Pocket Intellectual

Review for TITLE magazine!

2012-02-02T12:08:00.000-08:00

I have been proved wrong. Working on a piece about Zoe Strauss for TITLE Magazine comparing her photography with work by digital MFA grads. It is a tricky issue about High vs Low and Popularity vs Disenfranchisement. I was also wrong about where blown up image of Mattress Flip is hanging. It faces the Boathouses. First billing goes to VANGOGH as it reads between the Greco/Roman pillars high above the Rocky Steps.

DON'T GIVE UP THE HYPE!

2012-01-17T09:16:00.000-08:00

Kudos to Zoe Strauss on her show at the PMA. She is one of our great treasures and captures the real Philadelphia. She is honest and hard working and will now be recognized by more than just an arty crowd. She already has been, I think. Her picture, 'Mattress Jump' will be writ large for the whole city to see over the Rocky Steps. (The PMA hates that reference!) But what is it we are seeing? According to the weekly PW (Poorly Worded) she is recognized as one of 'America's top living artists.' Slow down a minute. I appreciate a rags to riches story but that is simple an exaggeration from a dippy journalist. I just checked the top ten and the top one hundred. Photographer, William Eggleston is there and so is Nan Goldin. That makes sense. Maybe the list should say America's top contemporary artists? I'm not sure if I'll review her show because I don't have an outlet. InLiquid doesn't pay anymore (I'm broke) and America's greatest ArtBlog consistantly rejects everything I send.

VOX POP: NOT FINISHED YET!

2012-01-09T09:47:00.000-08:00

Apologies for my blustering voice yesterday. I'd been saving it up for a few weeks at the end of last year. Maybe I'm becoming the equivalent of ON THE MEDIA on PBS. Love that show. In any case, my beef today is with Vox Populi Gallery. Specifically, because after reading through their factoid-full, historical catalog from 2010 – with some excellent background on the Philly Art scene of the past 15-20 years – they completely ignore mentioning Rachel Zimmerman's InLiquid.com which has been an "online CO-OP" (and more) since 1999. Of course, I was their art critic for years but I think my umbrage tends to stem from the fact that I notice Philly's selective scene associations; the "IN and OUT" crowds. Of course VOX has been vital to the scene; they also have some pretty good allies. The omission makes their name VP sound like BS.

TWENTY-TWELVE. THANK GOD!

2012-01-08T16:26:00.000-08:00

A couple of comments just to get the year rolling for Pocket Intellectuals: I have unfortunately read a recent Philly Weekly story titled, Making the Scene (Sick of the Mainstream, Philly artists revive the alternatives). It was so full of mis-truth and agit-prop that my head exploded on Broad Street. What a mess. Of course there is a picture of someone in the article working on a mural! How bleedin' counter cultural of them! Let me get this straight if I can. Listen carefully. There is no Mainstream Art in Philadelphia! I wish to god there was. There is only a non-profit hierarchic monopoly. And logically, I figure there can't be an alternative to nothing. The legit contemporary galleries that go to art fairs are not snobs as implied by the PW, they are hard working minority. 3 selective galleries to my count. Young people can be so full of shit. Am I being clear enough? Yes, young MFA's co-opted by CO-OPS can be a bit up their own asses and deluded by theory drenched teachers. I should know, eh?

TWENTY-TWELVE!

2011-12-31T08:42:00.000-08:00

I've decided that 2012 is going to be better for me. It has a nice ring to it. Of course, I am not going to change a thing. Review the odd local exhibition or one in NY. Still trying to broaden my audience, which shouldn't be too hard. Up to ten or eleven would be great. Joined Reverb-Nation for my song writing. That is totally hip of me! Joined the CAA so I can apply to get (impossible to get) BFA teaching posts. Can I get one last SOLO show before I expire? Also, looking for new Philly outlets in print, but for some reason, people think I'm negative. I know I can write effectively because I keep pissing people off. That is a good sign. Keep taking leaves from Christopher Hitchens. I will try.

WORK SHY SPOOF?

2011-12-12T10:34:00.000-08:00

Wow. I thought my book was a spoof on the artworld. But it is too accurate for that. It has become closer to historical fiction. Or in this case, hysterical fiction. The movie will be a riot and I have bought a tux already to accept best adaption from a book. You think I'm kidding?

Qualified Cynic Escapes

2011-12-06T09:26:00.000-08:00

I've been sending grumpy emails to WHYY again. There must be something wrong with me. They were lauding the fact that 76 community leaders, "connectors" (ie movers and shakers) are making Philly the place to be. They are so damn cheerful. Bubbling with Enthusiasm. I wrote them to say there were no decent critics on the list and not one contemporary gallery space. It's a non-profit monopoly.

NEW ART PUBLICATION!

2011-11-17T10:23:00.000-08:00

Working on a review for the new Philadelphia publication, GOOD GAME. I am reviewing and comparing the Abstraction shows at Crane and the Woodmere Museum! Wow! Something published on paper for a change! Marginal Utility never gets back to me. Or Machete. Cuts Deep. I am pleased, no kidding. No irony. I'm pleased.

DISCLAIMER!

2011-11-11T16:23:00.000-08:00

I was out doing the art rounds last night on Second Thursday when someone asked me if I was the mad Art Blog spoofer so I feel now compelled to spit out the truth. No, it is not me. As critical as I am of the scene and certain favoritism by the press, (you know who you be) I want to stick to facts and positive visions. Philadelphia is moving forward but there is a ponderous, top heavy side to the arts. Instead of opening a new exciting space these organizations pay for research and form another committee. They should come straight to me and save themselves the bother. Office of Culture? It is ridiculous.

VOX POP!

2011-11-07T04:55:00.000-08:00

Usually I won't be caught dead at First Friday. It is a blessing to be too old for the scene! But, alas, I was out seeing my mate, Nick Cassway's wonderful vinyl show on Chestnut Street (James Oliver Gallery) and went on to Vox from there after parking in a ditch next to a homeless village. Inside, I am wondering, Who are all these people? Babes in the Woods making art that looks a lot like an MFA Show. That is fine. What interested me was the floor below where Grizzly Grizzly and Marginal Utility reside. I had no idea there was a record store there too. I was in Heaven. Only thing missing was an espresso bar. On this floor the artists are having fun and handing out work for the taking. I went home with a pizza box with THIS CONCERNS EVERYONE written on the inside. It was a perfect facsimile of an Occupy Wallstreet sign. Magic. Art for the masses and me. It is displayed in my studio and fits right in.

Career Opportunities!

2011-11-04T09:05:00.000-07:00

I am forever connecting dots. Working on a review of a show in New York and juggling Novel. Also have begun the real search for publisher or agent. Going to try some local firms first because of the Philly nature of the book all about the Philly art world and lack there of. Special concerns at college trying to get Millenials to read a book, one art history book. That is what you do in college, isn't it? My head cold subsides slowly but at least I can sing a bit. It is good for the soul.

CMJ!

2011-10-24T10:07:00.000-07:00

I've never been to this event and it was fun to be mistaken for one of the Stranglers and catch some informal sets by unknown musicians. John Watts from Hove in the UK did a wonderful solo show. We are of the same vintage and that is comforting. Also caught some art East of SOHO and am working on a new review.

SECULAR PROPHET?

2011-10-14T10:54:00.000-07:00

As a creative, I have always been a Mac Guy. No choice really. I'm right brained! But, I rarely paid heed to keeping up with the Jones's consumerist zeal. Can't afford to, if you must know. It is vintage Macs for me. After his death, I was reading a lengthy accolade in the Wall Street Journal on the secular legacy of Steve Jobs. He is pictured above the article with a halo. I was struck by the fact that I'd never considered the Apple Logo at all. A "bite" out of the forbidden fruit, as it were, is a reference to the Garden of Eden and original sin. The meaning being that we have a second life through technology. True, these machines are magical and ever so convenient, but to make a Messiahnic analogy is a bit rich. Certainly, we are now free to glorify our own existance (as consumers) within our cozy global network, but we are not made immortal by the action. Perhaps delaying it a bit. Buddhist, or not, it is ashes to ashes and chip to chip.

Larry Rivers' Lost Mosaic

2011-09-17T09:58:00.000-07:00

I was late for a flash mob of disgruntled critics in the food court next to Market East Station, where the guitar man usually sits and strums godawful versions of Motown hits, when I noticed that behind all the t-shirt sellers, there was a large mural made of big scale tiles. Peering behind the racks of shirts, I could barely make out a Rivers' style, Ben Franklin. The piece was paid for in 1983 by the One Percent Program for Art (and JC Penny, I believe) and they got their money's worth. Not one penny more! Ha Ha. Get it? Pop Art was a bit long in the tooth by 1983. Now, in a state of disrepair, there are efforts to save it. I'm not sure if they should bother. It is not like Pompeii or anything. Can I suggest an auction selling one tile at a time? I could certainly use one as a coaster for crisps when the Eagles are on.

