Boy shows you his... Boy talks Boy travels Uncategorized: Carrousel du Louvre Circus Terminal Drawing Now Paris emi miyashita Impact Art Fair Julia Sisi Liz Parkinson Outside In Outsider Art Outsider Art Amsterdam Running Horse Contemporary Arts Space
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Further ongoing adventures..
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I’m back from Amsterdam. Nice place. Pockets of land with windy water passages throughout. The place is not short of record stores. Good to see that vinyl all around town. The Circus Terminal came to town and we had a lot of fun..
Circus Terminal Amsterdam
The opening took place last Saturday at Amsterdam Outsider Art. With 85 artists from 19 countries being represented, you certainly get an overwhelming sensation of creative energy channeled through your optical orifices through to your brain, soul, and wherever else allows. A dynamic experience for sure, with raw ox meat and olives tantalising the taste-buds and illusory potential brides in a seemingly physical form, interacting with the onlookers. She was also there the following day, I am pretty sure, though perhaps I was just in a strange dream. There are photos though, so it must have been real. Click on these to see larger images..
Gareth Hughes, Carlo Keshishian, Chutima Nok Kerdpitak, Julia Sisi, Liz Parkinson
Julia Sisi trying to read my mind
Lady and her dog contemplating my creations
In comes the bride..
Catherine Goodwin (the bride) encounters Liz Parkinson
And then we hit the pub. Check out our Circus Terminal Amsterdam customised drink mats. Featuring Sisi, Liz, Bea, Gareth, Susan, and Carlo. Nok’s was in production at time of photo.
The following day, I took it upon myself to lead and initiate a collaborative piece, which we enjoyed adding to for a couple of hours in the garden. So far there have been contributions from 7 artists and the canvas is open to addition until the exhibition ends August 17th, so if you’re in the area, make sure you get down there! Entry is free. I’ve got a few photos of fellow Circus Terminalists Julia Sisi and Liz Parkinson getting involved with the collaborative canvas. I’ll post a photo of the (hopefully) finished canvas in my next blog entry. Gotta send a shout-out to Nok and Bert for all their energy going into putting this all together. Also, was nice to meet Susan and Emily from Studio B based out of Boyertown, Philadelphia, USA who hosted the last Circus Terminal incarnation. I think the next one might take place in Slovenia? or Serbia? Oh wait! Before that, there is one in London, UK in early September. Stay tuned for details…
My Posca pen partners and I getting busy. Gareth getting married in the back.
Liz and I. The beginning of a beautiful friendship.
Sisi and Liz
Julia Sisi creating wonderfully. Nice little octopus dedication to me also!
Gareth adding his bit. I went on to put a stream under Sisi’s ark.. I also did a half octpus half elephant half snail, no photo yet though.
Maybe it’s just my tinnitus, but turn your volume way down..
Carlo meets Catherine
The Running Horse Contemporary Arts Space
So, I’m off to Beirut to continue to put in motion (in more ways than one) some things to do with my big solo exhibition happening in November at The Running Horse Contemporary Arts Space and very much look forward to seeing Emi Miyashita‘s solo show which is currently on. Here’s some photos of what I remember from the Drawing Now Paris art fair which took place at the Carrousel du Louvre (I mainly remember seafood, but you can also see some Miyashita drawings nicely configured with many curious onlookers, and a few people looking at my drawing)..
All mine
All gone
Me being closely observed
More onlookers at the Louvre
Here’s some photos from my last Beirut trip..
Spiralling into control
Some graf’d up buses in Beirut
Hot dog
Exploring the Spiral 5th World to no end
Beirut at night with a large moon
Eat fruits
Finish off with an Armenian beer brewed where I stay in Naccache, Lebanon
Outside In / Impact Art Fair
Finally, when I get back from Beirut, on the very same day in fact, I’ll be picking up art works and rushing over to the Impact Art Fair in Brixton, London, UK to help out with Outside In‘s booth. The day I’m speaking of is Thursday 25th July. I’ll enjoy the preview night (I will!) and then head over and do a little DJ set at The Sun also in Brixton. That’s the plan anyway, but considering I have to get up at 4am and nomadically transport myself around for the following 20 hours, I might not make it to The Sun, but I really want to! I think I will. I can be a trooper. I’ll also be at the Impact Art Fair on Sunday 28th July (the last day) invigilating the Outside In booth, so if you’re around, do drop in and check out some art! Come keep me company.. all of the above.
Final Thoughts
I can’t seem to get into the habit of writing these blog entries more regularly, in more digestible doses, but I suppose it goes with my character to build and build and build and then deliver, so that’s the way it is. If you’ve cared to read this far down, good on you! I’ll be back with more in a while, but be sure to check some of the above stuff out when it’s happening.
