Phantasmaphile

Mark Borthwick

Mark Borthwick

You all already know by know about my penchant for hazy photography.  So it should come as no surprise that Mark Borthwick has become an instant favorite of mine.  His light-soaked pieces feel mystical and languid, like a west coast afternoon circa 1968.

Kristin Elder

Kristin Elder  "The Dinner Party"

Kristin Elder's watercolor pieces are laced with both sugar and spice.  They could be illustrations from a Caldecott winning children's book, albeit one intended for some rather twisted readers.

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Bonni Reid

Bonni Reid  "Cultivated Hysteria"

I've been meaning to post about Bonni Reid for an atrociously long time now.  Better late than never:  she is an impressively prolific artist and designer who fills her canvases with the joyous clutter of a brain mad for pop culture, history, biology, and the beauty of excess.  Her blog is also a treat, so give it a click, won't you?

Alice Remixed

Selena Kimball

Selena Kimball  "Plate II" from The Dreaming Life of Leonora de la Cruz  2000

Selena Kimball's collages remind me quite a bit of Max Ernst's surrealist picto-novel, Une Semaine De Bonte.  That is a very good thing, as both use vintage cuttings to create splendid visual stories.  I'd love to own Kimball's book, The Dreaming Life of Leonora de la Cruz.  Wouldn't you?

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John Ryan Solis

John Ryan Solis  "Anatomical Pin-up"

John Ryan Solis is infatuated with the human form.  Whether obsessively drawing odes to women's hair (check out the Fine Art section on his site) or turning retro-styled ladies inside out, his details are precise, and his sense of humor is razor sharp.

(Thanks again, Joe!)

Nathalie Daoust

Nathalie Daoust  from "Frozen in Time" series

Photographer Nathalie Daoust has created a pastel whisper of a series called "Frozen in Time" about her quasi-imagined past in Switzerland.  Each image is has a ghostly magic about it, as well as an air of blurred voyeurism. 

Balint Zsako Collages

Balint Zsako  "Madama Butterfly"

I've already gushed about the painted work of Balint Zsako, but I just encountered his florid, decadent collages for the first time in this month's issue of Culture+Travel, and had to immediately share them.  You can see more of these lavish pieces on his site.

Georges Méliès

I just watched Méliès the Magician, a collection of 15 short films by cinematic wunderkind, Georges Méliès.  Whimsical and brilliantly inventive, his films were light years ahead of their time in terms of special effects and optical tricks.  Disembodied heads float, drawings come to life, devils, aliens, and goddesses shimmer in black and white.  It is astounding what he was able to accomplish on a limited budget at the turn of the century.  His most famous film is "Voyage dans la Lune," which was the basis for the miraculous Smashing Pumpkins video, "Tonight, Tonight."  Compare and contrast:

Traces du Sacré

Oh, lucky Parisians!  The Pompidou has a massive exhibit up now called Traces du Sacré, which is a survey of artistic interpretations of religion and the mystical experience throughout the 20th century.  According to e-flux: 

'With “Traces du Sacré,” already promising to be one of the major artistic events of the year, the Centre Pompidou returns to the tradition of major multidisciplinary exhibitions that made its reputation, offering a visual exploration of one of the most pressing issues of our time.

Following what has come to be called “the disenchantment of the world,” a significant strain of modern art has found its roots in the turmoil attendant upon the loss of conventional religious belief, a terrain that continues to nourish the development of contemporary forms.

Taking in the whole history of twentieth-century art, from Caspar David Friedrich to Kandinsky, from Malevich to Picasso, and from Barnett Newman to Bill Viola, the exhibition looks at the way in which art to continues to testify, in often unexpected ways, to the existence of a universe beyond, remaining, in a thoroughly secularised world, the profane vehicle of an ineluctable need to rise above the quotidian.

This broad selection of paintings, sculptures, installations and videos brings together some 350 major works – many of them never seen before in France – by almost 200 artists of international renown.

The distinctively multidisciplinary character of the exhibition will be reflected in the Centre’s regular ancillary events, with a programme of film, concerts, video and live performance, a lecture series and a literary colloquium expanding on the theme.'

It is up through August 11th of this year, and then travelling to Munich.  Hmmm, maybe another European jaunt is in order for me.  Who wants to be my sponsor?

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Svetlana Valueva

Svetlana Valueva

This gorgeous image is like a Russian version of shokushu goukan.  Svetlana Valueva depicts the intertwined relationships between graceful maidens and the nature that surrounds them.  Ecstatic and intense energy flows throughout, capturing each woman in moments of rapture.

Teun Hocks

Teun Hocks  "Untitled (Atlantis)"  1992

I love this piece by Teun Hocks.  I love all of his work, actually, but this one rings my bell on several levels.  Perfect composition, clever combination of photography and painting, and a message that's chilling and poignant and comical (see title) at the same time - like the best cosmic jokes. 

Lynda Barry

Lynda Barry is one of my living heroines.  Her comics and novels are exuberant and hilarious, and perfectly capture the bittersweetness of the adolescent experience.  I think her stories rings so profoundly true due to their innate specificity.  Whether she is sharing fragments of her own memories - as in her astounding graphic novella One Hundred Demons - or spinning more "fictional" yarns - as she does with her comic strip Ernie Pook's Comeek or novels like CRUDDY- her fierce honesty and devotion to detail are vivid and relentlessly brave.

As we all know, the thing about actually meeting one's hero or heroine is that they can be rather disappointing people in real life.  So it was a leap of faith for me when I decided to take her writing workshop, Writing the Unthinkable, a few years back.  Not only was it an inspiring and instructive experience from a crafting standpoint, but it made my love for Ms. Barry grow twentyfold, as she was every bit as funny, warm, and badass in person as I had always imagined - perhaps even more so.

In addition to reading all of her past work, I highly encourage you all to read this great article about her in yesterday's Times.  In it, she talks about her newest book, What It Is, which is an illustrated workbook of sorts about writing, creativity, and the power of images.  I already ordered my copy, and can't wait to receive that giant dose of magical Lynda Barry potion. 

UPDATE:  I just received the book and it is huge and breathtakingly beautiful. 

Run Wrake

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

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

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

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.

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Michael Pajon

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.

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Anahata Katkin

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.

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Alex Grey

      
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 neo-psychedelic album art, he is to my mind one of the most impressive artists and important living mystics we have today.  His lifetime scholarship of pan-cultural enlightenment combined with his exacting draughtsmanship of physical anatomy translate into confoundingly beautiful paintings that seek to visually represent the most sacred of human experiences.  His images of birth, death, sexuality, love, and wonder (as depicted in one of my very favorite pieces of his, above) show people as radiant beings with rich, interactive relationships to the energy fields of the universe. 

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.