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Joshua Aaron TRILIEGI 1282 W. Sunset Bd Los Angeles
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BUREAU of Arts and Culture : Heres a ' Best of ... ' our early ART
REVIEWS ...
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L.A. ART REVIEW Highlights
1 - HANS BURKHARDT : Within and Beyond the Mainstream
Jack RUTBERG Fine Arts LA BREA Arts District Pacific
Standard Time
by Joshua TRILIEGI
2 - LA VS WAR : A Pro Peace Anti - War Art Exhibition
The VORTEX DOWNTOWN Los Angeles Arts District
by Joshua TRILIEGI
3 - CALIFORNIA ARMENIAN : Pacific Standard Time
GARBOUSHIAN Gallery Beverly Hills Arts District
by Joshua TRILIEGI
4 - GEORGE CONDO : Mental States
Jack RUTBERG Fine Arts LA BREA Arts District
Sketches of Spain & The Trumpet Tribute
by Joshua TRILIEGI
5 - JOHN WESTON : Pleasure Paintings
Sabina LEE Gallery Chinatown Arts District
Sexy Summer Scintillation by Joshua TRILIEGI
6 - SHEPARD FAIREY : Art in the Streets
GEFFEN Contemporary at MOCA Little Tokyo Arts District
From The Streets to The Museums by Joshua TRILIEGI
7 - OJO : Perform LIVE
Pepin MOORE Art Gallery Chinatown Arts District
The definition of what ART is by Joshua TRILIEGI
8 - Patrick Martinez : New Paintings
The KNOWN Gallery Fairfax Arts District
Symbolism is alive and well in todays New Art
by Joshua TRILIEGI
Intellectual International Copyright and
All Rights Reserved to the Writer Joshua Aaron Triliegi
Los Angeles California USA
http://bureauofartsandculturelosangeles.blogspot.com
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HANS BURKHARDT : Within and Beyond the Mainstream
Jack RUTBERG Fine Arts LA BREA Arts District Pacific Standard Time
by Joshua TRILIEGI
We can talk about the paintings of Hans Burkhardt. Born in Basel
Switzerland
in 1904 and moved to New York at twenty years of age where he met and
studied
under and practiced with Arshile Gorky and William De Kooning for the
better part
of a decade. Each were new to America, none were born here. All three
would make
their mark on America and visa versa. Though we cannot talk about Mr
Burkhardt's
current exhibition and future shows without bringing to light his
relationship
with L.A. Art dealer Jack Rutberg, the subject of a recent column in
The Bureau
of Arts and Culture: August of this year featuring the works of artist
George Condo.
Mr Rutberg whom you may call Jack, after spending an hour or so with in
his La Brea Gallery, met Mr. Burkhardt in 1973 and represented him up to
the moment the artist made a last request to his daughter on his
deathbed
in 1994, " Have Jack sprinkle my ashes over the ocean ". A twenty one
year
relationship that Mr Rutberg has continued to honor well beyond the
life of
this great Los Angeles treasure. Hans Burkhardt was given the Lifetime
Achievement Award by the Academy of Arts and Letters in the spring of
1992 with a roster of artists and members that include : Allen Ginsberg,
Paul Theroux, Roy Lichtenstein, Edward Albee, Helen Frankenthaler,
Christo , Chuck Close, Wayne Theibaud and Max Roach, just to name a few.
Without Mr Rutbergs staunch commitment and perseverance, it is safe
to say that a certain obscurity known to happen to L.A. Artists, writers
and rabble rousers through the years ( F. Scott Fitzgerald' s Funeral
had
less than a handful of attendees when he died ) may have happened to Mr
Burkhardt. A testament to a rare commitment and friendship of the ' old
school '
variety that does not exist much in todays day and age. Especially in
Los Angeles where trends come and go, names scratched like sand in the
desert, contracts fade and relationships are traded in like used cars
on Sunset Boulevard.
Picasso's Guernica was the game changer for Mr Burkhardt's generation.
One
could say there is painting before the Guernica and painting after the
Guernica.
Hans was extremely conscious of his contemporaries and those that
preceded
him along the way. Matisse, Picasso, his pal De Kooning and of course
Gorky.
But this is not a future point in his work by any means. Only a
starting point,
Mr Burkhardt' s passion, technique, commitment and work ethic as well a
certain discipline and rebellious spirit put him in a special place
that must
have blown the mind of a young Jack Rutberg whom committed
wholeheartedly
to rep Burkhardt all the way to this day. Thirty-five years in the ring.
" Hans had a house up in Laurel Canyon, that he had kinda made from
scratch,
a lovely place",Jack tells me over laughter and tears as he sets up
booklets,
sketch pads, hand made holiday cards from 1939 stating the words,
"PEACE "
on the back : Mr Burkhardt was extremely aware of what was brewing
politically
throughout his career and never once faltered in his protest towards
war and
fascism.To the point where certain museums and institutes were to label
him a
certain color, unfairly so. The color he used so well to express anger,
power,
passion and the flowers that inspired much of it : RED. One of his
first jobs
was at a garden nursery, later he finished furniture, Mr Burkhardt came
from
poverty.
"Hans always painted alone, he would sketch in a group setting, but when
painting, it was sacred." Jack explains, as he is setting labels and
attempting
to decide what to include and how best to tell the story without
overcrowding
the gallery. One gets the sense that he could hold an exhibition for
Mr. Burkhardt
every month for a year straight. Or better yet open a Hans Burkhardt
Museum as
was once rumored near the late eighties and when those rumors stopped,
Mr
Burkhardts point of inspiration switched, matured, and entered into
what we
would call the Winter stages of his career. The tragedies if you will.
