one of the city’s c-o-o-l-e-s-t, artist or otherwise, and, on just about any level, CHRIS STAIN, – has just opened a show in HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA !! North LaBrea Avenue, no less.
‘Up On The Roof Countin’ Pigeons’ – A solo exhibit on new work by CHRIS STAIN !!
the show opened last Thursday Feb 5th.
and runs: FEB 6 – FEB 26, 2009
CARMICHAEL GALLERY – 1257 N. La Brea Avenue – W. HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA.
HOURS: TUES-SUN 1-7PM
the press release is interesting.
“. . . the first West Coast solo exhibition of work by Baltimore artist CHRIS STAIN.
{yo, B-A-L-T-I-M-O-R-E !! – we didn’t know that. ns}
Artwork featured in the exhibition will include stencil, spray paint and mixed media on metal and found objects.
“For ‘Up On The Roof Countin’ Pigeons’, Chris Stain will transform the gallery into a NYC rooftop scene, complete with a pigeon coop and live jazz music. The enigmatic stencil portraits integrated into the large scale installation pierce the gaze of viewers and offer a unique perspective of contemporary inner city life.
“My work explores the emotional and physical struggle of growing up in an urban environment. Through hand-cut stencils and installations made from found materials I hope to inspire compassion for the often over-looked individuals of society” – Chris Stain.
“Born in Baltimore Maryland, Chris first developed a interest in art through graffiti at the age of eleven.
He learned printmaking in high school, which later led to stencil cutting when money wasn’t readily available for printmaking equipment.
“His subject matter is drawn from his working class upbringing on Baltimore’s east side. The peope he portrays in his work carry with them the struggle for a better life that all of us can relate to, especially in current times.
“Chris’ self-taught style has gained him recognition worldwide. Since 2000 he has exhibited his work in galleries situated across the globe, including New York, California, Paris, London, Germany, and Amsterdam, amongst others. His work has also been published in several books about stencul graffiti art and street art.”
see: CHRIS STAIN !!
CHRIS STAIN – IN MEMORY OF OSCAR GRANT III
CHRIS STAIN, at the recent C215 opening at AD HOC GALLERY, BROOKLYN. NYC.
DEC 15, 2008
see: BROOKLYN BLOCK PARTY & C215 JUNK STORE
PHOTO: NANCY SMITH
~CHRIS STAIN/MAKES HOLLYWOOD |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | February 10th, 2009, 6:17pm
. . . well, we feel a little conflicted on this. definitely feel FAIREY was at a point in his career, where he should have contacted the AP about using their OBAMA photo, which was taken by AP press lensman MANNY GARCIA. He should have gotten copyright authorization, and paid a user (franchise use) fee.
but, now it seems they . . . well, BOSTON is going after FAIREY for his (past) street work !!
from the NEW YORK POST SATURDAY, FEB 8, 2009:
“. . . SHEPARD FAIREY, was busted in Boston Friday on two outstanding graffiti warrants, authorities said. The 38-year-old artist and activist is expected to be arraigned tomorrow.”
however, to have the powers that be – go after him, for his street art, esp in the past, that’s not something we wish on him, nor support. you can’t deny the power of his imagery. Graffiti is a tough issue. we don’t like to see public buildings or fountains marked up, make that mucked up, by idiot drunk teens. and we don’t want see any more 13 yr. olds squished on the train tracks.
but a lot of beautiful stuff blooms, from those illegal pastures.
it’s a complete irony, and not an easily settled one, it’s one of those no-win conflicts – that are almost, well, that are exactly – biblical in nature. freedom of expression vs. the “man”. I guess the intrinsic American way is, freedom of expression trumps all, even if it means seedy porn on the TV right beside the religion channel. and, right on. yo, this is a country whose founding fathers were rebels.
Just don’t steal content or photos, dude !!
and, it was no accident that OBAMA HOPE spoke to the hearts of many, OBEY GIANT, paved the way !!
from the Giant’s own wiki page: the OBEY MANIFESTO !!
“The Obey campaign can be explained as an experiment in Phenomenology. The first aim of Phenomenology is to reawaken a sense of wonder about one’s environment. The Obey campaign attempts to stimulate curiosity and bring people to question both the campaign and their relationship with their surroundings. Because people are not used to seeing advertisements or propaganda for which the motive is not obvious, frequent and novel encounters with Obey propaganda provoke thought …
The medium is the message.”
see: OBEY GIANT
and let me tell y’all, if you think this is just about street art. WRONG.
first of all OBAMA got elected.
second: street art is a definite going currency in today’s art market. a lot of contemporary art galleries would love to be doing the kind of business SHEPARD FAIREY is, single-handedly !!
he is the un-corporate – new age corporate. as in big bucks i-n-d-u-s-t-r-y. the JEFF KOONS of the day. he is making money hand over fist. you can only sit back, and wish, that could be you !!
His slogan – ‘PROPAGANDA ENGINEERING’ – that may as well be – PANDA BEAR ENGINEERING, FAIREY’S got his stuff locked-down, so well .. forget JEFF KOONS, he’s almost the CIRQUE DU SOLEIL !
see: OBEY: MANUFACTURING QUALITY DISSENT SINCE 1989/PROPAGANDA ENGINEERING –
some early OBEY PHOTOS from the artlovers archives: NYC, 1998.
PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH
(we always liked them – because we thought they looked like ALFREDO MARTINEZ, he of the notorious BASQUIAT scam, that landed MARTINEZ in federal prison for 2 years, and who previously ran the gun shooting ‘gallery’ at the JOSH HARRIS – MILLENNIUM – QUIET PARTY !! Alfredo’s criminal arc – was his solution to when the dot com world went bust and Josh’s money fizzled out.)
as for POSTER BOY !!
aka HENRY MATYJEWICZ, 27 – according to the NEW YORK POST, finally worth its daily cost of 50 cents, he left court yesterday. Apparently he “rejected an arrangement in which he would plead guilty to the top charge of criminal mischief, a misdemeanor, and perform 100 hours of community service. Instead, he’ll be back in court in April to face the possibility of trial, which could land him in jail for up to a year.” it’s hard to prove these charges. (the only way they got Alfredo locked up – was – he sent images in a UPS delivery over state lines in an undercover sting. in other words they got him on wire transfer fraud, not art fraud per se. you had to be at the trial, what can I say. Alfredo is a born pathological liar, which didn’t help, and his public defender was the biggest idiot to walk the face of the earth, I mean courthouse.) In fact, he, MARTINEZ, even once put (handmade replica) life-size heavy artillery guns on CANAL St, that the cops had to tow away, and which even made the Post,and for which he never got into any legal trouble, whatsoever. no undercover cops ever infiltrated the many openings he was down at. and at the point he even had the arrest record.it was only when he had flooded the art market with phony, Basquiats – that they, meaning certain, pretty shady themselves, dealers, pursued him. it’s a matter of public record, so why not name names – and that would be LEO (LIO) MALKA.
well, back to POSTER BOY, obviously tearing up and defacing subway posters, as opposed to simply pasting or tagging, is a big business no-no. but bottomline it all comes down to the lawyers. and your community status. i.e. class. an (unintended) telling statement in the POST article:
“Of course it was rejected,” his lawyer Kerry Gotlib, said of the plea-deal offer, adding that his client is a “well-educated, well-spoken citizen.” !!
as for the cops busting ‘graffiti’ artists through undercover means – that sucks. if they catch you in the act, that’s bad. but going to the galleries, is such a joke. as the above obviously makes clear. very hard, if not impossible to prove in court. and then you get 100 hours of community service and publicity worth a million bucks ? the cops are basically making the market. putting the pot of gold at-the-end-of-the-bust … an in-play guarantee. and why shut down the only art that is actually making any money in the city. (well that’s not really true, but it sounds good. but the market for street art has seen a renaissance of late). I mean its kind of a mote point, anyways, as by the time these guys are in a gallery they are going gallery legit, anyways. it’s how they get off the streets, not stay on it – stupid.
I mean if you know the art world, just a little bit, you’ll immediately see how stupid and unbelievably ludicrous, as in dumb brute – the cops are. case in point, MICHAEL NEVIN. I’ve been to many galleries that have had the cops show up, usually for patrons drinking on the street outside crowded gallery openings, (their M.O. is they drive up in ‘undercover’ yellow taxis in Manhattan, they’ve been doing this for decades. in Brooklyn, they arrive en masse in squad vans), but the only person who has EVER gotten arrested so far, apart from the above staked-out & stalked POSTER BOY/so-called ad vandal – was the most unlikely, and absolutely least deserving to be hassled – MICHAEL NEVIN, founding editor of THE JOURNAL, one of New York City’s most respected, and most ‘academic’ contemporary art publications, and a straight up, right-up guy, if I ever did see one. I don’t want to diss Michael, but – street, he is not !! He’s as much about street – as DASH SNOW is. and, that’s even insulting Dash !! He’s not even an artist. Michael Nevin goes nowhere near even playing street artist, he doesn’t tag a dog, let alone a street. he publishes a bonafide art journal, and let me tell ya, there is obviously some serious funding, as in social class & money, behind that venture, though I guess that’s none of our business. its just obviously a cutting edge high-production hard copy publication, with great full color reproductions, and that takes a certain amount of dough. and serious dedication, is all. and it is a wonderful asset to the scene. I guess, how were the arresting cops supposed to know this. (maybe we should all have our education, class & tax returns, tattooed into the insides of our wrists in case of NYPD arrest ?) The opening wasn’t even that wild, if wild at all. there were allusions to black leather jackets, on the wall, could that be it ? just the art was kind of tough, as inpretty edgey and pretty smart. and, it most definite wasn’t street art, or even handmade replica heavy artillery guns !! I don’t recall the cops even stepping into the gallery, come to think of it. turns out they had not one good reason to bust him. after the fact, they made some kind of phony double talk, like he had an outstanding warrant – or so, they thought – but turned out, it was for someone else, with the same name. but, he got tossed in the Tombs and the lack of oversight and how scary it is to be in that system, did traumatize him enough, that he did write about it.
MICHAEL NEVINS wrote an EDITOR’S NOTE about being busted by the NYPD, in THE JOURNAL ENTRY No. 24.
here’s the link article: THE JOURNAL Entry No. 24
and, if you know the police system here, in NYC, you’ll know getting busted for any reason, but esp if there are no legal grounds, is no joke. cause you will be treated like the biggest filth with no rights that ever walked the face of the earth. they have no radar for good or bad. you are all dirt. the cops and ‘civil servants’ who process you, are more brutal and mind bendingly stupid than the threatening wolf packs who are your cellmates. no, I haven’t been in there. but I have heard many firsthand stories. and QUEENS is the worst precinct to get busted in, of all. you know you are in no man’s land, a hold-over from medieval times – or KAFKA – when the cops that jump ya – make you feel like you are being kidnapped off the streets for ransom or worse, and then you end up in a whole hell world gone wrong, a courthouse of brutal zombies, and we are talking about the employees that run the place from the gum-chewing long & painted finger nailed, big haired bottle blonde female security guards all the way up to the slobby judges – all paid for by your tax dollars, and getting those awesome, you can only dream of, guaranteed city pensions, who don’t wear their name badges, (take a random walk into that place, any day – I dare you to come up with one employee wearing their federally mandated name badge) – and believe me – there is a reason why – they don’t want you to know who they are. If, you are in there trying to get a friend out, (yes, I was was) all the ‘locals’ in line – advise you “to cool it” and tell you scary first-hand stories about how the cops plant drugs in your car if you try to retaliate, don’t even think of making a civilian review board complaint.
NYC home of the brave.
MICHAEL NEVIN, of THE JOURNAL, busted for absolutely no reason, by the WILLIAMSBURG, BROOKLYN NYPD. New York City’s FINEST. AUGUST 14th, 2008.
PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH
well, let’s change the topic from rant to rave. it was a great show !! MICHAEL GRIFFIN, ‘Count Thy Buttons’. I guess, the little bit of word play – was too much for the NYPD.
more pix: MICHAEL GRIFFIN/at THE JOURNAL !!
~SHEPARD FAIREY, POSTER BOY/up-date |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | February 10th, 2009, 2:30pm
if you hustle, you can catch the final good-bye !!
SUNDAY – FEB 8, 2009 – 7:30-9 PM
MARIAH ROBERTSON – ‘BONFIRE FUNERAL’ – PLUS SPECIAL GUESTS including a reading by poet JIBADE-KHALIL HUFFMAN and JOHN YAU.
A one-time-only architecturally specific performance for GUILD & GREYSHKUL
GUILD & GREYSHKUL – 28 WOOSTER – SOHO – NYC
THEY HAVE SOME GREAT – INSTALLATION SHOTS – of THE CLOSING EXHIBIT on THEIR website,
see: ‘ON FROM HERE’ !!
a few samples:
ABOVE INSTALLATION PHOTOS/COURTESY: GUILD & GREYSHKUL
pix from the opening night party, Thursday, Feb 5, 2009:
PERFORMANCE IN WINDOWS BY: DENNIS PALAZZOLO and AVERY SINGER.
the ‘5th ELEMENT’ come to life – it must be Mr. Palazzolo.
DENNIS PALAZZOLO.
AVERY SINGER.
JOHANNES VANDERBEEK
SARA VANDERBEEK
ARTFORUM.COM EDITOR DAVID VELASCO, and MIRIAM KATZ, CURATOR at THE KITCHEN
DEVON COSTELLO has 2 realist watercolors in the show.
ANYA KIELAR and ESME.
ANYA KIELAR
ANYA KIELAR has a typically k-n-o-c-k-o-u-t piece in the show.
photo-collage by CARLOS CHARLIE PEREZ.
art work by TRENTON DUERKSEN.
art work by NICOLE VAN BEEK.
art work by NATSUKO UCHINO
detail, NATSUKO UCHINO
‘I SAID TAKE YOUR FUCKING HANDS OFF ME’
art work by LOU LAURITA
art work by MICHAEL SHEA.
LEELA ACCETTA, KARL FRIEDRICH, and LEA CETERA.
DETAIL, INSTALLATION by LEA CETERA and ROBIN SCHAVOIR.
their video was screened on the monitor, out of camera’s range.
but, you can see it here: VIBRANT FUTURES
a frame from ‘VIBRANT FUTURES’ by LEA CETERA and ROBIN SCHAVOIR.
‘SPIRIT BEAR’ poster art work by ROBIN SCHAVOIR. b-e-a-u-t-i-f-u-l.
ANYA KIELAR and LEA CETERA.
‘VIBRANT FUTURES’ by LEA CETERA and ROBIN SCHAVOIR plays on the small monitor, center.
LEA CETERA and FRANCESCA Di MATTIO
JAMES FUENTES.
behind him, the photo of the violin player is by ISABEL ASHA PENZLIEN.
the photo to the right of it, is by STEPHEN G. RHODES.
LUTZ BACHER !!
ABOVE PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH
and below, LEA CETERA, also took some pix !!
art work by ROBERT de SAINT PHALLE.
the 2 small (realist and figurative) watercolors above and below the yellow abstract square piece, are by DEVON COSTELLO.
The yellow abstract square, which is pretty wonderful to contemplate, too, is by JONATHAN ROTH.
Those top two, totally wild pieces are by JOSH KLINE !!
The two pieces at the right, are by EILEEN QUINLAN !!
FILMMAKER, ARTIST ROBIN SCHAVOIR, made the film VIBRANT FUTURES, with LEA CETERA.
Mr. Schavoir was the author, writer, and artist behind the collaborative effort.
installation shot of the sculpture area, ‘ON FROM HERE’, the last exhibit at GUILD & GREYSHKUL.
ABOVE SET OF 5 PHOTOS: by LEA CETERA. thanks, LEA !!!
note: waiting on GUILD & GREYSHKUL to send in the unknown artist attributions.
info – will go up shortly.
~GUILD & GREYSHKUL FLAMES OUT !! |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | February 8th, 2009, 6:27pm
last weekend to catch – the super talented – new wave from BALTIMORE !!:
CLOSED CAPTION COMICS – ‘ADOLESCENT RAGE’
JAN 9 – FEB 8, 2009
CINDERS GALLERY – 103 HAVEMEYER St – BROOKLYN
HRS: WED-SUN: 1-7PM
featuring work by: CHRIS DAY, NOEL FREIBERT, MOLLIE GOLDSTROM, LANE MILBURN, ANDREW NEYER, MOLLY COLLEEN O’CONNELL, PETE RAZON, RYAN CECIL SMITH, RYAN STECHSCHULTE, ERIC STINER, and ERIN WOMACK.
at the opening: PETE RAZON and MOLLY COLLEEN O’CONNELL – with STO of CINDERS.
JAN 9, 2009
PHOTO: NANCY SMITH
see: MORE PIX FROM THE OPENING !!
‘ADOLESCENT RAGE’ is the first NYC show by this young Baltimore-based collective – who call themselves: CLOSED CAPTION COMICS. Sto reports that Cinders “first encountered the artwork of this prolific group when some of them came into the gallery bearing an amazing colorful stack of of self-published comic and art zines.” and he goes on to say in the press release: “These beautiful handmade silk-screened goodies featured wild stories, inventive layouts, and the type of manic fun energy we find wholly exciting and infectious. As a group, CLOSED CAPTION puts out a comic zine of the same name that features a section by each artist, allowing the reader to delve into the the different worlds of each contributor. These worlds vary from forests to cities to outer space and are inhabited by as diverse a cast of characters such as mummies, toads, robots, aliens and ordinary folks riding bikes around town. From meticulous fine line renderings to scratchy chaotic explosions, the styles and stories couldn’t be more varied and yet make perfect sense together ina haphazardly homey kind of way.
