In The Air Tonight (er, today): As I make the first leg into Chicago on my approach towards Montreal (with miles of desert below) a full roster of programming awaits tonight, starting with a welcoming cocktail reception, then the A/Visions program with collaborator Clinker (aka Gary James Joynes), and finally an evening of media delights as Nocturne envelops the city. I will be checking in from time to time with all points bulletins, and news from afar. In the meantime…

The Decibel Festival doesn’t kick off until September, but last week electronic denizens of the Northwest converged to see what’s up. Igloo Magazine provided the digits for my account.

The latest and greatest review of my compilation triMIX appears in Bristol’s Furthernoise.

Out of Here: Beyond these four walls there is a great big world out there. I’ll be leaving Portland tomorrow at the crack-a-dawn for the euro-cosmo niceties of olde Montreal. Since the 80’s I have consistently visited this great city, and it’s about time. Literally. The Mutek panel I am moderating Friday on “Live Cinema” pretty much focuses on real time video performance. My panelists are true international pros. Mutek is one of the world’s premiere electronic a/v festivals. This is what I had to say about it in 2004 and then in 2005. Montreal’s own husband-wife team Skoltz_Kolgen are about to release the gorgeous Silent Room (collab w/Sawako, Steve Roden, Scanner, AGF, FM3 and many others). Dazed Digital just did a fantatic piece on London panelist Semiconductor discussing the inseperable qualities of sight/sound. And of course they just released their new DVD compilation Worlds in Flux (FatCat) working with Múm, Robert Hampson, Iris Garrelfs and Cristian Vogel.

Virtual Fest: Catch It @ FLASHER

Watch the films by Belgian panelists Boris & Brecht Debackere, or check out Alberta-based panelist Clinker and his latest Provody project which will debut at Mutek. Rounding out the panel is fellow Northwesterner, Seattle’s software guru Randy Jones. He will present his Six Axioms project this year. By far, I have a table of fiery contemporary artists and the discussion should be a spectral palette of the senses.

While in town I will stop in to see the newly opened Bruce Nauman show.

• • •

Out Of Bounds: I just got official word this morning that videos from triMIX will be presented at this year’s Interplay festival to be presented in Amsterdam, Bristol, Dublin and London - performers include Thomas Koner, Max Eastley and Ekkehard Ehlers among others!

• • •

Out of Sight: My work will be part of Gallery Homeland’s Attaché Case project which is off to Switzerland and then the environs of La Biennale di Venezia. Ciao Bello! Basically the project will be a collection of travelling small works (literally) - everything that fits inside a branded case. Includes pieces by Marne Lucas, Paige Saez, Bruce Conkle, Josh Arseneau and others. I’m offering Excerpt_2, an 8″x8″ goache/lacquer on canvas. Perhaps I will also include a copy of my latest collaborative video piece (Christian Renou, composer). Pinch Me….Thanks Paul!

Though it’s a long weekend, Memorial Day is always a bit melancholy. Filled with blanks, so to speak. As I sit here and gaze into the past and all my friends and family who’ve been lost, there’s just a rush of stillness. It’s probably only further illustrated by the intoxicating soundtrack of the weekend, Things Are Happening At The Same Time by Portland’s Heavy Lids on Seattle’s Dragon’s Eye. As time folds in funny patterns I think about the near twenty years that have elapsed since my grandma passed (and ten since my dad did). I was reminded of her while in Seattle, stopping into Soil gallery where this month they present SuperHeroism: The Adventures of TransitMan by Christian French. This weekend Newfoundlander Michael Flaherty offered his Bicycle Rehabilitation Project and also explained to me that he, too, studied at NSCAD (oh, the memories, the fewer degrees of separation). Ya see, my grandmother both worked for the transit system and lived half her life nearby Gambo, Newfoundland. One day I hope to visit.

Then, just yesterday while delivering my new work (Placebo Complex) to NAAU I spied three dead racoons alongside the highway. Three is the most powerful of all numbers, it’s a perfect triumvirate of points. It saddens me to see these amazing wild creatures meet their fate, but it’s also a sign, something for me to de-code. As Paul and I venture once again to the crater of St. Helens today I will be open, more sensitive than usual, to most of what I encounter.

• • •

The encounter included a wonderful ride around the north side of the mountain, by its surrounding volcanic caverns. We stopped at three learning pavilions, one run by the forestry industry, and the two major visitor centers (Coldwater and Johnston Ridge) set up by the Parks Dept that had all sorts of displays about the region and the 1980 eruption. It seems important to note that in the parking lots there were cars licensed in the states of Nevada, Montana, Colorado, California, various provinces of Canada and even Vermont. The films were engaging, the views were a bit spotty among the clouds, but there is this mystique of threat among the lovely vistas. Quite a site. We ended the day on a sweet note at Brock’s Oak Tree in Woodland!

The Seattle Art Museum has transformed into a big city museum. BIFF, POW, KAZAM!

My visit yesterday was brisk at two hours, but in that short time I had the pleasure to view gorgeously ambiguous works by some of my favorite artists: Anselm Kiefer, Joseph Beuys, Lee Krasner, Joseph Cornell, Donald Judd(s), Marcel Duchamp, Katharina Fritsch and Jackson Pollock. Those were the overall eye poppers, and there was lots else worth perusing, including the Glenn Ligon that we attempted to read line by line, black on black, like tar. The Gary Hill seven-channel video piece was not operational, the circular Murakami piece was not one of my favorites, but the other Japanese pieces were quite poppy and fun. One of the two Rothkos, dare I say it, was pretty mediocre (the other was very lovely). Close by, a stunning Clyfford Still hung in rapture, we had to sat down and gawk at its rich brick red impasto. A few interesting Guston’s here and there. The spectacularly fueled entrance by Cai Guo-Qiang. Brancusi’s Bird In Space has the most elegant presentation of anything here, it’s pedestal within a pedestal as a centerpiece, just heavenly. I’m not a big fan of Tom Wesselman, but thought the frisky minimalist segmentation of the body blended well with the two de Kooning’s on view which were vastly different, deep in savage color, but both dealt his signature deconstruction of the female body. I think it was two side-by-side de Chirico’s that nearly transposed a scene nearly forty years apart, a contrast in personal style! Oh yes, the Warhols (both of them)…I’ve always been a big fan of the Double Elvis, and the Rorschach piece is immense (I had only ever seen smaller versions of this in Pittsburgh)!

