. . . talking about mortal (!!) portals !!
sadly, the great French comic book artist MOEBIUS, born JEAN GIRAUD, died this past Saturday March 10, 2012 at his home outside Paris, he was 73.
MOEBIUS 1979 / from MOEBIUS 3: THE COLLECTED FANTASIES of JEAN GIRAUD – ‘THE AIR TIGHT GARAGE’.
an inspiration, source of wonder, and influence on many, reaching way way beyond the comic book and graphic novel fields – into the realms of modern movie making, story-telling, animation, fine art, graphic design, you name it . . . all done with a wry sense of humor, and a far-flying imagination – he was, and remains a hero to many, myself included.
MOEBIUS / JEAN GIRAUD in 2008.
PHOTO: ALAIN JOCARD/AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE/GETTY IMAGES – c/o NEW YORK TIMES, MARCH 15, 2012
THE NEW YORK TIMES carried an extensive obituary for him, written by PAUL VITELLO, which was published on Monday March 19, 2012. Apparently he died of cancer, with no other details made public – on that final portal.
Mr. Vitello writes that: “Mr. Giraud, who used the pen name Moebius in much of his work, was seen in the comic-book world as a kind of artist-avatar of the unbounded interior human landscape.” this is so (!!) true – it’s worth repeating.
although of course, long a huge national icon in his native France, ironically Moebius first made his name in 1963 – with ‘Les Adventures de Blueberry’ – a comic book series based on our US of A – specifically the wild wild west that was still in play and going on strong – at the time of our (savage) Civil War. A war that not incidentily – was won by the gun. Mr. Vitello makes an interesting note:
“His densely packed panels (which followed a fugitive Union Army lieutenant running from the law) depicted an American West he knew mainly from the movies.” (and they didn’t have spaghetti westerns, yet. in fact that’s probably one genre he greatly influenced.)
the obit continues: “but the drawings conveyed both the the minutest details and an outsider’s (!!) sense of the meancne lurking in the vast badlands – a combination that later came to define his science fiction work as well.”
also of note: “. . . his reputation for translating dystopian visions into artistic imagery led the director RODLEY SCOTT to hire him to draw the preliminary designs for his 1979 film, “ALIEN”. In interviews at the time, Mr. Giraud said he was not really sure how he came to be involved in the making of what came to be a science-fiction horror classic. ‘I do everything with no premeditation,’ he said. ‘The things just happen to me.'”
“He adopted the pen name Moebius in 1963, when he began drawing the Lieutenant Blueberry stories.”
“In ‘The Masters of Comic Book Art’ a 1987 documentary . . . Mr. Giraud said he had turned to comic strips as a young man too escape what he considered the shackles imposed on graphic artists by the conventions of commercial art.”
“Comics gives to the artist a very interesting field of exploration and research,” he said. “Everything is possible. You can be very small or very big or very modest or very ambitious. You can stay in a regular style like everybody else, or you can escape and be completely unusual and incredible. You can give more to the world, more to drawing. Everything.”
see: JEAN GIRAUD, COMICS ARTIST KNOWN as MOEBIUS, Dies at 73/NEW YORK TIMES
MOEBIUS – FROM: ‘THE HERMETIC GARAGE OF LEWIS CARNELIAN’/MOEBIUS 3 – THE COLLECTED FANTASIES OF JEAN GIRAUD
the COVER – MOEBIUS 3 – THe COLLECTED FANTASIES OF JEAN GIRAUD – ‘THE AIRTIGHT GARAGE’
EPIC GRAPHIC NOVEL – $12.95 (in 1987) (now it’s a couple of $100 at least)
PUBLISHED BY THE MARVEL ENTERTAINMENT GROUP, NYC, NY.
images from this American edition, published 1987, courtesy: NANCY SMITH
~THE DEATH of MOEBIUS |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | March 26th, 2012, 11:42am
ok. here’s a closer look – as is, and re-imagined !!
FILE UNDER: WALK LIKE AN EGYPTIAN.
HESH’S HEAVY METAL / MORTAL ‘PORTAL’ – with RE-ADJUSTMENT – for easier entry !!
the original – with a golden ‘H’ entryway – you know, kinda like the golden arches of MacDonalds ?!!
note: the touch of anthropomorphic symbolism. walk like an Egyptian, or what !!
