Tiger Strikes Asteroid

Panel Discussion w/ Gerard Brown: “ ” @ Tiger Strikes Asteroid, Friday, December 2, 2011 / 6 – 6:45pm, Featuring Gerard Brown, David Stephens and Robin Rice

2011-12-02T11:57:00.000-05:00

Don't miss this chance to hear Gerard Brown speak about his current show " ". " " is showing at TSA through December 18th.

Tiger Strikes Asteroid is located at 319 A. North 11th, 2nd floor.

Ballast/Break • Alexis Granwell & Carrie Scanga at the Lawndale Art Center

2011-12-02T11:52:00.000-05:00

Ballast/Break a show of TSA member Alexis Granwell's and Maine based Carrie Scanga's installation work. The show is at the Lawndale Art Center in Houston.

Alexis Granwell

"Ballast/Break is an exhibition of prints, sculpture, and installation work by Alexis Granwell and Carrie Scanga. The work is based on the forms, structures, conduits, and patinas of cityscapes and the human-built environment. Granwell delves into the city’s grit and substance by incorporating handmade paper, found objects, and raw materials to create sculptures that evoke primitive architecture or landscapes under construction. Her oversized etchings depict similar forms that contain both a physicality and a diagrammatic quality, while Scanga’s massive, apparently floating structure of paper bricks subverts this "

Terri Saulin in The Unsettled at Crane Arts UDel Gallery

2011-11-11T10:59:00.000-05:00

Check out The Unsettled at the University of Delaware gallery in the Crane Building. This show features the work of Terri Saulin and 14 other artists.

Terri Saulin “Drown & Drain”, 2011, porcelain, lusters, 16” x 12” x 10”

Here is a link to the review on The Art Blog.

The Unsettled is on view until November 27th, don't miss it!

Lauren Luloff in NYT Online Magazine

2011-11-07T11:51:00.000-05:00

Congratulations to Lauren Luloff, who was recently featured on the New York Times' Online Magazine. Lauren's work was in Summer Above, curated by Wallace Whitney this June.

[http://tmagazine.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/11/01/visiting-artists-lauren-luloff/]

Alex Paik: Start to Move on the Artblog

2011-10-20T22:04:00.000-04:00

Great mention of Alex Paik's show, Start to Move, on the Artblog!

Alex's show is up through October 30th. Stop by if you can!

Title Magazine: "moving on" by Jessica Anne Clark

2011-09-22T08:25:00.000-04:00

Please read this article in Title Magazine about TSA's current show, moving on.

William Blackhurst

"Group shows are sometimes akin to shared housing: ragtag bunches of wayward objects take shelter beneath bursts of halogen light to create a dubious whole. Under the auspices of amorphous themes, these inanimate strangers bide but never bond. In more mindful groupings, the works coalesce into a rich society full of feasting, discussion, argument, and agreement. Moving On is an excellent example of just this sort of household, with curator Ryan McCartney as captain of the commune. With bodies, mind and motion as the main topic of conversation, this collection of work by Carolee Schneemann, Tim Belknap, and William Blackhurst, is currently in residence at Tiger Strikes Asteroid’s new digs."

"moving on" on the Art Blog!

2011-09-22T08:21:00.000-04:00

"moving on" was written up on the Art Blog.

"moving on", curated by TSA member Ryan McCartney, features the work of Timothy Belknap, William Blackhurst and, Carolee Schneemann.

Timothy Belknap

"moving on is a spare little show. With works by three artists, one local, one in London and one in upstate New York, the exhibit covers a lot of geography — and a lot about the human condition, in sexy, manic, or bare-bones fashion." - the art blog

These works, "dealing intimately with motion, the body, and the relationship between", will be on display at Tiger Strikes Asteroid through October 2nd.

Hours: Saturday and Sunday 2-6, or by appointment.

For more information: tigerstrikesasteroid.com

Sept. 20 AUX at VOX

2011-09-18T10:53:00.000-04:00

Tuesday Sept. 20th at 8 pm a show featuring Sudden Infant, FUN, Nagle and Kudler Duo (Jesse Kudler).
This show is part of Aux at Vox's "Freedom & Sound" Event, September 20-22. Aux at Vox is, in the same building as TSA, is a new live arts venture adjacent to Vox Populi.

Located at 319 A North 11th St, Phila, PA - third floor.

Tonight! 2011 Sonic Circuits Fest

2011-09-18T10:39:00.000-04:00

Tonight, September 18th, Jesse Kudler will be playing alongside the famous Keith Rowe.

Sonic Circuits is a Washington DC based experimental music producer.

The show is at Pyramid Atlantic in Silver Spring, MD.

More information here.

"Work! We Are No Strangers" at the Crane Building - Inliquid Art and Design Blog

2011-08-30T19:35:00.000-04:00

The exhibit "Work! We Are No Strangers" is up at the Crane Building and features Tiger Strikes Asteroid members Jamie Alvarez, Nora Salzman, Alex Paik, Caroline Santa, Alexis Granwell, Anne Schaefer, Ryan McCartney, Matthew Sepielli, Rubens Ghenoy and, Terri Saulin.

This show is a great chance to see work by TSA members as well as artists from Marginal Utility and Grizzly Grizzly (also located at 319A N 11th).

Read more about "Work! We Are No Strangers" on the Inliquid Art and Design blog HERE.

TSA closed this weekend (Aug 27-28)

2011-08-27T10:45:00.000-04:00

Tiger Strikes Asteroid will be closed this weekend (Aug 27-28) due to Hurricane Irene. Please stay safe and we hope to see you on Friday at the opening of moving on, curated by Ryan McCartney!

"Highlights, Low Fades and Deep Cuts" is one of PW's Frist Friday Picks

2011-08-04T11:06:00.000-04:00

Philadelphia Weekly selected Tiger Strikes Asteroid's upcoming show by Tracy Thomason as one of the August First Friday Picks. Its good to see they're as excited about our August show as we are. Read the full write up here, and find out more about Brooklyn based artist Tracy Thomason here.

"Dusted with eye shadow and dribbled with hair gel, Thomason’s objects offer traces of the ritualized performance of beauty."

"Highlights, Low Fades and Deep Cuts" is opening THIS Friday, August 5th at Tiger Strikes Asteroid.

We are located on the 2nd floor of 319A N 11th St, the opening runs from 6-10pm

The regular hours are Saturday and Sunday from 2-6pm.

Susan Bricker at Mixed Greens in NYC

2011-07-15T21:42:00.000-04:00

Susan Bricker's work is currently in a show at Mixed Greens in NYC. The group show "Cabin Fever" runs until August 19th.

Boy's Town, acrylic on paper, 12x16

"Bricker’s paintings, while certainly less ominous, use folded and skillfully manipulated paint to create a haunting impersonation of rumpled fabric, paper, or the feathers of an owl. Her abstracted still life painting is a startling source of tactile confusion."

