I’ve always been fond of artists who bomb urban landscapes, or ‘drop’ their works—even & especially when
the artists continue these guerilla interactions with the public after achieving success [ a subjective term, I
realize: though in this instance, let's skip the philosophical shit & stick with
namely, that of monetary success &/or a sense of notoriety ]. One example that immediately comes to
mind is Shepard Fairey. Late one night back in 2004, while I was in New York during a promo tour
for the Pills, Thrills, Chills, and Heartache: Adventures in the First Person
anthology, I was out,
lurking the East Village, doing a bit of my own sticky-vinyl [Ahem!] ‘beautification.’ Speaking,
you know, theoretically. I tend to aim high when engaging in such endeavors—meant both
literally & metaphorically, Jay Ess Why Kay—so the sound of my palm slapping metal [ the
back-side of a sign ] followed by a louder sound: that of my landing, visibly startled a
man who, incidentally, looked over the shoulder from his own activity: sticker-
plastering a pole. It was Shepard, out in the same 3 A.M.—doing his part to
to spread the message, so to speak—& we shared a chuckle of recognition.
Not because I’m some big-shot artist, obviously, but rather because I was a contributing editor for
Swindle magazine [ R.I.P. ] at the time. & here’s this guy—well, my boss, essentially—
& he’s out…Oh, I’m rambling. [ Besides, YouGetIt anyway, right? You.Get.It ]
London-based artist D*Face lists Fairey among his influences, which—on the tip of phenomenology,
billboard re-appropriation, & the mutual interest in California’s skateboard subculture—could be
considered a ‘given.’ Nonetheless, neither the antics of, nor the artwork produced by, D*Face
is derivative…at least not directly [ or rather: singularly ].
& from that mention of art & antics, let us hone our focus on
this bitchen custom-made tombstone:
Not a work to be taken lightly, huh? [ Cue the canned laughter here, kplzthnx ]
Well, the eve of “Going Nowhere Fast”—D*Face’s solo show at the Corey Helford Gallery—
he did a drop at 2728 N. La Cienega Boulevard in Century City.
All 400 pounds.
You’re following me, right? He left this amazing art piece for display, there on the street—knowing full well
that [ hello! Voice of Adult Reason on Line One] it would only be a matter of time until someone
came along, &…[ as far as I'm concerned ] ’got lucky‘?
As has been cited, he also did two drops the night prior.
★ ☆ ★ Hollywood Boulevard, Walk of Fame ★ ☆ ★
Here’s a shot as the infrastructure of GENIUS is assembled:
A tombstone
at the star of one ‘Charlie Sheen.’
†ꝉ†
Is that excellent, or is that friggin’ excellent?
The other grave-marker?
This beaut, at the Santa Monica pier:
I can’t help but wonder where they are,
who has them now…
Did any of the individuals who ‘liberated’ the tombstones realize what they were taking?
If not, in what ways do you think their attachment to the objects might change
upon learning they’re worth something more than cool points
among the neighborhood kids?
¤ O R ¤
If so—meaning, if whomever [ allegedly ] happened to find this piece of ’found’ art is familiar with
the work of D*Face, do you think he/she was all “Jackpot!” about it?
Said another way:
This person wouldn’t technically be stealing, so shouldn’t we expect him or her to come forth?
In this city where it’s not just about Keeping-Up-With-The-Proverbial-Joneses
but rather eclipsing them, the ascent to superstardom [ in theory ] so incandescent…
Doesn’t it seem incongruous for us not to have heard from a single one of these fortuitous beings?
AAAAAAAAAAH, I T ‘S A L L G O T M E J U S T S O
I’ve spent hours on-line today, click-&-scrolling my way through re-blog after re-blog after re-blog
regarding the [ so-called ] drop; ditto, same re: last night’s opening…opening… opening
& find it suspect that in all this media coverage,
there’s an irrefutable gap between what journalist Amy Duran [ via Juxtapoz digital, April 9th]
describes having taken place the eve of April 8th, in her statement
“Considering that both the Santa Monica Beach and the Charlie Sheen tombstone had been removed so
quickly I suggest making you[r] way out to see this piece in person before it’s gone.”
& coverage of the exhibition itself, which Jack In Shows [ via Daily Du Jour ] summates
“included a D*Face Oscar appearance, two of his new tombstone pieces,
three ‘dead’ celebrity impersonators…”
Mmm-hrmm.
I’ve been wrong before, yet still—I’m of the mind that more than one form of the ⟣faux⟢ went on
in this scenario.
Mr. Dean Stockton, a.k.a. D*Face? Seems to me that what he schemed is the opposite
of a ‘drop’…as in: “catch” would be a more appropriate term.
