-worked quilt to the right.
you can see the Log Cabin, ‘Straight Furrows’, pattern – better in this light.
nighty-night time . . at the hardcore, Museum of Home Furnishings !!
WALK ON IN. THE SPELLS, THE GODS. THE . . FINE SKILLS / THE BRUTE !!
WE GOT IT – ALL. FAST FORWARD, & LOOKING BACKWARD, too.
MICHAEL WELSH, ‘Untitled’, 2018 – soda bottle Terrarium.
BEN DOWELL, ‘Cheerios’, 2015. 12 x 8 x 3 in. Zinc-cast cereal box.
detail, off to the right / ‘Roy 3.0’ by WILLIE WAYNE SMITH, a painted ‘white’ plaster head.
more subversive . . home ‘decor’ in the window.
WILLIE WAYNE SMITH, crazy painted ‘white’, NOT !! / plaster head.
LIZZIE WRIGHT . . new age LED light.
PATRICK ARNOLD, ‘GOD IS DEAD’/ ‘Untitled (Pillow)’, 2018.
embroidery, canvas, pillow form. edition #1/10. 18 x 18 in.
RYAN FALKOWITZ, ‘New Flag’, 2017.
digital print on polyester.
39.5 x 58 in.
PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH – unless otherwise noted.
ESSEX FLOWERS .. ‘HOME EDITION’
opened FRI FEB 23, 2018 – the show runs thru . . MARCH 11, 2018
& there will be a . . ‘sister show’ / at the Essex Flowers install – in the Projects space at Nada – in about 2 weeks.
ESSEX FLOWERS, 19 MONROE ST., CHINATOWN
HRS: SAT & SUN / 12-6 PM & by appointment
PAR-TAY . . . . ON !!!!
HOME EDITION !!!!
wow, it was still early, but the crowd outside was huge, and buzzing !!
so much excitement in the air.
much excitement for me too, because I had just heard the day before, that one of my ‘repaired quilt’ projects had been accepted into the show !!
MICHAEL MAHALCHICK, framed by the almost ritualistic seemingly stained glass window / with glowing blood red & neon ‘purple light’ emanating, pulsing from just inside.
a wizard, in a wizard’s light.
the word on the street – was that the show . . “WAS A RIOT – FRONT & CENTER” !!!!
just before I made it in, I met IAN COFRE, left, with . . MELISSA BROWN, a member of the ESSEX FLOWERS collective, who I’ve known a long time, & who helped hang the show.
she looked so stoked !!
she showed me the DIY catalog of the exhibit, which lets you know which artist did what work.
she laughed with such gusto, as she told me the exhibit had just came together . . as 2 parts.
the smaller front room, projecting the neon purple light, was the ‘dark lounge’, as in . . the dark arts !! the dark side of the moon. the seance in the Edwardian dining room. the alchemist magic. the ritualistic. the tantric. the diviners. the dreamers. aka . . the Stoner Lounge !!
lol, and my quilt was hanging . . in there !!
I loved . . it.
to bring in something like a quilt, and be part . . of the dark !!
the games . . begin.
hanging in the storefront window: ritualistic, mysterious, calling to the dark worlds. small, stained & leaded glass ‘charms’, by FRANK HAINES . .
caught the reflection of the colored LED lights, inside . . . and played with them.
note . . the ‘row’ format.
it’s strange how things that are so organized – can speak . . to deeper secrets.
DENISE KUPFERSCHMIDT. her plastic ‘shower curtains’, also hanging in the wide storefront window, also reflected a ‘tantric’, chiming, chanting . . end-game / off the deep velvet night outside, and the colored neon LED light within.
they had, just this amazing splash, ’emblem’, a perfect ‘spin’, of cherry red. splayed across them, that sparked reflected light, deeply. darkly. this was a ‘promise’ – you don’t want to make.
they were so kinetic in their ‘stiff’ thick plastic reflection. sometimes bright, sometimes opaque.
sometimes, even . . quilt-looking.
but, most definite not !! Bed, Bath & Beyond !! nothing was. unless very very ironic.
& esp in this room: it was more like . . Mary Shelley. dark Chinese alleys. blood maps. haunting. hiding.
symbols. codes. alchemy.
the powerful eerie light . . came from 2 LED ‘light fixtures’ – by LIZZIE WRIGHT.
vintage vinyl Mickey Mouse record player by MICHAEL MAHALCHICK.
a glimpse of the ‘Privacy Screen’, by RUFUS TUREEN in the background.
this one was in the window. the other one, was across the small, dark room, the ‘den’.
LIZZIE WRIGHT, ‘untitled’, 2018. wood, wire. LED lighting, threaded rod, and hardware.
alchemy.
a glimpse on the right of: PATRICK ARNOLD’S ‘God is Dead’ pillow.
yeah, you can ponder on that / as you relax, your head. on the couch.
