The Flog.

It’s been a while since my last separated at birth post! And here I receive the announcement for Arkitip’s upcoming issue, 45 featuring some of their favorite usual suspects Cody Hudson, Evan Hecox, and Todd St. John.
I was thinking about making some jokes about the whole magazine in an envelope thing because when I saw that bright red picture, it was screaming the thinest magazine is hiding in this envelope! Go get it!
I won’t say it though.
Jokes aside, once again this new issue looks fabulously crafted and promises to bring some delicious work. You can see/hear Evan Hecox talk about his own contribution here.

Update: I forgot to mention that Hecox is currently having a solo show at Kinsey/DesForges which closes this Saturday, the 22nd. My shots are in my drive, expect to see them appear around here soon.

(Let image, screen capture from the Apple commercial for the MacBook Air. Right images from Arkitip issue 45, from Kitsune Noir)

Linda Pollack curator of The Habeas Lounge located inside the 18th Street Arts Center Complex. This site specific installation by architect Mark Gee was designed to enhance and promote civic processes. Since its opening to the public back in September, the space has hosted a great amount of events, such as public readings of the U.S. Constitution (check also Pollack’s related project My Daily Constitution), a voter registration drive, and a college poll worker recruitment push, among others.

Irina Contreras, Christie Frields, Zeal Harris, Sara Hendren, Vincent Johnson, Hillary Mushkin, Meena Nanji, Adam Overton, Rebecca Ripple, Susan Silton, Pam Strugar and Shirley Tse: PATRIOT ACTS @18th Street Arts Center (January 12 - March 21, 2008)

Left image Hillary Mushkin. Right image Rebecca Ripple (wall) and Christie Frields (installation).

Christie Frields.

Left image Susan Silton. Right image foreground Vincent Johnson background Pam Strugar and Shirley Tse.

Sara Hendren.

24-Hour Roman Reconstruction Project (or, Building Rome in a Day) - A project by Liz Glynn @Machine Project (Saturday January 19, 2008 - 24 hours)

(I also want to submit this alternative title: 24-Hour Roman Reconstruction (or, Building Rome in a Day, sans Naked Ephebes to hold the Pillars, but with a pletoria of learn-latin-in-fortune-cookies). Yes, it seems more, let’s say adsumo (damn you rusty middle school Latin))

Then, Rome was Burning.

A few days ago, Monsieur Winkleman made a little post about online art medias offering a “TV” feature. I wanted to follow up and add a few websites to his list.

(Left image, screen capture from Cool Hunting, Brooklyn based artist Michael DeLucia in Rivington Arms for his show. Right image, screen capture from artreview, Yves Klein’s symphony “Monoton-Silence“.)

- Artivi
French site started in 2006 by Marc Gusils (the honorable Pierre Bergé is also a partner in the venture)
- watched: French Kissin in the U.S.A, 06:12.
Direct links to videos, comments, RSS and podcasts available.
The resolution is pretty good and I like the aspect ratio of their videos. I found the background music disturbing at times.
Since there are no tags, keywords or whatnot, their search button doesn’t fully function. I typed the name of an artist from the video French Kissin in the USA and the engine didn’t point to the piece.
So far the coverage is mostly of Europe and NY.

- VBS.TV
Vice on TV.
They have a newish program entitled “Art Talk!” where artists discuss their work (from Richard Prince to Misaki Kawai) in their studios. I liked to glimpse at these. The emphasis is clearly on the work itself and the process of making it.
- watched: Art Talk! - Aurel Schmidt Part 1 of 2, 02:50.
Direct links to videos, full screen feature. No RSS feed but each program is linked to a particular blog one can receive announcements from.
The low points come with the short yet loud ads at the beginning of each piece, and yes, the overly NY centric program.

- VernissageTV
One of the first I found. Since the coverage is pretty wide, yet pretty concentrated in Europe, it’s always a good way to see/hear about what is going on, let’s say, in Zurich, or Madrid. I often find the documentaries pretty dull. The editing is at times clearly a disaster, but I would browse a video on mute and get a feel for a show I was intrigued by.
- watched: Allie Bogle, Shana Lutker, Justin Beal and Mateo Tannatt at Susanne Vielmetter Los Angeles Projects, 04.51.
What pleasantly differentiate vtv from the other sites, are the tags, which allow you to see everything from, one artist, one city or one fair (LA hasn’t been talked about since last August though.. ouch - vs. NY with 4 entries since the beginning of the year). The videos can be downloaded in quicktime format (nice) and you can subscribe onto your iphones or other apple devices.
Oh and they have a new HD feature (!) with the full lenght version of the documentary film Paul McCarthy Head Shop/Shop Head at SMAK/Gent Belgium by Thom de Bock.

