~JOSH HARRIS & BOXING / ALFREDO MARTINEZ & FAKING . .
JOSH (LUVVY) HARRIS & HIS LOVE of BOXING / ALFREDO MARTINEZ & HIS LOVE of FAKING BASQUIATS
and I say: to each, and all / grab your own weapon of creative – desire !!
and run with it – it’s the only way.
so, to continue with the previous riff on Josh’s write-up re ‘OATHING ANTHONY HADEN-GUEST’ on WHITEHOT,
including his own great quote of Anthony boxing in Josh’s ‘PSEUDO FIGHT CLUB” (!!!!!), and yeah . .
Josh most definite had a huge steam room in the loft on Broadway at Prince, where many a naked
New Yorker participated in the steamy & seamy goings-on.
I still have a mint condition LUVVY BOXING GOWN /
fabricated, silk screened, & designed by MARK ENGER, of EXPLODING SKY WORLDWIDE.
it’s probably a commercial dressing gown, with a faux Versace take – that was easily available,
around Broadway & Canal St. at the time, ca. 2000, 2001.
MARK ENGER, also designed the LUVVY the CLOWN logo.
LUVVY was Josh’s alter ego / this came in handy for things like going after corporate funding, or even art world credibility /
he could play the straight man, and blame – the (seriously) bad boy Josh behavior – on his alter ego: Luvvy the Clown.
the ‘LUVVYPLEX’, where the boxing ring & early matches took place – was on the site of the original ‘We Live In Public’ / ‘QUIET’ millennial party – after it had been shut down by the NYPD, FDNY & FEMA (!!!)
Josh re-imagined it as multi-layered, hence: ‘plex’, invite-only, site specific artist ‘theater’., where different artists,
of his choosing – got to make installations.
His own contribution was the boxing ring. I was already kicked out by then, so I can’t really tell you much more than that. except Mark Enger gifted me the dressing gown, knowing I’d keep it, and add it to my archive of his work.
here’s a sleeve . .
funny how many things are ‘faux’ today / but ‘faux Versace’ was definite ahead of the curve – back then.
the EXPLODING SKY WORLDWIDE – LOGO.
in case you’re wondering, that’s one of my hand-stitched, creatively repaired quilts in the background /
in my gritty Jersey backyard. what can I say, hardcore original content – still doesn’t pay. much.
but, still – life is good.
heard of ART LOT BROOKLYN ?
well this is: ART LOT NANCY.
JOSH HARRIS – sure loves his boxing.
PHOTO: NANCY SMITH, Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Aug 19, 2010.
ok, ok .. I’ll show you who else – was in the photo.
surprise, surprise, not.
ALFREDO MARTINEZ, aka the Notorious Basquiat Forger !!
Josh had just rescued Alfredo from secret . . torture & detention in China.
I kid you not, long story. note, he’s pretty shell-shocked, and he’s still got his one-way plane ticket, around his neck.
and, yes of course the famous photo of Andy Warhol & Jean Michel . . boxing – was the inspo.
well, Josh seems to be doing pretty pretty good.
writing for Noah Becker & Whitehot Mag, and, still taking great (staged) photos, of himself.
but, Alfredo is doing pretty good too. he’s pretty much become a household . . name.
you don’t think so ?
just ask anybody you come into contact with today, your Uber driver, the co-worker, the vet, your kids !!
if they have ever heard of Anna Delvey the Fake Heiress, and they will say: yes.
then, ask them if they have ever heard of Alfredo Martinez, aka the Notorious Basquiat Forger who promoted her art, all the way up to DR. PHIL – and, they will say: YES !! TOO !!
ALFREDO MARTINEZ, fake Basquiat.
the thing is now he is quite open about it, and signs them – with his own name.
he seems to be currently painting on scaled-down, Home Depot-type wooden picket fences,
well come on, it’s summer !!
ALFREDO MARTINEZ, fake Basquiat.
the thing about Alfredo’s fake Basquiats – is that they are not really fakes, at all,
in the sense that they are like Shaker Spirit drawings, in that they seem to come down directly from Basquiat himself,
kind of like – speaking in tongues.
ALFREDO MARTINEZ, Fake Basquiat
of course, and esp with that recently discredited, fiasco / of a Basquiat Exhibit museum action !!
at the Orlando Museum of Art, Fake Basquiats are seriously trending !!
not to mention many numerous to other storeis of fake Basquait activity. google it.
and we all know who the grandfather of that is – right down to the real / or is fake – Certificate of Authenticity.
all in all, I’d say my long-time crew, (I’ve known them, Josh, Alfredo and Mark since the late 1990s),
is doing pretty, pretty darn good.
what about – your’s ?
PHOTOS: ALL photos by NANCY SMITH, except for the 3 ALFREDO MARTINEZ – ‘Fake Basquiat Paintings on Wooden Picket Fencing’ . .
images – which are via Alfredo’s Instagram: @alfredomartinezartist.