LOOK INTO MY OWL

“Surviving the End of Your World” is the first Los Angeles solo exhibition from Chad Person. The multimedia effort currently fills the Mark Moore Gallery and continues through the middle of August.

Chad Person, The Mayor Rests, vinyl, steel, electronics & mixed media, 2008.

The economic downturn has left most of the country feeling a little flat. A large inflated sign of power slumped in the corner might not make anything better but it can’t hurt. In trying times, change occurs and we’ll need to be ready. For his part, the artist has constructed an “apocalypse bunker” in New Mexico and has been appearing in the gallery from there via live video feed.

Chad Person, Improvised Double Barrel Shotgun, wood, steel pipe and fittings, glue and twine, 2010.

“Surviving the End of Your World,” is a display of repurposed goods. The halted commercial backdrop to these pieces exclaims a transformation of value and a new sense of what may constitute as raw material.

Chad Person, Twelvepack, US currency on canvas, 2010.

Chad Person
Surviving the End of Your World
10 July – 13 August 2010
Mark Moore Gallery
Santa Monica, CA

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

“Twenty Paces” from Debra Hampton opened last night at Priska C. Juschka Fine Art in NYC. The exhibit is a mixed media affair with two dimensional collage based works as well as some excellent sculptures.

Debra Hampton, From Profit to Protection, magazine cut out, watercolor and ink on paper on board, 2009.

Our culture has for some time been sprinting toward a technological singularity. The imagery in “Twenty Paces” currently arouses parallels to science fiction but advances in robotics and artificial intelligence may make these pieces, with time, resemble fact.

The very real possibility of being confronted with “living” machines may be frightening but we have proven that we can become accustomed to the most unusual impacts progress has on society. Ten years ago, a person talking alone on a street corner would be cause for alarm. Today we may still check for the earpiece but it is assumed that the conversation is not a solitary exercise.

Debra Hampton, Suit of Armor #2, recyclable plastic containers and lids, glue, spray paint and clear glaze, 2010.

Recycling plays a strong part in the construction of all of Debra Hampton’s work regardless of media. “Suit of Armor” (above) literally gains it’s form from used but not forgotten plastic containers. The collage work recycles advertisements from magazines that adorn her figures with an activated consumerism that reminds the viewer of the future as well as a primitive past.

This is one of those exhibitions that I decided to cover a while back and have since had it recommended to my inbox many times from folks across the globe. Head over to Priska C. Juschka and find out what all the fuss is about for yourself.

Debra Hampton, Gold Rush, magazine cut out, watercolor and ink, 2008.

Debra Hampton
Twenty Paces
25 February – 3 April 2010
Priska C. Juschka Fine Art
NYC

Valentine’s Day marked the opening of “Icons” the latest show from Mr. Brainwash. The line was around the corner for the opening at the 15,000 square foot building in the meat packing district. Special thanks to Alanna Sarti for taking these excellent photographs.

Mr Brainwash, Icons, NYC, 2010.

Mr Brainwash, Icons, NYC, 2010.

Mr Brainwash, Icons, NYC, 2010.

Mr Brainwash, Icons, NYC, 2010.

Mr Brainwash, Icons, NYC, 2010.

Mr Brainwash, Icons, NYC, 2010.

Mr Brainwash, Icons, NYC, 2010.

Mr Brainwash, Icons, NYC, 2010.

Mr Brainwash, Icons, NYC, 2010.

Mr Brainwash, Icons, NYC, 2010.

Mr Brainwash, Icons, NYC, 2010.

Mr Brainwash, Icons, NYC, 2010.

Mr Brainwash, Icons, NYC, 2010.

Mr Brainwash, Icons, NYC, 2010.

Mr Brainwash, Icons, NYC, 2010.

Mr Brainwash, Icons, NYC, 2010.

Mr Brainwash, Icons, NYC, 2010.

Mr Brainwash, Icons, NYC, 2010.

Mr Brainwash, Icons, NYC, 2010.

Mr. Brainwash
Icons
14 February – 31 March 2010
415 W. 13th Street
NYC

Bay Area artist Deborah Oropallo is bringing a large selection of prints down the California coast for her latest exhibition. “Wild Wild West Show” opens this Friday at Scott White Contemporary Art in San Diego.

Deborah Oropallo, Randi, permanent pigment print on aluminum, 2009.

