‘MARTIN CREED’
OPENED NOV 8, 2013.
the show runs thru DEC 21, 2013.
GAVIN BROWN’S enterprise – 620 GREENWICH ST – WEST SIDE, NYC.
MARTIN CREED at . . the opening.
of course the show stopper was this ‘car’ . . on an ‘activation’ loop, just outside the gallery. was / is.
it’s still out there, it’s part of the exhibit !!
MARTIN CREED, ‘Work No. 1686’, 2013, Ford Focus. 70 x 160 x 80 in.
a Brit model of an American car. the driver’s side was on the right hand side. the car pops to life every few minutes. first the ignition comes on, purrs very loud. then the doors and trunk and hood pop open, and a soundtrack engages that mimics a real time sports radio.
it is very surprising, when it engages.
MARTIN CREED, ‘Work No. 1788’, 2013. Cinder Blocks. 157-1/2 x 371-1/2 x 162-1/2 in.
inside, the pyramid.
Pyramids seem to hold a special attraction to this artist.
so when you’re good and sick of ‘dots’ . . you know where to head.
cinder blocks, up close and personal.
a sound proof, temporary ‘chamber’ was built-up . . in the gallery.
inside a movie looped over and over, on a wall-sized screen.
unlike that 2010 ‘male rising’ clip . . this one spoke to bio ‘fragility’.
the subjects were ‘physically’ challenged, ‘gravity’ was a challenge.
let’s just say they were various: ‘gimpy’, and leave it at that.
MARTIN CREED, ‘Work No. 1701’, 2013. Digital film. TRT 4:15 mins.
this guy was my fave. even though he looked to be all there . . he had to hop across that intersection, which just happens to be the intersection that faces the gallery at Greenwich. check: the Fed Ex office.
though it did oddly also reference . . the BEATLES.
people had to decide for themselves, if the film ‘crossed’ the line. of good behavior, political correctness.
I had no issues, since the accompanying music, a song composed and performed by Martin Creed himself .. was so snappy. so snappy it made me want to dance.
a dancing fool, not so far ‘mentally’ from the impaired ‘strollers’ ? hmm.
a dancing fool .. in close proximity to the physically impaired ?!!
it was a strange tension, to feel so moved to move, while witnessing people who barely .. could.
hmm, and then there’s .. hmm.
could this guy be an ‘escapee’ from the night’s concurrent Bruce High Quality Foundation opening.
the thought did cross my mind.
THE BHQF vs the impaired, now there’s a thought.
hmm, why are these paintings so much more interesting so small, as opposed to large ?
MARTIN CREED, ‘Work No. 1749’, Gabriella, 2013. Acrylic on canvas, 12-3/4 x 9-1/8 in.
on the left, the small colorful painting:
MARTIN CREED, ‘Work No. 1775’, 2013, Acrylic on canvas, 47-1/2 x 47-/2 in.
intersecting the space:
MARTIN CREED, ‘Work No. 1784’, 2013. I-Beams. 97-3/4 x 240 x 6-1/2 in.
spatial play. everyday materials.
MARTIN CREED, I-beams.
artist HALSEY HAWTHORNE.
so you can see just how ‘animating’ . . those I-beams can be.
ELIZABETH PEYTON.
MARTIN CREED, ‘Work No. 1697’, 2013. Brick and Mortar. 156 x 156 x 12 in.
there’s brick walls, and then, there’s brick walls.
you can run into a brick wall, but there’s always … eventually, the corner where it ends, and you can do a ‘turn around’.
in life, as in art. as the saying goes.
a nice definition of: finite.
while the ‘principle’ itself, is: infinite.
a viewer engages with . .
MARTIN CREED, ‘Work No. 1718’, Elizabeth. 2013. Acrylic and pencil on canvas.
19-7/8 x 16 in.
local artists . . . you might recognize them, if you really get around, esp in the dark. on the wild side.
GERRIT and LANCE.
LANCE. New Order. The Good Order.
oh, to be an art world .. kickass RAMBO !!
