THIS LONG CENTURY

— I’ve been re-visiting these photographs as a way to clear my aesthetic of vulgarity, some how find a pure place that is pleasing to look at or create some sort of balance. These pictures were the ones that got me my first art exhibition with Colin de Land at American Fine Arts. He liked that my thumb was in the picture, as if it was part of the process. I think he also liked the sexiness of the carpet and maybe my nerdy interest in Books, particularly Anarchist culture. I had my show with Jess Holzworth and we were called Boug & Worth, another de Land driven name. He would secretly tape our conversations at the gallery and put them on Public Access Television. Our show was titled Fuck All Our Art Heroes/Assholes. I remember me describing the work to Rob Pruitt and I told him I was doing negative sandwiches in the darkroom. Anyway, Colin didn’t like the first show. He said it wasn’t what he had in mind for a Boug & Worth Exhibition, so with no money of course, we had another Boug & Worth exhibition right after. I guess it was the Summer slot so the gallery had no plans anyway. For that show, we painted our conversation on the wall. The last photograph was Colin in front of our piece. The title had something to do with the Germs and Negating space but I don’t remember. Those were the days…………..

Click each individual image to view larger.
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Lizzi Bougatsos was born in 1974, in Queens, NY. She lives and works in New York. Bougatsos is an artist and the singer for Gang Gang Dance. Selected solo shows include SLUT FREAK, James Fuentes, New York (2010); SOLO EXHIBITION, The Breeder, Greece (2009), STREET FEATHER, James Fuentes, New York (2007); THE NOBLE AND THE LAND, James Fuentes Gallery, New York (1999). Two-person exhibitions include FAILURISMS at Reena Spaulings with Kim Gordon (2005) and BOUG & WORTH with Jess Holzworth at American Fine Arts Co. (2000). Selected group exhibitions include: The NewBridge Project, London, England (2012); The Victoria Myhren Gallery at the University of Denver, Colorado (2012); American Contemporary Art from the Astrup Fearnly Collection at the 29th Sao Paulo Biennial, Brazil (2011); The Whitney Biennial, New York (2008); The Astrup Fearnly Museet for Moderne Kunst, Oslo, Norway (2008); IN/OUT OF ME, curated by Klaus Biesenbach for MACRO – Museo d’arte Contemporanea di Roma, Milan, Italy, and Kunste Werke, Berlin, Germany (2007); and CRISS-CROSS: SOME YOUNG NEW YORKERS curated by Klaus Biesenbach for P.S.1 Institute of Contemporary Art, New York (1999). Bougatsos is a recipient of the Rema Hort Mann Foundation grant (2003).

www.jamesfuentes.com

— Nudism had a long history among small groups in Northern Europe and America, but in the 1960s with the huge population of beautiful young bodies in California it became a mass movement. It was wartime in America again, and it was thought that if people got rid of the feeling of armament that clothes gave them they would be more peaceful. Allen Ginsberg and Peter Orlovsky had just returned from India where they had been mingling with Naga Saddhus, naked yogis, and were firm believers in peace through nakedness. It was 1964. I had recently been in California and been fascinated with all the magazines depicting ordinary people in ordinary surroundings without clothes and saw this as a possible way to move figure painting out of its academic past to a bright new level. So I began taking these photos of my friends, their wives and children, many of poets and painters I knew. The exhibition of these paintings in New York in February 1965 caused a furious response from the establishment, even two years later they were still complaining about nakedness. This letter to Allen was to suggest that our response should be taken to whole new level by making posters of these photographs which, because of Allen’s increasing social visibility, would increase the pressure for American’s to relax. Two years later this whole idea culminated in the Woodstock festival where thousands of young people frolicked and made love in the surrounding forest and incited the violent response which followed from the new conservative president, Richard Nixon.

Transcript of the letter:

Dear Allen, no doubt you have seen the issue of LIFE magazine in which I am referred to as “one Wynn Chamberlain” and you as “one of the most unpalatable models of all time.” While I’m still not doing the nudes, nevertheless, the whole thing made me mad. I’m wondering what you would think of having a large poster made from the original Poloroid I took of you holding Peter in your arms. I think that more of the same and more so is the only response to those people, and you would receive any percentage of royalities that you like. Let me know what you think.

Sally and I are back in New York and expecting a baby in March. Taylor is here too and I am preparing to shoot my first film called “Dr. Mystic” which will star him.