‘PORTALS’ – by HESH aka HASH HALPER. exhibited by stealth at the Brucennial 2012. NYC.
looks to be a found metal plate, 6 x 6 ins sq.
signed & dated 2/12/12 on the reverse, upside down, natch. with what looks to be a found photo, tape, and black paint.
the front is painted, in high caligraphic style – with gold and black enamel (?) paint.
the re-adjustment is simply a black business card attached by way of a double sided tape.
wow – whoever scored this piece, because it had disappeared by the night’s close is either way out in space by now, and looking back with a laugh, or just one plain lucky, ole collector. ain’t that the truth.
PHOTO IMAGES – COPYRIGHT NANCY SMITH
~HESH’S BRUCENNIAL 2012 PORTAL |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | March 25th, 2012, 12:06pm
oh yeah, so where were we . . . oh, yeah: THE CAKE WAR.
THE CAKE WAR, BRUCENNIAL 2012.
which can be broken down further, as:
1. art vs. infanticide (FLORIDA/NEIGHBORHOOD PATROL / AFGHANISTAN/SARGENT SLAUGHTER / FRANCE/TERRORIST MANIAC)
2. TERRENCE KOH vs. HESH / HASH HALPER
3. ON THE GUEST LIST vs. UNINVITED . . . TO THE PARTY
4. (real) food cake vs. (assumed) mortal portal
5. construction-ism vs. deconstruction-ism
and how an art work, and a cake – can have a life of their own.
meet the players. TERRENCE KOH.
on the right: HESH aka HASH HALPER
with MARI, left, and OMKAR LEWIS.
the line up. ok: TERRENCE is dressed in trademark power white and is a genuine celeb, but HESH comes accompanied by a power bro in his corner, as in his real-life sibling, OMKAR LEWIS who just happens to be a genuine VEDIC SCIENCE consultant and serious student of Indian Astrology (Jyotisha) and if you recall, it was he who initially alerted us to the very auspicious return of SATURN. so I’d call that: a match.
just waiting to be lit.
the conceptual conflict began innocently enough. I note a flat square metal artwork – that looks to be a slightly oversize CD from an alien planet – that is all the more striking for the handmade ambiance it radiates – despite its metallic origin.
the hand penciled artist credit – on the lower left says: GFY H.
go fuck yourself ? could that H mean the notorious Mr. H is lurking about. I’m betting: yes !!
and yes. it’s a ‘smart’ piece, alright !! it proclaims: PORTALS and in the center, there’s a black rectangle ‘door’. ok, it’s really a large golden capital ‘H’ – no diff. and where it’s leading – I want to go . . . esp with those 2 sun signs bookending the top edges. mental, spiritual, digital. planetary. who cares. portals, plural even ? I’m in. earth’s a goner.
ever the curiouser-er I go in for a closer look-see. is it attached to the art stand / pedestal ? like pure magic, outta nowhere a hand swoops in and picks it up. yes. it is just barely free form, unattached, and 3d !!
there is a mysterious ‘stairway to heaven’ photo . . .
and it’s signed on the reverse: HASH HALPER and dated 2/12/12 . . upside down of course. and the hand ? the hand belongs to HESH, who else !!
not too soon afterward, the CAKE arrives. it’s not so hard to put two and two together. the cake bearer wears all white, and the cake is all white and super lush, smart, and high end. it even has white birthday candles and they are lit. it’s gotta be TERRENCE KOH. it’s leap year night baby – this has to say: happy birthday . . . to all ya leapers !!
and I don’t give it a second thought. except of course a mental nod to: one super slick mysterious lude. I mean dude.
the CLASH of the cultures.
the CLASH of the INVITED vs. the UNINTENDED SPONTANEOUS.
the ultimate ‘mash-up’ between a cake and a concept ?
next I know: well a picture is worth a thousand words, what happened ?
long story short: seems that the empty pedestal where Hesh had parked his ‘portal’ was too good to be true. it was empty for a reason – it was waiting for that tour de force cake of Mr. Koh’s, it wasn’t just any pedestal – it was a (designated) cake stand !!
and nobody, but nobody owned up to any actions, like ? such as sweeping the interloper art work off the pedestal, or taking revenge and picking that piece of art off the ground . . . and back at ya !!
it was as if Mr. K meets Mr. H and voila: volatile, is the word. like flame to fire. “let it burn.”
and yeah, metal takes down cake.
but what a beautiful war.
if only all wars could be fought like that.
and in a way . . it had a happy ending.
somewhere along the way of the dirty deed, someone had licked their fingers, and realized not only was it a real cake. (you never know). but it was a REAL REAL REALLY GOOD !! CAKE !!
