RECEIVED: A State of Flux from Katerina Nikoltsou (Greece), Ruud Janssen (Netherlands), JF Chapelle (France)

[De Villo Sloan]

Mail-art by IUOMA member Katerina Nikoltsou (Thessaloniki, Greece)

 

October 18, 2011 - Katerina Nikoltsou is an incredibly talented, prolific, and enthusiastic artist who keeps eternal network friends connected around the globe. Lately, she has been chronicling her European travels in her mail-art. She has distinguished herself with triumphs in many of the current "movements" and projects, including those especially close to my own heart such as Sandpo, Trashpo, and Asemics 16.

 

Katerina is also very active in Fluxus, which has been inherently connected to the mail-art network for decades. In "Short Statements About Mail-Art" (TAM Publications 2011), IUOMA founder Ruud Janssen identifies a "second generation [of mail-artists] in the 60's and 70's when FLUXUS joined up and a selective group experimented with the mail system."

 

Fluxus has clearly contributed to the identity of the current international mail-art movement in numerous areas including concept art, performance scores, and visual poetry, only to scratch the surface. Indeed, a plausible case could be made that after the "break up" of the "Old Fluxus" (identified by some sources as having occurred in the late 1970s) in the urban centers of the United States and Europe, the mail-art network carried Fluxus ideas to new centers and inspired new generations of artists to participate. Nearly all the artists associated with the current iteration of Fluxus participate in mail-art in some way. Thus, you are likely to encounter Fluxus work if you are a mail-artist.

 

And Fluxus artists working today identify themselves with stamps. Through exchanging mail-art, it is very easy to begin gathering a sizable collection of Fluxus stamps from all over the world. In addition to all the great art she sends me, I have received the most AMAZING Fluxus stamps from Katerina Nikoltsou. As you can see in the top scan, she included stamps from the Fluxfest in Chicago (USA) last winter/spring. I am thrilled. Here is Katerina's note that came with the stamps:

 

 

Also note that Katerina is participating in Ruud Janssen's ongoing Fluxus word performance score project by disseminating "Zalop" in her mail-art. A series of Fluxfests were offered in the U.S. during the past year at locations including Illinois, Missouri, Texas, and New York. These have produced all kinds of interesting Fluxus material. Here is the poster (found online) from the Chicago event:

 

Many thanks to Katerina Nikoltsou for this news from the Fluxus front!

 

IUOMA founder as well as archivist and mail-art historian Ruud Janssen is also a recognized Fluxus artist. His colorful hand-painted envelopes are known throughout the network. Recently he has been producing stunning variations that include Fluxus words, Fluxus themes, and new designs.

 

Since joining the IUOMA, I've become so intrigued with Ruud Janssen's envelope art (unique to mail-art practices) that I have been gathering as many as I can and also trying to see as many examples as I can received by other people. I was very pleased to find this this piece in my P.O. that I am blogging for the first time:

 

Mail-art by IUOMA founder Ruud Janssen (Breda, Netherlands)

 

I have no idea how many of these envelopes are in existence. They are apparently done in acrylic (and survive the postal system well). The colors are always fantastic and, upon examination, extremely subtle and textured. (Ruud is a painter; looking at some of his work in that area provides a context for what he is doing in mail-art.)

 

I believe I am beginning to see several themes that recur, the piece above representing communication and interaction through the eternal network. You can find variations in different forms, sometimes two people engaged in dialog. The dotted arrow with its hues of deep red and gold is fantastic and not adequately reproduced in a scan; for me it suggests activity and movement of art passing through the network. To see more hand-painted envelopes and stellar mail-art, make sure to visit the IUOMA blog that Ruud Janssen maintains:

 

http://iuoma.blogspot.com/

 

Since 1988, Ruud Janssen has been producing materials to spread the message of IUOMA (including contributions by other artists to help the cause). Logos and other IUOMA-themed pieces (try a Google search) have already established a solid body of mail-art unto themselves with fascinating designs and messages, definitely earning a place in network history. Many who receive work from Ruud find IUOMA materials to pass through the network to other artists. He always manages to include a written note:

 

 

As ever, many thanks to Ruud Janssen not only for the mail-art but also for all he does for IUOMA and Fluxus!