Affectionately, Wynn

222 Bowery

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Wynn Chamberlain was a successful artist in New York in the 1960s. He lived and worked at 222 Bowery and was friends with Andy Warhol, Willem de Kooning, Larry Rivers, William Burroughs, Brion Gysin, Frank O’Hara & Jonas Mekas. In 1967, he produced Charles Ludlam’s off-Broadway extravaganza CONQUEST OF THE UNIVERSE starring Taylor Mead, which was attended almost every night by Marcel Duchamp. In 1969 he wrote & directed the ground-breaking film BRAND X (released in May 1970 – see www.brandxmovie.com) starring Taylor Mead, also attended constantly by Marcel Duchamp when it showed at the Elgin Theater in New York. In 1971 he went to India, lived there for twenty years with his wife and children Sam & Sara & wrote two novels GATES OF FIRE & THEN SPOKE THE THUNDER, published by Grove Press. In 1997 he moved to Marrakech, Morocco & wrote another novel, PARADISE, published by Kadmos Publishing.

www.kadmospublishing.com
www.brandxmovie.com

Translation:

To date, there are no fashion films upon which we should be thinking about. Nowadays the films one should be thinking about are not in fashion. But this few minutes is a film like it. What do you think the message is?
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Miklós Jancsó was born in 1921 in Vác, Hungary. Jancsó is one of cinema’s greatest visionaries. His films from the second half of the 1960s, such as THE ROUND UP (1965), THE RED AND THE WHITE (1967), and SILENCE AND CRY (1968) were at the forefront of the revival of Hungarian cinema. At 92, he continues to make films regularly. Most recently he directed a segment from the Béla Tarr-produced anthology, MAGYARORSZÁG 2011 (2012), a response to Hungary’s right wing government and it’s increased restriction of culture and film.

NOTES ON DANCING WITH STRANGERS

I like dancing with strangers.

Mostly salsa, cumbia, forro, bachata…

Sometimes I’ll try a Romanian folk dance too.

(I don’t know how to Romanian folk dance.)

Often the only words said are “thank you” or “gracias.”

Sometimes they ask your name.

You hope they don’t ask for your number.

Usually they don’t.

Older men make the best dancers.

Often they lead you back to your table and pull out your chair.

Sometimes they say “gracias” to you, and then to your friends for allowing them to borrow you.

They don’t ask for your number.

I like following.

I like surrendering entirely to the movement of another person.

Things are very clear.

He is the man.

He leads.

You are the woman.

You follow.

This is unquestionable.

Otherwise you just mess things up.

So I just follow.

I’m not supposed to like that.

But I do.

To follow, you have to listen to the man’s hands.

I like that a man can control me with just one hand holding my hand, one hand on my back.

I like not knowing what comes next.

Sometimes I still mess things up.

Sometimes we dance very close.

Sometimes they dance a little too close.

Sometimes I can smell their sweat.

Sometimes I worry they can smell mine.

Usually it doesn’t matter.

Usually we don’t make eye contact when we dance.

Sometimes I don’t know where I’m supposed to look.

Sometimes this makes me a little nervous.

Sometimes I go to a dance club alone.

Sometimes this makes me really nervous.

Usually getting asked for the first dance takes a little time.

Sometimes getting asked for the first dance takes a little effort.

Sometimes I try different facial expressions to look like I want to be asked.

Usually after they see you dance, other men come to ask.

Usually after each dance, you change partners.

Sometimes you dance with the same man most of the night.

Usually not.

I try to make a good impression on the good dancers.

I try to make the bad dancers feel not so bad.

I like when the good dancers ask me to dance again.

With each dance, I get to know their favorite moves.

Sometimes, by the end of the night, I know all their moves.

I have never danced like this with a man I loved.

CLUJ-NAPOCA, ROMANIA

ISTANBUL

MEXICO CITY
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Julia Loktev was born in 1969 in Leningrad, Russia. Her latest film THE LONELIEST PLANET, released by Sundance Selects in October 2012, won the Grand Jury Prize at the AFI Film Festival and was selected in the New York Film Festival. Her previous films include DAY NIGHT DAY NIGHT, which premiered in Cannes in Directors Fortnight, where it won the Youth Prize, and MOMENT OF IMPACT, which won the Best Director award at Sundance. Julia has also shown video installation work at Tate Modern and P.S.1.

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Davina Semo was born in 1981, in Washington, DC. She Lives and works in Brooklyn, NY. Solo exhibitions include MIAMI – 70 NW 20 STREET, Shoot The Lobster, Miami (2012); PACING LIKE A TIGER, Galerie Gabriel Rolt, Amsterdam (2012); WE BEGIN WITH THE NOISE, Martos Gallery, New York (2012); BEFORE SHIFTING TO THE BLACKNESS, Rawson Projects, New York (2012). Selected group exhibitions include IN SEARCH OF LIGHT, Paul Jacobsen loft, New York (2009); EVERYTHING IN MODERATION, 106 Green, New York (2010); HELL, NO!, The Covenant of Saint Cecilia, New York (2010); BORDERLINE, Pabloʼs Birthday Gallery, New York (2010), WE REGRET TO INFORM YOU THERE IS CURRENTLY NO SPACE OR PLACE FOR ABSTRACT PAINTING, Martos Gallery, New York (2011); HOME AGAIN, AGAIN, The Journal Gallery, New York (2012); SIDE SHOW, Greene Naftali Gallery, New York (2012); B-OUT, Andrew Edlin Gallery, New York (2012); CREATURE FROM THE BLUE LAGOON, Martos Gallery Summer Location, Bridgehampton (2012).

www.davinasemo.net
www.martosgallery.com