‘SPIRITUAL HUNGER’ vs TROPY ART – TAKE TWO
SARA RUSSELL DEWEY, ‘VESSEL’, 2004-2013, ceramic, 1 x 1-1/2 x 1/2 inches.
“SESSION ONE” – A RE-GROUPED GROUP SHOW with a SPECIAL PROJECT BY SARA RUSSELL DEWEY
OPENS TOMORROW: SUN SEPT 8, 2013 / 6-8PM
FEATURING WORK BY: NATHAN ANSPAUGH, DANIELLE DIMSTON, AIMEE HERTOG, BARA JICHOVA, LAUREL LUEDERS, KRISTA SVALBONAS, SHAW OSHA, JOEY PARLETT and DEBRA RAMSAY
WONDOW INSTALLATION BY SARA RUSSELL DEWEY
POCKET UTOPIA – 191 HENRY ST bet CLINTON & JEFFERSON / LOWER EAST SIDE
GALLERY HRS: WED-SUN 11 AM-6 PM
YOU KNOW WHAT THEY SAY: A PICTURE IS WORTH 10,000 WORDS !!
~REVENGE of the POCKET UTOPIANS .. |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | September 7th, 2013, 10:07am
‘SPIRITUAL HUNGER’ vs TROPHY ART – PART I
the caption reads:
“Matthew Day Jackson’s ‘Burghers of Calais’ at Hauser & Wirth Gallery opens next week. Below, a test run of Richard Serra’s steel works at Gagosian Gallery, opening Oct 26.”
note: in fact the show OPENS TO-NITE – FRI SEPT 6, 2013 / 6-8 PM
MATTHEW DAY JACKSON – HAUSER & WIRTH – 511 W 18TH ST – CHELSEA
ok, here’s a little background on the trending (?) size issues at hand.
since I’m thinkin’ most of ya don’t get the WALL STREET JOURNAL, esp you GRAD STUDENTS !!
here’s the link.
of course, IF you do get the WALL STREET JOURNAL – I’m thinkin’ you might just be part of the problem, haha – trophy art, indeed.
see: ‘ATTACK of the GIANT ART GALLERIES’ ..
“Driven by a booming art market & demand for oversize trophy works, the world’s top galleries are opening vast new spaces ..” – by KELLY CROW / WALL STREET JOURNAL, AUG 29, 2013
don’t get me wrong – I’m not against size – for size’s sake,
just overall, HAUSER & WIRTH .. the new DAO-YI and MAXWELL OSBOURNE ?
I don’t think so !!
way too German expressionism, not enough NEW YORK GRIT !! and STYLE . .
but check it out for YOURSELF. HAUSER & WIRTH.
you know me, I’m always going to skew towards . . the underdog.
and for sure, against .. TROPHY !!
in fact, SIMON ..
SIMON CERIGO my dearly recently departed “ex”, but art buddy forever . . and, I’m sure as this season kicks into gear, or tries too,
it’s not just me .. missing him.
who else gonna run around to every, and I mean EVERY !! damn opening out there – and come back with the definitive low-down ?
SIMON .. gave MATTHEW DAY JACKSON his first NYC exposure / show, and I gave him his FIRST NEW YORK CITY .. MAINSTREAM PRESS.
it was a little show called, what else ?
‘SPIRITUAL HUNGER’ !!
and MATTHEW DAY JACKSON’S PIECE was as tiny, and ethereal .. as it gets !!
a temporary finger painting of ‘Jesus’ .. on the frost-treated, for the show – glass plate gallery front doors.
not a trace remained .. when the show came down.
hey, trust me – BIG AMBITIONS .. COME in SMALL PACKAGES, BIG TIME – TOO !!
witness .. digital gold, from the artnet archives:
“Artist MICHAEL DAY JACKSON with his window painting, ‘Jesus Gives’, (2003), in ‘SPIRITUAL HUNGER’ at DANIEL SILVERSTEIN GALLERY, CHELSEA, NYC. SEPT 13, 2003.”
a group show . . curated by SIMON CERIGO & DANIEL SILVERSTEIN.