The Hidden order. ha.
come to think on it, that’s alot of what this show is about . . hidden order.
MARTIN CREED, ‘WORK NO. TBC”, Acrylic on canvas, 18-7/8 x 15 -7/8
yep, with the contemporary art world in a bonafide fever, this season . .
it’s the whip smart pyramid-obsessed Brit, MARTIN CREED vs. the Japanese dot-obsessed 84 yr. old dame, YAYOI KUSAMA.
like I said, when you’re tired of being ‘dotty’, you can go get . . ‘lucky’.
PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH
~MARTIN CREED . . PIX FROM THE OPENING |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | November 16th, 2013, 9:30am
FLASHBACK TO: SUMMER 2010 ..
MARTIN CREED . . . MARBLE FLOOR at GAVIN BROWN’S enterprise, JUNE 2010.
I’m thinking maybe MARTIN CREED was struck by the particulars of the GAVIN BROWN Gallery, when he presented that summer 2010 show.
like many other big spaces on the West Side aka the MEAT PACKING DISTRICT, part of the gallery was originally a meat packing plant, and thus it had proximity to the street and loading docks.
I’m saying: check out that car !!
on the extreme left hand side.
ARCHIVAL PHOTO: NANCY SMITH. JUNE 2, 1010, NYC.
~MARTIN CREED . . A VIEW TO THE STREET |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | November 16th, 2013, 9:20am
‘MARTIN CREED’
opened NOV 8, 2013
the show runs thru DEC 21, 2013
GAVIN BROWN’S ENTERPRISE – 620 GREENWICH ST, WEST SIDE, NYC.
flashback:
if the explicit video loop in MARTIN CREED’S last show, came across as a ‘manual on human reproduction’, taking place inside a space ship; the other part of the exhibit, a custom ‘floor’ was . . a totally ‘inverted’ gallery experience.
there was NO product on the walls.
there was NO art on the formal white gallery walls.
there was just . . this gorgeous floor.
the consistently striped design of contrasting marble, was the ART.
how it ‘ran’ through the gallery space was – the ART. .
‘gravity’ was thrown under the bus, again.
literally, in that you walked on .. the art.
you were walking on – what you could buy.
if I remember correctly you could commission this floor to be laid down in your own house, office, lobby. whatever.
would I want that ? you bet.
in the NEW EXHIBIT, 2013:
MARTIN CREED, ‘Work No. 1697’, 2013. Brick and mortar, 156 x 156 x 12 in.
so, I bring up the past .. to help make sense of the present.
a vast wall, as opposed to a floor. but it’s still: SPATIAL PLAY.
this is the same piece, seen from a different vantage point.
a brick wall, a very simple context in principle . . is made to perform in a very dynamic and surprising way.
and that’s the beauty of MARTIN CREED’s work . . in a nutshell.
ARCHIVAL PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH. JUNE 2, 2001. NEW YORK CITY
CURRENT PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH. NOV 8, 2013. NEW YORK CITY.
~MARTIN CREED: FLOORS & WALLS |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | November 15th, 2013, 8:45am
MARTIN CREED vs ‘GRAVITY’ the film ?
CREED wins.
HINT: it’s the silence. it’s the spaceship ambience. it’s the ‘bio’ ness of our fragile race. it’s feeling: lost in space.
it’s MARTIN is . . just an ‘A’ away from being: MARTIAN.
it’s MARTIN turns everything upside down, and comes up: roses.
which is just another way of saying . . .
in light of the great Brit success at Christie’s this week, and the beautiful, gorgeous sunshine streaming down on a brisk New York City today . . .
you might want to get yourself downtown, close to the open spaces of the west side . . and the water, where you can check out a Brit . . who not only comes with a strong secondary market already attached . .
but, who also happens to be more importantly, a bonafide: LIVE WIRE.
