Author: Kimberly Baltzer-Jaray

Philosophy Lecturer, Writer for Things & Ink Magazine
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Henrik Uldalen Solo Exhibition “Rapture” @ Last Rites Gallery

14 May – 3 July 2016
Opening Night Reception: 14 May 2016 @ 7pm
Last Rites Gallery
325 West 38th Street
New York, NY 10018 USA

Last Rites Gallery is pleased to announce Rapture, a solo exhibition of works by Henrik Uldalen, on view at 325 W 38th Street from May 14 – July 3, 2016. The opening reception will take place Saturday, May 14th at 7pm. The Norwegian figurative painter’s darkly rendered subjects are cloaked in a dense cloud of charged emotion. Uldalen’s people are often portrayed in frozen, near death-like moments of numbing pain. Yet, his exquisite paintings are ethereal and other worldly.

Henrik Uldalen’s subjects are meticulously produced. His brushstrokes are both expressionistic and invisible to the eye, and his palette of cold ice blues and beiges, ochres and light pinks, is a study in the aesthetics of extreme solitude and suffering. The psychological states Uldalen chases feature subjects who appear to be drifting away from consciousness. Indeed, Uldalen is painting the subtly shifting winds of the human storm – coming to terms with one’s own daimon, the emotional shadow that plays just off to the wings throughout our lives.

“Rapture” is the artist’s painful, but liberating metamorphosis from a set of classical influences he’s grown up with. These newest works, Uldalen says, prevail over the sensation of what he terms a “nihilistic void” that has always accompanied his intensely detailed and emotionally disorienting figurative oil paintings. This series works out a handful of seemingly personal but universal conflicts – from the navel gazing of Narcissus, hypnotized by his own reflection, to the struggles of mythological creatures such as the Minotaur – each indicative of a peculiar state of mind. Uldalen set himself the task of exploring the life-long endeavors of those who recognize they are trapped in the maze of their own ineluctable fates. Uldalen cathartically exorcized these emotionally torn humans with a powerful and clear poetry, a dirge-like refrain perceived in the stoic facial expressions of his male characters as well as the gracious yet dramatic eyes of his female figures. “My art has evolved quite a bit, since I started out painting. I was heavily influenced by classical representational art and Norwegian fairy tales. As a result, the paintings I made back then might be classified as “anachronistic.” While I’m still fascinated by classical art, I have moved away from neo-classical figuration – perfectionism – although what has not changed is the emotional impact my paintings are meant to have on viewers,” says the artist.

Uldalen begins each work with a photo shoot using models, then he experiments with a range of colors that seem to fit the skin tone and unendurable emotion he’s looking to explore. With the last series, Henrik abandoned a previous analytical and structural approach to painting in favor of one more fluid and less mapped out. His portraits are an attempt, he says, to be truer to himself – a looser, more open view towards humanity – but without any dilution of the craft and the expressive technique he’s mastered in the handling of paint.

Henrik Uldalen (b. 1986, Asker, Norway) is a figurative painter based in London, U.K. He has been featured in many publications, including HiFructose and American Art Collector. His work has been showcased across Europe, America and Australia. Uldalen has had group and solo exhibitions at Galleri Ramfjord, Olso, Norway; Thinkspace, Los Angeles, CA; Jonathan Levine Gallery, NYC; Corey Helford Gallery, Los Angeles, CA; Hashimoto Contemporary, San Francisco, CA; Copro Gallery, Los Angeles, CA; BeinArt Gallery, Melbourne, AU; Last Rites Gallery, NYC and Spoke Art, San Francisco, CA.

Henrik Uldalen is also the creator of “Paintguide,” a wildly popular Instagram feed focused on contemporary painting. In 2015 Uldalen curated “Unit’s London Paintguide: the World’s First Instagram Show” for the Unit Gallery in London, UK.

Further info about the exhibition or the gallery, email info@lastritesgallery.com or call Casey Gleghorn (Gallery Director & Curator) at 570-447-5778.

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The Opening of Booth Gallery

Todd Lim-Trinity-Acrylic-Oil-and-House-Paint-on Canvas-80-x-60

On 5 November 2015 world-renowned tattoo artist Paul Booth, the owner of the Last Rites Gallery in NYC, opened a new gallery called Booth Gallery.

