PAUL H-O & CINDY SHERMAN/still from the movie/’Guest of Cindy Sherman’/image courtesy: Filmlike Films

NYC’S PAUL H-O and TOM DONAHUE announce A One Night Only !! L.A. screening of their brilliant, intimate & very entertaining documentary - ‘Guest of Cindy Sherman’
to-nite !! - FRI AUGUST 15, 2008 at 9:30 PM !! - at the L.A. Center Studio
as part of the 1st DOWNTOWN FILM FESTIVAL - LOS ANGELES - AUGUST 13-17, 2008 !!

see more info: on the film & festival (aka DFFLA) !!

. . . . from the FILMLIKE FILMS press release:
” A Feature Documentrary - ‘Guest of Cindy Sherman’ is a humorous hellraiser of pre-reality TV show of the 90’s colliding into the absolutely fabulous world of the 21st century New York gallery system. Filmed over the course of 15 years, ‘Guest of Cindy Sherman’ includes interviews with a veritable who’s who of the art and entertainment world including Roberta Smith, Ingrid Sischy, John Waters, Robert Longo, Carol Kane, David Furnish, Danny DeVito, Molly Ringwold, Eric Fischl, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Julian Schnabel, Calvin Tomkins, Dodie Kazanjian, David Ross, Walter Robinson, Jerry Saltz, Laurie Simmons, and Cindy Sherman, etc. It’s a real art world romance as fun, glamorous, and pathologicaly self-absorbed as the one you suspect exists.”

artlovers’ film essayist - JAN ALBERT - wrote a great post on the film - when it recently premiered at the NYC - TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL, this past Spring 2008 !!
check it out !! and read it again, even if you read it before: ‘Guest of Cindy Sherman’

artwork by ROMAN KLONEK/image courtesy: McCAIG-WELLES & ROSENTHAL

. . . this seems to be the guy who does that pretty awful SOY-JOY commercial on T.V.
the work actually looks better in the gallery format: on paper - and- digitally animated on the web. maybe, probably!! - the executives at SOY JOY - just dumbed him down.

in fact, artists, & graphic designers in particular, should check out his website - its operational underpinnings & spare, but striking images - are right on point.
here’s the first ‘welcome mat’ screen:

arwork by ROMAN KLONEK/courtesy klonek.de
and, here’s the hot button to access the site and set that screen free & kicking !!!
check out: klonek.de !!

the show opens to-nite in: surprise surprise/NOT !! - B-R-O-O-K-L-Y-N !!

“Hobnobbing Zmirkies” - A Collection of Works by ROMAN KLONEK
opening reception - to-nite !! - FRI - AUGUST 15 - 7-10pm
the show runs: AUGUST 15 - SEPTEMBER 8th, 2008
McCAIG-WELLES & ROSENTHAL GALLERY - 129 ROEBLING ST - BROOKLYN

ROMAN KLONEK appears to have an international reputation, and is based in Dusseldorf, GERMANY. here’s some info from the press release - that isn’t up on the gallery website, yet ?

” … In the 1970’s the Kloneks moved from Poland to Germany, where he quickly became addicted to comics and cartoons. In the 1990’s he studied Graphic Arts in Dusseldorf and earned his diploma with 12 huge woodcut printings that showed the inner-workings of the human brain.
In 2001 he founded the Gallery Revolver with friends in Dusseldorf/Flingern, bought a printing press and started a never ending range of woodcut printings. Roman Klonek likes to draw heroes, mostly half animal/half human, in hair-raising situations. You may ask: How could this have happened? For heavens sake, how will this move on?
You will see snapshots full of adventure … captured by one of the oldest graphic techniques. Woodcut printing is based on the principle of a stamp. The reduced forms remind you of the first days of comics and cartoons …

McCAIG-WELLES & ROSENTHAL

. . . this town doesn’t stop for nobody - no more !! used to be, it’d be dead quiet in Summer, and then, for a while - at least dead quiet in August - but its like - its just revved up and keeps on going right thru the FALL.

. . . this show was not a “summer” show, (i.e. usually a more casual gallery round-up of the usual suspects), this opening was so electric and beyond the charts - that it just made me laugh at the New York Post’s recent statement - that the new SEPT 2008 VOGUE says Berlin is the art capital of the world !! yeah, right. I see this is artloversnewyork you’re checking for the latest edge on the scene - not EICH BIN BERLIN .. whatever.

