Meat Joy

Meat Joy: Carolee Schneeman, 1964

Kimya Dawson is my girlfriend

Kimya Dawson is an amazing artist who is part of the antifolk music scene. Antifolk music takes the earthy, raw feeling of folk music and combines it with experimental, and sometimes playful, lyrics. The style of antifolk varies from artist to artist, but Kimya Dawson's solo music is consistent with the description above. Dawon's music is raw, and combines honesty, playfulness, and an undertone of innocence which I find to be beautiful. She was part of a group with Adam Green called the Moldy Peaches, but now she's a solo artist.
Seeing her perform live was amazing. She wasn't pretending to be anything, she was just herself. Sitting on a stool while meekly speaking in between her personal songs, watching her perform was uncomfortable at times. She would play a song, tell a personal story, tell the audience not to laugh at the story because it wasn't funny, the audience would feel bad for laughing about the story, and then she'd play another song. Dawson has a way to mix pain and humor in the most comforting way. Her music and her spirit filled the room with warmth. Dawson's concert was the best I had ever seen, because it was the most honesty I've ever seen on stage. I'm attaching some youtube clips of my favorite songs from her solo and with the Moldy Peaches. Nothing came out is one of my favorite songs ever.

Dara Birnbaum

I cant remember if I have posted about Dara Birnbaum already, but incase i havnt, here she is. I love her. I got to meet her at the Electronic Arts Intermix in NYC as well as Carollee Schneeman, who is amazing as well. It was a sick and amazing experiance. A little more info on miss dara:

An architect and urban planner by training, Dara Birnbaum began using video in 1978 while teaching at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, where she worked with Dan Graham. Recognized as one of the first video artists to employ the appropriation of television images as a subversive strategy, Birnbaum recontextualizes pop cultural icons (Technology/Transformation: Wonder Woman, 1978-79) and TV genres (Kiss the Girls: Make them Cry, 1979) to reveal their subtexts. Birnbaum describes her tapes as new "ready-mades" for the late 20th century—works that "manipulate a medium which is itself highly manipulative."

And some info on Wonder Woman:

A stutter-step progression of "extended moments" unmasks the technological "miracle" of Wonder Woman's transformation, playing psychological transformation off of television product. Birnbaum considers this tape an "altered state [that] renders the viewer capable of re-examining those looks which, on the surface, seem so banal that even the supernatural transformation of a secretary into a 'Wonder Woman' is reduced to a burst of blinding light and a turn of the body—a child's play of rhythmical devices inserted within the morose beligerence of the fodder that is our average television diet."


Here's the link to the video, it doesnt have an embedded code thing and im too lazy to do anything myself:

http://vodpod.com/watch/793308-dara-birnbaum-technologytransformation-wonder-woman-197

if that doesnt work, try this one:

http://www.vdb.org/smackn.acgi$tapedetail?TECHNOLOGY_002

Audre Lorde- Power

Audre Lorde considered herself to be a black lesbian feminist mother poet. Fueled by racism, sexism, and oppression, Lourde's poetry tackles these issues with combination of rage and honesty, speaking to the consciousness of marginalized communities. Power, written in 1978, deals with the issues of racism and sexism head on. Unabated and honest, the poem contains thoughts, emotions, and actual events reflecting on the collective consciousness of the black community. The poem is beautifully raw and contains intense images. Power also speaks to the cyclical nature of racism and the violence, which becomes a direct result. Lorde's once stated,” I feel have a duty to speak the truth as I see it and to share not just my triumphs, not just the things that felt good, but the pain, the intense, often unmitigating pain." Power illustrates Lorde's statement, and is a wonderful example of her warrior poetry.

Power

The difference between poetry and rhetoric
is being
ready to kill
yourself
instead of your children.

I am trapped on a desert of raw gunshot wounds and a dead child draggging his shattered black face off the edge of my sleep
blood from his punctured cheeks and shoulders
is the only liquid for miles and my stomach
churns at the imagined taste while
my mouth splits into dry lips
without loyalty or reason
thristing for the wetness of his blood
as it sinks into the whiteness
of the desert where I am lost
without imagery or magic
trying to make power out of hatred and destruction
trying to heal my dying son with kisses
only the sun will bleach his bones quicker.

The policeman who shot down a 10 year old in Queens
stood over the boy with his cop shoes in childish blood
and a voice said "Die you little motherfucker" and
there are tapes to prove that. At his trial
this policeman said in his own defense
"I didn't notice the size or nothing else only the color" and
there are tapes to prove that too.

