~ALEXANDRA EASTBURN . . OPENING PIX
ALEXANDRA EASTBURN – ‘Your Little Garden is Shuddering’
opened THURS NOV 7, 2013
the show runs thru THURS NOV 28, 2013
166 MOTT ST – LOWER EAST SIDE, NYC
with the big art auctions in town next week, the art world, esp the contemporary art scene .. is boiling like a pot of water on a very hot stove.
ALEXANDRA EASTBURN’S debut NYC solo show was no exception.
although a relative ‘unknown’ from out-of-town, the opening on Mott St was fab, fab and more fab.
the crowd never ceased. it was just wave after wave of curious, bright, trend-setting young New Yorkers, non-stop. the work was really well received, and the buzz never stopped.
yeah, it was exciting.
there’s nothing a happening New Yorker likes better than when the ‘content’ – lives up to the buzz.
there’s nothing a happening New Yorker likes better . . than the next big talent.
and being the first . . to have seen it.
there’s nothing like seeing a new face, that’s young and ready .. presenting a new fresh vision.
. . and everybody is feeling the vibe.
166 MOTT ST – AN ALTERNATIVE ART SPACE.
when the big blue chips .. are gunning for upwards of $30, 40 .. 50. $80 million ? .. haha, there’s nothing better than being at the very edge of the ‘real’ underground. as it is happening.
in real time !!
essentially, excitement-wise – no diff.
Where are you going to make the biggest bang – for your buck ?
in my mind it’s a – no brainer !!
on the wild side, of course !! the underground – where it all begins.
in the window . .
ALEXANDRA EASTBURN, ‘Mary of Egypt 1 and 2’, ink on vintage paper. 15 x 12 in.
(1,000)
in the window . .
ALEXANDRA EASTBURN, ‘Mary of Egypt 3 and 4’, ink on vintage paper, 15 x 22 in.
($1,000)
ALEXANDRA EASTBURN originally hails from Hot Springs, Arkansas .. but is currently based in MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE, where she received a BFA in Fine Arts from Memphis College of Art in 2012.
from left: AMY LI the show’s curator, and the founder of 166 MOTT with her visiting artist .. ALEXANDRA EASTBURN.
ALEXANDRA’S previous exhibitions include ‘Public Housing’ at the University of Memphis, a large-scale paper-mache installation, ‘Imagine the Angels of Bread’ at the Holy Underground, a DIY space in Baltimore, Maryland, and ‘Wild Life’, a solo exhibit at the new Glitch Gallery in Memphis.
detail, ALEXANDRA EASTBURN.
Right Wall series: ‘A Funeral for Dead Ends’, ink on wax paper, 18 x 72 in.
($5,000)
AMY LI writes about this exhibit:
“The exhibition is about using unconventional spaces for art – presenting objects, process and images. Through a series of illustrations and sculptures, strange places are exemplified as a metaphor for change, transformation and function. The use of 166 Mott is not necessarily an alternative to the white box spaces but rather, a point of independence, where works are striking and seen with more meaning. It is about the ability to revitalize surroundings and use them as a reminder of nostalgia and purpose.”
detail, ALEXANDRA EASTBURN.
Left Wall series: ‘ Two Quidnuncs’, ink on wax paper, 18 x 72 in.
($5,000)
ALEXANDRA first coats the wax paper, butcher paper – with black ink, using a large Japanese brush, and then scratches and incises away, to lay bare .. her poetry, her art, her mystery, her ancient icons, historical lore & even some contemporary ‘forces’.
in short: the stuff of myths. visions, feelings, and dreams.
detail, ALEXANDRA EASTBURN.
Left wall series, ‘Reluctant Gatekeepers and Mythical Intruders.’
it was interesting to watch the crowd interact, gaze deeply into the striking technique, and many layered details, and textures . . of the work.
it not only felt so new and fresh, but also, a bit old soul .. and a bit like a running journal.
Asian, Byzantine . . even some retro art deco jazz age.
but, mostly I couldn’t help thinking how great, these pieces would look, racing along a wall .. in a room of one’s own.
detail, ALEXANDRA EASTBURN. ‘Reluctant Gatekeepers and Mythical Intruders.’
Ghosts . . and unearthly messengers, aside. myths, feelings, etc.
Black and White . . is having such a recurrence this season.
if you haven’t seen ‘NEBRASKA’, the movie . . you are missing out.
it totally unspools in the cinematic equivalence of ‘silence’ . . black and white, all the way.
across the big screen. just awesome.
detail, ALEXANDRA EASTBURN.
detail, ALEXANDRA EASTBURN.
detail, ALEXANDRA EASTBURN.
Left Wall series: ‘Listen to my Pulse – It’s Full of Colors’. ink on wax paper, 18 x 72 in.
at the opening: ALEX and KALI, visiting from Paris.
they are here for 3 months. they are both into fashion, and make ‘fashion’, as well.
no doubt.
HASH HALPER makes fashion happen too, he’s here to cover the event for FRANK.
MAX, a local artist who studied at COOPER UNION, drops by, too.
BUNNY, a stylist, among other things .. and a friend of Alexandra’s, who is actually graciously hosting Alexandra’s stay here, in NYC.
SEAN LINCOLN, another friend of Alexandra’s from Memphis ..
he has been here in NYC for quite awhile helping out with the Storm Sandy re-construction, out in the Rockaways.
CHRIS OWEN, also from Memphis. also helping out with the Storm Sandy reconstruction in the Rockaways.
I’m thinking, wow . . Memphis seems to be a very happening place.
MELISSA DRASBY and WC BEVAN.
WC BEVAN had work in the last show at 166 Mott. WILLIAM CODY BEVAN.
he also photographs art shows, in partnership with HASH, for FRANK . . and yes. all in BLACK & WHITE.
yep, black and white film in that old school 35mm camera – he carries.
WC BEVAN originally hails from OHIO, but moved to Memphis to go to art school. art school didn’t stick, but Memphis, and the music scene there – did, for awhile, anyways. he now lives and works in NYC.
while in Memphis he did meet Alexandra Eastburn, and in fact it was he – who introduced AMY LI to ALEXANDRA, and thus it is WC who we have to thank . . for this great show, and time.
ANTHONY HADEN-GUEST made the scene too.
that’s the night’s artist: Alexandra Eastburn on the right, surrounded by her work,
and it’s looking . . good.
and, finally I get to meet up with Hash’s other bother, (he has 3) .. ASHER LEWIS, on the left.
ASHER is involved in a ‘start-up’ . . ‘AUTEUR ARTS’ dedicated to indie filmmaking.
with him on the right, is his lawyer . . copyright and intellectual property lawyer, NATHANIEL KLEINMAN.
remember that name, you might need him one day, too.
curator, art show producer, and FRANK correspondent HASH HALPER . .with artist DERRICK FAIRBANKS.
we will give Hash the last word . .
why ?
because he’s been really energizing the downtown scene, to the max. this year,
and for sure . . there’s more to follow.
A GREAT NIGHT.
A GREAT SHOW.
WELCOME TO NEW YORK CITY . . ALEXANDRA EASTBURN.
PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH