Click Image To View Action.

My essay “To Open […] To Collect […] To Expand […] To Continue: Richard Serra’s Verb List, Post-Internet Appropriation, and the Culture of the Use of Forms” has just been published in the latest edition of Pool. The essay looks at the tension between the culture of use signaled by the internet and the culture of ownership embedded in the clearance culture of restrictive copyright law through a comparison with and reinterpretation of Richard Serra’s 1967-1968 verb list.

Pool is a platform dedicated to expanding and improving the discourse between online and offline realities and their cultural, societal and political impact on each other.

A PDF of the essay can be downloaded here, or on the Pool site.

RCP.ML2K.PDF Issue #11 “OMG OWS” is now out! The revolution is televised on the internet! RCP.ML2K.PDF is a PDF webzine available for download online, and is a collaboration between A. Bill Miller and myself. The project explores image circulation, as well as the fluid and adaptable nature of images in the digital environment. The project was developed with the intent to create an artwork that participates in the gift economy of file sharing. This is our eleventh issue and we’ve been going strong for about two years now with regular quarterly issues.

To download Issue #11 click here -or- visit the RCP.ML2K.PDF site.

Click image to view.

Here is a .gif for F.A.T. Lab’s enlistment call. I used Josh MacPhee’s graphic arrows from the great occupy graphic work he has been producing!

RCP.ML2K.PDF Issue #10 “Extended Dance Remix” is now out! RCP.ML2K.PDF is a PDF webzine available for download online, and is a collaboration between A. Bill Miller and myself. The project explores image circulation, as well as the fluid and adaptable nature of images in the digital environment. The project was developed with the intent to create an artwork that participates in the gift economy of file sharing. This is our tenth issue and we’ve been going strong for about two years now with regular quarterly issues. This issue also features contributions and remix work by Simon Baker, Sara Caron, Michael Manning, and Dean Valadez!

To download Issue #10 click here -or- visit the RCP.ML2K.PDF site.

A new book is out “We Are Wisconsin: The Wisconsin uprising in the words of the activists, writers, and everyday Wisconsinites who made it happen” edited by Erica Sagrans, a writer, activist, and organizer who has worked for Nancy Pelosi and Organizing for America.

From the Kickstarter description:

In February of 2011, the people of Wisconsin changed the political landscape in America overnight. In response to their Republican governor’s move to strip workers of the basic right to organize, Wisconsinites decided to fight back—occupying their Capitol for days on end and protesting in record numbers throughout the freezing Madison winter. Their bold action inspired progressives across the country, and revived the conversation on organized labor, direct-action, and civil resistance.

We Are Wisconsin gives an up-close,view of the Wisconsin struggle, as told by the grassroots activists, independent journalists, and Wisconsinites who led the fight. This collection of essays, blog posts, and original writing looks at what happened, what it means, and what comes next—including the real-time, fast-paced story of the Capitol occupation as told through tweets from those who were on the inside.

We Are Wisconsin will be released in August, and will be one of first books out on the Wisconsin fight.

You can follow the project on Twitter, or support the project on Kickstarter.

Click image to view.

Click image to view.

Click image to view.

Click image to view.

Click image to view.

Click image to view.

To download Issue #9 click here -or- visit the RCP.ML2K.PDF site.

You are cor­di­ally invited to the open­ing of »I’ve Zine the Dark­ness« on Fri­day, 3rd of June 2011 at 8 pm in dieschön­estadt gal­lery, Halle, Germany.

Pro­gram

3rd of JUNE 2011

8 pm — Open­ing per­form­ance of Caolin ink. & the image of power.
They exclus­ively intro­duce their Artzine-​​EP at the exhib­i­tion.

8th of JUNE 2011

6 pm — Regine Ehleiter, cur­ator of the show »Thanks For Shar­ing« in
Kun­straum D21 Leipzig talks about Artzines and exhib­it­ing these.

7 pm — Karen Laube and Phil­ipp Neu­mann of MZIN talk about MZIN and
the dis­tri­bu­tion of works with small cir­cu­la­tions com­mon to self-​​publishing.
MZIN is a store and gal­lery for graph­ics, art and pop in Leipzig.

8 pm — Schro­eter and Ber­ger (Ber­lin) talk about being artists, design­ers and
pub­lish­ers in one. Being hybrids means being bust­ling constantly.

10 pm — Screen­ing of »Mag­gots and Men« (Dir­ect­ors: Cary Cronen­wett and
Ilona Ber­ger, USA 2009, 56 min., Eng­lish) as part of the Queer Movie Nights.

Open­ing hours
Monday to Wed­nes­day, Fri­day & Sat­urday from 2 to 6 pm
Thursday from 6 to 10 pm

Address
dieschön­estadt gal­lery
Am Stein­tor 19
06112 Halle (Saale)

Par­ti­cipants

AND Col­lect­ive · Art is Dead Magazine · Art Work­ers Resource Group · FFFLLOU Magazin · Filip Matejicek · Frank­lin Obre­gon · G. Kowal­czyk · Gal­limaufry Edi­tion · Georg Rein­hardt · Grey­ory Blake · Gud­berg · Hanna Andersson · Hanna T. Nils­son · Has­isi Park · Hot­mix · Hugh Frost · Ian Steven­son · Ines Christine Geißer · J. Beast · J. Marquardt · J. Redon-​​Acapulco · Jack­son Eaton · Jan Adri­aans · Jasper Sebastian Stürup · Javier Loz­ano · Jeff Luker · Jérémie Egry · Jes­per Fab­ri­cius · Joakim Ojanen · Joe Skilton · Jonas Ciecior · Jonathan Cos­tello · Jur­gen Maelfeyt · K. Kowal­czyk · Kalle San­ner · Karen Schau­peter · Karl Addison · KFG Zine Group · Kiin Franz · Kom­fort Mag · Kota Ezawa · Laura Pas­quer­ault · Laurie Frank · Lea Schön­felder · Lee Bas­ford · Léo Favier · Lisa Wüll­ner · Lokal Int. · Lucio Girondo · Lukasz Wierzbow­ski · Luke Swen­son · Lydia Jar­vis · M. Zmiejew­ski · Mak­ing Do · Man­fred Eicher · Marco Ambrosi · Marco Bales­teros · Marco Müller Marco Zumbé · Marian Reinig · Michael J. DeMeo · Michael Jack­son · Michael Sat­ter · Michael Swaney · Michalis Pichler · Mikro Makro Kos­mos · Mona Mahall · MS Bastian · Nath­alie Chikhi · Nic­olas Sourvi­nos · Out­land­ish Pho­to­graphy · Ox Zerox · Panayi­otis Terzis · Parker Davis · Paul Paper · Pepe Med­ina · Phaedra Longhurst · Phil Barber · Pho­tostat · Pikaland · Piotr Łakomy · Play­ground Magazine · Poultry Farm · Rasums Svens­son · Reflex Issue · Reilly Hodg­son · Rick Myers · Rie Suzuki · Rita Stoghum · Ros­ansi Becenic · Ryan McGin­ley · Sander Meis­ner · Sandra Doeller · Sara Caron · Sarah Duncan · Schem­atic · Schröder E. · Schro­eter und Ber­ger · Sena Başöz · Sex Tags · Simon Oster­dijk · Simone Gilges · Sis­sel Tolaas · Squale · Stefano Pasquini · Stephane Leonard · Stephane Leonard · Sug­uru Ryuzaki · Thomas Alb­dorf · Thomas Mailaender · Tim · Ting Cheng · Tony tun­dra · Tuukka Kaila · Unknown Artists · Vanessa Lam · Vari­ous Artists · Veron­ica Ibarra · Vir­ginia Echever­ria · Yu Mor­ishita · Yumiko Hegenbart-​​Matsui · Yuvali Theis · Zachary Gib­son · Zola Predosa