WATER-BLOGGED?

2011-08-28T07:04:00.000-07:00

Recovering from fun night in NYC friday night. Highlight of the evening may have been spotting a canary yellow Jag XKE circa 1966. Made it back before the deluge which will continue today in low lying basements. Thanks god for sump pumps. Thought of writing a sort of NY travel-blog of the evening but I think I'll keep it to myself. I didn't think the subway ever closed!

Missing Earthquakes?

2011-08-24T03:36:00.001-07:00

Damn. Of all the days to be out of town! I miss the shaking loose of our ceilings and such. Not a great week. But, my goal of finishing novel was almost achieved. Next review may be in Huffington Post. Enough of this crap.

DOG DAZE

2011-07-30T06:54:00.000-07:00

Jesus. I get cranky in the summer. I was invited to a meeting hosted by Sam Katz who wanted to start planning America's 250 anniversary in 2026. The theme of renewal sounded exciting but our small group of art people didn't have much to offer. We are a snotty close knit group who dislikes most people, including ourselves. Besides, I'll have my own renewal issues in 2026 when I turn 70! Christ. Philadelphia needs a lot more right now not events 14 years in the future. Ciao.

ART WORLD VACATION?

2011-07-15T05:53:00.000-07:00

No such thing, but July and August can suck. I often feel like I've spent more than 40 days in the wilderness. People come up and say, who are you? Such is nano-celebrity. I return to teaching and sobriety in September. Besides, I am almost finished with Work Shy which is kicking ass and looking for an agent. A literary one, not 007. Oddly enough, I am also making art and picking up where I left off a couple months ago.

OUT OF ORDER/CHUCK CONNELLY AND FRIENDS

2011-06-28T09:15:00.001-07:00

The term, “OUT OF ORDER,” is a great title for an exhibition. It implies something ain’t working, as in, a non-functioning parking meter, or four veteran artists thrown together by chance. But, I’m giving the phrase more credit; its British use means cheeky or rudeness, which might be more apt. Example: “You are out of order, son, calling me an SOB.” Given the state of Chestnut Hill, the sign in the window might well say FOR RENT. One thing is for sure, whatever the thinking or circumstances for this strange grouping, headlining Chuck Connelly, this guy can paint. Why he is showing in this space with a few buddies? It seems to have elements of an anti-art world manifesto and a nod to a fallen fellow Stuckist. Surely a solo show would have suited the small Chestnut Hill Gallery. Perhaps it was fate. In any case, the gallery needs to learn not to cram the space and should never label the paintings with Helevetica numbers, 3 inches high cramping the work. It detracts in a major way. So does offering framing services! Jeesh. Though, Chestnut Hill deserves cudos for trying – and showing obscure, back-lit images of sea monkeys (by artist Ted Victoria; the others are Harry Anderson and Hal Hirshorn) swimming across the shop front at night – Connelly is simply too big a character for the space. Blue-Chippish, Locks Gallery should give him another try and a second act.

Connelly is a die-hard neo-expressionist of the 1980s variety and though out of fashion, there is timelessness to the work. When he paints, he means it. That is not to say that ‘meaning’ is any guarantee of success. Unfortunately, neo-expressionism and so-called “New Image” painting was dealt a death knoll by the recession of 88-89. This put a lot of Germans (and myself) out of work; they went into hedge funds. Even wunderkind Julian Schnabel ended up making films instead of painting and throwing crockery. Such is fashion. Neo-Conceptual was to follow, though it was called Neo-Geo at the time. Jeff Koons et al.

Infamous for the 2009 documentary about his fall from grace, “The Art of Failure,” Connelly is painted in an unfortunate light, inebriated and cursing the powers that be. Fine with me. Buzz around the show certainly makes use of these media markers. Any publicity is good though, right? Also well known is the inclusion of Connolly’s paintings in Scorsese’s portion of the film, New York Stories (1989) where Nick Nolte plays a bearish, difficult to deal with painter. Aren’t Artists supposed to raise hell? Check out English painter, Alec Guinness in The Horse’s Mouth.

Connelly’s new pictures themselves are small jewels, hot off the production line and with no less punch or immediacy than his earlier work. The old toy collection was out of my price range but I’ll be glad to trade for it at a later date. My other favorite was his Guston-like image of an unwieldy computer. I sense a Fellow-Luddite when it comes to technology. Gadgets steal the limelight and the artist’s muse, which ideally should be poetic stuff like beauty, angst and anger rather than price points. I look forward to this painter’s late development (in our fair city) in the face of forced outsidership. His long term success will be the true measure of honest-to-goodness talent and determination.

Broken Foot!

2011-06-20T07:03:00.000-07:00

Hobbling around on a crutch but still writing. Like Doctor "House" on TV, I pop half a vicodin when it hurts. Well, he takes two. Not a good role model, an addictive sociopath! Started a series of short stories which are long overdue. Imaginings of today as actual science fiction. An absolute no brainer.

Warhol Grant Writing

2011-06-03T14:49:00.000-07:00

Infernal business, this online application lark. How do I create a pfd? I don't remember! Oh, that's how! Anyway, wish me luck. If the book is part funded by Andy's foundation that should guarantee publishing when it is finished. Don't you agree?

REJECTION LETTER!

2011-05-23T14:30:00.000-07:00

This is a common feeling for those in the trade. The rejection letter. Today, it was from Arcadia Gallery from the "Closer Look," committee, an offshoot of the popular, curated Works On Paper exhibitions at the University there. I'm not griping, but just putting a proposal together these days takes all my focus. No pun. Digital documentation of work on CD? Oh sure. Lots of that taken with my digi-instamatic. No, there is some, I guess. It just isn't high quality 35 mm slide like it used to be. I keep them all in notebooks in a box gathering mold.

SCHOOL'S OUT

2011-05-17T14:22:00.000-07:00

Another term ends at UARTS and a long summer begins. I did my best to get a summer teaching gig, but the halitosis gets in the way. Either that, or my ego precedes me. Latest review is up on InLiquid blog. Check it out. Decided to start another novel, a true crime story that is fiction. Got nothing better to do. First one is bloody brilliant, in my view. My visual art awakens only when there is something happening, like an opportunity. Latest piece, begun today, in spite of everything, is called, Emperor Needs Clothes.

GOODBYE KITTY!!! NEXT REVIEW!

2011-04-18T12:12:00.000-07:00

I have just about finished this new review. Had a blast in New York on my birthday (I am a speed limit) and hung around killing time. Spent some hours browsing in the Strand with Europeans. Bought books by Borges and Benjamin whose names begin with B. Maybe, I was going through the alphabet by author, I don't remember, but B is good for authors. I have a whole pile of Baudelaire at home.

Free to be Bored!

2011-04-02T10:29:00.000-07:00

I've just visited the PIFA site to see what I was missing on arts-wise in my fair city. The answer is, unfortunately, nothing. Who organizes these dated and hollow events with clever acronyms? PIFA, PAFA, PIFFL.

Twenty-Twelve?

2011-03-30T12:07:00.000-07:00

NETFLIX killed the Video Star!

2011-02-24T11:25:00.000-08:00

It was a sad day when the local TLA closed recently. They knew their time had come, as people gathered no longer to browse for DVDS. Does this mean another techie hurdle for me? I have barely recovered from the HD melee which seemed to have left us with more channels that barely hold together pixel-wise. Crappy tranfers! It is disconcerting to not have cable, I guess, yet we resist. My worry is that we will gather round the computer rather than the conventional idiot box, which was stationary at least. Something is lost forever as we blunder towards the proposed singularity in 2040 or so.

Two Blogs and Counting!

2011-02-23T14:23:00.000-08:00

Applying to Closer Look at Arcadia after invitation! Must get my act together and document work properly. What is wrong with me? I am in slow motion. New York Art Fairs are around the corner and I'm still only a measly critic. Damn, but what a critic you say? I get that a lot.

SOLO SHOW TIME?

2011-02-10T10:41:00.000-08:00

Yes, it has been a few years, not that I've been idle. Curator Sean Stoops suggests Gallery 13, but I've never seen the space. Pocket Intellectual continues to be about the life of a submerged artist and educator, but I have made a different blog (as of today) to become home to, Work Shy, my first novel. This is my subtle way to brand the title and catch the attention of literary agents. Frankly, nothing is as disappointing as being an undiscovered artist, so what is there to lose?

