\nplus, so much other<\/strong> new stuff is going on, ripping up from the bottom, with that’s far-out new & compelling – and wanting to be . . engaged with & . . discovered. <\/p>\n
not only that, but most certainly to my <\/strong>mind, most of this critic\/institutional curator-certified & big gallery-branded work, has powered down, ebbed out. bleed out, lost something in the climb. <\/p>\n what I’m really<\/strong> saying when I post those oldie but goodies, is: I own . . some bragging rights. but, if you are talking about ‘flame’ as in ‘fire’ – it’s the raw depths of the underground, that call to me.<\/p>\n and, it’s not just the newbies spiraling around the volcano’s inner void, that call out. 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<\/strong> 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<\/strong> be denied, at least creatively . . that do eventually come to flower, in the land of . . myth. and that’s so so so !! it is free to download, go to . . . VIRTUAL DREAM CENTER <\/a> this is the 1986 Artforum, that SIMON turned into his scribbled diary – and, on whose page deep inside, all 3 images above via Instagram @virtualdreamcenter<\/p>\n
\nI 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.<\/p>\n
\nit’s all<\/strong> the hardcore, driven striver \/ hustler artists who ‘will’ to prevail<\/strong>, 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.
\nyou know, the ‘naturals’, the ‘insiders’, the visionaries, the goddamn stubborn . . freaks.
\nand obviously I’m not alone, or you would not be reading this.<\/p>\n
\nyou know, like . . Memphis.
\nis – to song writers<\/p>\n
\nmy 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.
\nthe 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.
\nit’s the only<\/strong> 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.
\n“touchdown in the land of the delta blues, in the middle of a pouring rain.”<\/p>\n![\"Joe-Bradley---gagosian-gallery-2016\"](\"http:\/\/www.artloversnewyork.com\/zine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Joe-Bradley-gagosian-gallery-2016.jpg\")
<\/a>
\nJOE BRADLEY, wood sculpture. Edition of 4 + 1 AP. GAGOSIAN GALLERY uptown NYC, April 2 – May 3, 2016.
\nPHOTO: COURTESY GAGOSIAN GALLERY.
\neven among the heavy hitters, it gets brutal, til there is only – one man standing.
\nJOE BRADLEY is about the only one of the new super stars – to still hold my attention.<\/p>\n<\/a>
\nthe poster for our pop-up show, ‘UNDER THE VOLCANO: SIMON CERIGO, DAN ASHER, NANCY SMITH’.
\nthe show ran June 6-7, in the summer of 2015, in an empty storefront in Chinatown, right on the Bowery.
\ncurated by KATE & THEO CERIGO, it captured the imagination of a new wave of artists.
\nbased 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.
\nand a young ALLEN GINSBURG at the top.
\nPHOTO: of the Poster on the Bowery storefront – NANCY SMITH<\/p>\n<\/a>
\nhanging the show, archival photo: NANCY SMITH
\nthat’s THEO CERIGO at the right, and NICHOLAS STEINDORF at the left.
\nthose are my pieces – going up on the wall.
\nNICHOLAS would go on to play a major role, in the recent past few months of 2016\/17 . . in working with
\nParis-based JEAN-BAPTISTE LENGLET . . to digitally re-create the show for Jean-Baptiste’s VIRTUAL DREAM CENTER \/
\nan online artists’ interactive digital ‘game’ platform.<\/p>\n
\nwhere, you will find ‘UNDER THE VOLCANO’ . . . under: VIRTUAL DREAM CENTER 1.1.<\/p>\n<\/a>
\nJEAN-BAPTISTE LENGLET \/ @virtualdreamcenter . . .
\nhas just started posting to Instagram – images from the archival re-creation.
\nit is shown in the actual ‘kinetic’ format, or flow – as you move through the re-constructed digital space.<\/p>\n
\nco-curator KATE CERIGO, and Simon’s daughter . . found his seemingly heartfelt inscription, “under the volcano”.
\nthe namesake movie had just come out.
\nSimon 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.
\nSimon Cerigo, (1952-2013) definitely lived the life, of the Lower East Side gadfly in its 80s\/90s heyday.
\nan 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.
\nhe was a true ‘flaneur’- who also liked to party down hard.
\nhe was also a artist, which not too many knew, or would give him credit for. <\/p>\n<\/a>
\nSIMON is just having his voice – heard now.
\nbe stubborn, brave & strong, my dedicated young artists.
\npages from his Artforum journal are found in the menu\/index of . . VIRTUAL DREAM CENTER.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a>
\nSIMON CERIGO, the ‘clown’ on the hill.<\/p>\n