213 Magazin · A5 Magazine · APE — Art Paper Edi­tion · ARPed­i­tions · Art Work­ers Resource Group Aske Press · Avant Afro Micro Press · Bend Over Magazine · Blood Becomes Water · Blood of The Young · Bodega Press · Book­let Press · Box­cut­ter Books · Buf­falo Zine · Die Nacht · Ditto Press · Edi­tion Fäst­ing Plock­are · Fan­to­maso­fo­bia · FFFLLOU Magazine · Flow-​​EE Pro­ject · Hands On Papers · Hello Zine · HORI­ZONTE  – Zeits­chrift für Architek­turd­iskurs · igmade.edition · Innen Zines · Insti­tut für invest­ig­at­ive Ästhetik · Land­fill Edi­tions · Lay­Flat · Lazy­Dog · Magazin über Orte · Mak­ing Do · mono.kultur · Napa Books · Nobrow · Non­stopnerds · Obsol­ete Shit · Pestro Graph­ique · PIE Paper Play­ground Magazine · Pogo Books · Print­show · PWR Paper · Ran­dom Cul­ture · Ran­dom Press · Reflex Magazine · Schem­atic Quarterly · Slanted · Spa­ce­pi­lots · Space Poetry · Super­kraft Sur­pllus · The Fun Archive · The Vel­vet Cell · twelve­books ·

And more…!

Here is her Wall Label Mad Libs template if you want to try your hand at it:

John Smith’s [or make up a name] work has always been interested in ___________[noun-subject matter, e.g., astronomy, home economics]. Operating at the forefront of the _______[noun-optional: in a foreign language or proper noun]-ist movement, he became fascinated with _______[noun-everyday object], striving to reinvent our very concept of _________[noun-category or platonic ideal]. His sumptuous, _______ [adjective] brushstrokes evoke __________[noun-geographic location] in the ______[decade, e.g., 1960]‘s. Although Clement Greenberg wrote that his work was utter drivel, _________[noun-group of people, e.g., tourists, schoolchildren] have been moved enough by his reconception of __________[noun-category of sensory perception] and _________ [noun-field of philosophy] that they _________[verb-something that activists do].

In this painting ______ [noun-person] sits in a ________[adjective] chair looking at the viewer _________[adverb-describes facial expression]. Over his/her shoulder looms a ______ [noun-animal] peering at him _______ [adverb].

I combined two contests and made a wall label mad lib for this image…

Here is my text:

Rocco Tremont-Somouch’s work has always been interested in physical academics. Operating at the forefront of the German Bastardist movement, he became fascinated with the intersection of garden gnomes and kitchen utensils, striving to reinvent our very concept of unacknowledged compassion and heroic sympathy. His sumptuous, sensitive, yet brutish brushstrokes evoke the Pyrenees in the 1790‘s. Although Clement Greenberg wrote that his work was utter drivel, Frankish Nuns have been moved enough by his reconception of everyday impossibility and the Catechism of the Council of Trent that they threw themselves in a riot of prayer destroying many works in fits of ecstatic revelry.

In this painting Saint Nikolaos of Myra sits in a preternatural chair looking at the viewer in despondent solicitude. Over his shoulder looms an albino sloth peering at him somberly.

Check out Amy’s original posts at the links below and join in the fun!

Post: Department of Audience Participation: Wall Label Winners
(May 23rd, 2011)

Post: Contest! DIY Wall Labels…
(May 12th, 2011)

Two issues of RCP.ML2K.PDF will be included in the exhibition I’ve Zine the Dark­ness at the Dieschön­estadt Gal­lery in Halle Germany June 2011.

Issues Included:

RCP.ML2K.PDF Issue #5: Jogging Dump Remix Mash (PDF) Summer 2010

RCP.ML2K.PDF Issue #7: Internet Icon (PDF) Winter 2011

I’ve Zine The Darkness is an exhibition about the artzine phenomenon, its aesthetic and political dimensions and the practice of self-publishing used by artists to spread their work. The exhibition will take place at the Dieschön­estadt Gal­lery in Halle, Germany. Various lectures are planned to accompany the exhibition. The exhibition is a project of Artzines.de.