Susan Bricker is also featured, with Amy Beecher, in our current show "Proof of My Unknowing Eyes."

"Cabin Fever" is up at Mixed Greens through August 19th.
Mixed Greens is located at 531 West 26th St, NY NY

"Proof of My Unknowing Eyes" is up at Tiger Strikes Asteroid through July 31st.
We're located on the second floor of 319A N 11th St, Phila., PA

AUX brought to you by VOX, with a special night presented by Tiger Strikes

2011-07-15T21:30:00.000-04:00

AUX, Philadelphia's newest performance space, is celebrating it's opening with three nights of "challenging, experimental and interdisciplinary"performance work. Each of the three nights will be presented by a different gallery, and Tiger Strikes Asteroid is pleased to announce that Sunday 7/31 will feature a performance by Jesse Kudler and Kimberly Brandt.

AUX Launch at Vox Populi Gallery
Performances are Friday 7/29, Saturday 7/30 and Sunday 7/31, beginning at 8 pm
Vox Populi is located in the same building as TSA, 319A N 11th St (on the third floor)

Come check out all three nights celebrating this exciting new venture!

Lauren Luloff at Tanya Bonakdar in NYC

2011-07-15T21:14:00.000-04:00

The work of Lauren Luloff is currently being shown at Tanya Bonakdar in New York City. Luloff was featured in our most recent show "Summer Above," curated by Wallace Whitney. The show "Painting Expanded" runs until July 29th.

image from artist's website

"Painting Expanded is a dynamic group exhibition featuring artwork from a new generation of artists whose works share a formal nature that is primarily material-based abstraction... Highlighting work by emerging artists who are exploring experimentation near the more radical edge in the creative process, this show features new methods of process in art making, pushing the definition of what still might be considered painting today."

T. Bonakdar is located at 521 W 21st St, New York 10011
Monday through Friday, 10am-6pm

Upcoming TSA Show Chosen as July Pick on the Art Blog!

2011-07-07T10:00:00.000-04:00

We're glad to see that Roberta Fallon and Lilly Rosof of The Art Blog are just as excited about the opening of "Proof of My Unknowing Eyes" as we are! The show, featuring the works of Amy Beecher and Susan Bricker, opens THIS Friday at Tiger Strikes Asteroid.

To see theartblog's July picks click here.
Don't forget to come to the opening of "Proof of My Unknowing Eyes" tomorrow (Friday, July 8th) from 6-10pm. Tiger Strikes Asteroid is located at 319A North 11th Street, Philadelphia.
If you haven't already, this is a great opportunity to visit us in our new location on the second floor.

"Interview with Summer Above Curator, Wallace Whitney"

2011-06-15T20:57:00.000-04:00

Please click through to "The Nicola Midnight St. Claire" and read this interview with Wallace Whitney, curator of "Summer Above." This makes an interesting read whether or not you have gotten a chance to come by Tiger Strikes Asteroid to see the show (although I highly recommend that you do).

"The show looks nice at TSA, I realized at the opening it was the third show I have created since September (besides my normal CANADA co-curation duties) and that I have also done two solo shows of my own work since October. So that, plus a room full of Philly's hip-wa-zee, plus a really nice low-pressure system, and several beers I was feeling great! As far as the show there, I felt like I couldn't really describe it until I actually saw it installed. It featured 4 artists, 2 Canada vets, Joanna Malinowska and Matt Connors, both of whom I have known for years now in New York and Lauren Luloff who I met maybe a year ago and who is my new go-to artist/excellent person and Roger Van Voorhees who I barely know at all. So it was a way of extending myself comfortably, reaching for a brass ring while lying in a comfy bed. " - Wallace Whitney

Intrigued? "Summer Above" is on view at Tiger Strikes Asteroid until June 23rd. We're open Saturday and Sunday 2-6pm, as well as by appointment - tigerstrikesasteroid at gmail dot com

These photos come courtesy of the Tiger Strikes Asteroid facebook page, do you "like" us?

Caroline Santa featured in ArtPneuma Video

2011-06-13T16:41:00.014-04:00

ArtPneuma, "a project to produce awareness of artists, in order to shine a light on their work, process, and thinking," created this short documentary about Tiger Strikes Asteroid member Caroline Santa.

Santa's work was featured in Tiger Strikes Asteroid's most recent show "Coda." To learn more about ArtPneuma check out their youtube account or facebook page: ArtPneuma Facebook, ArtPneuma on Youtube.
Please check this out, there is nothing better than getting to hear artists speak about their own work and practice!

Caroline Santa, "Coda" written up on The Art Blog

2011-05-28T17:08:00.000-04:00

Tiger Strikes Asteroid member Caroline Santa received a great review of her show "Coda" on The Art Blog. Julian Phillips writes, "The artist’s previous work shows an affinity towards use of strong color and shape, which “Coda” echoes but reinvents. Coda draws with materials and takes a look at the process of art making, one step of at a time. Santa’s ideas and approach make refreshing new pathways to consider."

Come see this "invigorating look at the creative process" Saturday and Sunday from 2-6pm before it comes down Sunday, May 28th. The weather is great, so come on out! Tiger Strikes Asteroid is located on the second floor of 319A N. 11th St, Philadelphia.

Caroline Santa - Coda

2011-05-15T14:54:00.000-04:00

Tiger Strikes Asteroid is pleased to announce the opening of gallery member Caroline Santa's show "Coda". This new work from Santa deals with "Previously unresolved drawings" which "are remembered, reexamined, and reshaped to become a fresh inventory of color, marks, and surfaces."

"Coda" is up May 9th until May 29th. Tiger Strikes Asteroid is located on the second floor of 319A North 11th St, Philadelphia. Hours are 2-6pm Saturday and Sunday, or by appointment. For more information please email us at tigerstrikesasteriod at gmail dot com.

Get on the Block Opens Friday, May 13th

2011-05-11T15:10:00.000-04:00

"Get on the Block", a show featuring Julianne Ahn, Matt Phillips, Travis LeRoy Southworth, Liz Zanis, TSA member Alex Paik , is opening this Friday at Camel Art Space in Brooklyn. The show, curated by Lauren van Haaften-Schick "explores social and self-conscious motivations and anxieties surrounding art production and display. Through sincere humor, humility and coy absurdity, these artists confront what critic Jan Verwoert has termed "the pressure to perform," the expectation that artists and cultural producers present only absolute, correct assertions with the "genius-like" promise of positive results. In contrast, these works offer open-ended proposals or temporary conclusions, rendering suspect the desire and criteria for defining success or failure."

The opening reception is Friday, May 13th from 6-9pm. The show is up until June 13th.
Camel Art Space
722 Metropolitan Avenue, 2nd floor
Brooklyn, NY 11211

Last Weekend to See "Night Is A Girl"

2011-04-28T08:51:00.000-04:00

Terri Saulin's show "Night Is A Girl" is up at Tiger Strikes Asteroid (on the 4th floor) through this weekend. We will be open Saturday and Sunday 2-6, or by appointment - TigerStrikesAsteroid (at) gmail (dot) com.

p.s. Don't forget to check out our Kickstarter page and help support the move to the second floor!