My friend David and I have to thank Davidson Contemporary artist Steven Miller for putting us up at his loft (thanks man). His new work looks very interesting - watch for new projects of the levitating, orchestrated body in space. Back to the museum…through a few galleries I spied a Chuck Close that was pretty par-for-the-course, and a Cindy Sherman I could take or leave. The Richter room is odd to me, though it has three stunning pieces, and shows a wide velocity of what the man is capable of, it seemed like a motley crew. Though I am a huge fan of Richter, the Mark Tobey room seemed much tighter to me. There was one piece that took me by surprise, and I didn’t get the artist’s name but it was a taxidermied dog on a chair, and the way it’s placed, partially behind a column makes it seem mighty real and situational. Effective and off-putting. I’m not sure I like the piece, honestly, but the initial sense of surprise and the weirdness of this domestic moment in the museum reminded me of some of my first experiences with Robert Gober’s wall works. There is a lot to explore here, and I am totally impressed by the way they fused the original building and the new one, it’s close to seamless (with more floors to potentially grow!).

My only criticism is fairly minimal, and that is the video documentation in many corners with a few random chairs for visitors. While the educational aspects and content are absolutely apropos, it gives several of the galleries the appearence of more of a resource room than a museum space. Plus, video is a contemporary dialect, and seeing video mixed into a gallery space detracts for the potential of actually having video work shown in the same space. There is one gallery, as part of the Native American wing that gets it right by projecting the accompanying video on to one of the gallery walls with chairs set up like a mini theater, without darkened curtains - it works as you move from room to room. The photography collection on view seems sparse, and while inclusions of both Tina Barney and Diane Arbus are perfectly situated, they feel a bit truncated in the hallway-like space they are shown in. I loved the odd portrait of Dr. Spock by Richard Avedon. Very telling. The museum took a normally yawnful collection (to me at least) of china, porcelain and installed them floor to ceiling in stunning vertical cases lit to the hilt, by far the best presentation in the whole museum. I always pass by these collections, but the display is jaw-dropping, along with a large and lush ornate ceiling painting. The glass objects and fragile craft works were all set in adjacent stunning cases - lit to expertly showcase azures, translucence and patinas.

Oh, if I were to continue to count the ways you could go for the Agnes Martin pieces, or the eerie Dan Flavin (which made me uncomfortable), Albers’ perfect geometries, an eye-popping contrast in black and white by Ellsworth Kelly, Do-Ho Suh’s Some/One full metal jacket and the Ed Ruscha study in the intersection between light and language.

Speaking of wall work, catch Jesse Hayward’s curatorial debut(?) with The Hook Up at the New American Art Union, which will open next Friday, June 1 (7-10PM). The show features eight artists from the area, all who use the wall as a motif for creating installation-oriented sculptural or works that deal in space.

Once again, I am off to explore our sister city. Tonight the concert with Finland’s Vladislav Delay, Loscil, Son of Rose and the Phonographers Union all under one roof (the Broadway Performance Hall, starts at 7!), and tomorrow it’s the Seattle Art Museum. I’m heading up with my friend David and we’ll possibly be camping at another friend’s house…but we’ll probably make a few other quick stops while we are there as well.

Heading up north makes me think about my travels this same time last year, to New York. And the talk of the town is that I have fallen in love again with Richard Serra. Mind you, I have seen his works numerous times, including one of the more amazing solo shows this time last year called Rolled and Forged at Gagosian. All that steel, pushing against the pristine and cavernous gallery walls. Processing the path of the audience, developing inpenetrable mazes. A spectacle, always. He’s the eternal rockstar in the art world. The man of steel! If only perfectionism was an understood virtue this near septegenarian would take the entire dessert case! I feel like strange kin to this man. Anyhow, I should start planning a trip to see his latest miracle. Away I go…

ADDENDUM: The show was fantastic and I’m going to write about it in another venue, which I will link soon. And if Richard says he loves the Sculpture Park here in Seattle, so be it, it will be a must-see after breakfast today.

LAYING EVERYTHING OUT ON THE TABLE

After my recent graduation from Matthew Stadler’s Using Global Media class, and enjoying the communal serendipity and cultural discussion at Back Room I realized how important a role food plays in the over-arching cultural paradigm of our lives. And I grew up with a pro-gourmet chef mom. I miss her creme brulee cheesecake and Southwestern cuisine, not to mention all the comfort food!

In the past week I’ve been fueled by exquisite foodie experiences, which have touched off lots of food for thought. Alongside Paul we headed up to Skamania Lodge in Stevenson, WA (just over the Bridge of the Gods) to pick up his friend who was conferencing there. We decided on Sunday Brunch at the Multnomah Falls Lodge. If you haven’t been inside, the room is just gorgeously old and filled with light and much flora. On this drizzly day, we were seated right beside the cozy big fireplace. The brunch was a buffet, and a bit steep at $22.95. That said, every last bite was ultimately delicious. The pennies were well spent. I tried the pastas, the potato dishes, the pepper-encrusted salmon, and the salads. The brunch comes with the unlimited choice of soft drinks or champagne (mimosas and such). And for the carniverous, they even have a chef carving the roast beast. Then came time for dessert. Swirled cheesecake squares, mousse cakes, peach cobblers, fresh whipped creme. Did I die and go to heaven? And in between things we discussed everything from the “geeky” language of PHP to the history of the Indians in the Gorge. Though bloated (buffets tend to weigh ya down), this has to be one of the best brunches in the area.

After donating a piece, I recently attended the CAP Auction for the first time in four years and though I am not one for crowds really, the small food stations by local gourmets was truly amazing. My favorite bite of the night was the mini pecan pies by Screen Door! And though there’s been a lot of open discussion about the pros and cons about art auctions and such, as events go, this one was very targeted and largely glam. The purpose, of course, raising monies for HIV/AIDS related services. Most of the disconnect that I see is in the associations and dichotomy of the fragile economies of both artists and those who need such services. So, health care is, of course, a prime issue here.