Enjoy the summer,
Carlo.
Boy talks Boy travels Uncategorized: Amsterdam Outsider Art Gallery Carrousel du Louvre Christian Berst Circus Terminal Creative Growth David MacLagan Drawing Now Paris Eight Arms of Inspiration emi miyashita Halle Saint Pierre Hey! magazine ICA James Brett Jarvis Cocker Jinxi Caddel Line Let Loose Outsider Art Running Horse Contemporary Arts Space Spiral 5th World The Museum of Everything
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Entering the Spiral 5th World…
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2013..
So, it appears this is my first post of 2013?! Where does the time go?!! Well, I guess all the 12 hour days of painting I’ve been doing is where. It’s not too out of control though, or ‘too in control’ should I say. I don’t need to put reminders in my phone about eating and showering, at least.. anyhow, art. Yes.. I am normally backed up 2-3 years as it takes time to execute projects and when I have an idea I want to do, I am uncompromisingly stubborn about doing it, regardless of when it will be, and I do things in order, so if I have an idea and it takes 3 years to reach an available time, that’s when I start. One such project is my next solo exhibition which is set for the end of this year. I’ve been wanting to do it for almost 5 years I think. It is focussed on a series of spiral-based works. Incidentally, this mix up about the end of the world/December 2012/the supposed Mayan prophecies that were actually a misconstrued version of Sumerian ideologies, brought to light something that the Mayans do have in one of their calendars, and that is the Spiral 5th World, what we are entering in 2013. I’ve been drawing spirals since I was an early teen or further back than that. That this Spiral 5th World is meant to be this year and it coincides with my solo exhibition of spiral based works is at the very least amusing to me, or maybe there is something to it, who knows!? Anyhow, as I’ve not written in this news blog for some time, I should address a few current on-goings…
My Website, Updated!
Thanks to sleepless Noel putting the time in (I owe him some fine dining), my website now contains a few additional images for you to peruse, so please go and zoom your hearts out! Also, the bio has been brought up to date. www.carlokeshishian.com
DRAWING NOW PARIS at the Carrousel du Louvre
From 11th-14th of April (next week!), the Drawing Now Paris art fair will take place, and I’ve got something showing with The Running Horse Contemporary Arts Space. Very happy to be shown alongside the wonderful work of Emi Miyashita. I’m very excited about this as I love Paris, and I love that there is a whole art fair dedicated to drawings with galleries from around the world showing. There’s a couple of other galleries/organisations showing that I admire a lot also, so looking forward to seeing their stands especially too.. The Parisian gallery Christian Berst, and the Creative Growth group from California are of note. I don’t believe in coincidence but for lack of a better word, one is occurring in the form of the Hey! Part 2 exhibition at the Halle Saint Pierre‘s coinciding with my being in Paris due to being shown in an art fair. I was there for the Hey! exhibition in late 2011 and absolutely loved the show and the gallery/museum, and somehow the stars have aligned or something.. looking forward!
Books
Yes, people still read these things, and people still publish them. I am in a couple that are both available to buy! Well, one is out and the other is available for pre-order.. hmmm.. Maybe I will give them both individual attention, look:
Eight Arms of Inspiration: The Octopus Art Project
This is a big hardback book by Jinxi Caddel with the works of over 440 artists paying hommage to that cephalopod I am especially fond of, the octopus. Naturally, I have an image in there. Page 147, I believe. There’s a section for tattoos, a section for fine art, digital art, jewellery, any art form you can think of. Unfortunately it is difficult to get this book outside of the U.S.A. so I’m gonna have to wait a while before getting my hands on one, but if you can’t live without it or live in the USA, you can order it here or here. Here’s a photo of the book, and a short video:
Line Let Loose: Scribbling, Doodling and Automatic Drawing
I’m super excited about this book. I’d read David MacLagan’s Outsider Art: From the Margins to the Marketplace book a few years back, and so to be contacted by him asking if he could include a couple of images of mine in his new book was a pleasant surprise considering I’d never met him or anything. Eventually, it also came to be that one of my images is being used for the cover of the book as can be seen in the image below. This one isn’t quite out yet but can be pre-ordered from here or here or here or various other book stockists that your search engine will lead you to, if you are in other parts of the world etc… below the image of the book, I’ve put a lengthy video of Mr.MacLagan speaking with James Brett of target=”_blank”>The Museum of Everything and Jarvis Cocker of Pulp, on the topic of Outsider Art at the ICA in London.