Support TSA on Kickstarter!

2011-04-14T11:04:00.000-04:00

We're very excited to announce that our Kickstarter project has launched. We're hoping to raise $1,500 (or more!) by July 12th. Read all about our plans for the new space and upcoming programs, watch the sweet video of our past exhibitions and get the scoop on the rewards: pins, tote bags and original art...oh my! In case you're on the fence, remember that the project will only be funded unless we receive $1,500 (or more!) in pledges by July 12th.
Click through and start pledging!

Breaking News: Tiger Strikes Asteroid is Moving...to the second floor!

2011-04-07T18:25:00.002-04:00

"Tiger Strikes Asteroid is excited to announce it is moving! Since it opened in
2009, the gallery has been housed on the 4th floor of 319A North 11th Street.
Beginning in May of 2011, we will be housed in a beautiful new space on the
2nd floor of the same building, home to Grizzly Grizzly, Marginal Utility and
others.
Our new home will be unit number 2H. In advance of this move we will be
having a one night only show of all Tiger Strikes Asteroid members on April
the 15th in our new space and a special mid-month reception for Theresa
Saulin's solo show on the 4th floor to coincide with “Gallery Night” in
Philadelphia. Both events will take place from 5:00 PM to 10:00 PM on the 15th.
Looking forward to seeing you there!"

One night only members show!

Friday April 15th, 5:00-10:00

Double trouble: Theresa Saulin upstairs, member show downstairs

Theresa Saulin's "Night Is A Girl" reviewed by Philadelphia Weekly

2011-04-07T18:24:00.000-04:00

Theresa Saulin's show "Night is a Girl" opens this Friday (April 1st) at Tiger Strikes Asteroid.

Philadelphia Weekly reviewed the show as one of their "April First Friday Picks".

"Theresa Saulin, a local artist whose recent works are on view this month at Tiger Strikes Asteroid, evokes both biological systems and man’s predilection for intrusion. “Night is a Girl” showcases the artist’s astonishing aptitude for translating a theme into disparate mediums. Her earthenware sculptures are beautiful yet harrowing mutations of human and botanical forms... The unexpected synthesis of cast-off doll parts and vegetal growths is at once a fascinating novelty and an alarming anomaly, the sort of artifact one might have uncovered from an Old World cabinet of curiosities... By obscuring whole bodies of evidence, Saulin demands a close examination of her diagrams, which like nearly every natural phenomenon, elude the viewers’ total comprehension."

Read the review entire here, and come check out the opening at Tiger Strikes Asteroid on Friday, April 1st from 6-9pm.

Lucy Kim at Slag Gallery, NYC

2011-04-05T11:25:00.000-04:00

Lucy Kim has a show coming up at Slag Gallery in New York. "Ubiquitous", featuring work by Lucy Kim and Janos Stone, runs April 12-May 7. The opening reception is Thursday April 14th, 6-8 p.m.

Lucy Kim, along with Jeesoo Lee, took part in a show at Tiger Strikes Asteroid in December 2010. Kim's work "involves the manipulation of advertisements through simple, blunt physical actions" and the use of delicate tin foil, manipulated, painted and then flattened out.

Slag Gallery is located at 531 West 25 St, Ground 10 and is open Tues-Sat., 11am-6pm.

Live from Mt Airy, It's Alexis Granwell!

2011-03-30T20:10:00.000-04:00

A lovely write up of Tiger Strikes Asteroid member Alexis Granwell's show:

"The latest show at the Mount Airy Contemporary Artists Space pairs the assemblages of Alexis Granwell with the paintings of Rick Lewis and proves (again) that contemporary art can pass muster anywhere, even in an 18th-century carriage house in bosky Mount Airy. Granwell's delicate interminglings of colorful cast-off bits of cardboard, leather, wood, wire, paint, and thread look like abstract paintings set loose from canvases. They're the descendants of works by artists like Judy Pfaff and Richard Tuttle, but with a whimsical architecture all their own."

From the Philadelphia Inquirer (click for full article).
The show is up for one more Saturday, don't miss it!

Ryan McCarteny: see the man walking @ Tiger Strikes Asteroid

2011-03-24T11:24:00.000-04:00

The current show at Tiger Strikes Asteroid features member artist Ryan McCartney's paintings on wood.
These works are fantastic in person because you are able to appreciate the texture and subtle surface variations in the paintings. The show comes down Sunday March 27th, but don't worry! We're open Saturdayand Sunday from 2-6, so come visit us.

Tiger Strikes Asteroid is located at 319 N. 11th Street in Philadelphia, on the fourth floor.

Aleis Granwell at Mount Airy Contemporary

2011-03-24T11:15:00.000-04:00

Alexis Granwell, Tiger Strikes Asteroid member, is part of a show on display currently at the Mount Airy Contemporary Artists Space. The show will be up until April 2nd. Granwell's works on display are a mix of three-dimensional assemblages and prints, "inspired by the cycle of decay and renewal in the urban landscape."

MACAS is located at 25 W. Mt Airy Ave, Phila PA 19119. The gallery is open Saturdays from 1-4, go check it out!

Clint Jukkala at Feature Inc, NYC

2011-03-20T17:46:00.000-04:00

Clink Jukkala's site specific painting Oxbow is up at Feature Inc in New York City from now until April 10th.

This photo is of Jukkala's installation at Tiger Strikes Asteroid with Mia Rosenthal in June 2010.

Feature Inc is located at 131 Allen St, between Delancey and Rivington. It's open Wednesday through Saturday 12-6, and Sunday 1-6.

Jared Clark at Mulherin Pollard, Chelsea

2011-03-16T12:13:00.000-04:00

Jared Clark's show "Orbital" is up now through March 26th (next Saturday) at Mulherin Pollard Gallery in Chelsea, NYC.

Clark, along with Jess Perlitz, was part of a show at Tiger Strikes Asteroid in November 2010.

From the essay for "Orbital", written by Andrew Kozlowski (read the entire thing here)

"Clark is adept at taking the theoretical concepts of modernism and minimalism and reapplying them to conditions that are not ideal. With a laboratory full of objects culled from thrift stores he sets about reconsidering modernist painting and minimalist sculpture. While Jared’s use of rescued objects may liken him to those artists classified as making found-art, it is his affinity for the flatness of painting that imbues his work with a sense of newness."

You can see Clark's "elegant mash-up of minimalism, action painting and pop art" at Mulherin Pollard Projects, 317 10th Ave (btwn 28th & 29th), open Wednesday to Sunday 11-6.

