EMILY DICKINSON . . .
TO PARAPHRASE:
IN . . MY MOST HARD-CORE, CONTRARIAN, INDIE, REBEL, STUBBORN . . PROTEST-ANT / HEART.
I REACHED OUT, . . . “BUT THE WORLD DID NOT REACH BACK”.
well, something like that.
It seems to be the season of recognizing – in capital letters, the female outsider geniuses that walked so unassumingly, but stubbornly among us.
though, what a contrast: EMILY DICKINSON vs FLORINE STETTHEIMER.
about the most they have in common, beyond sharing a stubborn faith in their own forward-reaching, somehow . . ‘future’ vision, & a singular, uncharted creative .. drive.
was that they both lived at home for their entire lives, and were generally unrecognized in their own times.
though of course, EMILY DICKINSON (1830-1886) predated FLORINE STETTHEIMER (1871-1944) by a 50 year birth gap, which is such a small generational number in the greater picture, yet seems so far apart seen through the lens / bedrooms / living rooms . . . of their individual life-styles.
while Emily D. shined a stylist poetic flashlight that was so fast forward – we are only just beginning to really catch up, she feels so much of an earlier American / Puritanical time / while Florine S. born to assimilated cosmopolitan Jews who traveled between NYC & Europe on a regular basis . . lived a life that included, MARCEL DuCHAMP. (!!)
maybe another way to put it:
Emily D. lived through the Civil war / Florine S: through WWI & WWII.
while one – Emily D. was a ‘poet /artist’ . . the other – Florine S. was an ‘artist/painter/poet’.
both were ‘consummate’ . . insider-outsiders / involved with stimulating intellectual communities, yet with no ‘consummate’ / translate: intimate relations / translate: romances (at least on record.)
though not internationally ‘cosmopolitan’ in the lavish & wealthy sense that we associate with Florine Stettheimer . . Emily D. did not live in a remote cabin, though she worked from her bedroom. and is generally considered a ‘recluse’. in fact, Emily D. lived within the vibrant society of a ‘college town’, her grandfather having co-founded Amherst College. and she read many leading magazines etc.
and she had to deal with . . scandal !!
major scandal. her married bro & his mistress. some little buzzing garden that was.
you don’t hear that about Florine’s family !!
though you kind of wonder: what really went on with Florine S. and her sisters, behind closed doors – besides high-end couture, with lots of shopping trips to Bendels !!
not too much is revealed on the record, except for some unhappy poems . . Florine was to pen / about scaring away suitors with her bright ‘light’.
so, it’s kind of shocking to find that Emily D. was one step away from her sibling’s full-blown, torrid love triangle, that if it had been 19th Bloomsbury . . might have touched and rocked her world, as well.
one can only imagine.
lucky for us, both had their works, Emily D. her poems, collage poems & hand-stitched ‘booklets’ / Florine S. her artworks, poems, plays, stage sets, etc preserved for us, by immediate family members, who also went on to donate the bulk of these precious estates to museums & libraries. so, they were recognized within their own circles – well, that’s about the best you can hope for, as an ‘outsider’ – isn’t it ?
but mostly, what’s most compelling about both them, these American ‘soul sisters’ – is that their inner worlds propelled . . both of them forward, so far forward / that flash forward 2017: both Emily D. and Florine S. . . are subjects of newly rapt acclaim & . . solo museum shows.
Emily D. at the Morgan Library Museum, while Florine S. is concurrently, beautifully presented at the JEWISH MUSEUM – thru Sept 24, 2017.
see: ‘Florine Stettheimer: Painting Poetry’ – Jewish Museum
‘I’m Nobody! Who are you ?’ – The Life and Poetry of EMILY DICKINSON’
through MAY 28, 2017
THE MORGAN LIBRARY
EMILY DICKINSON, Daguerrotype, ca. 1847. The Emily Dickinson Collection, Amherst College Archives & Special collections. gift of Millicent Todd Bingham, 1956.
PHOTO: via The Morgan Library & Museum
which also has a very good online presentation on the exhibit . . .
see: ‘I’m Nobody, Who are you ? – MORGAN LIBRARY & MUSEUM
and also, the very best cafe food – of all the museums & libraries in NYC – by the way.
though strangely enough, the JEWISH MUSEUM is a very close second, with their authentic Russ & Daughters’ bagels & buttery lox / smoked salmon !!
I have to admit, I knew more about Florine Stettheimer, from living in avant-garde NYC all these years, there were some previous exhibits associated with her, or her circle / than I did about Emily Dickinson – esp being Canadian & thus under-educated in general re American culture. I had a big catching up to do, and maybe that’s what fascinated me.
At any rate, young Emily D. looks just like someone I went to high school with, and even more, she looks she could just step out off the L train, albeit in different garb.
my heart sunk to see her so young & earnest, and to later be so beat down by a repressive culture.
though what else is new for outsiders, anyway ?
even the fabulous Florine, wanted her artwork destroyed upon her death, due to cultural disappointment, to put it politely.
EMILY DICKINSON (1830-1886), ‘A Pang is more conspicuous in Spring’.
