Howl! Happening: An Arturo Vega Project
Howl! Happening takes its name from the unpredictable, free-form happenings of the 60s and 70s, where active participation of the audience blurred the boundary between the art and the viewer. More to be experienced than described, Howl! Happening will curate exhibitions and stage live events that combine elements of art, poetry, music, dance, vaudeville, and theater——a cultural stew that defies easy definition. For more than a decade, Howl! Festival has been an annual community event——a free summer happening in and around Tompkins Square Park, dedicated to celebrating the past and future of contemporary culture in the East Village and the Lower East Side. The history and contemporary culture of the East Village are still being written. The mix of rock and roll, social justice, art and performance, community activism, gay rights and culture, immigrants, fashion, and nightlife are even more relevant now. While gentrification continues apace and money is king, Howl! Happening declares itself a spontaneous autonomous zone: a place where people simultaneously experience and become the work of art. As Alan Kaprow, the “father” of the happening, said: “The line between art and life should be kept as fluid and indistinct as possible.”
Paintings by Tabboo! Published on the occasion of the exhibition October 14–November 11, 2016 Howl! Happening: An Arturo Vega Project Howl! A/P/E Volume 1, No. 13
Tabboo!’s Portraits at Howl! Rupert Goldsworthy, PhD
Tabboo!’s latest suite of paintings features 14 acrylic portraits of his friends and of himself. Painted in jazzy colors, these medium-sized linen stretchers are reminiscent of Vogue fashion photographs—iconic stills frozen for immortality. The painter’s subjects are seasoned New Yorkers, many of whom have lived in the city for more than 40 years, denizens of East Village nightlife—these are the kind of people who know exactly who Jackie Curtis and Charles Ludlum were. Tabboo!’s subjects seem to cavort for the artist. Each seems to cut through the canvas’ surface, hacking through the rectagular prism and reaching out to the viewer. The portraits recall the style of Alice Neel as well as Diane Arbus’ images of downtown New Yorkers in the late 60s and early 70s. Similar to Arbus, there is a poignancy to Tabboo!’s portrayal of his subjects. They are shown alone and isolated in empty space. They connect directly to the viewer. Like Neel, the artist foreshortens arms, adds vernacular details, brings out the warmth and domesticity of the setting, and underlines the networks of friendships. Still Tabboo! updates portraiture for 2016. A key difference between Tabboo!, Arbus and Neel is the distance between the artist or photographer and their subject. Whilst Neel and Arbus knew many of their subjects tangentially from their connections to the downtown scene of that era, Tabboo! is no tourist looking in. His connections to his subjects go deeper—they are in many senses his family. The portraits reveal an intimate circle of friends he has known for many years. He paints them in a way both self-revealing and slyly observational. The first painting in the series is of downtown performance legend Agosto sitting to one side of the canvas and gazing afar, dressed all in black with a long white beard, his face framed by long silky black hair. The effect is religious, like a gentler Rasputin—someone who has seen it all, done it all, but still lives in downtown New York, in a neighborhood that has gone from wild to mild to becoming flooded by franchise-culture. The irony in Agosto’s expression is palpable. The second portrait is of myself, dressed in grey, with a grey and burgundy scarf, making a hand gesture that is half “Heroes” homage and half yoga mudra. In Tabboo!’s portrait I look arch, rather British and somewhat older. What I remember most about that day was that he made me laugh so much. It made me realize I have known him and some of his subjects for nearly 30 years now. I remember meeting Tabboo! dancing on the bar at the Pyramid in the late 80s. We seem like the last survivors of an era in New York which burnt very bright and very fast and extinguished itself too soon. Thankfully, some of us are still here to tell the tale. Another portrait in this series is of Tabboo!’s close friend