~CHARLIE’S CHOICE: QUIET/WLIP & LAUREL NAKADATE
. . . ok. so I have a chip on my shoulder and why not.
how can you burn bridges that never stood up for ya. lose friends you never had.
but, in making my case – maybe it’s also time – to thank somebody big time. and that would be CHARLIE FINCH – my biggest fan, secret weapon, instigator of my most outrageous outbursts, and yeah, name caller. yeah he gave me my nom de plume: Crackula – and in a nano nutshell – as we all know by now – he nailed it.
Although my initial pleas to come visit QUIET in real time – the JOSH HARRIS dot com Pseudo-fueled million dollar Millennium party, which was made immortal – I pretty much think – in ONDI TIMONER’S 2009 Sundance winner – WE LIVE IN PUBLIC – fell on deaf ears – his included. and art world snobbery ruled – he was the only one to take a chance, and come see the very first rough cut footage – when we looped the first draft – wild and raw (is not the word) – summer of 2001.
Charlie was the only one to come see it – and to write about it !!
His essay titled ‘Video Killed the Internet Star’, posted JUNE 27, 2001 in artnet.
it began like this:
The video event of the summer passed by completely unnoticed by the art-world establishment.
‘The only art-world person who came by was you, Charlie,” said Daniel Silverstein, exhibitor of the appropriately named ‘Quiet’ Josh Harris’ digitalized video of his YEAR 2000 New Year’s revels in Silicon Alley.
While maintaining a cordial acquaintance with Josh, we assiduously avoided his party invitations over the years, and expected little when we wandered into Silverstein Gallery on a hot summer’s day.
What a mistake! For two hours, this brilliantly edited, multi-tasking cinematic revolution riveted us to our white summer chair.
read the rest of the essay – yes: CHARLIE FINCH/VIDEO KILLED THE INTERNET STAR/artnet/7-27-01 – it’s got great pix, bye the way courtesy of Pseudo
almost exactly a year later, with new-found respect for my production skills and esp my talent scouting, with the pix to prove it – Charlie egged Walter Robinson, founding editor of artnet, to post a few of my photos – on artnet – and told me to “go take a few pix” of the up-coming TRACEY EMIN SHOW/FALL 2002 – for the essay he intended to write on it. no promises as to outcome.
but sure enough – although Walter had initially been seriously dubious, sure enough when Charlie’s article posted – there were my pix published for the first time – ever !! 3 photos running down the left-hand margin of a great little somewhat inflammatory and most definite fun: Charlie Finch at-his-best essay called: ‘EMINENT DOMAIN’, a neat little, wicked little scribble – that pretty much made Tracey Emin a household name on this side of the ocean.
yeah, read the complete essay, it’s a notorious riot: CHARLIE FINCH/EMINENT DOMAIN/artnet/9-27-02
that her work centered on quilts – was pretty much just an inside joke – among close pals. and, in fact forget the quilt stuff – next stop – my very own photo column – under my very own by-line on artnet, which Walter titled: ‘ART LOVERS NEW YORK – PHOTOS BY NANCY SMITH’ – which ran in the PEOPLE section of the artnet online magazine from 2002-2004. and what a huge wave – that was. what a rush. I generated the coverage myself. Walter gave me unprecedented freedom, did my editing and wrote the captions – after being briefed by me in person or by email. a paprazzi’s dream come true. who knew.
at some point shortly after going public – the column, or report as I liked to call it – became the first and only report/page on artnet to develop it’s own market and attract its own advertising. all bitterness aside, it’s not so nice to be summarily fired with only 2 days notice at Christmas !! Dec of 2004 – and esp for “being too successful” . . . I would be seriously remiss – if I did not thank Walter for catching the ball, believing in me – and letting me rip.
. . . . giving me my very first platform, and it was a major one. right at the top. when no one else would. (and, no. no names. those are the real biggest losers. pretty much every art mag in town. go figure. (o.k. ART FORUM said: we don’t do party pix.)
and thanks, Walter for doing such a wonderful job editing and captioning my stuff. it was always super exciting to bring my newest batch of pix into your office. it was a wild time in the art world – and I was there. thank you Walter.
ok. you didn’t fire me. you set me – free.
TRACEY EMIN and GAVIN. never did get his last name. LEHMANN MAUPIN inaugural show at their new space. SEPT 21, 2002
PHOTO: NANCY SMITH
and my very first published photo, ev-ah.
so, to thank Charlie at the beginning of a New Year, and hopefully a great one – I’m not really one for looking back.
(and sorry to everybody I’ve ever dissed. but come on – how do you think the ones that are really burning bright – feel about being left off your lame game lists, and out of your slow lane reviews. eventually of course, somebody’s gonna pop – to blow the whistle – and guess it just kinda fell upon poor Crack. to take up the slack.
irrepressible: impossible to control or hold back.
first.
Simon Cerigo showed me this heartfelt ode to SURE, the 24 yr. old Brooklyn born and bred street sticker bomber – who made the ultimate sacrifice and gave his young life to enemy combat in a tour of duty as a U.S. Marine Intelligence officer – in Afghanistan this past December 2010 – that Charlie recently penned. I’d like to share it with you. Charlie the Finch seems to have been very moved by my recent post on the sad loss of this very gifted New York native son. R.I.P. SURE.
SURE ENOUGH
Passing by his bower
if it’s only in my mind
Offering a flower
From those he left behind
Sacrifice unimaginable
A sacrifice for me
So young
A life so tangible
Dead, protecting all that’s free, Semper Fi, Charlie Finch.
and next, here’s a little surprise.
a couple of previously unpublished pix from LAUREL NAKADATE’S first NYC solo show way back in 2002 – also at DANIEL SILVERSTEIN GALLERY – whose very first steps forward – were noted and marked by Charlie. and Charlie alone.
and who I’m sure also thanks Charlie for his early support – esp as it is usually offered up – in the face of the cliched mainstream.
without your audacious grasp, not to mention wicked 3rd party fan mail, I know I’d have no voice. no pix on the web. no play in the game. and maybe wouldn’t be willing to run such a crazy wild race.
blame it all on Charlie, dudes . . . . NANCY SMITH aka CRACK/CRACKULA
video artist LAUREL NAKADATE at the opening of her very first NYC solo show – ‘WE ARE ALL MADE OF STARS’ – DANIEL SILVERSTEIN GALLERY, CHELSEA, NYC. DEC 05, 2002
PHOTO: NANCY SMITH
LAUREL NAKADATE, at the opening. in front of one of her looping, not to mention shocking !! rough & tumble on many levels – video productions.
GREGOR HORNIAK, for many years a colorful character in the ‘observer’ ranks of the art scene – got his 5 mins of fame – and moved up to become a veritable ‘player’ – when Laurel featured him – in one of her earliest unprecedented ‘romps’ – which play on the foibles of the male race – with particular focus on the most vulnerable among its species.
LAUREL NAKADATE, ‘WE ARE ALL STARS’ – installation shot.
DANIEL SILVERSTEIN GALLERY, opening DEC 05, 2002. Chelsea, New York City.
ALL PHOTOS: COPYRIGHT NANCY SMITH
Gregot truly got his uneoterd 5 misn of haem, too.