I’ve been gone exactly 10 days - in the dead middle of August - and I come back to one missed gigantic rooftop blow-out at Redemption Center & immediately step into this - a super cool super edged opening with one of my favorite super-quiet-in-person guys - finally putting himself & his wares - up for public viewing - and he comes up - blow-out baby. brainiac. no words left to describe his 2 friends from A.R.E. Weapons - who played as t.v. baby at the opening. fast, furious, but mostly musicality to the 10th degree. kinda like, LOU REED on speed. (has that been said a million times, before). BERLIN: take your Techno and crawl away !! or at least tell VOGUE, to stick to reporting on dresses..
ok. ok. I’m going have to take a look at the article when it comes out. I guess. before I really start trashing it . . . or, at least conjecturing who PAID for it !!!
though for sure, they just got a big infusion of US of A cash over, there - when the OLAFUR ELIASSON crew, which works out of a Berlin home-based studio - scored 15 MILLION big bucks off the NYC scene - courtesy of the PUBLIC ART FUND - for those measly little scaffold-jerried Hudson River waterfalls. ok.ok. there is something cool about their jerry rigged-ness - but overall, if you ask any typical in-the-street New Yorker, their opinion - they’ll say there are a little bit better than those awful orange gates in central park - and anybody on the scene - at least that I cross paths with - will say: they are pretty underwhelming, in terms of what one might have expected - and the price tag was pretty damn annoying, if not completely suspicious.
WHAT THE HELL!! - Zora gets the last word.
(”Oh well, whatever goes over the Devil’s back, is got to come under his belly. Sometime or ruther, Sykes, like everybody else, is gointer reap his sowing.” - ZORA NEALE HURSTON - from ‘SWEAT’, in her collected short stories, published as: ‘SPUNK’.)

plus, we keep hearing how: the rents in Berlin are really cheap. though we categorically have never heard yet - that the art coming out of there - was collectively - any good. though, a thought to be (maybe) considered: - two of my most fave artists went there - like 5 years ago, and never came back - !! - DELIA GONZALES and GAVIN R. RUSSOM - They used to put on these amazing, tech & myth installations at DANIEL REICH - totally inventive, beautiful, visually pure shows. cutting edge thought & product - through and through - which brings me back to the show at hand. PATRICK GRIFFIN’S debut showing at the journal Gallery.

. . if, you missed this opening - ‘COUNT THY BUTTONS’ - you missed something really intense & special. maybe, you’d better, ‘COUNT THY BLESSINGS’.
(as in .. maybe you don’t have enough, art ones, anyways - if, you weren’t there !!)

‘COUNT THY BUTTONS’ - was/is possibly the best show/opening of the FALL 2008 season - just so dynamic & brain power-fueled - it jumped ahead of the pack and burst out of the gate, first !! - by about 2 weeks !!

here’s some pix from the opening - more to post - later this week in the PHOTO REPORT.

PATRICK GRIFFIN and KATHY GRAYSON at the opening of ‘Count Thy Buttons’.

LEIF RITCHEY - who scored some ‘ink’ - in this summer’s The New York Times Magazine (July 8, 2008) - article on - CocoRosie !!

super slicked back - and, lookin’ good - ERIK FOSS of Lit Bar & Fuse Gallery - who’s been surfing the waters off Long Island (Montauk !!)

BRAIN and MATT of t.v. baby !! ‘COUNT THY BLESSINGS’, indeed !! - you can’t hear them anyway else - except live, and pretty rare at that. go on, spike that art.

‘COUNT THY BUTTONS’ + the t.v. baby music - caught the whole range of life - in split seconds !! just like the BOBO show caught the vibe of Pixar’s ‘WALL-E’ - this burst of fierce brilliance - encapsulated in words, music & ‘dot.com’ format buttons - the whole range of 21st Century folklore - that is, LIFE !! as we are living it - now, in the exact moment. also known as - the cutting edge.
except this time, instead of cinematic props, as in ‘WALL-E’ - literary/folklore respects to NORA NEALE HURSTON - whose books are exploding my summer existence… to try and explain a world of thought - in a nutshell.

after the set - the musician and the artist.

also at the opening: photog CLAYTON PATTERSON. there’s a feature article on CLAYTON, as well as RZA & GAVIN BROWN !! in the newest ‘the journal’ art magazine - ENTRY 23 - !! just about to launch.

NYC documentary filmmakers: DAN LEVIN, at left, and BEN SOLOMON, flank CLAYTON PATTERSON at the PATRICK GRIFFIN ‘Count Thy Blessings’ opening. In fact - their brand new documentary, on CLAYTON PATTERSON, titled: ‘CAPTURED’ (2008) - will be featured as the first movie of the first night of the brand new FILM series at the NEW MUSEUM !!
the debut screening will take place - this upcoming FRIDAY, AUG 22, 2008 at 7:30PM - followed by a Q & A with the film’s Directors, and is part of the New Museum’s ‘Art on the Bowery’ program.
for more info, see: NEW MUSEUM/events !!

the journal’s MICHAEL NEVIN, at the opening of ‘COUNT THY BUTTONS’ - MICHAEL GRIFFIN. NY F*CKING CITY !!

the journal

just in !!