Booth Gallery and its program of carefully selected artists will take over the large ground floor space of 325 W 38th St. (NYC, NY 10018), and the Last Rites Gallery will be relocated to the second floor mezzanine gallery for a more focused program of Contemporary Surrealism. Booth Gallery will allow Paul to display works by an even broader selection of local and international contemporary artists.

Paul has wanted to launch a new gallery focused on the exploration of new avenues in terms of cultural significance and visual communication for years. Booth Gallery’s program has been conceived to encompass a departure from contemporary surrealism for which Paul and Last Rites Gallery have been known. Paul’s goal for his new gallery is to develop a wider audience interested in connections between historical relevance and experimentation of idea based works. Furthermore, the gallery aims to trigger discussions focusing around social, psychological and philosophical subjects in virtue of a deliberately thought-provoking approach to contemporary art. We would like to invite you all to become an active part of our ongoing dialogue and new perspective on these topics.

Booth Gallery’s inaugural exhibition, “Second Sight”, opening on November 14th at 6pm, will revolve around the connection that exists between information, perception and interpretation. This exhibition will include new works from artists Mike Cockrill, Jade Townsend, Ted Lawson, Chad Wys, Todd Lim, Johan Barrios, Ekaterina Panikanova, Ryan Hewett and Jesse Draxler.  This exhibition will be pivoted on the ambiguous connection existing between information, perception and interpretation. The title of the exhibition refers to the concept indicating the extraordinary ability of certain individuals to look beyond the oftentimes deceptive immediacy of the five senses. “Second Sight” has been conceived to explore the meanings and symbols that can be identified in the work of these artists through the interpretation of a vast repertoire of images, memories and esthetic experiences. The main goal of this exhibition is to highlight the analogies and differences between reality, representation and everything in between.

All the works have been selected in virtue of a dialog-based interaction that had been previously triggered by the artists themselves. In the light of these premises, the work of Chad Wys relates perfectly to the imagery of Jesse Draxler, since they are both deeply connected to the stratagems of visual communication and culture. The juxtaposition of excess and absence of information is a topical subject that can also be individuated in the work of Ekaterina Panikanova. Jade Townsend and Johan Barrios are like modern shamans who can turn the narrative dynamism of drawing, painting and sculpture into figments of their prolific imagination. The work of Ted Lawson, focused on experimentation, revolves around scientific theories, new materials and technology. Mike Cockrill and Todd Lim, on the other hand, prefer to provoke the viewers through an intricate alternation of social political and psychological statements. Together, these artists give us the opportunity to explore our existential perceptions of our reality.

Booth Gallery will follow up its inaugural exhibition with solo exhibitions by LA artist Jesse Draxler and Brooklyn artist Mike Cockrill in 2016 with several future exhibitions to be announced as well.

 

For further information about Booth Gallery, please visit: www.paulboothgallery.com or email: paulboothgallery@gmail.com or call Casey Gleghorn (Gallery Director) at 570-447-5778

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An Evening Filled With “An Exchanging Glance”

The Jeremy Hush Exhibition at Last Rites Gallery, NYC
21 November 2015 – 16 January 2016

On November 21st, I attended the opening reception for “An Exchanging Glance”, a solo exhibition of new works by Philadelphia illustration artist Jeremy Hush. The title of the show comes from one of the main pieces featured in the exhibition, where a Bateleur eagle sits atop an empty skull that rests in its nest, the piercing stare of the eagle juxtaposed with the vacant human eye sockets. It’s a reversal of dominion (i.e., the thinking of what humans actually assert dominion over) and what that entails. This piece, along with others included in the exhibition, is meant to remind us of the responsibility we have to other inhabitants of this world. In this way, Hush’s work demands that we rethink our roles, definitions, and the ways we understand ourselves as somehow superior to nature. Many works feature humans at moments of extreme vulnerability, or even demise, and with utter emotional vacancy. The plants and animals, on the other hand, are depicted with rich emotional and psychological character. This aesthetic experience comes complete with a massive installation comprised of five wooden rosette arches underlying the works of art.