MARTIN CREED – GAVIN BROWN’S ENTERPRISE – 620 GREENWICH ST – DOWNTOWN WEST SIDE, NYC
NOVEMBER 8 – DECEMBER 21, 2013
FLASHBACK TO: JUNE 2010:
yep, that . . MARTIN CREED.
this was the first time I saw anything by MARTIN CREED, in person.
it was the summer of 2010, it was a real hot summer for art.
but this screening at GBE . . aced it.
it was absolutely jaw-dropping . . presented when GBE first debuted that new annex.
it was so ahead of the usual art game . . it was: SCARY.
oh momma, it was bold. it was silent. it was huge. it was vast.
it talked to space, and to .. bio-ness. the human condition, the human ‘creed’. and yes, you did feel lost in space.
the exhibition space was . . that huge and raw.
the gallery space still retained its original industrial rawness.
the looped footage was so primal, so graphic, so in your face.
it was: scary.
it was everything in 2 mins. that ‘GRAVITY’ in 2 hrs .. was NOT.
esp silent, and . . awesome.
GAVIN & CREED vs BULLOCK & CLOONEY, well you know who wins that.
I guess you could call it .. CREED RISING. it was a loop of you know .. what.
the force of nature, that opposes gravity. that ‘rises’.
that keeps us . . going. as a race. reproduction.
it was definite one of the top ten art events . . I’ve ever witnessed.
not that I haven’t seen a ‘dick’ rising in my lifetime.
it was the confluence of factors. esp the rawness of the yet untouched new space.
so industrial vs. the loop: which was so, bio.
the room would go completely bright, full of natural & artificial light, to stark and completely dark, and the single most important ‘cornerstone’ to human welfare . . would loop. no words. no soundtrack.
zero. no adornment of any kind.
I was speechless. I was completely dumbstruck.
it was very physical. but it was also absolutely . . conceptual.
there was a bunker mentality to the place, that reminded me of . . JOSH HARRIS and QUIET. ten years ago.
so it was an experience for me, that was both past and present.
and FUTURE .. with a really big capital ‘F’.
I would even say, the ‘space’ felt like QUIET did, more a ‘spaceship’, than a white box exhibit.
yo, when the security guard is alaughin’, and areading’ (!!) . . you know you are in the right place.
MARTIN CREED also had some small black ‘pyramid’ paintings on the wall facing the huge screen . . which made perfect sense, in that context.
the hugeness of the notion of ‘human’ creation vs. the smallness of the actual human ‘stab’ at creativity.
the struggle to articulate both the infinite principles we are subject to, and the finite properties of the life we live.
the humble ‘small’ gesture small paintings .. vs the huge primal ‘male’ principle of the universe.
the black and white paint echoing the black and white of the video loop ..
the ‘pyramid’ gradation of the painting, going to wider yet smaller bands, well you get the picture . . ‘rising’ !!
universal ‘principles’. duh.
or ‘doh’. whatever.
very: ZEN.
FLASH FORWARD:
MARTIN CREED also has a small ‘pyramid’ painting in the new show, 2013.
except this time . . they are in color.
very ‘plastic’.
I think the real beauty of the thing, the small paintings . . lie in their size vs the hugeness of the ‘cosmic’ principles, they imply.
art vs. the beauty of basic science.
MARTIN CREED, Work No. ___, (TBC). acrylic on canvas, 19-7/8 x 15-7/8 in.
I think this work, and the new show in total . . will resonate strongly with many young New York painters, as they seem to be very much into abstract art right now. and they are all also searching . . for when & how, that strict non-objective ‘spatial’ compositional dynamic . . takes a leap off the surface and becomes a .. ‘dance’.
a thing of the heart.
a live wire.
MORE PIX FROM THE NEW MARTIN CREED SHOW . . . TO FOLLOW.
ARCHIVAL PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH. JUNE 2, 2010, NEW YORK CITY.
CURRENT PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH. NOV 8, 2013, NEW YORK CITY.
PS: if you’ve got the time. we’ve got the pix !!
check out: What the hell – it’s one hot summer SCARY summer / on our ARCHIVES, 2010.