- Cool Hunting Video
Cool Hunting is one of those pop-culture induced website I check regularly as to get a grip on the “mainstream avant-guarde“. Their videos convey the same flair, but they are also one of the best executed ones, with great editing, great camera moves, light and such. Yet, as with often documentaries, the music takes too much space for my liking.
- watched: Michael DeLucia by Ami Kealoha, 03:25
Can download video in QT and can link to it. The search engine combined with a few keywords make the browsing pretty easy.

With these two next sites, we enter the realm of user-generated websites. These provide a great platform for people to post their own art-related documentaries, therefore one can find underrepresented topics or edgy points on view on a more popular issue. Yet, the quality - I am talking technicality here - is often of the YouTube admitted aesthetic.

Videos - artreview.com.
The British magazine evolved from a regular paper-based publication to offering its full content online. With this next step, they opened their doors to the hordes of web browsers slash critics, slash artists, slash art lovers to freely absorb and generate content to their new publishing platform. Think myspace/facebook for the art community, without the hassle of a bad code/design job. (Yes, we are talking to you Saatchi Gallery.)
- watched: Matthew Barney press briefing at the Serpentine, 02:07.
- watched: Yves Klein, Symphonie “Monoton-Silence” (1947-61), 10:00.
I picked 2 videos. One uploaded by artreview, one uploaded by one of its users. The press briefing of Matthew Barney’s show at Serpentine was quite terrible: shaky camera, ugly sound, and overall, boring video. It raises the question as to whether or not, all content should be available on a video format. (I vote for not) If I was curious to know about the curator’s view on the show, I’d rather read the full press release than go through these 2 min.
As for the second video, the appeal is greatly different. Here we watch, without a movement the performance of Yves Klein infamous piece of “silence-après” [afterwards silence]. Although the sound isn’t at its finest, the video plays the role of a lucky witness, recording a special and isolated occurrence.

- CultureTV
The interface is pretty bad for streaming the videos and the quality of each piece also varies greatly. RSS feed available. Link to each video.
Finding videos is a real hassle, no info, no tags, no dates.

(Left image, screen capture from artivi, view of the installation of Jean-François Moriceau and Petra Mrzyk. Right image, screen capture from VBS, Brooklyn based artist Aurel Schmidt in her studio.)

Finally, here is a list of brilliant web platforms for video works and films, as opposed to art documentaries.

- tank.tv (One need to subscribe, which is free, to access their archives.)
- UBUWEB (check for example the works available from Gordon Matta-Clark.)
- Perpetual Art Machine
- Video Pool (A real treasure. As with UBU, one can easily get lost in the hours spent watching all the gems available)

Serpentine Gallery Pavilion 2007 by Olafur Eliasson and Kjetil Thorsen (August 24 – November 5, 2007)

American Craft relaunched with a new design for its October-November issue.

Andrew Wagner, founding editor at dwell moved to NY and took over as the new editor-in-chief of the magazine.
Wagner started this new venture with a Q&A clearly stating what were his choices for this new design.
This sincere introduction reveals some of the interesting interrogations the team had when reworking on the mag. Points regarding the title for example, and the choice of de-emphasizing the word american, “(…) considering the current less-than-stellar stature in the world of the United States“. After such a rare acknowledgment, Wagner answers with an irrevocable yet somehow humble statement, “(…) we are Americans“, then moves on to answering the question regarding the choice of inviting a french person on the cover, “(…) we decided it didn’t matter. For us, the power of craft is universal.”

Such answers, even as cheesy as they sound, give me confidence that somehow, through aesthetic discussions, we might reach a common understanding of our time.
Craft is carried by such a large amount of people - look at places such as Flickr and the myriad of blogs covering one’s special talent -, yet it is often diminished by we all know who, for not being able to convey the true essence of human creation, thus, it invigorates me to see that projects such as this one step forward.