(looks they even used the enemy ‘portal’ to cut the cake, too. ha.)
word spread, and that cake got devoured. and I mean d-e-v-o-u-r-e-d. despite the lack of utensils or napkins. and polite company all around. I mean it could have just sat there throughout the entire exhibit and slowly decomposed and gone rancid – which would have been a shame. and probably what I’m thinking Terrence originally envisioned ? but then, I ask myself why did he get such a great cake. maybe that’s the irony of it ?
it’s been done plenty times before.
name one time ? my very fav !! STEFAN SAGMEISTER and his wall quilt made of yellow bananas left to slowly rot . . .
see: STEFAN SAGMEISTER, DEITCH PROJECTS, JAN 2008.
the end.
and then just as quick as it had happened, the drama was done and over, and completely forgotten. in a blink. everybody just walked away. no bloodshed. no bouncing. no curator hysterics. (I think they missed the action, truthfully, just as well) . . . no finger pointing. Mr. H was all smiles – his caper had had real finesse. as for Mr. Koh – well his cake had a story line. all was good in the world again, just no more cake. and the cake eaters, well they were happy too.
yeah, for sure, one look at their grinning faces, and I swiped a fingerful too. camera in hand and all. where did he score that cake ? it was top flight – yum.
I never saw so much satisfaction – come out of such complete destruction. what a night.
depressing ? NOT !! no way. quelle fun.
it’s funny. the ‘portal’ ended back up on the cake stand / pedestal . . . full circle. I guess metal trumps cake.
and then Hesh picks up his ‘portal’ like as if it were a remote controlled ‘art’ drone, after a successful strike… even he, is amazed at the run.
Mr. H meets Mr. K – and it’s win win. They both win… hey, like the unhappy art critic at the NEW YORK TIMES called it, there is nobody cooler than these dudes. Terrence Koh walks on water. he’s so cool. well at least this time. go easy on the knees, man. and I mean that in a good way. he is lighter than air, just like his cake. and way smarter than you – any day. look at how he just let his piece . . take off and have a life of its own. lit candles and all.
hats off . . . to hands off. I’m serious. you gotta be a feather. you gotta fly light.
there should only be more wars that end with sugar icing on your fingers, as opposed to bloodshed on the ground.
PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH, Brucennial 2012, NYC. Feb 29, 2012
~THE TALE of the WHITE CAKE |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | March 24th, 2012, 8:41pm
PIX – FROM THE OPENING NITE – BRUCENNIAL 2012 – FEB 29, 2012
A LARGE GROUP SHOW – GOING HEAD-to-HEAD with the WHITNEY BIENNIAL – PRESENTED BY THE BRUCE HIGH QUALITY FOUNDATION & VITO SCHNABEL
in a pop-up space at 159 BLEECKER ST – in GREENWICH VILLAGE
the show runs thru APRIL 20, 2012 / HRS: WED-SUN 12-6 PM
key Bruce High Quality Foundation player, RHYS, with FRANCESCO CLEMTENTE.
co-curator / co-producer – VITO SCHNABEL.
DAVID SALLE.
DAVID SALLE’S painting in the show. and to my mind the most exquisitely beautiful and hard painted ‘realist’ piece in the whole show.
what is about ‘realism’ that always (!!) yells: mystery ?
JULIAN had a piece in the show, too – though I did not see him at the opening . . .
JULIAN SCHNABEL – ‘GOODBYE MIKE KELLEY’.
close-up, JULIAN SCHNABEL, ‘GOODBYE MIKE KELLEY. is that a ram ? if so, quelle fun – heading into the AIRES house of cards.
artist RAY SMITH, he of the reconstituted black & white Picassos !! and a member of the BRUCE HIGH QUALITY FOUNDATION – crew.
DUSTIN YELLIN, artist & one-man ‘Red Hook’ preservationist (!!).
DUSTIN YELLIN had one of his newest multiple glass ‘plate’ pieces in the show.
close-up, large scale multiple glass ‘plate’ – work by DUSTIN YELLIN. it looks like Chinese brush calligraphy and goes A-Z, on the ‘evolutionary’ smoke trail of mankind. (!!)
TERRENCE KOH.
TERRENCE KOH’s piece arrives. a ‘white’ birthday cake, candles and all – I guess for all the people born on a leap year, because this night was one !!
despite being white, classy, and yummy, bye the way !! – the Terrence Koh cake had a ‘stormy’ & short-lived – opening night story, all its own – maybe, O.K. yes !! – we’ll get around to that – next post . . .
all I will say for now is: where there is a ‘play’ for art – could Mr. H – be far behind ?
MIKE AVEDON and HESH aka HASH HALPER.
YVONNE FORCE VILLAREAL.
gallerist CHRISTOPHER HENRY.