PHOTO by NANCY SMITH.
see: the full report / MANHATTAN .. FALL ART SCENE 2003 / artnet
~ATTACK of the GIANT ART GALLERIES .. |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | September 6th, 2013, 8:28am
PUBLIC SCHOOL .. WINS.
the ART WORLD only wishes . .
it was as cool as the FASHION WORLD is, right now . . . despite, HUGE KILLER GALLERIES, global connections, record shattering auction prices, and all.
put it this way:
if ORANGE is the new BLACK ..
is HAUSER & WIRTH the new ‘it’ gallery.
I don’t think so ..
MIGHTY MOJO/GAVIN & GIANT GOGO/LARRY .. aren’t even bothering to get into gear, yet.
hold onto those summer time vibes, for as long as you can – I’m with ya !!
right now: JACK GOLDSTEIN .. is as cool as it gets.
what ? only ONE PLAYER .. ONE LIVE WIRE
in the whole damn multi-splintered field, art world cosmos .. cast of hundreds / if not thousands !!
and he’s .. dead.
yep.
Urban Dictionary . . where are you – when we REALLY need you.
lame ? tame ? tired. play-ed out. ‘n boring.
art’r’us. I mean hurray for Brooklyn as a whole. and as a new-age model for the global ‘bio’ world/sphere.
but, it’s still: art’r’us / ART WORLD SEPT 2013 – NYC.
FASHION WEEK done grabbed the ball – and run with it.
WITNESS: PUBLIC SCHOOL.
PUBLIC SCHOOL . . presents its SS 2014 collection .. SUN SEPT 8, 2013 / 1PM – NEW YORK FASHION WEEK
check: PUBLIC SCHOOL . . .
DAO-YI and MAXWELL OSBORNE . . CO-FOUNDERS – PUBLIC SCHOOL.
check: BEHIND THE BRAND / PUBLIC SCHOOL .. YouTube
yep, it’s “hot as hell .. outside” – !!
it’s NEW YORK ROCKIN’ CITY.
PHOTOGS, FILMMAKERS/DOCS, and DESIGNERS – of ALL STRIPES, graphic or otherwise – take note.
a little fashion magic ‘dust’ – can go .. a long way.
~PUBLIC SCHOOL vs ART WORLD . . |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | September 5th, 2013, 1:42pm
ok, in case you haven’t noticed .. it’s FASHION WEEK.
KATE CERIGO .. REPORTS: HEADS UP !!
GENEVIEVE CLIFFORD is HAVING HER SS14 DEBUT – TO-NITE !!
AND – IT’S .. SHHHHHHHHHHHHUT UP – hot !!
GENEVIEVE CLIFFORD – EVA – 355a BOWERY bet 3rd & 4th / WED SEPT 4, 2013 / 8:30-9:30 PM
see: GENEVIEVE CLIFFORD
and yes, fashion is art.
esp fashion that is so ‘picture’ – oriented.
GENEVIEVE CLIFFORD – SS14
PHOTO: FRED ATTENBOROUGH, scroll down just a bit – & you can see some more ..
yeah, THAT GENEVIEVE . . CLIFFORD.
we just posted a photo of her .. at the YALE OPEN STUDIOS 2013 – that’s the studio of Yale grad student .. JAMES MILLER.
PHOTO: NANCY SMITH
YO .. it’s the city that never sleeps !!
URBAN DICTIONARY got a def – for that ?!!
UP-DATE: TUES SEPT 10, 2013
KATE CERIGO – MADE THE PRESENTATION & SENT IN SOME PIX:
GENEVIEVE CLIFFORD – FASHION WEEK 2013 – SS14 DEBUT
nice, leather detailing. nice cut on the dress.
from black – to gold on white. c-o-n-s-t-r-u-c-t-i-o-n.