~MARTIN CREED vs GRAVITY . . CREED WINS |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | November 14th, 2013, 10:22am
that’s over $50 MILLION more than the ‘starting’ price !!
FRANCIS BACON ‘THREE STUDIES’ IMAGE: CHRISTIE’S
I still think it’s a total wash as a painting, but huge bucks flying .. at the auctions is always .. good. the buyer, bidding by telephone .. remains “anonymous”.
and apparently fly they did.
with the WALL STREET JOURNAL reporting that: “Christie’s total easily met the auction houses own $500 million expectations, with collectors in designer suits and fur coats chasing nearly everything on offer – and applauding and whopping on occasion.”
most interesting tidbit to come out so far:
“Connecticut paper magnate PETER BRANT scored big selling off JEFF KOON’S shiny, shipping container-size replica of an orange balloon animal to another telephone bidder for $58.4 million — making Mr. Koons the priciest living artist at auction. The sculpture, ‘Balloon Dog (Orange)’ was priced to sell for $35 million to $55 million”.
see: Bacon sells for $142.4 Million .. WALL STREET JOURNAL
JEFF KOONS – ‘BALLOON DOG (ORANGE)’ IMAGE: HOLLYWOOD REPORTER
the free standing sculpture stands 12 ft. high and is made of stainless steel.
it is one in a series of 5, with the other colors in the series, yellow, blue, magenta, and red owned by financier collectors STEVEN A. COHEN, ELI BROAD, FRANCOIS PINAULT and DAKIS JOANNU.
see: HOLLYWOOD REPORTER
~BACON SELLS FOR $142.4 MILLION / ORANGE DOG GETS $58.4 |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | November 13th, 2013, 8:03am
talk about bringing home the bacon !!
and only $400 a pop.
it was fun !! to watch the old Sixty Minute geezers talk to the young GoPRO founder !!
see: How GoPRO BECAME the BEST SELLING CAMERA in the WORLD
watch: GoPRO . . . YouTube
talk about art. bromance, heroes, and even a new . . BILLIONAIRE !!
the company’s insane, crazy .. great !! surfer founder !! NICHOLAS WOODMAN, 37.
worth $1.3 Billion + counting.
it’s a new world.
and, yes, that’s a billion, with a B.
but more important. talk about .. high definition,
and .. damn. that’s the end of the hand-held camera blues !!
~FRANCIS BACON vs GoPRO . . GoPRO WINS |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | November 12th, 2013, 2:32pm
meanwhile, up in the higher echelons of the art world, far far from the ‘mean’ streets of East Williamsburg . . this is what the art world looks like.
it’s auction action week..
SO, is that package of BRITISH BACON . . worth $85 million ?
that’s what CHRISTIE’S is going to try to find out to-nite.
they are putting a FRANCIS BACON triptych from 1969, up for auction with a starting price of $85 million .. “the highest asking price in auction history.”
last year SOTHEBY’S asked $80 million for EDVARD MUNCH’S ‘The Scream’ and realized a record sale of .. $120 Million.
first of all, you have to realize, it’s all about the numbers .. uptown.
the bigger the numbers .. the better the bragging rights.
numbers is really the name of the game, uptown.
it’s pretty much really all these these guys know.
it’s not a bad thing to know, but it’s not about . . the art.
though, according to the WALL STREET JOURNAL “Millions can hinge, for example on a painting’s palette: If an artist slathers something in gold or red, auctioneers say they will invariably price it higher than similar paintings covered in gloomier hues.” listen up, my grad students.
and duh, “SEX also sells”.
what did you think ?
‘Three Studies of Lucian Freud’ 1969, by FRANCIS BACON.
being myself, a humble denizen of the cutting edge, the underground, I really don’t find all of this so exciting. though Edvard Munch’s ‘Scream’ is good .. it was unrecognized and underground for a long time. Francis Bacon, not so much.
in fact: meh.
there’s eggs, and then there’s free range eggs.
