SPPR: 'Some Paintings' Press Roundup

Friday saw a flurry of journalistic activity concerning 'Some Paintings: The Third (2007) Annual LA Weekly Biennial' with Christopher Knight's lead review in the Los Angeles Times leading the pack. (The print version had a better headline owing to an apparent Larry Cohen reference - "It's Alive! With wit, diversity")

'Interiority' by Brian Cooper

Simultaneously, Emma Gray's L.A. CONFIDENTIAL column for Artnet's online magazine provided an ethusiastic overview of the show and opening.

'Smear Campaign' by Victoria Reynolds

Earlier in the month, Emma also named the 'SP' the #1 show in LA in her column on the Saatchi website

'Wellness' by Brad Spence

I was surprised and impressed at the unconventional choice of pieces singled out by Chris and Emma. For example, they both gave props to Esther Pearl Watson's faux-outsider UFO-scape.


Another early entry came from artblogging LA/sixspace multitasker Caryn Coleman in her debut online column for ArtReview's new online edition.
'Tekel Upharsin (He weighed, now they divide)' by Gustavo Herrera

Illin

Wow. That was some opening. 3000+?! I've been deathly ill with that new long-duration flu that's going around - it'll have lasted a full week as of tonight. Had to miss my first Patacritical Interrogation Techniques seminar and everything. There was a pretty good LA Weekly online slideshow of the event as well as a photo spread and write-up in the current print issue, but I can't seem to find it on the site. In the meantime, check out John Geary's photo album, from which the above shot of the inimitable Michael Q. Schmidt is excerpted. My thanks again to everyone who made it happen, especially the bands and performers! If you haven't seen the show, make sure you do - it's only up for a little over a month.

Accordian, Aerial, Africa, Aircraft, Airstream, Alain Delon, etc...

In my capacity as Secretary of the CCCP-SCC, and in conjunction with the artist's imminent speaking engagement through UCLA at the Hammer Museum, I would like to direct your attention to a remarkable work of Mongo Video by Canadian photographer Roy Arden, consisting of 28,144 images gleaned from the interweb and arranged in alphabetical order to a jaunty organ loop, like a DIY Koyaanisqatsi directed by Bernd and Hilla Becher. It's called The World as Will and Representation - Archive 2007 and is located on Arden's website.

What I did on my Winter Vacation

“SOME PAINTINGS”
THE THIRD (2007) LA WEEKLY ANNUAL BIENNIAL
CURATED BY DOUG HARVEY
JANUARY 12–FEBRUARY 16, 2008

Opening reception on Saturday, January 12 from 7 P.M. to 11 P.M. with refreshments and performances by The Spirit Girls, Wounded Lion, John Kilduff of Let’s Paint TV, and others.
Here's who's in it and why.*

TRACK 16 GALLERY & SMART ART PRESS
2525 MICHIGAN AVE. BLDG. C1
SANTA MONICA, CALIFORNIA 90404
P 310.264.4678 F 310.264.4682
reception@track16.com
www.track16.com

*except Wendell Gladstone, whose hot-off-the-easel 'Drawn Out' is reproduced above. His missing profile reads as follows:

Wendell Gladstone’s seething, super-saturated neo-mythological allegories have oscillated between sculpture and painting in a way that opens new paths in both media while shedding light on their disparity in tolerance levels for fantastic, opulently decorative experimental storytelling.

Yo, Citizens of New Hampshire!

This is the one Bonzo Dog song I could never find, but just did and it is very timely. It's a reunion single called "No Matter Who You Vote For, The Government Always Gets In (Heigh Ho)" recorded for the 1987 British General Election but unreleased until 1992.

Pump It Up

If, like myself, you were disappointed by the "mysterious" interruption of the live broadcast feed from TimeWarner cable during Saturday's episode of "Let's Paint TV," you will be glad to know that the unadulterated, un-cut-off version of the show is now up on Youtube in three parts:

Let's Paint the Tinman & Perform Open Heart Surgery Part 1
Let's Paint the Tinman & Perform Open Heart Surgery Part 2
Let's Paint the Tinman & Perform Open Heart Surgery Part 3

I think we may have witnessed the pinnacle of Western Civilization here, people.

But just in case, swing by the opening of the Third Annual (2007) LA Weekly Biennial: Some Paintings next Saturday, January 12th, from 7 - 11, during which Mr. Kilduff will perform a live painting demonstration.

Healing Green Energy

A riotous crowd of 16 turned out for the Shishimai Lion Dance & Taiko performance at the Mitsuwa grocery store in downtown LA's Little Tokyo district, including the crazy homeless man at bottom right, whose agitated outbursts ceased briefly under the magical spell of the benevolent harvest spirit.