FASHION WEEK PHOTOS: KATE CERIGO
more about GENEVIEVE CLIFFORD:
currently based in BROOKLYN, GENEVIEVE CLIFFORD .. is a graduate of The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She states that she “focuses on innovative cuts and imagery with an emphasis on quality construction and fabrics.”
for more: GENEVIEVE CLIFFORD
~GENEVIEVE CLIFFORD . . SS14 DEBUT / UP-DATE |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | September 4th, 2013, 3:43pm
according to THE JEWISH MUSEUM:
JACK GOLDSTEIN … “was born to a Jewish family in Montreal in 1945 .. and moved to Los Angeles as a child.”
well, besides always having been a huge huge fan of his work since day one, and even owing a huge one of his earliest lighting paintings, maybe even the biggest in fact !! .. that me and Simon bought in the early 80s, from METRO PICTURES …
I was also born to a Jewish family in Montreal, except in omg .. 1951.
can’t fudge it – my bio’s all over the web. and so is my face.
SIMON was born to a Greek family in Montreal, in 1952. we met at grad school.
JACK GOLDSTEIN … “was a member of the first graduating class of the California Institute of Arts (Cal Arts).”
I was a member of the first graduating class MFA STUDIO program .. at CONCORDIA UNIV in Montreal (1979).
GUIDO MOLINARI was my mentor. we had to write a thesis then, as well as present a show of work. my thesis was on Japanese Woodblock Prints & Their Influence on Contemporary Art. Simon was Guido’s studio assistant, and he hung out everywhere, as he did here .. so there he was – too !!
SIMON came to New York in the summer of 1981, and I followed 6 mos. later.
“GOLDSTEIN emerged as a key figure in the Pictures Generation, and as a peer of such celebrated figures as CINDY SHERMAN, ROBERT LONGO, SHERRIE LEVINE and JAMES WELLING, participated in a fundamental shift in American art during the late 70s.”
me and Simon .. were buying ‘just happening’ art at that time, and flipping it to stay afloat. our contemporaries were KEITH HARING, JEAN MICHEL BASQUIAT, and DAN ASHER .. it was, even in just one generation, a very different time & art market.
JACK GOLDSTEIN … “met his untimely death in 2003.”
SIMON met his untimely death this past Jan 2013. 10 years later.
I’m still alive . . and kickin.
and our story .. as artists – has yet to be told.
and yep, I’m gonna stick around – just to tell it.
though see: SIMON already has quite a legend around him, see: OBIT/GALLERIST, see: OBIT/ARTINFO
and, duh !!
I’ve got to be the art world’s first real b-l-o-g-g-e-r. haha.
and .. I have the battle scars to prove it, believe you – me !!
but SIMON was also a great, funny, serious, visionary picture-based artist, and so am I . . if I don’t say so, myself.
in fact, just in my role as an art world watcher supreme – I’d say that .. now as WALTER ROBINSON’S painting career has picked up .. I’m probably the least known, and prob the most unrecognized, and for sure: most under-rated !! artist in the art scene today.
and I don’t think the people who really know these things, will argue with that .. and dudes, all I can say is: TIME WILL TELL.
witness: DAN ASHER.
not to mention .. having the ‘radar’ of an alien. a space alien, that is.
I dunno how it happened, just born that way.
plus I take good pix.
and well, truthfully JACK GOLDSTEIN wasn’t recognized in his lifetime, really. either.
why do you think he died so young .. why do you think we could have snapped up one of his huge lightning strikes canvases.
maybe . . that’s why Simon died, too.
skills, real skills – all around. hey, you can’t have it – all.
it’s amazing we even get, as far as we do . .
the ones that . . live in the moment & fly – right over everybody’s . . heads.
and, Ima gonna stick around .. to tell the tale !!
in the heart of the ‘eye’ or what ?!!!
NANCY SMITH, MFA Grad student, ca. 1978. Concordia University, Montreal Quebec, CANADA.
PHOTO: ANDREW VOIGT
54/84 HOMMAGE A GUIDO MOLINARI / AN EXHIBITION of PAINTINGS & DRAWINGS by GUIDO MOLINARI and five of his former students: SIMON CERIGO, NANCY SMITH, MARSHAL HOPKINS, BARBARA REID and ANNE-MARIE COBBOLD.
MERCER UNION GALLERY, 333 ADELAIDE STREET WEST, TORONTO.
OCT 23 – NOV 17, 1984.
IMAGE: MARSHAL HOPKINS
and if you think we didn’t have a .. PICTURES REVOLUTION !!
check out: GUIDO MOLINARI .. !! & WIKI BIO ..
hardcore color field formalist, or what !!!