I would find the auction action .. so much more interesting if these guys were also great collectors. and by that I mean guys who could go for a walk on the wild side, the Lower East Side. you know, downtown . . . and be able to stick in their thumbs, and pull out plums.
who cares about who bought BASQUIAT for $30 million, tell me about the early collector who had the savvy, guts and brains .. to buy in at $10,000. $50,000. $120,000.
FRANCIS BACON, left and LUCIAN FREUD, right .. in the streets of London, 1974.
what a bunch of posers.
am I allowed to say I can’t stand these guys. I hate their paintings. they are so damn academic, and they never ever .. take off. they are like, grad school .. grade.
alcoholic grad school .. grade.
the only British artist I hate worse, is DAVID HOCKNEY.
no wonder DAMIEN HIRST was able to come along, live wire that he was, and wipe the floor. tap out the register.
and, then here we go again with the ‘repressed’ male homosexuality merry-go-round. didn’t I just read that about .. about NORMAN ROCKWELL.
b-o-r-i-n-g.
from the WALL STREET JOURNAL, about FRANCIS BACON:
“A charismatic man who battled alcoholism and asthma, he split his time between the bars of London’s Soho neighborhood and the expansive studio he was given at London’s Royal College of art. That studio, for the first time, gave him enough space to work on three canvases at once, set up side by side.
BACON was the provocative darling of London’s art circles, but historians say he was smitten — platonically and possibly more so – with FREUD, his younger friend and peer. Freud was wiry and witty, the grandson of Sigmund Freud and a painter known for his psychologically charged portraits . .”
it’s all about the bacon .. and where it splatters, no matter how you cut it.
see: Bringing Home the Bacon .. WALL STREET JOURNAL
~BACON TRIPTYCH . . worth $85 Million ? |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | November 12th, 2013, 12:06pm
THE YELLOW DOGS .. BAND MASSACRE. 4 DEAD IN EAST WILLIAMSBURG.
BREAKING NEWS.
TRAGIC. HASH just told me ..
I have pix of the band, give me 5 mins to process this.
they played at EASTERN DISTRICT, when it was .. really, really happening, in BUSHWICK. 2010.
they actually lived under JOSH, JOSH HARRIS when he was based in Williamsburg a few years back.
they were well, to be honest: brats . . ex-pats from IRAN.
‘brats’ as in . . the real deal. art-wise. alive.
full of life. ready to take over the world.
very powered-up in opposition . . to their background.
they were a very explosive bunch. live wires.
great music. really hard-core and driving. great band to see live.
they were electric, crazy, and melodic . . as hell, the music. and, I guess the whole package.
it’s said they liked JOY DIVISION. zipped around on skate boards, and threw all night parties.
see: FOUR DEAD IN EAST WILLIAMSBURG .. DAILY NEWS
see: ‘Gunman’ who shot Iranian bandmates ..ID’D .. NEW YORK POST
R.I.P. . . . YELLOW DOGS. FOUR DEAD IN WILLIAMSBURG.
OBASH .. the lone survivor.
UP-DATE: MON NOV 11, 2013 – 5:46 PM
it’s been a truly dark, stormy, sad cold day here in NYC. the wind wails: up to no good.
as the pieces fall into place we learn only 2 members of the band were wiped out. and that’s way more than we want, if you heard them, or not . . the young dead men were brothers: guitarist SOROUSH FARAZMAND, 27, known as LOOLOOSH, and his older brother, the band’s drummer, ARASH FARAZMAND, 28, known as SINA. very sad.
a third young Iranian musician, ALI ESKANDARIAN, 35, was also shot and killed.
the shooter, RAEFE AKHBAR, 29, a bass player and currently said to be from a rival Iranian indie band called the FREE KEYS . . after the attack, he then went up on the roof and shot himself. it was a pretty big gun, an assault rifle, .308 caliber. the police are said to be looking into how he got his hands on it.
see: 2 Members of Yellow Dog shot . . USA TODAY
UP-DATE: TUES NOV 12, 2013 – 9 AM
the shooter is now being identified, in the WALL STREET JOURNAL this morning .. as ALI AKBAR MOHAMMADI RAFIE.
