Matt Mullican at the Drawing Centre

First time I see a floor to ceiling PACKED show that remains very calm. Impressive...

Samuel Vriezen in Good Sheperd Church (just one block from LincolnCentre..........)

Dutch Composer, poet, organizer of events, oorbeek-boardmember,Friend, etc,etc
was in town; one of his new compositions was being performed twice this week, by Lost Dog New music ensemble. (together with a couple of mostly american young composers, all people connected to this blog; sequenza 21.
I hadn't heard Vriezen's music being performed in a while. This new piece for Violin and piano called 2 suites, was very good. Simple, strong, and also funny in a way. (it's strange to describe music as funny. But we do.)
This is the second time Samuel's music is being picked by a new music ensemble in NY. That's already quite expectational. (They do these concert 3-4x a year).


In a week when the dutch newspapers are very excited about the good reviews Ivo van Hove received in NY for opening night at BAM. That very same NYTimes also included a review about Samuel's piece!
(& to continue this list; Three artists doing something now in MoMa live in Amsterdam; Marlene Dumas, Lonnie van Brummelen & Yael Bartana.
And the big Pipiloti Rist video, also in Moma, was shot by Rob van der Ven.
in a dutch tulip field!
Pride of Amsterdam!

the art of BABAR by Jean de Brunhoff

I grew up with it, so was excited to see some original work.
But; unfortunately; Quite disappointing..A few pencil sketches where more or less interesting. It's not the first time I see the original being less interesting then the final; The book.

Sol le witt at Mass. MoCa

Just opened and will close in 2033. 25 years to go to Massachusette If you like Sol.
I'm not really sure if I like that. It is so death.
Would be more interesting to see something really transform slowly over such a long periode as 25 years.
A exhibition of food, plants, animals... See life.
Something by Mark Dion, Dieter Roth or what the hell; Damien Hirst!
There's something very agressive about a show that will last 25 years.
In NY there's a few DIA spaces where they have these long term installations;
Dan Flavin, Walter de Maria, Richard Serra, Robert Smithson.......
.......always male, american, white, minimal artists......
It's the sublime supremacy.
The protestant ruling idea that art should be eternal, pure and sublime.

'la pureté est une invention de la police' to quote Roland Topor again...
(purity is a invention of the police)

J&L night at Aperture Gallery

Kaleisdoscopecyclope

Melvin van Peebles at MoMa Film

Tonight two really great screenings at MoMa cinema. In one space Thurston Moore was introducing early David Bowie video's (bowie just donated his archive to moma)
While in the other space Melvin van Peebles showed one of his first movies and his last one.
I could only see one event.

Melvin is a legend; the real godfather of independent cinema in the US. He's a amazing figure. Biggest inspiration for all independent black or white filmmakers in this country. He moved to Paris because he couldn't have his films made in Hollywood. A Black man directing a movie in Hollywood at that time was not possible.
In France, Van Peebles learned the language and was hired to translate Mad magazine into French and then, with a his willpower, he started writing novels in french and did this incredible movie in 1968; story of a 3 day pass. (in french La Permission;
wiki quote;
In 1959 he went to Europe and worked for the Dutch National Theater before being invited to During this time in Paris he wrote a number of novels and made another short film, Cinq cent balles (1965). It was here that he made his first feature length film, The Story of a Three-Day Pass (1968), which caught the attention of Hollywood producers who mistook him for a French auteur. It was after the resulting bad experience directing The Watermelon Man (1970) for Columbia Pictures that Van Peebles became determined to have complete control over his next production, which became the groundbreaking Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song (1971), privately funded out of his own pocket and in part by a $50k loan from Bill Crosby Van Peebles not only directed, scripted, and edited the film, but wrote the score and directed the marketing campaign. The film, which ended up grossing $10 million, was, among many others, acclaimed by the Black Panthers for its political resonance with the black struggle.

So he worked in Holland as well....amazing. He speaks Dutch!
Too bad he didn't made a movie there.
Filmmuseum, Dutch film industry....Wake up!

This movie is super. It's really a American inspired by his generation of Truffaut/Godard. Has the same wit as those guys but from the point of view of a young black american. Amazing soundtrack by himself, great editing, great acting. Smart, funny, very political. Even has a very weird cameo of Topor, Cabu, Reiser,etc in it (The whole Charlie Hebdo gang )
I'm a fan now.

Jack Chick

Jack Chick makes comics.
It's underground stuff, but religious right underground. I guess its his real name. Because it's just too weird.
If your lucky you can find them in public transportation. They're very small, people leave them around in the hope you will become a Jack Chick/Jesus Christ-follower.
I'm a Chick-follower.
They're good. Great drawings, a bit old fashioned but really funny and well drawn. And now also as a nice slide show;