Grad school .. the more things change – the more they stay the same !!
how else .. do you think I can ‘break’ down the art – as well as I can ?!!
‘radar’ – aside.
yeah, check out that RADAR LINK, RADAR BEAT !! URBAN DICTIONARY – YOU DOES .. RULE !!
check out: ‘JACK GOLDSTEIN x 10,000’ – HIS FIRST AMERICAN (!!) RETROSPECTIVE – THE JEWISH MUSEUM, up thru SEPT 29, 2013.
~JACK & NANCY .. |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | September 3rd, 2013, 11:00am
JACK GOLDSTEIN .. was a grad student too.
He received his MFA from the California Institute of the Arts, 1970-1972.
PHOTO: JAMES WELLING, “JACK GOLDSTEIN, in the PACIFIC BUILDING, FEB 27, 1977”. 2012.
Inkjet Print/courtesy: the artist/JAMES WELLING & Regen Projects / via THE JEWISH MUSEUM PRESS RELEASE.
it was interesting to receive this image of a young JACK GOLDSTEIN, esp as I recall there were NO images of JACK GOLDSTEIN in the exhibit. and obviously this one is: super.
you know what they say: Pictures speak louder than words.
PICTURES are worth 10,000 (!!) WORDS ?!!
heads up art students, this is prob one of the most important & most stunning exhibits you will ever see, and this is the last month to catch it – the show comes down Sun Sept 29, 2013.
see: JACK GOLDSTEIN x 10,000 at THE JEWISH MUSEUM
in conjunction with the show, the museum is presenting a symposium, ‘WHO IS JACK GOLDSTEIN’ on Sun Sept 22, 2013 / 12:30 – 4:30 PM.
Panel discussions will examine “the circumstances” of the art world during the 70s and 80s “along with the impact of the PICTURES GENERATION on artists today” .. and will bring together artists who emerged alongside JACK GOLDSTEIN in the 70’s, notably among them ROBERT LONGO .. and “focuses on the 1977 PICTURES EXHIBITION curated by DOUGLAS CRIMP.”
as well as touching base on the influence of JOHN BALDESSARI’S post-studio classes at the CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE of the ARTS, where GOLDSTEIN received his MFA, in the early 70s.
Artist/Filmmaker MORGAN FISHER will present the keynote lecture.
for more info: JACK GOLDSTEIN SYMPOSIUM/THE JEWISH MUSEUM/SEPT 22
‘JACK GOLDSTEIN x 10,000’ at THE JEWISH MUSEUM / MAY 10-SEPT 29, 2013
PHOTO: NANCY SMITH
see: FREIZE NOT, JACK GOLDSTEIN TO THE RESCUE
~JACK GOLDSTEIN .. PICTURES SYMPOSIUM |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | September 1st, 2013, 8:05am
WAY, WAY – WAY BEYOND THE SQUARE !!
detail, JAMES MILLER. YALE MFA OPEN STUDIOS. APRIL 27-28, 2013.
so, yeah. there was some real hardcore tension, thinking, and all around .. FUN STUFF happening in the work.
detail, JAMES MILLER.
‘plasticity’ in painting, y’all know what I mean.
outrageous detailing, grad students .. y’all know what I mean.
so, I’m thinking, yeah .. the key to the ‘plastic’ dance is on the desk, and no – it’s not the computer.
haha.
there’s a ‘pictorial’ interloper ..
in the higher realms of fine art .. that be grad school at Yale !!
yep it be that comic book .. on the desk / right square in the pride of place on James’ desk.
a comic book by his younger brother .. DREW MILLER.
and way fun .. and way sharp !! it is.
and what a mighty dialog between bros .. ensues !!
between ‘high’ art and .. ‘low’ art.
‘POOR THING NUMBER ONE’ by DREW MILLER
“it was always my favorite place to visit . . .”
I love comic art – always have since forever. since I was a kid.
and reborn, when Simon turned me onto Moebius in the 80s.
POP ART .. well that goes without saying: obvious.