Black
American flags flown backwards with an extra stripe, ' for hope' , Jack
chimes
in, hung over three burnt wooden crosses created shortly after the
second L.A
Riots which must have effected him strongly. He had been invigorated by
the
youth throughout his career and angered by the wars.His travels to
Europe and
a ten year on and off studio in Mexico kept his inspirations flowing
strong.
From the 1930's through to the early nineties his body of work is an
amazing
canon to behold. Mr Burkhardt moved to Los Angeles in 1937 and
continued to keep
a home here up until his passing. Every decade he finds something to
hold onto,
rail against and rediscover, for us to see. Hans' style is one in which
he reveals
to the viewer, process, technique and evolution all within a single
painting.
He implores us to go abstract by starting with a figural aspect and
begging us,
seducing us, turning us into a more imaginative individual. I have seen
some
private collections in my day : Tiny Picasso sculptures never before
photographed,
Francis Bacons paintings, ' given' to the Private Collector and Lucien
Freuds
that have never been seen by the public. Jack Rutberg's collection of
works by
Mr. Hans Burkhardt are by far the most interesting and underrated best
kept secret
within the history of Los Angeles Art ever. This is no exaggeration :
from 1945
through to 2009, every major and minor Art critic worth their weight in
canvas
has chimed in for this collection and the value, integrity and brutal
force of
beauty that he reflects in mankind, the world and our present dilemma's
thereof.
Mr Burkhardt' s paintings are current, dangerous, beautiful and full of
magic,
innocence and demise in a way that mankind itself is. Somehow he
managed to
stay in touch with a Shaman - like aspect of knowing what was what and
why
it was that way.
For the serious art lover, student and collector, I would suggest
focusing on one
decade at a time. Meanwhile , the current exhibition which is being
included in the
much ballyhooed Pacific Standard Time : Art in LA 1945 - 1980
Celebration at many
Galleries, Museums & Institutes throughout Southern California is among
one of the
most important shows to see in the whole shebang . But this is just a
taster, you
will want to buy the books and return to see the next Burkhardt show
and spend
some time asking Jack Rutberg to tell you a few of the stories that we
both decided
to keep off the record. Like any artist whom has thrived , worked,
sweated, toiled,
travelled , lost, won, even triumphed, and sure could lay down a set
of oils on
the canvas, charcoals on the paper and re-ignite his passion for things
current,
the story continues well beyond the artists own beating heart.
As Jack planned out the schematics and let me peruse the private
sketchbooks and
travel journals,I got the sense that what we do as artists is well
worth the agony it
provides. We have to do this thing, there is no choice to quit, not
when the world
needs our voice, for now and for later. Making and presenting Art,
Music, Words :
these are our offerings, our ashes, and this too is that ocean.
Leaving the Gallery while the sun is setting, I get the feeling that
Hans is smiling
down on the world as he once did from his studio in the Hills and says,
" As long as
the sun shines, the soul of the Artist lives ." I take out my camera
and capture it,
repeating this process several times until it gets dark.
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LA VS WAR : A Pro Peace Anti - War Art Exhibition
The VORTEX DOWNTOWN Los Angeles Arts District
by Joshua TRILIEGI
Este'e Ochoa, John Carr, Self Help Graphics, Adhoc
Art and others have curated and organized this Annual
Peace Exhibit for several Years now.The Center for
Political Graphics put up the Fiscal Fist for this
years show.I had not seen John Carr since we were both
invited to be on live radio for artworks we exhibited
together in a group show just a year or so after 9-11 .
It has been ten years since the events of September 11th
& I am unsure if we have answered the questions which this
special art exhibit poses :
1- Where does the Peace movement go from here ?
2- Is the world a safer place ?
3- After ten years of the global war on terror, where do we stand ?
The exhibit pamphlet wishes to examine these questions.
I would like to add a fourth question. Have we as artists
become overly reactionary and so angry that we have become
a lot like the initial reactions of those we oppose ? Angry ,
Indignant, Paranoid, glued to our cell phones for, uh, safety,
or to record someone on a corner or bus or quick to blame the
'others'?
This exhibition did indeed express that frustration, anger
and outright defiance towards the abuses which this date
has had on our civil liberties and the inability to come
together as a country, a nation, a people united as one.
Its called the United States for a reason people! We have
got to get back on the same page again folks . Its been
TEN Years and what has changed ?
The events of September 11th have continued to divide us
up both politically and actively as a community. Over 1500
builders, architects & scientists still say something was
and is wrong with the official story. Firemen, cops and
first responders are still grappling with the after effects
of this terrible day in our history.We have gone to war.
We have internalized the after effects. We have denied truths.
Many of the works in this show implore that we come to terms
with these realities. Some were directly addressing the issues,
others supported communities that have been hit the worst :
Immigrants, Muslims, Americans of color and those on the left.
Others implored that the time to make peace is here and it is
time to stop the War(s).
Barbara Carasco' s " Free Humanity " Poster Print with a Dove
and olive branch was among the later group. While Shepard Fairey's.