Alexis Granwell in Heaps and Hives, a group exhibition in Hamilton

2011-02-20T19:32:00.002-05:00

Alexis Granwell's work is currently in a group show called Heaps and Hives at the Print Center in Hamilton, and was written up in The Globe and Mail.

In Hamilton, the mundane becomes spectuacular, by R.M. Vaughan

"Alexis Granwell’s etchings of the outlines of tunnels and pits, recreated via elaborate, deftly arranged strings of pale blue-grey dots, marks as quiet as mouse paws on cotton..."

[Read the full article here]

Chad Gerth & Lydia Musco on the Artblog

2011-02-20T19:22:00.001-05:00

Reality Collage, by Edward Epstein

"Flying over snow-covered mountains in western Pennsylvania long ago, I was struck by the ambiguous appearance of this wintry landscape, as viewed from 30,000 feet. Was I looking at mountains—or and dunes in the desert, waves in the ocean, ripples in a pond? Chad Gerth’s urban photographs and Lydia Jenkins Musco’s constructions of urban materials [Tiger Strikes Asteriod, February 4 - 27, 2011] both explore the difficulties the eye faces in making sense of the world..."

[Read the full article]

Due Diligence Done on the Artblog

2011-02-09T17:38:00.000-05:00

Diverse Meanderings at CFEVA and Tiger Strikes Asteroid, by Chip Schwartz

"Another abstract art show at Tiger Strikes Asteroid makes a good point of comparison. Two artists, Brandon Anschultz and John Tallman, share the small space with works that play up the process of making an abstract art work. The artists have similar naturalistic processes that they use to create fairly minimal pieces.

John Tallman uses dyed urethane resin to coat the surfaces of fiberboard into planes of reflective hues. The curious element of these shaped pieces of pure color is that, while one peers into their seeming simplicity, the inconsistencies of the resin and the reflections become apparent. Reflection here is not just a literal play on light, but in a way, a form of introspection as the depth of these pieces emerges.

Using plastic bags and armatures, Tallman also fills makeshift molds with resin as well, sometimes creating geologic-looking forms of unnaturally colored sediment. Of particular interest are the orange-tan, almost flesh-colored hunks of resin he has hanging in pieces from one section of wall. They seem like some sort of cloning experiment gone wrong, and cause a notable amount of anxiety in the viewer; the uneasiness is what makes them stand out.

Oil paint applied to porous surfaces is Brandon Anschultz’s primary medium in this show. The pigments stick together and dry in their natural states, while the oils themselves are absorbed into the material they are painted on. This forms colorless stains around the primary forms, and makes them look almost like parts of the floor of a studio instead of something hanging on a wall.

Two of Anschultz’s creations are 3-dimensional balls of material including paint and sawdust, rubber gloves and resin. The latter is literally composed of old gloves Anschultz used in making other art. He balled them up with whitish resin and let it all congeal in a bag – certainly a better use of discarded gloves than tossing them in a trash bin."

[Read the full article]

Lucy Kim & Jeesoo Lee in the Philadelphia Weekly

2010-12-05T11:53:00.000-05:00

"Installation art can sometimes be pretty inscrutable. Is it sculpture? Is it performance? Is it a painting that crawled its way out of the frame like a magic carpet? But these questions are the definition of what’s interesting about art—being asked (or even required) to think. Lucy Kim and Jeesoo Lee, two artists of Korean origin who count installation work as a significant part of their repertoire, will be giving viewers a lot to think about in their upcoming exhibition at Tiger Strikes Asteroid.

Born in Seoul and trained at RISD and Yale, Lucy Kim’s work roams the wide range between paintings of celebrity iconography and conceptual installations—her past work includes tinfoil impressions of her apartment and car’s interior and an apple painted with the likeness of Paris Hilton. Jeesoo Lee, also trained in the U.S., has described herself as “a painter working three-dimensionally,” projecting her painterly aesthetic into the realm of sculpture and installation—many of her pieces look like they belong in a pop-up book of abstract expressionism. Both women were formally trained as painters, but felt the need to break out of the frame into the third dimension."

Read more: http://www.philadelphiaweekly.com/arts-and-culture/December-First-Friday1201.html#ixzz17FzZbUV6

Matthew Sepielli on Phrequency

2010-09-30T10:36:00.002-04:00

"In his first solo show, Sepielli sets forth a body of work that throws traditional painting practices to the wolves, often trading traditional canvas for items like his father's course books from college. Sepielli's paintings are akin to the lithosphere – thick and full of matter – laid flat on a table they might resemble the real life contours of a landscape. He incorporates carpet, studio detritus, and more paint than a Sherwin Williams shop to construct what he calls 'things that portray' rather than the blasé 'painting'."

Read the full post: http://www.phrequency.com/blog/art/DIY_FF_OCTOBER.html#ixzz14hoeyeql

Matthew Sepielli in 34th Street Magazine

2010-09-30T10:23:00.004-04:00

"If you didn’t catch Matthew Sepielli’s work at Artspace Liberti’s In3s show, now would be the perfect time to journey to Tiger Strikes Asteroid on N. 11th Street to wander through Sepielli’s works. Not quite paintings, but not exactly sculptures either, his work favors hardcover books rather than canvas as his base. These mutant forms have extraordinary texture and come to life through Sepielli’s novel exploration of medium. For instance, his piece “State Fair” layers purples, blues and yellows and juxtaposes them with drill holes on what appears to be scraps of cut canvas spilling out of a closed book. In an interview with FunnelPages, Sepielli reveals his artistic process: “I had all of these hard-bound books, and I was thinking about what I could do with these things after I’m done reading them, since they usually just sit on shelves. So they became surfaces that I paint on. I am thinking about brail and text and how you read a painting versus how you read a book.” With this in mind, his books transform from out-of-reach abstracts into thought provoking 3D concept pieces. Yet, not all of Sepielli’s work hangs on the white walls of galleries — his participation in the Philadelphia Mural Arts Program lends him some serious street cred. This is Sepielli’s first solo exhibit and this local is definitely worth watching out for."

[Read the full article]

Adam Blumberg: Punctum(s) reviewed in the Philadelphia Weekly

2010-09-14T10:40:00.004-04:00

"Punctum(s): by Roberta Fallon

Adam Blumberg’s art is about many things, many related to the culture of small-town, Midwest America where he grew up. The objects, drawings and photographs in his solo show, Punctum(s), at Tiger Strikes Asteroid have an anthropological feel—a take on the informal modern tribes to which we all belong (motorcycle riders, protesters and shoppers, for example). It’s all a little elliptical, and while you don’t have to do the reading assignments (although Roland Barthes’ Camera Lucida and George Baker’s October magazine essay “Photography Expanded” are both excellent reads), it may help to know the theoretical underpinnings to the works and the show’s title.

A punctum is a small detail in a photograph (intentional or not) that takes the viewer into a different subtext than the main subject. For example, a portrait may depict a face and body, but the dirt road in the distance—the punctum—adds a layer of reverie and intrigue, directing the viewer’s imagination elsewhere.