Jimmy, hair neatly shaven, precise, moustachioed, squeaky clean in designer glasses and a pale blue short-sleeved shirt. The artist captures the expression of Jimmy’s eyes brilliantly...he is forever analyzing, observing. Nothing slips past him. Like the sphinx, Jimmy sees it all, doesn’t say anything, but you know his eyes are taking it all in merrily, with a twinkle of humor. Tabboo! manages to reflect those qualities in his painting. The next painting is of another East Village performance legend, Flloyd, who sits with a timepiece in his hand, wearing a dandy blue velvet vest and pants. His current look is a sort of outrageous That Girl/Scooby-Doo crossover: a strawberry blond bobbed flip, a zany 60s beard-ette, and checked blue button-down shirt and tie. Flloyd sits pertly erect,
like a Regency beau waiting for his portrait to be completed. Tabboo!’s painting catches the way Flloyd’s piercing green eyes dart around as he talks. Following this is an image of Flloyd’s friend Angelo, likewise styled in a retro look, with a 50s pompadour. Tabboo!’s painting focuses on interesting aspects of Angelo’s physical presence: the redness in the tones of his skin, his long eyelashes, his air of innocence and the elegance of his slim, long fingers. There is a different vibe to this portrait. Angelo’s a younger person, not yet jaded, still idealistic, still a believer. The next in the series is Tabboo!’s self-portrait. This is a much slower painting. It’s a remarkable one because it catches the artist in extremely clear focus. He is measured and sober and decisive in his demeanor. He looks statesmanly like Lincoln, but his red jacket recalls the 50s and James Dean in Rebel Without A Cause. The artist appears at peace with his age and time in life. In this painting, the brushwork around his eyes is carefully delineated, as is the hold of the lips, the arch of the eyebrow, the deep brownness of his eyes, and the sallow tones in his skin. Tabboo! is here both magi and statesman. Other paintings in the show seem to catch their subjects in freeze-frame. Bobbie is in red with Goth black hair and punkette accessories. He turns quickly to face the viewer, and the light frames his cheekbones, chin and mascaraed eyes. His expression makes him look like a young fox: skinny, petulant, and sharp as a razor. Brandon is painted in a turquoise dress with boa, long hair cascading over his face, and eyeshadow in a similar shade of blue. He gives a wild demimondaine look, a diamanté clasp at his waist, and one genteel finger daintily grazing the chin. He is observing the viewer from behind this coquettish façade. Gene looks jovial in a red shirt with a necklace of dried marigolds and a yellow 50s style golf hat. Tabboo! contrasts the ochres of his skin against the all-American white t-shirt. Gene observes the artist at work with a slightly amused expression on his face. Anne is the lone cisgendered female in the series. She vamps for the artist, posing with hands on her head as if tearing her hair out in frustration: her long green dress half-revealing one breast. Her hair is ice blond, lipstick crimson. The whole effect is very 50s-60s film noir. Giving it some va-va-voom. Scott is painted in a diaphanous long-sleeved purple shirt. He looks like the archetypal downtown New Yorker in square tortoise shell glasses and a grey goatee. Hands clasped behind his head, framing his face, he appears ponderous and relaxed. Brian serves an East Village old-school punk rock look. Tats, skull ring, studded leather vest and quiff, a style reminiscent of the Clash. Tabboo! paints him in semi-profile looking pensive, gazing off into the distance, with morning-after stubbly chin and pale blue eyes. Brad and Soigne are posed together holding hands, their enjoined fingers resting on some gold sequined fabric in front. Soigne, shirtless and tattooed, has a hand gently resting on his partner’s shoulder. Brad has bleached hair and a white long-sleeved shirt. The intimacy between them is clear. Richard, the final portrait in the series, looks wryly at the viewer. His grey hair pumped up high on his head, and a gesture: a cigarette perched lightly between his fingers, his upraised arm parallel to his face. He gazes gently and directly at the viewer, confident, assured, with nothing to hide. —London, July 2016.