This group show will feature drawings, paintings, prints, collages and zines … allowing the visitor to be enveloped by their art on a larger scale.”
Apparently they all met up at MICA, the MARYLAND INSTITUTE COLLEGE of ART, from which they all graduated recently. They started making zines together in 2004. In addition to their collaborative bookmaking, they are also individually involved in the Baltimore art community by way of “putting on shows, making posters, being in bands such as Witch Hat, and Bears and Pieces, running the record label Lost Ghosts Records, as well as organizing the all-girl performance festival, Puss Fust.”
check out: CLOSED CAPTION COMICS/blogspot !!
don’t miss: CCC/blogspot/CATALOG – our fave for browsing !!
check out: LOST GHOSTS/myspace !!
check out: PRELAY/myspace !!
CLOSED CAPTION COMICS – COSMIC ISSUE #8 or [infinity] [sideways 8]
PRODUCED In CONJUNCTION WITH ‘ADOLESCENT RAGE’ A SHOW JAN 9 – FEB 8 2009 @ CINDERS GALLERY NYC / BALTIMORE U.S.A.
~CLOSED CAPTION COMICS |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | February 8th, 2009, 5:07pm
JOSH HARRIS/ADVANCE TRAILER/’WE LIVE IN PUBLIC’. DIRECTED BY ONDI TOMINER.
POSTED on RADAR/VIMEO.
‘WE LIVE IN PUBLIC’ – THE JOSH HARRIS STORY – DIRECTED BY ONDI TOMONER – WON THE 2009 GRAND JURY AWARD FOR U.S. DOCUMENTARY at this year’s SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL COMPETITION.
THIS WIN ALSO MARKS AN HISTORIC MILESTONE – THIS IS THE ONLY !! SECOND TIME !! TOP PRIZE WINNER – in SUNDANCE HISTORY !! – ONDI TIMONER also won for her rock documentary ‘DIG!.
‘DIG!’ which followed Anton Newcombe of BRIAN JONESTOWN MASSACRE and COURTNEY TAYLOR of the DANDY WARHOLS – for 7 years – won the SUNDANCE GRAND JURY AWARD – DOCUMENTARY in 2004.
GOOD GOING ONDI !!
ONDI TIMONER, looks radiant at the AWARDS CEREMONY !!
INTERLOPER FILMS is the name of her production company, and she brought several of her associates up to the acceptance podium with her.
JOSH HARRIS, was also called up to share in the award glory !!
He must have flown in for the occasion, as he is currently hiding out in ETHIOPIA.
It must have been like a dream come true for him.
watch: ONDI -&- Josh accept the award/GRAND JURY PRIZE/DOCUMENTARY/SUNDANCE 2009
watch: the final & official trailer – WE LIVE IN PUBLIC !!
read about: WE LIVE IN PUBLIC/SUNDANCE !!
see: SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL/JAN 15-25, 2009. PARK CITY, UTAH.
. . . what’s even more incredible, is that ‘WE LIVE IN PUBLIC’ managed to edge out the highly hyped VOGUE/CONDE NAST contender, ‘THE SEPTEMBER ISSUE’ !! – WAY TO GO !! – ONDI !!
. . . and, yes that is YOURS TRULY in the trailer !!
I’m the ROWDY ONE !! who gets in a fight – in the green and yellow parka !!
Josh emailed to warn me – just before the official announcement of the ‘WE LIVE IN PUBLIC’ SUNDANCE ACCEPTANCE: “remember, it’s not how bad you look, or what people say – it’s all about – how much – face time you get !!” OMG – there I was full face/full screen at SUNDANCE in all my raging glory !!
NANCY SMITH – QUIET RESIDENT ARTIST & QUIET PARTY CREW MEMBER
PSEUDO/QUIET MILLENNIUM PARTY, LOWER MANHATTAN, NYC. JAN 2000.
YO !! … don’t mess with ME !!
(if it ever plays in NYC- I’ll tell you the story)
LEO KOENIG – also made the trailer !!
He ran the ‘ART GALLERY’ at QUIET.
see: earlier post with ARCHIVAL PHOTOS & BACKGROUND/QUIET MILLENNIUM PARTY, NYC !!
‘WE LIVE IN PUBLIC’ scored a wonderful article by DAVID CARR of the NEW YORK TIMES, the day after the AWARDS CEREMONY !!
see: NEW YORK TIMES/DAVID CARR/SUNDANCE TOASTS AN EARLY ONLINE LIFE !!
a few telling lines from the article, beginning with the opener !!
“Few people sitting at the Myspace Cafe here last week would have guessed that the guy on the patio who looks more a golf pro that a digital seer is someone who anticipated the socially networked world they now live in. While the rest of the patrons at this cafe … stared into iPhones and the tiny computers that dappled the tables, his most prominent accessory was an unlit cigar.
” . . . but if they had managed to squeeze in a viewing of ‘WE LIVE IN PUBLIC’ they’d know that the guy in the Ray-Bans, Josh Harris made $80 million on a Web consultancy and used it to first build a television network on the Internet [PSEUDO !!] when most people were on dial-up. He then oversaw a social experiment art project called ‘Quiet’ at the turn of the millennium in which 100 people lived in a bunker in Manhattan under constant scrutiny of video cameras [and it was a 24/7 party – open to the public – who came in throngs !!] until the police raided the joint.” [it was shut down by the FIRE DEPT, the POLICE DEPT and FEMA – who all converged – at the same time – one fateful morning in early January 2000 !! FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency – the same people who screwed up HURRICANE RELIEF) though it was suicide cult !! How do I know ? I got interviewed by an ‘undercover’ suit !!! I still vividly remember telling him, “relax man – this is just what artists in NYC have to do, to get the money to separate from the rich guys, in dot com era NYC” !! I think I also said. “hang around. here, smoke a joint !!”. I guess I’m lucky I didn’t get cuffed, for my sense of humor !! in fact, think he was truly appreciative of the insider down-to-earth assessment. He was truly clueless.
whoa – enough of the good ole days !! – back to the DAVID CARR – SUNDANCE article:
“. . . it almost sounds fake, but the documentary makes for compelling viewing … ‘WE LIVE IN PUBLIC’ offers a portrait of a moment in the culture when everything changed.
