RECEIVED: Toe-tally MinXus from Marie Wintzer (Japan), Suus in Mokum (Netherlands), Not Hi Ng (USA), Bifidus Jones (USA), Marnie Blair (Canada), Carina Granlund (Finland), Rebecca Guyver (UK)

Oct 2, 2012

Toe print mail-art from IUOMA member Marie Wintzer (Saitama, Japan)

"MinXus-Lynxus: The opposite of Trashpo."

- Definition of MinXus in the Official Lexicon of Trashpo

"Trashpo: The opposite of MinXus-Lynxus."

- Definition of Trashpo in the Official Lexicon of MinXus-Lynxus

October 2, 2012 - Exciting new mail-art in the spirit of MinXus-Lynxus has been arriving at the Overlook Hotel including a thick package from Marie Wintzer (aka Empress Marie Antonette). Only one other toe-print piece by Marie is known to exist; it is held in the collection of Grigori Antonin (Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA) along with one of her teeth that she mailed to him. The new acquisitions also include stunning visual poetry by the Empress:

Marie Wintzer's recent interest in lexicons is revealed in the work above as well as in several more literary pieces that appear in this posting. I think this is a particularly fine visual poem:

Outstanding use of color, composition, and found material. While not scanned well, this haptic choptstick assemblage (below) is a stellar and unique work:

"The 33rd Death of Minxus" by Marie Wintzer (Saitama, Japan)

Entitled “The 33rd Death of MinXus – a vision of the empress,” the work (above) makes numerous references to Dark wall’s visual poetry, especially “Stations of the Cross.”

The chopsticks, of course, form a cross as well as the letter X. The Empress is specifically referencing “The CruciFluxion of Dark wall” and the demise of MinXus prior to its rebirth celebrated in “The Treaty of Alsace.” We find clear references to the Monkey Purge and the cryptic circles.

The chopsticks are secured with bandaids, which were used frequently by Dark wall in his vispo circa the era of “Stations of the Cross.” The bandaids were a reference to “Bandaged Orchestra” and its metaphorical possibilities.

It will take further study to determine if all the birth-death-rebirth cycles of MinXus are encoded in the piece. I expect it is possible, which would make “The 33rd Death of MinXus” not only a major MinXus visual poem but an epic record of its history.

I have obtained several pages of Empress Marie’s lexicon. These are being circulated elsewhere, but we are pleased to have what essentially constitutes originals:

Another page:

Acquisitions include Japanese cowboy ephemera from the Empress:

The decorated envelopes qualify as mail-art as well as useful for purposes of documentation:

Wonderful MinXus stamps!

I am thrilled to add this work to my MinXus-Lynxus collection.

Suus in Mokum (Amsterdam, Netherlands) lands in the MinXus Mail Bag

Mail-art by IUOMA member Suus in Mokum (Amsterdam, Netherlands)

While it was probably not her intention, I decided this work by new mail-art friend Suus in Mokum belonged in my MinXus collection. She is certainly making a splash in the mail-art world with her beautifully intricate postcards that she is sending far and wide. Here is the rest of the material received from Suus:

Many thanks for this lovely work, Suus. I look forward to many more exchanges.

Make sure to take a gander at her blog:

http://snailmailsuus.blogspot.com/

"I Minx therefore I amb" - Not Hi Ng (San Pablo, California, USA) & The Insitute of Art Agnosticism - MinXus poetics or metaphysics or something.... or nothing

Mail-art by IUOMA member Not Hi Ng (San Pablo, California, USA)

Not Hi Ng, founder of the Institute of Art Agnosticism, sent this thought-provoking correspondence. Perceptive as always, Not Hi Ng has noted the pattern of binary oppositions that occur in DKult, Trashpo, and MinXus-Lynxus.

Da Da and Fluxus form a similar (perhaps more dialectic) pattern, if we are to believe art historians. In his work, Not Hi Ng is eradicating or “seeing through” the oppositional structures. I think this is similar to the current MinXus-Lynxus call for: “No more canons! No more movements!”

Not Hi Ng was named to the Order of the Tangerine Mink during Solar Festival 2012:

Most certainly the honor is bestowed upon MinXus-Lynxus as we were able to acknowledge Not Hi Ng, an artist and philosopher of striking originality who has helped articulate our views on many subjects:

MINXUS-LYNXUS OFFICIALLY ENDORSES THIS EVENT – SEND YOUR ART!

Not Hi Ng, director of the Institute of Art Agnosticism, is pleased to announce a call for submissions to the Founder’s Day Mail Art Exhibit. Anyone can be a founder of the Institute of Art Agnosticism you simply need to have found something. Anything, including Nothing, qualifies as something found.

Send Mail Art to:

The Institute of Art Agnosticism
Founder’s Day Mail Art Exhibit
c/o Not Hi Ng
96 Salem Ct.
San Pablo, CA 94806
USA

Deadline for entries is November 30, 2012

No jury, no fees, no returns, any size and format. Documentation will be posted on our blog page (if the work can be scanned by the crappy little scanner at the Institute). All original Mail Art will be exhibited at the Institute during the Founder’s Day Celebration. Date and location of the celebration is yet to be determined.

Here is the link to Not Hi Ng’s call that was posted at Yo Ma:

http://iuoma-network.ning.com/events/institute-of-art-agnosticism-founder-s-day-mail-art-exhibition?xg_source=activity

HERE is a link to the Institute of Art Agnosticism. Please check it out!

http://artagnostics.com/

Thanks Not Hi Ng, and see you in the mail.

Bifidus Jones (St. Paul, Minnesota, USA) asks: Is MinXus the new Rat Pack?

Mail-art by IUOMA member Bifidus Jones (St. Paul, Minnesota, USA)

For a mail-art identity, good friend Bifidus Jones uses the image of a Bison. That is the Bifidus brand.

I am still not completely sure if Bifidus is a woman or a man, and it doesn’t matter because when the Tangerine Oncoming brings The New Disorder we will all be as oNe under the Romantic Fascism of Empress Marie and the restored French monarchy. Bifidus will be honored as the haptic bard of MinXus, and we will pay a lot more attention to our hair.

Bifidus sent this playful piece depicting – my popcult research team assures me – the infamous Hollywood Rat Pack. Remember? Frank, Dean, Sammy Davis, etc. They are overlain across a fine example of Bifidus’s image-textual collage, in this case using maps. Bifidus has done some fine work with maps.

I am a little concerned about the rat-mink thing, especially in Minnesota.

G-Man (Grigori Antonin - Minnesota Fluxus) contends there is no difference between a mink and any other rodent. Thus, one might deduce: A mink=A rat. Some dare to utter a protest and disagree. Perhaps the real rat in the pack deflects attention away from himself by pointing at the fair minks and screaming: “Rat in your jammies!”

Further, in addition to possibly linking the mink to the rat via the Rat Pack, is our friend Bifidus asking if MinXus is an exclusive clique of the marvellously talented? This is a valid concern but completely unwarranted.

As if wonders were never to cease, Bifidus sent more vispo on the reverse side and another thought-provoking question:

Go with Bifidus into the Void?

Maybe not gently, but it cannot be A-Void-ed.

Many thanks, ol’ pardner.

And speaking of rats, Marnie Blair aka Rat Mail (Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada) relates the trauma of a mink attack & the fate of her bunny

Mail-art by IUOMA member Marnie Blair aka Mail Rat (Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada)

I was tickled to receive this extraordinary piece of mail-art from new correspondent Marnie Blair (Mail Rat) who hails from Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada. Marnie seems to have at least a passing interest in rodents and wordplay, among many other things, so she was destined to encounter MinXus-Lynxus along the dusty trail.

I regret that due to the limitations of Overlook Hotel technology, the piece has to be presented in two scans. The black and white image is printed on a section of a large map. A note on the back states: “Turn Pt. (near Pretoria) to Sand Heads 1932-1940.” A piece of history as well as fascinating art!

Marnie Blair shares this brief but traumatic story from her youth:

I feel your pain, Marnie.

Dark wall assures us this heinous incident has no relation whatsoever to the peaceful inhabitants of the Mink Ranch nor their ancestors. You must always remember minks are wild animals driven to intolerable circumstances by the forces of colonialism. That cannot replace your bunny, but it might offer some perspective.

The map was ingeniously folded into an envelope bearing the MinXus USA address:

I look forward to further correspondence. Marnie Blair keeps a most interesting blog that I urge you to peruse:

http://mailrat.blogspot.com/

Carina Granlund (Petsmo, Finland) encourages Dark wall's retreat into unreality

Mail-art by IUOMA member Carina Granlund (Petsmo, Finland)

Carina Granlund, a frequent contributor to the MinXus-Lynxus blog, sent this lovely photo of a Christmas snow globe for Dark wall, which of course he has contemplated for hours already.

Her message is meant to read, “The Real World Is Out There.” Yet through the magic of mail-art and that special inner world into which Dark wall frequently retreats, the sentence “The Seal World is Out There” rings far more true and carries a far deeper significance. As he gazes Dark wall dreams of rocky crags along endless rocky shores and an ocean full of seals, some swimming on the waves, others basking on the stones. For is not a a seal somewhat like a mink? And could the unreal Dark wall ever grasp the real?

Dark wall is very attached to the plastic bag and black masking tape Carina sent:

OOPS! NING wouldn't allow the last third of the blog. I'll post a Part II. To be continued....

Marie Wintzer

Very nice to see all this work in a big MinXus Jam! Very neatly and comprehensively documented, as usual, thank you!!

something = nothing

Oct 3, 2012
De Villo Sloan

Thanks Marie. Your toe-painting mail-art is completely original.

This gives me the opportunity to apologize to Carina Granlund and Rebecca Guyver.

I have received SO much MinXus-Lynxus material that it finally taxed the limits of Ning. I will do a "Toe-tally MinXus Part 2" very, very soon with extra material added & the rest of the material Sky Net deleted.

I think Not Hi Ng's nothing work is deeply compelling, no question.

Thanks for the comment!

Oct 3, 2012
Marie Wintzer

= everything

Oct 3, 2012
De Villo Sloan

Dark wall's favorite!

Take a break from chores...

And chew the fat with us!

And don't forget to order:

The all-time Ol' West fav in the Mink Ranch Bunk House.

Oct 3, 2012
Not Hi Ng

Nothing is as it has always been.

Oct 3, 2012
Carina

Interesting originals and twists, DVS, thanks for blogging! In my case, I do not understand why you apologizes? Btw, I DID see seals in California, just as you expressed it!

Took the photo at a flea market in town.

Oct 3, 2012
De Villo Sloan

Dark wall's favorite is the plastic bag Carina sent, which is related to the real/unreal world concept in the mailing:

Oct 3, 2012
De Villo Sloan

I want to add the comments are graced with not one but two members of the Order of the Tangerine Mink: Carina and Not Hi Ng.

E - The Ambassador of Utopia - has also been named to the distinguished order.

Not Hi Ng - thanks for the profundity & the Yin Yang chart has received a good bit of attention at M-L.

Oct 3, 2012

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