RCP.ML2K.PDF Issue #8 “Flowers” is now out! RCP.ML2K.PDF is a PDF webzine available for download online, and is a collaboration between A. Bill Miller and myself. The project explores image circulation, as well as the fluid and adaptable nature of images in the digital environment. The project was developed with the intent to create an artwork that participates in the gift economy of file sharing. This is our eighth issue and we’ve been going strong for about two years now with regular quarterly issues. RCP.ML2K.PDF will be included in an exhibition in Germany this summer! I will post more information about the exhibition soon!

To download Issue #8 click here -or- visit the RCP.ML2K.PDF site.

Friday, May 6th Celebrate People’s History exhibition at Justseeds and film showing. They will be exhibiting all 69 printed posters from the Celebrate People’s History poster series, curated by Josh MacPhee since 1998.

There will also be a screening of As Still As Horses, a short film by local filmmaker Israel Vasquez (with a short Q and A), and then Exit Through the Gift Shop, a feature film by the street artist Banksy.

This event is free, all ages, and BYOC (Bring your own cushion)!
6 – 8 pm -> Art show
8 – 10 pm -> Film showing

Justseeds
3410 Penn Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15201

Celebrate People’s History Art Show and Book Release party

Friday April 22 6-9pm
Astrix Gallery (524 W National, Milwaukee)

Come see an exhibition of posters from Josh MacPhee’s Celebrate People’s History Poster Project. Over 40 posters celebrating a range of topics including Act Up, Womens Resistance in Oaxaca, Judi Bari, Crass, Malcolm X, The Occupation of Alcatraz, and the EZLN will be on view in the gallery.

Artist’s include Cristy C Road, Chris Stain, Courtney Dailey, Swoon, and Pete Yahnke, as well as local artists Kate Luscher, Nicolas Lampert, Brandon Bauer, and Julio Cordova.

Get there early, all posters will be for sale under $5. A limited number of books about this project will be available as well.

Ai Weiwei in Tiananmen Square in 2009 (the 20th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre)

On January 11, 2011 the studios of Ai Weiwei were demolished by the Chinese government. He was arrested April 3, 2011 and has not been heard from since.

Here is an excerpt from a recent article in the Global Post:

Ai’s is just the latest in a long string of arrests, detentions and disappearances of critics of China’s regime this spring. Security forces moved amid ongoing calls for a Jasmine Revolution in China, apparently unnerved in part by the tumult and uprisings in the Middle East and North Africa. The group Chinese Human Rights Defenders has published a map of disappearances and detentions in recent weeks, which offers a stark view of the situation.

Ai, the outspoken artist and an avid user of social media, was documenting via Twitter the ongoing crackdown on Chinese voices. And while he’s far from the first to be silenced, he has the highest international profile. Ai has been the subject of stories in countless magazines and newspapers and appeared on widely watched international television programs.

Ai Weiwei’s Recent TED Film

Ai Weiwei, Study in Perspective (Tiananmen), 1995.

In response to his disappearance some artists have started a project called “Weiwei Works Here” to stand in solidarity with his calls for social change and democracy. Information can be found on the site weiweiworkshere.org.

Justseeds has been putting out some great downloadable copyright free images about Wisconsin Labor Protests. I have made a few myself and have included them here. Feel free to use these images for posters, signs, flyers, patches, etc…

Here are some links to the Justseeds work- all of the downloadable graphics produced so far can be found in these blogposts:

February 28th- Posters in Support of Wisconsin Workers : Downloadable Graphics
March 2nd- Closed For Democracy
March 5th- Be prepared for the General Strike if and when it is called
March 6th- General Strike!
March 6th- Make Them Pay

Otherwise keep an eye on their blog for more graphics and information as the situation in Wisconsin develops.

Download Rat Eating Badger image by Nicolas Lampert
Download Union Made image by Colin Matthes
Download Recall image by Nicolas Lampert
Download Occupied For Labor image by Colin Matthes
Download Union Thug image by Jesus Barraza

Here are a couple of my images:

Download Bully Walker image
Download Wisconsin Fist image

FIGHT BACK WISCONSIN!

