FABERGE & THE LAST IMPERIAL RUSSIAN FAMILY – A ROTATING SELECTION FROM THE MATILDA GEDDINGS GRAY FOUNDATION COLLECTION – NOW ON DISPLAY at the MET
question: does the word FAB . . . come from FABERGE – I bet, YES !!
Imperial Lilies-of-the-Valley Basket. yellow and green gold, silver, nephrite, pearl, rose-cut diamond.
House of Faberge
Workmaster: August Wilhelm Holstrom (Finnish, 1828-1903)
Inscribed (in Russian, at bottom) to Her Imperial Majesty, Czarina Alexandra Fedorovna, from the ironworks management and dealers in the Siberian iron section of the Nijegrodski Fair in the year 1896.
Russian (Saint Petersburg), 1896
Matilda Geddings Gray Foundation
Height 7-1/2 in x Length 8-1/2 in.
(source of dimensions: ‘FABERGE – Fantasies & Treasures’ by Geza Von Habsburg, published by Faberge Co. 1995, USA)
“This basket is considered the most important Faberge piece in the United States and the highest achievement of the workmaster August Wilhelm Holstrom. It consists of nineteen individual stems decorated with pearls and diamonds and was presented to Czarina Alexandra Feodorovna (wife of Czar Nicholas II) on the occasion of her visit to the Pan-Russian exhibition in 1896. The Czarina treasured it not only because the lily-of-the-valley was one of her favorite flowers but also because, in the language of flowers, it symbolizes domestic happiness and conjugal bliss.” – exhibit caption
Imperial Lilies-of-the-Valley Basket, FABERGE
lovers of art, history, fine materials, highly skilled craftsmanship, and design of the timeless order will be fascinated and thrilled by this small but exquisite new exhibit on long term loan at the Met.
when you enter the great hall, turn to the left (south) and walk towards the Greco-Roman displays, you can’t miss the showcases – they are on the west wall opposite the big marble staircase.
on the right: Orange Blossom Spray. Quartzite, olivine, nephrite, rock crystal, gold.
House of Faberge
Workmaster: possibly Henrik Emanuel Wigstrom (Finnish, 1862-1923)
Russian (Saint Petersburg), 1908-17
Matilda Geddings Gray Foundation
left: Imperial Anemones. Gold, polychrome enamel, jade, rock crystal.
House of Faberge
Workmaster: Unidentified
Russian (Saint Petersburg), prob 1899-1908
Matilda Geddings Gray Foundation
right: Lily-of-the-Valley. Moonstone, nephrite, rock crystal, gold
House of faberge
Workmaster: Unidentifed
Russian (saint Petersburg), prob 1908-1917
Matilda Geddings Gray Foundation
as a newly converted watercolorist (!!), going to graduate school in the era of large color field paintings, enough with the Agnes Martin already !! my ever-contrarian nature escaped to the wonders of Gustav Klimt, Japanese Edo period woodblock prints & the world of Faberge !! I was super fascinated esp by photos of these tiny wonders, esp the flower stems in glass ‘vases’ full of (crystal rock !!) water. forget the masking tape, huge canvas stretchers and harsh acrylic paint, give me those fine pointed sable brushes and a tablet of French hand-made Arches watercolor blocks – this is what I wanted to paint !!
how exquisitely wonderful – to finally see them in the real !!
Imperial Caucasus Egg. Yellow and quartre-couleur gold, silver, platinum, guilloche enamel, rose crystal, ivory, watercolor.
House of Faberge
Workmaster: Michael Evlampievich Perchin (Russian, 1860-1903)
Miniaturist: Konstantin Yakovlevich Krijitski (Russian, 1859-1911)
Russian (Saint Petersburg), 1873
Matilda Geddings Gray Foundation
“Czar Alexander III presented this egg to his wife Maria Feodorovna, created in the late (!!) LOUIS XVI style, the egg has 4 oval doors .. set (with) numeral(s) forming year 1893. Each oval door opens to reveal a miniature view of Abastuman, the Imperial hunting lodge . . . ”
Imperial Danish Palaces Egg. Green, rose and quarte-couleur gold, guilloche enamel, star sapphire, cabochon emerald, rose-cut diamond, mother of pearl, crystal, crimson silk velvet.