Today that 37 year old white man with 13 years of police forcing
has been set free
by 11 white men who said they were satisfied
justice had been done
and one black woman who said
"The convinced me" meaning
they had dragged her 4'10 black womans frame
over the hot coals of four centuries of white male approval
until she let go the first real power she ever had
and lined her own womb with cement
to make a graveyard for our children.

I have not been able to touch the destruction within me.
But unless I learn to use
the difference between poetry and rhetoric
my power too will run corrupt as poisonous mold
or lie limp and useless as an unconnected wire
and one day I will take my teenaged plug
and connect it to the nearest socket
raping an 85 year old white woman
who is somebody's mother
and as I beat her senseless and set a torch to her bed
a greek chorus will be singing in 3/4 time
"Poor thing. She never hurt a soul. What beasts they are."

I am Making Art Too!

This video addresses John Baldessari’s 1971 video-performance piece, I am Making Art, with humor and scrutiny. The younger artist, Miller, brings Baldessari’s tai chi-esque movements into contemporary times by transforming his original meditative gestures into breakdancing moves. Miller then inserts herself into the new video footage and dances around Baldessari. Missy Elliott’s Work It backs up the new Baldessari-Miller collaborative dance. The three artists (Baldessari, Elliott, and Miller) form a new collaboration. The video approaches a variety of questions relating to: women’s roles in art history, artistic authorship, younger artists’ attempts at appropriation/homage, the nature of the artistic gesture in video art.

I am making art

John Baldessari's performance art piece

Charles Bukowski- These words I write keep me from total madness

Painting by Bukowski

I've been on this Charles Bukowski kick as of late. Bukowski was born in the 1920's and died at the age of 73. His work is most often about the Los Angeles scene and life in general. The following is a quote by him that I love, "You live in a town all your life, and you get to know every bitch on the street corner and half of them you have already messed around with. You've got the layout of the whole land. You have a picture of where you are. ... Since I was raised in L.A., I've always had the geographical and spiritual feeling of being here. I've had time to learn this city. I can't see any other place than L.A." There is something about unpretentious, honest art that excites me, and that's about as honest as it gets. No flowery words or descriptions, just plain honesty. I posted a poem by him called Alone With Everybody that I enjoy. Note Bena.

Alone With Everybody


the flesh covers the bone
and they put a mind
in there and
sometimes a soul,
and the women break
vases against the walls
and the men drink too
much
and nobody finds the
one
but keep
looking
crawling in and out
of beds.
flesh covers
the bone and the
flesh searches
for more than
flesh.

there's no chance
at all:
we are all trapped
by a singular
fate.

nobody ever finds
the one.

the city dumps fill
the junkyards fill
the madhouses fill
the hospitals fill
the graveyards fill

nothing else
fills.

Donald Barthelme and The Dead Father

Donald Barthelme is the king of post-modern fiction and one of my favorite authors. He has an amazing knack for combining humor and philosophy in his works of flash fiction and novels, which is evident in his novel "The Dead Father". One of the best things about this novel is Barthelme's ability to create a cohesive narrative, while the structure of the novel is anything but that.
"The Dead Father" tells the story (fragmented, but nonetheless a story) of nineteen people dragging the carcass of a half-man, half-machine, father by means of a cable across a strange land. From a philosophical reading of the novel, the dead father himself, an aging, once powerful patriarch, can be seen as a God-like figure, while his ‘children’, who no longer respect him, are members of a religion that have lost their faith. At the end of the novel *plot spoiler* the dead father is led to a large grave where his children stoicly bury him alive -- God is dead...death or religion.
Chapters focus on singular events, and give immense detail to specific moments, thoughts, and actions. In this technique, Barthelme becomes an omniscient storyteller able to reveal all aspects of the characters. What makes this truly post modern fiction and separates itself from other omniscient narrations is the style in which Barthelme utilizes in order to accomplish this sense of omniscience.
At times in "The Dead Father" Barthelme writes without clear punctuation and identification of speaking characters. He also fails to decipher which phrases are thoughts, speaking parts, or details of what’s occurring in the scene. While confusing, and at times frustrating, it does accomplish omniscience. This reminded me of a script of a play, including all stage notes, without the inclusion of names, punctuation, and other helpers that would aid in the overall understanding of the play. The following is an excerpt of a scene in the novel:

Elegant way of putting chairs here and there.
A lady always does.
Any artist will do.
Chewing red candy hearts.
And the myriad flower stalls with their burstin-sun dapple...of the rainbow...good God.
I read about it. In Die Welt.