Speaking of prime - the live auction was held in an adjacent hall where patrons ate prime rib and chocolate dipped strawberries. Sometimes food (and drink) plays a large role in making such an affair more palpable, or is that palatable? They also had the privilege to bid on works as diverse as those made by Harvest Henderson, Storm Tharp, D.E. May and James Lavadour, selected by Jennifer Gately. All in all, the night raised the bar for fundraisers, but probably punctuated a need to re-evaluate the building of relationships with its artist donors. Maybe in the future the organizers may consider getting a corporate sponsor to assist artists in the domineering cost of framing of donated work? I urged them in writing years ago to expand on the printed catalogue. It’s a document of donated works for that particular year. It would be out of respect for all and make perfect sense for every piece to be seen at least in the form of a thumbnail. These are cultural documents and as such are important keepsakes. Additionally, one critic noted that adding works by internationally renowned artists for the live auction might beef up the $$ stakes. That seems to make perfect sense. Having been on the front lines for many years (in direct service employment, in marches/parades, Act Up, Day Without Art, Art Against AIDS lectures, Queer Nation, Paper Prayers, The Medicine Wheel, etc.) there is lots of light in this 25 year old fight. And with only a hint of an aftertaste, I think this year’s festivities were more than your basic appetizer.

Back to health care. This was one of the many issues brought to the table in a discussion under the roof of PNCA (congrats on the big grant from Hallie Ford!) coordinated by the Oregon Arts Commission. The three-hour meeting enlivened a cross-section of Portland artists and arts administrators discussing the potential of building technical grants that would be offered given the proper funding from the legislature. The new program CHAMP has started to synergize that discussion. Though the group of twenty or so folks who turned out had a lot to add, it was only after we ate sandwiches and salads together that the discussion became summarized in the final 15 minutes or so. The top line items for the group seemed to want to cover broad territory, but when it came down to putting it on paper here are some of the needs heard from the community. Funding for residencies and/or internships, the greater need to catalogue/document exhibitions in the area, artful exchanges with other western states, building better infrastructure within growing non-profits, laureate-like and merit awards for acheivers in the arts (preferably chosen by peers), technical classes offered at the local university level that would be subsidized by OAC, the establishment of a statewide Artists Union. There was also healthy discussion about the importance of better defining and broadening cultural criticism. How we may best find ways to provide stipends for artist talks, catalogues, broader national writing about the local scene, supporting a “roving critic” and the development of a new arts magazine. The wrap-up was wonderful and the panelists went home with lots of copious notes in hand. It wasn’t quite a feeding frenzy as it whet the appetite of all those in the room for the possibilities of the future. So, if you, dear reader, are interested in growing these into cultured pearls for later shucking, get on the horn to your local reps and tell them that you would like to see CHAMP fully funded. It’s a great re-investment package for our state - but the lawmakers and bill endorsers need to know YOU want it.

Shucking You Say?: Over the weekend I juried an interdisciplinary exhibition and was thanked in the form of a gift certificate! I redeemed it upon a visit last night to the Alberta Oyster Bar & Grill. Mind you, neither Paul nor I eat the exotic fruits-of-the-sea in which they specialize, though we still dined in high style as they serve courses. It’s a nice switch for a still somewhat casual, hip spot. Starting with the super tart raspberry lemonade, wow, that’s a lip-smacker! From there we shared the House Cut Fries with Spicy Remoulade (nice bite of garlic and basil!), the Smoked Salmon and Goat Cheese Terrine, Salt Roasted Beets and Sesame (fresh, yet too delicate a portion for $11) and the Arugula with Apples, Candied Walnuts, Oregon Blue Cheese (we held the Smoked Bacon they usually serve with it - and it was cut just right, the arugula was perfect). All were bite-sized portions (though the fries were solid). Then he had the fat Natural Beef Burger, Beefsteak Tomato, White Cheddar, Caramelized Onions on a Brioche Bun (comparitively, great deal for $9). I had Strazzopretti, Oven Dried Tomatoes, Wilted Arugula, Fried Capers and Parmesan which was nice, specially the homemade pasta - I also liked the way the tomatoes were cooked, and I am not a big tomato guy.

The meal concluded with the sweet finale of Spiced Apple Cider Cake with Warm Toffee Sauce and Whipped Creme Fraiche. They could use to put a touch more of the tangy whip atop this spongy delight. It was buttery, not too-too sweet and had that wonderful melange of flavors without masking any. Over and above, though slightly spendy (I had to say it) for the portions (remember “haute cuisine” of the 80s?) I would recommend this place, and you can wear your Portland garb, jeans and a nice shirt. They have happy hour as well (open 4:30PM until close daily).

MORAL: Share your bounty. Don’t suffer your guests by making them eat jellybeans, or worse, crow….

CUT N’ PASTE:
Yesterday, while in the studio working towards finishing a few new works on paper I realized something. Well, it wasn’t sudden, I guess I’ve known for a good long time, that I regularly use source material. This practice seems pretty natural, but when compared with sound composers who use field recordings, I start to see generous comparisons in the way I collect to then piece things together from multiple parts. And like composers and artists as diverse as Kurt Schwitters and John Cage to Ryoji Ikeda, Kaffe Matthews and Dan Burke, I too use a variety of what I gather in the field, to then take back to the studio and make sense of. As I source images I have shot over these past few years, I realize the conundrum I add each day I shoot more images for my expanding catalogue. Sometimes I feel like an improvisor, searching for something specific but finding something that works even better. In these recent works on paper I’m basically re-using one image, over and over, from a void vector drawing of it, output to vinyl. It’s different from making marks with a standard drawing device such as a pencil. I see the shapes as perhaps a way to organize harmony on a flat surface, a composition in two-dimensional space.

