LOOK INTO MY OWL

The New Museum is hosting the first U.S. retrospective exhibit of the work of Brion Gysin. “Dreamachine” is a crucial step toward recognizing Gysin as one of the most influential minds of the 20th century. The exhibition brings together more than three hundred drawings, books, paintings, collages, films, slide projections, and sound works.

William S. Burroughs and Brion Gysin, The Third Mind, ink and typescript on paper, 1965.

An original Dreamachine is also on display. In 1961, Gysin along with Ian Somerville conceived the device that is intended to be viewed with closed eyes. The Dreamachine produces light that pulses at a frequency that stimulates alpha waves in the brain. Initial experiences conjure common symbols to roll through the mind’s eye. Consistent use over time has been known to invoke virtual three-dimensional spaces and trigger senses beyond vision. I built my first Dreamachine in 1994 and have used it occasionally over the years. Here is a link to an online simulation, please heed the warnings as the effect can elicit photosensitive epilepsy.

Bryon Gysin with Dreamachine at Musée des Art Décoratifs, Paris, 1962.

It is impossible to sum up the importance of this man, his art and collaborations in a few short paragraphs. This is why it is so important to get to the New Museum before October 3rd. We are going to be spending the Fall and Winter in New York and actually altered our plans so that we would be sure not to miss this long-deserved remembrance.

William S. Burroughs and Brion Gysin, The Third Mind, crayon, gelatin-silver prints, letterpress, offset lithography, and typescript on graph paper, 1965.

Brion Gysin
Dreamachine
7 July – 3 October 2010
New Museum
NYC

Other Press sent me a copy of their latest release from author Richard Polsky. “I Sold Andy Warhol. (Too Soon)” is a follow up to the successful, “I Bought Andy Warhol”, penned five years earlier.

Andy Warhol, Self-portrait (Fright Wig), synthetic polymer and silkscreen ink on canvas, 1986.

The last two decades has seen a meteoric rise in auction value for work created by the late Andy Warhol. The book is a first person account of attempts to procure several different variants of the painting, “Fright Wig” (above). Polsky has been a private dealer for more than thirty years. He has also lent his authorship in the form of a regular column to Artnet online.

His experiences as collector and dealer inculcate his latest book with a credibility that could be found in few other places. Anyone involved in the art world will delight in Polsky’s honesty and humor. The work should also attract a larger audience as a tense narrative of business with millions at stake.

I do occasionally read about the “art market” for reference as an artist and gallery owner. It is usually a hunt for a few bits of useful information in a heap of uninspired text. I found “I Sold Andy Warhol. (Too Soon)” to be quite the opposite, it is engaging on a level that exceeds its genre. I was recommending it to some friends before the last page was reached. You can pick up your copy here.

Richard Polsky, I Sold Andy Warhol. (Too Soon), 2009.

Richard Polsky
I Sold Andy Warhol. (Too Soon)
Released: September 2009
Other Press

A series of photographs from Juergen Teller is currently showing at Lehmann Maupin in NYC. The work was initially commissioned by the French magazine, Paradis and will be encapsulated into a limited edition book at the end of the month.

Juergen Teller, Paradis, c-print, 2009.

The images were accomplished in a single session after hours at the Musee du Louvre in Paris. Juergen Teller had worked with models Charlotte Rampling and Raquel Zimmermann previously but perhaps not in such an extraordinary setting.

Juergen Teller, Paradis, c-print, 2009.

Visitors to art museums expect to be confronted with bare flesh so the concept seems almost wholesome. The sanctity of the location begs for a large crew and sophisticated lighting scheme. Teller took the opposite approach, meandering alone with his subjects taking candid photos complete with harsh flash and crooked horizon. The guerrilla approach captured the sensation of disbelief from the participants and positions the viewer as accomplice to their sublime prank.

Juergen Teller, Paradis, c-print, 2009.

Juergen Teller
Paradis
10 September – 17 October 2009
Lehmann Maupin
NYC