Circus Terminal in Amsterdam
Well, that’s enough for you to chew on for now.. Next update will most likely be about the Circus Terminal exhibition that will take place in Amsterdam in July. I’ll be showing with them, and hopefully taking part in some live art action. It should be a lot of fun, so if you are in Amsterdam, please come and join! More details to follow..
Take care,
Carlo
Boy shows you his... Boy talks Boy travels Uncategorized: A Joyful Noise Annoushka Jewelery Arkestra Circus Terminal Dannielle Hodson David Johnson France InPerson Jasna Nikolic Jazz Jean Dubuffet Retrospective Liverdun Lorraine Marshall Allen Mixcloud Morris Minor Outside In Outside In:National Pallant House Gallery Radio Rose Knox-Peebles Royal Academy Workshop Saatchi Online Station898fm.net Sun Ra Transitions
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The Universe and Shit…
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No, I’m Not Drawing Parallels About the Universe and Feces…
That would be difficult to draw. Or maybe not? Anyway, I will, however, summarize what’s been going on with me and stuff. Hmmm.. thinking about it now, it may make more sense to post a few blog updates rather than make one overwhelming intense block of information.. but I’ve started now, so…
Jazz Radio Show
I’ve been doing a weekly Jazz radio show which can be listened to live every Tuesday via www.station898fm.net if you go to where it says ‘listen’ and click on the link that opens in itunes or realplayer etc… I think it may not work with certain browsers. Anyhow, this is at around 11am-1pm GMT. I also upload the shows to my archive on Mixcloud, here. Towards the end of September I aired a two and a half hour Sun Ra special that I, modesty aside, put together quite thoroughly and in as much detail as I could within the time constraints. So whether you are a fan or want to begin your learning journey, go check it out. I chronologically play music that Sun Ra and his Arkestra made from 1955 until the present day, almost playing something for every year. I narrate passages from the excellent biography, and play a few portions of the wonderful documentary target=”_blank”>A Joyful Noise. Lastly, I even inserted an interview I conducted over the phone with Marshall Allen, who currently leads the Arkestra and has now been doing so for almost 20 years. He is currently 89 years of age and joined the group in 1958, so if you’re curious, you know what to do.
Circus Terminal in France
Much to my surprise, the Circus Terminal have included some of my prints in an exhibition they had at a chateaux in Liverdun, Lorraine, France. I was browsing their photo album on a certain face-based website and I saw this photo! :
I do like how my work forces people to get closer and make an effort to look. Interestingly, something I am working on right now requires standing quite far away from it to see it properly.. Sometimes these things occur to me by surprise. I didn’t intend to do the opposite, but a lot of my work explores push and pull, paradoxes etc, so even on a subconscious level I seem to be putting these angles in.
London Show at Annoushka with Outside In
Myself, Dannielle Hodson and Jasna Nikolic are showing in a group show at Jewellery boutique Annoushka just off of the King’s Road in London, near Sloane Square tube station. If you are around, do drop in and take a look. It’s on until the 20th October, and a rare London outing of my work! Art collector (and lovely lady) Rose Knox-Peebles put it quite nicely when she said to me: “Your bit of wall was magnificent – just black and grey amongst all the bling.” The opening was quite prestigious and interesting. The fancy dinner at Hix Belgravia after tasted just marvelous, courtesy of Coutts private bank. Yes it was all rather surreal. I didn’t take a camera and though there were lots of flashing lights, they didn’t seem interested in the artists, but rather models, dogs and local celebrity. I am a little bit visible in photo 15/15, on the right, in the darkness, look closely, next to Jennie from Outside In.. yes, we’re all in the same universe!
Saatchi Popularity Contest
Just across the street from Annoushka, Saatchi are doing another popularity contest and I have entered again, though am not campaigning hard like I did around the same time last year. I’ve penetrated the consciousness of Saatchi Gallery’s Director and am hoping she will cross the street and go look at my work at Annousha, though I doubt she will. Her reply simply addressed my cynicism regarding their voting system, which she claims has changed since last year, though I challenged her on these claims. Anyhow, I will shut up. Click, look, and click again, if you care to vote for me. the theme is ‘places and spaces’, so I entered my Morris Minor.
Outside In: National and Jean Dubuffet
Well, it’s almost time for the Outside In:National exhibition launch! I’m quite excited about this on several levels. It will take place at the one and only Pallant House Gallery in Chichester, UK. I was on the selection committee and given the exciting/hellish task of assessing the 2,310 entries which have now been averaged out based on the 4 selectors results, into around 80 or so art works that will go on display from 27th Oct- 3rd Feb 2013. Running alongside this exhibition will be ‘Transitions’, a retrospective of Jean Dubuffet’s work from 20th Oct- 3rd Feb 2013. I have been commissioned to make an art work which will be made into a limited edition print that will be given to the supporters of the exhibition. Those who have helped fund it, and those who are lending work, from museums and private collections etc… My original will also be exhibited within the retrospective.