Freaking Cold in Philly!

2011-01-23T08:54:00.000-08:00

What is there to talk about? I am sitting here wondering why the advent of digital photography has so few theoretical propositions. Have we given that up? Photography, appearing in 1839, sure shook things up forever. Have you ever seen a painting of Abe Lincoln? I rest my case.

BATTLE OF TATE BRITAIN!

2011-01-08T10:19:00.000-08:00

Fiona Banner at Tate Britain

Viewing Fiona Banner’s, Harrier and Jaguar Installation at Tate Britain in the last few days of 2010, I was reminded why my single favorite piece of contemporary art remains Rachel Whiteread’s, “Ghost,” an interior concrete cast (vintage 1993) of a dilapidated Victorian House. Now only a memory, even the documented postcard ushers haunted emotions. Something happens when art is writ large. Along these lines is Fiona Banner’s piece. If it is big, it will at least make a splash akin to Jeff Koons’s, flowered “Puppy,” or Oldenburg’s, “Clothespin,” stuck in the entrance plaza of an ugly 70’s skyscraper in our fair city. Of course, my penchants for all things military makes me a sucker for two English fighter jets seen up close. Re-assembled in the Tate's main hall, the Harrier Jump-Jet, a disaster prone anomaly (vertical take-off!?) from an aircraft carrier, is now displayed like a hung-pheasant, nose-down in a cupboard. Its shape is alarmingly beautiful and belies its purpose, or does it? Especially, when placed in these neo-classical corridors of power. What makes it compelling? It depends on your standpoint and your age; the metaphor of by-gone war machines into philosophical contemporary art is not complicated especially in London, a place that has been invaded a few times. That’s why Airfix Kits of Spitfires remain in production! The Harrier – cutting edge technology in 1960 – also references a massive streamlined shark; say no more. The only thing more nifty would have been a torpedo boat from World War Two – my real passion. The other jet is discarded delicately like a child’s toy, on it’s back – cockpit actually – and polished to a chrome surface showing us our distorted and curious selves. Again, I think, Koons, (shiny bunny) but heavier and much pointier. This jet is a decommissioned British Jaguar (bought by the artist) that saw service in Operation Desert Storm – remember the First Iraq War? Banner explains in the documentary, holding one of her scale models, that there is also a gender/nature thing going on. The Jag, is aptly nicknamed, Buster Bollocks, by the crew after an endearing comic book character known for his enormous testicles he transports in a wheelbarrow. Check out that exhaust! Will British humor also disappear into the mists of time along with Empire?

BLOODY HELL!

2010-12-28T03:48:00.000-08:00

Barely made it to Heathrow which was recovering from a wee snowstorm, but managed after a three day delay. Been on the South Coast checking out church architecture (Canterbury) but looking forward to Tate Modern this week. After we see Chelsea Match! May not have time to scavenge along the Thames because we then go for Lunch en France via EuroTunnel. I love scavenging, mate.

Last Day of November!

2010-11-30T15:25:00.000-08:00

MOMA has still not called. Considering rejoining the CAA. Not a lot of blogging going on here because we have a new Playstation and that means you can download any movie from Netflix online without leaving a couch. Any TV show from the entire history of time!! My old style world is falling in on itself. Personally, I'd rather read a book and you can tell Wiki Leaks I said that.

Four Followers Now!

2010-11-01T14:56:00.000-07:00

November Update: So glad I just found out about the Knight Foundation's 9 million dollar grant for Art. There was a poster in my local coffee bar, but I never win anything! Anyway, here is some free advice. Stop giving money to people who don't do anything but hire staff and form more non-profits. Promote the Girard Corridor. Spend some of the money on some bloody art work! Hire me to edit a low-tech monthly art tabloid. We can call it ARTSPEAK. That is about corny enough. My bill for these suggestions are in the post.

DEAD WALKMAN?

2010-10-26T16:07:00.000-07:00

This may be trivial, but I've just heard that Sony is discontinuing the Walkman. It seems to me that I have a vague memory of the first cassette Walkmans, seeing them on the NY subway and thinking, "is there not enough to occupy this person on a New York subway train." Ever since, I have been a fledgling luddite. I just don't buy the line about technology being an extention of the senses. Call me Old-Fashioned.

THREE FOLLOWERS!

2010-10-15T15:53:00.000-07:00

I've just realized I have three followers! This is great news. This is how Jesus started! But seriously, I have also realized that the ART BLAG has closed down for a while and admitted they were the same people as FUNNEL PAGES. Life is an odd game folks. They made some wicked direct satire. Meanwhile, I've decided to put a piece in the City Hall submission show. I have a lot of dysfunctional furniture at my house on the hill.

RED HALLIDAY!!

2010-10-10T18:59:00.000-07:00

I am starting to mix my art and my baseball referents. It's all going in a book! Who Cares?! Not Yogi Berra! Last no-hitter was the year I was born! He was there!

ART SLAM SATURDAY, 2-4

2010-09-09T10:23:00.000-07:00

I am on a panel of judges at Allen's Lane Art Center this Saturday, Sept. 11, 2-4. Art Slam is an artists' version of American Idol. Not sure what to expect, but I will be wearing my art critic's straw hat. The first prize is a long walk off a short pier in Atlantic City! I'm kidding.

A busy week starting term at UARTS etc... Second Thursday Openings tonight that I may be up for. Not sure. Fleisher/Ollman has a show featuring 57 artists. Sounds like chaos! I think the Fabric Workshop has gone over to the Dark Side!

ART SLAM SEPTEMBER 11

2010-08-26T06:35:00.001-07:00

DOG DAYS?

2010-08-13T14:38:00.000-07:00

A week or so left of show at Woodmere. Grab a Frappuccino and go see it. It's been great to have a work up and visible for the whole season. Already planning the next outdoor scatter piece so MOMA can put it in their garden. It's gonna be big, baby. Then it is back to school shopping for me. I need a new bow tie for an appearance on Letterman. Hawking the Novel. Tough Life.

STUPID SUMMER FALL-FEST AT ICA?

2010-08-03T08:48:00.000-07:00

According to Alexandra Jones in the Philadelphia Weekly, Anthony Campuzano's, "Fall-Fest." was in danger of, "imploding under its own hipness," but it was not in the least hip, however you define the term. How can anything to do with Mark E. Smith be so dull? Well, the ICA event achieved that easily. Not sure how the rest of the events went, but PEW winner, Campuzano is not much of a story teller for someone described as a FOUND-TEXT artist. I have a better story about seeing the Fall. I think it was 1985, London: I was there to watch the Moodists from Australia, who were very cool. Mark E. Smith was singing through a signature Bull-Horn while I shared a pint with Moodist, guitar player. Australians are very generous. After the ICA downer, I went home and dug out my favorite Fall records and a better mood descended immediately! Moral of the Story? Please, let's not drag musicians into this art morass.

Inquirer Review!

2010-07-28T18:01:00.000-07:00

Well pleased about this. Thankyou Inquirer! It is not often I get mentioned in the Sunday Papers. Photo as well! That should send a few extra viewers into the Woodmere for the final 3 weeks. It has been a wonderful show to be involved with. If I could only stop collecting street signs! This sort of obsessive behavior happens during every show. The last installation involved coloured vinyl and lamp fixtures and I'm still collecting those.

FACEBOOK?!

2010-07-20T15:40:00.000-07:00

I am not sure why I'm writing here. It is more personal that what I write casually on the social networks where lots of incidental trivia goes around endlessly. Call me old-fashioned. Still thinking about that book fair last weekend and the hunt for agents. WORKSHY is approaching a finished form. Very Exciting. I am, of course, always looking at artists, usually of the past since one can't keep up with the newbies, but looking at writers is different. A published writer at the fair admitted he wasn't reading anybody at the moment. I found this shocking. Reading a book is like eating and breathing. I am presently reading Heart of Darkness in a a big illustrated volume I found in a trash can. And I just started The Trouble With Girls, by Kingsley Amis which cost a dollar at the book fair. Lulls me to sleep while chuckling.

INVISIBLE?

2010-07-08T11:06:00.000-07:00

Working on finishing the first draft of the novel, WORK SHY, this summer. Rather appropriate since I have no other work besides studio stuff. Then the real hunt for agents starts. The book goes well and starts to resemble the Art World more and more. It's a farce!

LOOSE ENDS!