Japanese Edo period woodblock prints too.
but being in NEW YORK CITY, esp BROOKLYN !! since year 2000 – a-m-a-z-i-n-g.
it made me realize that actually, no – there were no comic book artists in the Yale grad program.
not much illustrative or media art in general. no way-out collage artists, either. whatever.
some of the drop-off was good.
painting: it was some pretty serious stuff. for the most part.
no faux street artists .. for sure !! maybe that’s a good thing !!
no goths. no Viking ships. bats. or found photos. (thank the lordy)
and come to think of it. not one, NOT even one – ARTFORUM hanging around, either.
so much for the has-been bible of the art world .. cutting edge ?
apparently .. not.
like the man says: “WITCHIN’ HOURS” !!
page from: DREW MILLER – ‘POOR THING NUMBER ONE’.
but comic book art – is not to be dropped off. no way.
COMIC BOOK ART is alive and well.
COMIC BOOK ART is a good thing – just ask half of NEW YORK CITY !!
DESERT ISLAND, SMOKE SIGNAL, PICTUREBOX, and . . . BERGEN STREET COMICS, come to mind, right away !!
but damn, what happened to the BROOKLYN COMICS & GRAPHICS FEST: good night ??!!
also: BCGF, no more – THE BEAT
back to .. alive and well ?
ADRIAN TOMINE .. comes to mind – right off the bat.
a couple of ‘fine art’ artists like TAYLOR McKIMENS, BRIAN CHIPPENDALE, and MATT LEINES, pop up too.
and then, of course there’s the rest of the world, Oregon (!!!) .. where comic book art is still happening, apparently. right along with DIY zines, and countless small press .. ‘indies’.
DREW MILLER .. ‘POOR THING NUMBER ONE’ is published by: NEOGLYPHIC MEDIA .. outta PORTLAND, OREGON
yeah, I can see the dialog between JAMES and DREW .. it’s kind of a ‘blob .. thing. haha.
check out: poorthingpress / drewmillerart.tumblr.com
DREW MILLER .. ” NEVER. HE CAN NEVER KNOW”.
I think that pretty much says it all. or sums it up.
art world. grad school … life. the works !!
ART BROS: DREW MILLER and JAMES MILLER
2 sides of the coin !!
I caught this photo .. somewhere in the room !!
it’s just striking, no matter how you cut it.
and when I left the room, tumbled about as I was, I did take note – of a small ‘bro’ homage .. up there in a corner above the doorway.
so, yeah .. in a conceptual stretch – DREW MILLER made it to Yale grad school, too.
JAMES MILLER, YALE MFA OPEN STUDIOS. APRIL 27-28, 2013
PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH
~JAMES MILLER .. DREW MILLER |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | August 31st, 2013, 8:19am
left: painter JAMES MILLER in his studio, with musician DARREN WILL.
YALE MFA OPEN STUDIOS, APRIL 27-28, 2013.
unlike Yale grad students, JERRY BLACKMAN and NICHOLAS STEINDORF, whose work I had seen and followed previous to their turning up at Yale – this was the first time I was actually meeting James, and seeing his work in person.
KATE CERIGO did cover his 2 showings at 109 Gallery in Brooklyn for us, over the past year.
see: WHAT HAVE YOU DONE FOR ME LATELY, 109 BROOKLYN
see: SHADOWS THROUGH A PRISM, PART I
see: SHADOWS THROUGH A PRISM, PART 3
based on those pix – I was surprised to see how much more complicated, and often more colorful his work had become.
there was also a greater sense of ‘pushing the envelope’, literally ..paint work becoming 3D. and a sense of humor . . that I didn’t get from the 109 show photos, which felt more angst-ridden, mysterious and questioning.
JAMES MILLER . .
there was a real painterly scramble / explosion . . going on at each end of the studio.
whoa.
this was not just ‘going against the grain’ – it was actually pretty ‘fun’, for all it’s serious endeavor.
pure abstract – can be well, p-r-e-t-t-y – wild !!
was it me ?
I saw … shades of … l’il Abner ?!!!!!
Orphan Annie and .. all things comics 50’s !! in the swirl of a brush.
I guess they call that .. POP ART.
but I also caught sight of more restrained pieces – that were more along the lines of the pieces that had been shown at 109 – but they were much much better. really evolved. really focused. more experimental on the one hand, but way more realized .. as well.