Royal Academy Workshop
While I’m here, I may as well mention an InPerson ‘art jam’-themed workshop I am doing with David Johnson at the Royal Academy of Arts, London. It’s a little way off still but as I don’t post in the blogtopus very often,… It’s on November 9th from 6-8pm and will involve collaborative art making, in various forms.
Well, there you have it.
Look mum (/mom), I’m a busy boy!
Carlo. x
Boy shows you his... Boy talks Boy travels: Brian Robert Gibson Dolly Sen Exhibition Fringe Arts Bath Mandie Saw Mandy Webb Mercedes Gil Michelle Kral Outside In Step Up Sugarglider Within Withou You
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Within Without You
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Fringe Arts Bath
So, I was in Bath last Friday for the opening of Within Without You, one of the group shows taking place at The Pet Store in Bath as part of the 2012 Fringe festival. I’d decided to show my Sugar Glider vs Octopus painting and a drawing I did of an owl prior to our ending up at the fitting animal-related venue, interestingly. I just googled it to see if there is any history on the place that I could drop some knowledge on. Mysteriously not. Here is a photo of the entrance though, and I’m super glad to be showing art here:
Speaking of animals, I found a nice little Italian spot where I had a luxurious dinner of cow meat. I ended up at a bar later and saw this though:
Maybe next time.
I was literally running to go pick up a sculpture for the show when I decided to stop and take a photo of the lovely scenery, and given I was sort of still running when I took the photo, it’s surprising that the photo is not blurred and actually not badly composed. Bath is full of picturesque scenery like this:
So, here’s a few photos of the show.. (by the way, if you click on the images, they get bigger)
Our two rooms with a hug in the middle
That winning art-and-alcohol combo
My bits
Guy photographing Mandie's wallpiece while her floorcreature observes his crotch
Mandie Saw
Action shot, room 2. Fun for all the family.
Mercedes Gil in a moment with her works.
Lady writing on the floor as part of a piece in another show taking place downstairs
It was good to catch up with a few of the Outside In and Step Up cohorts. Massive respect to Brian Robert Gibson for putting us all on and bringing this all together. Unfortunately I received a sharp instant pain in my lower back while painting a skirting board earlier in that day and am trying to recover from it now. Hope to be back in action asap.
The show continues until June 10th, so go check out Bath and the Fringe festival in the next couple of weeks if you aren’t too far away. Weather has been pleasant, so perhaps check out the open air natural mineral spring water pool at the Bath spas.. I did, it wasn’t half bad.
Until next time…..
Carlo
Boy shows you his... Boy talks Boy travels Uncategorized: Beirut circumlocutions david siepert emi miyashita laura pharaon lebanon reid peppard robert storey Running Horse Contemporary Arts Space songs of ordinary madness talar aghbashian yijun liao youmna habbouche
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Songs of Ordinary Madness
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Beirut Blogtopus May 2012
Well, the Songs of Ordinary Madness opening night came and went, though seemed to sustain over a period of nights of further ordinary madness. Here are some photos from the show:
Show me another exhibition opening with a variety of edible treats and drinkable beverages. Various salamis, prosciutto, pickles, olives, walnuts, dried apricot, home made cake, stuff I don’t know the name for, etc…
A sizable wheel of cheese that came from Ghana…
So, the piece I had on show was one I made especially to fit the theme. I am pleased with my result and response to the theme and was aware it’s pretty much commercial suicide in terms of creating something salable as I can’t imagine there’ll be many people who want my face rotating on their wall, but anyhow.. it’s called ‘Circumlocutions’. As far as I recall, the initial e-mail asking if I wanted to participate suggested departing from the idea of looking at what inspires you from how others see you. Yeah, so my reaction was that it is impossible. It made me think of the self, and then of subjectivity and objectivity, and somewhat fell into territory I was familiar with. Through this channel though, I did realize that all the things I previously felt as self-analytical actually say more about us as humans in general, than they do about me, considering how I see myself isn’t really how I am, and how you see me isn’t how I am either, etc.. So, I went ahead and painted my first ever self portrait with a text that spirals out, focussing on the push and pull of things, cyclical nature, complicated ways to say something graspable in one simple feeling that I find difficult to translate into words, etc.. Circumlocutions..
See a video of it here.
