Jankowski at Petzel Gallery

I contributed to Christian Jankowski's current show at Friedrich Petzel in New York. Lots of art writers and critics were asked to write reviews about the show and process and place them in bottle we chose. The bottles were all sealed with red wax and stamped with a “CJ 2012” steal. Prior to being placed around the gallery, Christian photographed each one in the river. Writing the text was a delightfully futile process where the words become messages floating in a cultural sea. 

My bottle is in the picture above! I recognise the string I tied it with and the spotted green Sprite bottle I got from my mini bar at The Standard...

Back

God what a month. Documenta (which I'll discuss after this... finally) then raced to Toronto with a dose of NYC in the middle. Then 3 days in Berlin and installing in the countryside. I am now FINALLY still for a little bit. These are the highlights from the past 5 weeks:


Seeing the Massacre of the Innocents by Rubens at the AGO in Toronto (above) : piles of greying dead baby flesh. Wow. Insanely good composition. Changed my mind from thinking he was dull.


Buying and reading a sea of books. Amongst the piles highlights were: the oh so lovely Scott Treleavan's black vinyl zine compulation 'THE SALiVATION ARMY BLACK BOOK'; Miranda July's It Chooses You (which I cried down the street after reading in 90 minutes straight); Laurent Binet's inspired HhhH

an incredibly interesting pamphlet book On Acid : A Field Guide (which was compiled by a reakAcid-Age; Michael Peppiatt's Interviews with Artists 1966-2012; Ultraviolet 69 Blacklight Posters from the Aquarian Age; 

A plethora of my articles are out at the moment. Issue 6 of Twin!!! With my interviews on Sara VanderBeek, Haroon Mirza (as well as pieces I commissioned on Javier Peres, SSION, a curated section by Rebecca Lamarche-Vadel); The Trip issue of Sleek with an 8 page interview I did with Rashid Johnson; a hilarious Q&A with Wim Delvoye in Dazed etc etc

Of note

I keep posting on Post Breaks and forgetting my own little blog here.... Of recent note Les Maitres du Desordre at the Musee Quai Branly in Paris. (The above Bosch image was one of the paintings I was more obsessed with there).

And now bigging up me and Seana Gavin's contribution to Kathy Grayson latest uber group show Portrait of a Generation at The Hole which opens June 7!

I'm on the eve of three weeks of travel which includes Toronto, New York and Kassel for Documenta.
So I'm leaving on a song:

Show of the month? Probably

The Historical Box - originally show at Hauser and Wirth Zurich but so damn good they brought it to London. Curated by Mara McCarthy of LA Gallery The Box, this is old school Los Angeles pioneers from 50s-70s. So many good artists - Stan VanDerBeek (its a VanDerBeek week with daughter Sara opening The Approach tonight), Barbara T Smith (her performances in particular were SO good), John Altoon. Conceptual without being dry. Funny without being flippant. This was a damn good show.

Last chance in London

I've been missing all these shows in London and intend to see them all this week. Weirdly, Bourgeois aside, they all have a video vibe! I need to start looking at sculpture and paintings again don't I....

1)  Remote Control at ICA (Aleksandra Domanovic still above)

                

2) Louise Bourgeois at The Freud Museum (end May 27)

3) Elizabeth Price at MOT International (ends May 26)

                

    

4) Benedict Drew at Cell Project Space (ends May 27)

E-Vaporation

The past 8 days have been so busy its ridiculous. I am so pleased with how E-Vapor-8 turned out (with mentions on New York magazine, Artinfo, Phaidon, Purple Diary, Rhizome and my Dazed piece). Such a huge turn out at the opening. The show is open until May 18, Thurs-Sun 2-6pm. Go see.

Frieze also was great - esp Tanya Leighton's booth of Oliver Laric and Aleksandra Domanovic's works, Samara Golden at the Night Gallery and the pop up Soho House where we hung out for about 5 hours.

While hallucinating with jet lag (the close up image above from Travess Smalley's large vinyl piece is a fair representation of my brain) these are the people in particular that I would like to thank in an Oscar-style for making the week so fun:

All the artists - esp Lucy Stokton, Rhys Coren, Hannah Perry, Travess Smalley, Christian Petersen, Jeffrey Gibson, Alexandra Gorkczynski for travelling across the globe to be there. All at 319 Scholes - Lindsay Howard, Igal Nassima and the tech god that is Sam Hart. DOorDINE for letting us all turn up there en masse post opening.

My boys Ben Sansbury and Nicola Pecoraro who are in 4 person show at The Bowery Hotel which runs until May 21. Seana Gavin (whose work is on show at The Other Art Fair from tomorrow!) and Aurora Aspen - who are so part of me they are like extra limbs.

Kadar Brock for being amazing in general, Kaspar Sonne, Alban de P, Steve Clark, Dave Hoyland and Tim Steer from Seventeen (May 17 opening of Motion in the diary), Laura, Ned, Aaron and Mette Moulton for their surprise karaoke appearance amongst many others, Ruby Warrington, Brendan Fowler (finally in person), Alex Duve etc etc etc.... and last but definitely not least Jay.