Le GRAND MONDE du WARHOL Pt. 2

A small Youtube clip that features some footage of the show at the Grand Palais. And here's another one, with a quick sound byte of the show's curator, translated into English.

Le GRAND MONDE du WARHOL

The Wide World of Andy Warhol just opened last week at the Grand Palais in Champs D'Elysses. As I expected, it was a fascinating show that concentrates upon his portraiture (particularly the 70's/early 80's/commissioned works). Also included are rare looks at tiny, color Polaroids, a 57 minute segment of the eight-hour film, Empire (projected upon a Palais stairwell) and some of his 'last' religious work. My personal favorite though, was the wall of looped Screen Tests (1963-1966) , continuously showing 3 minute sittings with each 'star/starlet'. These paradoxical works were haunting and enigmatic.

It's no suprise, of course, the exhibition concludes by leading viewers into the entrance of one of the Palais gift shops, chocked full of Warhol bric-a-brac; books, DVDs, magazine, magnets, postcards, etc. I am sure that would have appeased him greatly.

BHV BRICOLAGE

Need some die cut Cooper? What about an enameled steel address number? A Sortie de Garage sign? Paris' massive BHV stocks it all in their basement level, Bricolage, alongside all sorts of other curious raw materials.

APRIL 77

I am not much for reading/blogging/hyping about consumerism and/or products, but April 77 is a little French brand that has fascinated me for a few years. Seizing the opportunity to visit their flagship retail location in Paris didn't disappoint and sneaking a few photos of the interior was great, too. Lots of vintage hi-fi equipment, self-published vinyl (a touch of House Sign Painter on there), and great denim....and although I am not too  impressed with their new wordmark, the quality of the garments remains the same.

CHARCUTERIE

Fantastic meats, cheeses and hand-painted type at the local charcuterie in Le Marais, Paris. Nourishment and inspiration live well side-by-side.

PARISIAN INSPIRATION

It was pretty easy to find inspiration this morning, thanks to authentic Parisian ingredients. And I did a pretty fine job crafting my very first cup of French Pressed coffee, despite jet lag....yum.

VERNACULAR

Ovation TV is a relatively new network (about 2 years old), and they keep displaying more promising signs of decent programming. Here's an excerpt from their Genius of Photography series, that discusses the concept of vernacular and the syntax of the medium. Fascinating stuff.

RYAN MCGINNESS @ DEITCH

Ryan McGinness has a show of new works at Deitch Projects in NYC. I don't know much about McGinness, but every time I see his stuff, it's evolving. And I dig it. A LOT.

For me, these massive, circular and obscenely dense, screenprinted panels reference Pollock's 'Lavender Mist', Rauschenberg's 'Revolver' and Duchamp's 'Roto-reliefs'. That's quite a combo...

NO LYIN' WHERE?

I have never liked U2.

I won't go as far as to say that I hate them, they seem like decent fellows, I just never connected the their sound or message. To quote Henry Rollins, "The Clash is the band U2 wish they could be". 

That said, it's been impossible not to notice the conspicuously austere and minimal wild postings around the streets of LA, advertising the latest U2 release, No Line On the Horizon. I did some lazy 'research', (ie, a few minutes with a search engine or two) to find some more information about their *gasp* elegant and beautiful advertisements. Apparently, Japanese photographer Hiroshi Sugimoto is responsible for the image on the cover, and much to my shock, did it as an artist-to-artist trade with U2. Kinda....cool? Read a little more about it over at the Japanese Times.

(I will resist the temptation to comment upon the limited edition, multi-format, special packaging-as-a-reward-for-buying-the-physical-object-also-an-anti-digital-file-sharing-music-BS...)

STORE FRONT

Ginko Press just released an interesting new book, Store Front-The Disappearing Face of New York. It's a survey of color photographs focused upon what I describe as 'vernacular typography'. Like vernacular architecture, vernacular typography absorbs and reflects it's immediate context and surroundings. Often haberdash and/or hand-painted by necessity, this genre of type and signage is full of paradox; it can be clumsy and elegant, grotesque and charming.

Editorial rants aside, large format photographers James and Karla Murray spent years documenting the quickly-disappearing facades of local retailers and vendors in and around NYC. Lots of beautiful stuff...

FLOCK OPENS

What the Flock opens tonight at Black Sheep in Charlotte, NC. Thanks to shop proprietor, Josh Frazier, for keeping the soul of true skateboarding alive.

SK843 @ BLACK SHEEP

Black Sheep in Charlotte, NC is officially the first skateboard shop to 'stock' the SK843 'zine, which I just designed/published/released on January 1, 2009. This is the first time the 'zine has been made publicly available and is presented on a custom-fabricated and screenprinted display shelf. There are just a few unique, hand-pulled SK843 100% cotton shirts in stock, too. Contact Black Sheep for more info (704.333.1423).

WHAT THE FLOCK

Any of you skateboarding types in the North Carolina area, I have a few pieces included in What the Flock, at art show at Black Sheep in Charlotte. The event opens this Friday night, March 20th, 2009 and is free/open to the public. 

Above:

Untitled (TV Control), 2008, 18" x 24"  four color screenprint on wood, 2/2 

Untitled (Grind Vice), 2008, 9" x 12" three color unique screenprint on wood

The work is available for purchase directly from Black Sheep, who is taking a 0% commission of sales. Thanks, Josh.

BLENDER

"Just kiddin' dude. Go ahead, look."

I got to interview Neil Blender for my old 'zine, Streetscribe, back in 1988; quite a memorable experience. Above is one of the more amusing segments of Blender skating and goofing around (probably my all time fave), circa 1990. A lot of this was shot in and around Atlanta, GA.  From G & S 'Footage'.

"Corey O'Brien....it was popular back in '89, lotta kids bought it. It's 1990 boys, let's get rid of the skeletons."

DON'T NEED IT...

...but I'll take it.

I guess the Bad Brains are out on an east coast tour at the moment, which is hard to believe, given the tumoultous, 30-year history of the band. Regardless, an old friend recently created/illustrated this poster and sent it to me (Thanks, Shepard). It's based off of some pretty historic 1982 CBGB's photos shot by Glen E. Friedman. Miraculously, it's also signed by every original member of the 'Brains, too; HR, Doc, Daryl and Earl. It now rests proudly on display above my reference library. And I like I have mentioned before, I would prefer to 'remember' the Bad Brains like this.

JASON ROACH PT.2

Recently, I have been spending some time wading through my three-ring binders of black and white 35mm negatives, some of which date back to 1987. I was pleased to rediscover this portrait and action shot of fellow skateboarder (and Natas Kaupas look-a-like), Jason Roach. Jason was a Savannah local that I skated with on a regular basis from 1988-1992. The above photos were shot on an afternoon of May 1990, on the corner of Bull Street and Oglethorpe Avenue in the heart of Savannah's Historic District. 

IND

I just returned from a quick trip to my original hometown of Indianapolis, Indiana to visit my family. Imagine my surprise when I stepped off the plane and was met by clear skies and the amazing architecture of Indy's brand new international airport. For a moment, I thought I had accidentally flown to the wrong city...