Poem, ca. 1881. / Amherst College Archives & Special Collections.
when I saw this ‘shaped’ poem I got it right way, and so will you – why they call Emily Dickinson, . . a poet – artist.
she wrote her poems out in teeny tiny handwritten script, something of which we might be much more curious about today – despite or actually because of . . computers !!
which has ironically resulted in our endless fascination with all things . . graphic design & fonts, but esp DIY hand-script !!
apparently, she also wrote on all kinds of different papers, (texture-wise, etc) not just oddly shaped ones, and left-overs from envelopes, etc.
the effect of which is hard to translate through written language, let alone limited old fashioned typeface / and is much easier to convey today – with our easily accessible, modern means of photographic reproduction.
though I was super disappointed upon reading, in the exhibit texts, about her use of ‘fascicles’ or hand-sewn manuscript booklets, not to find any here.
not even a photograph ?
I guess they are too fragile to travel, but what about an archival photograph ?
did I miss it ?
EMILY DICKINSON, (1830-1886), ‘Alone and in a Circumstance’.
Poem with “George Sand” and “Mauprat” clipped from Harper’s Monthly pasted to sheet, ca. 1870.
“This collage is one of Dickinson’s most enigmatic manuscripts. The two clippings tucked under the postage stamp were cut from the May 1870 issue of Harper’s Monthly Magazine, which included a brief sketch of George Sand (!!).
. . . Interpretations of this poem range widely from playful verse about sitting in the outhouse, to a Freudian meditation on Dickinson’s father, represented by the locomotive on the stamp.” (!!)
~exhibition text
ps: May 1870 !! – that’s like 147 years ago – almost to the day !!
a whole century – and . . a half.
pss: if you came to my workroom / bedroom – you’d see my journals are full of the same kind of tiny stamp collages, maybe I’ll post one or two, next – just to show you how contemporary / out of the box – she was.
EMILY DICKINSON, digitized slideshow of her ‘Herbarium’, an album of pressed botanical specimens – which she began compiling ca 1839, when she was about 8 or 9 years old.
I found it interesting how literary and scientific her family was, and that seemingly, she and her sister, or even mother did no handiwork ? no embroidered samplers ?
no hand-stitched quilts ?
no hand-crocheted collar lace / or shawls ?
MABEL LOOMIS TODD (1856-1932), ‘Indian Pipes’.
oil on card. 1882.
of course, I was totally blown-away by the love triangle, illicit p-a-s-s-i-o-n (!!) repressed, self-righteous Emily’s brother – Austin dropped on the family.
esp because his wife, Susan was Emily’s best friend, and his 20-something years younger mistress, Mabel Loomis Todd, seems to have been quite enamored with Emily, herself, and/or her talent, at the very least. It was she, and not Susan, who ultimately played an important role in getting Emily’s work published !!
I believe ‘Indian Pipes’ must be a kind of American wild flower ?
the drawing is quite beautiful,
and way !!
black & white . . drama queen / DRAMATIC !!!!!!!
“Todd sent this painting of Indian pipes to Emily Dickinson in late summer 1882 while Todd was staying in Washington, DC. . . .
A rendition of this piece was used to decorate the covers of all the editions of Dickinson’s poetry and letters edited by Todd and published by Roberts Brothers between 1890 and 1896.”
~exhibition text
so, just how did Emily D. and the mistress . . interact, if only we had got that part of the story, too.
life was so complicated – even for that literary . . minimalist.
Amherst, Bloomsbury . . not ?!!!
I mean, there is not a peep of this, in the poems, right ?
what about in her letters ?
that would have been amazing, I bet they got destroyed pretty fast, if there were any – no matter what they said.
but damn it, color me: C-U-R-I-O-U-S !!!!!
EMILY DICKINSON vs. FLORINE STETTHEIMER ???
now, that’s a strange bird . . up against / another.
and plenty of secrets – to go around !!
PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH – UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED
~EMILY DICKINSON . . ‘I’M NOBODY! Who are you?’ / THE MORGAN LIBRARY & MUSEUM / 2 more weeks |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | May 11th, 2017, 2:37pm
IN MY LIVING ROOM . . WITH ALFRED STEIGLITZ & GEORGIA O’KEEFE !!
FLORINE vs GEORGIA / NOW THAT’S A THOUGHT !!!!!
SOMEBODY . . should write a paper on that !!!
LIVING ROOM / GALLERY / SALON !!
PARTY . . ON !!
YOU GO GIRL. INDIE, R-E-B-E-L . . FLORINE !!!!!
‘FLORINE STETTHEIMER: Painting Poetry’
MAY 5 – SEPT 24, 2017
THE JEWISH MUSEUM, New York
FLORINE STETTHEIMER, (1871-1944) . . ‘Family Portrait II’, 1933.
oil on canvas, 46-1/4 x 64-5/8 in.
Museum of Modern Art, New York, Gift of Miss ETTIE STETTHEIMER, 1956
HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY, Y’ALL !!
they were a close-knit family, the 3 sisters and their imposing mama. the father split early on.
& note her life span – covered . . 2 World Wars !!