" Imperial Glory " was among the previous : A women' s hand
picking a grenade among a lump of cherries. Colorfully rendered
in his crackled paint technique with bright tones reminiscent of
the early 1930's fruit labels one sees in antique stores which
made California a boon for those traveling West from the dust bowl
era. A kind of John Steinbeck meets George Orwell in a cheerful and
witty juxtapose that Shepard does so well. It's hard to define why
we are attracted to his work, a weird mix of happy looking images
with an exacting quality and style. There is a give and take between
the design and the ideology that just seems to tell it like it is and
still make it palatable enough to live with forever. We are lucky to
have him in our circle. This painting was democratically hung next to
everyday artists. Which is a testament to Mr Carr and Ms Ochoa's no
nonsense style of curating : We are all the same.
Works by Mear One reflected Watts Towers in all their glory : these
towers cant be torn down! Rupert Garcia's red and white poster print
with Barbed Wire as the main character and the words, " CESAN
DEPORTATION! " said it all when it comes to how immigrants have been
scapegoated. Leopold Pena's tiny photographs of Arlington Memorial were
heartbreaking and also spoke to a kind of pathos and wicked after
effects of war,
soldiering and the cost of living for a cause. The Artist whom goes
by the name of Cryptic exhibited Portraits of Gandhi and the Dalai
Lama which have the detail, look and technique of a postage stamp,
engraving style lines flow like a stamp of Lincoln, Washington or
Franklin. Melanie Cervantes' beautifully rendered ' NO WAR ' Print
simply displayed a women, hands raised in the air in a defiant position
of protest, it was not for sale. Yeah, no kidding. Like many
of these artist's integrity and stance : Its not for sale dude.
An artist by the name of, Mark of the Beast, made a clever neon sign,
instead of 7-11, it simply said 9 - 11 in the trademark style of the
convenience store logo. At first look its funny, but then it hits you,
ouch. Two of my favorite pieces in this exhibition are by an artist
named Dog Byte, multi layered stencils in the cleanest style possible,
small, tight images done on found signage . Titled , " Boy Bomb" and
" No Where Tanks " were phenomenal works that any collector would love
to own. There is something so naive on the one hand and tight and
expressive on the other, the works say something about our stupidity
at calling for war and our naivete when calling for peace. Beside that,
they have the technique of a master, clearly they are influenced by
Banksy, the king of the genre, but who cares ? These pieces are lovely,
witty , they make the point clear and would look great on your walls.
Eriberto Oriol' s large scale photographs have been popping up in a
number of group shows lately : Art in the Streets, The Chinese American
Museum and LA VS WAR. Here he exhibits large scale prints digitally
produced on paper from Richard Duardo' s Downtown print facility:
Modern Multiples. Mr. Oriol develops his photographs at the Schulman
Photo Lab on Sunset Boulevard, where David Lynch and yours truly develop
& print. These large scale works are extremely impressive. Gritty black
and whites in the urban setting of a back alley. The photos were taken
from above the scene. The subjects have no idea that they are having
their portraits taken. Cops on horses hover like Spanish Conquistadors
while hapless immigrants, migrant workers and several homeless men
( some old enough to be my father) raise their hands in a helplessly
futile surrender. The rest of the exhibiting Artists and their artworks
are not about to surrender . After viewing this show, neither are you
or I for that matter. This exhibit implores one to raise your fists
high, stand up for that immigrant, stand up to those abusing their
power and yes, question authority.
It also reminds me of the fact that some six million Jewish people
were slaughtered not too long ago. Maybe we should understand that
fact before we judge too harshly what, why and where some of the
issues in the middle east are about and how will we make those changes ?
It's too easy to judge on the surface without going beneath it and at
least realizing why this is happening. Then we can come up with ways
to make amends and not let it ever happen here or anywhere ever again.
LA VS WAR is a success.
But how do we move forward together ? That is something we need to
dialogue about, forgive, learn and stop the hate, by simply relating
to one another, instead of blaming, scape-goating & demonizing the
quote unquote, ' enemy'. For those whom were looking to delve into
these matters deeper, there were lectures, discussions, teach-ins,
performance art, spoke word and poetry jams as well as Live Painting
and Music. We caught an impromptu performance by Raquel Guitierrez of
Cornerstone Theatre Company. Her in - your - face - authority - to -
speak - your - mind - stance was certainly a good way to start asking
the kind of questions that eventually will lead to some kind of
answers.
Meanwhile, LA won !
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CALIFORNIA ARMENIAN : Pacific Standard Time
GARBOUSHIAN Gallery Beverly Hills Arts District
by Joshua TRILIEGI
427 North Camden Drive Beverly Hills CA 90210
There are a lot of Exhibitions that reflect on
The Getty' s look at Artists of the West Coast
in the early days of Art here in CALI . A smaller
and intimate look at the Armenian Artists of this
same time in Los Angeles and California is on view
at the relatively new,Garboushian Gallery. A family
owned and operated business that has been in the
cosmetic business for over a decade and is now
branching out into cosmetics for your walls ,
halls and living rooms.In the form of Art :
Paintings, Sculpture, Prints and the like.
We caught the proverbial sneak peak, as they
were hanging these works, many on loan from the
Fischer Gallery at USC. The stand out works are
by Leo Krikorian, extremely fresh and refreshing
paintings,that derive from the early Mondrians of ,
white background, black line and primary red,
yellow, etc... period. Krikorian's take is more
complicated, geometric and instead of vertical
& lateral, are entangled, or even involved .
They have the look of a painting or graphic
created just the other day, or even tomorrow.
Mr Krikorian, it appears, was ahead of his time.
Other interesting works are from John Altoon
and the great writer William Saroyan whom made art
as well as Novels through most of his life. These
drawings are from Paris and Fresno respectively and
each reflect the city they were created in, the Paris
drawing tall and light like the Eiffel tower, the
Fresno sketch, a bit loopy, like the trains and
factories that peppered central California in those
early days and still do , to some degree.