House of Faberge
Workmaster: Konstantin Yakovlevich Krijitski (Russian, 1859-1911)
Russian (saint Petersburg), 1890
Matilda Geddings Gray Foundation
“Czar Alexander III presented this egg to his wife, Maria Feodorovna, on Easter 1890 . . . Divided into twelve sections in opalescent (!!) pink enamel, it opens on a hinge to reveal its surprise – a folding ten panel gold screen in a crimson velvet pocket . . . (which) bears ten miniatures of the empress’s favorite Danish and Russian palaces.” – exhibit caption
detail landscape miniature – Imperial Danish Palaces Egg, House of Faberge.
the Russian Imperial family had intermarried with Danish royalty . . . I love this depiction as it really looks like – one big happy lived-in country house, as opposed to one’s standard idea of a palace !!
the sailing yacht, that precedes it – is pretty wonderful, too.
left: Green Napoleonic Egg, House of Faberge.
right: Imperial Danish Palaces Egg, House of Faberge.
of the Green Napoloenic Egg, House of Faberge, Workmaster: Henrik Emanuel Wigstrom, Miniaturist: Vassiy Ivanovich Zuiev . . “Czar Nicholas II presented it to his mother dowager Maria Feodorovna Easter 1912. It commemorated ‘the centenary’ of the Russian victory over the armies of Napoleon . . ” – exhibit caption
MATILDA GEDDINGS GRAY, ca. 1940.
Photograph: DOROTHEA THORP – courtesy Matilda Geddings Gray Foundation.
Matilda came from a western – yep, we hit OIL !! big time … family. an artist herself, she acquired her first piece of Faberge in 1933, when the firm was then still unknown in the United States. (remember those days . . back in the day before google !!)
the Faberge golden eggs, with their exquisite craftsmanship and lovely gentle romantic sentiments – are quite at odds with the real-life struggles going on in the world, esp Russia at the time. forever linked to their doomed patrons, the last imperial family to rule Russia . . . these testaments to enduring beauty and accomplishment only highlight the irony of history, keeping alive a family that is poignantly noted, and yes . . all their death dates are the same: 1918.
read more: Faberge from the Matilda Geddings Gray Foundation Collection – at the MET
PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH. NYC Aug 17, 2012.
~FAMILY JEWELS . . . RUSSIAN FABERGE . . at the MET |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | September 7th, 2012, 10:28am
what a diff a hundred years can . . . make !!
HONEY BOO BOO vs. FABERGE & THE RUSSIAN IMPERIAL FAMILY
HONEY BOO BOO ? how low can you go and . . . still come up up shining.
less feral than Hushpuppy and fictional, NOT !! and way lucky, too !! young to be hanging with KANYE – this real-life 6 yr-old self-proclaimed ‘redneck’ beauty pageant ‘daisy duke’ strutter and ‘Elvis’ rocker !! “likes to eat”, chills at Walmart . . . and is the surprise-of-a-lifetime to a very jolly – very overweight ‘extreme coupon queen’ mama, who says says couponing “does not require rocket science”, though she is hard-pressed to do the math, “is better than sex”, and oh yeah, she is NOT a hoarder, excuse me, because she is so organized – and she’s right !! so Honey Boo Boo, hush up and show some respect.
just btw.
I think she also compares extreme couponing . . . to, like the joys of having a “crack rock” – or maybe she was talking about something else. in the same context. deal is, nobody batted an eyelash.
I mean they don’t look to be a wasted truly trailer park family into drugs, not at all. just noting a regional difference in conversational speech, is all. that ‘crack rock’ is a common metaphor down there, to throw around in everyday conversation is all. maybe like weed is up – here ? what the F ?
cause I know – we all love to eat BBQ !!
yep, Honey Boo Boo is America’s new sweetheart, and if you don’t believe me, just goggle her !!
and then, check out her ratings !! ratings never lie !!
her Aug 29, 2012 TLC episode attracted nearly 3 million viewers, eclipsing both the Republican National Convention and single-handedly serving up a huge smack-down to the always ‘classy’ and super annoying Kardashian Klan. though talking bout which, according to the latest web chatter, posted just 30 mins ago, bye the way (!!) – has got momma bear Kris with her panties all tied up in a bunch – over being usurped by lowlife white trash, and a mom . . . “who is exploiting her child”. said in all seriousness, bye the way. I mean where else could you turn to, for relief from the Kardashians, anyways.
Taylor Swift ?
HONEY BOO BOO vs. KIM KARDASHIAN ? no brainer. enuff with Kim already.
