~SERGEJ VUTUC & LELE LIVE FROM USA/OPENING PIX !!
from left: photographer SERGEJ VUTUC, with 2 pals: photographer LARS GREIWE, originally from Germany, now Barcelona-based. and DAVID COULIAU, a French documentary photographer currently working on a project in NYC.
SERGEJ VUTUC was born in Bosnia, lived in Croatia, the area we know as the Balkans, and currently resides in Germany.
LELE (LEON ZUODAR). LELE hails from Slovenia. also part of the Balkans.
also from SLOVENIA: MIHA – LELE’S longtime – painting partner.
at first me and Lars and David – tried to score fish tacos – at the ROCKAWAY FISH TACO joint – but it was too late – but there was still some action . . .
on the ad hoc – skate ‘park’ !!
we finally settled on burgers – on the Rockaway boardwalk steps – looking out towards the ocean !!
DAVID COULIAU and LARS GREIWE – were fun . . . small world I actually meet them on the way over. can you believe – sitting directly opposite to me – on that damn A train. what are the odds on that. I had them pegged for the event, Lars had a skateboard and looked pro. I was determined to remain NYC cool – but when they started talking to each other in heavy accents, (sorry dudes. it’s true, but it was total charming) – I did actually say: are you on the way to ELK ? and, Lordy, the answer was: yes.
so I got to hear so much about their scene . . . LARS had just completed a month long skateboard jaunt across the USA – while David is a cameraman/photog with wonderful tales of Paris, told with the flourish – only a documentary photographer could sketch out. He is currently up in Harlem – working with his brother on a documentary about street basketball culture – in NYC.
David had seen Ondi Timoner’s first Sundance winner – DIG! – while Lars had heard tell of WE LIVE In PUBLIC.
yeah, the venue was the real deal. raw raw and more raw.
JOCKO WEYLAND. writer, curator, zine publisher. and the founder of ELK GALLERY – which started off as a zine-based project. and . . . the driving force behind the Rockaway show.
rock, rock, Rockaway . . .
classic, SERGEJ VUTUC . . .
SERGEJ VUTUC . . .
photos by SERGEJ VUTUC – words not necessary.
though this one seemed really ironic – reason why: don’t know. it just rocks.
SERGEJ VUTUC.
LELE’S corner . . .
LELE . . .
LELE . . .
LELE . . .
LELE . . .
ok, one more. LELE . . .
checking out the show . . .
waiting for the band . . .
which turned out to be the hard driving . . . DIRTY FENCES.
the DIRTY FENCES . . . Ramones inspired.
DIRTY FENCES, frontman JOHN JACKSON DAVES, center with mike . . with Max. Max and Max.
DIRTY FENCES . . .
Max – their drummer and also a singer. DIRTY FENCES.
it was a big guy thing – and, yeah. they got down and rowdy to the music.
up a short flight of stairs – there was a zine wall – of SERGEJ VUTUC publications – to be sampled.
on the left: that’s photographer/zine maker PHIL JACKSON, out of Philly in the cape – who I heard is pretty good. with friend Lee.
see: PHIL JACKSON PHOTOGRAPHY
SERGEJ VUTUC on the right . . nothing like having the author/photog on hand. or what.
skateboard focused zine – by SERGEJ VUTUC.
beautiful. SERGEJ VUTUC . . .
left: NAOMI. on the right: ELANA LANGER.
I saw Elana’s work back in 2005 or so – she did that great great set-up. . . ‘animated’ desk accessories.
at that ‘art at work’ show.
DAVID SELIG of Rockaway Tacos – and one of the reasons why the Rockaways – rock.
AMANDA McDONALD CROWLEY, executive director of Soho’s Eyebeam Gallery & Project space . . .
STEFANI BARDIN, currently an artist-in-residence at Eyebeam . . .
on the long way back. LARS GREIWE . . . on the shuttle bus.
miles and miles of new construction look-alike suburbs all around – really, unbelievable.
we were all wondering: what the hell was there, before ?
I guess Lars hit New Orleans on his month-long U.S.A. skate jaunt . . .
we’ll give him . . . the last word:
LIFE ITSELF IS STILL BEAUTIFUL.
amen.
all in all – a real nice night.
even the traveling – was fun . . . so fun to be a tourist – in your own hometown !!
ALL PHOTOS BY – AND COPYRIGHT OF: NANCY SMITH.