This is an extremely intimate and personal collection,
as if visiting the Garboushian' s private collection of
art, though here it is a special look at their Armenian
Artist's and friends whom may have stopped in for lunch
and left behind a remnant or two to be remembered by.
These smaller galleries are having to work twice as hard
as the big boys across the street, whom have the wealth,
power and reputation to bulldoze. Whereas the smaller ,
newer galleries must simply stand their ground and exhibit
what they love. It shows, and we suggest you stop in.
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GEORGE CONDO : Mental States
Jack RUTBERG Fine Arts LA BREA Arts District
Sketches of Spain & The Trumpet Tribute
by Joshua TRILIEGI
357 N La Brea LA CA 90036
www.JackRutbergFineArts.com
Los Angeles has it's share of Galleries, new and old.
Jack Rutberg Fine Art is neither.Mr Rutberg has been
dealing great art and collectible modern masters for
decades.Jack is a true classicist in the best term of
the word. He has continually provided shows with a museum
quality and a consistent level of international artist
that are indeed respected well beyond the LA & New York
art scene. For true collectors of Fine Art this is the
gallery to spend your money. He has a well rounded sense
of group shows as well as important one person collections
like the George Condo etchings currently on view. We got a
sneak peak at the Hans Burkhardt paintings going up soon,
very interesting show for the fall, strong, bold, historical
and still current in subject matter. But for now heres what
we saw in the George Condo's.
The Condo works were created the same year that Miles Davis
left the planet and are appropriately named after his version
of , " Sketches of Spain " a favorite of Miles and any great
lover of Jazz. One can listen to them over and over, I certainly
have done so.Especially while painting, there is an other worldly
quality to Miles' version and likewise for these very large and
rather sparse etchings. Mr. Condo has been heavily influenced
by Pablo Picasso' s late etching period. Every summer Picasso
would head out to Vallaris Spain to create ceramics, paintings
and yes, sketch's of , well , Spain. This is a perfect triangular
relationship between two of Mr Condo's influences and it works well
on various levels, beyond the clever connections . Mr. Rutberg has
supplemented these works by appropriately displaying drawings and
prints by other masters from his permanent collection such as :
Henry Matisse , Diego Rivera, and of course Picasso.
The Condo exhibition at the Rutberg Gallery follows the recent
retrospective exhibition; George Condo - Mental States organized
by the Hayward Gallery and travels to Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen,
Rotterdam (through September 25, 2011); Hayward Gallery, London
(October 18, 2011–January 15, 2012); and Schirn Kunsthalle, Frankfurt
(February 23–May 28, 2012).
Although the Condo works are titled mental states, it could easily
be titled, reflections on former loves, family and joy. These are
surprisingly light, fun and playful compared to Mr. Condos entire
body of work which can be rather dark, expressive,an even chunky.
These are a breath of fresh air, sexy even, but full of memories
of past summers in the sun. Although much of Condo's work has a
slightly haunted sense, and indeed so does this series, most
of it is of a fairly light vibe. Sparse with a touch of aquatint
over some of the heavily etched figurines that are scattered or
grouped into position. Without entirely grabbing onto Picasso' s
themes : Satyr' s , Sleeping lovers, Bullfighters, Mr Condo is on
the same train as his hero Picasso and here he carries a torch for
Miles Davis and those whom want to get a ride on that train ought
to see the work as well as revisit Picasso and Miles' version of
Sketches of Spain. Very clever and well worth experiencing.
How we insert ourselves into art history is always a pretty tricky
challenge, knowing and loving that history is step one, step two is
communicating that knowledge, step three is a show at Jack Rutberg
Fine Arts. Mr Condo has done it. When was the last time you saw a
series that gave tribute to a lost legend and at the same time showed
off it's own talents ? My first short film was made around the same
time that Condo did these prints. We had a whole script & story laid
out, but on our first day of shooting the film, It was announced that
Miles Davis had passed over. I was distraught, wanted to cancel the
film.
The actor grabbed a broken Trumpet in his studio that was painted bright
pink and suggested we use it in the story, and so we did. Art is how we
cope with it. Life, death, love, loss. Miles played the Trumpet. Condo
and Picasso scratched into metal plates . I wrote this review. What did
you do this summer ? And what about next ? And the one after that ?
In Hollywood folks are more concerned with what you did last summer.
Art History gives us twenty years in this case and two hundred years
in others. We make art because we have to. To view art is a pleasure.
We should give thanks for Galleries like this one, they can deliver the
goods. The art world takes a lot of flack, Jack Rutberg does not.
There is a sense of professionalism and an air of european style
display that is an asset to L.A. Visiting this gallery is like
visiting The Getty, LACMA or any Museum or Institute in Los Angeles.
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JOHN WESTON : Pleasure Paintings
Sabina LEE Gallery Chinatown Arts District
Sexy Summer Scintillation by Joshua TRILIEGI
John Weston' s new paintings at Sabina Lee gallery in Chinatown
gives new meaning to the term, 'My Pleasure'. The paintings are
tightly executed in a kind of New Wave musical coloring tableau
which are refreshing, clean and to be honest, straight out nasty.
The lyrics, 'Hot fun in the summertime' come to mind as well as
that first summer when you were introduced to the orgasm. Or in
this case the multiple orgasm, for those of you still unfamiliar
with this phenomena, uh, sorry, go back to whatever you were doing.