“BORN to a wealthy Jewish family in Rochester, New York, STETTHEIMER studied at the Art Students League in New York City and then in Europe, where she encountered two profound influences: the SYMOBLIST painters and poets, and the BALLETS RUSSES.
Stettheimer’s return to New York in 1914, as World War I began, was a turning point for the artist, who was then in her mid-40s. She made her New York art debut with a 1916 solo show at the prestigious Knoeldler Gallery, but it proved disappointing, attracting lukewarm press and no sales.
She and her sisters Carrie and Ettie, and their mother, Rosetta, then developed a stratagem for unveiling her new works, characteristic of the period: parties.
Their elite salon attracted many of the leading lights of the artistic vanguard , including her close friend MARCEL DUCHAMP, as well as ALFRED STIEGLITZ, CARL VAN VECHTEN, GEORGIA O’KEEFE . . “(!!)
~press release
her ‘skinny’ brushwork – usually in black, top-painted as embellishment, is a detail that pops up throughout the exhibit – and is a nice re-discovery – re: painting technique.
mama’s fortune telling (?) card game – is another good example of that . . fine, laced & expressive brush work.
of course, she’s drop dead gorgeous with the . . the FLOWERS !!
speaking of . . which !!!!!!!
I wonder, what kind of conversations, FLORINE STETTHEIMER . .
and GEORGIA O’KEEFE – had ?!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I mean, com’on – in many ways she, FLORINE . . is just as an innovative painter as GEORGIA O’KEEFE, but obviously, though ALFRED STEIGLITZ frequentd her parties – he didn’t seem to have championed her seriously, as an artist ???
could it be that same old same old (story) – who ya F..K – gets the CROWN.
and, too damn bad.
YOUR BAD – MR.STEIGLITZ !!!!!
PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH
~FLORINE STETTHEIMER . . IN MY LIVING ROOM / JEWISH MUSEUM |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | May 10th, 2017, 10:12am
Her painter’s palette – held the KEY !!
& the Grim reaper . . got the / LAST LAUGH !!
‘FLORINE STETTHEIMER: Painting Poetry’
MAY 5 – SEPT 24, 2017
JEWISH MUSEUM, 1109 FIFTH AVE, NYC
see: FLORINE STETTHEIMER – JEWISH MUSEUM
one of the most delightful surprises . . among a small treasure trove of . . DELIGHTS !!
came early on – in this jewel box of – an exhibit !!
in the introductory table / display case,
‘Twelve hand-painted fortune-telling cards from a set of twenty-five, c. 1885’ – (!!)
Watercolor on card
Florine Stettheimer papers, Rare Book and Manuscript Library.
Columbia University in the City of New York.
“FLORINE . . was fourteen, when she painted these cards, probably for a family pastime.
The figures include a mixture of traditional Tarot images (time, death) and some
that suggest the artist’s own future: a young woman and an artist’s palette . . .”
~Jewish Museum display text
I’m thinking: you will take a trip ? / where am – I going . . in life ?
turns out, she lived with her two sisters and their mother – her whole life !!
but they were not hermits – they had an incredible & brilliant salon revolving around them – all the time & they decamped to Europe frequently.
though, she definitely was wondering . . about BOYS !!
but . . that was not to be, or . . the full story – hasn’t been told !!
her painter’s palette . . .
held the key . . to her life !!
the grim reaper !!
the ultimate – outsider !!
but, not always – the last word. nor, the last card.
turn it upside down, and it means: CHANGE !!
I found out, that she – FLORINE !!
asked for her artworks to be burned !! after her death. oh no.
she was so disappointed by the mainstream art world – oh lord, nothing much has changed !!
thankfully, one of her sisters saved the work and dispersed it among several prestigious library & university collections, and thus it has been saved – & – surely, slowly but surely . . . the times have finally caught up with her.
in truth, far from being a “lightweight feminine artist with a whimsical bent” – she was a true AMERICAN VISIONARY.
a magic realist. a symbolist. a surrealist. an observer.
a classic: insider-outsider !! of her time, and yet – way ahead.
this exhibit is a revelation: don’t miss it.
PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH
~FLORINE STETTHEIMER . . FORTUNE TELLING CARDS / JEWISH MUSEUM |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | May 5th, 2017, 12:24pm
‘LIKE OXYGEN’ – where cutting edge TECH / info, questions & magic . . MERGE !!
SEEMS LIKE WE ALL NEED TO BREATHE IN – a LITTLE MAGIC, with . . the air / intake.
Magic Realism . . ?
and, I thought it was going to be an . . audio show, oh, yeah.
all I can say is:
LIVING ROOMS, then & now !!!!!
and, what’s a living room gallery – if not a ‘SALON’, anyways ?