PIECING IT TOGETHER:
This approach is so different from the process of sourcing found images and appropriating - in a way I have developed a chronology of my own stock images. Not intended to act as the “perfect moment” (maybe moments, plural) - yet still trying to retain the authenticity of the original source. There are times I’m compelled to say something by mixing in a portion of someone else’s gesture: marking, grafitti, postering, handbills and the like - anything in the public domain, really. Often I wonder who these folks are out there, using industrial architecture as their canvas. At times I feel as though I partly document something illegal, but a fixed language nonetheless, often quite beautiful and engaging.

BIT BY BYTE:
I’m looking forward to heading back to Seattle next week to see The Phonographers Union perform. This group of folks navigate sonics by way of field recordings, and work together as one big organized unit of separate musicians. They are fascinating to watch, and along with ambient sound sculptor, Vancouver’s Loscil, and the amazing Vladislav Delay will all present new work at the Broadway Performance Hall for one show only!

Back to the cutting room floor…

From the May edition of The Wire magazine.

Recently I have had a half dozen or so visitors to the studio. Artists and curators. All have been filled with robust conversation. Though, for a compendium of reasons I am now feeling quite reserved about these exchanges. Two visits in particular left me with a modicum of questions about disclosure and privacy that really stuck.

A LESSON LEARNED
In one recent visit I shared the background, the context of the making of a piece called ‘blackpower‘ - the work has great historical resonance for me. It’s minimal, barren to an extent, dealing in a black void, using only two power sources as its imagery. The work recently sold to a collector in Cambridge, MA. As I explained how it came together the visitor engaged me while I talked about my background growing up in a very openly racist city. How this partly influenced its making, in a peripheral way of release (taking back the night). After I talked about some obvious alternative references to Rothko that viewers have made, how I can see paint drips as African dancers, and how the pairing of images shot on both coasts seemed to make perfect bookends she said simply, “I wish you didn’t tell me that”.

It was so sudden, punctuating. The air in the room collapsed for me. I just blanked as the experience put me into something like a steely echo chamber. And in hindsight, it was probably a simple nudge, yet a wealth of information, coming from someone who is keen on my conceptual/reductive sense of aesthetics.

I guess there is such a thing as “too much information”. Perhaps, in part, a journal such as this, can be used to impart certain things not outwardly stated in studio visits, or titles, or exhibition statements? Maybe less is more? And for work that is minimal, or conceptually-based, perhaps only the most perceptive will best navigate the terrain of codes, pictograms, symbology, liguistics? After all the universal language of art needs to speak for itself to a certain extent, doesn’t it? Can an object be divorced from its maker?

So with these many baubles in my pocket, I have simply decided to lessen this part of my practice for now, to make way for more time to myself, to navigate and engage, not jumping on the opportunity of entertaining the discussion as much.

One visitor mentioned that he once never allowed studio visitors. That seemed so odd to me, to think you could make something that you wouldn’t want to share. The process of peer-based critique has often been one of the skeleton keys I’ve dearly carried. Working in a vacuum has never appealed for me. I make things to share ideas, letting certain truths (and demons) go. I guess, though, there are so many avenues to practice, even the subtle art of sharing your work-in-progress - as opposed to that which is readied for public exhibition. Maybe I just enjoy the struggle, the working lines that help build something from scratch. The erasures that come from editing, change. Self-analysis can only stretch from the mirror, never truly into the outsider perspective of 3rd-person. A second opinion can often validate, or even alter your perception about your working ethic, style, approach. But it’s in times like these that I can comfortably take a hard step back to process a while.

Thank you to all of you that have been there, done that, or will be there some day.

MONTREAL CALLING….

THE VJ, LIVE CINEMA + BEYOND:
BREAKING BARRIERS IN THE AUDIO/VISUAL DIVIDE

Friday, June 1 | 11AM | Hotel Godin | $7

Participants: Boris & Brecht Debackere (Brussels), Clinker (Edmonton), Randy Jones (Seattle), Semiconductor (London), Skoltz_Kolgen (Montreal)

Moderator: TJ Norris (Portland)

Back in the original psychedelic era, the first Visual Jockeys used to drip wax on overheard projectors. The aim was to create a spontaneous and experiential combustion of colour, movement, shape, and sound that broke the barrier between the audio and visual domains, producing a transcendental experience for the audience. This was also the era of performative “happenings” and movements like Fluxus.

In many ways, today’s VJs work with Live Cinema, getting back to the basics of audio/visual projection: they catalyze technological advances, exploring the space between sound and vision. These sound artists have developed techniques that go far beyond the realm and comfort of the living room. These artists are creating participatory experiences in the round. Often they additionally present this work in the form of installation at international galleries and museums, forming a synergy between audio and video, bathing the body in multisensory stimulation. Live Cinema has become an artform, a new sensory language. Unlike the predetermined visual assemblages that currently make the backdrop for concerts, Live Cinema enthusiasts are experimenting with new and unforeseen ways to cull a spontaneous visual reaction from live sound.

From MTV to YouTube, we have been a generation watching and listening simultaneously. Whether it’s a matter of imagining new instruments (like Randy Jones) or building new software (like Semiconductor), Live Cinema asks that its practitioners think of manipulation, transcendence, music, and the multi-sensory experience in new ways, and then build the tools they need to bring imagination to life.

CURSES, YOU FOOL!

A fundraiser slash curse-removal. OK, for a fundraiser you have to admit, it’s clever, it’s coy. And for seventy-five bucks (!!!) it’s cheaper than this past weekend’s CAP Auction (best appetizers ever). This event runs from May 13-20. I suggest to reach into your wallet and help this gal, an art student, get back to school for an exchange program with your purchase of reconfigured artwork donated for the just cause. Scott Wayne Indiana and his 39Forks heads this one up. Ten local artisans gave to the call for assistance, including yours truly, and the works have been skewered and are viewable HERE. A few months back Scott asked me to donate a piece anonymously for this, so I gave him a four-part painting that I created back in ‘93 that I saved for some reason, and he then reclaimed it as an object (I think I like his version more than the original). It’s a hybrid of its former self. Buy Art, Free Souls.

HEX-BE-GONE:
This just in! My piece has been sold, and I am no longer spellbound.