HONEY BOO BOO wins !!
well at least unlike Kim Kardashian, Honey Boo Boo’s big claim to fame isn’t a homemade sex tape – it’s homemade ‘Go-Go’ juice – a potent mix of Mountain Dew and Red Bull that has generated, you know – cheater !! – toddler beauty pageant ‘doping’ charges . . that even escalated to the point where Honey Boo Boo and her mom, June – got on national TV with Dr. Drew, king of the celeb rehabbers !!
it’s the biggest doping scandal since Lance Armstrong !! what next – revoke all her trophies ?
first of all – it’s not illegal, and her mom says it could be worse: she could be giving her – alcohol !!
if you really watch the interview clips closely, what’s super telling, is that before Dr. Drew actually samples a batch – he asks this 6 yr old country cutie, more or less: “now you’re sure this doesn’t have any amphetamines in here ?” and the little darling responds without missing a beat, NO. silly !! it’s just caffeine and sugar !!
man, I didn’t even know what CAFFEINE was – when I was 6.
look how far we’ve come as a collective culture, or what.
I mean ‘hoarder’ didn’t even enter my vocab – until a few years ago, either. talk about clueless.
so much for the magic of mass entertainment.
no wonder they have a meth problem down there.
but never you mind. cause we are amovin’ on . . . we’re now dealing with Honey Boo Boo’s sweet but unwed 17 year-old sister, Anna aka ‘Chickadee’, and her newborn baby – who, alas, though nobody’s really saying it out loud, they’re just letting the photos do the talking, for now – didn’t pop out quite so deliciously sturdy as the original clan. and what’s more . . . she has 2 thumbs on each hand. ok, things happen, but put it this way, one of the middle sis’s . . . was already caught dunking the newborn’s pacifier into a cup of Mountain Dew, before shoving it in her mouth.
what’s with that Mountain Dew anyways, maybe I outta get me some . . . and people make fun of Suri Cruise for swiggin’ Perrier. hey, lay off the kids. this is New York, we got our own issues.
but hey, this is Honey Boo Boo’s time to shine – so don’t get me wrong !!
3 million viewers can’t be all wrong, and we’re all sick of the over-enhanced ‘reality’ stars that have been shoved down our throats. and anyways, after Snooki, where else was there to go, but down, or seriously . . .up ? so finally someone, TLC . . . broke the mold. there’s no telling, when and where it’s gonna happen – and that’s half the fun !!
AND don’t get me wrong, I’m a huge fan, where do you think I’ve been all these past few days . . . just sucking up all I can. it’s super fascinating, pop culture.
one conclusion: I’m sure her fab fab nickname has something to do with it. kudos to her mom !! there is a sweetness and lovingness that permeates the family, I don’t even want to tell you about seeing hardcore hardlife inner city moms smacking their kids around – in the subways here. or the converse upscale divorce casualties, “acting out” on your kid in school, and let’s not even get started on: tiger moms !!
I’m also (super) loving her mom – for demanding that she, the hillbilly mom, be filmed – just as she is. lank danky hair and all. if you watch the youTube clips of the earlier network interview shows: she once let them doll her up and it was a disaster, thank god she had the sense – to put her foot down on that . . . and maybe that’s what – we’re all lovin’ !!
see: good intro . . . HONEY BOO BOO – “We’re fat !!”
watch: meet . . . HONEY BOO BOO and her family.
OF COURSE, since . . . what is it – that they say: you always KILL the one you love !!
now, all everyone is talking about how TLC is ripping the hillbilly family off – by not paying them standard ‘reality’ star fees. oh great. so what’s next ? we’re going to have to watch them move en mass to Calabasas ?
where maybe Paris Jackson and Honey Boo Boo can hook up and be pals ?
anyway, if the newest clip – below – is any indication – the HONEY BOO BOO craze just might have over-extended itself, or . . . . JUST FRIGGIN KEEP THE KID – out of NEW YORK.
or did her mom forget . . . the ‘Go-Go ‘ juice ???
more like got . . . intimated out of administering !! ha.
P.S. I could see it in your face though you were far too polite to say it: you are so right !! HONEY BOO BOO – those guys they put you up with – are LAME.
I’m down with the commentator who added . . .
“HONEY BOO BOO – JUST LEAVE HER ALONE !!”
see: HONEY BOO BOO on EXTRA !!
FOOD LOVER. HONEY BOO BOO . . . She was once a mini beauty queen and a Toddlers and Tiaras star, but now HONEY BOO BOO has admitted her food-loving Georgia family is ‘fat’. TLC / mail online
HONEY BOO BOO . . . in her prime.
all good things don’t last forever . . . esp after the networks get to work on ya.