‘LIKE OXYGEN’ . . at MOUNTAIN
if you could picture a museum quality show – in a Brooklyn living room, this would be it !!
with serious content, and an ambitious desire to communicate; this was an enticing & exacting (!!) invitation to explore . . the unknown, the archival, and the brand new.
all underground / all art scene . . forward !!
a perfect tiny storm !!
of huge intent !!
there was a lot to listen to, I would say I need to go back and really . . listen.
since artlovers is image-based, here’s a . . snapshot / visual impression.
in truth, I got carried away by the visuals, and even more distracted (!!) chatting up the young artists !!
but, from the snippets I did hear – I would say: definite worth a dedicated trip back, sometime soon.
count me – in: CURIOUS !!
note: you can schedule an appointment by emailing the gallery 24 hrs in advance / mountain.bushwick[at]gmail.com
read: more about the show & watch a video clip from the George Terry film / MOUNTAIN WEBSITE& don’t forget to download / check out the PRESS RELEASE – it has brief, but complete descriptions of all of the varied projects.
the show is up thru . . MAY 21st, 2017.
Pix from the Opening Reception, SAT APRIL 29, 2017 . . .
ALLISON WADE, ‘Crystal Flowers Radio’, 2017.
the show starts off – real low fi / but . . low key, NOT !!
these were the pocket radios . . that held the seance . .
that Allison Wade set up – to communicate with the dead !!
and not just . . any dead !!
we are talking . . FLORINE STETTHEIMER !!
so that’s spooky, esp in light of all the new age tech going on, and not just because Ms. Wade’s West Side apt was supposedly the former home & salon of the fantabulist Florine, and she, Allison . .
held actual seances, shaman and all – to try to contact her or anybody in her glorious circle, recorded here,
but because . .
well, just maybe she – did !!
the FIRST MAJOR U.S. EXHIBIT – DEVOTED to Artist FLORINE STETTHEIMER – in over 20 years !!
OPENS – JUST THIS WEEK !! . . . MAY 5 – SEPT 24, 2017
at the JEWISH MUSEUM, here in NYC !!
see: ‘FLORINE STETTHEIMER: Painting Poetry’ at the JEWISH MUSEUM . . !!
I just caught the advance press preview yesterday / it’s an amazing little capsule exhibit.
which just goes to show, some artists, labelled outsiders, who for whatever reason – fly over everybodies heads – without garnering mainstream appreciation or critical recognition / have a way of coming back and . . biting everybody, & with a good dose of magic usually thrown in, for good measure, too.
decades . . on.
the exhibit, the work – is PURE MAGIC !! ON EVERY LEVEL !! ABSOLUTELY FASCINATING.
& t-o-t-a-l-l-y relevant – to the scene, today . . . LIVING ROOMS – and ALL !!!!!!!!
ALLISON WADE, ‘CRYSTAL FLOWERS RADIO’, 2017
so, yeah . . I would say something quite magical, and not just just ‘sounds technical’ . . is going on – here !!
and, that’s also coming through, loud and clear – in this strange, besotted . . sound/sculpture/work !!
ALLISON WADE, detail . . ‘CRYSTAL FLOWERS RADIO’.
see: ALLISON L. WADE – PORTFOLIO WEBSITE
from the gallery description:
“Allison Wade presents a project about communing with the dead. After discovering that her Upper West Side apartment was once the former home and salon of painter/poet FLORINE STETTHEIMER, Wade has hired a shaman to communicate with potential spirits in the space (which based on the salon’s guest list could be anyone from DUCHAMP to O’KEEFE to STEIN). The audio recording of this shaman’s seance (normally broadcast from the artist’s apartment) will temporarily be broadcast via pirate radio from the gallery during the opening & on select days during the run of the exhibit.”
oh my . . . . . . !!
how strangely the art cards – do play out . . . this season.
the other visual stunner . .
was GEORGE TERRY’s short artist interview film: ‘You Can’t Go Home Again (version II)’, 2017.
that’s . . GEORGE TERRY, at center.
looking most . . dada-ist ? symbol-ist ? surreal-ist ?
and, not just . . Brooklyn hipster-ish / just joking (!!)
if, I don’t say so, myself. (!!)
TRUDY BENSON.
yeah – there was even a SMOKE or FOG MACHINE, that initiated each interview / what could be more magical than that ?!!
ADAM PARKER SMITH, sitting on a great quilt, btw.
all the artist interviews took place, in their own homes or studios, but at the exact same cinematic – angle & spatial / inset . . that was really, really good, as a purely visual narrative, never mind the words.
I could just so get / into that . . subtle shallow spatial, but extremely poetic / dynamic.
ESPERANZA MAYOBRE . .
there was this great big old, comfy couch – placed against a wall so you could sit & view the film, which looped.
though the audio was a little hard to hear, in a room full of young artists !!
buzzing like the busy bees – they are !!
but, it was such a richly visual film, words almost didn’t matter.
or: next visit !!
KATRINA FIMMEL.
just watching it go by – was so compelling. it was like a a river, it flowed . . so well.
it seems Mr. GEORGE TERRY – has a real a handle on the camera.
and, indeed: a truly meaningful / focus on . . cinematic s-p-a-c-e.
KENDAL BENNETT.
DAN ESTABROOK.
GABRIELA GALVAN.
GABRIELA SALAZAR.
artist GABRIELA SALAZAR, with filmmaker GEORGE TERRY,
and yes, I do . . want to go back, and hear it !!