RAINGER PINNEY of BRUCE HIGH QUALITY FOUNDATION with BRIAN MESENBOURG.
RAINGER PINNEY’s newest piece had people coming to the ‘basement’ and hanging around. it was a time-delayed on-site streaming camera – with the black & white image stream projected onto a semi-transparent scrim. it had an ambiance all its own.
ELLIOT ARKIN beside his small-scaled 4 artist inhabited – ‘backyard’. at the first Brucennial (2010) he exhibited Picasso with the lawn mower pretty much life-size.
ELLIOT ARKIN. Andy Warhol’s pool even had a tiny live goldfish swimming around in it . . .
while IVAN GOODMAN exhibited an LED lightbox – with a front of beeswax – harvested from his very own bee colony !!
HARIET, originally hailing from NEW ZEALAND – had work in the show.
HILDE COTTON stands beside surely one of the smallest pieces in the show, that digitally animated spinning prism of light, just to the right. you know, like the spinning icon when your computer starts to freeze. subtly placed as it is, at pretty much eye level, right into the wall, with no frame, no fuss – it’s certainly intriguing !! esp for it’s title, which I later found out was: ‘spinning beach ball of death’ !! the inset, animated ‘infinity’ piece, including its concept – is by REVEL WOODARD.
good question: do death and infinity – rhyme ? and what’s a ‘rainbow’ colored beach ball, got to do with it anyway. . . that’s the irony of it all. ain’t life a mystery, even on the smallest bio-sphere.
while RACHEL ROSSIN had a more traditional painting of a ‘rainbow’ hued woven blanket or shawl.
JENNY, you might remember her from the DANIEL REICH GALLERY days, where she worked, and DEREK WEISBERG.
DEREK has a show up of his cutting edge porcelain ‘portraits’, called ‘Porcelain Promises’ – that just opened at GREENWICH HOUSE POTTERY, and which is most def worth a stroll by.
plus you can also get an idea of how huge the event venue was, it was in fact multi-storied.
ERIN JONES, HEIDI HAHN, and JERRY BLACKMAN. Heidi has work in the show. JERRY BLACKMAN is in a small group show of abstract work – that just coincidently opened last night in the old DANIEL REICH gallery space – now: J. CACCIOLA GALLERY, on 23rd st.
in the show – hanging against a pillar – a trademark self-portrait by AUREL SCMIDT.
and yes, AUREL SCMIDT, center, . . . made the opening.
a steeley alphabet ‘DRUGS > JUDD’ by JONAH EMMERSON-BELL, a key BRUCE HIGH QUALITY FOUNDATION player – made an impression.
this reveler got a little too much into the spirit of the ‘revolution’ – he was bounced not too soon after.
a big lively crowd – celebrating the anti-institution – art mash-up !!
the place was huge . . .
in fact it had once been a theater, from the looks of it.. . in this way historic district of blues and jazz clubs. this was at the start of the night. half hour later the lines formed and squirreled down the block – and a lot of people who couldn’t do the 30 min plus wait left. but then, just like the night’s soft rain – things lightened up and entry was easy to gain, once again.
I guess the big question is: what about 2014 ?
PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH, NYC. FEB 29, 2012
~2012 BRUCENNIAL – OPENING NITE PIX !! |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | March 2nd, 2012, 9:12am
BRUCENNIAL 2012 – OPENS TO-NITE !! – WED FEB 29, 2012 / 6-9 PM
CURATED BY THE BRUCE HIGH QUALITY FOUNDATION & VITO SCHNABEL
159 BLEECKER ST – BET THOMPSON & SULLIVAN – GREENWICH VILLAGE, NYC
the show runs MARCH 1 – APRIL 20, 2012
HRS: WED – SUN / 12-6 PM
and if it’s anything like the first one in 2010 – it’s gonna be one wild and crazy party, while serving up a huge blast – of cutting edge art !!
yep, not only am I’m betting it can live up to its credo: HARDERER. BETTERER. FASTERER. STRONGERER. (!!) but just like in 2010 – it’s gonna bring that ole dying thing of a Whitney Biennial to the mat.
~2012 BRUCENNIAL – OPENS TO-NITE !! |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | February 29th, 2012, 4:30am
some archival pix – from the artlovers photo vault !!
the opening night . . . of the first ever . . . BRUCENNIAL (2010) – a hyper lively, widely diverse, and cutting edge accurate !! group exhibit presented by the BRUCE HIGH QUALITY FOUNDATION – in collaboration with VITO SCHNABEL – that went head-to-head with the 2010 WHITNEY BIENNIAL – and came out on top – in many people’s minds, and not just mine !!
the opening took place on FEB 26, 2010 – at a pop-up space on West Broadway in Soho.