2010-06-18T08:00:00.000-07:00

Opening at Woodmere was fun apart from picking up the news that the Director pinched my class at Moore. Wish I'd known earlier. Had one cancelled at UARTS too. Lots of prep goes to waste. Otherwise the work looks good. Maybe someone will review it and maybe I'll win the Lottery. Maybe I'll go clip the grass around it. It is a jungle out there! Maybe I'll flaneur a bit the High Point?

Thank Goodness It Is June!

2010-05-31T18:43:00.000-07:00

In between teaching gigs and going a little stir crazy. Looking forward to art opening on the 12th of June and teaching at Moore later on. The piece at Woodmere is holding up in the heat, wind and rain!

Wind Scatters Piece!

2010-05-17T11:40:00.000-07:00

My first public sculpture is up and running at the Woodmere Art Museum. Chestnut Hill had never seen the likes of any thing like this. Apparently, Neighbors sue the museum if they aren't happy. Poor Folks. It has taken some gerry rigging and jury rigging to keep the damn thing in place but movement is a part of life. Just hope it can withstand a late summer tornado. Just My Luck.

TOUGH TIMES ALL OVER

2010-05-06T06:32:00.000-07:00

YESTERDAY, I NEEDED A FRY UP AND A PLACE TO GRADE PAPERS, SO I HEADED OVER TO MY LOCAL TROLLY CAR DINER IN MT. AIRY. I WAS AMAZED THAT I HADN'T NOTICED THE NEW MURAL ON THE SIDE OF THE PLACE; LIKE IT NEEDS ANY MORE VISUAL CLUTTER. IT IS A VINTAGE 1930'S DINER WITH A VINTAGE PHILLY GREEN TROLLEY CAR RIGHT NEXT TO IT THAT SELLS ICE CREAM! ITHEY ARE BOTH COVERED WITH NEON SIGNS. STILL, AFTER MY DELICIOUS BREAKFAST, "COOKED WITH LOVE," I EXAMINED THE PAINTING CAREFULLY. THE THEME IS "DOO-OP," AND IT HAS JUST THE RIGHT AMOUNT OF PHOTOGRAPHIC SORTA PAINTED IMAGES AND SOME OLDER LOOKING PHOTOS OF ACTUAL LOCAL GROUPS WHO HAVE APPARENTLY SUNG AT THE DINER. I AM ALL FOR OLD DUDES SINGING SONGS OF THEIR YOUTH TO THEIR GRANDCHILDREN WHO ARE EATING HAMBURGERS LIKE THE GOOD OLD DAYS.

GET OFF MY LAWN

2010-04-13T08:05:00.000-07:00

I am working on what seems to be a garden sculpture, at least a sculpture for a garden. Heading for the Woodmere Museum for the Summer months, so it should be able to withstand thunderstorms and the odd tornado. I'm designing it so it can not only be seen by considerable passing traffic on Germantown Avenue, but can be read. People will think, "what does this mean?" It is made up of multiple signs; a garden 'scatter piece,' in a sense. There may even be a reference to the Phillies!

INDEPENDENT (ART WAKE) REVIEW

2010-03-23T05:58:00.000-07:00

Targeting the new Independent Art Fair at the Dia Foundation in the heart of Chelsea was a lot easier than hitting the Armory Show – and other fairs – in midtown. It was also convenient because I was attending the Philly related, “Art-Wake,” afterwards where the panelists – there was no audience – were to mourn the Death of Contemporary Art! This was organized by Philadelphia’s notorious, “Art Blahg,” a sarcastic spoof of the original (and successful) Art Blog run by two critics.

Contrary to talks on the death of current art, The Independent Art Fair made the contemporary seem very much alive. The fair’s format was breezy, losing both the “booth” and boxy aspects of the Armory Show, Pulse and the other big fairs. I was greeted by the permanent installation, a three story Dan Flavin piece, lighting the stairwell as usual. Far more open and less elitist in format, high-end design firms and galleries worked in tandem, forming small enclaves and sometimes juxtaposing counter-intuitively. What a fantastic idea! A lovely Christopher Wool limited book edition (Black Book, 1989) was going for 6 grand and I almost bought it – big, bold single words broken into three or four lines, one word to a page; CON-CEP-TUAL or CAP-IT-AL. Very Graphic Designy for contemporary art. I forget who made the table it was on, but the works combined made for simplicity itself. Other duos (one including Robert Gober, another Thomas Struth etc…) were present and worked off each other extremely well. At the top of the stairs, I ran into Interim Art, a London Gallery where I was once included in a group show in 1985, as a desperate and angry young man – with Robert Mapplethorpe, I’m proud to say. Another British gallerist, her first time in New York, was showing a lovely “shack” made out of old doors and windows, by Ben Rivers. It had an old house look to it, distressed and pretty. A 16mm projector shooting through the window, it played a film loop of an idyllic scene. Lots of kids inside. They thought it was a tree fort! I saw Beck standing next to us. The gallerist said, no, that isn’t Beck. He certainly looks, Beckish, I replied. I mention this only because conversation with gallerists can often be curt and unfriendly. Not so in Chelsea on March Seventh, Twenty-Ten, Anno Domino! On the top floor, a giant spinning wall/corner covered in mirrors made me quite dizzy. It also took away my preconceptions about these obligatory stuffy events. In the middle of the room was a vintage Deloreon. Why not add a muscle car?

Before I left the building, I made sure I challenged a complete stranger – and ex-high school champion – to a game of ping-pong on the chrome table in the lobby. Not sure if it was an art piece but it certainly was a performance. We were both rusty, but it was the most fun I’ve had in ages! A “fun-fair,” day out for Joe Lunchbox and the kids? Dunno about that, but it was particularly user-friendly.

Though the panel discussion was more somber and chaotic, I knew it was going to succeed when I heard Joy Division playing on the stereo and was promptly offered a Budweiser! Called ART WAKE, it was part of a series of interactive and collaborations arranged to co-incide with the New York Fairs. The exhibition, held at The Winkleman Gallery on Twenty-Seventh Street, was called, “#class,” and featured the talents of William Powhida and Jen Dalton, a perfect match. Both artists use text to comment on the state of the artworld.

As moderator, I had to give the New Yorkers some background, especially on why there is a Philadelphia Blog-Feud. We were there, specifically, at the bequest of the “Art Blahg” – which I will call, Art Blag, from now on – it scans better and says more. They are known for adding unneeded consonants and exclamation points, in a similar way their sworn enemy, the original Art Blog, uses abundent over-enthusiastic platitudes. The Art Blags’s manifesto depicted a graveyard and accused the art world of being a “corpocracy.” The meaning was vague. They insist there is a new 40 year art period beginning; the last one was begun by Rob Rauschenberg apparently. It’s a neat theory, but do all Twenty- Something Artists believe this? I remember calling my MFA teachers old farts too, but back then, they were! That didn’t mean a new epoch in art had ended or was then beginning, although in 1982, it was certainly like that, being at the height of Post-Modern debate.

This current furor seems concocted and reminds me of hokey, generational nonsense; each having its own moniker and identifiers. The Greatest Generation had Hitler. Baby Boomers had the Beatles and conspiracy theories. A little later, it was The Sex Pistols/The Clash. Star Wars is also a sure sign of age and identity. So who knows what the so-called Millenials are up to. All the talk about internet art and collaboration on-line leaves me cold. It hasn’t quite led to a new breed of art or artists has it?

Full disclosure: I am no fan of the original Art Blog. Yes, it’s personal. They don’t run my pieces or write about my shows, preferring to review every poxy exhibition under the sun. It is lite-weight and spreads the focus too wide. They also steal the lime-lite, which should be shared and built upon. Plus, they project the notion that Philadelphia is having a huge boom – when actual contemporary art of any quality is barely shown. This is ridiculous. I know how it works; I’m a critic too, but I always sought out new and unsanctioned art to cover, not the PEW winners or hip street art.

Of course, Art Blag are hard to pin down since their identity is unknown! A few friends, myself and the handsome gallerist duo from Rebekah Templeton – a Philadelphia gallery – held the fort. We tweeted, twitted, re-tweeted and skyped our dialogue as the entire subcontinent of Asia looked on, and a guy named Gerald from Newcastle-Upon-Tyne. Panelists couldn’t help but study Dalton’s chalk board wit that surrounded us. It listed recent top auction “dips’ and Top Artist “Losers” categories. We ended up discussing the art market – the term, price-point, being used several times – and why it becomes the subject of so much art. The Art Blag is no exception, but is it an art piece? I doubt it. I believe it is the voice of the disenfranchised – I should know. After promoting dialogue for all these years on InLiquid.com, I’ve concluded that it must have substantative talk. Anyway, the solution lies with the galleries, the small local shakers.

