RECEIVED: MinXus-LynXus Mail-Art from Marie Wintzer (Saitama, Japan)

[De Villo Sloan]

Mail-art by IUOMA member Marie Wintzer (Saitama, Japan)

 

November 21, 2011 - In the wake of the phenomenal interest in Trashpo, does MinXus have a prayer of gaining a respectable market share in the mail-art world? Marie Wintzer believes so, and she clearly believes in MinXus. A few days ago I received this wonderful postcard-size piece from her. Marie recommends, "Buy, buy, buy!" I reply, "Hold and hedge."

 

Marie's subtle aesthetics are apparent in this piece as well as her propensity to use interesting material she finds in Tokyo. Dark wall's (New York, USA) MinXus stamps, which launched the movement, are incorporated prominently.

 

As a theme for the mail-art, Marie has reworked JF Chapelle's (France) classic "No! I Prefer Fluxus" message that has had such a huge impact in recent months. (This raises the question of the relationship between Fluxus and Minxus, which will be addressed later).

 

The "Let Them East Aesthetics" scrawl is not only a key to MinXus but yet another clever reference invoking Marie Antoinette and thus one of Marie's network nicknames: Marie Antonette, the decadent, roiled partner in crime and chaos of Grigori Antonin (Minnesota, USA) and his mythic legion of bio-engineered monkeys. Would any of this make sense to more than a very few? Not sure. But as Gertrude Stein wrote, "The difference is spreading."

 

Regardless, Marie writes me wonderful notes in a gorgeous script. I am thrilled to be able to add this to the collection:

 

 

Well, the card is meant for Dark wall. But I am keeping it for myself. He uses my PO Box as a collection source for some of his schemes and scams, now including MinXus, and I exact tolls.

 

So what are we to make of MinXus? How could one participate in MinXus mail-art if one so desired? Here is my impression: MinXus is a sort of homage to Fluxus in one sense but not Imitation Fluxus. MinXus is not a parody of Fluxus nor is it anti-Fluxus. Indeed, my title for this blog, MinXus-Lynxus, is a play on Fluxus-Luxus. MinXus exists in an ever-changing relationship to Fluxus, mostly because it is better to be in relationship to something rather than nothing. You don't want to be too intimate with nothing.

 

Practitioners of MinXus seek to produce aesthetic beauty in their mail-art. They do not ascribe to anti-art. They believe in the subtle rather than the spectacled and spectacular. The rise of the Aesthetic Trash Book in recent weeks might well be a manifestation of MinXus. MinXus tendencies can be seen in work by Nancy Bell Scott (Maine, USA) and Cheryl Penn (Durban, South Africa), to identify two notables.

 

That is as much as I dare to guess about MinXus at this point in time. Thankfully, Dark wall has provided me with a diagram that he claims explains everything anyone needs to know about MinXus. The concept here is a sewing pattern for a dress. Each patch of the dress corresponds with the numbered chart at the bottom. According to Dark wall, if the elements are sewn together properly, you have MinXus:

 

Is MinXus yet another enclave of the elite? We shall see. I certainly plan to chronicle and document MinXus however it evolves. Many thanks to Marie Wintzer for this wonderful mail-art! "Marie's Mailbox" is one of my personal fav blogs anywhere; it's just, ya know, subtle:

http://mariesmailbox.blogspot.com/

 

MINXUS RUMOR CONTROL

 

MinXus DID NOT end at 11:59 p.m. on November 18, 2011.

 

MinXus DOES NOT stand for Minnesota Fluxus - Min(nesota Flu)xus. Not true!

 

 http://grigori-nojohnrays.blogspot.com/2011/11/marie-wintzer-minnes...

MAIL-ART PSYCHIC

 

Fur-niture or haptic MinXus

 

Peep-toe pumps, Dw

 

Take three

 

Neo = One, Trudy. Sell the rabbits

 

Bonnie or Nancy - in for a ruud awakening

 

Currency of Iraq

 

You are both shy and not accustomed to screaming cheese.

 

I know, I know & Ray is really pissed off about it

 

Psychic geller or spoonerism

 

Kael (vegetable) meets Duncan Doughnuts- but Bonnie & Clyde?

 

penn-etration state (snicker, snicker). Domino theory, sugar.

 

 

 

[De Villo Sloan]

I think that's it, Sue. You know, your work has MinXus elements. Those new ripped tape pieces are great. Ripped tape collages are sort of punky. They can be violent and unaesthetic, but yours are not that way at all. If there's any core to MinXus, I think it's that idea. 

 

With found art - when you pick up someone's shoe in the street and mail it, that's not very aesthetic, although it certainly is high concept. At this point, I think we need Cheryl.

 

Now I'm seriously wondering if anything new will evolve out of MinXus. And, you know, Marie can be a minx at times. And you never know what the minks stole, as you suggested.

[prettylily]

I think I get it now.  Marie is still refining her thoughts and it will slowly emerge.   

[De Villo Sloan]

Look, there's room for everyone. At root we're all friends. But I won't deny Cheryl, Marie, and I have done some silent ether screams at one another in terms of issues involving anti-art and Trashpo. My label of the Arthur Rimbaud Symbolist School of Subtle Aesthetic Obscurity wasn't necessarily meant to be flattering. But, like the asemic group, all these things can be worked through. And I sure like what Marie has done with MinXus. Dw, on the other hand, well, what do you want from someone who's trying to peddle shreds of DK's clothing?

[Nancy Bell Scott]

You know, there's a MinXus sort of cutout/stamp/sticker thing on the back of DVS's envelope last week. It was missed due to overexcitement because of the shroud shred, but that's no excuse. I need to pay more attention.

[De Villo Sloan]

Marie can be the MinXus spokesmodel

 

I'm thrilled with the response to Marie's work that I like a great deal. The only thing, as I tried to explain in the blog, MinXus came out of wordplay with minks and minx. It really doesn't have a whole lot to do with Fluxus, which is an established art movement. Cheryl and Marie, I think, were looking for a way to express their belief in the need for aesthetics in their mail-art.And everyone loves JF's work. Aesthetic (pretty) Trash Books are connected. We're just having fun. But I am definitely putting Minxus stamps on everything. 

[Marie Wintzer]

As you can see from the diagram, MinXus is quite complex. I think it will need a LOT of mail to fully get a grip of it. It's only the beginning, but I'm working on it. Petit a petit, l'oiseau fait son nid.

[prettylily]

I'm still pondering the meaning of it all and not sure I understand any of it yet.  Can my mink come out of storage now?  Great card, Marie!

[Nancy Bell Scott]

This is my very first beginning of a grip on what MinXus is. Marie, are you going to write a book on it? Need info. Best lesson so far: "You don't want to be too intimate with nothing." The dress is hilarious.

[Marie Wintzer]

Ok, who wants to go to work when there is a MinXus blog coming up! I HAD to see this. And for once, I hate to admit, but the blog is more interesting than the mail art psychic. Just kidding.... :-)) fantastic read, I love it! I have to thank Dw again for designing the stamps. Yes, I do believe in MinXus :-))

I'll be back....