HONEY BOO BOO – this is YOUR 15 mins !! hope you make it out – ok !!
you go girl. and, your mom – too !!
what up – next ?!!
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
AFTERTHOUGHT: WHAT’S IN A NAME ?
p.s. what IS it about a catchy name, anyways ? you know K.K. – KARDASHIAN KLAN, ad nauseaum . . .
HONEY BOO BOO . . .
now that’s good. real good.
if you’re diligent, y’all will catch – the ‘commentary’ on the youTube sites.
the best sub-genre is the black vs white trash ‘talk’ – claims and counterclaims.
as in ‘HONEY BOO BOO CHILD’ . . . !!
for which someone actually claims that . . . the origin for that type of poor manners ‘lowlife’ culture ‘swagger’ . . . actually came over here with the low class whites – who were ‘exiled’ from the uppity eastern seaboard colonies to down south – where they in turn, taught it to the ‘slave’ blacks, so it’s really white trash talkin – not black man ‘wannabe’ jivin . . !!
no kidding, look it up for yourself.
NANNY RAW RAW . . . ?
maybe I should change the site’s name to – NANNY RAW RAW !!
a struggling artist – who never made it – spouting her brains out on the internet.
just joking, NOT !!
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
oh yeah: FABERGE & THE DOOMED RUSSIAN ROMANOVS – NOW ON VIEW AT at the MET – UP, NEXT !!
Faberge . . . as far as you can get from Walmart – in just 100 years !!
FOREVER vs DISPOSABLE.
in materials, craftsmanship, and, in . . . ‘fame’.
here’s the deal.
you kill the one you love – as in HONEY BOO BOO – being exploited to death by national media attention. and sure to burn out. just as quickly as she lit up.
and the ones you kill, the Russians assassinated their imperial family in the revolution of 1918 . . . live on forever ?
HONEY BOO BOO vs FABERGE & the RUSSIAN IMPERIAL FAMILY – in a nutshell.
~FAMILY JEWELS . . . HONEY BOO BOO . . in Georgia |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | September 6th, 2012, 10:21am
MOLLY HAMILTON, front-woman and super talented vocalist – of the Brooklyn band – WIDOWSPEAK.
PHOTO: NANCY SMITH, NYC. AUG 17, 2012
me and Kate caught MOLLY HAMILTON, haunting lead singer of WIDOWSPEAK when we went to check out the PRADA/SCHIAPARELLI exhibit – just before it closed, that’s a whole other story !! for another time.
MOLLY was doing a guest DJ gig on the roof of the MET !!
PHOTO: NANCY SMITH, ROOF of the METROPOLITAN MUSEUM of ART, NYC. AUG 17, 2012
there’s an interesting early interview with MOLLY HAMILTON online.
check out: ‘5 Questions With . . . Molly Hamilton of Widowspeak’/Turntable Kitchen/Aug 2, 2011
listen to: WIDOWSPEAK – ‘Nightcrawler’ – on SoundCloud !!
‘
this is the cover of their first, self-named album: ‘WIDOWSPEAK’, released AUG 2011 – from which the above track ‘Nightcrawler’ – comes from.
ALBUM COVER ART – by JOHN STORTZ.
you can find more of their music & more info about the band, at: WIDOWSPEAK on bandcamp.
~WIDOWSPEAK . . . |
Posted in Indie Music Reviews, The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | August 31st, 2012, 10:47am
ANDREW BLOSSOM’S – MAKEOUT CREEK – releases NICK KUSZYK’S new book . . .
R. NICHOLAS KUSZYK – ‘JAMMER SLAMMER’ – $12
see: publisher MAKEOUT CREEK – for more info & ordering.
‘JAMMER SLAMMER’ – COPYRIGHT R NICHOLAS KUSZYK
MAKEOUT CREEK & ITS CONTENTS – COPYRIGHT ANDREW BLOSSOM
on the left: author, illustrator, painter, and FUTURIST (!!) – R NICHOLAS ‘NICK’ KUSZYK . . . . flashing for peace – photographer PORTS BISHOP, at right.
they are outside . . . the now sorely missed & lamented CINDERS, BROOKLYN, N.Y. OCT 12, 2007
PHOTO BY & COPYRIGHT: NANCY SMITH
OK !! more golden ROBO-oldies !!
see: artlovers archival pix – from Nick’s: ‘NICK KUSZYK – JAMMER SLAMMER’ solo show, MARCH 6-29, 2009 in BROOKLYN.