For those of you whom know what I'm talking about, the exhibition
is extremely refreshing and rather dizzying in its ability to, uhm,
razzle - dazzle the mind, memory, members, membranes & then
some.
There is a post - coital vibe to the style of Mr.Weston's work.
One can see a multi cultural influence in his abstractions as if
the nervous system itself is being represented by a variety of
influences which all have one thing in common : we have a body !
It is there to be pleasured. So, gee wiz beaver, let's pleasure it.
One can see G-spots, erroneous zones, and pleasure places connected
with geometric diagram like schematics that are humorous and playful,
in a g rated style for those inexperienced & for those experienced
or simply imaginative, the paintings lean toward the x rated. These
are the kind of works one would want to display in the bedroom or
the bathroom or for the sexually liberated, right there in the living
room. Above the couch. Or maybe in the kitchen, above the stove.
How 'bout it Honey ?
I remember the first time I saw a a Jeff Koons photo. It was masking
taped directly to the wall of Sophie Coppola' s bathroom , directly
above her toilet seat. No frame. It would make you laugh, while you
relieved yourself. It was not just the way it was casually taped, it
was also the fact that Jeff was, ' giving it ' to his then lover, an
extremely sexy female italian porn star and government official ( those
crazy italians). The photo series was somewhat controversial at the
time. The thing I remember most about them, in reflection, are the
colors.
These are the same colors we see in Mr. Weston' s new paintings :
Pinks, pale Blues, bright Green's, diluted Mauve' s and variations
by adding degree's of white, like a sort of acid trip via the early
graphics of Surf and Skate Culture of the 1980's variety. A kind of
Surf Punks soundtrack meets a mushroom trip in Hawaii while getting
laid in the jungles with the faint smell of Mr. Zogg' s Sex Wax , uh,
coconut oil, in the background. For those whom don't surf, don't sex
and don't visit Sophie Coppola' s bathroom or art galleries, sorry,
for those whom do: Enjoy ! Art is indeed a very liberating experience
& the Sabina Lee Gallery knows how to have fun. In fact, the visit is
a pleasure. Pleasure Paintings. These art works seem to say, " Hey,
loosen up, love a little, live a little. Let's sex it up a bit , lets
do it again "
Through to August 20th, 2011 or maybe, for the rest of your life.
www.sabinaleegallery.com
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SHEPARD FAIREY : Art in the Streets
GEFFEN Contemporary at MOCA Little Tokyo Arts District
From The Streets to The Museums by Joshua TRILIEGI
Ten years ago, at about three in the morning at my local grocery
store, A young guy came up to me and asked, " Are you Shepard Fairey ?
".
I did not know who Shepard Fairey was ten years ago, but was well
aware of the Artwork he was doing at the time. My date assured me
that this was a good omen. I took her word for it. Flash forward
ten years. We all know whom Shepard Fairey is now, or at least have
all seen his artwork, in case you have been living in a monastery,
he designed the Obama Poster. You know the first black President of
the U.S. of A !
I like art, I am an artist , third generation as a matter of fact.
But more than that , I like Artists and I like Artists Lifestyles.
How we live. How we create. How we transform society wether they
like it or not. From Spike Lee to Spike Jones. From Michaelangelo
to Modigliani . From Shepard Fairey to yours truly, Joshua Triliegi.
The Los Angeles Times' has an Art critic by the name of Christopher
Knight, he's been at it a long time. He once wrote to me describing
why he writes about art : " ... it's a privilege to write about art,
as that's the best way for me to find out what I think." I have to
admit. It took me a while to really understand what he meant .
Now as I sit here and write about art, it has become very clear
to me that 'doing' is the only way to really know how we feel
about anything. Shepard put up a sticker years and years ago,
two women began a discussion and that intrigued him more than
the art/sticker that he put up. I understand that. I would go
to Atlas Bar & Grille , where all my steel sculptures hung, and
would just sit quietly watching the people and listen to the
customers talk and comment on the craftsmanship, the beauty ,
the awesome size of those steel sculptures. I too, enjoyed
their comments more than the work itself. I received that
commission in the fall of eighty-nine, about the same time
that Shepard started his art experiments. I feel a kinship
among my fellow artists , I feel we are a family, we have our
' supposive disfunctions ' as well as a responsibility to keep
the family together. The doers of the world get things done.
We learn because we do things, others make commentary.
Writing, painting, making music, making tattoos, beautifying
people,places and things, that is what we do. Some of us reflect
on the ugly, the forgotten and even what we might call the darker
side of life, Heronymous Bosch for instance or Paul McCarthy or
any number of artists represented at The La Luz de Jesus Gallery.
We are still all artists sitting at the same table. We cannot
escape the fact that we are a family of artists all connected,
in the same way that we humans cannot escape the fact that we
are all related. Africans are related to Englanders just like
Obama is related to Cheney. Wether we like it or not, we are
all one, all of our relations on this planet, in this universe,
and in all the worlds, known and unknown, flat or round.
Los Angeles has an awesome responsibility to come together
and show the world how to get along. It starts with us. We
are different. We come from different places. We believe in
different ways of living. We think that we have a different
god or a right and wrong way to live. We are wrong on that
point.It is time to stop judging each other and start judging
ourselves, our own path,our own vision, our own artworks,
lifestyles, and be the creative and original community that
we know deep down inside that we can be. The world is watching.
Get on with it. Politics is a polarizing ideology that will not
bring us closer. Art , music, and nature will bring us closer.