I really liked this one – alot. it was my fav.
it was quite subtle and left room – for thought. more so than the big collage 3-D type plastic color explosions, for me anyways.
though maybe it was just that CONTRAST .. that helped get me there.
I also found some rare humor in the pure minimal play. the lines, the interaction of the blob shapes, the teaser field of color – the drop-off / deconstruction / holes in the canvas. it was a thinking thing at play – always to be in .. motion.
I know, it’s crazy .. but it even though it’s such a ‘quiet’ painting .. it reminds me now, of those great real life .. ‘whale’ encounters at sea – that pop up on YouTube.
it was a fun mental trip / flip.
painting / nature.
which I’m sure was totally out of mind for the painter .. but connecting dots, esp ones so far out – how fun is that. the brain really .. at work, no ? yes !!
way, way beyond the .. square.
the nutshell definition, and .. meaning of: art ?
see: HUMPBACK WHALE SURPRISES KAYAKERS/YouTube
along the same lines .. I also really liked this larger canvas, too.
it was a really wild / painterly / anti-art / pure art .. narrative.
that was both obvious and not obvious. actually I would say: NOT !!
those concrete-colored upthrusts near the center, also reminded me of .. whales.
maybe the better way to phrase it is: life force. bio dynamics.
no matter who was standing .. in front of it !!
(that’s Kate and Darren in the previous photo.)
this is: designer GENEVIEVE CLIFFORD, in a jacket of her own making. n-i-c-e. really nice.
check out: GENEVIEVE CLIFFORD
back to the painting,
besides the interest it holds for James’ contemporary ‘creatives’ . . .
check out that deconstructed ‘stance’ – lower right hand corner. fun stuff.
so, could the key .. to the ‘fun’ stuff – be found on his desk ?
I know the ‘deconstruction’ – is found in the tangle of painter’s tape.
and, no. it’s not the pot of old coffee !!
TO BE . . CONTINUED !!
JAMES MILLER, YALE MFA OPEN STUDIOS. APRIL 27-28, 2013
PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH
~JAMES MILLER .. WAY, BEYOND THE SQUARE |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | August 30th, 2013, 8:15am
another funny thing about . . . NICHOLAS STEINDORF,
or . . the Man in the Lake, as we like to call him,
he likes to think – outside the box.
THE MAN IN THE LAKE – LIVES .. OUTSIDA THE BOX.
as well as his idea-charged ‘painting studio’, Nicholas also took the Yale Open Studio Weekend / Spring 2013 as an opportunity to showcase some of his newest light projections – in an entirely different room, on a different floor.
thus: outside the ‘studio’ box.
thus: light projected from inside .. a box, onto a wall / becomes .. outside the box, literally.
I mean ‘light’ art in general, is outside the box, no matter how you cut it.
this is the projection, for this piece. there were 2 pieces on display.
I liked how small – it was … as well as the swirl of energy & color. and the the trace of .. unpredictable imagery.
I also liked the contrast put into play, with the ‘hard copy’ plywood art board . . above.
as I write this . . looking back to April 2013, from the vantage point of August 2013 . . it’s relevant to note the huge huge torrent of press / exhibition activity this summer has seen . . for the ‘godfather’ of light – JAMES TURRELL.
as well, for followers of the greater media culture this summer, who can see an electric plug so close to the ground . . and not crack up, re: LARRY DAVID & ‘THE HOWARD’ . .
but, that’s .. another post, for another day.
some of the color range in this work – had that same vibrant bold color that one sees in the TURRELL work, albeit on a much smaller scale, production-wise.
I mean that’s interesting, not just as a comparison of grad school budget vs artist at his commercial height (!!) – but more, how infinitely amazing . . . it is to contemplate ‘transparent’ light – turned – bold ‘pigment’.
with that in mind – the floor / base under the projector – was really interesting too.
in contrast to the ‘light’ projection . . becoming pure ‘solid’ color, the supposedly ‘solid’ floor – is totally made . . un-solid, un-real, shimmery and, well . . hard-to-define, esp as ‘space’.
as .. in ‘painting’ ?
just asking . . . !!
since,
it’s my fate, my journo beat ? – to scout out ‘new’ talent, JAMES TURRELL is a just little bit played-out for my purposes, and way obvious by now. but still, there’s a resonance of similar ‘light’ play – going on here, between these 2 artists, who are at the very opposite poles – of the art world spectrum, career-wise . . to make some comparisons.