~totally robo-nuts . . . |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | August 29th, 2012, 7:43am
for what it’s worth – I haven’t seen a copy of the book, and the cover, well … it’s . . . ‘lacking’, in design or inspiration – to say the least !! (I mean could it be any worse ?)
but if you’re a fan of JOSH HARRIS and the least bit CURIOUS (!!) – about the cult of WE LIVE IN PUBLIC – and the notorious PSEUDO.COM – then, I guess it’s a must-read !!
the publication date is now !! – August 30, 2012.
‘TOTALLY WIRED’ – ‘On the trail of the Great Dotcom Swindle’ – by ANDREW SMITH . . is out !!
HARDCOVER: 416 pages
PUBLISHER: Simon & Schuster (30 Aug 2012)
see: ‘TOTALLY WIRED’ – AMAZON.CO.UK for more details & shipping, etc
from the press release:
“One morning in February 2001, Josh Harris woke to the certain knowledge that he was about to lose everything. The man Time magazine called ‘The Warhol of the Web’ was now reduced to the role of helpless spectator as his personal fortune dwindled from 85 million dollars…to 50 million…to nothing. In the space of a week. If the mania attending those events is hard to recall, it’s because when the crash came, the dreams and expectations of those surreal few years were swept away with near Biblical inclemency: little more than a decade later they seem shrouded in a kind of pre-Millennial mist; might never have happened. How easy to forget that at the end of 1999, the world seemed to be spinning off its axis as a new one evolved before our eyes, with anything imaginable seeming to be possible, in real time…In his bestselling book Moondust Andrew Smith looked at the lives of the nine remaining Moonwalkers, how their exploits helped shape an era and how that era left its mark on them. In Totally Wired, he goes in search of the truth about one of the most extraordinary and mysterious events of the 20th century, the dotcom bubble of the 1990s, and draws a direct line from there to where we are now.”
author of ‘TOTALLY WIRED’ – ANDREW SMITH in New York City, Oct 26, 2008.
PHOTO: NANCY SMITH
a Brit, ANDREW SMITH came to New York to do some firsthand research for the book – which tells the heady story of the dot-com days and the JOSH HARRIS – trippy ride on the wave.
funny timing, Andrew Smith arrived just in time to catch ‘King of the Vampires’ and Josh Harris #1 sidekick – Judgecal’s – death ashes smeared on the door of the former Josh Harris – Pseudo headquarters, which used to be, in the glory days – at the top of 600 Broadway in Soho, NYC.
JOSH HARRIS, on the left – with artist ALFREDO MARTINEZ, in Williamsburg, Brooklyn – the day after Josh had helped get Alfredo out of secret detention in China. NYC, Aug 19, 2010.
PHOTO: NANCY SMITH
Josh is said to be currently located in Las Vegas. or as he puts it: ” . . . stuck in Nevada.”
UP-DATE: FRI AUG 31, 2012
1. read more: about JOSH HARRIS & ‘TOTALLY WIRED’ – on the official ANDREW SMITH – author’s website !!
2. read: the ‘TOTALLY WIRED’ GUARDIAN U.K. – book review (!!) – just published yesterday in LONDON !!
JOHN KAMPFER’S review in the GUARDIAN, which posted yesterday, AUG 30, 2012 (!!) – is subtitled: ‘A cautionary account of a self-destructive internet pioneer and exhibitionist (!!) – MAKES FOR ENTERTAINING READING’ – !! !! !!
go, JOSH !!
~totally wired . . . plus new UP-DATE / incl GUARDIAN REVIEW out of U.K . !! |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | August 28th, 2012, 8:19am
more pix from the AUG 16, 2012 opening of ‘THE DOUBLE DIRTY DOZEN (& FRIENDS)’ – at FREIGHT+VOLUME.
the show runs thru SEPT 22, 2012.
on the right, NICK LAWRENCE with artist GENEVIEVE WHITE, who has work in the show.
Nick curated the show, and he said it took a good 5 months to put together – I believe it !! the range from graphically precise to far-flung expressionistic, painterly to sculptural, finely linear to buffoonish cartoon – lusty to bawdy, downright trashy to intellectually ambitious, in-your-face provocative to mysterious – is on display at every turn.
every turn is a surprise.
