Run Wrake still from "Rabbit"
Most of you have probably already encountered Run Wrake's wondrous animated short film, Rabbit, during your interweb wanderings. (If not, you must watch it immediately.) Glory be, he just released another short called The Control Master which he crafted for Veer using their catalog of retro illustrations - be sure to have a look. It is a bizarre banquet of visual mayhem from a true creative phenom.
(Thanks, Joe!)
Yinka Shonibare, MBE "Prospero's Monsters" installation detail 2008
The consistently wonderful James Cohan Gallery has a show up now that looks amazing. It's an installation about colonization by Yinka Shonibare, MBE called "Prospero's Monsters" that contains headless mannequins in period dress, photographs of old ships, dusty bookshelves, quill pens, and other delights. It looks harrowing and gorgeous, and closes on May 17th, so be sure to check it out.
Amy Bessone "Woman and Serpent" 2007
Amy Bessone elevates kitsch to a whole new level. Her oil paintings of strange porcelain knick knacks and glazed, grandmotheresque tchotchkes are comical yet ultimately rather striking. You can check out her show, "With Friends Like These," up at both branches of Salon 94 until May 23rd.
Stuart Kolakovic "Never Been" detail
Stuart Kolakovic's web masterpiece, "Never Been" is unlike anything I've ever seen before. Please do yourself a favor and go to the site, then follow the dreamy, narrative trail. I don't want to say too much else, as half the fun of the piece is the discovery process.
Michael Pajon "Standard American XXIV: Ghosts and Suitors" 2008
The cluttered collage world of Michael Pajon is crammed with elements of nostalgia and fantasy. These odd memory pieces remind me a bit of the work of Tony Fitzpatrick, though they have a style all their own.
Anahata Katkin "Bewitched"
Anahata Katkin is a very prolific mixed media artist who creates images that are exuberant with color. Her work, quite simply, makes me feel happy, and there's not much higher praise than that. She also has a blog, if you care to keep tabs on her.
Alex Grey "Wonder - Zena Gazing at the Moon" 1996
I have been a longtime fan of Alex Grey's visionary artwork, and realized I had to immediately remedy the fact that I have never posted about him here. Perhaps most known to the masses as the man responsible for much of Tool's
For those of you in New York, I highly recommend a visit to his Chapel of Sacred Mirrors in Chelsea, a veritable jewelbox of a space which contains most of Alex's paintings, including his 21-piece homage to spiritual unity. More than just a gallery, CoSM has become a full-on community center, with lectures, events, and ceremonies that are open to the public. It is one of my favorite places to bring people, as it is a somewhat hidden surprise on the 4th floor of an old warehouse, making it a bit like suddenly entering the Land of Oz. As an added bonus, Alex gives tours of the space himself on one Saturday a month, explaining his work and answering questions. It is an absolute treat, so do check the schedule (it looks like the next one is on May 17th at 6:30).
Lastly, it looks as though Alex will be giving a lecture at the Open Center on Friday, June 20th, called "Ethneogeneration: Sacred Potions, Art, Altered States, and the Divine." You can bet I'll be there.
The very dear Craig Conley introduced me recently to the spectacular 1970s Czech film by Jaromil Jires, called Valerie and Her Week of Wonders
Joanna Ebenstein "Anatomical Venus" 2007
Renaissance woman, Joanna Ebenstein, has just launched a web version of her stunning "Anatomical Theatre" photography exhibition. Ebenstein made pilgrimages to medical museums in the US and Europe, doing research and then documenting her discoveries in camera. The results are a beautiful and arresting visual medley of biological oddities, anatomical models, and other curiosa. (You should also be reading her fascinating blog, Morbid Anatomy, if you aren't already.)
Lisa Marie Godfrey
Lisa Marie Godfrey takes a simple idea and elevates it with her spot-on execution. Her "Dream Guides" series consists of found vintage photographs which she embellishes with gauzy painted details. Perhaps you'll encounter one of these characters while you sleep tonight...
Tim Walker
I was first introduced to the loveliness of Tim Walker's photographs by an art director pal of mine, and became instantly smitten. I meant to post about him then, but was reminded again by the wonderful Moldy Doily blog. As with Eugenio Recuenco and Mert & Marcus, I am always bowled over when fashion photography transcends its usual parameters, and becomes a work of imagination and nebulous narrative. If you love Tim Walker's photographs as much as I do, you can pre-order his book, Tim Walker Pictures
M. Hutter "Two Boys Play a Trick on Their Sister" 2006
I had the toughest time deciding which of M. Hutter's paintings to put up here. I knew I wanted it to be from his Purgatorium series, but I am crazy about so many of them. They're like storybook illustrations for adults. Or rather, like fairy tales actually were, before history censored out all of the horror and sex.
Lots of splendid new music has just come out, and I am swooning:
Clinic - Do It!
Breeders - Mountain Battles
Portishead - Third
Papercuts - Can't Go Back
Jason Levesque Cover for Comic Book Tattoo
Image Comics recently made an announcement that completely blew my mind, as it yields a convergence of so many of my favorite things. This summer, they will be releasing Comic Book Tattoo, an anthology of graphic interepretations of dozens of songs from the Tori Amos canon, edited by Rantz Hoseley. (The title is a lyric from her fantastic B-side, "Flying Dutchman.") The list of artists involved is staggering, and includes such comics luminaries as Mike Dringenberg
“When I was crashing at her place back during the writing and recording of [1992's] Little Earthquakes, I was buying a lot of comics, and I’d leave them lying around,” he explained. “Eventually, I ended up convincing her to read some of them, which she loved. Books like ‘Sandman,’ ‘Omaha,’ some of Ted McKeever’s work from that era, ‘A Distant Soil’ as well as some others. That ended up leading to Tori writing the line in ‘Tear in Your Hand’ where she name-drops Neil [Gaiman] and Sandman, which lead to me sneaking an early mix copy of the album to Neil at that year’s [Comic-Con International in San Diego]. When Little Earthquakes was released, I ended up with the misspelled ‘credit’ on that song as ‘Sandman comic supplier’, so Tori’s and my comic connection goes back almost as long as I’ve known her.”