Of course, I’m not Clement Greenberg, but I have to draw the line somewhere. Since the public funding in Philadelphia goes to non-art making activists and social workers, I’ll have to choose the gallery system, and it is no where near, “Corpocracy,” as Artblag claims. Though, their blasting the original Artblog critics is appreciated, it is misplaced. Please, do us a favor. Take all that fantastic energy and open a new contemporary space in Philadelphia!

I Am The New Robert Rauschenberger!

2010-03-09T08:42:00.000-08:00

While I was running the excellent panel discussion or so-called, "Art Wake," at the Winkleman Gallery in Chelsea, Sunday night, it occurred to me that we were there on behalf of the ARTBLAHG – not in attendance – of Philadelphia and explaining their manifesto to several New York artists! So, Kudos to those guys at AB, whoever they are! I suggest you change the name to ARTBLAG, which is easier to say and utilizes the concise British term, blag, which refers to making yourself appear more important than you are. I don't say this to be critical; believe me, an artist needs to be able to blag at a moment's notice. I learned that when living in London. See, that is a "blag," right there; a namedropping of yourself.

You'll be glad to know it went well and I don't get the opportunity to do that sort of thing often, so thanks. To sum it up, we gave a bit of back story about our feuding art blogs scenario in this fair city of BL while also discussing the manipulations within the contemporary art market. We are by our nature, outsiders, so our panel was a coup of sorts and we know how to discuss disenfranchisement in detail. I think we even impressed some insiders!

There may be another of these discussions planned for Philly and I hope I can again be moderator. It's a buzz. What I would like to focus on is forming a loose consortium which will focus on showing the best contemporary art from this city. To do this we need to stop squabbling and come up with a real strategy which benefits our burgeoning artist community and our few "with it" galleries that barely tick over. I'll be glad to furnish the working definition of "contemporary" because I have a concise one. This is the first hurdle.

My Own Comment on Another Blog about the Avant-Garde!

2010-03-03T16:21:00.000-08:00

This is cool but where is this discussion in New York? I will have to get out all my black clothing so I don't look "past it." Concerning the Avant-garde: The issue is finished as far as I can tell. POMO or not; theory or not. Art still needs to be smart and felt. I look at my daughter's band for a far off analogy: They do not make distinctions between the Clash and the Beatles. That says something. It is not 1980 anymore.

I am a Sculptor Now!

2010-02-23T16:07:00.000-08:00

I have been asked to participate in the annual summer Sculpture show at Woodmere Art Museum. The piece will be my first weatherproof, outside, freestanding one. This is exciting. I am also teaching, Art After 1945 at UARTS summer term. Starting with Hiroshima, I think. Do It Again in Twenty Ten!

Hunkering Down in February!

2010-02-09T14:45:00.000-08:00

Not much exposure for show at Allen's Lane Art Center, but I am not concerned; too busy planning my first freestanding, outdoor, site-specific piece to be placed at the Woodmere Art Museum in May 2010. Gotta be rain and vandal proof! Also, looking for Jan 11 copy of New Yorker. Have you seen it? Something by critic, Arthur Danto. Reminded by recent New Yorker ad, that Tim Burton is at MOMA. Delightful illustration he has done of Joey Ramone. Go Gothic in 2010! Plus I am seeing Editors at the Troc on the 20th, my favorite Band!

James Joyce?

2010-01-19T10:11:00.000-08:00

Some people think I look like James Joyce, but that is a girl's name! My talented friend Hugh took this picture and you will see it on the back jacket of my novel when it is published. Looking for an agent in earnest now. Not sure how to impress people. Hasn't worked as an artist or stand up comedian, but hope springs eternal. Busy with exhibition this week and courting a headcold. Pretending I'm Kurt Schwitters, if you know what I mean. Did he have sinus trouble?

DOUBLE VISIONS at ALLEN'S LANE ART CENTRE IN PHILLY

2010-01-12T12:10:00.000-08:00

The show looks good! Me and Hiro make an interesting pair. The reception is Friday Night, 6-9, January 22, 2010. A good way to start a new decade I guess. Very Yin/Yang. Not sure which is which though. Come one, come all!

TWENTY-TEN

2010-01-04T09:22:00.000-08:00

Instead of a dopey adage for the previous decade, my brother Tom and I were trying to come up with an appropriate catch-phrase like, "Where were you in 62?" We are a witty family. Without much coaxing, he got it: NOT AGAIN IN 2010. That'll do for now. Of course, DO IT AGAIN IN 2010 will work fine too and is a wee bit more positive. Maybe I am wishfully thinking of the Phillies!

CRYPTIC REMARKS

2009-12-08T11:45:00.000-08:00

No time to dwell on the continual Philly fray of ersatz critics and young rambuncious artists although it has been amusing. It seems that networking and expressing things online has limits (I could've told you that for free) and there is nothing quite like a real-time comrade sitting with you at a cafe drinking coffee. Looking forward to my Allen's Lane show with Hiro next month. Still producing the odd piece; stamped pieces of sculpey with cryptic remarks. They almost look like the crap you hang on an XMAS tree! Later.

The Future Already Happened!

2009-11-11T06:27:00.000-08:00

I have been sending comments to the ArtBlog spoof, Artblahg, a quite remarkable phenomenon. Well, I accidently put my name on it, oops, and got personally maligned! Anyway, I got ruffled and had to rush upstairs to put on my old black turtleneck! The one with the massive hole in it. What I wanted to make note of here was the rush of disquietude that abides lately. It is the Great Recession after all and everyone is a bit edgy. The good news is that it doesn't affect our art scene at all – day jobs maybe. In fact, it lets the aggression rise and the ambitious move forward. For example, I refer to the Tyler Trojan Horse, and the publications, Machete and The New Asshole. These diffident alliances need to continue to form.

Last night I attended a wonderful event at Base Kamp where there was a discussion with art-tech-guru, Roy Ascott via Skype. It was akin to a graduate seminar I suppose but the method/media was interesting. Ideas shared on-line, visually and via text. I couldn't get a fix on what role an individual artist takes in this Brave New World but it was nice to discuss without getting sniped at. My view is: The Future Already Happened.

ART MAFIA CLOSES RANKS!

2009-11-10T09:21:00.000-08:00

I just received a letter from PEW the other day to inform me that applications for grants will now only be accepted via nominators. Since I have not received notification that I am a nominator – though I should be don't you think – and I don't know who they are because it is secret information, I assume there goes my last honest chance at a PEW FELLOWSHIP! And that is the whole reason I moved to Philadelphia from the UK in 1995. I am an Idiot obviously.

Me, Myself & I Goes Viral!?

2009-10-26T11:13:00.000-07:00

Finally uploaded Clarksville video to YouTube. Better late than never. I was immediately asked why Lincoln. Why Not? Why a graveyard? Why the shadows? The guys in the band seemed to like it. We are going to re-create the song again in order to play live. Stay Tuned!

HALLOWEEN PARTY PREP!

2009-10-19T11:44:00.000-07:00

Less than two weeks to Halloween and I am obsessed. Shot video with me as Lincoln for Clarksville video/art piece and need to keep the beard until the party. Is anyone planning to come to it? Please come to my Halloween Party dressed as Walter Bejamin. A hat and a mustache should do it!!! Or J. W. Booth! I am going to be Lincoln pre-assassination. Another Philly related historical figure is Poe. Be Poe people!

NEW ASSHOLE?!

2009-10-14T13:58:00.000-07:00

My latest published piece appears in the latest addition of New Asshole, a local effort available online. Not sure how N. A. will look on my CV but any port in a storm. The piece published, the one about the Star Trek exhibition, was rejected by Art Blog early in the summer. Not sure why. I think it was over their heads. And besides it seems less and less important to discuss art without any context or simply within the insular review format. Also saw a copy of Machete. Wow, storm the barricades! There may be a place for me yet in Philadelphia.

Halloween Approaches!

2009-10-04T17:47:00.000-07:00

Been busy. October is always full of Jewish High Holidays and the Battle of Cliveden and the Chestnut Hill Fall Festival. And Halloween. Having a big party this year where I dress up as Lincoln and the porch will be turned into a ghost ship! I am using the Lincoln persona persona in a music/art video which is also coming along. It's a follow up to my performance as George Washington in Yankee Doodle. That was an art video with rock music; now it will be the other way round. Clever huh? Plans for exhibition in January proceed.

LETTER TO THE INQUIRER ART CRITIC!

2009-09-09T10:43:00.000-07:00

Ed,

Your review of the Delaware Show featuring art as appropriation is fair enough but your bias is way off as indicated by your careful and instructive use of the words; "theft, copying, borrowing and image piracy." If I may contribute; all that sort of art is a proposition about the nature of art. You make Warhol sound like some hack! People still borrow ideas from him (and Duchamp) because they are simply, still relevant!