GEORGE TERRY: “is a sculptor, video, installation artist & curator. He was born in Lynchburg, VIRGINIA, and grew up in the BLUE RIDGE MOUNTAINS (!!) Terry received his BFA from Virginia Commonwealth University, his MFA from RISD / Rhode Island School of Design . . .
He now lives and works in Brooklyn, NY.”
see: GEORGE TERRY – PORTFOLIO WEBSITE
wow, the BLUE RIDGE MOUNTAINS . .
home of my beloved hand-painted vintage Blue Ridge /Southern pottery, & many a fine & honest early, and vintage, rural Appalachian quilt / fiddle & banjo music roots, too.
that’s got to be some special place, to grow up in / though prob very hard scrabble – for an aspiring contemporary artist.
but obviously, something . . like magic – in that real ‘hillbilly’ mountain water !!
hillbilly, ha. just flying over everybodies heads, as usual.
gotta love that:
FLORINE STETTHEIMER, and . . HILLBILLY – in the same breath / must be . . the OXYGEN !!
PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH
~’LIKE OXYGEN’ . . MOUNTAIN, BUSHWICK / PIX FROM THE OPENING / & FLORINE STETTHEIMER opens at the JEWISH MUSEUM – this week !! |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | May 3rd, 2017, 12:06pm
‘LIKE OXYGEN’ – an exhibition about artist interviews . .
OPENS TO-NITE, SAT APRIL 29, 2017 / 7-10 PM
the show runs thru MAY 21, 2017
and features:
Bad at Sports
The Conversation
Like Riding a Bicycle
Sound & Vision
George Terry
Allison Wade
MOUNTAIN, founded in 2016 by MICHAEL FLEMING, is an artist-run apartment / living room / gallery
which is open to the public for opening receptions / special events.
otherwise, HRS are by APPOINTMENT ONLY.
MOUNTAIN, 284 SEIGEL ST, #1B, BUSHWICK, BROOKLYN.
read more: about this show / ‘LIKE OXYGEN’
image via Instagram @mountain.bushwick
‘LIKE OXYGEN’ . .
“has dedicated podcast listening stations – with episodes curated by our friends at @badatsports, @artistpodcast (hosted by artist MICHAEL SHAW), and . . .@soundandvisionpodcast.
as well as, these beautifully crafted books . . .
“How Not What” by @hunterbw88, and @katie_hargrave_ aka Like Riding a Bicycle.”
~’LIKE OXYGEN’ . . MOUNTAIN, BUSHWICK / OPENS TO-NITE SAT |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | April 29th, 2017, 10:53am
image via Instagram @dresshopgallery
@dressshopgallery: EXCITED ABOUT THIS ONE!
#glock #sacredheart #leather #metal #art #emanuellimon #mexican #jesus #hellbentheavensent #lucid
also, check out: EMMANUEL LIMON / @awkwardchopper on Instagram
‘SIN COYOTE’ – ‘WITHOUT A GUIDE’
EMMANUEL LIMON . . . “SIN COYOTE”
OPENS TO-NITE, FRI APRIL 28, 2017 / 6 – 9 PM
the show runs thru JUNE 10, 2017
DRESS SHOP GALLERY, 322 TROUTMAN ST, BUSHWICK, BROOKLYN
note: apart from the opening to-nite – gallery hrs are by appointment only
for more info & photos, see: DRESS SHOP GALLERY on Facebook
~EMMANUEL LIMON . . ‘SIN COYOTE’ / DRESS SHOP GALLERY, BUSHWICK – opens to-nite FRI APRIL 28 |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | April 28th, 2017, 8:25am
quelle . . brute !!!!!!
JERRY BLACKMAN: ‘UNDONE YIN YANG’
curated by . . BRIGITTE MULHOLLAND
opened WED APRIL 19, 2017
and runs thru SUN MAY 21, 2017
CUCHIFRITOS, a program of ARTISTS ALLIANCE INC, 120 ESSEXST, NYC
HRS: TUES-SUN / NOON-6PM / or by appointment
read more: JERRY BLACKMAN / Undone Yin Yang – CUCHIFRITOS
PIX FROM – THE OPENING:
JERRY checks his phone, center.
I’ve been following this guy for a long time now, maybe even a decade ?
hard to believe. he’s had his ups & downs, so he’s already a seasoned player, and a determined one – at that.
always very interesting, and . . he’s a great curator, too.
JERRY BLACKMAN presents a new body of work, and I do mean . . body !!
as in concrete & . . brute !!
CUCHIFRITOS . . does deserve some mention here, with regard to unconventional . . POP-UPS !!
they were an early pop-up / that became permanent. innovative & set apart from the pack by locale / the gallery / project space is located smack dab in the midst of a bustling Lower East Side indoor street market, on Essex Street, just off Delancey.
on the Lower East Side.
BRIGITTE MULHOLLAND . . did a great job of curating a show of ‘mean-sized’ works – in this small space, for Jerry.
you can read a little more about her, here: CUCHIFRITOS
LOVE that her MA in Art History from HUNTER cOLLEGE, was on . . ‘Spirituality in the work of JACKSON POLLOCK’. (!!)
RAFAEL ROZENDAAL, and AUSTIN LEE.