“Once he got kicked out of the FREE KEYS for being problematic, the Yellow Dogs stopped associating with him as well,” said ASHELY AYERS, the band’s publicist from REQUIEM.
the article goes on to state that “Mr. Rafie’s falling out with the bands came about a year ago, and was over his selling band equipment without knowledge of the other musicians.”
the article also stated that it’s thought he transported the rifle, to the attack site .. in in a guitar case.”
Ms. AYERS is also quoted as saying that the third musician tragically gunned down, singer ALI ESKANDARIAN, 35, though not a founding member of THE YELLOW DOGS, had performed with the band on a tour last March.
“The Yellow Dogs fled Tehran, Iran in 2010 for the U.S. and found an instant audience. They were considered rising stars, playing South by Southwest in Austin, Texas in 2010 and opening for the Black Lips at Webster Hall in April 2011.”
see: ‘Shooter targets band’ .. WALL STREET JOURNAL
from the artlovers archive:
THE YELLOW DOGS . . PLAY THE CLOSING PARTY for the JASON GRUNWALD ART SHOW.
EASTERN DISTRICT, 43 BOGART ST, BUSHWICK, BROOKLYN. NYC.
APRIL 29, 2010 – PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH
THE YELLOW DOGS in an early gig . . at the now closed EASTERN DISTRICT.
JASON GRUNWALD ARTWORK – up in the background.
THE YELLOW DOGS at what was EASTERN DISTRICT, in BUSHWICK, BROOKLYN. APRIL 29, 2010.
from left:
KOORY MIRZ, OBASH the lead singer, the drummer ARASH FARAZMAND (SINA), and his brother, guitar and keyboardist, SOROUSH FARAZMAND (LOOLOOSH).
it’s SOROUSH and ARASH who were lost to gun violence in the very early hours of this morning.
Nov 11 .. Remembrance Day. a sad day already . . as it is.
KOORY, OBASH, ARASH and SOROUSH.
OBASH aka SIAVASH KARAMPOUR .. the band’s leader and singer/guitarist, was not shot.
he and KOORY MIRZ are alright.
FROM YOUTUBE:
WATCH: FROM PERSIAN CATS .. to YELLOW DOGS
“the yellow dog . . is the brother of the jackal.”
~YELLOW DOGS . . BAND MASSACRE / updates |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | November 11th, 2013, 10:52am
‘NOAH BECKER’
opened THURS, NOV 7, 2013
the show runs thru DEC 1, 2013
THE LODGE GALLERY – 131 CHRYSTIE ST – LOWER EAST SIDE, NYC
HRS: TUES-FRI: 2PM – 10PM / SAT+SUN: 12PM – 10PM
NOAH BECKER is a “an acclaimed oil painter” who has presented many exhibitions, including those at international museums on his resume. Interestingly he is also a Jazz saxophonist, and .. an arts writer.
along with being a contributing writer for Art in America, Interview, Canadian Art, the HuffPost, and ARTVOICES, he is the founder of Whitehot Magazine.
NOAH BECKER, ‘Self Portrait #2′, oil on canvas’, 24 x 30 in.
what I found fascinating was how the portrait, changed ‘aspect’ . . just the way a face does in reality.
and that seemed to be the case with all the self-portraits here, no matter the historical influence and / or background.
no wonder Mr. Becker seems fascinated himself, with his capturing his own image.
NOAH BECKER, ‘Self Portrait #2 (BASQUIAT), oil on canvas, 30 x 40 ins.
and to the right:
NOAH BECKER, ‘Self Portrait #2’, oil on canvas. 24 x 30 in.
he does kinda play the genre, like a musical instrument. riffing, and borrowing, but keeping himself, front and center. in a nice tension of .. reality meets ‘fluidity’.
from left .. against the backdrop of NOAH BECKER’S more ‘fictional’ portraits on the facing wall,
THE LODGE GALLERY Co-Founder/Directors:
KEITH SCHWEITZER and JASON PATRICK VOEGELR.