Some of my most recent work has been fabricated, so the studio has primarily been a place to feature the products that have evolved from the process. This has taken the place of the physicality of overly used impastoed palettes, chalk dust, shaving tumbleweeds and other mishigas of the work-in-progress situational studio. The space feels more like a showcase, or a gallery space where I can prep an installation before I recreate it for the public. But, in thinking about this I realize that I basically am a bit of a clean artist, not in a real compulsive way, just in the sense of organization, plotting, layout. I’ve been thinking a lot about design lately, the way everything has a place. This came out recently when I was looking at the work of one of my favorite young artists, Kevin Appel. I’m kin to this approach of placement, not in the same sense of the deconstruction of overage/excess as Appel, but with as much care for the use of space in its totality. And though I have also started to develop a series of works on paper that use cuttings and some drawing, I discussed this and much more with fellow artist/curator Amy Zollinger during a studio visit yesterday. We have also been discussing a potential project for London in the Fall of 2008. I was impressed with her vast knowledge of contemporary art, especially the many interesting practitioners she noted who traverse the traditional. Her observations and feedback was educated and resonant. I’m headed back now to prep a brand-new piece (made with special, secret ingredients) for an upcoming exhibition…..

Pop over to PORT to see what I was doing behind-the-scenes this past week. After my recent cultural explorations, completing a proposal and pre-prepping my Mutek panel on “Live Cinema”, I am taking the rest of the weekend off if you don’t mind.

Admittedly, I just became a Portland Art Museum member today. For the first time, mind you. Partly because of overlapping, curiously good programming, and partly because I hate fishing for a Hamilton each time I make a day of it. And that’s exactly what I did for four mostly resilient hours today, alongside fellow artist Hilary Pfeifer (she said).

After briskly passing through Manuel Neri’s The Figure in Relief we decided first to stop upstairs to see Chris Johanson’s contribution to the ongoing APEX: series of established and emerging artists in the Northwest, curated by Jennifer Gately. I’ve quite enjoyed the last selections, but was honestly unfamiliar with this artist’s work. My only interaction with Johanson was seeing him alongside wife and collaborator Jo Jackson once last year, he had a very cool pair of white glasses and a gnarly-big ole beard - looking every bit the art part. I had high hopes as my ears have heard many good things about his work, especially in relation to the Bay Area’s Mission scene before he landed here in town. So, this was my opportunity to see if he was walking the talk so to speak. Flipping through the selections of his dealer Jack Hanley’s site I was surprised only to find works dating back to ‘03, but judging what’s at the PAM I would say his work is becoming even more improvisational and childlike in its technique and attitude.

The installation of five paintings upon a billboard-like stand meets field camera meets jungle gym. It end up looking like a shoddy Rauschenberg combine. But the purposeful sloppiness makes an obvious comment on the frivolity of much hi-brow meanderings in this art world of ours. Still, while there was a topical sense of humor in the work, it just wasn’t my cup of tea. Since many of the works were dated 2007, it speaks of his sense of improv as the exhibition opened in late January. Oddly, I was most interested in his lop-sided Light Show #4 installation. Like an archaic, broken down carnival ride that’s lived its nine lives already, the chop-shop construction is barely tethered together (ala Homer Simpson). Colorful lights flash in a game-like circle via tripping an obvious electronic light sensor which spins an imperfect circular impastoed painting which is faced on the other side of the room. While the cheap, frilly gaiety of the moment was in sharp contrast with many of the adjacent works hung from the walls and on pedestals, it wore quickly. And left me with a lost sense of detachment, like a wandering sad clown. Weird.

During our stop into the minimalism/postminimalism: Selections from the Collections of Jordan D. Schnitzer and his family foundation I pretty much was agape the entire walk through. This is a completely jaw-dropping collection that is a must-see by anyone interested in the genre. The show brings together the most reknown names, with some phenomenal work by, in particular, Ellsworth Kelly, Sol Lewitt, Dorothea Rockburne, Richard Tuttle, Sarah Morris and Robert Mangold. There was a piece by Kenneth Noland with a faded sheer skin-like pearly-pink like a very pale halo that was stunning. I’m not sure if the Josef Albers work was part of this show, but it was not only a perfect complement in the adjacent hallway at the entrance, but quite powerful screenwork using deep, illusory color with slight tonal shifts and basic geometries. Elegant and saturated with dense color. This show alone makes the cost of admission worth every cent. Included are also Agnes Martin, Donald Judd, Brice Marden, Richard Serra, Robert Ryman and eight noteworthy others. If you are keen on perfectly balanced geometries, bold punchy colors and floating voids and grids - this show is for you.

We breezed through some of the collections, some floors I had never viewed including much of the Native American collection (some amazing carving, stonework and costuming), one room of somewhat expressionist works from the mid 60’s really appealed as a tight group of work. I didn’t take notes, but with my new membership will be back to view this again soon. Today, my focus was on the special exhibitions, not the collection - but I was impressed and happy to see fellow photographer (and Ph.D candidate) Erik Palmer among them. Hilary and I discussed works by many of our peers who have made the walls, and both agreed that James Lavadour’s work is from the soul. We talked about plenty of other work before descending the staircase to refuel in a tasty quick bite in the cafe (catering by Salvador Molly’s).

It was then that we headed for the Gilkey Center in the basement to see the just opened The Drawn Line. While there I’m pretty sure we spied Henk Pander who’s baudy 1971 The Orgy was in spirit with those times, and had both the twists and turns of Escher with the cahones of Bob Guccione. The standout works in this show were Ubaldo Gandolfi’s lovely oiled charcoal work Untitled (1740-70), local phenom Paul Dahlquist’s sumptious Wall, Figure, Lattice (1978) and the dark and ambiguous Arming in the Armory by Käthe Kollwitz. There was a large host of 75+ works on view, many worth viewing for technique, the intricate use of the line, the capture of the form (Philip Pearlstein’s Female Model Seated on Lozenge-Patterned Drape and Paul Cadmus‘ Two Nude Studies were a particular standout in this case). Works dating from the mid 14th Century to the Present are showcased here. So many lines, so lil’ time!