AUSTIN LEE . . had that great / pink ghostly / austere / dreamy portrait of a girl’s face – at the sweet, yet cutting edge, ‘DRAWING ISLAND’ survey show at THE JOURNAL GALLERY recently.
I’m not familiar with RAFAEL ROZENDAAL’S work, so it was fun to google him: NewRafael.com
I have to say . . eggalone.com – hit the spot !!
CGI animation – never fails to amaze / see: DOUBLE NEVER – NEW RAFAEL ROZENDAAL
LAUREN SEIDEN, is a friend of Kate’s, and we have posted photos from an early group show / see: SHADOWS THRU A PRISM – NOV 30, 2012
where you will see some (now) familiar faces, incl: NICHOLAS STEINDORF, JAMES MILLER & CHRIS WATTS (!!)
& check out: LAUREN SEIDEN PORTFOLIO WEBSITE
painter HEIDI HAHN
see: HEIDI HAHN portfolio website
JERRY BLACKMAN . . plaster, pigments, latex, steel.
cyclical, yet striking me as, very . . stubborn & contrarian ?
a rough-hewn poem.
JERRY BLACKMAN . . almost painting, ALBEIT WITH . . BRUTE FORCE !!
I really did like these works on paper, there were several sets on view.
JERRY BLACKMAN, Graphite on paper in artist’s frame / made of reclaimed wood.
more black magic, than brute !!
that thin waver of illusion, destroyer of ‘objective’ . . observation / yet a mirror, unto the reflective soul.
PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH
~JERRY BLACKMAN . . ‘Undone Yin Yang’ / Cuchifritos |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | April 27th, 2017, 1:00pm
BOO! . . GOTCHA !!
micro pop-up / at ESSEX FLOWERS !!
focusing in on, . . . SENDING A MESSAGE ??
on the small scale, free-form curatorial projects popping up across – the city, right now.
including the faux subversive / disrupter adverts – placed into bus shelter ad frames !!
social media & web archiving – are helping these kinds of projects to . . get around.
where you once had huge scale ‘land art’ – in the remote desert / rebels, you now have small scale unconventional space ‘urban’ – art projects / rebels !!
it’s one way to deal with the cost of real estate vs. the huge wave of creativity . . . in an expensive, but creatively expansive . . city / urban hub.
WON EH . .
is the nomme de guerre of NICHOLAS MOENICH’S Brooklyn apartment/ living room project / curatorial space, which he runs with fellow artist LAUREN CLAY.
and yes, the show’s title does reference the Beatles song !!
“Please, please Mr. Postman, look and see, see if there’s a let-ter in your bag, for me ?”
sweet, lyrical touch – esp for those of us who hear sound tracks in our head – at any given moment.
WON EH guest curates . ‘PLEASE MR. POSTMAN’
feat: MORGAN BLAIR, KARI CHOLNOKY, BENNY MERRIS, TRACY MOLIS, THOMAS SPOERDLE
ESSEX FLOWERS mailbox / 19 Monroe St, Chinatown
the pop-up site specific work opened – SUN, APRIL 16, 2017 & is currently still – ongoing, for public viewing.
but, ps: you need to ask a someone in the gallery to open the mailbox – with their key !!
so you have to go gallery hrs / weekends are good.
or: like us . . you can follow along on that micro mother of-all media channels / MOAB, ooops I mean >> MOAC !!
. . Instagram.
NICHOLAS MOENICH – measures the site . . .
image via @essexflowers
the show – is installed.
dig . . that WOOD FLOOR !!!!
and that tiny, but apparently working (?) ceiling .. light fixture – ha.
did anybody else ever read ‘THE BORROWERS’ when they were a kid ?
image via @won_eh
BENNY MERRIS, ‘An Other Another 88’.
image via @won_eh
all the artworks, except for the KARI CHOLNOKY ‘keychain’ / are small scale photo – reproductions of larger originals / ‘digital prints mounted to museum board’.
& according to a DM dialog I had with NICHOLAS MOENICH:
“Mr. Postman was very un-surprised about the tiny exhibit. A true New Yorker.
We just had to make a small change so he could open the box to deliver all the mail.”
TRACY MOLIS, ‘Untitled (Griffin)’, 2015. acrylic on panel.
image via @won_eh
MORGAN BLAIR, ‘Stuffed Cartoon Woodchuck at Church Yard Sale Sees The Future Through a Crack in The Patriarchy’s Palm; What Happens Next Will Leave You Wondering How They Fit All That Cheese in There!’, 2016.
the original is acrylic on canvas over panel, 12 x 12 in.
image via @won_eh
THOMAS SPOERDLE, DHF / ‘Foursquare: Extrovert’, 2016.
the original is acrylic, enamel & graphite on canvas, 44 x 40 in.
image via @won_eh
KARI CHOLNOKY, ‘Keychain hang’.
Kari Cholnoky has larger works (!!) currently on exhibit at . . WON-EH / the curatorial/artist residency – Nicholas Moenich & Lauren Clay run in their Brooklyn apt – living room / 467 TROUTMAN ST, #1A, Brooklyn.
see: WON_EH
& FILE UNDER: HAD TO . . L-A-U-G-H !!
