Parabola

Somethings just leave a deep mark in your memory. No matter how many times you go back to them, they seem to be layered- each time making new connection, discovering or just realizing another levels.
I just had one of those experiences. An 'unexpected encounter' with piece of information, online. I accidentally saw Parabola - video from Tool after hours of hyper-linking youtube. It is amazing how many hours you can spend in a blink of an eye. But then again, it is all worthed after moments like this:

We barely remember who or what came before this precious moment,
We are choosing to be here right now. Hold on, stay inside
This holy reality, this holy experience.
Choosing to be here in

This body. This body holding me. Be my reminder here that I am not alone in
This body, this body holding me, feeling eternal
All this pain is an illusion.

Alive, I

Since last time I saw the video I started practicing yoga. Coming back to it after some period of time, I realized how the artists were also inspired by similar philosophy of life. This 10 minute video features the artist Tricky and the beautiful animation in the last part of it is based on the artwork of New York based artist Alex Gray.

Wanderlust

Lately I am fascinated by music videos that reach state of the art creativity. Bjork's new video Wonderlust made me search for 3D glasses through the city, because I wanted to experience the whole effect of the already appealing 2D version that u can watch here:
Wanderlust - 2d

I have periods when I’m hungry for something new. I'm quite hungry right now. And then I have periods when I'm more domestic. I kind of make fun of my hunger on the new album in a track called Wanderlust. It's about the state of looking for something and almost knowing you’re never going to find it.
Interview Magazine, august 2007

I am leaving this harbour
giving urban a farewell
its habitants seem too keen on God
I cannot stomach their rights and wrong

I have lost my origin
and I don't want to find it again
rather sailing into nature's laws
and be held by ocean's paws

wanderlust
relentlessly craving
wanderlust
peel off the layers
until you get to the core

did I imagine it would be like this
was it something like this I wished for
or will I want more?

lust for comfort
suffocates the soul
this relentless
restlessness
liberates me
sets me free

I feel at home whenever
the unknown surrounds me
I receive its embrace
aboard my floating house

wanderlust
relentlessly craving
wanderlust
peel off the layers
until you get to the core

did I imagine it would be like this?
was it something like this I wished for?
or will I want more?

wanderlust!
from island to island
wanderlust!
united in movement
wonderful!
I enjoy it with you

wanderlust!

can you spot a pattern?

relentlessly restless
restless relentlessly
restless relentlessly

The video was made by Encyclopedia Pictura.
Their work is new to me, but I sure will have my eyes peeled fresh videos from them. It's worth visiting their site :)

The Cans Festival in London

Huge event. Stencil artists as Bsas Stencil, Run Don't Walk, James Dodd (dlux), Tom Civil (civilian), Vexta, Prism, Daniel Melim, Altocontraste, Bandit, Roadsworth, 3D Del Naja, Artiste-Ouvrier. Blek, Sten, Sadhu, C215, Lucamaleonte, Lex, Orticancvoodles, Kaagman, Dolk, Pobel, M-City, Vhils, Btoy, Coolture, Schhh, Borbo, Sam3, Faile, Eine, John Grider, Logan Hicks, Pure Evil, Dot masters, Dan, Eelus, Banksy !

More at Romanywg's photostream.

GRL: The Complete First Season @ NYC's MoMa

So, this weekend, at MoMA, the Graffiti Research Laboratory will be premiering their film, GRL: The Complete First Season on Sunday, May 4th @ 8PM. After the flick, there will be a talk with a range of artists featured in the film, including Mark Jenkins, Leon Reid, and Steve Lambert. You can learn more here, but be sure to check out the trailer below...

You can see what Mark Jenkins has been doing in Sweden lately ;-)

Graffiti Research Lab @ NY's MoMA

A video is worth a 1000 words ;-)

From their origins in the trash room of a non-profit in Manhattan to their emergence as the instigators of an international art movement, Graffiti Research Lab: The Complete First Season documents the adventures of an architect and an engineer who quit their day jobs to develop high-tech tools for the art underground. The film follows the GRL and their network of graffiti artist collaborators (and commercial imitators) across four continents as they write on skyscrapers with lasers, mock advertisers with homemade tools, get in trouble with The Department of Homeland Security and make activism fun again. Primarily using video footage from point-and-shoot digital cameras (“The Pocket School”) and found-content on the web, the movie’s visual style draws as much from the art of the power point presentation and viral media as conventional documentary cinema. Narrated by GRL co-founders, Roth and Powderly, The Complete First Season makes a humorous and insightful argument for free speech in public, open source in pop culture, the hacker spirit in graffiti and not asking for permission in general. The film was premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2008. Available 24/7 on The Pirate Bay.

animal cruelty is not art !!!

