Pantywaisted Eurotrash out!
May. 26th, 2006 10:19 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
imomusThursday, my last day at the Whitney, was brightened by the appearance of Arto Lindsay. Arto now seems to be spending almost all his time in Brazil, where he's bringing up a child with his wife.
I then went for milchkaffee and marzipan cake at the Neue Galerie, on the corner of West 86th Street and 5th Avenue, with Chrissie Iles and two members of her curatorial staff. This German (and Austrian) museum (lots of Paul Klee on display at the moment) has the most amazing dark wood café, Café Sabarsky, modelled on the
sort of Viennese café Karl Kraus (bit of a hero of mine back in my more satirical days) would have frequented a hundred years ago. The conversation was lively, and the cake was excellent. Café Sabarsky resembles Berlin's Café Einstein too, so it serves as a sort of cultural decompression chamber for my flight to that city later today.
I have enormous thanks to give to Chrissie Iles -- and of course co-curator Philippe Vergne, whose fundraising, administration and exhibition organization in his new job at the Walker in Minneapolis have kept him away from New York somewhat -- for the last three months. Playing the "Unreliable Tour Guide" has been a thoroughly interesting, outrageously enjoyable exercise in freedom of speech, real-time writing, situational composition, stand-up comedy, art criticism, officially-endorsed pranksterism, political commentary, and, well, just damned pantywaisted Eurotrash foppery. I've loved every minute, so thanks a million, Chrissie and Philippe! (And thanks also to the museum guards, whose enthusiasm and good humour have been a real filip. I spent some time on Thursday photocopying an article in Parkett magazine to give to Claude McKay junior, nephew of the Harlem Renaissance poet Claude McKay, and a poet in his own right. The article, about Ellen Gallagher, mentioned the poet-guard.)
Thursday evening was spent with Christie's curation student Elsie Heung, artist Hiroshi Sunairi, another Japanese artist, and Jing Yu from Chambers Fine Art. After catching some Asian Contemporary Art Week openings in Chelsea (Hiraki Sawa's delicate videos of imaginary animals walking in animated outline around his London flat, and a film by New Humans member Mika Tajima), we slurped noodles in the East Village and Hiroshi sang the complete works of Prince a capella.
My adventures in the art world continue with a series of daily texts I'll be e mailing to Blow de la Barra gallery in London's Heddon Street (the street depicted on the cover of Bowie's Ziggy Stardust, and also the site of Frida Strindberg's legendary cabaret The Cave of the Golden Calf, hangout of Vorticists like Wyndham Lewis) for the staff to perform. I'll be in London at the end of June for the opening of their group Summer Show, curated by Mathieu Copeland. But the rest of the year is basically me in Berlin, writing a book for Paris publisher La Volte called Lives of the Composers. Oh, and playing with my black, pantywaisted Eurotrash rabbit.
I then went for milchkaffee and marzipan cake at the Neue Galerie, on the corner of West 86th Street and 5th Avenue, with Chrissie Iles and two members of her curatorial staff. This German (and Austrian) museum (lots of Paul Klee on display at the moment) has the most amazing dark wood café, Café Sabarsky, modelled on the
sort of Viennese café Karl Kraus (bit of a hero of mine back in my more satirical days) would have frequented a hundred years ago. The conversation was lively, and the cake was excellent. Café Sabarsky resembles Berlin's Café Einstein too, so it serves as a sort of cultural decompression chamber for my flight to that city later today.I have enormous thanks to give to Chrissie Iles -- and of course co-curator Philippe Vergne, whose fundraising, administration and exhibition organization in his new job at the Walker in Minneapolis have kept him away from New York somewhat -- for the last three months. Playing the "Unreliable Tour Guide" has been a thoroughly interesting, outrageously enjoyable exercise in freedom of speech, real-time writing, situational composition, stand-up comedy, art criticism, officially-endorsed pranksterism, political commentary, and, well, just damned pantywaisted Eurotrash foppery. I've loved every minute, so thanks a million, Chrissie and Philippe! (And thanks also to the museum guards, whose enthusiasm and good humour have been a real filip. I spent some time on Thursday photocopying an article in Parkett magazine to give to Claude McKay junior, nephew of the Harlem Renaissance poet Claude McKay, and a poet in his own right. The article, about Ellen Gallagher, mentioned the poet-guard.)
Thursday evening was spent with Christie's curation student Elsie Heung, artist Hiroshi Sunairi, another Japanese artist, and Jing Yu from Chambers Fine Art. After catching some Asian Contemporary Art Week openings in Chelsea (Hiraki Sawa's delicate videos of imaginary animals walking in animated outline around his London flat, and a film by New Humans member Mika Tajima), we slurped noodles in the East Village and Hiroshi sang the complete works of Prince a capella.
My adventures in the art world continue with a series of daily texts I'll be e mailing to Blow de la Barra gallery in London's Heddon Street (the street depicted on the cover of Bowie's Ziggy Stardust, and also the site of Frida Strindberg's legendary cabaret The Cave of the Golden Calf, hangout of Vorticists like Wyndham Lewis) for the staff to perform. I'll be in London at the end of June for the opening of their group Summer Show, curated by Mathieu Copeland. But the rest of the year is basically me in Berlin, writing a book for Paris publisher La Volte called Lives of the Composers. Oh, and playing with my black, pantywaisted Eurotrash rabbit.
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(no subject)
Date: 2006-05-26 03:19 pm (UTC)As you might guess, I believe the world needs much less pedantic bluster and much more pantywaisted foppery.
I am certainly very proud to have been included in the biennial with you.