On another note, it’s also lovely to read Wagner divulging that the inspiration for the mag’s new cover design came in part, from another great NY based magazine I love, Capricious.

(All images screen captures from american craft magazine)

It’s been a while since I have wanted the site to be rebuilt with the proper elements. As I was beginning my third year with The Flog, more archives were pilling up and with it, way too much labor.
So I present you the new Flog, yes right here. With rss feed, tags and some other candied items. Things are still a little bit shaky from the move and it will take a little while to have the complete archives up and running but so far things seem to be working beautifully.

Thank you NICK VAN WOERT. You made it happen and I am so grateful.

Arkitip kept warning us to subscribe early and now I can see what they were preparing. For their issue 41, they collaborated with KAWS & OriginalFake as well as Incase to create a limited edition laptop sleeve (which will fit most 13" laptops, sketch books and mags) soft on the inside and all debossed-designed on the outside. The result looks pretty sexy and comfy. The issue is in an edition of 2000. $65.

(All images from Arkitip. From left to right: sleeve & mag, Mark Dean Veca, Scott Campbell & Tito F.)

Tonight is the Holy Hammer Bash!, a free and good excuse to wander in their delightful library, hang out in the patio with happy drinks, and see (or re-see) Vija Celmins: A Drawings Retrospective, which will close the same night.

Also taking place tonight is the closing party for Susan Cianciolo’s window installation at Ooga Booga in Chinatown. In addition, there will be a performance by Abe Vigoda and tunes dropped by Kate Hall. 8pm.

(Left image is Susan Cianciolo’s flyer invitation. Right is Vija Celmins, Untitled #10, charcoal on paper, from the Hammer website)

Ahh Christmas! It was fun to put together this sort of happy consumerism list last year, so I did it again. You will mostly find books and prints but also some crafty bits and absurd collectibles. Original art is often difficult to find online but I gave it a go with various pieces I could find and liked, and that sometimes, saw in person. Yet, grab your shoes and go to your favorite galleries to purchase original art.

I tried to compile items created by Los Angeles based artists or publications where LA artists were mentioned (*LA*) but as you will see, I went beyond the frontiers of the city.

Finally, I didn’t put any of the pieces I have featured at the gallery - because all of them would have appeared! ah - but don’t hesitate to head over there. You might find a couple of gems.

So, once again, enjoy the lèche-vitrine and of course, my mailing address will be given upon request to the generous ones, or the ones in love. C’est selon.
(all images pasted from the website linked after each work)

_ORIGINALS.
Artist: Eric Beltz - Title: Relieves Melancholy - Price: US$1095 - Details: Graphite on paper (framed) (paper size 16.5″ x 21″). LINK. (Junc) *LA*

Artist: Allyson Mellberg - Title: Anchor - Price: US$200 - Details: 7 1/2 in x 11 in. LINK. (Cinders Gallery)

Artist: C’est Moi Ce Soir - Title: Untitled 68 - Price: CDN$95 - Details: Media on Paper, unframed, 6×8″. 2006. LINK. (Magic pony)

Artist: José Parlá - Title: Forward Movement, 2006 - Price: US$3500 - Details: Mixed media on wood panel, 2 x 3 feet. LINK. (BLK MRKT)

_BOOKS & ZINES.
Author/Artist: Paul McCarthy - Title: Head Shop. Shop Head - Works 1966–2006 - Publisher: Moderna Museet - Price: US$40 - Details: 528 pages, 17 cm x 23.5 cm, Sewn softcover, June 2006. (ISBN: 3-86521-300-6). LINK. (Steidl) *LA*

Author/Artist: Brian Kennon - Title: Untitled #1, 2006 (Mike Kelley, Silver Ball) - Works 1966–2006 - Publisher: 2nd Cannons - Price: US$28 - Details: Ed. of 500. 8×9 inches, 40 pages. LINK. (2nd Cannons) *LA*

Author/Artist: text: Kazue Daikoku & Alexis Jones, photographs and artwork: Ari Marcopoulos - Title: The little mark on my cheek - Publisher: Happano - Price: US$16.50 - Details: Accordion book, 7.17 x 5.04 inches, 64 pgs, offset, mixed English/Japanese. (ISBN: 4-901274-08-2 C0772). LINK. (Happano) *LA*