” . . . Among other prescient notions, he [Josh Harris] suggested that the Internet would become the platform of choice for all media, much of which would be generated by the people formerly known as the audience.
[yo !! ELEANOR CAYRE !!] [ . . insider joke – sorry !!]
“. . . At the offices of Pseudo at 600 Broadway in Soho, his legendary parties brought together the nerderati and the downtown art set.
“. . . The footage, hours and hours of filmed observation of bunker [hotel pod] residents along with recordings of Mr. Harris living with his girlfriend under 24-hour surveillance, sat for years until MS. TIMONER realized that this footage described the world we are all now jacked into. ‘It hit me like a bolt of lightning, like no other project I have ever worked on,’ she said, siting next to Mr. Harris … ‘It was a wired city in a very early stage, and after watching my friends updating their MySpace and Facebook pages, I realized that we had all been there at the start.”
it’s also interesting to note the ‘introductory’ frame of the early, advance ‘WE LIVE IN PUBLIC’ trailer versus the ‘titel’ frame of the final official SUNDANCE trailer.
early: ‘WE LIVE IN PUBLIC’ trailer !!
final & official: ‘WE LIVE IN PUBLIC’ trailer !!
they kinda represent the 2 extreme poles of ‘QUIET’ !! and they both are: completely FABRICATED !!
well, the concentration camp image – I guess is archival. and meant to be a joke. the ‘WE LIVE IN PUBLIC’ still – is completely fabricated, as in way way cleaned-up !! and, meant to be real !!
go figure !! guess that ‘s why – I don’t make, and package winning documentaries !!
can only lay-out it as it plays, as its dealt. in real time: real and raw !!
it was NAZI CONCENTRATION CAMP-like – in its brutal surveillance. not only was it wired to record every detail, but footage was broadcast in real time in 24/7 streams to the many many monitors, as well as being recorded for archival purposes. the problem: picture 90+ hard core competitive NYC artists jockeying for Josh’s time and money !! Your hard won installation – could be demolished by someone else – in the blink of a moment !! who’d not only take over your space, but your future pay check !! and we’re talking thousands of dollars. 50 or 60 thousands of dollars – this were the dot com days. Plus once ypu were in – the only cardinal rule was – you could not leave. so it was hard core partying and hard-core competition non-stop in very close quarters. plus it was open 24/7 to the public. huge huge crowds that interacted with you non-stop. It was like being on display in a midget palace. and there was no room for secrets or shady play – and there was plenty of that, let me tell ya !! plus sex, drugs and rock n’roll.
but still – a completely mis-leading image, because no one was forced to be there – its true you were removed from your everyday life – but, everybody wanted in !! for all the pitfalls – it was the biggest, the baddest, the best mother-of-all NYC art parties !! – and anybody who was there – guest or resident – will tell you – it was like living their life on steroids: hyper real, hyper creative, and hyper funded, as in big big bucks, as in over 1 million funded !! – the likes of which have not be seen since. It was so totally raw, primitive, and futuristic at the same time. It was like living in a space ship dedicated to artists – and hard core artists !! not gallery route artists !! that had just escaped from a dying earth, so totally survival game, reality game, and wide open slam down dirty party !!
which brings us to the 2nd image.
so cleaned up !! OMG !! – I think as a participant, and, on many levels, as administrative crew and artist – the first concentration camp image – is closer to the truth !! first of all – there was NO !! security, to talk of, and it was open to the public 24/7. a wild wild New Year’s party with several 24/7 totally open bars and DJ stations, scattered among the art installations etc etc. so there was a lot of theft. (turned out the ‘janitor’, this young kid, Josh hired off the street, had a budding heroin problem. what else is new). so there was no way anyone stored or had any valuable gear with them esp. in the pods. cameras. they didn’t have those tiny digital elphs back in the day. and, so many got stolen, unless you walked around with your gear 24/7 – it disappeared. it was tough. you had to perform. you didn’t just sit in your pod and keyboard !! . and OMG YEAR 2000 – there were NO portable laptops, or at any rate – the ones that were out there – were way beyond anyone’s individual budget at the time, though maybe Josh had a couple of early models at his home. and no one looked like these serious but casually attired internet dudes !! esp in the pods !! the closest I could come to really describing the place in today’s terms would be sort of like TALL BIKER CLUB meets HELLO METH LAB WITH A VIEW !! it was anything but casual computer chic. and we weren’t wired personally. the place was wired for us. but we did create our own content. check out the actual footage from the trailer – esp in the pods – it was hardcore, down and dirty, let me tell ya. but, yo it sold the film, cleaned up the frontiersmen – built the bridge and connected the dots – to – today’s ‘fearless’ Facebook warriors – so, right on !! ONDI !!
so true to the essential spirit and character of American myth-making !!
the final thought that comes to mind – that connects QUIET and WE LIVE IN PUBLIC to the FACEBOOK generation – and which is maybe the one biggest influential factor of the whole event – even more important than the 24/7 cameras – was that: we created our own content. daily. and we r-e-p-o-r-t-e-d on it !! to the man. You had to keep Josh up-dated on your project, your fiefdom, your dynamic – whatever !! to keep the money flowing, and your territory safe. and you had to beat out the other 90+ super talented people also vying for his attention deficit/split second attention span, not joking, and his credit card !! that’s what gives a lot of the footage in ‘WE LIVE IN PUBLIC’ – it’s reality show feel – and the sound-bite, look-back personal summary !! and which pre-visions, the FACEBOOK – personal status up-date & daily headline: W-H-A-T … I did today !!