I had to laugh: because, not only do I collect . . ‘miniatures’ !!
but I even have a few of those tomato red 99 cent store measuring tapes – which Nicholas Moenich holds up – in that first photo !!
and, you can even see . . some of my ‘micro art’ / buying’:
yes, that’s a TOM SACHS masking tape I bought for a pittance, at Printed Matter years & years ago, and there is also his trade marked ‘screw driver’, on top of it, but not easy to see, here.
the small photograph-sized acrylic paintings, on 4 x 4 in. mini-stretched canvases – are by my daughter, KATE CERIGO – back from when she was a student, at Laguardia High School.
ok, yeah. I also collect vintage doll house furniture & anything . . . SNOOPY !!
in fact, that SNOOPY vintage toy, also has a ‘mini’ . . slideshow running in the back – of its head !!
ah, how do you get the bread into the toaster / the eternal question !!
you change the image – by pulling on one of the ears !!
this one is just for . . . NICHOLAS MOENICH !! BOO !! – GOTCHA !!
hey, hey, Mr. Postman, look & see – got something in my mailbag, just for . . THE_E !!
PHOTOS of my miniatures / micro art collection: NANCY SMITH
~NICHOLAS MOENICH . . ‘PLEASE MR. POSTMAN’ / ESSEX FLOWERS & incl misc. ref to: TOM SACHS, KATE & SNOOPY |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | April 25th, 2017, 8:48am
SARAH MEYOHAS . .
is presenting some new JAMES MILLER paintings, at her booth at the Independent art fair,
in Brussels this weekend / APRIL 19 – 23, 2017.
and they look . . awesome.
SARAH . . . posted this photo to Instagram, yesterday.
photo via Instagram @sarahmeyohas
I’ve known James for quite a while now, ever since his first year at the Yale MFA graduate program, Open Studios – Spring 2013.
I did make his recent one man debut show at MEYOHAS GALLERY, this past DEC 2, 2016.
‘JAMES MILLER: PAINTINGS’
opened DEC 2, 2016 and ran thru JAN 22, 2017
MEYOHAS, 181 East 90th St, UPPER EAST SIDE, NYC
MEYOHAS . . .
is also an artist-run gallery / project space in an apartment living room – except it’s more like the spare apt across the hall. located in a posh doorman building, it’s got a very ambitious agenda, which is the important element . . and, as per the state of affairs for indie galleries now, it’s open to the public the night of the opening, but by appointment only, for the rest of the exhibit.
going there is is quite ‘trippy’ in it’s own way.
don’t tell me the underground art scene in NYC, ain’t the coolest playground there is . . right now !!
you got a living room – you’re in !!
PIX – FROM THE JAMES MILLER OPENING – FRI DEC 2, 2016.
entering the gallery, just another ‘trippy’ living room – on the indie underground, NYC spectrum.
JAMES MILLER, with new work on canvas, behind him – at the opening.
artist SARAH MEYOHAS runs this space, from her home.
NICHOLAS MOENICH and LAUREN CLAY.
they also run a project space / artist residency . . out of their living room, in Brooklyn.
NICHOLAS MOENICH is the curator – who gave us that super ‘trippy’ mushroom show at Helper – last Fall.
and talking about small spaces, he has a small group show he curated – exhibiting in the mailbox at ESSEX FLOWERS, right now.
and actually, it’s quite brilliant.
so, yeah – that’s the spectrum of the NYC underground art scene right now – wild.
with pent-up indie freedom, is all I can say.
LANCE MARCHEL and NATE FLAGG.
JAMES MILLER canvas.
fade – away, done right.
JAMES MILLER, paint on canvas: minimalist – talk to me !!
JAMES MILLER, painting.
changing gears, luminous.
see: JAMES MILLER – INTRO / MEYOHUS
see: installation shots / ‘JAMES MILLER: PAINTINGS’ / MEYOHAS
PHOTOS FROM THE OPENING: NANCY SMITH
~JAMES MILLER . . MEYOHAS / INDEPENDENT, BRUSSELS |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | April 21st, 2017, 8:35am
while we are on . . .
on the subject of . . . “I’m such a misfit, how will I ever fit in ?” (!!!)
I went to a SURREALIST DINNER !!
a weekend or so ago, Sun April 9, 2017 / at . . SELENA, in BUSHWICK.
since co-incidentaly it was also my birthday . . maybe life has caught up to me,
or vice versa. not quite sure.
SELENA GALLERY . . is an artist-run space, co-founded / co-run by OLIVIA SWIDER and ANJULI RATHOD, located in the front room / living room of Olivia’s walk-up apt in Bushwick, in Brooklyn / 37 Troutman St #3, just off the J train.
like so many new & ambitious spaces popping up, the flip side of truly indie . . is that exhibitions are on full view for the openings only, and thereafter by appointment – only. I think it’s worth the trade-off.
most def !!
the gallery’s stated mission is a dedication . . “to exhibiting artists of color.”
hey, is there a color for . . misfit, outsider, big mouth, bridge burner, lives inside my head, etc etc ?