I was going to let it slide, but you followed with the inevitable review of a book of letters by Thomas Eakins, as if to imply that he is the "original" sort of artist we need these days. What century are your readers living in? The only important fact about Eakins is not his so called, "realism," but his managing to work in the gap between painting's discreditation as art while photography became instrumental. Furthermore touting him constantly as a historical mentor for this modern city is just plain crass and does nothing to educate younger art audiences.

Yours is Frustration,

James Rosenthal
Senior Lecturer of Art History
University of the Arts

Nano-Intellectuals?

2009-08-29T13:01:00.000-07:00

Starting with new Freshman Class next week at UARTS and looking forward to it. I am hoping that they will not, as yet, completely have dispensed with the book as a form of learning. There is a new smaller version of Art History now and it is possible to carry it and even read assignments in Starbucks. Oh, by the way, my Clarksville show went well and we made over a hundred bucks! We are thinking of making a music/art video and sticking it on youtube. Stay Tuned.

Heat Wave Finally!

2009-08-17T10:36:00.000-07:00

Notice: Clarksville my band is playing the Mermaid Inn this Saturday Night, August 22. If you are not at the Beach come along!

I knew this summer was too easy thus far. But, I now have a wee break between bits of teaching so I am painting the house. Very Slowly. Teaching Visual Culture at Moore was a blast. Fantastic and thoughtful students made the seminar a joy. Good Luck Chaps and Thanks. We decided that you don't have to be a creep to be a successful artist but it helps! We also read 7 Days in the Art World which was an interesting inside view by an insider. If I can get back to my First Novel, Work Shy, there will be a book about the Art World by an outsider who thought he was an insider. If you know what I mean?

FALSE IMPRESSIONS

2009-07-23T12:55:00.000-07:00

Teaching Visual Culture at Moore this Summer is a blast. We have been looking at a new book, 7 days in the Art World, which is a timely expose about the global boom days. Today we discussed the classic issue, High vs. Low or more specifically, Elite vs. Egalitarian. You cannot avoid this especially in Philadelphia where you are forced to make false choices. Either you try for acceptance via a social network where intellectual competence is not a requirement (you are also labeled a snob) or you shoot higher and start a collection of theoretical writings. I never thought these two camps were mutually exclusive but you really can't have a foot in both at the same time. Well, I can but I'm not normal.

CLARKSVILLE RIDES AGAIN!!!!

2009-07-13T08:40:00.000-07:00

Got a few comments on my postings on artblog. That is good. I am still researching some of the subjects I uncovered like is there an arts journal online that is of the quality that October was? OR ZG? They were so intellectually superior to any Zine you may see yet mixed art music and theory with a wicked design. Let me know because I need a place to publish in hard copy. You know I'm old fashioned that way!

PS: CLARKSVILLE RIDES AGAIN!!!! OUR GIG IS AUGUST 22 AT THE MERMAID INN, A SATURDAY NIGHT. Who says there are no Second Acts in America?

Repeat Patterns

2009-07-06T09:06:00.000-07:00

The following is a comment I put on Art Blog today for their latest theoretical essay:

Nice thoughtful piece and it shakes up the blog readers attention deficit. I can't agree about the comparison with Mocha Dick and Damien Hirst's Shark though. That piece illustrates death as well as any roadkill, which may not be art particularly. It doesn't matter if he is the biggest art star of the last 25 years. Tristan's piece is lovely yes, and certainly well crafted but it remains quaint none the less. As for crafting itself; why would you expect anything less from The Fabric Workshop. They specialize in it.

ILLOGICAL CAPTAIN!

2009-07-01T12:05:00.000-07:00

My previous piece (in edited form) appears on Philly's illustrious artblog as of yesterday along with nifty picture of me in Captain Kirk's chair though I look a little Picardian. Get the link yourself!!! I'm busy reading Feminist Film Theory from 1986! My original essay/review may turn up on a site near you later this summer. Stay Tuned.

Ode to Philip K. Dick!

2009-06-23T08:23:00.000-07:00

I have been writing an essay comparing the Star Trek exhibition at the Franklin Institute with the more theoretical side of Science Fiction that overlaps with Visual Culture particularly the notion of Dystopian Futures. I believe in the Art World proper this may translate to mean "Abject." A long list of Contemporary Artists come to mind starting with Mike Kelly, Chris Burden, Matthew Barney, Bruce Nauman, Leon Golub, Cindy Sherman and about any "neo-Expressionist" you can think of, particularly Anselm Keiffer. My immediate research into the history of Star Trek and Science Fiction in Popular Culture, as fun as it is, lead me directly to Ridley Scott's, Blade Runner from 1982. This spectacularly visual movie, along with Alien and Terminator set the standard for style and post apocalyptic darkness that has continued until now. Having re-viewed Blade Runner on my new HD system and just seen the third installment of Terminator in the cinema, I am convinced of the impact of these stories and the accurate illustration they make of the future/present day. The underlying concepts defy the actual vehicle of film and the mere term, movie entertainment.

Master Narratives of Fine Art

2009-06-01T12:39:00.000-07:00

Off from UARTS Art History for the summer but embarking on new job teaching Visual Culture at Moore College of Art on their brand new MFA course! From the Ridiculous to the Sublime? Planning to research the very nature of Art History post 1962, if that is possible but also planning to access my vast knowledge of all things trivial connecting art, media and film theory, especially Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Terminator. It is of course an excuse to read more Walter Benjamin whose pseudonym, I have discovered is Detlef Holtz. Carry on Camping!

ARTFORUM IS HEAVY!

2009-05-12T09:00:00.000-07:00

Hanging out in Borders the other day and noticed a Philadelphia review of Eileen Neff's show at Locks Gallery written by Monica Amor. Considering Eileen wrote reviews for the magazine I was not surprised but who is this Monica person?

THEORETICALLY?

2009-05-08T16:02:00.000-07:00

It is odd. Where there is ample room for varied use and levels of theory in art, there are still hang-ups about how to utilize it. From experience I can tell you that it is invaluable but, as you age, it is subsumed into your practice without conscious effort. You accept that you have no more Master Narratives! That is not to say that mature dudes should not continue to dabble in reading and writing text. The more primary the better! There is always an application in the vernacular ie, art is not simply for the purposes of illustrating theory. Case in point, the novel I am embarking on is a trashy way to fictionalize an artist and real world obstacles. It only poses as the Great Post-American Novel! Many of those obstacles relate to the artists' inate feeling of superiority. It is for some, in a comedic way, without substance.

GO FUNNEL PAGES!

2009-05-05T08:24:00.000-07:00

I am listening to the Junto downloaded! Can't get enough. We should have invited James Elkin's whose book, Whatever Happened to Art Criticism is a great primer. Saw him speak at UARTS. He speaks better than he writes but the book is a great starting point in approaching a discussion of art criticism. Consensus is needed.

MISINFORMATION!

2009-05-03T18:08:00.000-07:00

I have read the posting about the Art Critic's Junto and I am so pleased that Artblog spelled my name right and enclosed a picture! I crashed that party but good! For some it seems my attitude is all about complaining. Unfair! Yeah, I suppose to the unitiated it would seem that way. Anybody who really knows what the situation is and what my position is will agree with me. There is scope for all kinds of arts coverage (there is never enough) and degree of intellectual approach; the trouble is most people don't get it. It is some sort of ghastly binary opposition, art seen as purely theoretical or expressionist fun. Read the posts that follow the article. There is endless evasion and continued self-congratulations. I have bigger fish to fry now.

P'UNK AVE JUNTO!

2009-04-26T08:34:00.000-07:00

I was invited to a P'UNK AVE JUNTO last Thursday night. This was a roundtable discussion they hold regularly. The topic was art criticism. Curator Sid Sachs was on the panel. So were the ArtBlog gals. Here was a hip scene I had no prior knowledge of and the reason seems purely generational. My "credentials" as a critic were wholly unknown for some reason. Ouch! I guess my work at InLiquid.com (where I have posted reviews for ten years) still doesn't reach all the young people who matter! Nevermind. I took this opportunity to introduce myself rather boisterously and give the benefit of my experience to the large vocal group gathered on a floor in South Philly. This was great fun. It seems the crowd was demanding a more critical sort of criticism so I couldn't help but suggest they read some of my pieces on the last ten years in Philly. It may be the sort of "city history" we need to keep our bearings in this vital time in order to promote critical awareness (which is still lacking) and real honesty.

