De Villo Sloan's Blog – August 2010 Archive (15)

August 31, 2010 - This photo documents "Solo for Violin," a performance by a Fluxus founder George Maciunas. I posted this last week for a few hours during a discussion on the IUOMA board. I received enough very positive feedback from members who saw it that I thought I'd share it again. Not everybody is familiar. The discussion involved Minnesota mailartist Grigori Antonin. My point was that the photo and the…

August 29, 2010 - This piece of what I am interpreting to be satirical mailart arrived in my mailbox postmarked Saint Cloud, Minnesota. The identity of the artist is unclear to me, although I believe it is from a member of the IUOMA. I've been amused by this and was also grateful to be reminded of the humorous aspect of mailart that can give you a reality check, often when most needed.…

August 28, 2010 - Helene Lagache sent me a very carefully assembled mailart package that represents the continuation of a somewhat fragmented conversation we've been having. When I first joined the IUOMA several months ago, I saw her beautiful mailart collages and was drawn to their vibrant colors, use of repetition, and ripped paper technique.…

August 23, 2010 - Kiera Pannell is producing a series of post-card size drawings at a rate of at least one per day. Many if not all of these concentrate on heads and faces viewed from various perspectives. Perplexed by the identity of these characters I was seeing appear in diverse places, I emailed her and she kindly responded from Prague (she's…

August 21, 2010 - Julian Grant's mailart arrived in New York this week. This is another item I have been eagerly anticipating this summer, and it was worth the wait. Julian is one of many mailartists I have met for the first time through the IUOMA. His blogging to share work he has received with us and his extraordinary talent have provided me…

Visual poet Geof Huth is providing detailed coverage of the events in Ohio on his blog. Many members of the IUOMA are in the mailart show, doing performances, or leading discussions:

http://dbqp.blogspot.com/

Thanks Geof!

August 19, 2010: After the unprecedented failure of "jade ar" followed by the unmitigated disaster of "decadence of jade ar," I am shamelessly exploiting the Ray Johnson is not dead (and he might be Grigori Antonin, Librarian on the Loose, or Richard Canard) mangled urban legend:

Is…

August 17, 2010: New IUOMA friend as well as old friend Ficus Strangulensis sent me a "greatest hits" package from recent years. These show his distinctive adaptation of William Burroughs' cut up technique. His letter explains what he's been doing and provides an authentic portrait of the homegrown U.S. artisitc renegade, right down to the firearms fascination. To provide a little more bio. for you on Ficus, he is also an organic chemist. His investigations into randomness and…

August 16, 2010: In email messages prior to sending me this piece, Angie Cope stated her intention of pushing the boundaries of the collage style she has developed, particularly with an eye toward Fluxus. We both share an interest in Fluxus; and IUOMA has among its members many practicing Fluxus artists from whom we can learn and have dialogues. In this piece, I see not only some Fluxus-derived elements but also styles and tendencies represented among…

August 14, 2010: Versatile artist Erni Bar finds inspiration for some of his work in the streets of Hamburg. The mailart he sent me, documented below, marks my first experience in what I think could fairly be considered trashpo:

As with all mailart, packaging must be considered carefully for practicality as well as aesthetics. So in this…

August 11, 2010: Kim Jung Youn sent these two wonderful pieces. Here is another example showing scans just do not do justice to the original. Kim incorporates photography, collage, stamping, and 3-d lettering to create this work. They are done with incredible attention to detail and care. Both pieces were wrapped in fine paper that only add to the feeling you are receiving something from a very good friend. Thanks Kim! I am sure this is just the…

August 10, 2010: Saturday I found at the Post Office mailart from Mariska van den Heuvel, which I had been anticipating for most of the summer. This is a paper and sewn thread piece, the lines of textile (note that word), possibly representing linear, written lines across the page.

I…

August 9, 2010: My Russian friends, Oleg and Maria F., have turned out to be most excellent mailart partners. They keep up an email correspondence also. Maria F. is very interested in film and knows a great deal. In the course of one of those conversations, I think, we discussed appropriating images and text. Anyway, Maria F. sent me these two wonderful pieces:…

July 31, 2010 - Saturday also brought a second communication from Grigori Antonin. In the beginning, I thought I would appropriate him. Instead, he has appropriated me. Notice the figures in red, a nod to vispo. As ever, thank you Grigori.…

July 31, 2010 - Tina Festa was very thoughtful in sending me this collage, which I will treasure. Among the different aspects of her art is weaving paper. She has a keen eye for different kinds of paper textures and typography. I'm drawn to this work especially because: (1) She incorporates weaving, an ancient tradition; and why not draw from all sources available to us and in doing so "make it new"? (2) Tina Festa's paper weaves are ingenious constructs that generate random…