Let us meet at that level of life. There is enough love, money,
audience and food to go around, lets share it. This place is
called the City of Angels for a reason, do you know the reason ?
Think about it.
Ok. Back to this article. I met Shepard a year or so ago,
he graciously accepted some artworks of mine and returned
the favor by mailing me his book with a signature and a
thank you. I have always been inspired by trades with artists
whom I respect and enjoy, the brotherhood of the brush kinda
thing. Later I began to interview artists , curators and art
lovers on Shepard influence on us.
Here is what many had to say about Shepard, Street Art and
advice to youth.
Dug: " It's evolving, everyone can take something away with them ".
Michael White: " It's been very inspiring ".
Rex Bruce : ' I think he captures the zeitgeist of the American
Pop culture that expresses itself through music and all of the
different figures that become legends for their political stance
thats in line with a lot of what we are trying to accomplish
including electing Obama. So, uh , these images document that
for future generations".
Merril Kruger : " The guy's very Inspirational, Monumental ".
Jack Bered : " Growing up as a street artist. I can say I
really like the direction he is taking it to the mainstream".
Street Fighting Man : " It [Street art] was looked down upon.
People are appreciating it now."
Jamal Griswold : " Strong, strong work. Solid show. "
[advice to others] Ya gotta reach out, be a part of your
community, Check out these spaces and get into something
positive. I think it's impressive what he's done...".
Alex Johnson : " The stuff he looks at is significant.
I noticed that this is where the real art is. "
[advice] Do what you love, love what you do.
John Basenfelder ; He's very symbolic of the hope and
dreams of a certain generation. He has his pulse on
what's strong. Right now there is a lot of civil
unrest. As long as we have factions or special interest's
like news outlets that tell them what they want to hear.
So for me, Art will hopefully help. Art, music, pop culture
are the kind of things that always unite Americans, you know ? "
Justin McLaughlin : You can see that he's from the
underground. He's just an amazing artist. I feel
that it really taught me that you can overcome
anything.Like that you can rise up and make a pop
culture trend and start a revolution.
[advice] Start doing art " .
Mikeli Noir : " For me, I felt the imagery was
very well done. I like the continuity. He's able
to leap frog from one idea or genre or sub culture
to another. This is a generation thats born with
just as much malaise [as any other] , but the instinct
or impulse to rebel or to change a power larger than
yourself is overwhelming.And it's instilled early on,
so they don't have the angst that previous generations
had. [advice] If you can catch every bit of inspiration
than you can elevate yourself.Don't be detached from
other people. At the same time the idea that we are
one is not so accessible . We are different . But,
I think to be aware that you can actually build
momentum and change things, thats what I would
tell the youth, because I don't think thats being
told. "
Brian Phillips ; " A lot of people have lost their
passion for what they love. Law enforcement are doing
their parts, but the kids on the street are trying
to make themselves happy as well. but then you also
have the kids that are destructive with gang violence.
Both sides don't really understand each other too well.
It all depends on the officers well. There are some
that are really chill.And others that are really corrupt.
Not all , just some. I believe all art forms connect to
each other, wether it's photography, painting, music or
anything like that. All artwork inspires itself to kinda
keep the the cycle going.
To check out This Cult of Street Art see ART IN THE STREETS
at MOCA, it's free on Mondays /
www.moca.org / 213.626.6222
to August 8th 2011 with works by : Shepard, Saber, Banksy,
Larry Clark, Retna, Mode2, Roa, Invader, Freedom, Neckface,
Mark Gonzales, Teen Witch, Futura,Jamie Reid, Crash, Lady Pink,
Martha Cooper, Craig R. Stecyck III, Kaws,Swoon, Ed templeton,
Rammellzee, Os Gemeos, Bill Daniel, Wild Style,Craig Costello,
Gordon Matta-Clark, Mister Cartoon, Margaret Killgallen,Steve
Grody, Hugh Holland, Cherl Dunn, Eric Brunetti, Jim Prigoff,
Risk(My favorite wall in the entire show),and a host of other
originators of this important movement of real valid ART.
BUREAU of Arts and Culture
ART MUSIC THEATER RADIO CONCERTS BIKING BOOKS METRO STORES
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OJO : Perform LIVE
Pepin MOORE Art Gallery Chinatown Arts District
The definition of what ART is by Joshua TRILIEGI
933 Chung King Road Los Angeles California USA 90012
www.pepinmoore.com
How do we define what art is ? Do we look to Webster's dictionary to
do so ?
Or do we define Art by what moves us ? ART is an ever changing element
of the
world we live in . Every now and then a certain artist or medium or
group will
come along and change the definition of what it is. French Cave
Painters knew
they were artists, they had no website,they had no canvas', they had no
cameras,
they had none of the tools that later artists like Da Vinci , would use
to further
what it is that artists do for society , and yet their work still
stands the test
of time. Through the years artists like Man Ray would come along and
shrug off
what Da Vinci and his scope contributed, and at the same time , make
his own mark.
Female artists like the late Diane Arbus, Eva Hesse, Camille Claudel
and Frida
Kahlo would blow the doors open on their lovers, and other male
contemporaries
whom thought that it was exclusively a boys club. I look around my
world to ask
myself the definition of art. I see it in the birds song, I see it when
the light
hits the face of an 88 year old woman, I see it when the sun rises, I
hear it when
the train sounds its horn, when the harbor boats wail their fog horn
and when
James Brown sings, " This is a man's world, but it wouldn't be nothing,
nothiiiiiiiiinnnnnnng, without a woman or a girl ."
I was elated to attend the One Year Anniversary party at Pepin Moore
Gallery in
Chinatown and caught a performance by OJO . I was told by their fans
that an article
in my favorite magazine ANP Quarterly by Ed Templeton and Aaron Rose
had described
the groups work properly, but I wanted to write this article without
the influence
of my contemporaries until later . Some of the audience had seen OJO
over five times,
so that was pretty encouraging. Their own descriptions of the group
included the words :
Incredible , Important , Inventive . The audience was mostly people in
their twenties
with the occasional thirty or forty something , maybe a few teens ,
even a child of
about one year old had attended. The gallery was also exploring it's
first year in our
community and everyone was attending to wish them well and light the
candles on this
one year Anniversary party.
We enter the basement and are immediately transported to a beatnick ,
basement
tapes, black historical secret meeting vibe.There is a sense of high
wire act , pre-
barnum and bailey , sword swallower style heeby - jeeby's in the air .
Live art
performance is a bit like making love, were their to pleasure others as
well as uh ,
you know, get off on the experience ourselves and maybe to have a great
memory
of the sensual variety that will last a lifetime in our memory , in our
psyche , in our
body and one that will set the standard for the next time we will meet
our lover , and
or create a ceiling which can be raised for the next interlude or
session. In the center
of the room sits a table with more wires and computer electronic
equipment than one
would expect from an airport security team or the sound and lighting
crew of a major
motion picture, our mattress if you will, if you wont, too bad for you.
Its an impressive
rectangle of technology, several participants have their work station ,
they are busy
creating a wall of sound , there is an unspoken conductor at the helm ,
he sends
messages like a coach will send a message to the pitcher and catcher in
a baseball
game. He knows his team, he knows how to get a home run out of them,
they are playing
on someone else's field, this aint no home team stadium, they're not
goofing at a training
game, this is big league night and he is not fucking around, uhm, what
I mean is, he's taking
this as a very serious game and we can all sense it. Someone's got to
keep it real here.
A man steps up to the mic, he reads us a piece of literature of the
historical variety,
a cuban history lesson and description of the suicide of a cuban radio
man whose death
goes unnoticed due to a commercial break in the radio stations
schedule. The man at the
table pushes a button, turns a few knobs pulls a level or two and the
cuban speech is
repeated in strange and manipulated pronunciations, sometimes repeated
slower than the
original delivery and other times speeded up to create a new way of
hearing the speech.
The players add a touch of techno stimulation, someone strums an
electric guitar, were
onto to something here. The foreplay has begun, I am already realizing
that this could
be something to remember, the room heats up, I take a sip from my
Tecate, their slogan
is: con character! Damn straight. I am told that one of the founding
members spent some
time in Mexico City : Orale!
A young woman reads some text about Mork from Ork, spaceships and some
directions
on how to deal with some personal dilemma.Again the coach touches the
appropriate
buttons and her statement comes out faster and repeated like the mantra
of a wicked
little virgin, submitting to the process voluntarily, but also somehow
mad that this
will never happen again for once experienced, all is lost.A man steps
up and reads
from a book about sex and mexican literature through the eyes of a
twisted blasphemous
tempest beast. The reading is dangerous, bolstering , insulting,
provacative to say
the least,uh,now they really have our attention, no one leaves the
room. Except the
lady with the child. A woman steps up with an inspiring text on how to
start over :
living, eating and believing. Again it is transformed via the
electronic mattress in
the center of the room . A sound orgy begins to permeate the basement,
another man on
guitar chimes in, the pace is quickening , so is our pulse. " Something
is happening
here but you don't know what it is do you Mr Jones? " Another reader
steps up, at this
point the actual text matters less than the way its beginning to meld
together, we are
in the middle of a happening , Andy Kaufman' s ghost is standing in the
corner, same
with Mary Shelley and even William Burroughs hovers close at hand.
"This aint no party.
This aint no disco. This aint no fooling around." The sound rises, the
performers meld,
the audience is lost in the rhythm . (Check out the spelling of the
word: rhythm, isn't
that strange ?) Now we are all lost in a cacophony of maddening and
enjoining vibrations
that only art can provide, this is indeed happening and everyone either
knows it or is
going to know it the next time they try to repeat this type of thing.
Don't try this at
home. I am not an artist or art critic, but I play one on T.V., yeah
right, whatever.
The guitar player begins to pass out little boxes of children's toy
poppers that when
thrown on the ground make a small explosion of sorts. Pop! pop! Pop!
Andy Warhol's ghost is now clearly visible behind the microphone, he's
surprisingly
emotional and in a post coital vibe. The audience goes wild with the
poppers, the
men with guitars all strap on and a trio of strings begin to grind at
our ears,the
audience is elated. Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg and the spirit of San
Fran Beat
Poets have now entered the room via the psychic transportation device
at the center
of the room. The synth player reads a letter written to him in 1998
through a kind
of Vox Box, no one understands a word he's saying, no one cares because
it feels
so fucking good by this time that he might as well be howling
joyful,ejaculative
enjoyments from the starship enterprise as Scotty beams me up and Spock
will try
to explain to the Captain that all of this experience was highly
illogical.
As I walk down Broadway toward the bus stop, Jack Nicholson and the
final lines of
the classic noir flick comes to mind " Forget it Jake, it's Chinatown."
But I won't
forget it. A book I saw a man reading the other day. I think it was
called,'Making
love to the Chupacabra'. Yeah , that's what just happened. Someone just
made love
to the Chupacabra and this world will never be the same again. That's
what art is .