JONAH EMMERSON-BELL of BHQF/BRUCE HIGH QUALITY FOUNDATION – puts some last minute touches into the show – just before the doors opened . . .
RAINGER PINNEY.
RAINGER PINNEY . . in his one person mobile ‘isolation’ tent.
(ha. do I want one !!)
a set of work by RAINGER PINNEY . . .
‘UTOPIA IS GAY’ . . . right on.
JONAH EMMERSON-BELL, 2008, neon, 36 x 36 ins.
VITO arrives . . .
VITO SCHNABEL – at the inaugural BRUCENNIAL 2010 – which he co-presented & curated with the BRUCE HIGH QUALITY FOUNDATION.
ARTURO VIDICH . . with his one person wooden cabin. (!!)
one person tent, one person cabin. standing room only. what is it, they say, about ‘like’ minds ? you just can’t beat that – for 21st C. social observation !! the absolute invert of facebook. the one man in his own mind, or: your ‘isolation’ home – is your castle !!
‘HOLY BIBLE’ – by THE SPECIALIST.
in the background, Arturo Vidich on his hands and knees, putting the finishing touches on his ‘one man’ cabin – and yes, you gotta to be ‘upright’ – to fit in it. yes, pun intended !! it was on wheels, so I guess you could pull it along behind you, and bring it with you anywhere, the cabin, not the bible . . . though it, the Bible – looks pretty functional (!!) too. full of metal tools in custom carved-out slots.
framed drawing by HARMONY KORINE.
it was a huge sprawling blast of high energy . . looking out onto the art world ghosts of West Broadway . . . past, most notably in the early 1980s: LEO CASTELLI, and the first big MARY BOONE gallery.
some corners were pristine and stark … hyper bold. quiet. mysterious. realist and fanciful.
others were just outright unpredictable and crazy wild in a quiet way !! in a 3D space – mind-thought driven way.
ha. a piece by RAMBO / Lance.
featuring an archival photo of a young Rambo . . . and a young Vito.
LUKE JOHNSON . . .
brought along some of his home-brew.
though there was plenty of the store-bought kind too. and outside: there was snow and deep deep water, those super inner-city kind, that made oceans at every street corner – and defied all footwear.
ok – they sure know how to throw an art show, and a party. a few more shots – BRUCENNIAL 2010, BRUCE HIGH QUALITY FOUNDATION with VITO SCHNABEL, SOHO, NYC. FEB 26, 2010.
one “Bruce”.
two “Bruce” . . .
three “Bruce”.
you know: one for all, and all for one. damn straight, one “Bruce” means . . . a whole pack of “Bruces” !!
artist, Bruce. no diff. same thing. it’s all just words, anyways.
(uber conceptualist Gerald Ferguson, are you smiling down ?)
and hell, yes. there were girls . . .
and, muses.
so, not all that surprising . . . even a re-consitituted “Picasso” made the scene.
painting by RAY SMITH.
as did everybody’s favorite papa bear – JULIAN. (Schnabel)
Picasso . . . , Julian, no diff.
. . . so that’s just a little ‘look-back’ snapshot of the inaugural BRUCENNIAL 2010 – little did the conventional art world know – what had been unleashed . . . or that it would continue. the guts and verve of the city’s raw talent – knock knock knocking down all those proverbial institutional walls. all those played-out, way past expired reputations, just big pr, big budget, professional ‘curator’, no real content, all pretension, no real hoopla museum survey shows – trying to sell us, oops I mean, tell us – they’ve caught the city’s, (or the world’s !!) cutting edge. NOT!!
way to go, true sons of New York City. let’s see if you can double it up – this time around. (and bet the opening night crowd for 2012 !! – is gonna be huge . . .)
PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH, NYC. FEB 26, 2010.
~BRUCENNIAL 2010 – A QUICK LOOK BACK !! – ARCHIVAL PIX – FROM THE INAUGURAL OPENING . . . |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | February 29th, 2012, 4:00am
SOLOWAY PRESENTS: KRYPTA by DRAOK
curated by PAOLA GALLIO
opening Sunday Feb 26, 2012 / 6-8 PM
the show runs Feb 26 – March 30, 2012
gallery hrs: SAT & SUN / 12-5PM
SOLOWAY is an artist-run space in Williamsburg.
its current directors are: ANNETTE WEHRHAHN, MUNRO GALLOWAY, PAT PALERMO and TOMER ALUF.
