DANIEL GIORDANO – STUDIO VISIT
AUG 10, 2019
DANIEL GIORDANO’s studio . . is in an old red brick industrial building / on the seedy side of Newburgh.
well-worn, the building looks to hold a lot of local history, but for him in particular – as it was home to his family’s coat manufacturing factory for several generations.
well, manufacturing coats, unless you are in China, Pakistan or Viet Nam, ain’t gonna get you nowhere this century, but maybe re-translate that entrepreneurship, hard work, and skills . . factoring in the new (serious) art influences in the surrounding community, and well . . maybe art – will win the day.
looks like a win win – to me.
ps: VICKI . . is on the ground floor storefront.
mark your calendar: TED GAHL – ‘Zen Paintings’ . . opens SAT OCT 12.
DANIEL . . has the whole top / 3rd floor. eat your heart out – Brooklyn.
plenty of room, to go big / catch . . that power and the ‘fury’.
work in progress.
cannoli / and . . cream.
another metal pipe / ‘pole’ piece.
this one looking very . . bio.
Theo and Daniel.
when a (young) collector, gets to see where the magic happens – it’s an awesome thing.
I hadn’t know Daniel was so into working with clay.
this is such a cry. such a call to . . ‘death’.
to depth of soul.
to . . wanting.
my feeling was: a lot of the raw power of the works . . comes not only from the freedom of working in, such a huge, old industrial space / but also from, all the aggregate ‘conversations’, between the different projects, and diverse materials.
‘formalism’ – as in creative, dedicated formalism / it’s funny how it thrives in dedicated . . ‘chaos’.
diverse materials, is not the word / diverse diverse diverse diverse comes closer.
many coats / of many colors. Daniel in the Lions Den.
man-made, artist-shaped, collaged, stood-up, assembled / found.
even . . animal parts.
even . . futuristic.
yep, Daniel . . in the Lion’s den.
PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH
~DANIEL GIORDANO . . STUDIO VISIT / NEWBURGH, NY |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | September 8th, 2019, 9:31am
out, and about with the tribe.
subtext: industrial
subtext: industrial vs. post-industrial
subtext: small towns / big hearts, big ambitions / the changing history & re-awakening of previous industrial hubs
subtext: local-born, up-state NY artist / crashes NYC art scene to bits
DANIEL GIORDANO OUTDOOR SCULPTURE . . NEWBURGH, NY / NEWBURGH SCULPTURE PROJECT
Aug 10, 2019
Danilel Giordano, and his other outdoor sculpture – on view this summer in Newburgh.
the most interesting aspect of this 2nd outdoor sculpture, which stood in the heart of town,
as opposed to dominating a college garden grounds, (and, facing the water, btw) . . was not so much the visual or conceptual impact, as its . . fluidity.
like a totem, or a flag pole . . it held its ground as the world spun around it / 360 degrees.
and, as it did so – it made you . . look more / and realize the place / in the moment.
with greater awareness, as opposed to just . . you know, walking down the street.
note: the ‘Gregory Crewdson’ . . like, historic, small North-eastern town, movie theater on the right / RITZ.
apparently, the sculpture had inadvertently – become ‘interactive’.
somebody had tied a red kerchief – to it !!
I’m taking that to mean, in the greater sense / that the ‘tribe’ of the entire town . . had taken note / of this crazy, compelling . . proud wild and free ‘stake’, planted among their midst.
DANIEL GIORDANO, ‘Self-Portrait While Fixated on the Juicy Lips of Megan’s Eclipse’, 2019.
moisturizing face masks, copper, steel, steel wool, azurite, iron ore, various plastics, cable ties, bells from Santa’s sleigh, stone, railroad spikes, wire hanger, cattails, Tang drink mix, epoxy, spit balls (toilet paper, saliva, phosphorescent acrylic, acrylic polymer emulsion) / 79 x 60 x 36 in.