Intellectual International Copyright and All Rights Reserved to
the Writer
Joshua Aaron Triliegi Los Angeles California United States of
America
BUREAU of Arts and Culture
ART MUSIC THEATER RADIO CONCERTS BIKING BOOKS METRO STORES
WINE
Patrick Martinez : New Paintings
The KNOWN Gallery Fairfax Arts District
Symbolism is alive and well in todays New Art
by Joshua TRILIEGI
411 North Fairfax Avenue Los Angeles California U.S.A 90036
www.knowngallery.com
Patrick Martinez first came to my attention back in the spring of
this year with his one Man show at the KNOWN Gallery on Fairfax in
Los Angeles. At first look, he seemed like a well schooled realist
painter whom documents life in the hood, more or less, status quo,
"Life's - a - drag - in - the - ghetto - kinda - thing". But it
wasn't until the most recent group show entitled, "Assorted Flavor"
that I looked closer and saw a brilliant symbolist visionary tucked
behind a clever realist style thats familiar a la classicist brush
strokes like Cezanne and Gauguin. Good symbolism is always hidden
behind the images so that the average passer by doesn't actually
notice the message behind the message :"It's like a jungle sometimes
it makes me wonder how I keep from going under, huh-huh-huh-huh ".
Some folks know what that means, others may think it's a reference
to old Tarzan movies.
Case in point : his mixed media painting entitled,"CALTRANS". A 40" x
48"
panel painted sometime this year . We see two cops on horses overseeing
eight workers cleaning the sides of the freeway in florescent vests and
orange hard hats. A flesh colored wall with smudges of grey separates
the
workers as well as the viewer from the metropolis' sprawling cityscape,
like Oz in the distance, the Emerald City, poppy flowers appropriately
scattered throughout the scene. The horses are white and brown. Horses =
power. Though here, Horse's could be symbolizing the drugs that have
been
smuggled into the ghettos a la the Freeway Rick nightmare of the early
eighties, later documented and written about extensively by the weeklies
and trade papers alike. Several corrupt officials were allowing the
drugs
into neighborhoods so that authority could lock up the strongest, most
talented and best business people in these impoverished areas. Creating
a devastation from coast to coast. Heroin = brown horse. Cocaine =
white horse.
A Palm tree towers over the scene to the left, but the top is cut off,
unseen,
as if these workers will never get to the top, the promised land , the
Palm leaf
representing sacred space. These workers are caught up in a system that
will keep
them enslaved to a life of subservience , forever seeking out the
wizard to be
smarter, more courageous, more loving , although there is no Dorothy in
sight.
A male world dominated by male authority , signifying the twisted
prison system
that twists men's minds. To the right a traffic sign shows several
directions:
left, forward and right, but below it an orange diamond exclaims,"Lane
Closed".
The seven crew members are of mexican and african descent. The forman,
although
white, is also enslaved and stuck in between the cops on horses , the
brown horse
nudging him from behind, and the workers doing the labor in the fields.
White
washed brush strokes on the upper left and lower right hand corners
remind us
that being either too revolutionary, too far left, or a right wing nut
job, too
far right, means we wont get the support of our middle class white
brothers and
sisters whom are quickly fading from power. The scene could be Los
Angeles or
Miami, same country, different coasts, all the same to people of color.
The
forman holds two sticks in each hand, the left one yellow, the right
one, black
& brown with a touch of blood red. Is that stick on the left
representing the
asian community whom has increasingly been targeted by 'the man' for
being gang
related, car club , tattoo wearing outsiders ?
The policemen in hats and glasses resemble soldiers from the
confederate side
of the civil war. Placed in the foreground we see a worker's profile,
within
his face and chin , a smirky smile makes out the letter :'M'. Possibly
the
letter M stands for Martinez, maybe a relative, a brother, uncle or
father
of the artist or perhaps simply the character which represents his
viewpoint
of this world. In small white letters with a tiny dash , as if
substituting
the comic book tool employed for years, the word bubble that Batman and
Superman
used since the early thirties, the letters - F T W , float in front of
the
paintings main character, the narrator of this urban nightmare's
forever cycle
of enslavement. FTW can stand for two things, the first that comes to
mind is
the often spoken term "F&@% the World", ouch. The second term that one
thinks
of, and the one used often by the youth of today is, " For the Wind "
meaning
this is the last comment on the subject, the nail in the coffin, as it
were .
Yeah , no kidding. It's probably the sentiments of every parolee
working on the
sides of the freeways of America today. For what, smoking marijuana ?
No left hand
signal working on the late model car ? The worker out in the distance
holds a weed -
wacker, but when we look closer, it resembles a sweep broom.The weird
thing is ,
he's sweeping the dirt, a futile exercise, as if you could ever sweep
up the dirt
from the earth itself, the element we were all created from and the
place were all
bound to return, some of us sooner than others. Question : Can I see
your I.D. ? /
Subtext = are you a gangmember ? Answer : Uh , yeah / Subtext = F - T
- W .
One need only to check out what's happening with the hunger strikes
currently
happeneing at Pelican Bay by imprisoned cellmates located in Solitary
confinement
to see how current and contemporary Mr Martinez's art relates to the
basic issues.
Intellectual International Copyright All Rights Reserved to
the Writer Joshua Aaron Triliegi
Los Angeles California United States of America
http://bureauofartsandculturelosangeles.blogspot.com
BUREAU of Arts and Culture
ART MUSIC THEATER RADIO CONCERTS BIKING BOOKS METRO STORES
WINE