I don’t know ..
maybe I wouldn’t like grad student Nicholas’ work, as much either .. if it could be “raised and lowered hydraulically to function as a skyspace as well as a dining area that seats 12” (T Magazine, see link below) as MR. TURRELL’S piece . . for Santa Monica art collectors RIC & SUZANNE KAYNE does.
it’s more thinking along the lines of DAN ASHER’S tiny ‘fingerprint’ scribble on a wall of other-wise empty paper vs Basquiat’s huge over-all hyper-dense and profoundly active compositions. you know, the yin and the yang. sometimes the small gesture steals up from behind, to win the hand.
now, that’s what I call, a moment of .. truth.
the other projection – was even more obtuse, abstract, ‘strange’.
note how the ‘rawness’ of this ‘light’ shape / animation . . upon the wall, it’s almost .. ‘nothingness’ – contrasts with the projector itself. which is so machine / tech / tangible.
so . . stereo/record player-like. very JACK GOLDSTEIN.
as opposed to TURRELL, come to think of it.
Nicholas makes/sets up .. the mechanical elements himself. I guess that makes him a bit of an artist/techie.
serious . . and playful.
an arc of light . . transforms a wall.
who doesn’t want to put their hand through the eternal mystery, the unseen ‘chemistry’ of . . a beam. a beam of . . light.
NICHOLAS STEINDORF, YALE MFA OPEN STUDIOS, APRIL 27-28, 2013
PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH
see: JAMES TURRELL, ‘SEEING THE LIGHT’, NEW YORK TIMES T MAGAZINE
see: JAMES TURRELL, ‘CAN THE LIGHT SET YOU FREE’, WALL STREET JOURNAL
~NICHOLAS STEINDORF .. LIGHT OUTTA THE BOX |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | August 22nd, 2013, 7:29pm
so, who is NICHOLAS . . ?
the man in the lake, in Maine.
well, that would be . . NICHOLAS STEINDORF.
(and originally from land-locked Wisconsin, bye the way.)
he’s a friend of Kate’s. I first saw his work in a very casual setting, a few small paintings tossed around the walls, at a small dinner party in Brooklyn. they caught my eye – right away, and I’ve been following his meanderings, as in wondering, questioning, always changing, roaming .. the range of visual expression running from precise digital animation to . . quiet, yet intense . . colorist minimalist sculpture … ever since.
if you’ve been following these pages, you’ve seen . . . his 2012 Bushwick Open Studio presentation from last year,
and 2 very different, yet both . . very vivid, very poetic, digitally animated screenings, at . . ENTWINE in the city. both CoWorker presentations curated by YULIA TOPCHIY.
He’s also been in a few groups shows at 109, in Brooklyn.
see: ‘What Have You Done for Me Lately’, 109 Gallery, Brooklyn.
see: CWP PRESENTS: 3 SHORT WORKS by NICHOLAS STEINDORF
see: ‘SWOLLEN FOOT’ – VIDEO by NICHOLAS STEINDORF / MUSIC by DARREN WILL
though both video presentations, do their ‘artistic’ traveling .. mostly on the ‘abstract’ vector – both are narratives, though of a purely visual, and yes: a .. purely ‘conceptual’ kind.
the latter, ‘SWOLLEN FOOT’ had particular meaning for me, and I’m sure others . . . as it retold for another generation, that great Greek myth, the compelling tragedy of Swollen Foot . . or, as he’s better known to us .. OEDIPUS.
OEDIPUS REX / OEDIPUS WRECKS.
NICHOLAS STEINDORF – some kind of digital print on vinyl. about 14 x 12 ft. something like that.
