db does a blog

Much as I enjoy Instagram, it’s so easy etc, I’m going to try to blog more regularly again. The visual presentation here is so much better. Yesterday was a full on art day, and a perfect example why these images need a bigger canvas. If possible look at this stuff on a computer, rather than a phone.

First Zach & I went to Perrotin on Orchard, simply because we’d heard that it was not by appointment. Their book/gift shop while being be very expensive seems to always have some printed thing I don’t know about. Sure enough, I found a book about records & art! (see below) At first I was freaked out thinking it was a new publication and was going to steel some thunder from the release of my own book, ART SLEEVES (now scheduled for March 2021) but it was published in 2010 & must have had really shitty distribution & promotion, since I never saw it even written about. 

Most thrilling was the discovery on the 3rd floor of the 3 brand new Barry McGee paintings (not publicized on the site).

Also discovering some interesting artists, African American, Leslie Hewitt, Korean, GaHee Park & French born, Bushwick based artist Jean-Philippe Delhomme.

From there we went to the 2 KARMA galleries on 2nd St, in the hope of seeing the group show “(Nothing but) Flowers“, of course that had ended, but there was a solo show by Henni Alftan. Strange but engaging. A lot of the works seemed to be about the feel of things, fur, rain, hair etc. Then on to visit Matt at KARMA’s incredible book shop. I was lucky to get out of there without spending more than $100!

Then Erik Foss suggested meeting him at Leo Fitzpatrick’s not-yet-opened, not officially named “Public Access Gallery”. With a wall full of hand screened Mark Gonzales skate decks & a couple of Gonz drawings, the place has a nice chill vibe. Very interesting hearing Leo talk about what he hopes to do with the St Marks space & what it will mean for East Village & LES kids. We then headed to Deitch for the opening of a big group show but it was closed up by the time we got there.

Hard to believe but when I was young, I was even more of a nerd than I am in my old age. I started collecting music ephemera as soon as I started going to shows. I recently discovered a stash of concert programs (booklets) ranging from the hippie era to the punk & new wave  80s. The strange and remarkable thing to me, is how much damage I inflicted on myself (and others around me) and yet these artifacts survived, in almost perfect condition! 

Just a couple of the incredible paintings by the late Destroy All Monsters member, Mike Kelley -1954-2012.  

There's no way to show the grandeur of the place on Instagram, and even the photos here pale, but it's better than nothing!

Hard to say which artist's areas Wini and I enjoyed the most, Dan Flaven, Richard Serra, Donald Judd, Robert Smithson, Barry Le Va, Louise Bourgeois, Mel Bochner, Michael Heizer or Andy Warhol. Only really disappointing thing for me, was that most of Lawrence Weiner's work was closed to viewing.