~KENT DORN/JENNIFER SULLIVAN/F+V/more opening pix
so, DONALD BAECHLER made the KENT DORN opening. Thurs, Nov 4, 2010. FREIGHT+VOLUME.
beside him: KENT DORN, ‘Untitled’, 2010, mixed media on canvas . . .
so, Donald does buy contemporary art. besides making his own well known brand . . . so when you see him out and about – something is afoot. or maybe even – aflame . . . as in – hot.
he was looking amused because we told him we heard ALFREDO MARTINEZ had been to his studio and tried to hit him up for cash . . . but only walked away with one skimpy $20 bill . . . Donald was like: how did you know that ? and laughed when we claimed a spy in his camp . . . connect the dots: BB gun wanting to get back in the artslovers groove – speaks to SIMON CERIGO and so the big mouth chain begins . . .
Alfredo used to work for Donald back in the day – o.k. that’s ca. 1997. he used to gesso Donald’s biggest canvases. suffice to say the big Puerto Rican/Brooklyn-bred pyromaniac – o.k. maybe firearms fanatic is a better descriptive – almost blew himself up with a home-made pipe bomb on the beach near Donald’s Amagansett house. he showed up to openings for months after – with big dark bruises all over his face. this is not made up. this is completely true.
haven’t looked at Donald’s website in a while. a long while. it looks to have been: re-charged ?
see: DONALD BAECHLER STUDIO
yeah, Donald’s into quilts and vintage material. which he then slaps onto his canvases, but he will on occasion keep any super special pieces – safe and whole. I used to bring him stuff, quilt remnants and consult on origins & value of the special stuff – back then too. He actually paid top dollar for the good stuff – though it was still hard to part with. once I sold him a super great mariner’s compass piecework quilt square – for like $75 and I still regret it.
here’s: a great example of his quilt ‘work’, year of the quilt and all !!
KENT DORN, ‘Untitled (cabin)’, 2010. mixed media on canvas, 45 x 60 in. ($7,800) – was the next painting over.
super or what ? it’s one of the few that don’t have people.
the gushy thick paint between the logs – really works. double time. and reminded me a bit of Urs Fischer’s bread house. the green scenery works well: thick and gooey – too.
JEFFREY R. ALBUS and BEN ACKERLEY – bookcase the van !! a favorite for many . . . and, for me too.
KENT DORN, ‘Untitled (Van)’ , 2010. mixed media on canvas. 45 x 69 in. ($9,000)
the squishy thick stuff really works the narrative well, here too. coming at you like you just witnessed a bad bad accident, or maybe just the old seat foam – pouring out !!
a wheel on the van. you almost have to photograph his paintings – sideways – to get the whole effect.
looking good – KENT DORN, at the extreme right, greets some guests:
from the left: STEPHANIE WOLCOTT, JENNIFER ANDRADE and STASH BELLON.
FREIGHT+VOLUME FOUNDER – NICK LAWRENCE with TATIANA BERG.
as the evening progressed – it became apparent that Tatiana was a mover and groover – in her own right.
when I stepped outside, to collect my thoughts, I ran into a most interesting person, right off, and of course he was part of Tatiana’s circle of bright lights. that’s pretty much the way it is in New York, you turn a corner, and you bump into a huge whole other scene – you never even heard of, even though you may stomp the streets 24/7. this is ANDREW HAARSAGER – he writes and runs a blog called No Smarties – mostly centered on design, as in furniture, and alternative art musings. and guess what. he hails from IDAHO originally – there’s a lot of talented Idaho ex-pats in NYC right now. funny. must be those farmland ‘quilt’ genes.
chatting with him, MATT HAXBY – an industrial designer. in fact, TATIANA BERG, ANDREW HAARSAGER and MATT HAXBY – all meet up while studying at RISDI/RHODE ISLAND SCHOOL of DESIGN. they represent the next wave generation after the legendary FORT THUNDER days – and in fact, Andrew Haarsager told me his studio/office was on the site of the former FORT THUNDER complex – an old warehouse that had been razed. in the spirit of urban rejuvenation.