On our scurry through some of the floors I noticed a few new aquisitions and a few works that have been replaced. I noticed that Nayland Blake’s steel cart was missing, there was a stunning black and white oil painting of Samuel Beckett behind a white frosted plexi overframe by a German painter whose name I cannot recall and I “think” a new poppy red oil painting by Gerhard Richter that was small but powerful.

There were some dusty boring nooks here and there, but in all I was more revved than anticipated. So for the final round we headed over to see the just hung Kehinde Wiley show in the Jubitz Center. This NY-based Yale MFA has a short, yet impressive exhibition history dating only back to 2003 and the “monumental” work on view truly synergizes the much needed urban African American hip-hop culture voice in contemporary art. The huge, ornate frames alone are a gaudy statement to the overcasting young black Americans staring us in the face here. The hyper-real faces, and muscular male bodies mesh well with the contrasting floral patterns and other decorative layered elements in oil and enamel. Most of the faces are stoic, fearless, guarded. The handful of pieces in the room dominate their very own trompe l’oeil space, men as towering totems of humanity in jeans, gold chains, do-rags and sportswear. The gaze says it all.

From there we whipped against the time of the parking meter as I quizzed Hilary about what my favorite two pieces were in the permanent collection. Maybe she’ll write about that in her blog, but I will remain mum until I can write about them in full voice one day soon….Now, the member card is in my pocket - I will probably never leave home without it.

I just looked at my stats in the brand-new version of Google Analytics since sometime in March and it looks like there have been visits to my website from all but 11 of the United States. The biggest surprise from that was a large amount of clicks from the state of Utah.

Utah is a beautiful state, and aside Oregon, Vermont and Colorado, probably one of the most picturesque states to drive through. But I don’t know anyone there. Who’s out there? The greatest response unsurprisingly came from my homies in Oregon and Washington. My former home Massachusetts, then California and Texas lagged close behind. No visits from my neighbors in Hawaii or Alaska, nor from Nevada, Wyoming and Montana among the few others. There were about 200 visits uncalculated from unknown states, however. I also was pleased to see the clicks from my northern friends in most of my favorite cities in Canada. Northern Europe has come to visit more often than Eastern, but Southern is slowly catching up. Eastern Asia steps up to the plate, in particular Japan shows some regulars coming back! Oceania is friendly to me too. Just a sparse few coming from the African continent so far. I’m a number cruncher. I have a project that I want to do and maybe I should start an international mail art group?

OK, folks, yes, this is somewhat “off topic” but I think it’s important to face it now rather than be trapped in the dark ages….And on this historic day (34 Years In The Making!):

It has been suggested by Representative Dennis Richardson (R- Central Point) that gay people more often perpetuate crimes against children than heterosexual counterparts, and as such should not be equal citizens. Of course, that is just blankly false. Crime is crime and should be dealt with as such, in its time and matter of fact…NOT be used as a political wedge, throwing a monkey wrench into the field of civil rights.

A bit perturbed, but still level-headed, I phoned Richardson to navigate his views (and stats) and he asked me rather to email him, so I did and the Willamette Week decided to put our discussion online. While I was moved that he “christianly” noted that he “loves me” I’m not sure if I want the love that comes in the form of a double-edged sword. It’s great to know that he has gay friends, but what do they think of his actions? What is this so-called “darker side” that he speaks of with such certainty?

Kari Chisholm of BlueOregon wrote this in response to Richardson’s recent rant.

Prior to my contacting this man I had not read this eye-opening passage from the Oregon Catalyst. The only thing catalyzed here is condemnation of basic human rights, in the face of “behavior-based” identity. The fear of how people “appear” seems to be a primary concern in this writing. He talks about “The GLBT activists and their sympathizers” as if these are people who are somehow separate from the community-at-large - as if they are from another planet. His terminology lacks much credit when he repeats that age-old “the GLBT lifestyle” phrase which is just flat out, well, it’s just flat. There just is NO gay “lifestyle” - that’s a fallacy. A lifestyle could perhaps be one where someone likes to vacation a lot or is a spa worshipper interested in changing their hairstyle twice a week. Or perhaps a lifestyle could be one that is more monastic, as that is, in fact, a choice. But being a person who happened to be born with a sexual orientation that just isn’t the same as the majority is NOT a lifestyle. Could you imagine some sort of cookie-cutter Colorform type life imagined here? If life were THAT easy! That thinking makes me laugh, as it’s fear of the unknown is not original.

He purports that there is some sort of political gain in the right of equality as citizens. Equating the balance of civil rights with “lifestyle”. That’s the rub here. Well, the important issue here is that we all pay taxes and should all have the exact same rights - NOT “special rights” as are often distorted. Personally, I don’t belong to any political organizations, but I do vote, and I do pay my taxes, year in and out. And the bottom line is I don’t wear big hats, fake lashes and sequins, I’ve never been to a big ole Ibiza-style circuit party, and rarely even drink alcohol - and while I don’t fault those who do partake, like so many others who are GLBT I am a plain, hard-working man who spends most of his time in the studio and participating in the cultural community. That’s pretty much spelled, home body. Lifestyle, indeed!

I don’t know about you (or the Rep for that matter) but breathing, and being a person who experiences the senses (common and sensual), with all mine intact, has absolutely nothing particularly to do with behavior. If one is denounce another for whom s/he finds love and partnership with, then it is obvious who here is casting stones. And besides, whatever happened to the good old-fashioned separation of church and state? Is it healthy to have a preacher in the house that represents you - if that house is not necessarily one of god?

All of this has floated to the surface in the face of Senate Bill 2 which basically includes the GLBT population as a “class” of people who are protected under the state constitution. In essence this bill pretty much says, we are all equal, period. And since we are, what is this one-man-jamboree trying to accomplish? This bill will help people from being discriminated against based on their orientation. It’s smart law. What the WW did not run was this attachment that the Representative sent me along with his email to me (no source was noted in his attachement):

Homosexual men and high incident of child molestation

Homosexual activists routinely claim that most child molesters are “heterosexual” males, thus shifting the focus away from their own very high rates of molestation. Since 98-99% of the population is heterosexual, it is technically correct to say that most molestations are done by heterosexuals. However, statistics indicate that homosexuals pose a far more serious threat to children than do heterosexuals.