This is horrible.
Further I read the mail I got from a friend I was becoming more disguised+angry+sad. This is what it said and click here to see the video (don't mind the song in the background!)

In the 2007, the 'artist' Guillermo Vargas Habacuc, took a dog from the street, he tied him to a rope in an art gallery, starving him to death. For several days, the 'artist' and the visitors of the exhibition have watched emotionless the shameful 'masterpiece' based on the dog's agony, until eventually he died. Does it look like art to you?

But this is not all ... the prestigious Visual Arts Biennial of Central America decided that the 'installation' was actually art, so that Guillermo Vargas Habacuc has been invited to repeat his cruel action for the biennial of 2008.

Sign the petition to stop this non-sense !!!!!!
http://www.petitiononline.com/ea6gk/petition-sign.html
http://www.petitiononline.com/13031953/petition.html
or just copy it in your browser to sign a petion to stop him to do it again, then digit the name Guillermo Vargas Habacuc to find the petition to sign.

explosions in the sky

The emotional journey that this band offered at their live performance yesterday is unexplainable. Truly epic. I am so moved by their music and performance that I'm not able to articulate it, just as Gean Moreno wrote in an article I recently read:

Concerts are memorialized as enchanted experiences and embalmed as vessels of secret feelings that refuse verbal translation. First encounters always happen in some other, not quite-quotidian time and space that is impossible to duplicate and available only to those who where there. These are the secret apotheoses of pop culture, what the money machine can never take away...

I can only recommend Explosions In The Sky as a magnificent band to hear live. Until then, click and .... listen.

Be Kind Rewind

In loving respect for Michel Gondry's work, I went down to SOHO last month to see the exposition Be Kind Rewind shortly before his identically titled film was released in theaters.

Be Kind Rewind is a film about two childhood friends living in Pasaic, New Jersey, trying to make ends meet. After one of the characters accidentally gets his brain magnetized by trying to sabotage a local power plant, he visits the video store his friend is taking care of while the owner is away and unknowingly erases all of the video tapes in the store’s inventory. The characters decide to make their own homemade versions of popular films in a junkyard behind the store. These new “sweded” films—recreations using commonly available, everyday materials—prove more popular with the customers than the originals, making the two friends local celebrities.

For the exhibition, Michel Gondry recreated the video store in the gallery, complete with a back lot containing a variety of movie sets where visitors can make their own renditions of films. All videos created during the exhibition were viewed in the gallery. About the project, Gondry states:

“I don’t intend nor have the pretension to teach how to make films. Quite the contrary. I intend to prove that people can enjoy their time without being part of the commercial system and serving it. Ultimately, I am hoping to create a network of creativity and communication that is guaranteed to be free and independent from any commercial institution.”

It was fun. Sometimes (and maybe because of those commercial institutions) we forget that working should be fun, primarily. The only thing that surprised me was that you could not use your own camera! Made me wonder WHY ? If it is about the creative process and networking- shouldn't that be the last thing that is restricted ??? ... Mr. Gondry, do not make me lift that eyebrow!!!

Have not seen the movie yet, but if you have any opinions, feel free to post!

come correct

It is strange, how sometimes you still have expectations, even when you get older and you have built up your experience. Its always good when you face the reality :-)

Some bubbles were bursted at the graffiti show last Thursday at The Showroom Gallery. The gallery space consisted of two rooms: a bigger one where most of the artworks where exhibited and a smaller one, where Cope2 gave presents and his designers sneakers were exhibited. DJ played, there was good mood and people had fun waiting to meet the artists, take pictures or see the artwork. But what artwork was there to see? I questioned the purpose of the group show and the works seemed very anemic lacking the energy you get when you see a 'real' piece of all those graffiti writers! Maybe because I have seen their work on the streets, I was expecting more from the show. Maybe it was just meant to be nothing more than a good party, but strikingly that was not the only thing that left a bitter kind of feeling as leaving the show. I guess after a while some of the writers just stop doing pieces outside on the streets and get involved in another form of expression and I do not argue that at all. But it makes me sad seeing great writers conforming. Like the world isn't just gray enough.

Personally, for me the queen of the night was Claw. Some people never give up the fight! I admire her. You can still see her bombing NYC beside her designers work.

There is so much to do, so little time!!! (Oh, or as Banksy said , I will paraphrase: so much time so little to say :-))) Living in NY is pushing the tempo! I haven't posted much lately, but I'll keep it fresh in future.

Stay true and eat healthy!

The Streets Of Europe

Check out this video: Life Ain’t Simple




I had the chance too see Bo130 and Microbo (from the video above) along with Blek Le Rat, Blue, D*Face and Space Invader at a beautiful show in December called The Streets Of Europe.