Daniel Giordano – is not a minimalist, when it comes to his materials / he’s more of a . . grab this earth / and run with the ‘fury’ kind of guy.
all part & parcel of . . historic references / esp industrial era vs digital / rage about the ‘machine’ / current society etc etc / and def, all about put down that device and come see the thing.
experience the ‘fury’, thunder, and yes: sweetness. lust. love. questioning.
in a word: young men on the cusp – of taking over.
the circle dance – begins / the unexpected camouflage kicks in / as you move around the ‘pole’.
it’s most definite a kind of anti-Koons / anti-Urs Fischer / call-to-arms . . in its own ‘thrown-together’ way.
this part of Newburgh is so interesting, there is still a real rural / urban . . sweep.
Newburgh . . is also considered part of the ‘Hudson Valley’ – as the thriving, aggregate art scene upstate refers to itself / DIA Beacon helped kick the gears.
my first experience was through a more underground route – the BOBO COLLECTIVE: ‘HOT MUD FEST’ of Aug 2017, an highly wild interactive music, performance / art show . . on a big ole farm, with a creek running through it / Spook Rock Road, Hudson.
see: Newburgh, NY
though, what makes Daniel Giordano so interesting, is that he is a native-born son . . of the area.
now that’s a . . self-portrait, if I ever did see one.
the fluidity of the basically stationary, rigid, metal ‘pole’ – within its environment / was a big part of the experience.
so contrarian / of a visual fact.
that’s my daughter.
well you could gaze, and walk around the piece in a trance, for quite a while.
and then, suddenly . . you are on the other side / and the ride is over.
another part of my art loving tribe: my son.
my kids are also natives, but of another ‘historic’ NY art scene / both being born on the gritty Lower East Side, of Manhattan in the 80s.
NY is such a huge hub for artists / it’s interesting when you bump into a true native-born son.
Daniel . . and the small art world tribe / that drove up that Saturday from NYC, BROOKLYN / & NJ.
what a great day for a car trip, nice ride. good roads. pleasant scenery / not much more than an hr. each way.
everybody had a great time.
including my big poochie, Zora. a 100 lb. American Akita long coat / sometimes called a woolie coat.
and, obviously very down with the trip – too.
Photos: Nancy Smith
~DANIEL GIORDANO . . and the tribe / NEWBURGH, NY |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | September 6th, 2019, 11:56am
subtext: industrial entropy
subtext: great industrial / educational setting
SUNY ORANGE NEWBURGH COMMUNITY COLLEGE / NEWBURGH SCULPTURE PROJECT
AUG 10, 2019
a dystopian sight, yet something very sexy about it.
from this angle, it looked like a slipper.
something soft, a pliable thing, that you could slip your foot into, if you were . . a giant.
I though that was maybe just me, until I read the accompanying wall plaque.
if, the glass slipper fits – wear it !!
DANIEL GIORDANO, ‘Goumada’, 2016-2019.
1989 Yamaha jet ski, deep fried batter, aluminum, window sash weight, plastic wrap,
rocks, tennis balls, Canadian Maple Syrup, epoxy, reactive metallic copper enamel,
phosphorescent acrylic / 71 x 111 x 55 in.
*goumada: Italian-American slang for a mistress / esp of a Mafioso.
PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH
~DANIEL GIORDANO . . SUNY Orange / NEWBURGH, NY |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | September 5th, 2019, 8:49am
NEW YORK WRITERS – ON THE MOVE !!
NANCY SMITH, and DANIEL GIORDANO, just outside Newburgh / Bloominghill Farms, New York. Aug 10, 2019.
Photo: Kate Cerigo
took the tribe / Kate, Theo & big poochie Zora . . upstate to visit – Daniel Giordano !!
a few weekends back.
now, that’s some – visit !!
it was the first time me & Daniel got to meet – in person.