When I first saw the media for this show, the images reminded me of 17th – 18th century Northern European still-life paintings, the really beautiful but incredibly ominous ones that contain time pieces, skulls, rotting fruit and dead animals, things which serve as symbols for death, life, vanity, earthly pleasures, greed, etc. Hush’s work, like these classic paintings, also holds a cautionary message about our behavior and inclinations towards the world we live in. The golden giant rosette arches, reminiscent of those found in a church surrounding stained glass windows or comprising the alter rails, create a dramatic contrast with both the imagery of the works and the black walls of the gallery. They inspire further contemplation of the things we humans do and why we do them. Religion depicts man as God’s highest creation, the earth with all its plants and animals is ours to use as we like. Often that statement seems to be interpreted as ‘abuse as we like’. Humans have used God not only to commit atrocities against each other, but against Mother Nature as well. Hush’s work forces us to confront the notions we have about our status in this world (i.e., a creature among creatures or an entitled godly beast) and even question the things that supposedly make us superior. At this ‘place of worship’ we do not find imagery of the Good Shepherd holding the docile beast, but rather we discover triumphant aspects of the natural world teaching humans the error of hubris. It’s all very dramatic and oh so stunning to look at.

As a philosopher, the theme was one that deeply interested me because historically great thinkers have attempted to assert and justify humankind’s superiority over nature by way of our rationality: we have big brains and can do logic, therefore we are master over mother nature! (I think, therefore I am the master of the universe.) Yet, we really know and control so little of this world. Hush’s work not only reminds us of the responsibilities we have to creatures great and small, but that this notion of ‘dominion over all’ we have entertained for over a thousand years will never succeed. It’s a fantasy. And given the state of the world at the moment – wars, poverty, racism, climate change, and reality TV – should we really be top beast?

Be sure to check out this exhibition before it’s gone. It’s beautiful, provocative, and insightful.

As for Last Rites Gallery, it’s a wonderful place to take in some great contemporary surrealist art. The gallery strives to display a showcase of thought-provoking art imbued with references to the dreamlike landscapes and ambiguous feelings originated from an intimate, philosophical contemplation of the self. Last Rites invites the observer to reflect inward and abandon himself to a conscious perception of what the innermost recesses of the mind can reveal and produce under the urge to see beyond our apparent limits. The gallery program is mainly focused on figurative paintings and sculptures featured by an unconventional interpretation of the human existence that seems to escape any definition of what is real, unreal or unknown.

 

About Jeremy Hush:
Born in 1973 in San Diego, CA, Jeremy Hush graduated from the Savannah College of Art in 1997. Inspired by the work of Arthur Rackham and other 19th century illustrators, as well as by the world of punk and heavy metal music, Hush’s imagery is strictly intertwined with the allegories and symbols of nature. To create his works, Jeremy prefers to use found materials such as ballpoint pens from around the world. While drawing and painting in a seemingly traditional way, Hush also experiments with a variety of unconventional mediums and techniques. Jeremy has been included in a number of group and solo exhibitions, and his works can be found in many private collections. He currently lives and works in Philadelphia, PA.

 

About Last Rights Gallery:
Established in 2008 by Paul Booth, Last Rites has become a premiere gallery for contemporary surrealism and a haven for artists who are not afraid of exploring and dissecting every aspect of the human condition to investigate the invisible, the unintelligible and the inexplicable with a focus on the most recondite twists and turns of reality.

Last Rites Gallery is located at 325 W 38th Street, between 8th and 9th Avenues, New York, NY.

Gallery hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 1pm to 9pm, Sundays 1pm to 6pm.
For more information, please email info@lastritesgallery.com or call: 212.560.0666.

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The Brute Style of Sebastian Klimek

In Issue 11 (The Fruity Issue), writer and philosopher Kimberly Baltzer-Jaray wrote a piece titled Stay Real. Keep Simple. Live in the now. Ignorant Style where she discussed the importance of the “shits and giggles” tattoo and interviewed French graffiti artist turned tattooist, FUZI. Along with that article we included some beautiful photographs, some of these were taken by FUZI and some were created by a talented friend of Kimberly’s, Sebastian Klimek, on the day FUZI tattooed JOnas in NYC… Kimberly explores more below…

Sebastian and FUZI share some similarities in that both are self-taught artists; both find inspiration in the streets and with the everyday people walking them; both like to break rules and do not identify with any set style, but rather create their own. In this way, they are more avant-garde or ‘anti-art’ like the 20th century Dadaists were. Sebastian’s photographs are rather eclectic and even at times a bit chaotic in subject matter, technique or distortion, and thus he describes them as ‘Brute style’. In fact, he doesn’t think of himself as an artist at all: “I don’t consider myself an artist. I don’t want to take nice photographs, but rather I want to capture interesting content. I dislike mainstream or commercial photography. You could say photography itself guides and rules my ass. I experiment a lot with different mediums, digital tools. I draw with my camera; I prefer to say that I created the images or made the photograph rather than shot or took.” As to influences on his photography, he only mentions loving the work of Daido Moriyama and Japanese aesthetics in general.