Love,
Zoe Strauss
going back to berlin
Date: 2006-05-26 03:44 pm (UTC)I was in berlin a few weeks ago, considering whether to move there, hanging out with my friends who live there...friedrichshain and prenzlauerberg are lovely. That video shop on Revalerstrasse was enough by itself to make me want to move there. But there doesn't seem to be much energy in berlin, compared to london (where i live) or new york, where i'm thinking of moving to. No-one needs much money, no-one works much, and there's a lacksadaisical, indulgent air which makes me think if I lived there I'd get nothing done and spend my time navel-gazing. Or whatever the german word for navel-gazing is. Which would be fun, but would also make me feel a bit peripheral to the action, rightly or wrongly.
Maybe i just have psychogeographical problems with the easy pace in Berlin, walking down WarschauerStr from Humana with not a care in the world and £3 spent on the perfect dress just doesn't feel right for such a hardened London tube rat...maybe against my better nature. any thoughts?
Eli
(i wouldn't be anonymous but i don't have an LJ!)
(no subject)
Date: 2006-05-26 03:50 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-05-26 04:22 pm (UTC)http://www.thestonenyc.com/calendar.php
i may treck out!
Re: going back to berlin
Date: 2006-05-26 04:27 pm (UTC)To be honest, it's my ambition to live in Tokyo again one day. But for now, it's Berlin.
(no subject)
Date: 2006-05-26 04:28 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-05-26 04:29 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-05-26 04:50 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-05-26 05:08 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-05-26 05:36 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-05-26 06:32 pm (UTC)I agree with you -- the Neue Galerie cafe is wonderful - I like going there after walking around the Guggenheim. I work with Philippe in Minneapolis, he was so animated and excited when we talked about your Biennial project. Wish I could've seen it!
(no subject)
Date: 2006-05-26 06:33 pm (UTC)Name? (story behind name)
Habits?
Preferences?
Living quarters?
Etc.?
what is Nick's middle name?
Date: 2006-05-26 07:04 pm (UTC)wristbands
Date: 2006-05-26 07:13 pm (UTC)you look like an everyman chippendale.
Arto Lindsay
Date: 2006-05-26 07:52 pm (UTC)as the co-founder of the band DNA and one of the most important figures in the No Wave scene, Lindsay's created an awful lot of noise in his day.
do you enjoy his early, noise-driven music, or do you prefer his more recent, quieter stuff?
I've been listening to a lot of Noise-Rock and No Wave recently, but I've also fallen in love with Lindsay's Noon Chill album. I enjoy both styles equally, in different ways.
the rabbits name
Date: 2006-05-26 09:06 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-05-26 10:00 pm (UTC)Hi, my name's Ana, I'm the girl that wrote you that crazy letter the Whitney security guard was nice enough to deliver (albeit a week late). Your schtick at the Whitney was not only interesting and entertaining, but combined with some of your blog entries it has changed the way I think about art. I actually stopped by the Whitney today to say this to you in person, but alas, I was one day too late. Alright, this is getting pithy, but I hope my ridiculous letter and stick figures brightened your day. New York loves you, come back soon!
-Ana
(no subject)
Date: 2006-05-26 10:03 pm (UTC)i cannot find it in the dictionary, and new words excite me and unknown words make me itchy.
thank you,
mischa
(no subject)
Date: 2006-05-27 12:45 am (UTC)The eighteenth century had some really colorful ones:
barbermonger
airling
poppinjay
dapperling
bantam
coxcomb
fopdoodle
bawd
pickleherring
belswagger
hellkite
blowze
mooncalf
fustilarian
cit
merryandrew
jackpudding
stinkard
tatterdemalion
pettifogger
high-viced
cotquean
Biennial Checklist: Kenneth Anger
Date: 2006-05-27 06:48 pm (UTC)Dear Momus,
When you were at the Whitney, were you ever given a complete checklist of the works?
I am interested in reading the details of the Kenneth Anger room. There was all sort of archival stuff there and it was all written on the wall. I asked for it at Whitney but no one was able to reply. Their checklist only says "Kenneth Anger - Icons Installation". No one seems to care but me.
Or...can anyone go at the Whitney tomorrow (last day) and check it for me?
(I think a picture would be ideal as there is too much to write down, but try that at the Whitney....).
If someone has an idea,
Cheers,
Jocelyn
(weirdartist@hotmail.com)
Re: going back to berlin
Date: 2006-05-27 07:35 pm (UTC)What I'm interested to know is:
what suddenly got you tired
from London that made you want to move?
What sounds greener in New York or Berlin?
Personally I am in Montreal. I like it for being near
New York, and then we get stuff that New York doesn't get.
Many canadian artists have moved to Berlin though.
There must be something about it.
I like where I am,
Cedric Caspesyan
centiment@hotmail.com
Re: going back to berlin
Date: 2006-05-27 07:38 pm (UTC)I was replying to eli, but in fact, momus
moved from Britain too. Hmmm....
cedric
(no subject)
Date: 2006-05-27 10:21 pm (UTC)As for Karl Kraus - welcome back to Europe. He makes more sense over here.
(no subject)
Date: 2006-05-28 04:59 am (UTC)Re: Biennial Checklist: Kenneth Anger
Date: 2006-05-29 12:10 am (UTC)In a word, no, Jocelyn. Too unreliable, me!
Re: Arto Lindsay
Date: 2006-05-30 04:02 pm (UTC)Well, ditto for me, really! I like tracks like "Too Many Mansions" where you can hear them sparring unexpectedly, too.