KEITH SCHWEITZER is also the Director of Public Art, Fourth Arts Block / FABnyc.
THE LODGE GALLERY is a new presence on the Lower East Side, I believe this is only their second show.
ENVOY Gallery, which moved on to a bigger space, was the former inhabitant.
. . but LODGE has something that probably makes it a game changer, just beyond that discreet door at the back of the exhibition space.
where we found artist BILLY SULLIVAN, who shows at BARTOLOMI,
and that would be a full, and rather gorgeous, clubby bar !!
yep, “lodge” is a good name.
they seem to want to make this .. the place – to come relax, and hang out. and why, not !!
when the other galleries close at 6, this place .. goes on thru 10 PM.
PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH
~NOAH BECKER . . LODGE |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | November 11th, 2013, 9:12am
ALEXANDRA EASTBURN – ‘Your Little Garden is Shuddering’
opened THURS NOV 7, 2013
the show runs thru THURS NOV 28, 2013
166 MOTT ST – LOWER EAST SIDE, NYC
with the big art auctions in town next week, the art world, esp the contemporary art scene .. is boiling like a pot of water on a very hot stove.
ALEXANDRA EASTBURN’S debut NYC solo show was no exception.
although a relative ‘unknown’ from out-of-town, the opening on Mott St was fab, fab and more fab.
the crowd never ceased. it was just wave after wave of curious, bright, trend-setting young New Yorkers, non-stop. the work was really well received, and the buzz never stopped.
yeah, it was exciting.
there’s nothing a happening New Yorker likes better than when the ‘content’ – lives up to the buzz.
there’s nothing a happening New Yorker likes better . . than the next big talent.
and being the first . . to have seen it.
there’s nothing like seeing a new face, that’s young and ready .. presenting a new fresh vision.
. . and everybody is feeling the vibe.
166 MOTT ST – AN ALTERNATIVE ART SPACE.
when the big blue chips .. are gunning for upwards of $30, 40 .. 50. $80 million ? .. haha, there’s nothing better than being at the very edge of the ‘real’ underground. as it is happening.
in real time !!
essentially, excitement-wise – no diff.
Where are you going to make the biggest bang – for your buck ?
in my mind it’s a – no brainer !!
on the wild side, of course !! the underground – where it all begins.
in the window . .
ALEXANDRA EASTBURN, ‘Mary of Egypt 1 and 2’, ink on vintage paper. 15 x 12 in.
(1,000)
in the window . .
ALEXANDRA EASTBURN, ‘Mary of Egypt 3 and 4’, ink on vintage paper, 15 x 22 in.
($1,000)
ALEXANDRA EASTBURN originally hails from Hot Springs, Arkansas .. but is currently based in MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE, where she received a BFA in Fine Arts from Memphis College of Art in 2012.
from left: AMY LI the show’s curator, and the founder of 166 MOTT with her visiting artist .. ALEXANDRA EASTBURN.
ALEXANDRA’S previous exhibitions include ‘Public Housing’ at the University of Memphis, a large-scale paper-mache installation, ‘Imagine the Angels of Bread’ at the Holy Underground, a DIY space in Baltimore, Maryland, and ‘Wild Life’, a solo exhibit at the new Glitch Gallery in Memphis.
detail, ALEXANDRA EASTBURN.
Right Wall series: ‘A Funeral for Dead Ends’, ink on wax paper, 18 x 72 in.
($5,000)
AMY LI writes about this exhibit:
“The exhibition is about using unconventional spaces for art – presenting objects, process and images. Through a series of illustrations and sculptures, strange places are exemplified as a metaphor for change, transformation and function. The use of 166 Mott is not necessarily an alternative to the white box spaces but rather, a point of independence, where works are striking and seen with more meaning. It is about the ability to revitalize surroundings and use them as a reminder of nostalgia and purpose.”
detail, ALEXANDRA EASTBURN.
Left Wall series: ‘ Two Quidnuncs’, ink on wax paper, 18 x 72 in.