back inside. KENT DORN, ‘Fall’. mixed media on canvas. 45 x 32 in. ($4,500)
a lot of guys were into this painting. it made me start thinking, maybe it’s yin yang. maybe, it isn’t just the year of the quilt – maybe it’s also – the year of the guy. The Year of the Boy.
speaking of which – BEN FURGAL told me he had just quit his five year stunt, I mean stint !! as head doorman at the CAKE SHOP – and has saved up enough $$ to go make art full-time in a warehouse in PHILLY !! Ben originally hails from Baltimore – and he helped spawn the big music scene down there. we spoke of mutual pal – the often cranky but brilliant recently departed photographer and artist DAN ASHER. I knew Dan well in the 80s and 90s – was his studio assistant for several years. when he had dough. worked on all those iceberg photos. Ben used to hang with him more recently. drawing together. we both agreed and cannot emphasize enough – listen up losers: leave your work to your artist pals – even if you think they are losers. or better, hopefully in the hands of galleries. and a few big galleries wanted to get their greasy little paws on Dan’s work, believe me. not your relatives. like Dan did. He always had issues with his businessman-type super straight brother and somehow felt leaving him all his work – jumped the shark. not. as Ben told me – the only show he is getting now – is “the garage” show. if not actually landing in the garbage dump. so, if you have any of Dan’s work – hold on – the value just went up. add scarcity to the price factor. big time.
I don’t even want to think about it, Dan blew so many things – so, what else is new.
EVIE FALCI – just came back from a one month artist residency upstate at the WASSAIC PROJECT – and is currently working as a studio assistant for TARA DONOVON – interestingly enough.
this was her favorite painting in the show.
KENT DORN, ‘Drifter’, 2010. mixed media on canvas. 32 x 24 in. ($3,000)
this is his paper-collaged – eyeball – up close.
AMBRE KELLY and ANDREW GORI – filmmakers, liked the ‘Fall’.
you can check their stuff out on: thetheyco.com
now, here’s a face only the truly initiated will know. painter DAMON SHAIR – Alfredo’s sidekick, from the notorious GREENEHOUSE DAYS !! and I don’t mean the bar – GREENHOUSE on Varick St. – I mean the SQUAT !! on Greene St. !! in Soho. the short-lived dark urban legend if there ever was one – if it wasn’t a filthy squat – with a drunken leader who would suddenly turn around and pee on any unwitting and clueless tourists, esp Japanese or Austrian – who had innocently strolled in – attracted by the randy often loud impromptu live music and wild off-the-chart art. you could have called it, and rightfully – the first pop-up !! (ha)
hardcore is not the word. the current Greenhouse probably took its name, unwittingly from the deep underground street chatter – that filtered down. Greenehouse/Greenhouse, ha. more like: scare house/fright show. it was right next to a high-end fashion boutique too. quelle fun. you know – street cred and shabby chic – all for one, and one for all . . . Soho – the way we used to – like it.
I might have a link – OMG x 1,000 – here it is: scroll down and you’ll even catch the notorious GREENEHOUSE ringleader, JERRY FOUST – I kid you not – real name – pullin’ it out !! and spraying the crowd below !!
back to the show. dudes liking the work, big time.
JENNIFER SULLIVAN – was was presenting her video loop – ‘One Week Walden” – in the front projection room.
Jennifer is kinda funny – in strange way – like maybe unwittingly so ? you just don’t know.
she says she wanted to to “re-create Waldon” so she made it – happen in her dad’s up-state backyard !!
and she says . . she wasn’t going ‘commando’ – “it was painted pink” – or something like that.
o-kay. if you say so . . .
whatever – it a was a rockin’ nite.
KENT DORN, ‘Song’, 2010. mixed media on canvas. 28 x 40 in. ($4,200).
is it my imagination – or do all his paintings have full moons, or is that big round yellow suns – in them. or what.
right on. cosmic code. the universe – decoded !!
PHOTOS: COPYRIGHT NANCY SMITH