PS1 radio ; conversation with Joao Ribas & Frank Prattel; now online

Drawings on Writing is the new dynamite book organized by Amsterdam based artist Serge Onnen. Onnen investigates the fascinating breakdown of words as they become drawings and the fickle line as they approach the netherworld of meaning/meaninglessness.

The book includes samples of one of the most ecclectic mixes I have ever seen: Sherlock Holmes, the CIA, Napoleon Bonaparte, Gustave Flaubert, Earle Brown, the Shakers, Trisha Brown, Trenton Doyle Hancock, and even Roland Barthes makes a cameo.

Also, Joao Ribas, the curator of The Drawing Center, sits in and gives his witty and intelligent commentary about the book, life, and all the things in between.

A must listen!

the end/the begining

Yesterday finally went to Moma for the first time since I got here. Didn't felt like going. The place is a bit like a airport. Too crowded, too big. But the food is amazing!! It's really the best museum cafetaria I've ever been. You have to wait, but the reward is big and the price small.
There are 2 great shows at the moment. Vik Muniz curated groupshow's (read NYTimes about it) The best groupshow I have seen in a long time. Not only art; also a brown paperbag, a piece of bubblewrap, some known artworks and some unknown.
A bit like my book.
The Marlene Dumas show is fantastic.
The Van Gogh show was sold out.
And next year Moma will open a big Amsterdam-show!

last stroll chelsea

These are two shows I saw a week ago in Chelsea. Michelangelo Pistolleto with prostitutes printed on large mirrors.


And Nathalie Djurberg and Zach Feure with a very nice installation of ceramics, stop motion animation and dirty curtains.A great show..

soupkitchen at opensource

The idea was free food for the homeless. But after a 2 weeks of having artist cook for free, 99% of the time delicious meals, Monika & Gary who run Open source ( a new small artplace in Park Slope (b'lyn) had to admit that they had mainly fed other artists. Giving away food for free is not that easy. Free=suspicious!

Soupmaster Amanda Alic & Soupdistributor Ethan Crenson

micro-artbook fair on melanie flood's kitchentable

Melanie Flood is a photographer and former Zingmagazine editor who started recently organizing events in her house. Like this micro-book fair on a Wednesday night in Brooklyn.
All you need is a table, some people who make smallpress, some drinks & you'll have a perfect bookparty

Alfred Kubin at neue Gallery

I discovered a new really nice little museum. Neue Gallery New york , by central park, very german, with a conditorei where they serve a very nice apfelstoedel and swartzerwaldkuche. Classy german, friendly priced. Old Jewish german couples reading Die Zeit while nipping their mozart kugeln.


Alfred Kubin is a famous obscure artist. Very dark, very Austrian,1877- 1959. I have known his work for years, without really seeing it. It's one of those artists writers and other dark artists like. I was into that kind of stuff when I was 22-25 years; 19Century, symbolism, the devilish woman. etc.
He illustrate Poe and other dark matter..
But very likely I might never have seen his work for real.
Every drawing is tiny and looks like a etching. A etching someone has been working on for weeks by candle light. In the cold.
The images are sometimes really scary and horrible.
The show is great, but my verdict is that Kubin is not a very good artist. It's interesting, but not really good. First of all, it feels very dated to me. I don't get that feeling when I look at Goya, Redon, Rops, Bellmer, Ensor (he fits in this range but in their shadow) He's very scared with using colors. He does it in a few drawings and those are very nice. But it's a typical petit maitre. Does one thing good and doesn't dare to leave that. I don't feel a madness in his work. I think I often have this problem with these dark artists. Music, literature, etc. I seldom really truly
believe it.

One artists that can be rediscovred soon, here in NY, is Unica Zurn. Hans Bellmer's wife. Very good and at the drawing centre begining next year.

2 Financial crisis victims

The people who used to eat lobster all day, just because they could, can't anymore.
The prices have dropped to nothing.
I bought these two one pound lobsters in Chinatown for only 15$.
Would have been normally around 80$.
Hope the same thing will happen with all fancy condo's they're building everywhere. It's crazy; there's so much construction going on everywhere. Only luxury apartments. And I can't help myself from thinking; These under construction fancy apartment buildings; Are something of the past, not the future. Nobody's going to buy.
Even in Queens & Harlem they building apartments with swimingpools and full service.
Who's going to live there?
Maybe these lobsters can live in these swimming pools everywhere waiting for better times.