The show also featured work by Talar Aghbashian who will be in town next week, Youmna Habbouche who had some nice shoes indeed, Yijun Liao who presented a nice ass, Emi Miyashita whom I’m a big fan of, Laura Pharaon who remains a mystery, David Siepert who cleverly melted some Swiss sweets into the shape of a bathtub, which is now melting in the gallery in the Lebanese heat, Reid Peppard who had fellow exhibitor Robert Storey bring a dead pigeon with him from London to Beirut. All in all, an eclectic bunch.
In other news…
I spent a day last week with 12 year old Makhlouf Chris-Roi at the Paradis d’Enfants school in Jounieh, Lebanon, in order to create an art work collaboratively, which will go to auction, with money raised going back into the school. I think it’s a great project and there are several artists around town teaming up with some of the students to create art in this program. Here is the painting Chris-Roi and I created…
That’s all for now. I’ll be back soon with some more fragments of news, observations, etc…
– Carlo
Boy talks Boy travels: Beirut big river man gerhard richter maki hachiya mannequins martin strel paed conca raed yassin Running Horse Contemporary Arts Space
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Perusing in the LBN
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Beirut, April-May 2012
I was going to post a large and potentially difficult to digest entry after the ‘Songs of Ordinary Madness’ exhibition opening on the 8th May but I decided to write a post pre-exhibition, with some photos of Beirut as I’ve been clicking the camera.
So…
In some areas, you do see buildings like this, reflecting remnants of war time.
As you can see, it will apparently re-open in 2013 as a museum of some sort. Seems optimistic. Stay tuned..
There are pretty flowers and wondrous trees growing around the place, which brightens things up a bit. The architecture is quite beautiful in general. Some from Ottoman times, and then there are some with French influence, from the time of the French mandate.
A curious window display is visible from the main highway that runs through Beirut, showing off what is described as the ‘Teenager 2012 Fiction Collection’. A multi-coloured assortment of naked mannequins are representatives of this collection.. of invisible clothes? Or, are they themselves the collection? Teenage mannequins? The collection is fictional; it doesn’t exist? Anyhow, I pass by this window everyday..
I was also humored by this incredible life size horse item with lamp built into its head, that I saw through the window of an interior design gallery, which was closed. I would have gone in otherwise and stroked the horse.
Last night I went and checked this out at the Django Pub near Gemmayze:
So, it was Maki Hachiya on vocals, in Japanese (I wonder what she was saying), and other uses of voice including grunts, sounds reminiscent of animal noises, and vocal exercises. Raed Yassin on double bass. Paed Conca on clarinet. Both playing with exquisite technique. An enjoyable evening. Maki Hachiya is doing another show in a few days, playing ‘experimental guitar’ at a place called Metro (I think) in Hamra. Might go check it out.
To my surprise, Gerhard Richter currently has a show on at the Beirut Art Center. I missed the opening night, and it turns out he was there and selling 60 signed copies of the exhibitions’ accompanying book. Would have liked to be within smelling distance and possibly got a photo with the guy. Oh well. This photo of me bumping heads with the mystical Slovenian endurance swimmer, Martin Strel from a couple years back will have to suffice. If you don’t own his dvd Big River Man, I urge you to check it out. It follows him as he swims the whole length of the Amazon river.
I’m feeling like a bit of an endurance blogger now. Are you still with me? Here’s me, starting to work on some large paintings at The Running Horse, who have provided me with space to work in during my stay.
The opening of the ‘Songs of Ordinary Madness’ exhibition is on the 8th May and the show runs til June 12th. I am bored of typing and hyperlinking now but here is the flyer with info regarding artists in the show etc…
I’m looking forward to the diverse range of creations, art and cocktail contraptions. I’ll post some photos after the opening.
Catch you next time then.. whoever you are.
– Carlo
The triple B spectrum
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Beirut – Bath – Barcelona
I am aware I’ve been awol but my pens, brushes, eyes and actions have been progressively traveling, forward and sideways. Some one-step-back, two-steps-forward action has also been in effect.
Just a short note to let observers know, that I will have a new painting, ‘Circumlocutions’ on display as part of the ‘Songs of Ordinary Madness’ exhibition in Beirut, Lebanon as of May 8th with the Running Horse Contemporary Arts Space. More info on this soon.
From May 25th, I will have two works on show in the Within Without You group as part of the Fringe Arts Bath festival. This is the guide for anyone in the vicinity who cares to explore. The show will be on for two weeks in Bath, UK.
It’s likely I will have a few prints on display in Barcelona, Spain as part of the Circus Terminal project, in association with Uncooked Culture. More news on this as I get it…
I promise to post some photos next time.
– Carlo