It’s all over the news all over the world and for good reason…

Here are a few good articles:

From the Front Lines in Madison, WI (Common Dreams)
What’s Happening in Wisconsin Explained (Mother Jones)
Signs from Madison: Working Class Solidarity and an Occupied Capital Building (Justseeds)

The full collection of CPH Posters will be on display at Toronto Free Gallery from February 10 – March 19, 2011. The opening will be held on Thursday, February 10th at 7:00PM.

Toronto Free Gallery
1277 Bloor Street West
Toronto, ON M4E 2J8
Tel: 416.913.0461

Hours of Operation:
Wednesday-Friday 12-5pm
Saturday 12-6pm

RCP.ML2K.PDF Issue #7 Winter 2011 “Internet Icons” – dissolving symbolic graphics.

Download here- or visit the RCP.ML2K.PDF Project webpage.

My Celebrate People’s History Poster about Crass is hot off the presses and now available through Justseeds!

Crass (1977-1984) was a group of artists, activists, writers, filmmakers, and musicians that banded together using punk as a resistant cultural form for the promotion of anarchism as a political ideology—a way of living as a resistance movement. Crass was one of the earliest proponents of the anarcho-punk movement and created a distinctive and often referenced graphic aesthetic that is to this day an internationally recognized hallmark of anarcho-punk. Crass advocated direct action, animal rights and environmentalism, feminism, anti-racism, and were decidedly antiwar. They advocated a do-it-yourself approach producing agitational sound collages, graphics, albums, and films as well as stenciled graffiti messages around London, coordinated squats, and organized political action.

“The nature of our oppression is the aesthetic of our anger.”

1 color offset printed poster
11″x17″
unsigned/unlimited edition

pick it up here!

Here is the info:

Celebrate People’s History exhibition in Oakland – Poster Exhibition & Book Release Party

La Peña Cultural Center
3105 Shattuck Avenue
Berkeley, CA 94705 USA
510-849-2568
www.lapena.org

CPH Book Launch and Exhibition in Philly!

Opening: Friday, January 7, 7:00pm – 10:00pm
Studio 34 Yoga Healing Arts
4522 Baltimore Ave
Philadelphia, PA

Jerry Brown has been re-elected as Governor of California. The Dead Kennedys song California Über Alles is suddenly relevant again. With all of the problems facing the state of California and the country it may be time to dust off the old master-plan.

Jerry Brown 2012 – Obama power will soon go away – California Über Alles!

California Über Alles

I am Governor Jerry Brown
My aura smiles
And never frowns
Soon I will be president…

Carter Power will soon go away
I will be Fuhrer one day
I will command all of you
Your kids will meditate in school
Your kids will meditate in school!

[Chorus:]
California Über Alles
California Über Alles
Über Alles California
Über Alles California

Zen fascists will control you
100% natural
You will jog for the master race
And always wear the happy face

Close your eyes, can’t happen here
Big Bro’ on white horse is near
The hippies won’t come back you say
Mellow out or you will pay
Mellow out or you will pay!

[Chorus]

Now it is 1984
Knock-knock at your front door
It’s the suede/denim secret police
They have come for your uncool niece

Come quietly to the camp
You’d look nice as a drawstring lamp
Don’t you worry, it’s only a shower
For your clothes here’s a pretty flower.

DIE on organic poison gas
Serpent’s egg’s already hatched
You will croak, you little clown
When you mess with President Brown
When you mess with President Brown

[Chorus]

The more things change the more they stay the same…

(tongue firmly implanted in cheek)

…making curry…

…going for a walk…

David Wojnarowicz "A Fire in My Belly" Original from ppow_gallery on Vimeo.

David Wojnarowicz

Thanks to HIDESEEK.ORG

The Celebrate People’s History book has just been released by the Feminist Press! Josh MacPhee will be on hand to do a big book release event and party in Chicago on Thursday Nov. 11th at Quimbys in Chicago.

Here’s the details:

Thursday November 11th, 7:00pm
Quimby’s Bookstore
1854 W. North Ave
Chicago, IL 60622
773-342-0910

RCP.ML2K.PDF Issue #6 Fall 2010 “Sorry Sessions” – the inaccessibility of information in the digital age.

Download here- or visit the RCP.ML2K.PDF Project webpage.

Installation at the Sharon Lynne Wilson Center for the Arts (partial view)

#1: Emerging Artist Gallery at the Sharon Lynne Wilson Center for the Arts

I will be included in the Emerging Artist Gallery at the Sharon Lynne Wilson Center for the Arts. There are a great bunch of artist showing at the event, including: Richard Galling, Andrew Hinkle, Sarah Holden, Stevie Kinast, Erik M. Peterson, Alec Regan, Tim Stoelting, Bernadette Watts, and Christopher Willey.

The Sharon Lynne Wilson Center for the Arts is located in Brookfield’s Mitchell Park at 19805 W Capitol Drive.

#2: MIAD Faculty Exhibition Opening

The MIAD Faculty Exhibition is also opening- there are some great artists teaching at MIAD that I would be happy exhibiting with for any occasion!

Here is the information:

MIAD Faculty Exhibition
September 14 – October 23
Frederick Layton Gallery
Opening Reception, Thursday, September 16, 6 – 8 p.m.
Faculty Readings: September 30, 7 p.m.

and finally…

#3: Film Festival at Small Space Gallery

Small Space is running a film festival marathon this weekend called the “Small Space Jr. Punk Fugue Drug Simulator All Day Sunday Film Festival”- It should be a lot of fun! I’ll have some shorter work included… stop by and check this great new space!

Small Space
2676 N. Holton St. Milwaukee, WI

Click Here to Download Random Culture- Volume 2, Issue 1: Panda Bear Slightly Altered (PDF) Fall 2010

Post #1: World Panic
Post#2: Grid Font Moby Dick
Post #3: CIA Anti-Sandinista “Freedom Fighter’s Manual”
Post #4: RCP.ML2K.PDF

@ Private Circulation

The UW-Milwaukee Graduate Art Student Association produced a catalog of work by current visual art and film grad students- Cultivate 2009-2010! The fourteen Visual Art as well as Film graduate students in this collection have presented their work alongside current artist statements, representing a dynamic grouping of work. Art History Grad Student Neil Gasparka has provided a thoughtful essay to introduce the work.

The catalog can be previewed online at Blurb and can be ordered online from the same site.

This Is What You Were Born For- Mapping Afghan History Installation Images and Detail Views

Click This Is What You Were Born For (PDF)- to download a PDF of the artist statement, installation description, and the twelve original graphic maps created for the exhibition.

BATHAS will be screening The Culture Industry Reconsidered at the Frankenart Mart in San Francisco!

My work has been selected for the Starlight Cinema’s Cream of the Crop event at the University of Wisconsin Madison. Cream of the Crop is an event showcasing Wisconsin-wide media artists. This curated exhibition features short works of experimental film and video art as well as multimedia performance.

Thursday, 4.22.2010 8:30 pm
Starlight Cinema – Starlight Cinema’s ‘Cream of the Crop’
University of Wisconsin – Madison
Memorial Union – Play Circle.
90 min | WI | DVD and live performance
FREE

Works included in the screening:
A short and incomplete history of experimental film and video (2006)
Fractured Landscapes (2007)
Remediation Composite #1 (2009)

Featuring the work of:

Brandon Bauer
Maria Bolivar
Jason Houchen
Ashley Morgan
Richard Mutz
Leah Schreiber

Opening Reception: Friday, April 9th, 5-7pm
Gallery Talk: Tuesday, April 13th, 4-6pm

the event is free and open to the public
Inova/Arts Center Gallery
Arts Center Building
2400 E. Kenwood Blvd.
(second floor) on the UWM Campus
Hours: Tuesday through Saturday, 11am – 4pm
Information: (414) 229-5070
arts.uwm.edu/visualart

To Download Click MA/MFA II (PDF)

I am currently completing the work for my MFA exhibition This Is What You Were Born For, a project mapping Afghan history from antiquity to the present.

