This was January 2018

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Outside In: Journeys at Sotheby’s, New Bond Street (London, UK)…

I’ve just returned from New York and will use this space to recall some of what happened. Firstly, prior to embarking on that odyssey, I was excited to see the Outside In exhibition at Sotheby’s, a bit closer to home in London. The opening night was quite extravagant and as busy as could be. Perhaps someone knew there would be bottomless champagne glasses handed out? I’d like to think all these new faces were there to marvel at some of the wondrous works on show. The works were nicely lit, with a strange blueish hue hovering around them (or was that just me seeing it?). In some ways it was the perfect setting to celebrate Outside In’s certified charity status, and they did well in accumulating art works from throughout their journey, from 2006 to the present. In my case, Picture Worth a Thousand Words was on show. This was the painting I submitted for their competition/exhibition in 2009. I was one of the six ‘winners’ and they offered me my first solo exhibition as a result. At that point in time, the painting was a decade old already. Seeing it hung in Sotheby’s a few weeks ago, I realised it had doubled in age since then. It returns every ten years to fuel and strengthen my belief in the power and propelling of cycles. And to think, this painting blew off the roof of a car twice on the motorway from London to Chichester when we were initially delivering it in 2009. It suffered wounds. Thankfully that was all! Anyhow, it was certainly touching to see it again and whilst waiting for my coat in the cloakroom on my way out, I had a sudden urge to go and see it once more and to touch it. In that moment, a strange sense of time and movement ran through me, much more effective than my words could reflect. Something I have never felt before. I did return a few days later to show my family. There were a healthy amount of people around, but it was much easier to speak and move around. I must give a mention to some of the other great work on show, courtesy of artists Phil Baird, Kate Bradbury, Nick Blinko, Aradne, Albert, Manuel Bonifacio and James Lake among others. Normally I would have taken some photos of the works in situ but am whirl-winding through life at the moment, so I hope the links contained within the aforementioned names typed will suffice. I did get a snapshot of Jarvis Cocker making a speech at the opening though (if you haven’t seen his two part documentary on ‘Outsider environments’ for Channel 4 which screened in the late ’90s of the previous millennium, check the internets). Also, a shot of me with Nemo (a few weeks prior to his first birthday) a few days later in front of my work (also from the late ’90s). Big shout out to Marc Steene, founder and Director of Outside In and all round renaissance man for being unquestionably transcendental.

Jarvis Cocker speaks at Outside In: Journeys opening

 

Carlo and Nemo beside ‘Picture Worth a Thousand Words’

 

Vestiges and Verse: Notes from the Newfangled Epic at the American Folk Art Museum, Lincoln Square (NYC, USA)…

I’ve just returned from New York and will use this space to recall some of what happened. In terms of the exhibition, a very impressive and ambitious conceptual manifestation. It is an honour to be among the (mostly dead and few living) artists chosen to be featured. Five of my diary drawings are shown, spanning the years 2010 – 2016. Interestingly, that is the most of them that I have seen alongside each other at one time. Most probably I have never had that many in my possession at any one time, either. It was somewhat challenging negotiating time with little Nemo, considering the five hour time difference to back home but we took him along to the opening as planned. He fell asleep in a sea of noise and wonderment. It was a bizarre cocktail of adrenaline and tiredness. A surreal experience for sure. My works were hung in a space opposite a master work by Aloïse Corbaz and works by James Edward Deeds Jr. Some magnificent Adolf Wölfli works were displayed in the same area. It was a trip to be shown in an exhibition with so many works by  Achilles Rizzoli, which in this case heavily focussed on compositions comprised mainly of text rather than the phenomenal architectural imaginings he penned. I highly recommend this book. It was interesting to see some Paul Laffoley works again. His weighing out of systems is very intriguing to me. His work first caught my eye at the highly poignant The Alternative Guide to the Universe exhibition at the Hayward, in London in 2013. He was still alive then. Vestiges and Verse: Notes from the Newfangled Epic in some ways reminded me of that great show at the Hayward. So many interesting artists collected and put into a captivating context to provide a lens through which you observe the similarities, and sometimes somehow the similarities through the differences, based on how far in a direction they will each take you. 

My work was in view upon first glance beyond the entry point into the exhibition. Approaching it, it didn’t take a nanosecond to realise one of the drawings was hung upside down. This has since been rectified. I thought not to mention it here, but human error occurs (and we should be thankful for that!). This incident raised the question for me, ‘Am I so far down this road that only I can see how obvious it is that this drawing is upside down?’. Among attendees at the opening were, aside from myself, two other living artists being shown in the exhibition. Susan T King and Jerry Gretzinger. The former, I have admired and written a bit about in recent years. Jerry, on the other hand, I was not aware of. It was a great pleasure to meet him and speak at some length with him specifically/personally, but also as someone else included in the show, sharing stories about our paths and how we end up where we end up. I’m completely in awe of his map project which began in the 1960s and is on-going. Mesmerising. Find yourself ten minutes, get yourself a hot drink and watch this. An artist I was not expecting to meet that night was Joe Coleman, which was a more than pleasant surprise. It began with a “look who’s behind you, Carlo”, and there he was beside my work. Thanks to Jennie we got talking a bit, about Henry Darger (who has some incredible work in the show), The curator Valérie Rousseau, and other artists in the show. He left me with the words “Welcome to the family”. The family? The family?? Thanks Joe. Below are some photos from the opening. The exhibition runs for a duration of three months or so. Check it out if you can! 

 

Rizzoli works being scrutinised at the opening

 

Joe Coleman and Carlo Keshishian. Photo courtesy of Jennifer Gilbert.

 

Joe observes Carlo’s diaries. Photo courtesy of Jennifer Gilbert.

 

Joe Coleman, Carlo Keshishian, Jennifer Gilbert. Vestiges and Verse: Notes from the Newfangled Epic exhibition opening at the American Folk Art Museum in New York, NY on January 20, 2018. (Photo by Stephen Smith/Art Zealous)

 

In view: Aloïse Corbaz’s 14 meter long master work ‘Cloisonné de théâtre’.

 

Carlo Keshishian and Jerry Gretzinger. Photo courtesy of Jennifer Gilbert.

 

Part of Jerry’s map visible in bottom left corner. Photographed during Valerie Rousseau speaking at opening.

 

I feel like there was more I wanted to write but it escapes me now. I need to stop writing here and continue writing in the current diary drawing, so will let this be for now. I hope to update the blog more frequently, yadda yadda.. let’s see..

Bright moments, Carlo.

Carlo Still Exists…

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Yes, it’s true.. I still exist…

So, I haven’t been updating the blog in recent months. Fear not. I am still actively making my mark(s). What to tell you…. Well, I spent a couple of weeks assessing 2,310 art works for the Outside In: National competition/exhibition. Quite a dynamic process indeed! I’m really looking forward to the exhibition now. It’s interesting being on this side of things. 3 years ago, i was submitting work and was one of the 6 winners as an outcome, and have gone from strength to strength ever since, thanks to Outside In’s continual support too.

What else, what else.. Well, staying with the Outside In stuff, they’ve just successfully exhibited Outside In:London at the Cafe Gallery in Southwark Park. To go with this, James Lake‘s GoldRun:Remix was exhibited/performed at Dilston Grove, also in Southwark Park. I was in awe when I caught it last Sunday. Unfortunately both of these shows are over now, but I got a couple of photos of James Lake’s cardboard creations, as he cuts lots of thin strips of cardboards to create his work. Simply beautiful stuff.. It was good to finally meet him, and I also had a little chat with Richard Wilson who mentored James through the project. He’s a pleasant fellow. I expressed my inability to process logic in regards to the Saatchi Gallery’s re-assembling of his large pool of oil piece (’20:50′ I think it was called?), and their not letting people walk into the piece as originally intended. That is what makes the piece, in my opinion, and I was quite sure this was the point of it, physically/mentally. I experienced it the way it should be experienced, around the turn of the century. Wilson said he had no rights over it now and he seemed to agree it’s a shame, but even if they were to have people queuing, they are afraid that in that space, people would throw things in the oil, or that some would spill etc.. Was good to ask Wilson about it though, and to hear his view..

 

 

 

In other news, I was recently featured by curator Flora Fairbairn in  her selection of 10 artists on Saatchi Online’s 100 Curators 100 DaysThe concept, birthed by the Director of the Saatchi Gallery in London, is that each day for 100 days, a different hand-picked curator will ‘exhibit’ 10 artists that they’ve picked out from the 64,000+ artists on the Saatchi Online website.

That’s all for now but things are simmering. I’ll bring it to the table when it’s cooked.

Bye for now,

Carlo

Outside In

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Writing About Writing…


So, I was ambassadoring (not a real word, apparently) for Outside In at the Impact Art Fair today. I got to sit beside a lovely Scottie Wilson painting of some fishies, and talk to people about the Outside In project and how thankful I am to have been involved thus far on several levels. To my surprise, among the many flyers and information sheets about Outside In that we had to give out today, was the latest edition of the Pallant Press, which contains an article I wrote when I was asked to select three Outside In artists in order to ‘curate’ an article accompanied by their images. I chose Nick BlinkoJames Lake, and Neal Pearce. To see their work, click on the names in the previous sentence. Read my article here. Another pleasant surprise was that Neal Pearce actually had his own stand at the fair, so I got to meet the man and check out all the work he brought along with him.

 

A page from Neal Pearce’s Infinite Codex.

book 12 page 55
Neal Pearce – Infinite Codex, book 12, page 55

 


 
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