End of summer updates (exhibitions, film screenings, art fairs, radio shows…)

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It has been half a year or so since my last blog post.. Some updates as we transition into the climax of an unknown winter…

 

Manchester Mad Pride All-Dayer, Sunday September 8th

This subversive celebration is coming up very soon, at the end of this very week in fact. I was invited to partake and have contributed a couple of prints to the visual art exhibition, as well as my film Timmy Miller Has a Heavy Head which will be screened in a programme of short films throughout the day. It is a rare showing of the film and no other showings are currently planned to take place.  The event will showcase various artists spanning a vast spectrum of dynamic media for all your senses to glean. These are the co-ordinates:

Niamos, Chichester Road, Hulme, Manchester, M15 5EU

You can find further info here (where if you scroll down to a post from August 3rd, you can read my answers to a few questions that were put to me) or here.

 

Outsider Art Fair Paris 2019, Thursday 17th – Sunday 20th October

I’m proud to announce that some of my work will be on show again with the Galerie du Marche (Lausanne, Switzerland) at the seventh edition of the annual Outsider Art Fair in Paris this October. It has been surreal to be included among highly potent artists such as Aloise Corbaz, Edmund Monsiel, Adolf Wolfli and Madge Gill on what I have always considered to be one of, if not the, strongest stands at the fair.

The most recently completed diary drawing is on an A5 format (21 x 14.8cm). In some sort of unexplainable phenomena, it has resulted in several thousand more words than the previous diary of the same size, and contains more words than eight out of the ten A4 diary pages that exist, at almost 11,000 words in ‘bubble text’. Usually the word difference, especially in such close succession (months, not years), can be a few hundred more or less. This diary page will be on show at the fair. See here for further details.

Diary, May-July 2019

 

 Art & Mind film

I should mention the manifestation of this truly ambitious documentary film, Art & Mind, which attempts to chart evolving opinions, views and research regarding the convergence of mental health and visual art whilst considering a period of give or take 500 years. I was present at the premiere which took place at the ICA in April (where it will be shown as part of a double bill on Sunday September 8th again). There are dozens of further screenings scheduled globally, which you can find here along with the trailer and further information. The film is narrated by the unparalleled John Maizels, editor of Raw Vision Magazine, who was on the Q & A panel at the premiere alongside chair of the Adamson Collection Trust, David O Flynn and director of the film itself, Amelie Ravalec. From having viewed the film once, I recall my immediate response was a feeling of inundation. There were 350 or so images shown in the film (including one of mine), in a sort of suspended montage sequence. The film was divided into an array of sub-chapters, giving a short time to highlight each. It would not go amiss to re-edit this film and the extensive omitted footage, into a series of episodes, allowing more time for the information to flow. The sequence of images is beautiful and to see it on a big screen was fantastic. With such an amount to be tackled within the time frame of a feature film, and to summarise the centuries explored, naturally there is a lot left unsaid and, for example, failing to include non-Western art and non-Western interpretations of mental health assessment and behaviour, is significantly detrimental. I found the relentlessness of the on-going music under the interviewees words contributed to a somewhat suffocating viewing process, but paradoxically find the alignment of that to the subject, an interesting choice of formatting and that perhaps it in some way can work to the film’s advantage. Needless to say, I can’t wait to re-watch this film, probably several times. To see works by Bosch, Goya, Blake, and Munch contextualised with Lesage, Wolfli, Blinko, and an endless list of incredible artists, and practitioners active in various aspects of the field pondering on these works and how they were viewed in their time and since, is incredibly fascinating.

Art & Mind Q & A panel, l-r: Travis Collins, David O Flynn, Amelie Ravalec, John Maizels

 

See’s To Exist Show, edition 179 – The Sphereology of Phil Cohran

I recently put a pre-recorded radio show together focussing on the extraordinary music of self-proclaimed ‘sphereologist’, Phil Cohran. A difficult task to fit what I can into two hours, especially after a very rich hour and twenty minute conversation recorded between myself and harpist Josefe Marie Verna (who’s majestic opening notes on White Nile, from the African Skies LP recorded in 1993 were my introduction to Phil Cohran’s music) , which I edited parts of into the show, as well as fragments of a phone conversation I had with Derf Reklaw who was involved in Phil Cohran’s Artistic Heritage Ensemble in the late 1960s. Cohran played in Sun Ra’s Arkestra for a couple of years as the 1950s turned into the 1960s, and is known for being co-founder of the legendary AACM. He invented the Frankiphone, a sort of electrified thumb piano, which was popularised by disciples of his who went on to form Earth, Wind and Fire. I get into details about all of that and much more. Most importantly, you can hear some of this great music in the show here.

My show is monthly and you can hear the next show in its usual format of me playing some of my records live and talking about them on September 22nd, 3-5pm (UK time) over at NTS Radio.

a young Phil Cohran and his frankiphone

 

That’s All Folks!

I have some exciting news simmering and hope to report back soon. Meanwhile, back to your lives.

Take care,

Carlo.

 

Exhibition Opening This Week and Shagging Last Week

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The Shag

 

The Shag is a platform for artistes to show some of their works in progress, ask questions, get feedback and suggestions. As it is just an almost pleasant promenade from my residence, I thought I may as well get out (something I am often reluctant to do!) and go see what it’s all about. I really enjoyed my first visit earlier in the year and felt it would be the perfect opportunity to do a presentation about an idea I have for a book containing some of my drawings. When the 10th installment of The Shag became publicized, I got a slot and so last week I showed some drawings and opened discussion, asking some questions about the direction of the book. I found it really useful to get the ‘objective’ viewpoints and also enjoyed hearing a short story, some poems, watching a mummified pyramid headed band perform and partaking in an intimate one on one encounter which was quite interesting but difficult to categorize in terms of practice. Was it a performance? I’m not sure. It was good though! Anyhow, I estimate I will begin putting the book together in 5-7 years time and will let you know more, closer to the time (yes, in around 4-6 years). If you’re a south/central London based ‘artiste’ in any practice at any stage on the spectrum of ‘career’, consider checking The Shag out by clicking on… The Shag. Here’s a photo from my intensely driven talk (click on it to enlarge)..

 

Circus Terminal: London /  6-10th Sept 

The Circus Terminal group show will be making a stop at The London West Bank Gallery from the 6th-10th Sept. only, so do drop in if you’re in the vicinity. I have a couple of paintings in the show and it should prove to be quite a flamboyant affair with artists from around the world taking part. I’ll post some photos post-occurrence. The opening night is this coming Thursday the 5th and if you want to come to that, you need to rsvp here: guestlist@thelondonwestbank.com and for further info, check out the overwhelmingly detailed press release: http://www.londonwestbank.com/exhibitions/circus.pdf

 

Something Nice

I saw this blog today and really liked it a lot so just thought I’d share it.. Look at and read this! http://busymockingbird.wordpress.com/2013/08/27/collaborating-with-a-4-year-old/ and if you are fed up reading stuff, then do one last thing you won’t regret and watch this astonishing display of bioluminescent wonder : 

 

Oh, Okay, One Last Thing..

Seeing as I’m here, I may as well brag about having caught the Sun Ra Arkestra again last week at Cafe Oto in London! If you ever get the chance to see them perform their special styling of cosmic big band goodness, don’t miss out! Currently lead by Marshall Allen, who joined the group in 1956, a real force to be reckoned with! Can you name many other groups still going with members who got involved over half a century ago?! Here’s a photo of Marshall Allen and I last week, and here is a special radio show I put together last year, focused on Sun Ra, featuring an interview with Marshall Allen. Click here for that.

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Peace, I’m out.

Carlo.

 
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