Jonathan LeVine Gallery’s goal in organizing this series of International Street Art exhibitions (First Brazilian, and now European) is to help create a visual dialogue within our global community, a creative exchange of ideas that transcend class and cultural differences, while crossing geographical borders. The objective is to promote freedom of expression through exposing new artwork to people in different cities worldwide.




Blek le Rat
A pioneer of graffiti writers in Europe, Blek le Rat was one of the first to use stencils on the street. His method of creating street art changed the face of graffiti and continues to influence artists around the world.



I especialy love Blu
With a penchant for drawing and public art, Blu started painting walls around his native Bologna in 2000. His pieces often cover entire sides of buildings, which he either paints using brushes mounted on long sticks, or by simply standing on a friend’s shoulders.



Space Invader
Referencing the 1978 video game, mosaics featuring “Space Invaders” became a familiar sight on the streets of Paris in the late 90s. Space Invader's usage of tile to create street art, rather than paint or stencil emphasizes his commentary of how information networks have affected and transformed society. Space Invader creatures can be found on the streets of over thirty five cities worldwide. Recently, his exhibition work has evolved, incorporating Rubik’s Cubes to create Invaders and building 3D sculptures which echo the same imagery in his two-dimensional street pieces.

D*Face
D*Face is more like a stylized cartoonist whose characters are too alive, demanding and confrontational to be limited to television sets, canvases or drawing boards. They’ve completely escaped the pen of their creator, repopulating the walls of London by transforming the streets into a cartoon landscape of slit-eyed spheres and sharp-eared gremlins. But here at this show I was truly amazed by his work (the approach and the handling of the pieces as well as the themes he chose) and I was surprised that he evolved so much and didn't just present the characters he is so well known of!

light graffiti by Lichtfaktor

Graffiti as we know it ... evolves ... and dissolves ... into the light ... into the night ...!

Alastair Magnaldo

The image above will lead you in to the phantasmagorical world of photo manipulation by this french artist/scientist Al Magnus...

La pensée se forme dans l’âme comme les nuages se
forment dans le ciel, allez voir les nuages et les étoiles
dans le ciel de Alastair, ils vous feront quitter notre monde
et ses nombreux problèmes pour vous faire entrer dans
son monde du rêve… Là, plus de pollutions ni de misères
mais un moment de bonheur rafraîchissant…

Xia Xiaowan

In Xia Xiaowan's show, "Painting From the Inside," "painting" is conceived of as both as a physical act and artistic outcome. Under such a pretext, Xia Xiaowan's works seek to investigate and question the essence of painting as well as the process of creation, sensual perception and our observation of reality.


I was amazed. At first sight I could not recognize how it was made. Even Damien Hirst came to mind... but where can you find creatures like that ? :-) Infact they are made by a unique technique of using special pencils on over a dozen sheets of tinted glass panels layered together creating a very bizarre sculptural image. Here is a picture from an exhibition view so you get a feeling how they are situated in space. They do look like aquariums, don't they ?

eco-friendly art

Bravo for the fine young fella ! Stefan Thompson posted on his web page how to make your own colours, for non-toxic art ;-) at the end of the 'tutorial' there are some links, check 'em out! And some interesting characters he's got there, too... (more characters)

D.I.Y.

opportunity (art)

Ottawa School of Art - miniature prints
-juried exhibition of miniature prints (maximum size is 10cm by 15cm)and is calling for print artists from all over the world
-cheduled for April 24th to May 29th, 2008. Deadline for submissions is March 29th.

Pen and Brush
-Spring Brush Show (women artist): Works on Canvas, Works on Paper, and Mixed Media
-16 East 10th Street in New York’s Greenwich Village
-the juror of selection and awards is Pamela N. Koob, curator of the permanent collection and exhibition coordinator of the Art Students League
-download pdf here
-entry deadline May 2 (expo 5/29 - 6/22)

The Keyholder Residency Program (4 future)
-residencies are free and one year long, starting on April 1st
-applications are evaluated by a committee of peers, based on the quality of submitted artwork. Artists without a studio space are encouraged to apply.
-deadline is Saturday, March 1

Amos Eno Gallery
-giving away solo exhibition this summer 2008
-all disciplines
-entry fee $40
-deadline March 22

visual melody James Jean

Just love how James Jean finds a way of slipping playful subversions and running visual jokes into the nooks and crannies of his paintings and replaces impulse with symbolism. His works are characterized by technical facility with intelligence and emotional intensity. Although some may say he deals with 'traditional medium' he does not lack freshness, but has equal parts innovation and experimentation in the approach.

Fables is the name of the comic book for which James designs the cover. He does such a good job at doing that and was awarded with so many awards, I will have to copy/paste them all from wikipedia if I want to name them all. Eventually we can see his works at display in NY, 2009. Can't wait to feast my eyes !