SOLOWAY – 348 SOUTH 4th ST – BROOKLYN, NY
DRAOK seems to be a 2 person artist collaborative group comprised of: GIORGIO GUIDI (b. 1982, Italy) and MARTA PIEROBON (b. 1979, Italy), founded in the immediate recent (2010), and based in MILAN, ITALY.
from the press release:
“GIORGIO GUIDI and MARTA PIEROBON formed DRAOK in 2010 to work collectively on shared interests including architecture, perception and social systems. Both Guidi and Pierobon have long been fascinated by the secretive and the hidden: crypts, cults, ghosts and memories. Italian cities are built on the foundations of previous settlements — Etruscan, Roman, and medieval — producing a stratification of civilizations. New buildings rise on the ruins of the old, burying earlier structures in rubble and debris. In Italian Catholicism there is a long tradition of covering and hiding the past; it is deeply embedded in the hierarchy of the church. Beneath the modern city lies the still present and living past and its treasures, relics and corpses.
DRAOK’s work is an attempt to excavate, archive and rebuild this hidden past. Both Guidi and Pierobon grew up in the city of BRESCIA, outside of MILAN. The cathedral of St. Filastrio in Brescia is an architectural composite, a layering of different historical forms and styles that make up the present building, from the secretive crypt to the public place of worship. For their exhibition at SOLOWAY, the artists have rebuilt this labyrinthine structure, as a theater for the present.
This exhibition is the second part of an exchange curated by PAOLA GALLIO between SOLOWAY and SPAZIO MORRIS, a project space in Milan. in 2011 Paola Gallio as part of her SHORT VISIT PROJECT SERIES, invited Annette Wehrhahn, Munro Galloway, Pat Palermo, Paul Branca and a selection of of artists from Soloway to exhibit work at SPAZIO MORRIS in Milan.
In return, SOLOWAY has invited the collective DRAOK to exhibit work they developed during their residency at Spazio Morris.”
see: spazioMorris.com
see: shortVisit.it
screengrab, homepage: short visit, Italy
the website design is by: DARLO SBRANA.
~DRAOK COLLECTIVE: ‘KRYPTA’ opens SUN FEB 26 . . . |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | February 25th, 2012, 8:36pm
MELISSA BROWN: ‘OVERLORD ENVY’.
‘MELISSA BROWN: PALISADES’ – opens SAT FEB 25, 2012 / 6-9 PM
the show runs FEB 25 thru MARCH 31, 2012
KANSAS GALLERY – 59 FRANKLIN ST. – TRIBECA, NYC
from the gallery press release:
“The Palisades Interstate Park characterized by a stark topography of towering walled cliffs that evocatively mirror the skyline of New York City renewed MELISSA BROWN’S interest in observational landscape painting.
She returned to the site again and again over the course of a year, gradually assembling a portrait of the area.
Using ‘markers’ that refer to points on a trail map, the abstract paintings create a visionary parallel between real space and gallery space in the way imagery is discovered, processed, made, and rediscovered.
Central to the exhibition is an exploration of PAREIDOLIA, a psychological phenomenon that seeks to find meaning in random stimuli. (!!)
In ‘Palisades’ pareidolia manifests itself in the form of anthropomorphic and multi-faceted rocks and plant life unique to the region. In the paintings, these elements are transformed into resident, totem-like characters, their weathered faces suggesting the area’s ancient geological past, while simultaneously underscoring the region’s urbanized present. The works thus become suffused with fanciful allusions to the ghosts and vestigial presences of former inhabitants of the area.”
BTW
just saying:
btwn the wonderful, small, yet really ocean-sized & precisely on point (!!) not to forget visually empowered !! – group show, ‘OCEAN SIZED’ at KUNSTHALLE GALAPAGO, (in DUMBO, BROOKLYN), CRAIG COLORUSSO’S solar powered SUN BOXES APP launch with its cutting graphics, as well as forward moving & green powered music (in WILLAMSBURG, BROOKLYN), and now including MELISSA BROWN’S visually empowered, passionately visionary, and heat-seeking ‘PALISADES’ in TRIBECA, MANHATTAN – I’d say that pretty much puts to shame – those hugely dry as bones, achingly academic, and terribly insipid, not to forget, unoriginal & flat – ok. let’s just say: sadly devoid of power and visually challenged NEW MUSEUM triennial and the long suffering WHITNEY Biennial – and leaves them in the proverbial dust . . . at least at they come across in the advance reviews, photos, and street buzz, “looks like an ART FORUM show”/AFC/Art Fag City (!!).
