~ECONOMICS 101
above: KENNY KOMER & BORIS RASIN – ‘ECONOMICS 101’ – !!
pretty much the way it is – THE SUMMER OF 2009 – !!
. . . you put your dollar in – you get – 3 quarters back !!
‘ECONOMICS 101’ . . . was recently featured on the artlovers homepage – the piece surfaced in GAVIN BROWN’S SUMMER SHOW, ‘THE LIVING AND THE DEAD’ – which just came down last week (Aug 7, 2009).
see: GAVIN BROWN’S enterprise
INSTALLATION PHOTO: NANCY SMITH
. . . hard to believe this weekend – is – the 40th ANNIVERSARY of WOODSTOCK !! what a difference 40 years – make !!
not only was artlovers music critic & art commentator at large – SIMON CERIGO – at WOODSTOCK – he was 17 !!
and, some people – would say – he never came back, never mind remember anything, except the huge amount of recreational drugs (hash being the potion of choice) he ingested – “along with whatever else they were doing there ” . . . but he does remember all the groups he saw, incl yes !! JANIS JOPLIN & JIMI HENDRIX !! he says he “only missed THE WHO, because he passed out (right in front of the stage during their performance !!) from sheer exhaustion – 3 days of non-stop hard core partying – had taken their toll !!
. . . but – small world – circles and karma and all – SIMON knows all 3 of the young stars of this summer’s NYC art scene – KENNY KOMER, BORIS RASIN & even JERRY BLACKMAN – from back in the day – when they were students at COOPER UNION, and Simon was a part time director/consultant/curator at the now defunct CAPSULE GALLERY !! in CHELSEA. circa 2003/04.
KENNY and BORIS were encouraged to do their first ever gallery-produced site-specific piece – under the sidewalk – and Jerry was the gallery intern !! those were the days !! KATE (CERIGO) – Simon’s daughter was just a kid, when she came to the CAPSULE openings – an art student at LaGuardia High School, which in fact – Boris and Kenny, and I think even, Jerry had also attended. it was kind of a shock to them, this summer – esp Boris – for some reason – when KATE showed up at their multiple openings – to find yes !! time flies, Kate is all grown up – and graduated from SVA, GRAPHIC DESIGN – last SPRING 2008 !! now they know how – the old timers feel. and what, they are all of 27 ? 28 ?
LOL !! its great to watch the local talent grow up and R-U-L-E !! all 3 most definite – caught, …. make that DEFINED !! – – – – the SUMMER WAVE of 2009.
KENNY KOMER & BORIS RASIN – with their collaborations – and, individual pieces in an inspired & sharply edited – independent show in BROOKLYN, called ‘THE SUM AND ALL PARTS’, (JUNE 18 – JULY 26, 2009), which was curated by JENNY BORLAND & BEAU RUTLAND; as well as with works in the afore-mentioned GBE SUMMER FEST: ‘THE LIVING AND THE DEAD’.
JERRY BLACKMAN had a piece in that GBE show as well, the big free-standing floor piece – the interlocking lips – that looked they were made of wood but were really some kind of plastic resin or acrylic (?) painstakingly treated to look like wood – !!
and, he actually has an even more amazin’ piece, an ANCHOR !! still on view at DAM STUHLTRAGER in BROOKLYN (JULY 11 – AUGUST 30, 2009). more amazin’ – because:
1) I liked the idea of an ‘anchor’ over the ‘interlocked lips’ – which I thought was kind of a played-out image – unless he was being really, and I mean capital R – REALLY !! – iconic ? …. I really liked the anchor’s, free spirit, newness of oldness image, its very shape and dimensions, and the low-fi way it just sits against the wall. even though its so big.
plus, being semi-autustic – or is that – high-functioning autistic – ?? – I just really love plastic. retro, new & sci-fi.
I have to say – I haven’t loved a piece so much since catching GEORGIA GRAY & JORY RABINOVITCH’S one day wonder – outdoor – low-fi sculpture – show – of the just past Spring 2009 – (and, they are both also COOPER UNION students !! coincidence – I don’t think so !!) – ‘I MS. GRAND PA’ – pix of which are going to post this FALL 2009 – as the SEASON’S teaser – “I told you so !! that great !!” – post – !!
I think in truth – I’ve been hoarding them !!
and that brings me to recall – last year’s 2008 – SUMMER SLEEPER – PATRICK GRIFFIN’S – ‘COUNT THY BUTTONS’ at THE JOURNAL (BROOKLYN) !! also with great ‘resin’ pieces – over-size wall ‘buttons’ – that caught the ‘teen’ spirit of that day – !!
but, wait, I daydream in color – back to the here & now – !!
2) what I also liked about this ANCHOR piece of Jerry’s – was that unlike the GBE lips – he has left segments ‘undone’ – that contrast – the transparent resin or plastic – to the other parts – that are hand-worked and carefully detailed – to look like, and simulate wood.
so – its as great as watching – A BOBBY FLAY THROW-DOWN – except without the motion !! and the food !!
see: JERRY BLACKMAN/SUMMER SESSION/DAM STUHLTRAGER !!
P.S. – SIMON CERIGO – definitely feels:
1. the financial sector – !! – has been much more ‘creative’ – than the art world – in the past year.
and, 2. if you wanna see a walking talking cautionary tale – up close & personal – of what happens to guys who party too hard, courtesy of hanging out with too many trust fund babies, I believe his term of choice – is – “blood-sucking no-talent vampires” – you couldn’t beat Simon. Not only will they bleed you dry for info, and build huge (art) collections around your smarts – and, leave you penniless – but, they’ll steal your groupies, too !!