One photo, “Parking Lot, the Springfield Mile,” depicts some down time at a motorcycle rally in Southern Illinois. The shot, taken from above looking down on a small group in a parking lot, seems almost like a surveillance photo. It takes a second to zero in on what all the people congregated are doing—photographing and gawking at a bikini-clad blonde posing near a bike.\

Another, “Logan,” portrays a young boy playing the electric guitar at night between a row of colorful cardboard boxes and a ground-based fireworks display. The low-angle shot captures so much information it takes a while to decide what is the focus—the boy, the guitar, the boxes, the fireworks, the inky sky or maybe those tiny sparks coming off the fireworks, alive with possibility. The photo embodies the spirit of small-town Yankee Doodle on the Fourth of July.

Blumberg, who studied art after switching from an engineering major, produced a few 3D examples of punctum with two “Signs of Protest”—cardboard, hand-lettered signs based on ones that scream their tiny messages in famous news photos of recent-vintage protests, bringing their own meaning to crowd shots. While Blumberg made the pieces for the show, under glass they look like pieces in a museum of the future documenting the current era. “Jump you Fuckers,” says one, from a Wall Street rally at the height of the financial meltdown. As punctum extricated from their photographic sources and made real, the signs hold your attention. You can imagine the protest, photo or not, and the words on the sign bring a power and meaning that the original photo might not have been aiming for.

Blumberg is an earnest young artist. He is himself a Harley motorcycle rider who has ridden with his father from St. Louis to the big rallies in South Dakota. Blumberg rides a non-motored cycle around Philadelphia, though—his Harley is parked in St. Louis.

The idea of surveillance or distanced observation runs throughout the show. But the eye here isn’t mocking, just a studious look at the world in which the artist travels. Many artists become detectives of a sort, looking under rocks and in bureau drawers to find out about life. Blumberg considers how we try, via the tiny punctum details of our lives and self-expression, to portray ourselves either as members of a group or not. And that’s worth thinking about."

Read more: http://www.philadelphiaweekly.com/arts-and-culture/art/Punctums.html#ixzz14hqVmJwC

Adam Blumberg: Punctum(s) on the Art Blog

2010-09-10T13:40:00.000-04:00

"The most amusing September exhibition I encountered was almost certainly Adam Blumberg’s Punctum(s) at Tiger Strikes Asteroid. A show of seeming refuse and witty banter, Blumberg creates some signs in the style of those held by homeless people asking for change, except encouraging the readers to “Jump! You Fuckers” or asserting that “I Wish I Had Your $Millions of Problems.” Both irreverent and relevant, some pieces are simply word bubbles on loose-leaf paper.

One piece is a plaster and wooden contraption, a beer bong, painted golden-bronze, and looking more like a broken bugle than a drinking device. The do-it-yourself, low cost, drinking-away-of-sorrows approach to Blumberg’s show make it worth a few hearty chuckles and perhaps the hankering for a beer… although I prefer a glass, myself."

Read more: http://theartblog.org/2010/09/first-friday-at-1026-vox-and-tiger/

Tom Vance: Plan in the Philadelphia Weekly

2010-08-04T11:04:00.000-04:00

"Tiger Strikes Asteroid, the artist-run, artist-curated exhibition space that shares an address with Vox Populi, will be holding the opening reception for “Plan,” a collection of works by Philadelphian and 2002 Tyler MFA graduate Thomas Vance. Vance, whose work has been featured in four group exhibitions at Fleisher-Ollman Gallery over the past decade, makes three-dimensional pieces such as his amorphous, painted-cardboard geodesics, which recall vegetation in form and Crayola in hue. Vance draws attention to the artifice of painting by covering the cardboard with thick brushstrokes that occasionally evoke wood grain—a nod to late Cubism. The purposefully artificial-looking objects reference natural forms, and they’re little microcosms of the human desire to tame and replicate nature. In the last few years, the artist has added a number of ink drawings to his portfolio, some of which were featured in Seraphim Gallery’s acclaimed “Let’s Go Enjoy Nature!” exhibit last month. His work on paper also turn on themes of nature and control; the recent Nikwai series juxtaposes wood-grain motifs with round figures that evoke the eponymous Japanese topiaries. (Lucy McGuigan)"

Read more: http://www.philadelphiaweekly.com/arts-and-culture/Augusty-First-Friday-Picks.html#ixzz14hvR64W2

Older Press Links

2009-04-03T08:45:00.003-04:00

June 16, 2010
Clint Jukkala & Mia Rosenthal on Two Coats of Paint

June 10, 2010
Clint Jukkala & Mia Rosenthal reviewed on The Art Blog

April 11, 2010
Anne Schaefer: In Step on The Art Blog

March 07, 2010Nathan Pankratz: Calamity Jane reviewed on Matthews the Younger

February 12, 2010
View from High Places reviewed on Printeresting

February 2, 2010
Carrie Scanga: View from High Places in the Philadelphia Weekly

January 25, 2010
Unveil reviewed on the Art Blog

January 19, 2010Unveil reviewed in CityPaper

November 4, 2009
Patch and Plot in the Philadelphia Weekly

October 8, 2009
Broken, To Bring Forth on the Art Blog

September 15, 2009
Playground Counterpoint on Two Coats of Paint

September 10, 2009
Alex Paik: Playground Counterpoint reviewed on Matthews the Younger

August 23, 2009No Objective reviewed in Philadelphia Inquirer by Edith Newhall.

August 9, 2009No Objective reviewed on Matthews the Younger

July 19, 2009
Manifest Destination reviewed in the Philadelphia Inquirer
"Dark Duo," by Edith Newhall

July 7, 2009
Manifest Destination reviewed on The Art Blog
"First Friday - an Introspective Fourth of July," by Libby Rosof

July 6, 2009
Manifest Destination mentioned on Rob Matthews' blog, Matthews the Younger
"First Friday This Week"

June 3, 2009
Pre-opening N4TUR3 buzz on The Art Blog and in Philadelphia City Paper
"What we want to see Friday," by Roberta Fallon and Libby Rosof
"First Friday Hit List," by Carolyn Huckabay

June 1, 2009
Tiger Strikes Asteroid featured on AirTran's inflight Magazine
"Underground Artist Society," by Elisa Ludwig

May 13, 2009
Video review of Future Past Imperfect on The Art Blog
"Look! It's Libby and Roberta talking about cats and dogs"

April 14, 2009Interview by Rob Matthews with Phillip Adams on Matthews the Younger
>>download interview

April 14, 2009Spring Break 2009 reviewed in Philadelphia Weekly
"Copy Gallery and Tiger Strikes Asteroid Get Political," by Roberta Fallon

April 7, 2009
Great review of Spring Break 2009 on The Art Blog
"Big and Bigger - Adams and Monnier on First Friday," by Libby Rosof

April 3, 2009
Featured on Daily Candy
"Cats in Space"

March 14, 2009Writeup on Matthews The Younger

March 3, 2009
Brief Mention in Philadelphia Weekly
"Collective Goal," by Roberta Fallon

Feb 17, 2009
Interview with member Alexis Granwell in Salt Lake City Fine Arts Examiner
"ASSASSINATION: Alexis Granwell," by Qi Peng .