CCNY MFA group show (with pictures)

For Pictures click Thumbnail Above
For Immediate Release
NEW YORK - The Graduate Art Society of City College is pleased to announce an MFA group show titled Informants, opening Wednesday February 13th from 6-8 pm at the City College Art Gallery. Informants is an exploration in the symbiotic relationship that exists between source material and artistic 'objects.' This exhibition chooses to focus on revealing the source imagery, or informants, and in essence, hiding the artwork. Artists used their own discretion in what to share with the public, that which is normally considered to be private. Comprising of two parts, books and objects, this exhibition can be considered an interactive display. Viewers are encouraged to sit in the desks provided and read through the books available as well as observe the objects on the display tables.

A special email has been created for this show, informants@gmail.com, in hopes to further continue the conversation created by this exhibition. Your dialogue is invited. MFA students participating are: Dennis Delgado, Filipa Farraia, Glenda Hydler, Jang Soon Im, Rachel Jobe, Seung Ae Kim, Sun Kim, Anthony Miler, Nancy Palubniak, Shani Peters, Tricia Riebesehl, Arthur Skowron, Elena Stojanova, Priska Wenger, and Yu Zhang.

Informants will be open to the public from 12 – 4 pm, Monday February 11th through Friday February 22nd at the City College Art Gallery, located in the ground floor of the Compton-Goethals Building, 1619 Amsterdam Avenue, New York, NY. A limited edition catalogue with opening essay by Anthony Miler and design by Rachel Jobe will be available.

do you recall Raymond Pettibon?

It is of great importance to know the background of artworks, especially if they are related to a social scene or as politically involved as those of Raymond Pettibon. Now the established artist is well known to the public and his pieces are valued high in the art world. Since his first major solo exhibition in 1995 he drew attention with his deeply personal, idiosyncratic , even painfully revealing drawings and was presented the Bucksbaum Award. But his beginnings were not in the upscale galleries. On the contrary- he roots go deep into the early punk scene and a notorious band.

Black Flag were the definitive Los Angeles hardcore punk band. Through their ceaseless touring, the band cultivated the American underground punk scene - influencing countless numbers of bands. Although their recording career was hampered by a draining lawsuit, which was followed by a seemingly endless stream of independently released records, the band was unquestionably one of the most influential American post-punk bands. And it was Ray's brother, Greg Ginn who founded the band and the record label SST. From the late 1970s through the mid-1980s, Pettibon was closely associated with both of them.

Their lyrics alluded to social criticism and a political viewpoint. They demonstrated affection for bohemia - both in terms of musical experimentation and a fondness for poetry - that reiterated the band's underground roots and prevented it from becoming nothing but a heavy metal group.
And it didn't matter who was in the band - throughout the years, the lineup changed numerous times - because the Black Flag name and four-bar logo became punk institutions.

Who else could be behind this logo but Pettibon. He was known to the punk scene though the work that appeared on flyers and records for Black Flag. He was described by the band members as "quiet, something of a loner and an avid jazz fan. Like his brother Greg, was profoundly hardworking and disciplined, sometimes producing dozens of drawings per day" (from Get In The Van: On The Road With Black Flag; 2.13.61 Publications).

In the 1980s, Pettibon released numerous books through the SST label; most or all of them are now out of print and sometimes command high prices. He soon started producing artwork for other bands on the SST label ( Sonic Youth 'Goo' 1990) and beyond (Foo Fighters 'Have It All' 2003).

Since then, Pettibon has been acclaimed in the international art scene, gaining notoriety after his participation in the controversial 1992 Helter Skelter exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles. His works are included in the permanent collections of public galleries throughout the world. But for me... (and I am not trying to brainlessly categorize his art) he will be the artist that gave the punk rock scene that particular iconography we will always remember. I hope this post will shine some light on some ideas because:

Tourists may embrace the exhibition, but they won’t catch that close relationship of art and music that’s born from the underground, the outcasts and the sidelines.

(Pedro Velez)

rock-on!

the worst censorship is the self censorship

One should grasp the opportunity of freedom of speech. as henry rollins once said that online blogging has become major source responsible for the substantial shifts in culture in the last couple of decades- there is no better way of saying your version of the truth in this era when information is being censored and manipulated by higher instances. i always considered everyones voices should be heard even if it they seem like whisper in comparison to the rumbling noise of big medias.

Somehow, to me, online blogging has the sensibility of the zines we used to read/make back in the days. i admired the passion and energy put into those photocopied issues, bursting with substance and creativity and in that manner i would like to start my little humble blog- contribution to the online community by writing, thinking, discussing topics in art, life ... wonders of existence in general.

As a bottom line- we have to bring the passion of who we are and what we believe in.... in what we are saying! ...having all the strings in your hands now- the worst censorship would be the self censorship!

;-)