As a photographer Sebastian is very spontaneous, he tries not to think too much when he shoots since “thinking too much causes conflicts.” He’s also quite ethical in that he refuses to photograph homeless people or beggars because “it’s being a vulture for a cheap shot.”

For Sebastian, photography and creating images is a self-therapy for pain, specifically social anxiety disorder (SAD). Photography is a form of interacting with people that is without verbal content, it is a way to be part of the social situation without the pressures of conversation and proximity, and thus it his a way to cope with and overcome SAD. Capturing people on the street through his lens and images is a way of communicating at a comfortable distance, silently, and in many ways without judgment. Sebastian says, “Basically, I’m waging a war against social anxiety disorder, which has been torturing me since my teenage years. People think I’m quiet or even shy, but that’s not true. I’m pretty fuck’n loud, but I get choked when I need my communication and photography skills the most. I fear embarrassing myself, which is the biggest issue with SAD. But if you keep yourself in the shadow of a disorder, it’ll eat you and ruin your life, and you’ll end up institutionalized. Capturing people on the streets is a way for me to overcome and heal. So, there is a very deeply personal and meaningful subject for my photographs.”

It is here we see that his photography very much fits with his life philosophy when he adds, “They [his photographs] are the beginning of something greater.” For Sebastian, any misfortune in life leads to something greater and positive. In other words, setbacks and difficulties are opportunities for bigger, better and greater things.

Sebastian was born in Poland and moved to New Jersey when he was 17. With no formal education, he worked as a construction worker until a serious injury forced him to stop. He currently volunteers at a wonderful art organization known as the Franklin Furnace Archive Inc. in Brooklyn, NY, a place that encourages the creation and preservation of avant-garde art of all forms and is committed to promoting that which is under-represented by mainstream arts institutions due to things like ephemeral nature or politically unpopular content. His volunteer work at the Franklin Furnace is a source of pride, meaningful purpose and joy.

All images © 2015 Sebastian Klimek

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Dark Star Film Review & Giger Film Festival Info

Dark Star: H.R. Giger’s World
a film by Belinda Salin
Icarus Films and KimStim Release, 2015
Web: Dark Star Movie
Review by Kimberly Baltzer-Jaray

Dark Star is a film that gives the viewer a highly personal, very raw and honest glimpse into the life of Hans Ruedi Giger near the end of his life. It celebrates his life as much as brings fans to term with an aging beloved artist. In many scenes we see a man who is evidently trapped in a dying, damaged body, there are certain moments you can see it in his eyes how much he struggles with this as his mind is still very sharp, his wit is intact and his artistic brilliance still very present. He shuffles around slowly, his speech a bit muffled from the strokes he has suffered, and sometimes he even looks lost or confused when out of the house. It’s a glance at an artist we so rarely get to see in our ageist society that typically only loves and wishes to see the young and beautiful. Giger, with his slow pace and slightly disheveled hair, has transitioned from being the guy who scared the crap out people with his art and monsters to the eccentric, lovable, sweet old man who you’d love to sit down with and have coffee and cake. It also feels as much a celebration of his life as it is a farewell. With so much footage of older Giger, and given his death shortly after the filming was done, the film provides a sense of closure for fans. By the end, when he talks about how happy he is with his life and what he’s done (and how he never wants to be reincarnated), you are ready to let him go and feel at peace for him and with his passing.

This film is bittersweet and this feeling arises largely because of the juxtaposition of footage of older Giger with plenty of footage of him from the 70’s and 80’s. Surprisingly there is little footage of his midlife, and a better balance might have been struck if the filmmakers had used more. It is in this juxtaposition that you see how much Giger is losing his battle with time; his sun is setting. While you feel sad for Giger that the end of his life is torturous, his brilliant mind trapped in a failing body, you also cannot help but feel a deep sense of gratitude and adoration for what he’s accomplished and the immense influence he has had on contemporary culture and art.