Confusing, but yet encompasses all aspects of the scene. The phrase chewing red candy hearts is the action taking place by one of the characters, the myriad flower stalls is what's happening in the setting, and the rest could have been said or thought, it's up to the reader to decide.
Leaving it up to the reader to decide is the great thing about this novel. The style of the writing and the plot is all left open for interpretation. The reader can take this novel for an analogy of religion, or simply as a story of people dragging a body. The style or writing can be seen as gibberish, or either as a unique way of narration. Regardless of the interpretation of this particular work, or of Barthelme's body of work as a whole, Barthelme's work is a staple of post-modern fiction, and important in understanding the movement as a whole.

Meret Oppenheim - James Bidgood

After reading Nia's post about James Bidgood and looking at his photographs, something reminded me alot of the photo's of Meret Oppenheim in the 1930's. She was associated with the Dada movement and was photographed by several artists within that circle. At one point, I had several pictures of her saved to my computer, and many looked ver similar to the James Bidgood photographs, but I no longer have that computer. I can't find the pictures I want of Oppenheim, but I did stumble upon this one on the internet. Something about the mood, the shadows, and the hints to mythology reminds me of Meret..sans technocolor sexy. I think it's pretty cool.

The Baltimore Glassman and a Fiesta of Glitter!

OMG! While roving around the internet, I stumbled upon The Balitomre Glassman and in the fashion of any great artist, he pours glitter and sequins on anything possible! His real name is Paul Darfmaul, and he said, which I think is wonderful, "By accident, I discovered that when glitter got mixed with glass it looks very beautiful." I don't know if he is dead or alive, but if he is alive, he is around 82 years old now and suffers from heart problems and schizophrena. He doesnt consider his work 'paintings', but rather as simple messages...simple signs. These pieces are called Indian and Angels, Life and Death. I love it. Truthful, beautiful, sparkly art. Simply High Art.

Why Nia's Art Is High Art

Nia's Glitterdick piece is a really amazing piece of high art. In this piece, Nia totally flipped the script on the objectification of womens bodies, and made the male form something to be gawked at. In Glitterdick, a glitter screen was used to project several images of penises while a narration of the process and purpose of the piece played in the background. The piece was inside of a small black room with a black curtain as an entrance. Walking into it was like going into a freak show, being led into a dark room and bearing witness to something that was grotesque but strangely beautiful. Nia's piece was that beautiful freak, that 21 inch midget dancing for your entertainment.
Glitterdick was really great because it took something so prevelent in culture and reveresed it. Nia mastered subversion in one fell swoop. I loved it when I first saw it, and I loved it more after I read about a woman named Sara Baartman. Nia's piece, which made the male glittery penis the freak, strongly alluded to Sara Baartman, an African woman who was showcased as a naked freak in the 1800's.
Sara Baartman lived in South Africa. A South African woman told Sara that if she traveled to Europe, she would make money and become famous. Upon Sara's landing in Europe, she was immediatly exhibited as a freak. Called the Hottenot Veus (Venus referencing the acient fertility figures with exaggerated hips and breasts), she was exhibited naked. Sara had a large buttocks and elongated libia, which excited and fascinated visitors. Patrons were allowed to touch her butt for extra payment. After exhibiting naked for a while, Sara became a prostititue, which is the position she held upon her death at the age of 20 something. Her remains, and by remains I mean brain and vagina, were preserved an exhibited in a French museum until the 1960's.
Nia's Glitterdick was Sara Baartman, and all the other women who have shown their bodies for money, subverted.

we got dicks like jesus

Mickey Avalon (born Yeshe Perl on December 3, 1975) is a rap artist from Hollywood, California. Avalon blends dark, lewd, and humorous hooks with heavy beats.
Frequent topics of Avalon's songs are his experiences with substance abuse and prostitution. His family upbringing was tumultuous and both he and his parents used drugs. Avalon's paternal grandparents are Holocaust survivors; both endured lasting injuries from their imprisonment at Auschwitz.
As you can see, this is my new boyfriend. Not only is he crass and lewd, but he is also a jew AND covered in tattoos and totally hot. His words are amazing and so is his subject matter. Im glad i found this artist...it works well with the whole monologue study that im doing.
His single "my dick" is super fierce (stole the lingo). Please take note at the high art. Also, his other amazing song "jane fonda" is just beautiful. read the lyrics. listen to the music.
The video's with strippers/sluts is just glorious for reasons i cant even decribe. You know i discovered this shit at the Velvet tonight, too (for real, like 8 hours ago and i immediately came home and researched it.). My clothes seriously just started falling off in a state of pure joy when the dj played "my dick". i made him play it 4 more times. and i made him play "jane fonda" twice. this shit is sick and totally out of control.
I havnt been this stoked about an artist in a very long time.