2018, 18 x 18 in.
embroidery, canvas, pillow form. edition #1/10.
also in the window, and reflecting . . the ‘strange’ emits . . of colored light.
a plaster cast of a head, ‘Roy 3.0’ . . by WILLIE WAYNE SMITH.
airbrushed, acrylic on cast hydrocal, 22 x 8 x 8 in.
and there, it was !!
almost right there on the left, when you walked in, bathing in the wizardly room’s glow.
alive with the surrounding mysterious, mystical vibes, & . . deep secrets.
projecting its almost century-old / protection ‘spell’ . . to a new audience.
imbued with the headiness of homespun spells.
domestic skills & home life / in a dark fitful room, of new age design / arts & crafts.
my repaired . . ‘Log Cabin Crib Quit’ / ‘Straight Furrows’, ca. 1925.
38 x 58 in.
detail.
NANCY SMITH, ‘Log Cabin Crib Quilt Repair’.
I worked on it, on & off for about 5 years, from 1997-2001. all hand-stitched.
with various vintage ribbons, trims, snips of textiles. patches. old buttons, trinkets & even tiny vintage craft bells.
an traditional colonial patchwork, it is ‘built-up’ in segmented ‘rows’, just like a . . Log Cabin.
‘Straight Furrows’ refers to one of several Log Cabin design variances. they use the ‘light & dark’ contrasts of the textile patches, to map out broad diagonal swaths / or ‘furrows’ . . representing the farm’s plowed fields, with its rows of growing crops.
quite worn-out, when I found it, this quilt was made for a baby’s bed, it measures 38 x 58 in., and dates to somewhere around 1925. it is almost 100 years old.
it protected the babe with its warmth & momma’s skills. it was most likely made on a hard-scrabble farm, with treasured scraps from worn-out clothing. it’s most definite . . the most basic kind of ‘patchwork’.
beside the protective ‘spell’ of the design, its mother’s earnest wish for her baby to be protected, safe & warm, was part of each stitch. a tarot card . . of a blanket.
as well, the red, and here sometimes yellow as well, small squares . . in the center of each larger square, stood for the warmth and glow of the hearth. the fire. at the vital center of rural 20th home life.
in turn, it also symbolized, in literally in every stitch, the warm heart of the quilt maker at the center of the home. & thus it still casts its spell.
almost a 100 years old !!
I kept thinking:
I wonder what the home-maker quilter, who so skillfully & so frugally, and so lovingly, and so patiently cut & hand-stitched this baby quilt, would think of it re-surfacing !!
for another . . go round.
in a show like this !!
& how we so, still – need to watch over our children.
a patchwork Log Cabin quilt is a . . flag, a painting / literally a blanket.
that provides warmth, and wishes . . ‘care’ / over the unknown, life’s fragility & wards off evil.
it’s an old home-spun ‘spell’, for sure.
PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH
‘ESSEX FLOWERS HOME EDITION’ – A TWO-PART – EXHIBIT
the 1st PART . . OPENS TO-NITE / FRI FEB 23, 2018 / 7 – 9 PM
& runs thru MARCH 11, 2018
at the ESSEX FLOWERS storefront gallery – 19 MONROE ST, CHINATOWN
HRS: SAT & SUN: 12 – 6 PM & BY APPOINTMENT
the 2nd part will be at the NADA ART FAIR, PROJECTS SECTION – opening THURS MARCH 8, 2018
THE MEMBERS OF ESSEX FLOWERS . . have invited more than 30 individuals to contribute works of art that interrogate the function, form & craft of the domestic space.
Participating artists include: SARA MURPHY, SAM WINKS, ANDY ROBERTSON, ILANA HARRIS-BABOU, LIZZIE WRIGHT, RACHEL DOMM, DAVID KENNEDY CUTLER, HENRI PAUL BROYARD, RUFUS TUREEN, FRANK HAINES, CATBOX CONTEMPORARY (with NICK IRZYK), MELISSA BROWN, JESSE HAMERMAN, LYDIA McCARTHY, MICHAEL MAHALCHICK, ANDREA McGINTY, DAVID B. SMITH, BEN DOWELL, WILLIE WAYNE SMITH, AMY RUHL, ELISE DURYEE-BROWNER, JAIME GECKER, MARTHA MYSKO, OFRA LAPID, DENISE KUPFERSCHMIDT, ROBERT SCOTT WHIPKEY, JORDAN NASSAR, ELIZABETH FERRY, RYAN FALKOWITZ, COLBY BIRD, SOPHY NAESS, AMANDA BALDWIN, MICHAEL WELSH, PATRICK ARNOLD, WILL STEWART, HANNA SANDIN, ERIKA SOMOGYI, RUTH RODRIGUEZ, NICKOLAUS TYPALDOS, and more . . .
INVITE / FLYER DESIGN BY: RACHEL DOMM
THE CALM BEFORE . . THE STORM !!
of hanging / displaying so many pieces . . !!
ESSEX FLOWERS member, RACHEL DOMM . . accepting the many & very diverse, art work arrivals, including the CATBOX CONTEMPORARY . . ‘CATELLITE’,
the tall structure at center left, with padded portals. !!
detail: the CATBOX CONTEMPORARY – ‘CATELLITE’.
so exciting !!
the dialog . . continues.
feels like it’s raining . . cats & dogs today.
well, a lot better than . . guns & students.
PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH