UNDER THE VOLCANO,
WHERE THE UNDERGROUND FIRES . . rage.
I’m not so much interested any longer in those artists I’ve known, that are becoming ‘successful’, or even ‘junior’ hugely successful in the mainstream, like the two I just posted: STERLING RUBY, and MICHAEL WILLIAMS, because by this time, usually a decade has passed – and it’s game over for me. it’s old news, and it’s priced so far out of the ball park, as to be purely a commercial, or foreign venture.
plus, so much other new stuff is going on, ripping up from the bottom, with that’s far-out new & compelling – and wanting to be . . engaged with & . . discovered.
not only that, but most certainly to my mind, most of this critic/institutional curator-certified & big gallery-branded work, has powered down, ebbed out. bleed out, lost something in the climb.
what I’m really saying when I post those oldie but goodies, is: I own . . some bragging rights.
I can knock the very first photo down on the table, like the winning ace of spades, and say . . not only was I there, but I called it. and sometimes I even own it / perhaps only a small piece of the action / but at that point, it’s still going up by $2 or $5 thousand a pop. not bad, for a lowly street call.
but, if you are talking about ‘flame’ as in ‘fire’ – it’s the raw depths of the underground, that call to me.
and, it’s not just the newbies spiraling around the volcano’s inner void, that call out.
it’s all the hardcore, driven striver / hustler artists who ‘will’ to prevail, who rise and bubble, stumble and regain a higher perch, hopefully to one day boil up and get spit out – into security and history – that are the most exciting to me. I don’t care too much for credentials. I want the juice.
you know, the ‘naturals’, the ‘insiders’, the visionaries, the goddamn stubborn . . freaks.
and obviously I’m not alone, or you would not be reading this.
there’s just something awesome magic, powerful . . about being holed-up in the deep dark fire-y guts of that volcano, a Dante’s hell of ride, if there ever was one, with just as many circles and permutations, that forges the hardcore hardest of the rotters – who will themselves to prevail, who won’t stop, won’t take no for an answer, who change and mutate, and will not be denied, at least creatively . . that do eventually come to flower, in the land of . . myth.
you know, like . . Memphis.
is – to song writers
and that’s so so so !!
my own little backyard, whether I like it or not. that’s where I lie, those are the cards I got dealt . . . for whatever reason, but just like every other hardcore striver, I’m just waiting, waiting . . to blow the lid off the game, and say hey: by the way.
the last laugh – c’est moi. whether I flame out, or flame up – no diff. I’m damn well playing poker – with that deck of cards.
it’s the only slogan to live for / when you run wild & true / just below the commercial scene / in the pit of volcano – that harsh sea of tossing flame.
“touchdown in the land of the delta blues, in the middle of a pouring rain.”
JOE BRADLEY, wood sculpture. Edition of 4 + 1 AP. GAGOSIAN GALLERY uptown NYC, April 2 – May 3, 2016.
PHOTO: COURTESY GAGOSIAN GALLERY.
even among the heavy hitters, it gets brutal, til there is only – one man standing.
JOE BRADLEY is about the only one of the new super stars – to still hold my attention.
the poster for our pop-up show, ‘UNDER THE VOLCANO: SIMON CERIGO, DAN ASHER, NANCY SMITH’.
the show ran June 6-7, in the summer of 2015, in an empty storefront in Chinatown, right on the Bowery.
curated by KATE & THEO CERIGO, it captured the imagination of a new wave of artists.
based on a newspaper piece by SIMON CERIGO, thecollage features an early photo of the 3 of us, Simon Cerigo, Dan Asher at center, and myself, Nancy Smith, NYC. Tribeca. ca. 1981.
and a young ALLEN GINSBURG at the top.
PHOTO: of the Poster on the Bowery storefront – NANCY SMITH
hanging the show, archival photo: NANCY SMITH
that’s THEO CERIGO at the right, and NICHOLAS STEINDORF at the left.
those are my pieces – going up on the wall.
NICHOLAS would go on to play a major role, in the recent past few months of 2016/17 . . in working with
Paris-based JEAN-BAPTISTE LENGLET . . to digitally re-create the show for Jean-Baptiste’s VIRTUAL DREAM CENTER /
an online artists’ interactive digital ‘game’ platform.
it is free to download, go to . . . VIRTUAL DREAM CENTER
where, you will find ‘UNDER THE VOLCANO’ . . . under: VIRTUAL DREAM CENTER 1.1.
JEAN-BAPTISTE LENGLET / @virtualdreamcenter . . .
has just started posting to Instagram – images from the archival re-creation.
it is shown in the actual ‘kinetic’ format, or flow – as you move through the re-constructed digital space.
this is the 1986 Artforum, that SIMON turned into his scribbled diary – and, on whose page deep inside,
co-curator KATE CERIGO, and Simon’s daughter . . found his seemingly heartfelt inscription, “under the volcano”.
the namesake movie had just come out.
Simon obviously resonated with it’s dark themes, just as many young artists today, apparently find his free-for-all, yet poetic 80s imagery, both inspiring, and historic, even though he was totally unrecognized, in his own time.
Simon Cerigo, (1952-2013) definitely lived the life, of the Lower East Side gadfly in its 80s/90s heyday.
an indie gallerist for a brief few years, he was an avid collector with a golden eye, who depended on his street smarts & art flipping to feed his young family, and who in so doing, set many a career on their way.
he was a true ‘flaneur’- who also liked to party down hard.
he was also a artist, which not too many knew, or would give him credit for.
SIMON is just having his voice – heard now.
be stubborn, brave & strong, my dedicated young artists.
pages from his Artforum journal are found in the menu/index of . . VIRTUAL DREAM CENTER.
SIMON CERIGO, the ‘clown’ on the hill.
all 3 images above via Instagram @virtualdreamcenter
SIMON CERIGO, newspaper piece. undated, (1980’s). paint, pen or pencil, on a New York Times newsprint page.
from my collection, PHOTO: NANCY SMITH
SIMON CERIGO . . probably holds the record for going to the most openings, on a weekly basis, for years.
actually, for . . decades, ever since arriving in NYC, from Montreal, in the early 80s.
he also was known as the art scene’s biggest & best . . party crasher, as well as being, the life of any party.
Flaneur . . was not a title – he took lightly.
born in Greece, he loved to wear sunglasses that made him look like the famous Greek ship builder, Onassis.
PHOTO: NANCY SMITH. Chelsea, NYC. Sept 2010.
~UNDER THE VOLCANO . . then & now / w JOE BRADLEY & feat: SIMON CERIGO & VIRTUAL DREAM CENTER |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | April 7th, 2017, 4:06pm
this is my very first encounter & photo of . . MICHAEL WILLIAMS.
MICHAEL WILLIAMS . . .
PHOTO: NANCY SMITH, JUNE 14, 2003.
at the opening of a small group show he was in, at CANADA – when it was back in the day, 55 Chrystie St, Lower East Side / Chinatown. He is wearing a one-of-a-kind t-shirt made by LAURA GRANT of . . DEARRAINDROP.
‘SLO JAMS’ – was the name of his band.
the show was titled, ‘You are my Sunshine, You is my Sunshine’, and it was quite memorable, not the least because DEVENDRA BANHART also – had a few pieces in it.
see: the original artnet / ART LOVERS NEW YORK – 8/29/03 post
MICHAEL WILLIAMS, painting on vinyl record.
PHOTO: NANCY SMITH, JUNE 14, 2003.
among some larger works, Michael was showing several of these small, but very wild, paintings on old vinyl records,
and yes . . I did score one.
mine has some very colorful, maybe even neon-colored fake / kids’ arts & crafts ‘Indian’ headband feathers at the top (!!).
I think they were selling for something like $100. maybe $200 at the most.
somebody recently, like last week !!
told me there is a big MICHAEL WILLIAMS canvas hanging at the Metropolitan Opera House, I’m not surprised.
that’s the way the game is played, right now. and, it’s a real nice context – drama, drama, drama.
and, of course he has a big flagship show up . . right now,
at . . . BARBARA GLADSTONE, 24th St, running MARCH 31 – MAY 6, 2017.
~MICHAEL WILLIAMS . . . then & now |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | April 5th, 2017, 11:14am
STERLING RUBY . . . ?
hmm, after JOE BRADLEY . . I think the next biggest shooting star.
STERLING RUBY, April 8, 2005 – at the opening of his second show at FOXY PRODUCTION.
PHOTO: NANCY SMITH
ps: yeah, I was still using a 35mm camera.
note: this is a copyrighted image – please do not re-post it without contacting me first.
I am very, very trigger-angry sensitive on this matter / I most definitely do pursue legal action incl. non-authorized use & attorney – fees.
Instagram image via @gagosiangallery
the accompanying text refers to ‘L.A. Exuberance: New Gifts by Artists’ – at LACMA / Los Angeles County Museum of Art, CALIFORNIA: a recent exhibit which featured a selection of works given to the museum for its 50th anniversary, including this work by STERLING RUBY.
I guess that’s how the high stakes game – gets played right now, and why not ?
~STERLING RUBY . . . then & now |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | April 4th, 2017, 9:31am
WILLIAM WEGMAN / MATTHEW THURBER – 2 PERSON DRAWING SHOW
‘NO MAINE IS AN ISLAND’- including new call-and-response drawings by . .
WILLIAM WEGMAN (b. 1943) and MATTHEW THURBER (b. 1977)
as well as a selection of WEGMAN drawings from the 70s & 80s.
OPENS TOMORROW, SAT APRIL 1, 2017 / 7 – 10 PM
the exhibition remains on view, by appointment, thru MAY 7, 2017.
TEEN PARTY, BED STUY, BROOKLYN
TEEN PARTY . . is located at 874 Greene Ave, Apt 2A, in . . Bed Stuy, Brooklyn.
& is a project . . of SCOTT INDRISKEK & ARIELA GITTLEN.
email: teenparty.biz@gmail.com for info, address & get on their mailing list.
MATTHEW THURBER . . portrait of WILLIAM WEGMAN
posted by @teenparty.biz to Instagram.
WILLIAM WEGMAN, 2017. ‘THURBER OR WEGMAN ?’, after a drawing by Matthew Thurber
image courtesy: TEEN PARTY
from the press/info release:
” . . when Wegman met Thurber he was crestfallen. That is, he dropped a tube of toothpaste into the toilet. I don’t know why they decided to meet in the bathroom. maybe it seemed like gender-neutral territory. Foolish Thurber left some Wegmans too close to a scented candle and … whoops.
“It seems they’ve started to copy each other’s drawings. To become the other’s ‘evil twin’…but let’s not be naive here!…a ‘good’ drawing? an ‘evil’ drawing’?
No such thing exists…we all know that.
We…did you close the chimney flue? You fool, don’t you know bad drawings can crawl down the chimney like bats, like leopards, like Wegmans and Thurbers????
There is however, possibly at this moment in your unattended studio washroom a witch , laughing at you in the mirror.
Come on now…enough is enough.
Are you being serious?
Or are you just halving (sic) Fun?”
yeah, so there – rain.
rain, rain go away – come again another day.
ha, yeah. it’s raining cats & dogs here in NYC.
so, yeah. of course everybody knows WILLIAM WEGMAN.
but people have asked me – do you know the other guy ?
mais oui / but, of course.
see: MATTHEW THURBER & ‘1-800-MICE’ / BC&GF – DEC 5, 2011
see: MATTHEW THURBER & ‘INFOMANIACS’ / DESERT ISLAND – NOV 22, 2013
A PAGE – FROM ‘INFOMANIACS’ – by MATTHEW THURBER
PARKOUR, LORDY !!
PAR-TAY – ON !!
BED-STUY !!
ALL YE – APRIL FOOLS !!
~WILLIAM WEGMAN / MATTHEW THURBER, ‘NO MAINE IS AN ISLAND’ . . TEEN PARTY – OPENING SAT APRIL 1 |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | March 31st, 2017, 10:26am
speaking on all things . . LINCOLN.
and it’s apparent relationship – with some very strange humor:
@mtshelves aka MATTHEW THURBER . . .
posted this image, of a drawing of his – of a common copper penny to Instagram, about a week.
USA, in the cross hairs, much ?
again, someone with a very unique, and ‘authentic’ drawing . . . ‘voice’.
image via Instagram @mtshelves
~LINCOLN CENTER . . MATTHEW THURBER |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | March 31st, 2017, 10:14am
ABE LINCOLN, Jr. delivers his healthy ‘gut’ piece – in a tube.
including a nice sticker pkg.
Midtown NYC. FEB 7, 2017.
PHOTO: NANCY SMITH
check out: ABE LINCOLN, Jr. – girlsbike.com
~ABE LINCOLN, Jr . . delivers |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | March 31st, 2017, 10:03am
so,
@abelincolnjr posted this image on Istagram a little while back, and he wrote underneath:
‘In the Butt 4: Trapped under Ass, 19″ x 28″ ink on healthy colon photo – $200 DM if you want it.’
and, I thought wow – that’s the weirdest thing I’ve ever seen, plus I like his painting style . . !!
so I sprung for it.
it took me a good long while, to work up the courage to actually unroll it from the tube – but, yeah.
I’m still . . totally into – it. wtf.
gorgeous, funny, and a good statement about the world, and the art world, too.
a nice combustion of ‘reality’ meets imagination & . . voila: vve / virtual visual explosion.
plus it’s no dumb print.
one-of-a-kind.
what sets Abe’s wicked street poetry, miles apart in a crowded field – is that penmanship & authnticity . . of line.
and duh, that Tweety bird imagery, is my favorite subtext!!
he also sent along some – stickers !!
merci beaucoup, Abe Lincoln, Jr.
btw: does colon rhyme with . . LINCOLN, just asking !!