Iris Schwarz "J'ai oublie"
I love Iris Schwarz's francophilic prints. Whimsical and antique-feeling, they'd look lovely in a crumbling palace, or against a wall of cracked paint.
Orly Cogan "Fairytale"
Orly Cogan creates embroidered fever dreams whose childlike prettiness belies an undercurrent of sexual transgression. I love when so called "safe" handicrafts like this are resignified to be revolutionary, surprising, and even taboo.
Suzanne Treister "ALCHEMY/USA Today" July 17th, 2007
It's difficult to know where to begin when talking about the divinely dexterous Suzanne Treister. A multimedia artist interested in exploring (and skewering) potential connections between the occult and world affairs, she attacks her fascinations with panache. Her obsessively detailed ink drawings, currently on view at PPOW Gallery, reconfigure newspaper articles into alchemical diagrams. She is also the mastermind behind the HEXEN 2039 project, in which her quasi-fictional time-travelling alter-ego, Rosalind Brodsky, constructs elaborate conspiracy theories regarding "occult groups, Chernobyl, witchcraft, the US film industry, British Intelligence agencies, Soviet brainwashing, behaviour control experiments of the US Army and recent practices of its Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations Command (PSYOP), in light of alarming new research in contemporary neuroscience..." You can view bits of this piece online, though I am praying it comes to New York someday soon.
Richard Russell "Flowers of the World" 2007
My pal Joanna over at Morbid Anatomy introduced me to the wonderful work of Richard Russell. His pieces incorporate collage elements in beeswax, and the wood panels lend a weathered texture that adds to the overall vintage feel.
"When Is a Clock" is a new play by the very brilliant trailblazer (and keeper of my heart), Matthew Freeman. It is being billed as "a surrealistic detective story," but I would add that it has moments of outlandish humor, as well as incredible poignance. Freeman's script is lyrical and bursting with strange beauty, director Kyle Ancowitz is a true visionary, and the actors are some of the finest you will see in New York. I don't want to give anything else away, so you simply must come and see it yourself. The show is up at Blue Coyote's Access Theater through May 10th. Tickets are $18, though preview performances (April 15th-17th) are discounted to $12. Get em while they're hot (and still available).
Blue Coyote Theater Group presents
When Is A Clock
Tuesday, April 15, 2008 through Saturday, May 10, 2008
8:00pm
A surrealistic detective story from Matthew Freeman.
Length: 1 hr 45 mins
Intermission: None
Seating: General Admission
When Gordon's wife vanishes, the only clue to her whereabouts is a dog-eared copy of an odd book. Pursued by the police as a potential homicide suspect and perpetually nagged by his smart-ass teenage son, Gordon takes off to a strange Pennsylvania town to search for his missing wife. At turns both scathingly funny and disturbingly compelling, When Is A Clock features Freeman's celebrated deconstruction of American culture - which has been called "nonviolent, though as savage as any slasher film" by the NY Times.
Access Theater
380 Broadway
New York, NY 10013
(Corner of B'Way/White Street)
Susan Jamison "Tatting Tales" 2007
I had the pleasure of attending Susan Jamison's opening last night at Spanierman Modern. I was awestruck by the delicacy of her brushstrokes, as well as the rose quartz glow that seemed to fill the space thanks to her subjects' beautiful fleshtones. (Susan's stunning hot pink dress helped, too.) The show is called "For the Curious" and riffs on ideas of mutation, womanhood, and otherness. You can check out this spectacular work through May 3rd.
Kelly Louise Judd "A Tiny Garden" 2008
I've posted about Kelly Louise Judd before, but had to share her newest painting with you. Perfect for this splendid spring day we're enjoying here in NYC.
Christopher David Ryan "Many Moons" 2007
Christopher David Ryan is a very fine graphic artist with killer instincts. His pieces feel perfectly balanced, ancient and futuristic at once. He has prints for sale here. I'm so tempted to buy either the one above and/or "The Solar System."
Angelo Filomeno "My Love Sings When the Rower is Near (The Philosopher and the Woman) 2007
Apologies for the short notice on this, as I only heard about this now. Angelo Filomeno's show is up through this Saturday the 12th at Galerie Lelong. This is one of those "must see in person" shows, due to the luster of his giant silk tapestries, the texture of his gleaming threadwork, and the shimmering crystals spangled throughout the pieces, all of which is lost on screen. Standing in front of a Filomeno is a truly transcendent experience. (If you do miss this, you can still catch his work at the Pricked: Extreme Embroidery show, which has been extended by popular demand to April 27th).
Carlos Esteves "Plenilunio" 2004
I am all atingle about the work of Cuban artist Carlos Esteves. His precise, geometric interpretations of spirituality and magic nod aesthetically to Paul Klee and Joan Miro, though I find his work to be far more enchanting.
Nikki Pinder Cover for NightOwl 2007
Nikki Pinder is an illustrator after my own heart, what with her masterful surrealist composites. She is also the mind behind the mixed media magazine NightOwl which, sadly, looks to be sold out. I wish I could have nabbed a copy. Maybe she'll come out with a second issue, if we ask nicely?
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