The source material for much of this content is salvaged from online sources for cowgirl costumes. These advertisements have been digitally manipulated and superimposed on familiar Old Western photographs and recent rodeo imagery. The diluted figures blend with the landscapes and take on a frenzy that incites dimensional illusion.

Deborah Oropallo, Drill Team, permanent pigment print on aluminum, 2009.

As is the case with viewing most artwork online, scale is lost on these stunning pieces. Some of the works measure nearly seven feet on their long side. At this size, the digital artifacts sear with a saturated color palette that demands attention from a substantial distance.

Deborah Oropallo, Medals, permanent pigment print on aluminum, 2009.

Deborah Oropallo
Wild Wild West Show
8 January – 6 March 2010
Scott White Contemporary Art
San Diego, CA

A well deserved mid-career retrospective covering two decades of work by Gabriel Orozco is on display through the end of February at the Museum of Modern Art in NYC.

Gabriel Orozco, Mobile Matrix (detail), graphite on gray whale skeleton, 2006.

This exhibition marks the first chance to experience “Mobile Matrix” (above) outside of it’s permanent home at the Biblioteca Vasconcelos in Mexico City. The sculpture is a reassembled skeleton of a thirty-five foot gray whale that was drawn on with graphite by the artist and some twenty assistants. The lines fall on the sculpture like a wire frame, at once affirming and denying the three dimensional surface.

Gabriel Orozco, Atomist Making Strides, gouache and ink on newspaper clipping, 1996.

The work of Gabriel Orozco is a celebration of the individual. His ideas flow through a variety of media with no particular specialization. Each concept sets off on it’s own path toward a unique and viable solution. More than eighty artworks have been installed for this exhibit. The museum has put together a solid online presentation that fills in the blanks for those that will not be able to attend the show.

Gabriel Orozco, La DS, modified Citroën DS, 1993.

This is the first stop for the retrospective. The exhibit will travel to Switzerland, France and England with separate installation scenarios designed for each venue.

Gabriel Orozco
13 December 2009 – 1 March 2010
MoMA
NYC

“Dark Doings”, the first solo exhibition in California for Dan Witz is the current show at the Carmichael Gallery in West Hollywood. The imagery is derived largely from a recent visit the artist made to the red light district in Amsterdam.

Dan Witz, Sarah (Bloody Fingers), mixed media on digital print on plastic, 2009.

Unauthorized artwork in public places has gone through many advances over the past several decades. It used to be the goal of graffiti bombers to to go large and loud with the intent of being seen. This attitude has by no means died but a subtler, perhaps more sublime aesthetic has begun to creep in affected considerably by the work of Dan Witz. His inventive urban treasures are reward for staying alert despite the daily grind.

Dan Witz, Mean Monkey, mixed media on digital print on plastic, 2009.

In the past, Witz has voiced an apprehension about showing his work in a gallery setting. Much of the pleasure that he derives from creating art comes from street level interventions in unusual places. “Dark Doings” seeks to integrate the power of the work in its accustomed habitat with the necessities of a proper exhibition space. Many of the prints are mounted on plastic, some have been marked and otherwise disturbed. The pieces have been either framed or mounted to unhinged doors. Photographic images of the prints in situ are also on view, extending the virtual sensation of “being there.”

Dan Witz, Scott (Photo), digital print on photo paper, 2009.

Dan Witz
Dark Doings
5 November – 3 December 2009
Carmichael Gallery
West Hollywood, CA

That’s right, thirty years of collage work from Genesis Breyer P-Orridge can now be seen at Invisible-Exports on the Lower East Side.

Genesis Breyer P-Orridge, English Breakfast, mixed media, 2002-2009.

P-Orridge has been operating on the fringe since the late 1960’s. H/er creative operations have become manifest in many media including performance, music, writing and art. Consistently on the edge of rational thought and living life under h/er own terms.

Genesis Breyer P-Orridge, Electric Newspaper, Issue Two, mixed media, 1995.

These collages display the irreverent nature that has become the artist’s mainstay. The snarling middle finger has always been pointed somewhere, any other course for P-Orridge would have been unnatural. Don’t let h/er disdain for the status quo fool you, the production is based in an intellectualism that few have dared to tread. Should the name conjure little more than a blinking stare, please read up on this incredible life/career.

Genesis Breyer P-Orridge, Untitled (mail art to Ana Banana, mixed media, 1977.

Genesis Breyer P-Orridge
30 Years of Being Cut Up
9 September – 18 October 2009
Invisible-Exports
NYC