I have been following his work / ever since I first got invited to a small / 3 person group show / the inaugural show, in fact: for Daniel’s friend Samuel Boehm’s . . ‘roving’ curatorial pop-up: ‘Gazebo’.
titled: ‘Love of the Common Man’, which was already intriguing, I super liked the advance p.r. graphics, concept & images – but it being my birthday (!!) and a big sushi dinner in the works, we got there too early, and then couldn’t return in time to make the actual opening / but I’ve been following them all on IG, & have been hooked ever since.
that’s also how I knew about Babayaga’s . . huge great, fearless, fresh & fiery, often ‘industrial’, punk & goth / raw energy blow-out . . Memorial Day summer fest art show – that took place in an ole Chinese buffet diner, up there – in Hudson Valley / Daniel and Sam were in the show !!
go, Hudson !!
def, see: BABA YAGA, big group show / Memorial Day Weekend 2019 / Grand Buffet & Pulvers Glass
def, see: BABA YAGA, Hudson
def, see: GAZEBO.SPACE
def, see: ‘Love of the Common Man’ / archival photos & text – Gazebo
(the eerie golden mask hanging on the wall at right, and the free-standing sculpture ‘column’ are Daniel’s.)
def, see: DANIEL GIORDANO – ARTIST WEBSITE
def, see: SAMUEL BOEHM – ARTIST WEBSITE / with a one-person show coming up, in NYC in SEPT
but, back to NEWBURGH !!
we checked out some large on-site sculptures of Daniel’s, which were scattered about Newburgh, an old industrial hub, situated on the water / Hudson River, and now on ‘fast forward’ to gentrification; spent a great time exploring his huge studio, where we saw many finished works, and varied works-in-progress. Located on the ground floor of the same, huge old building, we also got to see where super indie, cutting-edge VICKI, which Daniel and Sam founded / & which they run intermittently, throws it’s . . hit-the-wall art shows & block parties !!
Both Daniel’s studio, on an entire upper floor, and VICKI, an almost triangular space on the ground floor, with a storefront window . . are located in a big ole, once heavy humming with sewing machines & other manufacturing industry, that had been pretty much ‘abandoned’, and is now teeming with enough energy, to make Brooklyn jealous.
A big red brick industrial era factory / warehouse . . it sits there, square & squat / come back to life, re-purposed as an artist & artisan workshop hub !!
and, which just shouted: History !! American history !!
it reminded me so much, of where I raised my young family, back in the early 80s, on the now legendary Lower East Side, in an abandoned, run-down storefront, on Rivington and the Bowery. old run-down spaces are the greatest places to make art. just an old, long empty storefront, just barely functional . . a remnant of a once teeming tenement, immigrant world / where, new art was now taking life / as tough & scratchy, as the start-up weeds – in the cracked concrete sidewalks outside.
just the same first impression: so, ole time-y turn-of-the-century New York.
industrial. raw. but full of history, slowly going . . under.
ladies & gents, step into the future . . in the arms of the – past.
def, see: VICKI
and, we also got upstate . . just in time, to catch the last weekend of a really great, knock-out group show, titled ‘Soft Temple’, and aptly so . . . that Daniel was in, at super contemporary & plenty ambitious . . Mother Gallery, in Beacon.
def, see: MOTHER GALLERY, BEACON
great opening coming up !!
def, see: ‘SOFT TEMPLE’, MOTHER GALLERY / June 22-Aug 11, 2019 – gallery archive
ps: the big raw, severely distressed motorcycle – & yet, way raised up . . to the uber goth & ‘fantastical’ !! . . is Daniel’s, of course.
more pix, soon.
happy Labor Day Weekend, y’all !!
~NANCY SMITH . . DANIEL GIORDANO / NEWBURGH, NY |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | August 29th, 2019, 10:05am
NEW YORK ARTISTS – ON THE MOVE
& relevant.
HEADS UP !!
these (very) limited edition prints become available . . on the 30th of August 2019.
Distassi Art Presents: 2 Al Diaz Limited Edition Prints . . .
‘Tolerate Civilization’ & ‘Because War is just a 3 Lettered Word’
“With a . . career that spans 5 decades, this first generation NYC subway graffiti artist is bringing his poignant works to London.
Distassi Art is proud to announce 2 very limited edition / prints marking Diaz’s . . debut transatlantic partnership.
‘Tolerate Civilization’ . . sees the New Yorker explore notions of society, with various historical references.
‘Because War is just a 3 Lettered Word’ . . sets military imagery against blooming flowers.
Both pieces contain WET PAINT lettering / i.e. slicing out individual letters & then reassembling them to form socially-charged messages, and SAMO tags.”
these carefully crafted editions will be printed by . . House of Roulx.
