~NICHOLAS STEINDORF . . GREENPOINT OPEN STUDIOS
NICHOLAS STEINDORF.
I’ve been following Nicholas’ work for about 3 years now. I would place his work in the roughly defined category of those 2 crazy smart guys, ROB PRUITT and ANDREW GUENTHER. except, although this is also art made for thinking people . . Nicholas’ work diverges in the sense that he is not so much (pop) media-driven, as he is . . asking questions.
and not so much, is anybody out there listening, but more, where am I, where are we – going ?
it is soul-searching, and deeply other-wise, more internal and poetic.
the view from Greenpoint. wow, if you squint, it even looks like . . Miami ?!!
palm trees, not. but still very pretty.
there’s still a big sky left to ponder out there in Greenpoint, Brooklyn – though gentrification is making inroads slowly but surely.
Nicholas’ studio is in his floor-thru-apt. he gets more real estate for the $$$, but you also get the feeling he’s a 24/7 kind of always-on-call artist type guy. and apparently when he’s not working up his art projects, he’s cooking.
so that works well.
oh oh, out peeks a little – magic !!
whether deliberate, I’m thinking . . no, or ‘found’ I’m thinking . . yes – it’s nice to see ‘magic’ is still alive and kicking, even in Greenpoint.
in fact that unicorn storage ‘locker’ is an interesting metaphor for the artist himself. and NICHOLAS in general, in that Nicholas is unique in that he seems to be the focal point of a big new scene . . the newest wave of talent to hit our small island’s shores, and they are hitting hard. the newest wave of talent & ambition wants to definite make its mark, and take over NYC, so watch out.
ok just joking, NOT.
but seriously what I mean is, it seems in every generation of artists – there are one or two individuals who aren’t so much / as in, only . . self-involved, as they are interested in, and in dialog with their surrounding community of artists, new and established – and for sure . . for this newest generation, this is Nicholas.
whenever I bump into him, I’m sure to hear about at least 3 other young artists in shows down the street, and in fact . . we did a nice trade-off this GOS/GREENPOINT OPEN STUDIO weekend. he took me to the studios of 2 of his friends: JAENA KWON and LEVI HASKE, and I took him over to meet ANDREW GUENTHER.
for sure, that’s how I like to work artlovers – it’s pretty much, I think the only way to really break down the huge & very complicated art scene . . that is NYC.
big, pink and fluffy ?!!!!
it’s so fun to walk thru someone’s studio, as opposed to the gallery setting, as opposed to the finished ‘product’ – it’s like looking into their future arc. their inner thinking, past projects stored away, new projects just taking shape. it’s akin to entering their sketchbooks, the sketchbooks of their minds, and peeking into . . the secret closets. the ‘found’ things, and the other assorted images . . that inspire them.
as Nicholas’ work is very digital projection centered, it’s a very funny Kodak moment – to catch sight of such a funny fuzzy sharply pink – tactile thing.
I guess that was just the point, witness the background here.
another ‘working’ image – either for a projection, or an installation . . of a projection ?
SATAN CERAMICS !!
Nicholas has been out and about on the . . scene.
actually, there’s a nice background story to this. the t shirt was scored from the opening, via PAT McCARTHY, who gave it to Nancy who gave it to Nicholas. that’s the way the pigeons fly !!
we outta here, or what !!
talk about . . Satan, and the dark arts, dark magic . . delving into the dark side inside / outside.
my very favorite piece by NICHOLAS STEINDORF – was just sitting nonchalantly on the wall, nearby.
it’s funny how art is just like writing a ‘blog’. you know, you just put the stuff up, never knowing where it will land. and, on the other side – you feel so lucky to have caught a ‘flicker’ of a thought, a (created) image . . in the (casual) moment.
turns out to be a grown man’s head, smoking a pipe, seamlessly morphed onto a young boy’s body.
well, the metaphors abound aplenty – and I’m sure you can come up with your own.
what I love most – is how mysterious and profound, and questioning and internal – it all is.
no words, strong muted opaque colors and a candle flame, that catches the ‘spell’ of the very moment of physical ‘illumination’. so scientific in a real world sense, and yet so rich with narrative, it is suffused with ‘atmosphere’, and . . storyline. the word self-examination, does come to mind.
such a (serialized) walk on the dark side, the unknown of my life, is such a . . THRILLER.
visually, it’s very curious, because it is so ‘muted’, and yet so . . 3-D.
I guess it’s the extreme contrasts, the lighting that creates this illusion.
NICHOLAS STEINDORF seems to be saying, playing with ART, is like playing with FIRE.
the SATAN CERAMICS crew would be sure . . . to agree.
a little bit of fire, and a little bit of darkness go a long way, clay or paper.
no diff. big diff. go figure.
translation: no diff creatively, philosophically / big diff (fired) clay makes pottery vs paper and this is probably going on a digital non-tactile route eventually.
go figure . . read a book with a candle under the covers at night & you might just burn the house down.
ps:
file under: SAD
oops, so sad. I meant that . . as a good metaphor, as in burn down the house, as in set the world on fire, with your new ideas !! think outside the box.
not the breaking news story: 2 young boys die, unattended candles set their house on fire in Queens.
pss:
I did once buy a beautiful early American / late 1880’s quilt, cheap – because it had a big burn hole in the center. it was obviously set on fire by a kid, I’m guessing, but it was prob a boy, it was stitched in a classic boy’s bed cover pattern – a boy who had been reading in bed by the flame light of a candle. you could put the quilt over your head, and by the burn hole’s position – it became obvious what had happened. Nicholas’ use of a curious boy playing with fire – made me think on this.
PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH. SUNDAY OCT 5, 2014