Author/Artist: Various - Title: Textfield V - Publisher: Textfield - Date: October 2006 - Price: N/A - Details: N/A. LINK. (Textfield) *LA*

Author/Artist: Mike Mills - Title: Humans - Publisher: Nieves - Date: 2005 - Price: US$20 - Details: 16 x 22.5 cm, 32 Pages, Color, Offset, First Edition. (ISBN 3-905714-03-5) LINK. (Nieves) *LA*

Author/Artist: Takashi Homma, Ed Templeton, Todd Cole, Mark Borthwick & Ryan McGinley - Title: Thumbsucker: Photography from the Film by Mike Mills - Publisher: Nieves - Date: 2005 - Price: US$29.95 - Details: Paperback, 9.75″ x 8″ x 0.60″, 288 pages. (ISBN 0977061000) LINK. (Giant Robot) *LA*

Author/Artist: Mike Brodie, Paul Schciek, Ari Marcopoulos & Jim Goldberg - Title: Kin Series - Publisher: These Birds Walk - Date: 2006-2007 - Price: US$150 - Details: Ed. of 350. Subscribers receive 1 book every three months for 1 year. Signed, Printed on heavy matte stock. LINK. (These Birds Walk) *LA*

Author/Artist: Various (Cover by Simen Johan) - Title: ROJO®lund delouse amalgam, 2006 - Publisher: Rojo - Price: €20 - Details: 210mm x 280mm, 160 pages.

Author/Artist: Nick Butcher - Title: Moonrise Appendix - Publisher: Bongoût - Price: $30 - Details: Ed. of 134, 7 x 8 Inches, Hand assembled artists book printed in 4 color silkscreen in Germany. LINK. (Foundation Gallery)

Author/Artist: Various - Title: Tattoo Icons • Victionary 3, 2006- Publisher: Victionary - Price: $60 - Details: 432 pages
170 x 220 mm. Full color throughout Hard cover with plastic slipcase Removable tattoos for trial included (Limited edition only) (ISBN 962-86504-7-5). LINK. (Victionary)

Author/Artist: Luke Ramsey & Justin B Williams - Title: A Great Big Stillness - Price: US$7 - Details: Full color offset, 20 pages plus cover. 5.25 x 7″. LINK. (The Drama Store)

Author/Artist: Raphaël Neal - Title: Vampyr - Price: €14 - Details: First Edition of 100. A5 (15 x 21 cm), 46 pages, Color. LINK. (John)

Author/Artist: Bill Viola - Title: Hatsu-Yume (First Dream) - Publisher: Editions àvoir - Price: £21.50 - Details: DVD, 56 mins color. LINK. (Art Data)

Author/Artist: Walerian Borowczyk - Title: The Beast, Goto island Of Love, and Love Rites - Publisher: Cult Epics - Price: US$59.95 - Details: DVD, 3 Disc Set (NTSC All Region). Amazing collection of the polish master’s sexually bizarre masterpieces. LINK. (Family)

Author/Artist: Annette Messager - Title: Mot pour Mot - Publisher: Les Presses du Réel - Price: €60 - Details: Complete illustrated monography of the artist, with writings and interviews, French edition, hardcover, 20,5 x 26 cm, 466 pages (350 colour illustrations). LINK. (Les Presses du Réel)

Author/Artist: Nobuyoshi Araki - Title: Self, Life, Death - Publisher: Phaidon - Price: US$75- Details: 290 x 214 mm 11 3/8 x 8 8/8 inches, 720 pages, 800 color & 400 b&w photographs. (ISBN 0 7148 4555 8 ) LINK. (Phaidon)

Author/Artist: Various - Title: Vitamin Ph New Perspectives in Photography - Publisher: Phaidon - Price: US$69.95 - Details: Introduction by TJ Demos, 290 x 250 mm 11 3/8 x 9 7/8 inches, 352 pages, 400 col & 100 b&w photos. (ISBN 0 7148 4656 2) LINK. (Phaidon)

Author/Artist: Angelo Plessas - Title: Anathena Fanzine - Price: US$9.78 - Details: 79 pages, perfect-bound, made for the Anathena exhibition at Deste Foundation, September 2006. LINK. (Café Press)