~JOSH HARRIS/ONDI TIMONER/WE LIVE IN PUBLIC/WINS at SUNDANCE !! |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | February 5th, 2009, 1:29pm
OBAMA POSTER BOY – SHEPARD FAIREY, laughing all the way to the bank – has just had a legal marble thrown his way – and hopefully, as a this writer is a photographer !! – he WILL trip !!
according to today’s NEW YORK POST, (ART only makes the NYC tabloids when there is a legal or criminal controversy in play) – FAIREY’S iconic and ubiquitous OBAMA ‘HOPE’ poster – has hit the ‘legal’ wall.
According to the AP sourced article – image above – on Page 7 – NEW YORK POST FEB 5, 2009:
“The image, FAIREY has acknowledged is based on an Associated Press (AP) photograph, taken in April 2006 by MANNY GARCIA. The AP says it owns the copyright and wants credit and compensation. Fairey disagrees.
‘The Associated Press has determined that the photograph used in the poster is an AP photo and that its use required permission,’ said Paul Colford, AP director of media relations.
But Fairey’s attorney, Anthony Falzone, said, ‘We believe fair use protects Shepard’s right to do what he did here.'”
YO !! of course he says that – but, NO WAY !! one: the photo has not been altered, only colored. and, in truth – the photo makes the poster, not vice versa – otherwise Fairey wouldn’t have usurped a copyrighted image. he would have used a photo with a cleaner source – like his own, except he doesn’t have any, cause he doesn’t take photos. He only embellished the power of this specific photograph, which uniquely captured a dynamic visual stance, and one-moment-in-time expression of the President-to-be. You could call it a collaboration – but that implies collaboration – a pre-arrangement between the 2 parties. The photograph’s copyright needs to be respected & compensated for. Permission should have been sought from the get-go. It probably could have been gotten, back then for relatively, very little. It is appropriation and …. bottomline – theft.
the official AMERICAN HERITAGE dictionary definition of appropriation is:
“to take possession of, often without permission.”
This reminds us of the JIM KRANZ/MARLBORO PHOTOS vs. RICHARD PRINCE controversy – and, we went on record for calling JIM KRANTZ a (last generational) idiot, okay, maybe he’s just lazy and mostly pragmatic – for not taking a more militant stance.
RANDY KENNEDY – write us a follow-up !!
see: NEW YORK TIMES/RANDY KENNEDY/JIM KRANZ vs. RICHARD PRINCE
see: text/NYT/RANDY KENNEDY/JIM KRANZ vs. RICHARD PRINCE
Although FAIREY has a indisputable talent for hitting a populist nerve – many of his images are severely compromised – not as Warholesque, as the Post states in this article – but they actually heavily derived from Communist era propaganda art. that is, ironically – that hugely successful – HOPE OBAMA poster – rides the design coattails – of Communist era art.
. . . and a stolen photograph !! Put your mind around that – for a moment !!
and, p.s. if you think Fairey has just been d-o-n-a-t-i-n-g his image to the OBAMA campaign sans fee – think again. (and, what about that TIME cover – they must have used a different photo, I bet.)
. . . a couple of pages further into the very same NEW YORK POST – is a pretty enlightening, (indirectly) fact of the $$ MARKET – ON THAT !!
from: NEW YORK POST/THURSDAY FEB 5, 2009 – HOME SECTION FEATURE ON: RUSSELL SIMMONS NEWLY RENOVATED DOWNTOWN LOFT !!
yo, the caption reads: ‘SIMMON’S art includes a Basquiat/Warhol collaboration and a commissioned Shepard Fairey ‘OBAMA HOPE’ piece.’
that is: C-O-M-M-I-S-S-I-O-N-E-D, as in b-o-u-g-h-t, as in: $$$ !!
here’s the more interesting picture they also published, of the WARHOL/BASQUIAT, which actually is the correct title order. (a sign of the times ? BASQUIAT gets first pecking title order over Warhol, funny !!)
our resident blue chip expert, SIMON CERIGO values that Warhol Basquiat at somewhere between 5-10 million bucks, bye the way.
Chelsea blue-chip gallery, VAN DE WEGHE, on 23rd St. had an interesting show of some these large collaborations recently, May 8-June 8, 2008. Here’s one of the pieces offered. a beautiful piece. these Warhol/Basquiat collaborations took place 1984-85.
see: VAN DE WEGHE/WARHOL & BASQUIAT
WARHOL & BASQUIAT, ‘AMOCO’, 1984.
acrylic, oil stick & silkscreen on canvas. 116 x 243 in.
note: the COPYRIGHT reference – JEAN-MICHEL was right on !!!
INSTALLATION PHOTOS with DETAILS: NANCY SMITH
~SHEPARD FAIRY, OBAMA POSTER BOY also hits the wall !! |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | February 5th, 2009, 11:04am
POSTER BOY – on the L train to BUSHWICK – somebody is cutting into the back layers of the subway posters !!
PHOTO: NANCY SMITH. BUSHWICK, BROOKLYN, NYC. NON 14, 2008
FIRST PUBLISHED: 2008-11-24/CINDERS & FACTORY FRESH
ok. ok. he made the NEW YORK POST – so he’s up there – with the notorious ALFREDO MARTINEZ and DUKE RILEY !!
see: HE’S A BOASTER BOY/NEW YORK POST/FEB 3, 2009
the worst part of the story: undercover cops trolling the scene, & actually showing up at art events, and, since they don’t have a clear full face – photo image – listening to the talk – til they finger ya & slap the handcuffs on, and haul you away. BUYER BEWARE !! that’s definite gonna take the temp down at a few great venues. no names for now. FAME – it can burn ya.
the best part of the story: POSTER BOY – is now claiming to be a collective – right on !!!
see: POSTER BOY is caught, or is it a Stand-In?/RANDY KENNEDY/NEW YORK TIMES
here’s the listing, that gave him away: TIME OUT
contributing to the FAME GAME !!
see: SLICE & DICE !!/BRIAN RAFTERY/NEW YORK MAGAZINE/OCT 5, 2008
and joining in the fun !! FILE UNDER: finally – something to write about, ?
see: NYPD ROLLS UP ON POSTER BOY !!/GOTHAMIST/BILLY PARKER/JAN 31, 2009
see: FAME-POSTER BOY IS A TOUGH BIATCH!!GAWKER/HAMILITON NOLAN/FEB 3, 2009
WHAT’S IT ALL ABOUT !! watch the man himself: POSTER BOY on YouTUBE !!