I do like their logo.
seems like there could be room – to maneuver, manipulate, threaten, and d-i-s-r-u-p-t !!
despite the regulations / I mean, those are . . . forked snake tongues ??
break the damn rules, is there a color for . . that ?
though in the big sad picture, I most def – get !! where they are coming from.
see: SELENA GALLERY
MICHAEL FLEMING . . of MOUNTAIN, also an artist-run / living-room-in-my-apt gallery in Brooklyn, which turns out to be, quite a serious incubator btw, helped cook the dinner.
OLIVIA SWIDER, co-founder of SELENA.
Olivia is . . Mexican Polish / now that’s an interesting romance, her parents must have had.
ANJULI RATHOD, co-founder of SELENA.
ALAN FLEMING, rock on !!
STEPHANIE MACEIRAS, you too !!
NICHOLAS STEINDORF . . center, looking like a surrealist . . Pharaoh !!
yeah, that . . . Nicholas Steindorf. who recently re-created the virtual digital / archival version of ‘UNDER THE VOLCANO: SIMON CERIGO, DAN ASHER, NANCY SMITH’ / for . . JEAN-BAPTISTE LENGLET & his Paris-based web project VIRTUAL DREAM CENTER !!
all the food was based on a cookbook by SALVADOR DALI.
and apparently it was quite obscure, in parts, too. one can only, imagine.
amazing footage screened on the wall just above our heads, surrealist film by the apparently legendary, stop animation artists, the twin bros. known as the THE BROTHERS QUAY.
new to me, & m-e-s-m-e-r-i-z-i-n-g.
the art world is just so impossibly huge, INFINITE. and wonderful.
‘IT’S LIKE OXYGEN’ / next show at MOUNTAIN.
infinite, just like the digital / online web.
maybe that’s why ‘online’ – is such a great medium for artists & why they are thriving, right now.
when politics go south, artists, go: high.
art of the absolute present, WE LIVE IN PUBLIC.
24 hr surveillance, and 24 hr streams on home page / gallery pages. JEFFREY STARK.
contemporary art, modern art, new wave art. new age art. primitive tribe art. pseudo-art. secondary market art, mainstream, underground, & art history / folk art, ‘fine’ art, black art, street art. insider art, outsider art / feminist art, Black Panther woodblock print art, communist era woodblock prints, OBEY.
island art. souvenir art. billboard art. earth art, land art. SPIRAL GETTY. TROUBLEMAKERS. MARFA.
intervention public art. ABE LINCOLN, Jr. / urban abandoned building / subway art. SEAN VEGEZZI.
Burning Man, Native American arts. re-claimed rural art, found art. QUILTS.
new age ceramics, tattoos. even, pigeon art. bee hives & honey. ENLIGHTENMENT.
hobo art, riding the trains, vagabond art. whittling. whimsies.
vintage graphics, retro anything. mid-century modern. all things: DESIGN. and SCIENCE, invisible nano particles,
but esp NASA diagrams. which depend on a lot of imagination, btw.
etc etc / & now also: digital art, video clips YouTube. deleted viral death / crime livestream FB. photo-realism, docs. CGI, virtual imaginary & virtual reality art, post-computer graphic arts, etc etc. fonts. infinite fonts & hand lettering, script. FAUST.
comic book art. illustration. illuminated medieval prayer books. Group of Seven, cowboy art, decorative arts.
‘WHAT DOES STEVIE WONDER’ by NATHAN BELL, opening at Subliminal Projects in LA, next week.
the multi-layered universe of INSTAGRAM.
the secret life of SHROOMS. & the cult of growing fungus in soil. NICHOLAS MOENICH.
JIM JOE. German expressionist MAX BECKMANN at the MET.
EAT THE LEAF . . the earth mother of all bronze pendants.
no wonder it’s spilling out – into people’s living rooms !!
see: QUAY BROTHERS
well, if . . Surrealism had a designated color, it would have to be illuminated / neon RED.
I was just wondering – when surrealism was going to raise its head, again.
for real, ever since I saw . . ‘DRAWING SURREALISM’, at the Pierpont Morgan Library, Jan 25 – April 21, 2013 !!
check out: ‘DRAWING SURREALISM’ – THE MORGAN LIBRARY & MUSEUM
it was funny, how the street scene outside, looking down, from Selena’s big front window terrace – was just so . . innocent.
and, just because:
it’s just so easy to overlook, that most of these far-out, on the underground frontier fer sure . . indie galleries (and ‘blogs’ by the way) are run by . . ARTISTS !!!
check out:
ANJULI RATHOD . . PORTFOLIO WEBSITE
OLIVIA SWIDER . . PORTFOLIO
OLIVIA SWINDER, ‘HELLO, LIAR’ . . !!!
love it, another textile artist !! just joking.
I mean . . . DIS-RUPTER ARTIST !!
wow, I’m with you on that message, OLIVIA !!
ALL YOU LOSERS, OUT THERE, wipe yourselves, off. change the channel.
get with the program / think creative. re-claim. re-purpose. re-think. re-search. re-spect.
~SURREALIST DINNER . . at SELENA |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | April 20th, 2017, 12:48pm