~Distassi Press Release
set to sell . . . at 425 GBP / $521.84 USD, the prints will be available via Distassi Art’s ‘Spotlight’ online / portal,
and will be sold exclusively – through this London-based dealer.
~ sized at 18 x 24 in., the prints include a small white border for easy framing.
~ printed on premium Hahanemuhle William Turner matte fine art paper, 310 GSM, they are flat sheets – not off a roll.
~ they are hand-cut, with hand-deckled edges, and are hand-varnished twice post-print.
~ they are printed with archival pigment in the US.
~ this is a limited edition print run of 20 pieces each.
~ an artist proof is also available (600 GBP / $736.71 USD).
see: Distassi Art
see: AL DIAZ – SAMO / Distassi Art
see: SAMO / BASQUIAT & AL DIAZ .. Wikipedia & A GREAT READ !!
see: Al Diaz – artist website
a few golden nuggets from the above resources:
~ AL DIAZ was tagging trains of the New York subway, in the 70s – aged 12, as ‘Bomb-One.’
~ in the years between 1977-79, Al and his high school buddy, Jean-Michel Basquiat, were covering the walls of Lower Manhattan with: SAMO.
so, go back & read those links / they are super fun,
and informative. these 2 kids blew-up the art scene, single-handedly.
it was quite the rebel / collaborative . . moment.
AL DIAZ . . signing the limited edition Distassi print:
‘Because War is just a 3 Lettered Word’.
image via Instagram @albert_diaz
AL DIAZ . . ‘Because War is just a 3 Lettered Word’ / Distassi Art
image courtesy & copyright of . . Distassi Art
AL DIAZ . . signing the limited edition Distassi print:
‘Tolerate Civilization’.
image via Instagram @albert.diaz
AL DIAZ, ‘Tolerate Civilization’ / Distassi Art
image courtesy & copyright of . . Distassi Art
~AL DIAZ . . LONDON |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | August 25th, 2019, 10:17am
NEW YORK ARTISTS – ON THE MOVE
HALEY JOSEPHS . . is in this summer’s August residency, at The Macedonia Institute,
located upstate in beautiful, rural . . Chatham NY 12037.
their artist-in-residence program provides housing and studio space for 1 month.
see: The Macedonia Institute
see: Haley Josephs – artist website
HALEY JOSEPHS . . new work / The Macedonia Institute
image via Instagram @haley.josephs
image via The Macedonia Institute / mobile device
~HALEY JOSEPHS . . CHATHAM, NY |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | August 24th, 2019, 9:34am
NEW YORK ARTISTS – ON THE MOVE
HALEY JOSEPHS had new works in a group show, this summer in SHANGHAI !!
‘Right Behind Your Eyes’
curated by SARAH FAUX
June 29 – Aug 15, 2019
Capsule Shanghai Art Gallery, First Floor, Building 16, Anfu Lu 275 Nong, Shanghai, China
see: ‘Right Behind Your Eyes’ / Capsule Gallery
see: CAPSULE SHANGHAI
see: HALEY JOSEPHS – ARTIST WEBSITE
HALEY JOSEPHS, ‘Spiral Bubble’
oil on canvas / 16 x 20 in.
image via Instagram @haley.josephs
~HALEY JOSEPHS . . CHINA |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | August 23rd, 2019, 10:35am
NEW YORK ARTISTS – ON THE MOVE
subtext: Industrial
LIZZIE WRIGHT HAS WORK . . in:
‘Now that I’m a woman, everything is strange’
opening Sat Sept 14 / 6 – 9 PM
and running thru . . OCT 6, 2019.
Good Children Gallery, 4037 St. Claude Ave., New Orleans, LA 70117
Good Children Gallery . . “is a pioneer artist-run space in the St. Claude Arts District,
aimed at enhancing the cultural landscape of New Orleans. The space serves as a bellwether for artistic endeavors by exhibiting engaging work form local, national, and international artists.”
~Good Children gallery: about
see: Good Children Gallery
see: LIZZIE WRIGHT – ARTIST WEBSITE
curated by JESSICA BIZER, ‘Now that I’m a woman …’,
“is an immersive mixed media exhibition inspired by song lyrics from the film ‘The Last Unicorn’.