DAVID KRAMER, ’70’s Porn’, 2012. Oil, light bulbs, gel on canvas. 57 x 48 in.
($12,500.)
Nick and Genevieve are standing in front of a large canvas that throws a beachy nod to trashy pulp fiction and erotic getaways !!
it’s hard to make out in the photo – but the work’s secret element – is the soft florescent lightbulbs running across the top. one being yellow and the other pink – making for that hot fleshy tropic zone heat – experience !!
but like a postcard from the mind, rather than the body (!!), or even a run-down motel at the beach for that matter !! the sexy souvenir turns mournful, Nora Ephron would have approved.
“I keep waiting for my life to take on a storyline that resembles 70’s porn . . .
. . . But at the rate I am going I have a better chance of making it to 70, before that ever happens.” (!!)
GENEVIEVE WHITE herself, has a small grouping of photos – self-portraits – in the middle room, that leave nothing to the imagination. steamy.
she says she draws and takes photos – but mostly considers herself a ‘performance artist’. I believe it.
I also don’t think I’m the only way who will remark – on her unique and rather unusual free-form – body ink . . .
GENEVIEVE WHITE, ‘Day After a Night at Boom Boom’, 2012. C-print, edition of 5, 8 x 10 in.
($500. framed)
she says the photos were taken recently, but before she became pregnant.
I guess it would be tawdry – to connect the . . . dots ?
GENEVIEVE WHITE, ‘Looking at Myself Looking at You.’ 2012. C-print, edition of 5, 8 x 10 in.
($500. framed)
ION BIRCH by contrast has some very explicit & male-centric (!!) but also very graphic – drawings on that middle room, wall-papered wall, too. but his are more, shall we say: fictional in narration. though also based on the genre of hyper-realism, subtext: self-portraiture.
BUT forget wallflower at the orgy – he’s taken the creative opportunity – to put himself front and center – and made himself the only male in sight – in a very pretty, but r-a-c-y (!!) harem.
ION BIRCH, ‘Untitled – Drawing 2’, graphite on paper, 22 x 15 in.
($3,500. framed)
here’s his close-up !!
detail, ION BIRCH, ‘Untitled – Drawing 2’.
his second drawing on paper, slightly larger in format – is also titled, ‘Untitled’ – but ‘Where in the World is Ion, and why is he grinning’ ? – works for me !!
ION BIRCH, ‘Untitled – Drawing 1’. graphite on paper, 15 x 19 in.
($3,500. framed)
single frame from – JENNIFER SULLIVAN, ‘Adult Movie’ – looping in the project alcove.
also of the self-portrait genre, but appears to be more of a psychological thriller ?
Real, but realist, NOT !!
JENNIFER SULLIVAN, ‘Adult Movie’, 2011. run time 25:12
($5,000. – edition of 5)
video artist JENNIFER SULLIVAN at ‘THE DOUBLE DIRTY DOZEN (& FRIENDS)’ opening.
what the F ?
again, bye way of contrast – in all ways: pictorial, format, and impression/narrative – is a piece that slowly grew on me.
DAVID HUMPHREY, ‘Clown Girl’, 2009. acrylic on canvas, 44 x 54 in.
($10,000.)
(courtesy of Fredericks + Freiser)
a large, painterly and hyper-imaginary canvas – it is brooding, and provocative. with deep undertones of multiple meaning – though dig that va jay jay !! Kind of HENRY DARGER meets up with . . . now !!
raunchy and trippy, and sad. all at the same time. what is about clowns – ever since that serial killer out west, I guess – that speaks: psycho kill-ah !!
detail, DAVID HUMPHREY, ‘Clown Girl’.
of course if you’ve come to love everything souvenir, and I guess tacky !! like I have . . . the crowning touch, besides the stupendously sensitive vay jay jay – is the little trashy, NOT !! ELOQUENT, YES !! post modern architecture scenario – tucked away in the left hand corner. we’ll leave it to someone else – to add up all the metaphors !!
of course, talking about va jay jays, NOT !!
ANDREA MARY MARSHALL, ‘Rosemary Myst with Balloon Dick’, 2011. Digital C-print 14 x 11 in.
($2,000.)
(courtesy ALLEGRA LaVIOLA GALLERY)
standing out in the show – for its deathly pallor (!!) was EZRA JOHNSON’S goth/tarot card of a sex encounter.
til death do us part ?
EZRA JOHNSON, ‘Untitled’, 2012, oil on canvas, printed fabric and wood. 48 x 37 in.