Feb 12, 2009Pre-opening excitement on The Art Blog
"Tiger Strikes Asteroid Any Day Now!" by Libby Rosof

Brooklyn Rail Article: The Art World on Facebook

2009-03-13T15:53:00.002-04:00

The Art World on Facebook, by Sharon Butler

Interesting article.

March Exhibition: Getting Ready for the Prom

2009-03-06T13:51:00.008-05:00

Tim Gierschick, Pod, latex and enamel paint on found panel

Getting Ready for the Prom

Phillip Adams, Tim Gierschick, Alexis Granwell, Alex Paik, Nathan Pankratz, Caroline Santa

March 6 - 27, 2009

Opening Reception: Friday, March 6th, 6pm-9pm

[more images on our facebook page]

Clutter

2009-02-25T09:44:00.004-05:00

So I think that I want to focus more on discussion on the Tiger Strikes Asteroid blog rather than it being a diary of things we've seen, so I will be posting more about different topics that relate to artists rather than posting music or show reviews. If you want to see posts about that, you can go to my old blog, Watching Paint Dry.

I've been reading Letters to a Young Artist, and there is a part of Gregory Amenoff's letter that I've been thinking about:

"...LET YOUR STUDIO BE YOUR SANCTUARY... When your work leaves your studio and moves into the world, its character changes. One doesn't need to consult a Marxist to understand that art is a luxury commodity. You learn to live with this fact (and find ways of justifying it), but in the studio, things are different... If the marketplace finds its way (siritually) into that studio you have abdicated your essential power. Keep your studio clear from concerns of the marketplace. You might have to dance with the wolves but you can still keep them near the door."

Now, granted there is no marketplace for my work, but i still find myself stressing out about art-career related things while I'm working. I don't paint differently or anything, but sometimes it immobilizes me, and often times it makes me grumpy and less likely to enjoy working, mumbling something about getting ready for my retrospective at my U-haul storage space.

I realize that a lot of artists are perfectly happy to just create and could care less if they show in New York, LA, Berlin, whatever, but that is a choice that they make. I've chosen to try to have a "career" in this horrible game.

What do you guys think? Do you have strategies for clearing your mind of all the stress-clutter that comes with trying to be an Artist?

TEH INTERWEBS N ART

2009-02-16T13:40:00.006-05:00

Sounds pretty interesting. You should check it out! More details at the Vox Populi website.

Hey Ladies

2009-02-11T13:24:00.003-05:00

My friend just showed me Tucker Nichols' work... I love it. Super smart, super funny. All good things.

Grand Opening in March!

2009-02-11T12:42:00.004-05:00

Please join us for the grand opening of Tiger Strikes Asteroid. Our inaugural exhibition, Getting Ready for the Prom, features the work of Phillip Adams, Timothy Gierschick, Alexis Granwell, Alex Paik, Nathan Pankratz, and Caroline Santa.

Getting Ready for the Prom
March 6-27, 2009
Opening Reception: Friday March 6, 6pm-9pm

Magicians and Cartoons

2009-02-11T12:29:00.006-05:00

I saw the show at the ICA a while ago, but haven't gotten around to writing anything about it. I think Anthony Campuzano is one of the best artists working in Philly right now, so I think it's great that the ICA gave him a solo show. Dude really deserves it. I'm not really sure that I "get" the work, but he does some amazing things with text. His work really seems magical, which sounds corny, but I really think it's true. He transforms the text just enough so that it hovers right between that line of text-as-image and text-as-word, and there's something really amazing about seeing that. Every time I see his work I want to run home and make things just like his, which I suppose is the highest compliment I can give.

Josh Mosley's video was really nice as well. I'm kicking myself for not taking more advantage of having him on the faculty at Penn while I was there. Stupid, stupid, stupid! His video has a boyish whimsy about it and rides the line between cartoon and art really well. I kind of feel a guilty pleasure when I see his work -- it's like I get to watch an amazing animated cartoon and it's "serious" art! Lisa said it best: "That was a video piece that I actually wanted to continue watching after a minute."

Happy Birthday, Mendelssohn. Fuck You, Wagner

2009-02-03T12:24:00.003-05:00

Interesting little bit about Mendelssohn over at NPR in honor of his 200th birthday. Apparently, there is a 2nd version of his 4th Symphony! I'd love to hear it, but haven't been able to find it in my interwebs searchings. I think they exaggerate how big of an impact Wagner had in slandering Mendelssohn out of the canon, but it's worth mentioning how big of a douche-bag Anti-Semite Wagner was.

In my opinion, Mendelssohn is a bit underappreciated, so it was nice to hear the story. Here's the 1st movement from his 4th Symphony... enjoy!

Gallery Opening Soon!

2009-01-31T15:58:00.004-05:00

Tiger Strikes Asteroid will open in March. Please come to our inaugural exhibition, which will feature the work of Phillip Adams, Tim Gierschick, Alexis Granwell, Alex Paik, Nathan Pankratz, and Caroline Santa. We're all super excited! More details to come...

Three (plus one) Great Covers

2009-01-27T21:34:00.015-05:00

I found some great covers recently that I'd like to share. The first is from River Cuomo's 2nd collection of home recordings, Alone 2. Love the combination of mid 90's distortion and Beach Boys harmonies -- two of my most favorite things!

Rivers Cuomo: Don't Worry Baby (Beach Boys cover)

The second is from the forthcoming Jon Brion Remix EP of Of Montreal songs. I'm really looking forward to this -- I love what Jon Brion does and thought he did great with the minimalist sound of Spoon in The Underdog and with the 1st version of the Fiona Apple album. I didn't think that Of Montreal could somehow get more Baroque, but Jon Brion did it. Just like how I didn't think that the Shins could get more poppy, but Of Montreal did it anyway (Oh, I should throw that cover in, too).

Of Montreal: First Time High (Reconstructionist Remix of An Eluardian Instance by Jon Brion)

Of Montreal: Know Your Onion (Shins cover)

The last cover is Bon Iver doing Feist -- a really lovely slow jam for you all :)

Bon Iver: The Park (Feist cover)

ZOMG animated GIFs!!!!

2009-01-27T12:55:00.008-05:00

Jack Sloss, Upside Ground

First off, I love Fleisher-Ollman Gallery for using an animated GIF successfully on their website. I have a hunch that this is the work of Claire Iltis, the Assistant Director, but I'm not sure. Awesome.

Fleisher-Ollman puts on some bangin' group shows -- they seem to have a lot of fun with them and use their excellent collection and connections really well. Rich Text is no exception. Rich Text, which focuses on contemporary work that uses text (duh), is a really varied and satisfying show. Unfortunately, I didn't take any pictures at the opening, so I can't post any images. Highlights for me include Alex DaCorte's birthday-banner pieces, Anthony Campuzano's Diebenkorn-text hybrids, and Bob and Roberta Smith's giant wooden walls of text. Everyone go see it!

Assisted Viewing and The Frantic Eye

2009-01-22T09:59:00.011-05:00

From Art News Blog:

"Prado Museum on Google Earth

Google Earth is an amazing tool that just keeps getting better and it's still FREE. Over the years I have spent hours looking down on our fascinating little planet with Google Earth.

Now Google has made it even more compelling for artists to download as they're opening museums up and taking us inside. No longer content with looking down on art museums from above, they have zoomed in on paintings hanging on the walls. They have gone in armed with some amazing technology too, revealing every crack and brush stroke on each painting."

Pretty cool stuff. I really hope that other museums jump on this and let Google photograph their pieces. The detail is pretty amazing, and, since I'm not going to Spain anytime soon, it's the closest I can get to the real thing for a while.

As I was looking, it struck me as odd how different my experience of the paintings felt when I was forced to view it through the lens and controls of GoogleEarth. I realized that when I look at a painting, my eye jumps around really quickly from place to place, zooming in and out quickly. It felt really weird to have to laboriously slide the zoom control, and to manually "scan" the paintings in such a cumbersome way.

Obviously people don't really look at paintings like that, but it made me think about how we look at paintings --have our collective eyes evolved over time? Sitting in front of a computer for long periods of time and constantly multitasking, my eyes jumping back and forth between my two monitors, between different browser tabs, IM, poker tables, GoogleReader, etc -- does that affect how I see paintings?

I think it does, but I'm not sure exactly how. Wil made a great post a while back that had a bunch of interesting articles that I am going to re-read. I'll post more thoughts later.

I'm starting to suspect that my job as an artist is to somehow trick people's frenetic, ADD, Web 2.0 eyes (mine included) into slowing down and looking at my work.

Also, did you know that women see as much as 30% more colors than men???? WTF? Why am I cursed?

Visual Pop Songs

2009-01-16T14:01:00.006-05:00

Paul Klee, Fire in the Evening

People often chuckle when I tell them that I really like Paul Klee, but I think that he is a very underappreciated painter. Maybe I just relate to him because he was also a fairly serious musician throughout his life and was influenced heavily by musical ideas like rhythm, harmony and structure, especially in his abstract work. I love the playfulness and whimsy of his geometric abstractions, and have been especially loving the structure of paintings like the ones here. I love how he was able to take a structure that is so simple and dry -- start with a block and keep dividing it into two -- and turn it into paintings that are full of life and charm. Sometimes all you need is a good verse and a good chorus to make magic.

Paul Klee, Monument in a Fertile Country

New Museum

2008-12-23T11:22:00.000-05:00

I was really looking forward to seeing Mary Heilmann's work in person -- her work looks great as jpegs and is right up my alley. But sadly, I was super disappointed at the surfaces. The acrylic really kills the painting surface and makes them feel really lifeless and her hand seems really lazy to me. I did like the pieces where her hand was less evident, like some of the ceramic tiles, but overall, huge disappointment. I wanted to like her so much :(

The Elizabeth Peyton show was surprising in a couple of ways. First, I was surprised at how crappy our Philadelphia Museum's Peyton is. I used to like Peyton a lot, but I guess from only being exposed to the Philly Museum one over and over again, I kind of stopped liking her. I was also surprised at how object-like the small paintings on board were; the surfaces are coated in a super thick oil ground and the frames themselves are pretty deep. It was interesting to compare her hand to Heilmann's -- some might call Peyton's hand lazy as well, but I think there is a grace in Peyton's hand that I really like. Finally, I was surprised at how bad the paintings became when she stopped working from photos and worked from life instead. Her brush strokes almost seem to become trapped on the figure she is painting and doesn't wander and have as much fun as in her earlier work.

Song of the Year?

2008-12-16T16:25:00.000-05:00

Nothing Ever Happened - Deerhunter

Eh, maybe not. But it's still a really fucking good song.

Morandi

2008-12-16T10:40:00.000-05:00

I finally got to the Morandi show. It was smaller than I expected but that was fine; they probably would have stuffed the show with more crappy early work if they had more space. It was a Thursday morning, so it was me, a bunch of old ladies who would go on and on about how they "love the pallettes" and a few school groups that would whizz by every once in a while, the majority of the kids texting.

It's the first time I've seen more than 3 Morandis in a room together and I was a bit concerned that they would all sort of blend in together. But, they didn't. I had a lot of fun looking at all of the still lives, especially the later super-reductive ones. Morandi is surprising to me because every time you go back to look at a painting that you think you know, you notice another great moment or idea in the painting. I love how his work really slows your eye down, how you get trapped within his little painting world, his deliberate and graceful hand, the way his colors and their relationships slowly reveal themselves. A ton has been written (much more well written) about him, so I'll leave it there. It's going down to the National Gallery after the Met, so I'll probably see it there too.

Tell Me Why...

2008-12-04T15:37:00.000-05:00

Tell me why Jack Black isn't always Jesus in every movie. It'd be funnier if it weren't true. Like, a lot funnier.

The Poetics of Space

2008-12-02T07:43:00.000-05:00

Before Thanksgiving I went to see the Michael Edward Smith show at Jenny Jaskey Gallery. The show's closed now, but I thought it was one of the strongest shows I've seen in Philly this year. The show was divided into 2 separate-but-together installations, but I was most attracted to this arrangement above. I think it was more successful than the other side of the gallery because, well, it was more fun to look at. I literally had to crouch down to examine it and felt like a kid looking in a tide pool, a little snapshot of Smith's larger artistic world. Anyways, hope everyone saw it.

On another note, Jenny is looking to open a live/work studio space in the same building as Vox. She's charging a dirt cheap rate, so if you are looking for a studio space, send her an email. You can even specify how much space you want if you are one of the first tenants!

Business Week Article

2008-12-02T07:35:00.000-05:00

My friend Tayyib just posted this Business Week article from 2001. It's a funny "career" we've chosen, eh?

Portrait of the Artist in Red Ink (Thane Peterson)
What do talented painters and teen basketball stars have in common? For most, big dreams and little paychecks

Recently, high school basketball phenoms Kwame Brown, Tyson Chandler, and Eddy Curry made headlines when they were picked for three of the top four slots in the National Basketball Assn. player's draft. It was the ultimate hoop dream come true: Eighteen-year-old high school seniors suddenly becoming multi-millionaires for playing a game.

Yet, physically gifted as these athletes are, what were the chances that they would succeed so gloriously? Of the millions of kids who play high school ball, only a tiny fraction of 1% can make a career of it. The odds of becoming a wealthy professional artist aren't any better. I'm not talking about graphic and industrial designers and other people with more of a commercial vocation. I mean painters, sculptors, and art photographers -- the people whose work you see hanging in art galleries and museums....

[Read the rest of Thane Peterson's article]

Ravished By Color

2008-11-24T11:48:00.000-05:00

I picked up my copy of Air Guitar again recently and have been thoroughly smitten. Dave Hickey's writing is the complete opposite of the dry, pretentious garbage that I've forced myself through way too many times. I love how he weaves his childhood and everyday experiences into the context of what he is writing about. I guess some would call it narcissistic or self-absorbed, but I'm more on the side that this is a more honest way of writing about the experience of art and that a cold and clinical approach kills the work.

In "Pontormo's Rainbow," Hickey talks about being "ravished by color," and how when art abandons color it becomes trapped by language, history and representation. Color, he writes, is "...a respite from language and history," and, in a funny way, it feels like his writing brings color back into the boring black and white realm of art criticism.

Mile High Music

2008-11-19T07:25:00.000-05:00

Just got back from Taiwan (had a great time). The only thing bad about trips to Taiwan is the long, long flight. But luckily, I brought a ton of new music to listen to on the flights. I also learned that Ulysses is really difficult to read.

One album on constant repeat was Alpinisms, School of Seven Bells's debut LP. Perfect album for that half-asleep, half-awake state I was in for most of the flight. They sound like a cross between Sunny Day in Glasgow and Ladytron -- cool, droning female vocals floating on top of a glimmering backdrop of electropop/rock. Kind of a neo-shoegaze thing going on there, too. Really solid album. Highly recommended.

The other new album I was listening to was Marnie Stern's This Is It & I Am It & You Are It & So Is That & He Is It & She Is It & It Is It & That Is That. Her music sounds like a mix between freak-folk and heavy metal, with a little bit of Hella and Dan Deacon thrown in. Super high energy, funny lyrics, hilarious (and highly technical!) guitar riffs make this album a really fun listen.

These two albums, along with Girl Talk's Feed the Animals and The Fleet Foxes album are my favorites of the year so far.

Mile High Music

Baroque

2008-10-20T20:00:00.000-04:00

I caught the Rob Wynne show at Locks Gallery (top floor). The downstairs show was a complete snore-fest, but I dug a lot of Wynne's work. The show was all over the place, consisting of sculpture, photography, embroidery, books... you get the idea... but In general, it kind of felt like an Illinois era Sufjan Stevens -- Baroque sensibility, kind of poppy, riding the line between sentimentality and irony. I especially loved the drawings of butterflies and octopi that combined girly beading with lovely little line work. The drawings on vellum thing has been getting kind of old, but I still liked 'em.

I'm not feeling very coherent today, so I guess I'm done.

My First Art-Love

2008-10-17T09:09:00.000-04:00

My first art-love was classical music. After starting out on piano (duh, I'm Korean) I moved on to violin (duh, I'm still Korean). Even though I wasn't that great, I was good enough to get into youth orchestras and was perfectly happy hacking away in the back of the 2nd violin section. For a while, all I listened to was classical music. Yes, I know. It's hard to believe that I was that cool.

Classical music was my first introduction to having a real and deep relationship with art, and also an introduction to how art can really transport you. It also taught me how art can help validate being human, how creating is an invaluable, life-affirming human trait. You listen to Beethoven, and you're like, "Yeah! We can do it!" Ugh, that sounds lame, but whatever.

Anyways, I'm realizing more and more how important this experience was for me as an artist. Classical music is essentially abstract music, from the abstract notation that you have to learn to read, to the abstract structures like symphonies, fugues, etc -- even "sound" itself seems so abstract. And yet through such abstract materials people like Bach and Beethoven were able to create something so specific in terms of how it sounds and how it emotes.

I guess I'm just realizing through my work and through thinking that I'm way more interested in the abstraction of music than I am the history of Western Modernist abstraction, and I think the work is starting to reflect it more and more.

The "Grosse Fugue" from Beethoven's 13th String Quartet is one of my "desert island" pieces. Sorry that it gets chopped up.

Dusty Rock from SoCal

2008-10-13T08:00:00.000-04:00

The Golden Animals's debut album Free Your Mind and Win a Pony has been in constant rotation on my playlist this month. It's got this great dusty swagger to it -- like it's some long lost album that you would find in your Dad's closet along with his baggy linen shirts, hemp necklaces, and pictures with his girlfriend named Aurora Moonbeam Hope. Well, not my dad, but, you know, "dads" in general.

Anyways, the album is really really good. I was starting to get worried because I haven't heard a good album this year since the Fleet Foxes and Girl Talk albums.

Golden Animals - "The Steady Roller" from I Guess I'm Floating on Vimeo.

Waiting for Superman

2008-10-06T09:08:00.000-04:00

He may or may not save us.

Waitin for Superman - The Flaming Lips

Shosty!

2008-10-06T08:29:00.000-04:00

Lisa and I saw the Philly Orchestra on Thursday night. It was the first show with Charles Dutoit as the new chief conductor, but more importantly they had Martha Argerich playing Shostakovich's 1st Piano Concerto!!! For those that don't know, Shostakovich is in my Holy Trinity of composers (Bach, Beethoven, Shostakovich). Obviously, I would love a guy who said "When listeners laugh at a concert of my symphonic music, I am not in the least bit shocked. In fact, I am pleased.” His music is almost schizophrenic, going from hilarious to grotesque to heartbreaking to tender and lyrical.

The 1st concerto is a lighter piece, filled with wonderful moments of laugh-out-loud hilarity and an almost hysterical and uncontrollable forward motion. Argerich was perfect -- completely destroying the piano during the more aggressive parts and snap-changing into a lyrical and subtle sound when it called for it. Awesome, awesome stuff. Here's Argerich playing the 1st movement, which is a good little snap-shot of the whole piece.

Shostakovich - Piano Concerto op. 35 - Allegro moderato.mp3 - Martha Argerich

They also played Prokofiev's 1st piano concerto, which he wrote while still at Conservatory. I really liked the piece -- it definitely felt like early Prokofiev and he still hadn't gotten some of the kinks out yet. But the piece was a ton of fun and really showcased Argerich's virtuosity.

WYSIWYG

2008-10-01T09:22:00.000-04:00

First, a disclaimer: I suck at evaluating photography and have huge gaps in my knowledge of the history of photography. I can spot a Gursky when I see one, but that's about it.

That being said, I loved Paul Salveson's work in WYSIWG, the group show up at Jenny Jaskey Gallery right now. Obviously, I loved the fun little formal tricks in the work and I also loved the low-fi zine quality of the work. "WYSIWG" is kind of a nod to an era of 14.4baud modems, Windows 3.11, and dot matrix printers, so I thought that Salveson's work fit in perfectly with the title.