Channeling the idea of the “witchy woman”, the show explores fluidity and shape-shifting as sources for feminine power.” ~Good Children Gallery
all images via Instagram @lizziewright
LIZZIE WRIGHT . . . ‘Shoe Box’, 2019.
converted salt lamp, plaster cast Adidas, dyed faux fur, painted plexi,
aluminum, and plywood / secret dimensions.
~LIZZIE WRIGHT . . NEW ORLEANS |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | August 22nd, 2019, 9:50am
HUDSON VALLEY / NEW YORK ARTISTS – ON THE MOVE
NICK PAYNE . . showing in a 3 person show at HARPY !!
opening tomorrow evening / SAT AUG 17th / 6 – 9 PM
“Quick train ride from NYC.”
‘TREVOR BAIRD, ANDREA LUKIC, NICK PAYNE’
AUG 17 – SEPT 14, 2019
HARPY, 92 Park Ave #2, Rutherford, New Jersey 07070
see: HARPY ABOUT for hours & travel directions
see: HARPY GALLERY
“the objective is to bring something different to Rutherford and the surrounding areas of New Jersey.”
see: NICK PAYNE – ARTIST WEBSITE
NICK PAYNE . . ‘I’ve always wanted to go up to a total stranger and …..’, 2019.
watercolor & pencil on paper / 18 x 24 in.
($1,750.)
image via Instagram @senyor_amigo
BTW: HARPY – GREAT LOGO !! GREAT NAME !! QUITE THE – FLAME !!
~NICK PAYNE . . NEW JERSEY |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | August 16th, 2019, 6:01pm
NEW YORK ARTISTS – ON THE MOVE
R. BLAIR SULLIVAN is moving to . . REYKJAVIK, ICELAND, in the fall, 2019.
NYC STUDIO VISIT – MAY 11, 2019.
luckily I was able to catch him in his studio recently: Sat May 11, 2019.
the studio is small, compact . . but holds a lot / both storage, ‘forage’, supplies, computer, works in progress, & works complete, and on exhibit.
the space is located under the Essex Flowers storefront gallery, 19 Monroe St, Chinatown, Two Bridges / Lower East Side / Manhattan, NYC.
even though it’s sub-level, it had natural light coming from windows facing a tiny, mostly ventilation / inner ‘courtyard’, which made it feel fresh, and filled with agreeable light, both natural and man-made.
the lighting was important – because the works were subtle in surface, details, material and . . shape.
hand-sculpted, they were almost: bones.
this head (phone) . . of ‘hands’– was one of several that referenced / or were of a series of similar 3-D sculptures made from ‘cold porcelain’ / just like the ‘wishbone’ sharing hands, ‘Holding (First Position)’, 2018 . . featured in the post below – covering his participation in ‘Stream 5: Give and Take’, a Two Chairs curatorial presentation / alongside a rural stream, in Vermont.
Cold Porcelain . . “is an inexpensive, non-toxic, easy-to-work material, which despite is name, is not porcelain (clay).
its main components being cornstarch and white glue.” (the web)
and, they do project a mysterious smooth, strong but fragile appearing surface – very fluid, yet rigid. totally in tune with that specific DIY medium.
like I said, very human bone-like.
while many other pieces were fashioned simply from ‘foraged’ computer screen filters, on the right; and some were a combo – the middle. no matter, all things R. Blair Sullivan: light, light-handed . .
and somehow: historical ?
black line drawing, detail.
R. Blair Sullivan: wishbone . . legs.
obviously, very radical & contemporary / yet feeling ‘ancient’ ?
maybe, because bare bones – are associated with . . archaeologist ‘digs’ ?
the works are kind of a cross between ‘craft’ and DIY . . vs. pure concept.
the impression I got was more concept – than craft.
the skills, though flawless, fluid, were subservient.
it was visual ‘poetry’ . . . over ‘function’.
another – combo.
a small mirror-like . . inner (/) landscape ?
other pieces were . . waver-y !! reflective, and optical.
made from old TV or computer monitor screens / which he forages off the streets.
well, if waver-y, isn’t a word, it should be.
a more typical . . found artist / ‘metal’ sculptural forage, with some kind of very unusual, scientific ‘light show’ / going on behind the ‘scenes’.