From beginning to end, the film is filled with glimpses of almost every decade of Giger’s art, and every medium he used, both popular pieces and works that are little known. There’s also footage of him airbrushing, drawing and sculpting, always wonderful to watch an artist in his element. About a half hour into the film there are several of Giger’s artworks quickly flashed onto the screen alongside archival photos from wars and bomb explosions with ominous sound effects in the background, which comes across as rather shallow, impersonal and poorly thought out. The order of the pieces is more about the content of image itself and less about the meaning, such as with Giger’s Birth Machine the image prior to it is one of child soldiers from the Vietnam War and the one that follows it is of a soldier in a gasmask. While Birth Machine is an artwork containing a giant gun and loaded bullet babies wearing goggles, the meaning of the piece has to do with overpopulation – a war carried out via the pregnant uterus and not with actual guns, soldiers and slaughter. Giger spoke often about the meaning of Birth Machine and this information is well known by fans of the piece, and is readily available on the internet and in books about his art. So, lurid and erroneous mistakes like this are annoying and leave one wondering if the filmmakers truly understand his art and they disrupt the authenticity and sense of honesty of the film itself. It’s so much more aesthetically pleasing and fulfilling to see Giger create art or to walk through his art with him than to see one of his most well known images misused for anti-war posturing.

Any fan will no doubt enjoy walking with the camera as it tours his wonderful garden, complete with sculptures and a train, an art exhibit of his work, and even a visit to the HR Giger Museum in Gruyeres. It’s absolute bliss to feel as if you are standing in the “Spell Room” with the man who created it (it’s also wonderful to see Giger’s face fill with pleasure when he looks around the room). This intimate perspective the film has is the one of its most enjoyable features because it makes the art a lived experience shared with its creator. When faced with Giger’s ‘life in art’ one feels not only the intensity and breadth of his artistic genius, but that his dark spirit will never die. Giger the man is mortal, but Giger the artist is timeless and will forever haunt us all.

My only other criticisms, the white subtitles often get lost when placed over light colours, and the captions identifying people interviewed are sometimes in German and sometimes in English. Offering both would have been better.

It is immense fun to wander around his house is a wonderful labyrinth-like place filled to the brim with artworks, books and curiosities, as if you’re visiting there in person. The documentary is filmed in a highly intimate style, communicating a very strong feeling of inclusion. It is a warm and inviting look at Giger and the group of wonderful people in his life who watch over him and his legacy. There’s a lot of love and support in that house, and he was so lucky for that.

In fact, love is a feeling that pervades this film. Giger’s wife and the directress of the HR Giger Museum, Carmen, is a constant loving presence. She’s a beautiful, warm and intelligent woman who possesses a deep understanding of and admiration for his works and genius. In the one-on-one interviews with Carmen, Giger’s past partners, friends and colleagues, you see that he is surrounded by a wonderful supportive network of people who love him dearly. There is also Müggi III, the Siamese cat, who follows him about like a loyal, loving minion. At a book signing you see how much his fans adore him in their words of thanks, their fantastic tattoos, and one fellow even moved to tears when meeting Giger. At one point, Giger speaks of the 1975 suicide of Li Tobler, his early muse and famous love of his life. Watching him talk about this time in his life, how much he loved her and how painful it was to lose her, it is quite evident that her death still haunted him. In his struggle to tell this story you clearly see the feelings of guilt and helplessness he still holds, but his perseverance in sharing it shows a wish to exorcise this old demon from his heart. It’s both touching and heartbreaking to watch the profound emotions Giger displays here.

Dark Star is a must watch for any fan of Giger’s art and film work. When watched with other documentaries and short films featuring Giger, it completes the portrait of his life by revealing the story of his final years and his personal thoughts on the life he’s lived and created.

See the trailer for Dark Star on Vimeo.

North American theatrical release dates are available here. This list is constantly updated and will include June shortly.

European theatrical release dates can be found here.

Keep up with all the latest news and release dates on the Dark Star FB page.

HR Giger Documentary Film Festival, Museum of Arts and Design in NYC
May 22nd & 23rd, 2015

The Unseen Cinema of HR Giger
Rare Documentaries & Short Films
Five Hours, Three Separate Rooms, Thirteen Films

“Marking the one-year anniversary of his passing, the Museum of Arts and Design presents The Unseen Cinema of HR Giger. Partnering with the HR Giger estate and the HR Giger Documentary Film Festival, this weekend-long event presents rare and never before seen films made by and about HR Giger.”

Watch the trailer for the film festival on Vimeo here.