For example: In 1987, Dr. Stephen Rubin of Whitman College conducted a ten-state study of sex abuse cases involving school teachers. He studied 199 cases. Of those, 122 male teachers had molested girls, while 14 female teachers had molested boys. He also discovered that 59 homosexual male teachers had molested boys and four female homosexual teachers had molested girls. In other words, 32 percent of those child molestation cases involved homosexuals. Nearly a third of these cases come from only 1-2% of the population.

Dr. Judith Reisman, in her book, Kinsey, Crimes & Consequences, describes the research done by Dr. Gene Abel. This researcher compared the molestation rates of self-confessed homosexual and heterosexual child molesters. In a sample of 153 homosexual molesters, they confessed to a total of 22,981 molestations. This is equivalent to 150 children per molester. Self-admitted heterosexual molesters admitted to 4,435 molestations. This comes to 19.8 victims per molester. Dr. Abel concluded that homosexuals “sexually molest young boys at an incidence that is occurring from five times greater than the molestation of girls.”

This high rate of molestations by homosexuals is consistent with other studies conducted during the past several decades. Here are just a few studies that show homosexuals molesting children at epidemic rates:

The Los Angeles Times conducted a survey in 1985 of 2,628 adults across the U.S. Of those, 27% of the women and 16% of the men had been sexually molested. Seven percent of the girls and 93% of the men had been molested by adults of the same sex. This means that 40% of child molestations were by homosexuals. (Los Angeles Times, August 25-6, 1985)

In 1984, a Vermont survey of 161 adolescents who were sex offenders found that 35 of them were homosexuals (22%). (Wasserman, J., “Adolescent Sex Offenders—Vermont, 1984” Journal American Medical Association, 1986; 255:181-2)

In 1991, of the 100 child molesters at the Massachusetts Treatment Center for Sexually Dangerous Persons, a third were heterosexual, a third were bisexual, and a third were homosexual. (Dr. Raymond Knight, “Differential Prevalence of Personality Disorders in Rapists and Child Molesters,” Eastern Psychological Association Conference, New York, April 12, 1991)

Drs. Freund and Heasman of the Clark Institute of Psychiatry in Toronto reviewed two studies on child molesters and calculated that 34% and 32% of the sex offenders were homosexual. In cases these doctors had handled, 36% of the molesters were homosexuals. (Freund, K. “Pedophilia and Heterosexuality vs. Homosexuality,” Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy, 1984; 10:193-200)

From these studies and many more, it is evident that homosexuals molest children at a far greater rate than do their heterosexual counterparts. While they comprise only 1-2% of the population, they are responsible for upwards of a third or more of all sexual molestations of children.

Again, the above was not substantiated as a whole, but you, dear reader, can read between the lines with or without BI-focals.

Just Out had this to say, prefaced with words shared by Loaded Orygun…. In turn they mentioned me. But take this for progress:

SWEET & SOUR: Feel free to comment-at-will, but do keep your wits (if that’s possible). I suggest contacting Rep. Richardson as I did. He is responsive, and even-tempered - but may be a bit more backed-up than usual as of late: rep.dennisrichardson@state.or.us (or 503-986-1404).

What’s sketchy is when booze and mascara collides and “anti-art” runs from the tearducts of imagination…or perhaps this Dr. may have forgotten his stethoscope on da bus. And though I’m unsure if the FAQs are straight, there is a whopping, down and dirty fifty bucks riding in the wind.

Kelly Reichardt’s Old Joy is a long poem motion picture that captures the spirit of the Northwest and the creatures (us midlifers) who inhabit it. Bearded and husky, Will Oldham (as Kurt) is quite natural in this role, seems like he readily embodies your fellow Oregonian next door neighbor. Alongside the Cascades, he accompanies Daniel London (Mark) and his dog in a languid attempt to re-kindle the essence of a more ambitious friendship of their earlier days. What sets the tone here is the brilliantly mellow soundtrack by Yo La Tengo. Without heavy dialogue, the twangy subtleties lushly paint the picture as green as it is, in perfect harmony. What you see along the way are many familiar shots of Portland proper before they head out towards Bagby Hot Springs. The two men camp, stop at a local diner and basically just do what men do, which isn’t really all that much. Dialogue between the two is sparse, but what is there hedges on the light emotional side of change, loss and relationships. It flows like the many streams depicted throughout. It was familiar and wonderfully unexpected seeing filmmakers Matt McCormick and Morgan Currie (who once wrote about my work for the Oregonian) either in the credits or on screen. It also gave me my first opportunity to see a film at the Living Room Theaters - which I highly recommend for comfort and sense of intimacy with the silver screen!

One single line from the Wallace Stevens’ poem, Looking Across the Fields and Watching the Birds Fly has enough breadth to carry my mental weight on its wings through at least bedtime. A special nod to Matthew Stadler for reawakening my dormant interest in the depths of the ink well.

“A transparency through which the swallow weaves…”

Over the pond an incredible sound-off for a locally born abstract filmmaker-cum-folk musician is about to open. Harry Smith’s parents were theosophists (the Gnostic Society still stands in Stumptown) and after studying at U-Dub in the 40’s he immersed himself in the mind-expanding creative community of the Bay Area. A bit-part bohemian Ben Franklin with a fully-loaded toolbelt of book/street smarts he crossed the divide of the last century. In an exhibition that includes diverse contributions from heavyweights Michael Nyman, Paul D. Miller, :zoviet*france:, Philip Taaffe, Jelle Crama, Yamataka Eye, and many others — they all converge at Newcastle Upon Tyne’s new alt.gallery for Harry Smith, Anthology Remixed. In what is surely to be a fantastical a/v fusion — this has just the raw bite of something big in my book. On view from May 9 - June 30.