ABE LINCOLN, Jr. sticker, hand-colored & signed . . 4-1/4 x 5-1/4 in.
ABE LINCOLN, Jr. sticker, hand-colored, signed & inscribed: ‘THANKS NANCY!’ . . 4-1/4 x 5-1/4 in.
ABE LINCOLN, Jr. sticker, hand-colored . . happy boy. 2-1/2 x 4 in.
who says, micro art buying – doesn’t exist ?
they just don’t have . . the eyeballs.
or, the ‘guts’.
PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH / except where noted @abelincolnjr via Instagram.
~ABE LINCOLN, Jr . . down the hatch !! |
Posted in If I had $200, The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | March 30th, 2017, 9:43am
last weekend to catch this deceptively light & lively / skillful / expressionistic . . survey drawing show.
‘DRAWING ISLAND’ at . . .
THE JOURNAL GALLERY, 106 N. 1st St, Brooklyn
SAT & SUN MARCH 25 & 26, 2017
HRS: 12 – 6 PM
see: list of artists
see: installation images
TAYLOR McKIMENS, ‘GLORY’.
detail, TAYLOR McKIMENS
detail, TAYLOR McKIMENS
detail, TAYLOR McKIMENS
detail, TAYLOR McKIMENS
CHRIS MARTIN
LEIF RITCHEY
JOE BRADLEY
SARAH BRAMAN
ALEX BECERRA
AUSTIN LEE
MELISSA BROWN
CARLOS VALENCIA
MICHAEL NEVIN, THE JOURNAL GALLERY.
PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH
~’DRAWING ISLAND’ . . THE JOURNAL GALLERY / LAST WEEKEND |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | March 24th, 2017, 9:53pm
LAST WEEKEND To CATCH . .
THE ‘HAPTIC’ SCULPTURES . . of DANIEL DENNETT
SAT & SUN / MARCH 25 & 26, 2017
HRS: 1 – 6 PM
UNDERDONK, 1329 WILLOUGHBY AVE, #211, BROOKLYN
haptic: relating to the sense of . . touch
READ MORE: ‘HAPTIC WHITTLES’- DANIEL DENNETT / UNDERDONK
PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH
~’HAPTIC WHITTLES’ . . UNDERDONK / LAST WEEKEND |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | March 24th, 2017, 9:23pm
SUPER / HARD-CORE CONTEMPORARY . . . & YET, VERY WISE & ANCIENT
FUNCTIONAL CERAMIC / HAND-BUILT CLAY / FLOWER VASE . . BY DEREK WEISBERG
so, I’m thinking this vase must be inspired by the centuries-old traditional . . ‘TULPIERE’, which is enjoying a current wave of great popularity.
see: Tulipiere – wikipedia
read: a brief, but very interesting paragraph – on the TULIP MANIA OF 1660’s HOLLAND !!
derekweisberg: #functionalceramics #contemporaryceramics #nyceramics #flowers #vase #dontcallmeaceramicist #sculpture #contemporaryart #derekweisberg
recent posting & image via Instagram @derekweisberg
DEREK WEISBERG . . .
will be exhibiting his work in a group show at TRESTLE PROJECTS – in Brooklyn.
the show, titled ‘NEW FINE ART’ . . .
will also features works by: MOLLY RAE, PANAYOTIS TERZIS, ALIZA MORELL, and EMILY KLASS
and seems to examine the new role / or / the new ‘viewing of the role’ of “traditional fine art materials” – a timely topic.
the show opens . . this SAT MARCH 25, 2017 / 7 – 9 PM
and runs thru APRIL 6, 2017.
TRESTLE PROJECTS, 400 3rd AVE, BROOKLYN
note: TRESTLE PROJECTS IS OPEN TO VIEWING – BY APPOINTMENT ONLY
“This exhibition presents a small sampling of Brooklyn-based artists whose practices are centered around traditional traditional fine art materials. Through mimicry, remediation, and unconventional applications, these artists push the limits of their materials and explore a corresponding sensuality. By employing a range of responsive processes, each artist engages in an unfolding dialogue between the self and the material – a transference between hand, form, and thought.
In this way, the artists in ‘NEW FINE ART, see their processes as both a method of inquiry to explore physical materiality as well as tools to realize unconscious and psychic visions.”
~TRESTLE PROJECTS – PRESS RELEASE
~DEREK WEISBERG . . life as a flower vase / TRESTLE PROJECTS OPENING SAT, MARCH 25 |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | March 23rd, 2017, 10:49am