($5,000.)
we’ll give the last photo – to ANDREW SMENOS !!
just because !! we can, and he did !! go figure . . . !!
ANDREW SMENOS, ‘She’s a Fox’, 2012 (!!)
oil on canvas, 24 x 24 in.
($2,800.)
PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH, NYC. AUG 16, 2012.
~THE DOUBLE DIRTY DOZEN (& FRIENDS) – PIX FROM THE OPENING – PART III |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | August 22nd, 2012, 11:05am
more pix from the opening of ‘THE DOUBLE DIRTY DOZEN (& FRIENDS)’ – at FREIGHT+VOLUME
the show is up thru SEPT 22, 2012
CHRIS BIDDY, on the right, brought his pal – BRYNNE, to the opening.
‘THE DOUBLE DIRTY DOZEN (& FRIENDS)’ opened – this past Thurs Aug 16, 2012.
CHRIS BIDDY, ‘Jailbait #1’, 2012. watercolor on paper, 7.5 x 5 in.
($1,200). (no-brainer – collector-wise).
a slightly wicked / slash / innocent – twist on Chris Biddy’s signature neo-hyper, all-American realism . . .
he works from cellphone photos, most of which are sent to him by total strangers.
the expression on the girl’s face is priceless – I guess that goes without saying ?
he’s caught some real deep magic . . going on in her eyes, or what.
NOAH LYON – had a wall of ‘subversive’ . . . ‘cartoons’.
NOAH LYON – yeah, you’re sexy !!
NOAH LYON’S wall . . . the guy with the headphones is watching . .
REBBECCA GOYETTE’S over-the-top video: ‘Lobsta Rollin’ – starring herself, Rebecca Goyette as Lobsta Girl and co-starring BEN SARGENT as DR. CLAW !!
I liked her studio (?) in the background !! so sweet and normal.
the very funny – REBECCA GOYETTE at the opening.
and yep, that be a knock-out PAUL BRAINARD drawing – behind her.
the show knocked around through a lot of genres – as you can see.
PAUL BRAINARD, ‘The Birth of Tim Tebow’, 2012. Pen, Pencil and collage on paper. 26-1/2 x 39 in.
($3,000.)
funny and explicit. anatomically correct – that for sure. ha.
PAUL BRAINARD at the opening.
PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH, NYC. AUG 16, 2012.
~THE DOUBLE DIRTY DOZEN (& FRIENDS) – PIX FROM THE OPENING – PART II |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | August 18th, 2012, 4:08pm
FILE UNDER: well they can try all they want, but they can’t take away – our super-collider of a bio-reproductive sex drive.
sex and the machine, NOT !!
SOME PIX FROM THE OPENING – ‘THE DOUBLE DIRTY DOZEN (& FRIENDS)’ – THURS AUG 16, 2012
the big end-of-summer group show – at FREIGHT+VOLUME
the show will be up thru SEPT 22, 2012
JULES de BALINCOURT, ‘Early Childhood Development Center’, 2004. oil & spray paint on panel. 17 x 33 in.
($30,000.)
it’s right at the beginning of the show, when you walk in. it was one of my faves !!
it set a great starting point for a sometimes over-the-top lascivious, and occasionally bodily-liquid splattered display.
super wicked !! ha.
TOM SANFORD, ‘Whitney’, 2012. oil on wood, 40 x 48 in.
($12,500)
yeah ‘Whitney’ was there – and the piece looked even more acid-hued & yummy !! in the “flesh” !!
the (somewhat equally startling, esp if you think about it) most ‘visceral’ smaller painting you can just catch, above it – is also by TOM SANFORD. it’s a portrait of porn star/performance artist SASHA GREY.
ERIK DEN BREEJEN had a low-key hued, signature word/color field optical ‘puzzle’ piece in the show – which bounced nicely against the more explicit and sexy gooey stuff. kind of hand-in-hand mental, or is that tongue-in-cheek – pictorial thematic (/) sex.
come to think on it – it could have – great sex – with the de Balincourt piece !!
who knows what goes on in that room, when the doors close, and the lights go dim !!
ERIK DEN BREEJEN, ‘It’s a Dirty World II’, 2012. acrylic on canvas, 42 x 54 in.
($7,500.)
the image was more obscure in person, then how easily it came together for the camera.
buying-wise – this was the super value of the night.
(just a word to the wise.)
detail, ERIK DEN BREEJEN, ‘It’s a Dirty World II’.