From Harry Smith’s archives:
Harry Smith was born May 29, 1923, in Portland, Oregon, and his early childhood was spent in the Pacific Northwest. Smith’s father, Robert James Smith, was a watchman for the local salmon canning company. His mother, Mary Louise, taught school on the Lummi Indian reservation. Robert Smith’s grandfather had been a prominent Freemason who was a Union General in the Civil War. Harry’s parents were Theosophists, who exposed him to a variety of pantheistic ideas, which persisted in his fascination with unorthodox spirituality and comparative religion and philosophy. By the age of 15, Harry had spent time recording many songs and rituals of the Lummi and Samish peoples and was compiling a dictionary of several Puget Sound dialects. He later became proficient in Kiowa sign-language and Kwakiutl. In addition to developing complicated systems for transcription, he also amassed an important collection of sacred religious objects, one of a number of museological endeavors that occupied Smith throughout his life. (Much more…).

If you are so inclined, don’t miss Scottish author David Keenan’s informed essay, Georgia Stomps, Atlanta Struts and Imperium Falls. Also, check out the page dedicated to his celluloid work at the universally best cult film archive, Senses of Cinema.

Do May showers bring June flowers (or fungi)?

The month of May has traditionally brought much excitement upon our fair city in terms of hearty exhibition-faire, however, this month seems to be quieter and a bit more traditional than usual. I spent First Thursday afternoon with Hilary Pfeifer and we made the rounds, starting at Quality Pictures who are showing New Yorker Stuart Hawkins. Her work has both performative and superimposed qualities about it. Director Erik Schneider was very excited to discuss the work with us, and we had instant feedback about the distinct bodies of work on view, three series in all. Suffice to say that she uses color and the abstraction of the body in clever ways, juxtaposing the human circus with cultural paradigms, many of these in Nepal, specifically. They are mostly humorous, and more than a simple rub of parody between cultural divisions, maybe to a fault. Many who appear in the images look as though they are pretty awkward, some uncomfortably playing to the camera. The image that stands out here is Untitled (Tin Foil Rings) which is both poker-faced and silly.

Next up we walked over to PNCA to catch Habit Forming at the Feldman Gallery. This show, curated by Portland-transplant Joel Leib, brings together pieces from collections of John C. Jay, Sarah Miller Meigs, Marjorie Myers, Erik Schneider, Jordan Schnitzer, and George Stroemple. I was pretty partial to a few pieces on view here, in particular, pieces by Ed Ruscha, John Currin, Ellen Gallagher and in particular Kota Ezawa’s The Simpson Verdict which, even after seen several times, never seems to tire. It’s a timeless piece that crosses celebrity spectacle and minimalism, in an artful, yet humorous way. It’s great to see a show for which the gallery actually needs to have a docent (or student security guard) on site. It speaks to the nature of work that is expected in such spaces. The show provided a glimpse into what collectors buy, a look back into their eyes to an extent. I found Schneider’s selections a bit edgy and performative. Catherine Opie’s bloodletting piece is a bit hard to look at while the Larry Sultan image plays with parodying the situation at hand (behind-the-scenes of a porno shoot). Glenn Ligon’s text work here is quite different from his normal staple (more obscured), turning word passages into a very tactile abstraction (very volcanic). In all, it was wonderful to see these common names in this collection of otherwise segregated works from personal collections. The only unfortunate thing I noticed was the back gallery, while being currently empty provides no divider (curtain, etc), so while the space is in transition it makes things look a little messy. But, it is a step-up for sure.

We stopped by Blue Sky though it was still closed for install so next up we headed down to NW 9th to catch Dinh Q. Le’s new show at Elizabeth Leach. Le was working out some technical specs to the video in the rear room and was unnecessarily apologetic for getting it up and running while we were there, besides we were immersed in scoping his photo weavings. The color in these new pieces is more vivid, less organic than most of the past work I’ve seen. The show, From Father to Son: A Rite of Passage, includes several new large scale and colorful works that use popular news and advertising iconography. The exhibition statement, written by Stephanie Snyder, is worth its depth and weight. There will be an adjunct, one-day-only screening of the artists’ 3-channel video installation The Farmers and the Helicopters today, Saturday, May 5 from 1-5PM (upstairs in the Lumber Room) as well as an artist talk including historian Moira Roth earlier the same day at 11AM.

We gazed into the PDX Window housing new work called Star Jelly by PSU’s Midori Hirose. A few rows of small blobby, colorific sculptural pieces based on some mystic cross between Frederick Law Olmstead’s Emerald Necklace and the hidden myth of Nietzsche. I spent thirty-five years in Boston and I’m not quite sure of the connection (w/Olmstead at least), but one thing is for sure, she’s not used much in the way of organic matter herein. Its drippy, sickly sweetness is twee enough for the scene, yet a bit confounding in context. We then entered the main gallery where Cynthia Lahti is currently showing new sculptures and drawings. I’m not long for the imposed line drawn after Degas, how it has taken us to the present, but assure you that this new work has excerpted skillfully from the past. What differentiates Lahti’s ouevre is its dramatic use of uncomfortable positioning of the human form. She has put her characters in awkward curls and midway twists. As installed Ruthless 2 just says “splat” to me, without the capital “S” or the exclamation point, mind you. She’s captured in this weird sense of sublime levitation, further nuanced as if she’s eavesdropping. It’s a beautiful piece that is so simple, rendered like a rough-hewn illustration from a children’s fairy tale. I found her ink drawings to be the most successful part of the exhibition, almost effortless in their use of the void and distortions on the female form. The installation is absolutely superb with shelf heights weighting the space beautifully as well as an expert use of lighting.

Our final stop was Tilt Gallery + Project Space peeking into the Blank world of Atlanta artist and curator Avantika Bawa with whom I shared breakfast and a wonderful studio visit yesterday. The show, however, I will cover elsewhere…..soon.

Midweek I had the opportunity to meet with Reed’s resident curator/director Stephanie Snyder for a wonderfully elongated studio visit. Snyder is a recent recipient of the well-deserved Getty Research Fellowship. She will use this opportunity to continue focusing on the years of research she’s conducted on Daniel Spoerri a Romanian-born Swiss artist. His work will be showcased at the Douglas F. Cooley Memorial Art Gallery in 2009. This Fall the gallery presents Marko Lulic/Peter Kreider in conjunction with the TBA Festival when the gallery re-opens after renovations.