apart from the required NEW YORK TIMES write-ups, which come across as tired and excitement challenged,the term un-inspired,comes to mind again – the Holland Cotter NYT review on the NEW MUSEUM show ends: “. . .if even just a few of these artists manage to discover, as they grow and change, what ungovernable really is, and be it, future generations will owe the New Museum a debt of thanks.” (!!) don’t expect to see or read too much bally-hoo on these hulking institutional shows, which incidentally aspire to be taste-setters and even, career-changers (!!) – in the real world. nor huge attendance numbers.
come on – let’s see them publish the nitty gritty attendance numbers !!
in fact the CAROL VOGEL advance column on the Whitney Biennial, has a hidden ‘gem’ – translate: giggle. come on guys lighten up, it’s only the art world !! not Syria.
“Our ideal viewer is going to come seven or eight times,” said show co-curator, Jay Sanders. (!!) dude, that’s gotta be the best dreaming-in-color, in the whole damn over-played . . . scenario !!
that being said at least Argentinian sculptor ADRAIN VILLAR ROJAS, addresses some cutting edge moment issues with his “colossus in clay” at the NEW MUSEUM (Randy Kennedy).
and likewise, HOLLAND COTTER makes note of what might be a very interesting and timely piece at the Whitney, by the New York scene’s own young conceptualist, NICK MAUSS.
Apparently Mr. Mauss “has recreated a room by CHRISTAIN BERARD – an artist, illustrator, and set designer working in PARIS during the 1930s and ’40s – that still exists today at the Guerlain Institute in Paris”.
“Featuring trompe-l’oeil paneling that Mr. Mauss has cut out and appliqued in velvet and ribbons, the room is a period piece of sorts that he has paired with a group of works from the Whitney’s own collection . . .”
what, “trompe-l’oeil paneling” !! quelle shades of URS FISCHER at Shafrazi, a few years back, or what. anybody else thinking that, out there ?
. . . guess I’d love to see a photo of it, to see how it really plays out, as opposed to how Cotter writes it up. and, I have to admit Nick’s ‘time travel’ Parisian ‘postcard’ of an installation sounds the smartest, and most on point, of the entire lot, both Triennial and Biennial. he comes the closest to offering a compelling calling card to visit – as it gets . . . NICK MAUS, may as well just call him the ‘break-out’ boy – of the advance dailies !!
hey. if there’s a Mr. A and and Mr. H, can a Mr. Maus – be far behind ?
QUIET DISOBEDIENCE ? – count me, in !! NOT !!!!!! (to the quiet part !!)
see: “Quiet Disobedience – The New Museum’s Triennial is a Show of Unemphatic Gestures” (!!) – Holland Cotter, NEW YORK TIMES
see: “A Colossus in Clay Speaks to a Generation” – Randy Kennedy, NEW YORK TIMES
see: “Biennial Tweaks Its Boundaries” – Carol Vogel, NEW YORK TIMES
~MELISSA BROWN – PALISADES: opens this SAT, too !! with a little bit of TRIENNIAL & BIENNIAL BTW . . . |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | February 24th, 2012, 2:23pm
CRAIG COLORUSSO is launching his new SUN BOX APP – based on his solar powered multi-site sound installation this SAT FEB 25, 2012 from 2-6 PM
at: the BROOKLYN KITCHEN – 100 FROST ST. – WILLIAMSBURG, BROOKLYN
the APP, which has just been approved for the iTunes store – will allow ‘fans’ – to recreate the audio with mobile devices. You can listen to it yourself, or you can recruit 19 friends – and make your own version !!
hoo-ray for smart, forward thinking & lively !! plus great graphics.
~CRAIG COLORUSSO – SUN BOX APP LAUNCH PARTY: this SAT !! |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | February 24th, 2012, 2:08pm
talk about . . . ‘David approaching Young Adulthood’ (post below) . . . and everything going black-out electric, badly.
just in case you have been living in your studio 24/7 or are like JOSH HARRIS, down in Vegas playing poker 24/7 . . . the art world in general was shocked and saddened to learn via the NEW YORK POST early today that 2 young men integral to a very hip and chic – but very happening part of the art scene here, and internationally, and with definite bonafide street cred to their names, were caught up in a vicious Chelsea nightclub ‘brawl’ that left them hurt, and in the news in a way – that couldn’t have made anybody happy.