HYE RIM LEE, ‘Strawberry Garden’, 2011. 3D animation, stereo sound. 2’42” loop.
(edition of 5, $17,000.)
the loop played out – just as enchantingly – as the single frame promised.
here’s the ghost & no, she’s not in every frame !!
just a little note . . . to the hardcore fans:
check out today’s movie reviews in the NEW YORK POST !! ha.
ghosts in every one of ’em !!
from I see “I SEE DEAD PEOPLE” . . . all the way to “BOO-TI-FUL”. ha. … a classic take on ALEJANDRO GONZALEZ INARRIT’S – ghost-filled ‘BIUTIFUL’, or what !!
and even including a 3-1/2 starred (!!) animation review – Paranormal, oops, I mean – ‘Paranorman’ !! . . . deemed: “so good, it’s scary” !!
so, yeah Charlie F. you can just call me – Paranancy !! from now on !! . . . instead of ‘crack’ !!
though, so crackilicious !! – or what.
ghost avalanche !!
meanwhile creative time sand castles are just so much, play time !! for rich kids. dream on, Charlie.
they be your ‘girlfriends’, not mine !! SACHS & YELLIN, if there be a scarier hook-up than that – let me know.
HYE RIM LEE
HYE RIM LEE
HYE RIM LEE
HYE RIM LEE
HYE RIM LEE
so, talk about . . . WALK LIKE AN EGYPTIAN.
I mean – do avatars, digital doubles of our imagination – have more fun than we do ?
just asking.
which is the ‘realer’ realm – human/bio or digital life – ?
to be answered – ?!!!!
is Creativity – the very definition of: INFINITY. loop de loop. playing out, f-o-r-e-v-e-r.
‘Strawberry Garden’ filmmaker – HYE RIM LEE – herself, at the opening.
(on the left, self-portraits by GENEVIEVE WHITE, and many others – coming up – next !!)
PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH, NYC. AUG 16, 2012.
~THE DOUBLE DIRTY DOZEN (& FRIENDS) – PIX FROM THE OPENING – PART I |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | August 17th, 2012, 8:58am
OK, I GET IT !!!!
LIFE SUCKS, and then you die and . . . become a ghost ?
or TAKE TWO: if the EGYPTIANS really had a handle on it – now WHITNEY HOUSTON has everything (!!) she needs for a happy after-life !!
in the parallel universe.
YEP, TOM SANFORD . . . nails it !! d-i-g that eyeshadow !!
ARTWORK BY – TOM SANFORD, ‘Whitney Houston’, oil on wood, 40 x 48 in.
IMAGE COURTESY: FREIGHT+VOLUME
BIG SUMMER OPENING – TO-NITE – THURS AUG 16, 2012 / 6 – 9 PM
at FREIGHT + VOLUME – 530 W.24th ST – CHELSEA, NYC
‘THE DOUBLE DIRTY DOZEN (& FRIENDS)’ – read more: ‘THE DOUBLE DIRTY DOZEN’/FREIGHT+VOLUME
the show runs thru SEPT 22, 2012
OK. ONE MORE THOUGHT: TALK ABOUT . . . walk like an EGYPTIAN !!
here’s one more image from the show – a beautiful & original, eccentric. even, lyrical – take by HYE RIM LEE !!
and, yes. I can see the ghost – can you. hint: she’s all white !!
ARTWORK BY – HYE RIM LEE, still from ‘Strawberry Garden’, 2011. 3rd animation, stereo sound. 2’42” loop.
IMAGE COURTESY: FREIGHT+VOLUME
~THE DOUBLE DIRTY DOZEN . . . opening tonite at F+V |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | August 15th, 2012, 11:08am
DEEP IN THE CUT – CHRIS STAIN & JOE IURATO opens tonite – FRI AUG 10, 2012 / 6 – 9 PM
MIGHTY TANAKA – 111 FRONT ST – SUITE 224 – at WASHINGTON – BROOKLYN, NY
F TRAIN TO YORK ST, I guess that’s DUMBO . . .
the show runs thru SEPT 7, 2012.
DEDICATED TO ALL THE GHOSTDOGS !! OUT THERE & EVERYWHERE !! – YOU RULE !!!!!!
ARTWORK BY – CHRIS STAIN (r) & JOE IURATO (l) / PHOTO BY – REBECCA FULLER
~DEEP IN THE CUT: CHRIS STAIN & JOE IURATO … opening tonite in NYC |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | August 10th, 2012, 9:53am