PATRICK GRIFFIN - ‘Count Thy Buttons’ - opens to-nite !! THURS AUG 14/6-9pm

with SPECIAL PERFORMANCE by members of A R E Weapons at 7 pm !!

the show will run: AUG 14 - SEPT 2, 2008,
but, you want to catch the opening, if you can - its gonna rock - this is ..
KATHY GRAYSON’S BOYFRIEND !!!!!! whom, we all adore !!!!
at the journal Gallery - 168 North 1st St. - WILLIAMSBURG - BROOKLYN
gallery hours: WED-SUN 12pm-6pm

ARTWORK BY PATRICK GRIFFIN/ALL PHOTOS BY & COURTESY OF: KATHY GRAYSON

more info, see: the journal

THE REDEMPTION CENTER had an all day rooftop sculpture show/BBQ !! on SUNDAY AUGUST 10th, 2008 !!
… with over 20 artists, including hometown fave JUSTIN SAMSON; DREW GILLESPIE, NICK PAYNE & PHIL COTE of PHILLY-BASED BOBO; & some of their crew, notably LIZZIE FINCH & LINDSAY BEEBE !! … and with over 8,000 sq. ft. of rooftop space to party on, BYOB and beer sold there, too - starting at noon and going on all night !! it was sure to have been a blast !! One Big summer time rooftop PAR-TAY !!

WHAT THE HELL !! (that’s an in-joke dedicated to NORA DEMENUS, NYU grad/CLASS of 2008 !! congrats !!)

. . . you can’t blink in this town. without missing something. it’s true what they say: this town never sleeps .. & it certainly never stops !!

‘FROM HERE TO THERE’ - OPENING - TO-NITE - !! - SAT JULY 26, 6-9pm
featuring NEW WORK by: SAM McKINNISS, JULIA NORTON & ISABELLE RANCIER !!
the show runs: JULY 26 - JULY 31, 2008 - so don’t blink !! it’s just the one week-end !!
BROOKLYN ARTISTS GYM - 168 - 7th ST - THIRD F. - BROOKLYN

for more info/check out: BROOKLYN ARTISTS GYM !!

artwork by SAM McKINNESS/COURTESY: BROOKLYN ARTISTS GYM

artwork by ISABELLE RANCIER/COURTESY: BROOKLYN ARTISTS GYM

artwork by JULIA NORTON/COURTESY: BROOKLYN ARTISTS GYM

BROOKLYN ARTISTS GYM

p.s. if you are wondering where you heard the name ISABELLE RANCIER before - we caught a picture of her and her best pal - KATE - at the summer’s hottest opening - BOBO’S On 27th !! - with none other than - JUSTIN SAMSON !!

from left: ISABELLE RANCIER, JUSTIN SAMSON & KATE CERIGO !!

see more: BOBO’S ON 27TH ST - OPENING NITE/PAR-TAY PIX !!

PHOTOS FROM THE ‘HERE TO THERE’ OPENING - POST NEXT WEEK - AUG 19th !!

coming up shortly - like the beginning of the next week - so don’t hold your breathe.

. . . now in production !! text & photos going live - soon, enough.

note:

THIS IS A WORKING/ROUGH DRAFT - WILL GET ONE MORE EDIT !!

OPENING PIX - BEING WORKED ON NOW - WILL GO LIVE: TUES JULY 24 - 10 am !!

ALISON GINGERAS - at the opening of: ‘Pretty Ugly’ - a big survey show - mostly of last ( . . as in … way last !! ) generation ‘blue-chip’ artists - which she curated. GAVIN BROWN’S enterprise/MACCARONE, JULY 10, 2008.
PHOTO: NANCY SMITH

. . . why does the name JANIS JOPLIN come to mind. maybe because that’s just how tough and happening the art world in New York City really is right now - in terms of the work being made & the work being exhibited. but, as this big, yet basically timid, not to say insipid - group show - shows - if, you ain’t walkin’ the streets - you ain’t catching the beat ??

in other words - the exhibit - is way behind the curve - to be polite - to really be a knock-out presentation - no matter the theme - for New York City. For a show with such a pop-worthy title - there’s actually very little ‘pop’ for the money.