I didn’t even want to ask – what it was. how it worked. though, now I notice a wire of some kind, hanging from it. the pure mystery was – astounding. gorgeous. kinetic. magical.
a kind of . . animated ‘sunset – in a ‘snow-globe’.
Northern Lights, anybody ?
note: re the wire . . .
there are a small set of LED lights inside the sculpture, to illuminate the ‘content’.
this had depth. solidity, weight. and, yet . . what was going on – inside.
very scientific / amoeba-like, when you looked deeper. a sense of both ‘found’ ‘assemblage’, and folk art . . DNA ?
as if people, could do . . DNA – DIY !!
are these pieces, light boxes ?
LED lights.
this one definitely skews . . folk art, and history. and DIY.
that’s an old vintage ‘popcorn’ quilt, puffing around / and, an Appalachian folk art, shrunken dried & carved – apple head !!
btw: the teeth . . are fashioned from white Sculpy / polymer clay.
Blair, or Ryan as his friends call him . . told me, he made the carved apple head himself.
it is a traditional North American, mostly Appalachian folk art / made from dried apples, sometimes called shrunken heads. they were commonly used as DIY doll heads.
the apple is peeled, then carved, then dunked in lemon juice & water, to keep it from turning yellow / then dried.
often put on the top of a stick. then clothed, I guess.
the Seneca Indians were the first American peoples to make these dolls, they went on to become popular with the ‘whittlers’ of the Appalachian Blue Ridge mountains. (the web)
this plexi-case, holds an actual, cloth-based DIY doll family / folk art, he picked up in . . Ohio.
I believe that’s where he grew up.
note: Ryan is from . . Lancaster, Ohio.
so that’s his Chinese-influenced, landscape brushwork watercolor in the background, and a close-up of the precious, hand-made ragged doll family. the branch, is a piece of ‘bark engrabed naturally, ot organically by beetle egg pathways, which he found on Etsy !!
a note from Ryan:
“the ‘Chinese’ landscape, as you call it, was done in collaboration with my, at the time, 3 year old daughter. The dolls are ‘worry dolls’, and it’s called ‘Family’.”
lovely.
R. Blair Sullivan . . also has a series of lenticular candles . . happening.
as well as, a whole pile of DIY (?) candles – in flame / black & white primitive – photos.
note: the ‘Candle Flames’ . . .
“are called ‘chemigrams’. No camera and no darkroom. They are basically paintings done on on photo paper with photo chemistry. The interesting thing about the candle flames in particular however, is that it’s all done with black-and-white chemistry and because I did the process in reverse, I got color out of it – which was a surprise to me.”
~R. BLAIR SULLIVAN
does he hand color . . the flames ?
it’s kind of a zen situation, even though the artist in there with you, you don’t want to break the poetry, by asking . . too many questions.
note: the ‘Candle Flames’ . . .
“are called ‘chemigrams’. No camera and no darkroom. They are basically paintings done on on photo paper with photo chemistry. The interesting thing about the candle flames in particular however, is that it’s all done with black-and-white chemistry and because I did the process in reverse, I got color out of it – which was a surprise to me.”
~R. BLAIR SULLIVAN
R. BLAIR SULLIVAN, for whatever reasons, Iceland . . calls.
life is, is, is . . . a mystery, or so they say !!
yet, sometimes as it plays out, it definite feels like, as if it fulfills . . a destiny.
Mr. R. Blair Sullivan . . . .
Mr. Snowdrop / Mr. Flame / Mr. Cold / Mr. Folk art / Mr. Waverl-y / Mr. Innovator / optical scientist.
Mr. Forager !!
Happy Trails !! in Iceland . . land of snow, and winter folk / and folk tales / told around the fire.
see: R. BLAIR SULLIVAN – ARTIST PORTFOLIO WEBSITE
PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH
~R. BLAIR SULLIVAN . . ICELAND |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | August 14th, 2019, 3:39pm