Author/Artist: Rudolf Frieling & Wulf Herzogenrath - Title: 40yearsvideoart.de - Digital Heritage: Video Art in Germany from 1963 to the Present - Publisher: Hatje Cantz Verlag - Price: €35 - Details: 400 pages, 650 color ills., 19,50 x 25,20 cm, hardcover, 2006 (ISBN 3-7757-1718-8). LINK. (Hatje Cantz)

Author/Artist: Douglas Kolk - Title: Douglas Kolk - Price: €29.80 - Details: 104 pages, 101 ills., 71 in color, 22,50 x 28,90 cm, hardcover, 2006. (ISBN 3-7757-1833-8). LINK. (Hatje Cantz)

_EDITIONS.
Artist: Deanna Templeton - Title: Emily 1995-2005 series - Price: US$100 - Details: approx. 8.5 x 10 inches. Framed. LINK. (Renowned Gallery) *LA*

Artist: Mel Kadel - Title: Dogs Barking - Price: US$20 - Details: ed. of 100, signed & numbered. screenprint on paper, 5×7 inches. LINK. (Little Paper Planes) *LA*

Artist: Aaron Noble - Title: Luna, 2005 - Price: US$1400 - Details: ed. of 30, 22.5 x 30 inches, hardground, aquatint, spit-bite aquatint, sugarlift, white ground, drypoint and roulette. LINK. (Brooklyn Artists Alliance) *LA*

Artist: Ruben Ochoa - Title: Extracted, 2006 - Price: N/A - Details: Ed. of 45. Two color lithograph with hand painting, 20.5 x 29.25 inches - each edition unique. LINK. (LA>*LA*

Artist: Pam Henderson - Title: Water Fall - Price: US$150 - Details: Etching with chin colle. Artist Proof. 5 x 4.5 (12.5 x 10.5). LINK. (Renowned Gallery) *LA*

Artist: Andrew Schoultz - Title: Horse Under Fire - Price: $95/$190 framed - Details: Ed. of 100. Silk screen print on acid free uncoated paper. Signed and numbered by the artist. 16″ x 20 inches. LINK. (Arkitip)

Artist: Keith Shore - Title: The Hills at Sandy Row - Price: US$20 - Details: ed. of 100, 6″ x 4.75″ (plus border for framing). LINK. (Tiny Showcase)

Artist: Paul Mpagi Sepuya - Title: the difference between a memory, a portrait, a resolution - Price: US$29 - Details: Ed. of 100. Signed & Numbered. A box set of three handmade booklets. Inkjet print and xerox on card stock and paper in kraft box, dimensions 5-1/4 x 3-3/4 x 7/8 inches. LINK. (Paul Mpagi Sepuya)

Artist: Mathieu Beausejour - Title: Black Bills: Anarchy - Price: CDN$60 - Details: Ed. of 25. Adolar bill covered with black ink. LINK. (Art Metropole) *LA*

Artist: Eboy - Title: Autojerk_08 - Price: €89 - Details: High-end print on EPSON Glossy Photographic acid-free paper using their latest technology in digital printmaking, 79cm x 110cm. LINK. (Maxalot)

Artist: John Knuth - Title: Sugarland, 2005 - Price: $35 - Details: Ed. of 20, hardened sugar, 6″ diameter. LINK. (Ghosts Are Everywhere) *LA*

_OBJECTS.
Artist: Bill Burns - Title: Art Dealer Gloves - Price: CDN$30 - Details: Pair of off-white cotton work/garden gloves. One of each pair is embroidered with the name of an art dealer. We have Andrew Kreps, Gavin Brown, David Zwirner, Maureen Paley, Victoria Miro, Reid Shier, Wayne Baerwaldt, Kitty Scott, Gisela Capitain, Monte Clark, Larry Gagosian, Emmanuel Perrotin, and more. LINK. (Art Metropole)

Artist: Kenn Munk - Title: Sniptape - Price: £4.95 - Details: 66 meters of cut-out-ability. It’s a joke in the form of adhesive tape - LINK. (Stereohype)

Artist: Andrew Rae - Title: Badge Set - Price: £4 - Details: 4x 25 mm pins. LINK. (Concrete Hermit)

Artist: Heidi Kenney - Title: Moldy Bread - Price: $20 - Details: 5 inches tall, handdyed wool felt. LINK. (My Paper Crane)