Mike

Coffee with Mike and Justin on Lafayette Street.

In the Middle of April my old friend artist Michael Sagato and young art Royal Joseph Nahmad partnered up for a massive painting exhibition "Delirium Tremens" on Mulberry Street. The show most probably won't get talked about in Artforum as master works in oil changing the face of contemporary painting.  But it did get a nearly perfect Page 6.  The truth is the event was not filled with the same people you see doing the rounds in Chelsea or in Bushwick but a mix  models and moguls all more then willing to try to engage in an art based conversation.      


http://www.nypost.com/p/pagesix/beautiful_turnout_sAcDxGMLa4r1YkFBant9xL

Jacolby Satterwhite

I met Jacolby at Penn; he was a second year when I started.  He was combining 

3-D modeling with analog video, making over the top costumes and performing in them, just being an overall artist not to mention one of the most intriguing people I have ever met.  Right now he has work up at the Studio Museum in Harlem and I believe the linked article from the Art 21 Blog is a fantastic read.  He honestly is one of the best young artists in the world.  He is earnestly dedicated to his practice and so engaged with being an artist getting residency after residency and just rocken out.  I am so happy he has this show.

http://blog.art21.org/2012/04/20/gastro-vision-queer-cakes-for-a-country-cookout/

Itsa Small Small World comes to an end

Chris Lawrence and Jayson Musson installing @ Family Business

When Jayson first introduced Hennessy to the world it was in the middle of our finale crits first year at Penn.  I believe everyone in the room was aware that we had just seen something with a huge level of potential to impact a world outside of our critique and program. Prior the room was very tense due to the nature of our crits, but his videos on Nauman and How to be an Artist completely captivated every one present and changed the room from bitter tastes to smiles and laughter.  


The great curator Charlotte Cotton addressed a major issue she saw of audiance regarding Jayson's work.  At this point there was no firm context for the work- ie where would Henny live.  He wasn't meant for a gallery or a museum (yet) he was for the people and thus the internet star was born.  I'm unsure if anyone would have thought that a little over a year later he would have had a story in the Times, Interview, and in the Huffington Post dedicated to Jayson and his proxy.


When he was given an interesting conceptual opportunity from artist Marilyn Minter,  New Museum curator Massimiliano Gioni and artist Maurizio Cattelan who's resent solo at the Guggenhiem show is still fresh in the minds, to take over a very small closet sized store front in the heart of Chelsea he first spoke of caging an intern.  His thinking progressed to the point where he opened up the space to those that support him.  It proved a few things: most importantly hipters can be moblezed through the internet and Jerry Saltz likes to try to stay relevent by connecting to the youth.

Giverny at The Hole

In 2010 E.V. Day was awarded the Munn Artists Residency, where she lived on Monet's estate in Giverny France.  While there Day worked with Kembra Pfahler to create the photographs of Kembra in one of her signature sculptural costumes, nude but fully painted bright red with a fantastic mop of black hair.  The photos adorn the walls of the installation that opened at the Hole on the Bowery on March 30th.  The installation itself is a recreation of the well know landscape made famous by Monet and his painterly Waterlilies.  I kind of see this show as metaphor for the LES (Lower East Side): a fabricated beauty thats just a bit off perhaps do to what is at its core: a fiery red women some place between goddess and demon.

http://theholenyc.com/

Fred Sandback changed my life

In 2007 I saw a Sandback and it effected my thinking about artistic practice greatly.  It prompted me to look at string as a material to work with.  I was living in Princeton at the time and chose to start my first experiments with sting in the woods of the Institute for Advanced Study.  After a few months my gallery, CVZ Contemporary, showed projections of the outdoor installations.  A few months later I was invited to Vienna to take place in the Vienna Biennale and then a year after that I got a grant from the City of Philadelphia all to make work inspired by Sandback.  


http://www.davidzwirner.com/

Julian Schnable

Julian Schnable at the Hole

Last night I was at a diner party in BedSty at a friends house.  Although there where a few artists present it was really not a place of artistic discourse.  As the night drew on I was in a taking to a small group including a few artists.  One of the others "non art" people in the room  brought up the name Julian Schnable most likely to try to strike up a conversation. The typical non art talk about Julian's work followed... "I like his movies much more then his paintings... " 


Last week with a completely different group of people, not really art people either, his name was brought up again... "I was going to this fashion party at Julian Schnable's house and thank god so & so was there..."   What is it about him that compels non art people to talk about him to me and I'm sure to others when they are talking about contemporary artists?  


Two nights ago at an opening on the L.E.S I took the above photo of him and texted it off to a friend right away.  So I guess I am also a bit guilty of spreading the word. Years ago some one told me a bit of success has to do with one's name so perhaps it's his name we are all attracted too!  Or maybe it's that hat.