($5,000)
ALEXANDRA first coats the wax paper, butcher paper – with black ink, using a large Japanese brush, and then scratches and incises away, to lay bare .. her poetry, her art, her mystery, her ancient icons, historical lore & even some contemporary ‘forces’.
in short: the stuff of myths. visions, feelings, and dreams.
detail, ALEXANDRA EASTBURN.
Left wall series, ‘Reluctant Gatekeepers and Mythical Intruders.’
it was interesting to watch the crowd interact, gaze deeply into the striking technique, and many layered details, and textures . . of the work.
it not only felt so new and fresh, but also, a bit old soul .. and a bit like a running journal.
Asian, Byzantine . . even some retro art deco jazz age.
but, mostly I couldn’t help thinking how great, these pieces would look, racing along a wall .. in a room of one’s own.
detail, ALEXANDRA EASTBURN. ‘Reluctant Gatekeepers and Mythical Intruders.’
Ghosts . . and unearthly messengers, aside. myths, feelings, etc.
Black and White . . is having such a recurrence this season.
if you haven’t seen ‘NEBRASKA’, the movie . . you are missing out.
it totally unspools in the cinematic equivalence of ‘silence’ . . black and white, all the way.
across the big screen. just awesome.
detail, ALEXANDRA EASTBURN.
detail, ALEXANDRA EASTBURN.
detail, ALEXANDRA EASTBURN.
Left Wall series: ‘Listen to my Pulse – It’s Full of Colors’. ink on wax paper, 18 x 72 in.
at the opening: ALEX and KALI, visiting from Paris.
they are here for 3 months. they are both into fashion, and make ‘fashion’, as well.
no doubt.
HASH HALPER makes fashion happen too, he’s here to cover the event for FRANK.
MAX, a local artist who studied at COOPER UNION, drops by, too.
BUNNY, a stylist, among other things .. and a friend of Alexandra’s, who is actually graciously hosting Alexandra’s stay here, in NYC.
SEAN LINCOLN, another friend of Alexandra’s from Memphis ..
he has been here in NYC for quite awhile helping out with the Storm Sandy re-construction, out in the Rockaways.
CHRIS OWEN, also from Memphis. also helping out with the Storm Sandy reconstruction in the Rockaways.
I’m thinking, wow . . Memphis seems to be a very happening place.
MELISSA DRASBY and WC BEVAN.
WC BEVAN had work in the last show at 166 Mott. WILLIAM CODY BEVAN.
he also photographs art shows, in partnership with HASH, for FRANK . . and yes. all in BLACK & WHITE.
yep, black and white film in that old school 35mm camera – he carries.
WC BEVAN originally hails from OHIO, but moved to Memphis to go to art school. art school didn’t stick, but Memphis, and the music scene there – did, for awhile, anyways. he now lives and works in NYC.
while in Memphis he did meet Alexandra Eastburn, and in fact it was he – who introduced AMY LI to ALEXANDRA, and thus it is WC who we have to thank . . for this great show, and time.
ANTHONY HADEN-GUEST made the scene too.
that’s the night’s artist: Alexandra Eastburn on the right, surrounded by her work,
and it’s looking . . good.
and, finally I get to meet up with Hash’s other bother, (he has 3) .. ASHER LEWIS, on the left.
ASHER is involved in a ‘start-up’ . . ‘AUTEUR ARTS’ dedicated to indie filmmaking.
with him on the right, is his lawyer . . copyright and intellectual property lawyer, NATHANIEL KLEINMAN.
remember that name, you might need him one day, too.
curator, art show producer, and FRANK correspondent HASH HALPER . .with artist DERRICK FAIRBANKS.
we will give Hash the last word . .
why ?
because he’s been really energizing the downtown scene, to the max. this year,
and for sure . . there’s more to follow.
A GREAT NIGHT.
A GREAT SHOW.
WELCOME TO NEW YORK CITY . . ALEXANDRA EASTBURN.
PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH
~ALEXANDRA EASTBURN . . OPENING PIX |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | November 8th, 2013, 12:35pm