Great Job P'unk Avenue! You have the right idea. I have never been to a more successful sharing of views with such great pizza and beer (Newcastle Brown) to match.

Help Our Cities Help Artists!

2009-04-19T08:58:00.000-07:00

There is some cool arts coverage in the Wall Street Journal lately. I have been receiving as a ploy to make me subscribe! Oddly enough its arts coverage is very good, less overwhelming than the New York Times which makes me feel sub par and lonely like I live in Philadelphia – which I do. A recent article called Artists vs. Blight discusses artists successful attempts in Cleveland, Detroit and Buffalo to revitalize those bleak and empty inner city areas. These grant seeking artists have been moving in and setting up studios, galleries and rehearsal spaces however they can; holding broken down parts of cities together so to speak. Slideshow of those art communities at WSJ.com/Lifestyle.

Doom and Gloom

2009-03-20T10:31:00.000-07:00

The world may have gone completely mad but I have a show in New York so who cares. It creates a whole new world of possibilities. First, it can be done and secondly it has restored my faith in art people and others looking at and appreciating art. Philadelphia can be an utter disappointment with the same mediocrity front and central all the time. I sent a complaint to WHYY and all of a sudden there is all kinds of coverage of the ICA show, the Tyler new gallery and a piece on what contemporary art actually is. I flatter myself that I know all about it. I also like to pretend someone is listening to this here paragraph. Hey! There is also a new review of my last solo show at this link: http://www.inliquid.com/thought/review/0209zinn_rosenthal.php
Better Late Than Never. Thankyou writer Pamela Zinn for your patience!

SNIPPETS

2009-03-06T11:09:00.000-08:00

I have installed the piece in New York (in a snow storm) and am very excited. Hopefully all the big wigs can take time out from the Art Fairs and have a look round the Lower East Side. I will give the Fairs a miss this time. Don't even want to mess with the publicity. Of course, I am playing a gig tomorrow night solo at the Mermaid Inn so I have a lot on my plate. Looking forward to it.

Stop The World!

2009-02-10T16:16:00.000-08:00

How can I be this remiss? I can't even post on PI once a month! Still, there has been a lot going on. The world must be spinning faster than in 2008. My damn novel on the Artworld is coming along thanks to an editor's advice and I have a piece showing in New York in March. That is exiting! I show in Manhattan every 20 years or so. Yes, I feel pathetic. I guess the real cool thing was my participation at Nexus Radio in December. I played vinyl over the air as Dr. No and spoke to the people of Philadelphia within a 5 mile radius or so. What a buzz! Pirate Radio. Totally Illegal. Then last week I moderated a panel discussion on art called Artspeak while drinking a quart of Gin with dear friends. I played Duncan Sinclair (genius) and we delivered a great send up of cultural snobs, artists and curators. Thanks again to the panel, Shirley Wilkes-Booth (not related) and authentic Englishman Cyril Muggeridge or some name like that.

NOT TOO SHABBY!

2008-12-29T15:19:00.000-08:00

I may have some work in a theme show in New York early in 2009 so the year is finishing up on a good note. A curator saw it somewhere, perhaps in my solo show. If this is of no interest to the Philly Artblog that is their tough luck. Still waiting for the review to go up on InLiquid. It is a rave, darlings. Check it out if you can find it and Happy New Year.

STICK TO YOUR GUNS!

2008-11-29T06:50:00.000-08:00

Maybe, I figured this out? Having finally landed a review for Famous Last Words, I can put my solo show to rest and get back to work. Why was the review so important? Simple. A review lives on in print, online, or on your resume. A "quality" review gives the impression that there is someone out there (in the press) who can appreciate what you do. It adds the fodder to future press releases! It adds legitimacy and suggests to those who don't have a clue, that you actually know what you are doing and that your art practice is not merely a pointless ego-trip. Of course, they aren't paying attention so it is hubris in the end. Ego or not, this episode does, it fact, re-assure me that my wee critical eye is needed.

POST SHOW BLUES

2008-11-11T16:03:00.000-08:00

Can't complain really. My solo show at Rebekah Templeton went OK and a reviewer stopped by. How nice of them! I just wonder what all that other shit in artblog and the papers was about. Some really mediocre stuff in Philadelphia and, of course, the damn election. It seems some people can't vote, write reviews and see art at the same time. I had to tune it out my friends. I did finish my own review of the recent Arcadia University show and have several on deck. Check it out on InLiquid sometime and speak the truth whenever you can.

Famous Last Words!

2008-10-28T10:45:00.000-07:00

It may be the upcoming election, or Halloween or the fact that the Phabulous Philadelphia Phillies are in the very rainy Worlds Series, but I think the reason no available art critic feels the need to see my show at Rebekah Templeton Gallery is because they couldn't care less. Why give support to struggling yet mature mid-career artists who are showing in little out of the way spaces on Girard Avenue? When I am writing about art, I seek out new galleries and artists that may be attempting to add something new to our so-called Renaissance. I think it was me who coined the phrase! Well, I hope it is not a fiction after-all. Though, it would sure make a good piece on Public Radio. Give them a chance to discuss the creative class and how we transform gutted parts of cities. Instead, the newspapers cover what is easiest to digest and topics already covered ad infinitum. Don't forget Mural Month people, because I try every October. It seems we go out of our way to disable and deride contemporary art on a public and private level. I may have more to say on this in an InLiquid column soon. Viva InLiquid and Pocket Intellectuals Everywhere!

SWAMPED?

2008-09-21T07:50:00.000-07:00

Apologies to my readers for never finishing the piece for artblog but it became less of a priority. I ended up sidetracked by reading Tom Wolfe's little book, The Painted Word. It was remarkably up-to-date for a wee bit of pop criticism from the 70's. Groovy, in fact.

I would also like to comment about art critic Peter Plagen's new novel about the artworld. I have not yet read it, but I can assure you that my novel (Work Shy) will be better! I have certainly started a trend and I am going to make the most of it!! Stay Tuned, because there may be some sections appearing here on Pocket Intellectual soon unedited and raw.

Does this count as publishing? Who Cares. Anyone can see it for free!

My Solo Show Not Yours!

2008-09-09T13:35:00.000-07:00

What am I doing writing here when I have a solo show at Rebekah Templeton Gallery in October? They are located at 173 W. Girard Avenue, Philadelphia, PA. 19123. Come on down! The show is titled, Famous Last Words and includes some recent video, an installation and works on paper. It runs from October 2 through November 2.

Happy Anniversary Dude!

2008-08-08T09:08:00.000-07:00

I realized the other day that the 30th anniversary of my graduating from art school had passed this Spring. The sad thing is that this marker has the distinction of being almost meaningless except for the obvious passing of years. Life may have actually started after I got my MFA several years later because that involved some element of education at a higher level (where you read books) and also a little vocational training. Let's face it, art is now a profession, not simply a lifestyle. It is a trade where you have to be a hard-nosed to approach the bare minimal amount of success (like any job). Happily, now these ambitious goals are achievable without a complete forfeiting of identity. The soul is another matter.

No Consensus on Art

2008-06-03T10:01:00.000-07:00

I am currently working on a review about a review on artblog concerning Fleisher-Ollman Gallery in Philadelphia. More specifically about the many comments that were posted afterwards which got a little heated. Check out the original exchange. My review will be on InLiquid.com in a week or so as soon as I finish my piece on Gustav Courbet! Suffice it to say, for now, there is no consensus on art. Why do some artists look at there own artworld with horror. I mean, auction prices are up dude if you are into that sort of thing. Could it be that being an artist is not at all what we first thought?

POPULARITY CONTEST

2008-05-22T05:55:00.000-07:00

Social interactions have changed and generations are now more equalized and separated via technology. Though, Baby Boomers keep up fairly well with the computer, cell phone, HD – unseemly as that is to me – they are still listening to the Grateful Dead on the ipod. Is there an inate contradiction? I see myself, confirmed narcissist, wanting to stay up to date in some matters – I have begun dressing like Vampire Weekend, a band out of Columbia University whose taste is towards Ivy League sweaters – does this make me evil? Alternatively, I struggle with three or four remotes. It is similar to my dad trying to turn the computer on. I feel his pain; to be left behind is no fun. Concerning art, there have been several recent shifts. There is an apparent embarrassment on the part of youthful creatives towards the capitalist system commodifying art. I am ambivilant as to their quandry. They seem to want the cake as well as eat it. My difficulty with artstars – besides them going to Yale and having 20 years less on the clock – is that I am pissed off that they are not me. Perhaps it possible that many in generations XYZ don’t like the high stakes (and snotty gallery people) or is it that they really don’t understand enough about art to comment? That puts them dangerously close to sharing the opinion of the ‘normal’ guy/gal on the street whose notion of modern or contemporary art is something they saw in an art book in high school, something with splotchy paint that they have ignored ever since. Technically they are up to date but they are historically lacking which is my problem in reverse.