My theory: he used two gravestones, not three, & just “happened” to conveniently bring a writer along
for the ride. The result? Insta-PR, no need to add water. Unless, of course, a person
wanted to scrub clean the carbon stains from the night before…
[ photo submission I received after posting a frustrated tweet ]
Apparently, this image was captured while waiting in line for the opening: April 9, 2011
For the sake of clarity, please allow me to reiterate:
What I’ve presented is a theory, based entirely on speculation.
I was not present for any of the aforementioned events; hence,
none of my conjecture should be treated as fact.
However, within the scope of this hypothesis, I’ve gotta say: the name of D*Face’s show
resonates with new meaning, all things considered.
But why wouldn’t it?
The gravestones—testaments to bad behavior, on which ”Going Nowhere Fast” was inscribed—went
[ well...] nowhere in this staged guerilla act, the [ theoretical ] Drop-Without-A-Drop.
I mean, when media is the medium an artist chooses to
make A Statement About The Media & A Celebrity-Obsessed Society—
yet that artist is playing the role of a guerilla artist; is “pretending to be” rather than being…
It’s fucking ‘meta’: yeah, sure
Yet at the core of it all? Chicanery, being ‘on the grift’?
Is a material-obsessed society really being challenged,
or the challenge really how much monetary gain can be filched from it?
All I have are questions.
But after reading over a hundred blogs with the same regurgitated, rarely & barely re-worded praise
I wonder: Am I the only one?
Whatever your take, D*Face is a fascinating subject about whom
the following additional reading I recommend:
[ Liz Ohnasien's interview with D*Face : L.A. Weekly ]
»Read More
renders a dramatic stasis through a potent mix of personal interpretation
: a gorgeous compendium
GIF It To Me! [ Princess Hijab & Other Animated Awesomesaucery ]
As A Kid, I Often Said I Wished I Could Speak In Hieroglyphics
How rad it would be, I thought
[ though—since the timeline I'm referencing is circa rural Arkansas—
quite likely not verbatim, my choice of vernacular ]
If I could “talk with pictures”: fancy symbols—except
not carved in stone, but rather contained
in word bubbles,
like in a comic strip . . .
Y E A H .
A funny thing, time : cycles : that
symbol of the serpent swallowing its tail
All these years later, & where do I find myself?
Obsessed with animated .gifs, for fuck’s sake—&
yearning to communicate through means of a visual vocabulary.
I mean, let’s face it…does this gem excavated-from-the-uncredited-swag-on-imgur
not speak volumes?
Or how about this for a response?
[ Source: Sex With God : tumblr ]
& this flash-tastic action? Is it worth the proverbial thousand words?
Or does it have no value, since you’re such a worldly, highly-experienced Millennial?
[ So tough, the inured existence of a Trustafarian on tumblr, oui? ]
Hasty generalizations & snide jabs swept aside like unpaid internships, corporeal punishment,
or any scenario in which Unique, Special Beings aren’t coddled—even & especially
if [ HARMPH! ] “so-o-o bored.”
Sure : sometimes animated awesomesauce does get served with syllables & consonants…
For example: this little ditty by Seacrestcheadle, which—if Facefail permitted such forms of communication—
I would’ve plastered many moons ago on the ‘Wall’ of my pal Ugly Shyla ♥ [ because yeah, She 'Gets It ']
Alas! Seacrestcheadle isn’t why I’ve chosen to “get bloggy” this fine day
[ though worthy a post of his own, indeed! ]
Au contraire, I’ve intended to post about the following individual
for quite some time now, & finally: here we are—&
here the moment is…
If by chance you’re not familiar with the guerilla art of
Princess Hijab
Then please consider this a formal invitation to become acquainted, your
introduction by way of brief video clip [ courtesy : Babelgum ]
Admitted : at times the six-minute doc plays w-a-y-y-y Richter in the histrionics department
[ not to imply I don't—my guess is that producers urged Hijab to "ratchet up the drama"
for the cameras ] : to “raise the stakes,” ”show the element of danger,” “provide some
conflict”…as if the visual assaults she orchestrates aren’t confrontational enough.
However, to be fair [ I mean : gauche much, Mary? I'm only using their content! ]
I could be making excuses for the artist, when she’s portrayed exactly as she is.
O.K.!
Now that you have a bit of background info, I don’t feel as if I’m doing a dis-service by
sharing ‘only’ the digital art she creates.
Y’see, aside from recalcitrant acts of Hijabization,
the Princess constructs some friggin’ amazing GIFs; must admit.
& since ultimately, that’s what I’m ‘on about’ today
C H E C K ± T H E S E :
╬ for a full-page GIF-tastic sensory overload, check out 8 BITZ PER PIxEL ╬
»Read More