Yale MFA Open Studios, APRIL 27-28, 2013
so when Nicholas went off to grad school at Yale, many stories followed. it seemed like a pretty intense experience, so when I was invited to actually see what went on, I jumped at the chance, having seriously never been interested in the place at all, before. ever.
well, things change. nothing is written in stone, esp in the art world.
this was the first piece to strike my eye when I entered the painting studios. I didn’t know it was a work by Nicholas. it was part of an ‘ad hoc’ hallway display, there were no descriptive info, or artist labels.
it reminded me of the first anti-art brown ‘rug’ piece I had seen 10 years ago, by JOE BRADLEY. so funny, so quirky. so smart, so minimal, and soooooo .. outside the box.
I esp dug that ethereal, and unaccounted-for . . transparent, translucent, transformative (!!) hem . . at the bottom.
photo ‘realist’ art that makes the big .. shark jump to … non-objective !!
now you’re cooking. with MY MIND.
NICHOLAS STEINDORF . . in his painting studio at Yale.
like Nicholas himself, it was very much .. a work in motion.
a place of ideas. a place of input.
I believe that is DARREN WILL, with his back to us. he worked with Nicholas on the soundtrack for the ‘Swollen Foot’ project, and is a driving force in the Brooklyn-based, up and coming .. LUKE RATHBORNE band.
in the center of the room – Nicholas’ conscious, or was it unconscious (?!!) ode to grad school – esp in the visual arts .. and that would be:
the twin towers of: ‘commerce’ meets ‘skills/artistic vision’.
or simply put: commerce vs art.
an age-old battle, or maybe not.
not, if you read your history, and esp ancient history .. right.
Greeks, and all.
haha.
it got a ‘conceptual’ laugh out of me. though of course – it seemed friggin serious. and beautiful. at the time.
and so, does grad school. tell me about it.
and then, ya’ll come back, and hit the streets of New York City. again.
splatt.
haha, it’s still summertime – so, let’s drink to that !!
this was the almighty dollar, commerce side.
and this was the almighty idealist .. side.
I liked this side because it referenced the video work .. in a real & very neat way.
and also because .. it spoke to intellectual, poetic, romantic, even heroic . . . VISIONS.
there was a sense of just how far and wide, a mind could travel.
there was a kind of bio-ness, a human-ness in what was really at heart, a purely ‘abstract’ platform & a simple squared-off abstract ‘image’.
it was the opposite of hyper-realism, yet in essence it was, an expression of .. hyper-realism, humanism at it’s best.
the proverbial .. mental ‘leap’.
the artistic transformative at work .. and, damn it, yes. that side is gonna win. no matter how pastel and ‘puny’ it looks – compared to that huge black gloomy paper dollar – giant black $$$.
you get .. the feeling, just through the visuals – that the ‘big’ $ money image on the opposing side .. was also freighted with .. it’s own sub-text of contrasts: mainly desire to achieve, and, yet .. damn you, F you – if it don’t .. ‘materialize’.
a kind of in-the-box, we live .. and so, yeah a pay day would be nice. but still, if it don’t materialize, you know what ?
this is what I do.
so .. you know what: f-ck you.
it’s called living inside the head of an artist – if he was .. John Malkovich, is all.
Nicholas’ headquarters . . his desk, against the wall, when you enter.
and a view beyond, to the outer wall.
to the side: what is life, anyways. but a game of chance, or skill ?
you tell . . me.
there were a lot of ideas, and lot of sculpture . . at play.
it was fun to see so much play with ‘light’, and ‘space’, and ‘form’ – in a painting studio.
haha.
you can put an artist into a box – but that doesn’t mean you can keep him there. the gears in this brain .. are always working. always at play. always transforming. questioning, pushing boundaries. making plays. the big energy, and seriousness .. reminded me of the tales of the golden days of the long past New York City art scene of the Abstract expressionists.
and can we even say, then and now: ‘contrary’ r-u-l-e-d.
contrary is . . as contrary does.
abstract to narrative, sculpture to painting, and back again, in one big easy, beautiful .. swoop of the non-stop .. ‘mind’.
NICHOLAS STEINDORF. YALE MFA OPEN STUDIOS. APRIL 27-28, 2013.
PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH
~NICHOLAS STEINDORF . . BACK TO YALE |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | August 9th, 2013, 1:12pm