SOME MORE !! – POSTER BOY – FROM THE ARTLOVERS ARCHIVES:
POSTER BOY – BUSHWICK, BROOKLYN. MORGAN STOP. DEC 5, 2008
POSTER BOY – BUSHWICK, BROOKLYN. MORGAN STOP. DEC 5, 2008
. . . and, our very fave !! THE REAL HOUSEWIVES OF ORANGE COUNTY !!
POSTER BOY – BUSHWICK, BROOKLYN. MORGAN STOP. DEC 12, 2008
PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH
~POSTER BOY, or is it ? |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | February 4th, 2009, 12:48pm
JANI LEINONEN – ‘Rejected Ideas for Cap’n Crunch Advertisements’
OPENS TO-NITE – THURSDAY FEB 3, 2009 – 7-9 PM
the show runs: FEB 3 – MARCH 14, 2009
MOELLER SNOW GALLERY – 8 BOND ST – BROADWAY/LAFAYETTE – EAST VILLAGE
HOURS: TUES – SAT 11am-7pm
I don’t really know anything about this show or the artist, except I sorta liked the colors and fuzzy animal pals. as a concept it doesn’t seem overwhelmingly original, funny or biting. mostly I liked that the artist is from FINLAND.
but, if you google JANI LEINONEN – you will reach this almost, & certainly not meant to be !! funny website: taidetuunaamo – THE TEN BEST ARTISTS in the WORLD !!
according to their online poll !! – the TOP 10 artists in the world, are:
1. Jani Leinonen (what’d he do – vote for himself all day long?), 2. Olaf Breuning, 3. Gerhard Richter, 4. Damien Hirst, 5. Matthew Barney, 6. Jeff Koons, 7. Neo Rauch, 8. Maurizio Cattalan, 9. Bruce Nauman, & 10. Cy Twombly. How quaint.
the ‘bubbling under’ list is even more sad, if not downright pathetic. it’s like a conceptual project by a would-be New Museum curator – gone horribly wrong. on top of that – the so-called annual poll promises to send you their book – “coming out in the Spring of 2007” !!.
oh well not everyone can be up to speed. even on the web.
note: on closer look – actually he didn’t have to stuff the online ballot box with votes for himself – look at the site’s URL address – it’s his website !! – self-promotion 101. almost, but not quite. nice try, though & love that logo !!
~JANI LEINONEN/MOELLER SNOW |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | February 3rd, 2009, 5:27pm
BRENDAN CASS, ‘THE HUDSON RIVER’, 2008, acrylic on canvas. 89 x 166 in.
PHOTO COURTESY: STELLAN HOLM GALLERY
and, if you are in NEW YORK !!
BRENDAN CASS, ‘NEW NATURE’ – OPENS TO-NITE !! SAT JAN 31 / 6-8 PM !!
the show runs: JAN 31 – MARCH 4, 2009
STELLAN HOLM GALLERY – 524 WEST 24th ST – CHELSEA
BRENDAN CASS, photographed in his studio, just before the show went up !!
JANUARY 14, 2009. BROOKLYN, NYC.
PHOTO: NANCY SMITH
PHOTOS FROM THE OPENING . . .
BRENDAN CASS, ‘The Hudson River’, 2008. acrylic on canvas, 89 x 166 in.
The show was beautiful, airy and light. full of light. radiant, and TRANSFORMATIVE.
A yin to the yang of the harshness of troubled times . . . a kind of otherly cosmos.
you stepped in, and you stepped into another world.
Jackson Pollock, if Jackson Pollock threw the I Ching.
a peek into a private office.
BRENDAN CASS – the man – of the evening, opens his first solo show at STELLAN HOLM GALLERY – entitled: ‘New Nature’. The show opened on Saturday, Jan 31st and runs thru Wed March 4, 2009.
dedicated art scene follower EL, and on the right, also strongly interested in the NYC art scene, AIRON ARMSTRONG. AIRON ARMSTRONG is a dedicated and skilled martial artist, who began training when he was 5. He is a four time National CHI SAO champion, and has trained in Wing Chun for the past 14 years, “becoming one of the next generation of New York based Wing Chung Sifus”. He has appeared in several feature films as a stunt man/martial artist.
BOBBY G made the opening.
BRENDAN CASS, ‘Murano’, 2008. acrylic on canvas, 30 x 48 in.
caught up in – ‘Capri’ !!
BOBBY G loved the show. He said the paintings reminded him of that old Hindu story about the gods – who went to a mountain searching for magic herbs, but – when they couldn’t find them …
they just brought back the mountain !!
detail, BRENDAN CASS, ‘Capri’.
DONALD BAECHLER and KEVIN BAKER.
KEVIN BAKER shows us one of his own paintings.
in the front gallery . . .
BRENDAN CASS, ‘Akureyri’, 2008. acrylic on canvas, 73 x 120 in.
Stellan Holm Gallery associate, CHRISTINE SPANGLER.
artist CHIE FUEKI !!
Chie Fueki introduces us to JOHN WILLIAMS and AIKO HACHISUKA, who are visiting from L.A., that’s Chie on the right.
JOHN WILLIAMS’ work is currently featured in ‘Insurance Is Not Always Enough’ a group show curated by JONATHAN DURHAM at the ABRONS ART CENTER, HENRY STREET SETTLEMENT, here in NYC, and he will have a one person show at SISTER GALLERY in L.A., opening FEB 21, 2009 and running thru MARCH 28, 2009.
see: SISTER/NEWS & EXHIBITIONS
Brendan introduces us to SYLVAN LIONNI, on the left.
