The Flog.

This just in!
Following up with my previous post on David Horvitz, here is a delicious announcement from the artist:

__”I am consolidating money I made on my web-site to buy (really good) cookies and give them out for free. Please forward this and come by for a free cookie.”

The happy fest will take place at Ooga Booga at 1 pm this Saturday until the reserve runs out.

The San Francisco based collective Hamburger Eyes is invading Los Angeles this weekend starting with a show at Hope Gallery.
The communal photographic project which started in 2002 with B&W xeroxed paper is now the magazine published tri-annually, still in B&W but off-set printed and in an edition of 3000 copies.

At the beginning of the year, they published a book with powerHouse Books. Check the post on Fecal Face about the massive show they had at the Arena back in March for the release of the volume.

The show slash book release opens Saturday May 3rd from 7 to 10 pm at Hope Gallery.

(Left image, flyer for the LA show. Middle & right image from Amazon, Hamburger Eyes: Inside Burgerworld (Hardcover))

To stay on the photographic topic Film is not dead it just smells funny is somewhat like a serious side of my Friday Flickr Finds dedicated to film photography (you know, as opposed to digital).
It’s Film son. Nothing else on the world smells like that. I love the smell of argentic film in the morning…
(Thanks Michael!)

(All images from FINDIJSF. Left Joel Aron, April Snow in Red Square - Leica M6, Leica Summicron 35mm, Ilford Delta 100. Flickr Ref. Middle Michael Napper, nomad (in a landscape) - Agfa Isolette I, Kodak Plus-X. Flickr Ref. Right Sean Wood, no title - Hasselblad 503cx, 50mm Distagon cf T*, Fuji neopan 400. Flickr Ref.)

New York based artist David Horvitz is in Los Angeles until May 12th.
Among a million other things I am sure he might be working on at the moment, Horvitz is currently wrapping up a project entitled “To a Sunset in Palos Verdes” which he started and will complete at SiteLA - a space put together by Quicksilver with invited curators who will feature their ongoing projects and collaborations.

From the press release:
__Every afternoon for the duration of the show, Horvitz will follow the setting sun in a daily commute from siteLA to Palos Verdes. He will take the bus west to watch and photograph the sun’s decent from one of his favorite cliffs. siteLA’s storefront window will advertise the times for each of these witnessed sunsets as itinerary, invitation and record of this repeated action. Horvitz encourages participation in his daily pilgrimage, and bus fair will be provided for those in need.

Although the gallery is only open Wednesday to Saturday from 1 to 6 pm, Horvitz will be making this photo expedition every day so you can find him there before 4 pm, en route to Palos Verdes.

(All images David Horvitz, from To a Sunset in Palos Verdes. Right image is view of a newsprint available at SiteLA or on sale for $5 (With a giant letter on it))

A lot of Horvitz’s projects remind me of Miranda July and Harrell Fletcher’s own collaborative endeavors found in the fascinating Learning To Love You More assignments, which are now compiled in a book!

Last year, Horvitz collaborated with the band Xiu Xiu (who will be on tour in Europe starting May 1st!) and shot 1000 polaroids which were used for the cover of a Xiu Xiu/High Places split seven-inch. Each record has a real physical polaroid on the cover. This project was also concluded by a book.

(All images David Horvitz. Polaroids.)

Last weekend I finally checked the fabulous Nieves exhibition at Ooga Booga and will post my shots closely right after this.
Today, the publisher released three new great zines Frédéric Fleury: Obnivorious, Körner Union / Reala Kö: Mix Sany Mix & Kim Hiorthøy: What We Must.

I am pretty thrilled to announce that I will be exhibiting Fleury’s work, alongside Isabelle Boinot, Emmanuelle Pidoux, Frédéric Poincelet, and Stephane Prigent, all members of the collective Frédéric Magazine, this summer at the space.

(All images from Nieves, left is Frédéric Fleury’s inside spread. Middle is Körner Union and Reala’s inside spread and right is Kim Hiorthøy’s inside spread.)

San Francisco based artist Andrew Schoultz is currently showing his work in Rotterdam at MAMA. I was in the Netherlands last month with the gallery to participate in Project(OR), the first edition of the alternative art fair organized by MAMA. I got to see some of Schoultz’s new pieces in their booth, and once again I was blown away. His work has become more intricate and enigmatic and at times rather abstract. I really like the decadent and bold marks he makes in order to build the narratives. And the arrows, and the horses which become ripples and sound waves.
If you happen to be in Rotterdam, go check the show, it runs until April 20th.