STAVROS NIARCHOS III, only 26, son of the Greek shipping magnate of the same name, and a player on the hi-end art scene, along with his pal, the gifted curator and ‘pop-up’ gallerist, VLADIMR RESTOIN ROTFELD, 27, son of the former editor of FRENCH VOGUE, CARINE ROITFELD were hurt in a wild and out-of-control ‘Meatpacking melee’ – that sent their friend to the hospital. and not just any friend, but Monaco’s young Prince PIERRE CASIRAGH, 24, grandson to GRACE KELLY, and son to Princess Caroline of Monaco. so the club explosion was, in ultra current art speak, ocean sized, as well. as in . . . it was sure to make tabloid waves, if not international headlines.
accused of assaulting the ‘four jet-setters’ – was former NYC night club owner ADAM HOCK, a hefty 47.
the attack took place at trendy nightclub Double Seven, and according to the post article, “Pierre’s face looked broken, with deep cuts and blood everywhere. He looked like he needed plastic surgery.”
apparently the young prince was cold cocked, some call that sucker punched – and sent flying, across the room, landing “badly” on a table. Members of Hock’s group, which included catwalk models Natasha Poly, Valentina Zalyaeva and Anja Rubik, said the prince and his entourage strolled over to their table, “and were being completely obnoxious” – “insulting the models and swigging from a $500 bottle of vodka on Hock’s table”.
“Hock then allegedly punched out Niarchos, 26, and quickly landed blows on downtown hipsters Vladimir Restoin Roitfeld, 27, and Diego Marroquin, 33 – as the flustered models frantically tried to break it up. Casiraghi was taken to New York Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical center and released later Saturday, sources said. Hock – the former owner of the Hawaiian Tropic Zone in Times Square – was charged with four counts of third-degree assault . . . Friends of Casiraghi claimed Hock was the instigator. ‘The prince walked up to the table, and Adam just slammed him for no reason’, one witness said. ‘Stavros jumped in to help Pierre, and then he got slammed in the face’ . . . whereas for his part, Hock’s “power lawyer, Salvatore Strazzullo, said, ‘My client was having a nice time with a married couple and a lady friend and a group of very beautiful women, and these individuals were jealous, and they resorted to elementary-school tactics.
My client is not Bruce Lee . . . These four guys are trust-fund babies who think the world is owed to them. They are like spoiled brats”.
of the group VLADIMIR RESTOIN ROITFELD has the most street cred in the art world – he is probably most notorious for resurrecting the career of skuzzy hardcore early 80s NYC street artist – RICHARD HAMBLETON – aka the shadow. But his real claim to fame comes from the pop-up show he did here, in fashion week Feb 2011, in the super hip Chelsea meatpacking district (!!) for LA street artist RETNA, whose career really took off and went ballistic after that outing, which was not just chic – but super-produced right down to the dramatic lighting and cutting edge fonts on the ‘title’ cards. a bonafide art event – in the truest sense.
Only 27, RESTOIN ROITFELD seems to have a great flair for putting on shows which not only enliven the indie scene, but exhibit great style, and flexibility. he seems to have a very gifted curatorial eye, and in a few short years he has made a definite mark. ok. maybe he has trust fund roots, but he sure knows how to ‘rock’ them. it’s hard to believe he deserved a beat down, but you just can’t fool around, or take things for granted in New York City . . . this ain’t called the gritty city – for naught.
things can blow-up bad – out of nowhere.
read: PRINCE GETS POUNDED, NEW YORK POST
young, and very gifted curator/producer VLADIMIR RESTOIN ROITFELD, here with fashion designer STACEY BENDET at the opening of his almost one year to the day old, but already a street-legend-on-its-own, super hot ‘street’ art show:
‘ANDY VALMORBIDA and VLADIMIR RESTOIN ROITFELD PRESENT: RETNA – THE HALLELUJAH WORLD TOUR’, which ran FEB 10 – FEB 21, 2011, in a pop-up venue in the hip southwestern-most fringes of Chelsea, often called the meatpackign district, after its lowly origins.
STAVROS NIARCHOS – was also at the opening.
LA street artist, RETNA at the opening. although well-known in certain circles and esp in LA, from whence he sprung, RETNA’s career just went ballistic after this beautifully produced, dynamic blow-out of a show, his first real outing in New York City.
see: more ‘RETNA: HALLELUJAH WORLD TOUR’, FEB 2011 NYC – opening pix !!
ARCHIVAL PHOTOS OF RESTOIN ROTFELD, NIARCHOS & RETNA: NANCY SMITH, NYC. FEB 11, 2011.
~STAVROS NIARCHOS & VLADIMIR RESTOIN ROITFELD in Chelsea nightclub BEAT-DOWN . . . |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | February 21st, 2012, 12:02am