Sylvan Lionni shows at FREIGHT+VOLUME. In fact, he had a wonderful assemblage/wall piece in the CHANGECASE SHOW, that was presented, almost this time, last year by STEVEN STEWART and YASHA WALLIN. (JAN 21 – FEB 10, 2008)
see: CHANGECASE & scroll down to the 5th image !!
BRENDAN CASS, ‘Tuscany’, 2009. acrylic on canvas, 72 x 132 in.
Brendan greets two of his mentors: KATHERINE BRADFORD, of SUNY PURCHASE, and STEPHEN WESTFALL of SVA and BARD. Mr. Westfall shows at LENNON, WEINBERG.
KATHARINE BRADFORD shows with EDWARD THORP.
also at the BRENDAN CASS ‘New Nature’ opening: BILL SAYLOR, AIDAS BAREIKIS and ELIZABETH (LIZZIE) BALOUGH. Bill Saylor has a show coming up this Spring 2009 at LEO KOENIG.
Aidas Barekis presented 2 dynamite installations at LEO KOENIG, almost this same time last year: ‘Easy Times’, FEB 21 – MARCH 21, 2008 and ‘Fancy Meeting’, JAN 10 – FEB 8, 2008.
see: AIDAS BAREIKIS/EASY TIMES & FANCY MEETING
Lizzie is the long time Director of LEO KOENIG GALLERY.
BILL SAYLOR, JULIAN DERSIN, and AIDAS BAREIKIS.
actually, as a matter of factual newsworthiness !! – AIDAS BAREIKIS, and his work – is most probably seen in the JOSH HARRIS DOCUMENTARY – WE LIVE IN PUBLIC – helmed by ONDI TIMONER – that just won the 2009 Grand Jury/Documentary Prize at Sundance !! Aidas and AARON BREWER are notorious for having concocted the TOXIC ROOM – at QUIET – the big PSEUDO MILLENNIUM PARTY featured in WE LIVE IN PUBLIC – and what was so astounding about it, besides the futuristic hard-edged audacity of the installation itself – was – and Josh loved this, it was constructed r-i-g-h-t next to the pod hotel living quarters for the 90+ resident artists !! think Josh did that on purpose – YES !! In fact this over-the-top and indeed toxic installation – was one of the reasons – the NYC FIRE DEPT shut the party, down !!
ANKE WEYER and AIDAS BAREIKIS, two very hard-core and very talented !! – NYC artists !!
BRENDAN CASS, ‘Greenland’, 2009. acrylic on canvas, 60 x 79 in.
detail, a home in the realm, BRENDAN CASS, ‘Greenland’.
or is it? looks pretty animate to me. maybe it’s a home-head, ever hear of those ?!!
ask KELIE BOWMAN !! ‘New Nature’ – ? – right on.
detail, a splash, or is it a ghost !! in the realm !! BRENDAN CASS, ‘Greenland’.
some kind of other-worldliness going on !! BRENDAN CASS, ‘Greenland’.
one look back at ‘Murano’ !!
yep, there’s a ghost in this realm, too.
see him ? BRENDAN CASS, ‘Murano’.
BRENDAN CASS, ‘Tuscany’. one last look !!
yep, a house, or is it !!
worldly landscape. imaginary landscape. inner landscape ? visionary landscape ? future landscape ?
peopled, or ghosted !! not exactly your grandma’s HUDSON RIVER SCHOOL !!
reverence for nature meets JOESEPH BEUYS ? NOT !!
more like HUDSON RIVER SCHOOL … meets ZEN MASTER !! on mushrooms.
detail, BRENDAN CASS, ‘Tuscany’.
landscape speak !! landscape spark !!
just get me – outta h-e-r-e !! and, thru the looking glass.
PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH
UP-DATE – TUES FEB 3, 2009/6:38 PM:
it is turning into a huge snowy puffy white blizzard in New York City, & beyond, to-night.
everything, cars, tree boughs, buildings, roofs, traffic poles – hang heavy with thick puffy white snow. at times snow winds rush by swirling their tiny snowflakes about. intermittent power outages are occurring and the blanket of snow has silenced, in a profound way – what we call – the North East Corridor . . . I can’t see any mountains from my vantage point – but, somehow in this snowy vortex – I now feel Brendan’s paintings to be just as r-e-a-l, as surreal !! Landscapes seen with the puffiness of heavy fallen snows, but, with the shifting layers of the snow-laden winds – colored – painted, tinted – as if seen thru a prism !! – the white light of the snow – split up into the many colors of the rainbow. I guess you could say – I pretty much dig the work – what can I say. makes me travel in my mind’s eye – to realms – within and without. ‘New Nature’ is a trip.
~BRENDAN CASS/NEW NATURE/OPENS TO-NITE !! |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | January 31st, 2009, 2:12pm
. . . talking about MELISSA BROWN !!
MELISSA BROWN + MATT BRINKMAN – CURATED BY DAN NADEL !!
OPENS TO-NITE !! SAT JAN 31, 2009 / 7-9 PM – in LA, if you are out there – don’t miss it !!
the show runs: JAN 31 – MARCH 7, 2009
M+B – 612 NORTH ALMONT DRIVE, LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA !!
this show is presented in conjunction with PICTUREBOX.
see: PICTUREBOX !!
see: M+B
see: M+B GALLERY/MELISSA BROWN + MATT BRINKMAN !!
and definite, check out: MELISSA BROWN’S website !!
from the M+B website:
MELISSA BROWN, ‘MONEY, JEWELS, SET FOR LIFE’, 2009.
$1,132 in used scratch off tickets. 28 x 28 in.
MELISSA BROWN, ‘GRANDMA’S DREAM’, 2009.
$2,485 in used scratch off tickets. 28 x 28 in.
MATT BRINKMAN, ‘EATING SHIT’, 2009
ink on paper. 18 x 24 in.
MATT BRINKMAN, ‘2 HEADS WHAT TO DO’, 2009
ink on paper. 9 x 11-3/4 in.
~MELISSA BROWN + MATT BRINKMAN/LA |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | January 31st, 2009, 1:35pm