(All images Andrew Schoultz from MAMA)

On January 25th, while artLA was working on its rebirth, TELIC launched The Public School on this busy night in Chinatown.

From the press release:
__The Public School is a school with no curriculum, located underneath TELIC Arts Exchange. It operates as follows: first, classes are proposed by the public (I want to learn this or I want to teach that); then, people have the opportunity to sign up for the classes (I also want to learn that); finally, when enough people have expressed interest, the school will find a teacher and offer the class to those who signed up.

Although I was there for the launch, musing around the proposed classes forms - sex applications, learning a new language or how to knit - it was at first difficult for me not to smile at all of this, I haven’t engaged in any classes yet. But, I am pretty excited about this proposed series, Walter Benjamin: The Arcades Project it doesn’t have a set date yet and still needs a teacher. If you are interested to help direct this reading, contact TELIC.

The next class, Ranciere: The Politics of Aesthetics (and/as an Ethics) will take place on Sunday March 16th from 11am to 1pm, for $25, and you can still sign up to participate.

(Image is a screen shot of the Public School website)

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.

“Thank You” One Year of Family - Geoff Mcfetridge, Aaron Rose, Will Oldham, Joanne Oldham, Dave Eggers, Paper Rad, Ian Svenonius, Mike Mills, Cheryl Dunn, Shary Boyle, Phil Elverum, Ashley Macomber, Sammy Harkham, Andrew Jeffrey Wright, Simon Evans / Sarah Lannan, Matt Brinkman, Lori D, Ron Rege Jr, Kyle Field, Will Sweeney, Trinie Dalton, Sumi Ink Club, Cayce Cole, Mudboy, CF, Vanessa Davis @Family Los Angeles (February 28 - March 31, 2008)

Last night was the opening of the month long celebration of Family’s one year anniversary. The store put on its best colors and the place was packed. People were reading, people were chatting, drinking and buying. People were reading! Let’s hope that last night’s atmosphere was an indication of a certain re-growth of the independent publishing community. After the announcement of yet another bookstore closing in the LA area, I am hopeful that Family will stay around, for a little while longer. Support your independent bookstores! Reading is Sexy!

One of my favorite pieces in the show, this black-flames-from-hell drawing by Shary Boyle.

The musical/visual collaboration between Simon Evans and Sarah Lannan (right image) was also pretty fun. I will try to get a hold of the music.

Starting tonight and for the next days, books and publications will be celebrated.

Family, the exquisite bookstore on Fairfax is celebrating its one-year anniversary with a colossal “Thank You” group show inside the shop. The list of artists involved is already quite a treat to read, I can’t wait to see the work in person tonight!
The opening is at 8 pm. The show runs until March 31st.

(Left image, etching by Ashley Macomber, on view at the Family group show. Middle image, cover of Pulture book, by Darren Bader and published by 2nd Cannons. Right image, piece of the flyer by Geoff McFetridge for the Nieves Library Show at Ooga Booga)

On Friday, corduroy magazine will celebrate the release of their second issue at Mandrake in collaboration with Poketo. The event starts at 9 pm and goes on until 2 am. Side Cars will flow! RSVP@corduroymag.com.

On Saturday, Brian Kennon invites you to the book release party and exhibition of Darren Bader. Come meet the men from 6 to 9 pm at 2nd Cannons Project Space in Chinatown. A few other galleries have their openings scheduled that evening. Check the calendar.

Finally, I am delighted to announce that Nieves is coming to LA! The beloved Swiss publisher will present their tremendous collection of publications at Ooga Booga for a close-to-one-month long exhibition featuring works from 2001 to the present. If you have been reading the flog for a while now, you know that Nieves holds a dear place in my brains. Congrats Benjamin!
It will be quite emotional to browse such a crazy amount of rare and out of prints books from their collection.
Also, some of the artists published will be signing works each Thursday from 7 to 9 pm.
LA based artist Geoff McFetridge inaugurates the ball March 6th for the opening, then March 13th you have Mike Mills, March 29th Mari Eastman and March 27th Ari Marcopoulos. Too bad Rita Ackerman isn’t part of the signing session. Her new volume looks quite fabulous. Look at the format, 15×40 cm!

USC MFA Open Studios. (January 27, 2008)

Maya Lujan.

Lee Lynch.

Christian Cummings.

Lawrence Rengert.

Lisa Williamson.

Mores McWreath.

Nick Kramer.

Marisa Mandler.