. . . you can sense it right off the bat - in the invite/poster - the image is catchy enuf - or should be !!- but - just falls flat. (first of all - why is it matte. if ever an image needed to be ‘glossy’ - this was it)

Same with the show. Gavin’s half at least proves skankworthy - but the MACCARONE portion is flat and full of too many small paintings, hung horribly - or, at least - to little effect - and, which are actually pretty ugly only because they are mediocre examples of some back-in-the day, old hat - and ultimately boring - wannabes - in terms of the art ‘throw downs’ you can see in New York City, including Brooklyn - on a casual stroll - any old day.

It doesn’t help that the twenty-something crew over at BOBO, out of PHILLY - put on a death match show over at FOXY PRODUCTION - and, seemingly, as easily as if - they were flicking on a light switch.

and, right next door to FOXY, on 27th St - at ATM - you can catch a finely expressed group show of diverse small paintings - more or less the ‘PRETTY UGLY’ format - that shimmers and glows in its !! ugliness - as to bring the words - intensity - and - originality - into play as well. and that’s just the atm summer knock-off show !! no big deal.

Yo. what’s PRETTY UGLY - as in: s-c-a-r-y !! is that such a big name curator comes up so empty-handed. and in New York City no less.

That Ms. Gingeras is the ‘personal’ curator for one of the world’s biggest art collectors - FRANCOIS PINAULT - who owns CHRISTIE’S auction house and therefore overseas a collection of over 3,000 art works - with its own exhibition venue - in Venice - only makes her lack of dynamic forward heat seeking - insight - that more more poignant for the denizens of a truly turbulent churning NYC scene - who wish the hell someone out there - could - wake up !! and be a real, on point - trend setter.

to read about one of Ms. Gingeras’ more successful outings, possibly because:

1. it was - OFF-SHORE - that is presented in a vacuum town where there is absolutely no contemporary art alive, kicking, dancing or biting - in the streets - at all - and that would be VENICE - as opposed to our glorious New York F*cking City - where we don’t import art by the bucketload - dude - we send it out !!
This is New York City - we TIME STAMP our art here. and,

2. URS FISCHER reigned supreme. the one big (NYC) beat - she got right.

see: ‘Pinault & Co’ by BEN DAVIS/artnet/o5/11/07

. . . on the other hand - when you wash up against these artlovers shores - it really is - coming up against - that final barrier reef - its live or, die - and maybe, sometimes we get a little too tough. if you stop, and look around at the rest of the art world offerings, this summer - and esp. the pathetic mainstream media coverage - you have to give her credit - for at least !! - putting on a show - where, in the words of one gallery-goer, overheard at the opening, said: “I have to go back - there’s a lot to see.” - if you don’t take it too seriously, need a wishy washy history lesson, and aren’t looking for cutting edge statements.

so, hey if you just wanna have fun - after all this is the summer - this is kinda like the CYNDI LAUPER vs JANIS JOPLIN show. you know - girls just wanna have fun - well, then its an almost good enough summer beach read - esp. if you aren’t - working - too hard, on cruising through the art scene - yourself . .

well, maybe the best that can be said is: maybe this guest curator sojourn in New York - will expose you to some new stuff. lets hope so. this show definitely veers towards out-of-touch & under-inspired. no rocking the boat here - it’s a pretty lame - PRETTY UGLY - underwhelming production.

that being said. it was worth the whole show’s price of admission - JUST !! - to get to see a f-a-b-u-l-o-u-s - ROB PRUITT - SEQUIN-LIKE WALL PIECE - ‘Prince William Sound’ - an early piece from 1989. the one spark of fast lane fabulosity in the entire show !!

that piece - a - PEACOCK FEATHER WALL PIECE by CAROL BOVE - and a SCOTT REEDER PAINTING - !! - and, ok. the BRUCE LaBRUCE photo of JEFF KOONS giving head - these 4 being - the only truly cutting edge - pieces - in the entire 2 gallery spread. pretty ugly …. or, what. and, o.k maybe that IMMENDORFF, too. just cause its green.

PIX OF THESE WORKS, and A FEW OTHERS & PHOTOS FROM THE OPENING - WHICH WAS PRETTY HOT - I GUESS CAUSE OF HER CONNECTIONS - POST: TUES JULY 28 - 10 am.

ROB PRUITT, ‘ Prince William Sound, 1989′, 2008.
plastic reflecto lights and enamel on board. 64 x 160 ins.
found in the Gavin Brown enterprise part of the show.

CAROL BOVE. wall piece with peacock feathers. enclosed in what seems to be a plexiglas shallow depth ‘frame’ box. in the MACCARONE GALLERY - section of the show.