OLD GRIPE

2008-04-12T14:06:00.000-07:00

I have been reading a lot lately to see who is appropriate to rip off and stick in my novel about the art world so I have been keen to notice language and terms. Have you ever passed a cafe or gallery that was showing a self-taught artist? The results inside are usually dreadful, whatever the education level. What does self-taught mean? I imagine a folk artist of some sort who follows a type of craftsmanship from a bygone age. The term certainly implies that you haven’t passed through the gears of an art school which, for most, guarantees that society will regard you as a charlatan. There is of course the conundrum of trained artists passing as self-taught. That is confusing me. Then there is term emerging. If you are an emerging self-taught artist, the chances are that you are already dead. If you are emerging and then drop from sight, are you then submerged? Though you may re-emerge at some point. What bugs me most is that musicians are always held up to a higher scrutiny. Many jazz and rock greats are self-taught so my self-taught skills as a guitar player and songwriter have some tough competition. (In this case, I believe being middle class is an obstacle.) Society frowns on amateur (crap) musicians performing in formal venues. Some sort of quality is expected no matter the genre of music. So why are amateur visual artists given the same respect as trained artists when it is difficult enough for “taught” artists – doesn’t this imply class? – to get an exhibition? Is it because we are so afraid of the term bourgeois or elite. They’re only words!

Check out James’s band, “Clarksville” on the MySpace music page and see if he is full of shit:
myspace.com/clarksvilleusa

AGE OLD LAMENT

2008-02-10T09:17:00.000-08:00

The kids have it right. It is all about age. It has been for all eternity. There are exceptions of course, where the amount of time spent alive doesn’t equate with production or wisdom and the elders have a thing or two to teach young upstarts. I blame rock and roll. It presents a single paradigm of teen age infallibilty where you tell the Man where to go, hold up the finger to life itself and say, “take me if you can.” For some, this moment goes by in a flash and then they find themsleves married with kids and working at a bank. For others, it remains unfinished business to be continually parsed in retrospect. This can be frustrating and it hurts when one gets to an age where you aren’t taken the least bit seriously by either quarter no matter what you have to offer. Nobody cares if you met David Byrne or not. You are past it, an aging punk rocker with stories to tell to the people at the bank and your kid’s school where they eye you suspiciously. Of course, you can try to establish yourself – in order to get health care – within a more refined and polite society, one that you’d never thought you’d have anything to do with. The strange thing is, once there, you find yourself to be the most polite and refined thing on offer within several square miles.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR (from 2007)

2008-01-29T07:15:00.000-08:00

It is so disappointing to pick up the Sunday Inquirer and read such negative response to contemporarary art on a regular basis. This week your art critic, not content with his usual negative take on exhibitions, decides to review a PBS documentary, Art/21. I watched the first episode, interested to see if it was as boring and high brow as he was saying. Well, surprise, surprise! It was very informative, not full of so-called “art speak” and not boring in the least. Then again, I happen to be interested in contemporary art and frequently write about it. When are you going to offer some positive art criticism that moves beyond the tired parochial paradigms of painting and sculpture and helps advise the public in a positive and exciting way?

James Rosenthal
artist/writer

TAINTED

2007-12-31T06:38:00.000-08:00

The New York critics regularly bemoan the sacrifice of art to mammon these days but living in Philadelphia, where the opposite is true, all I see is irony inherent in my own shitty situation. Here is a place that would rather have Andrew Wyeth and the Mural Arts Program represent us while all the contemporary art people look on and try to disassociate themselves. It seems that money can promote inspiration. So what if inspiration gets tainted where there is a lot of money. I could stand a little bit of tainting.

I WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT I KNOW

2007-12-05T17:16:00.000-08:00

The end of the year rushes up without much substance. As soon as Halloween passes, it is officially the holidays. Once Thanksgiving arrives, it is inevitable; all your plans must fit into the shopping season whether you want it to or not. The year has been mostly more lack of success. My outing at Nexus Gallery was interesting and great fun to produce but went by without fanfare. The best the local artblog can do is make an idiotic and pointless video-review that does not pose questions or involve any critical thinking. What else is new? I spent months on the piece which was worth it simply for the title: “Christian Marklay be Damned.” It was my version of a dematerialized installation except the content was bloody obvious instead of oblique. Can art come directly from a thrift store, a record collection or what you find in the basement? Why not?

The Captains Invade America

2007-10-21T09:44:00.000-07:00

The Captains are Japan’s best kept secret. This neo-60’s garage band has a large school girl following in their native land but is unknown in America. Apparently, they pattern themselves after an actual vintage band, the Spiders, who starred in “Go Forward,” a Japanese version of Hard Day’s Night/Monkees show paradigm of 1967. This crazy film was shown before the performance. The Captains played to a small, enthusiastic crowd of aged hipsters and girls and the International House setting added to the school-afternoon atmosphere. The ancient hipster part of me certainly enjoyed the surf sound, but the rest of me, the little girl, enjoyed the romance in the performance which was part Monkees, part Kiddie show. The rumous about people fainting at their concerts seemed to be more than hype but it is the singer who faints. If I’d been a Japanese school girl I would’ve passed out several times myself especially when the leader walks about in the crowd with a rose and proposes to unsuspecting fans. He must be the most beautiful man alive. At first, I thought he might be a woman, then I noticed the adams apple. Hearts were aflutter.

Post Dated

2007-10-03T06:10:00.001-07:00

My sciatica has been a great excuse not to go the pool this summer. I hate going to the pool. I went only once so far. There was a man lathering up in the shower in the mens room with such vigor and thoroughness that I thought I was in the wrong place. Does he have a shower at home? Is he trying not to bring some infection into the pool with him? I figured ok, I’ll rinse off before going in whether I’m philthy or not. Normally, wading into the freezing water is too extreme on the skin, but today the water was virtually warm. I drifted off on my back and tried not to get the dreaded chlorine in my ears. It blocks them up permanently making life nearly impossible. Swimming was relaxing for a bit then my thoughts turned towards dinner. But first I must change again and wrap up the wet suit and towel and drive home. I took a second shower in the Mens Room. It’s all about wasting water and then you’re all sweaty again within twenty minutes.

Anti-Smarts

2007-06-21T15:08:00.000-07:00

Becoming a critic presents an immediate challenge to those carefully cultivated tastes in oneself that were taken for granted for ages and had become a self-myth. As for everyone else? They expect praise or at least a small word of wisdom or to be slammed. That is a tricky line to walk for sure. If I have a reputation, it is for slamming Philly parochialism, but that is the least of my worries. These likes and dislikes I spoke of are still with me so I may have trouble looking at color field painting and finding it relevant or certain portentous video installations which slowly seem to be going out of fashion. My pet peeve is overly academic works seeking to challenge the arch postmodern art world by merely wishing it so. I also have trouble engaging with work that simply is not of a caliber to comment on. I do hold the view that art remains an important cultural impetus (barely) even though it has been brought down a notch or two in terms of elitism. That battle goes on. For every blue chip gallery, there are matching street galleries vying for a share of the attention. One could say generally that a dumbing down is so invisible now that elitists have no where to hide and have mellowed their stolid support of the classics whether from the Renaissance or the AB EX or the 80’s wundermeisters. Questions on young artists minds come from too many divergent points to bother with that old chestnut. Still, when I meet a peer, I wonder how smart they are and what kind of smarts it takes to be an artist or a critic for that matter. Is it Anti-Smarts? In the end I have found that my own likes and dislikes were well founded to a degree and mostly intuitive. They have promoted a bias that lead to building a stronger claim on what is real and what is complete Bollocks. Gosh, I sound like a critic.

Binary Opposition

2007-06-04T07:57:00.000-07:00

If the whole of the 80’s was a debate between taste, knowledge and forces that conservatively wanted to go backwards or stay put, it was also a battle for accurate wording which failed. Binaries are everywhere. Male/Female, Punk vs. Hippie, Positive/Negative, Sweet/Sour, Smart/Stupid. Modern/Post-Modern.

This still goes on. I’ve heard people go to Target and ask for “Not-Modern.” What they actually mean to say is Retro or Post-Modern generic. Does that make them old-fashioned or merely evil because they have to match the stuff they got from Pottery Barn? Does “not-modern” mean anti-contemporary? Is there TV retro as well?