 

I have been looking for an appropriate place to document the performance score JF Chapelle sent me. He is a great mail-art friend as well as a Fluxus artist:

 

Mail-art by IUOMA member JF Chapelle (Merignac, France)

 

Ruud Janssen's Fluxus word Zalop has been a recurrent theme through this blog. JF Chapelle's score is yet another contribution to this world-wide score that has attracted so many mail-artists. To learn more about the Fluxus word performance, as well as individual words such as Zalop, check out these links:

 

http://fluxuswords.blogspot.com/

http://iuoma-network.ning.com/group/zalop

 

http://iuoma-network.ning.com/group/gotij

 

JF Chapelle always manages to send wonderful stamps on his envelopes:

 

 

Despite efforts in some quarters of the mainstream artworld to confine Fluxus to a specific group of artists in the past, despite the claims by some critics to ascertain the movement ended circa 1978, the evidence seems to support a situation very much to the contrary: Fluxus is alive and well. Many thanks to Fluxus friends in the mail-art network and at the IUOMA!

[De Villo Sloan]

I do love the announcement of the DaDa Funeral, published circa November 1924:

"The friends and acquaintances of Dada, deceased in the prime of life from acute literaturitis, will assemble the 30th of November 1924 at 2:30 around the tomb of their brother in nothingness so as to observe a minute of silence. We will gather together at the entrance gate of the Montparnasse cemetery. - Attendees are asked not to wear any badge of a literary school."

[De Villo Sloan]

Yes Erni, the Dada funeral was limited to a French group it seems and I see now Breton was preparing to launch Surrealism. Some of the articles I found suggested Dada ended decades later or never ended at all. (again, like Fluxus). So there's no uniform view. I am learning a great deal about the German-oriented Dada from you. In the US, at least in school, they tend to push people toward the French side of it for some reason. Again, many thanks!

[De Villo Sloan]

Hi Erni, the Funeral for DaDa I mentioned did indeed take place in Paris on November 30, 1924. The link below explains it, if you scroll down to the "Death of Dada" section. The funeral was the result of a feud between Breton and Tzara, it seems, and the ascension of surrealism - so it might not have been inclusive of all the various members.

 

http://www.warholstars.org/abstractexpressionism/artists/andrebreto...

[De Villo Sloan]

Hi Erni, I am blissfully unaware of Beuys' life but think the art is wonderful. I think you pinpoint a key issue concerning the individual artist vs. a collective.

 

To be fair, and my knowledge is spotty, I recall the "Old" Da Da was perhaps also a somewhat exclusive collective? Didn't the original founders hold a funeral for Da Da, proclaiming the death of the movement and attempting to end the possibility of new members? You are evidence it did not work. Fluxus is much the same. And let's not even mention the exclusivity of the surrealists.

[De Villo Sloan]

Erni, you wrote that Josef Beuys did not stick with the Old Fluxus very long because of the leadership. Of course, there are and have been many Fluxus artists with wildly different points of view. What I can gather from reading, as I was not there, Maciunas tried to be a center for Fluxus and I think it is clear from evidence he tried to run the movement with a sort of iron fist and using a model derived from Marx (all this on more of cultural rather than political level). Most mainstream writing on the subject concludes that. There are contrary viewpoints saying Flux Shops and Fluxus product lines embraced free enterprise for artists. All his expulsions and "party" lines of the old days must certainly have turned some people off. They would seem absurd if still practiced today. Again, he was only one person. But that's what I wanted to say. And I'm only an observer.

[De Villo Sloan]

Captain Tom won't be ready tonight I'm afraid. Dw is still spitting up pieces of the fake D-Koder ring from his cereal. I'd also suggest you don't go for the free D-Koder ring. It's not free and it's not really a ring. I think it's turning into a metaphor for Trashpo. Yes, all efforts must now turn to rescuing Groot, on the ground and in the ether.

[Marie Wintzer]

No, I won't force anything. As you say, just being exposed to ideas is good in itself. It's nice to see what is "being done".

That Captain, send it already!

[De Villo Sloan]

CB, if it's not you, then don't think about it. For a very, very, very long time I couldn't go with a big part of the vant-ga (avant-garde) because I couldn't accept the premise of found art and some of the randomness ideas. I've made my peace with it and I accept it now. When I think about the time and process I had to go through, I can understand why anyone would have reservations. I also understand why people will stand firm with other aesthetic principles. The good thing about this is that you are exposed to a lot of ideas. Anyway, I'm glad I wrote this rather than the message I had intended to post for Erni about George Macinuas and Stalinism. I'd rather leave sorting out the politics to the Fluxus folks among themselves. And we must send Captain Tom to rescue Groot. She's gone missing and that's what worries me most.

[Marie Wintzer]

I'm still in "observation phase" with trashpo. It might last a while...

[De Villo Sloan]

Hi CB, unusual to see you venture too far into the flux. Next it will be Trashpo :) I don't know how long Ruud has been making these envelopes. The first one I received was in summer 2010, and it was not a Fluxus word. I think the next one was. From what I see, he alternates themes or does batches on a specific theme - just a guess.