Sitting Time a poem by Brandon Olson Sitting time’s like sex I guess when separate parties in congress meet for a moment. Artist sitter, canvas, muse and heavy hitter Out of bounds! Sometimes it happens! There it is with all the trappin’s! more than just a couple of spots there is life! and there is thoughts! There is breath! There is style! There’s a wrinkle! There’s a smile! Sitting time’s a manifestation and a kind of punctuation for a cosmic conversation all about predestination: There I was a tot in drag there’s his sketch in Interview Mag kooky rendering of Lucy made my flesh all pimply goosey
FLASH! and Forward 20 years I’m the sitter, he’s my friend Dreams come true and then transcend ZAP! we’re dead! The way I’m rendered here by him is what’s remembered The year’s 3000 and my face on gallery wall’s the only trace that I once upon a time I lived and did the things that Mona did. Mona who? The Lady Lisa. Mystery, riddle, puzzle piece: A face communing from the past in acrylic made to last. Academics analyze deconstruct, hypothesize; “Shades of Arbus! Traces of Neel!” first name Art, last name Schpiel sitter, painter, color, minute Hand of God is what is in it Witchy, which he understood is which is what makes painting good!
HOWL! COMMUNITY Arturo Vega Foundation Lalo Quiñones Jane Friedman Donovan Welsh BG Hacker BOARD OF ADVISORS Curt Hoppe Marc H. Miller Dan Cameron Carlo McCormick James Rubio Debora Tripodi Lisa Brownlee Howl! Board of Directors Bob Perl, President Bob Holman, Vice President BG Hacker, Treasurer Nathaniel Siegel, Secretary Brian (Hattie Hathaway) Butterick Riki Colon Jane Friedman Chi Chi Valenti Marguerite Van Cook, President Emeritus Founder and Executive Director: Jane Friedman Gallery Director: Ted Riederer Program Director: Carter Edwards Gallery Coordinator: Liz Cvitan Marketing and Public Relations: Susan Martin Social Networks Manager: Michelle Halabura Videographer: Darian Brenner, Andreas Nicholas Gallery designed by Ted Kofman Creative Consultant: Some Serious Business
Paintings by Tabboo! Howl! Happening: An Arturo Vega Project October 14–November 11, 2016 © 2016 Howl Arts, Inc. Howl! Archive Publishing Editions (Howl! A/P/E) Volume 1, No. 13 ISBN: 978-0-9975565-2-0 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission of Howl! A/P/E. Howl! Happening: An Arturo Vega Project 6 East 1st St. NY, NY 10003 www.HowlArts.org 917 475 1294 Photography Opposite page: © 2016 Jackie Essays © 2016 Rupert Goldsworthy © 2016 Brandon Olson Editor: Ted Riederer Copy Editor: Jorge Clar Design: Jeff Streeper for Modern IDENTITY
The Arturo Vega Project: Jane Friedman
MUSEUMS MoMA Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston New Museum Cincinatti Art Museum Museo de Arte Contemporáneo, Santiago de Compostela, Spain BOOKS Tabboo! The Art of Stephan Tashjian (Damiani) Pearl: Poems by Vincent Katz, Paintings by Tabboo! (powerHouse Books) ILLUSTRATED PUBLICATIONS Harper’s Bazaar Interview People Sports Illustrated Musician Entertainment Weekly Seventeen Paper Marie Claire French Vogue Italian Vogue M le mag — Le Monde Penguin Paperbacks RECORD COVER DESIGNS Delete (three Billboard #1 hits) Pat Benatar Book of Love La Palace de Beauté Rufus Wainwright (Grammy nominated) ART GALLERIES (selected) Vox Populi (Philadelphia) 11th Hour (Boston) Valerie Furlano (Providence, R.I.) Pat Hearn Gallery ABC No Rio Piazzo Electric PS122 Gallery Limbo Gallery (Superior, WI) White Columns Artists Space Tom Cuglianni Trisha Collins Sikkema Jenkins & Co. Launch F-18 Gallery Shoot the Lobster participant, inc. AMP: Art Market Provincetown Gallerie Mitterrand (Paris) Rupert Goldsworthy (Berlin and NYC) Allez les Filles (Columbus Ohio) Paul Kasmin Gallery Andrew Edlin Gallery Matthew Marks GAVLACK (Los Angeles) Howl! Happening: An Arturo Vega Project University of Nevada, Reno
Howl! Happening An Arturo Vega Project www.howlarts.org / info@howlarts.org
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