Here is my statement about the work:

While postmodernism was preoccupied with relativizing historical transformations and contesting the lapses and prejudices of epistemological grand narratives, postcoloniality does the obverse, seeking instead to sublate and replace all grand narratives through new ethical demands on modes of historical interpretation.
-Okwui Enwezor
from The Postcolonial Aftermath of Globalization and the Terrible Nearness of Distant Places

The work that comprises the project This Is What You Were Born For grew out of a desire to understand the history of Afghanistan beyond the terse or glib commentary found in the discourse of many major media outlets. As the Enwezor quote above suggests, there is an ethical responsibility demanded of historical interpretation when reflecting on the cultural legacy of colonialism and its aftermath. In this regard, Afghanistan raises some particularly difficult issues: which colonization, from what empire, in which era? Where do we begin unpacking and understanding the complex history of this land locked central Asian country? The history of Afghanistan is one of continued conquest and occupation, but more than that, the history of Afghanistan is the history of resistance to empire. This history also demonstrates the changing nature of empire and the increasingly diffuse nature of territorial conquest from antiquity to the present. One can see territory as an abstraction, and the act of mapping itself as an abstraction, yet in both instances this abstraction references a concrete reality that has influenced the contours of what we call present day Afghanistan.

For the exhibition I have created a series of twelve maps that I have rendered and layered on hand drawn light boxes, and have drawn in ink and graphite on paper that chart the successive invasions of the land now understood as the contemporary territorial boundaries of the country of Afghanistan. Each map is paired with text taken from Francisco Goya’s Disasters of War series of etchings creating a narrative that weaves through this fractious history. Within the overall installation Afghan history is charted through eras of territorial conquest by the various empires that have invaded and occupied the country from antiquity to the present exploring experimental cartographic forms that blur the boundaries of narrative and abstraction.

To view a PDF of the twelve graphic maps click here.

The work can be seen at the Inova/Arts Center Gallery from April 9th through April 24th as a part of the Peck School of the Arts MA/MFA Spring Thesis Exhibition II in Milwaukee, WI.

April 9-24, 2010
MA/MFA SPRING THESIS EXHIBITION II
Opening reception: Friday, April 9, 5-7 pm
Gallery talk: Tuesday, April 13, 4-6 pm

West Central Illinois Arts Center is excited to announce the opening of Paper Politics a major exhibition of politically and socially engaged printmaking. Paper Politics can be seen at the WCI Arts Center Gallery March 6 through April 3. The WCI Arts Center is located at 25 East Side Square in Macomb, Illinois. The Gallery is open Fridays from noon to 4:00 p.m. and Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. An artist and sponsor reception is planned for Friday, March 26, from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Download here- or visit the RCP.ML2K.PDF Project webpage.

I have just been interviewed as a part of UW-Milwaukee’s series of Graduate Student Features. The following is a re-post of the interview. The original interview can be found here.

Featured Student: December 2009
Brandon Bauer

Brandon Bauer is a multi-disciplinary artist based in Wisconsin. His practice involves the critical use of collage, montage, and appropriation, and the exploration of the contextual meaning of images and objects. Brandon has exhibited work in the Aces(s) electronic media festival in Pau, France, The European Media Arts Festival in Osnabruck, Germany, and at Project 101 in Paris among several other national and international venues. Brandon’s work has been produced in DVD editions, used as illustration for various editorial publications and books, and has been published in poster editions. Brandon also currently co-produces a broadcast video art program through Milwaukee Public Access channel 96.

Brandon co-edited the book Peace Signs: the Anti-War Movement Illustrated, published in two editions and released in 2004. Gustavo Gili of Barcelona, Spain published the Spanish-language edition, and Edition Olms, based in Zurich, Switzerland, published editions in English, French, and German. In 2003 a DVD of Brandon’s early experimental video, Signaldrift: a Day Under the City, was released by the Paris-based video art label Lowave. In 2009, the experimental-noise label FTAM released a DVD of Brandon’s collaborations with noise musician Peter J. Woods, titled Hungry Ghosts.

Brandon received his BFA in painting from the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design in 1996, and his MA from the UWM in 2008. Brandon is currently completing his MFA in Intermedia at UWM and is a 2009-2010 Graduate Student Fellowship recipient. Brandon is an adjunct Time Based Media faculty member at the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design.

1) How would you describe your field of study/research to a friend who is not in your graduate program?

I am in the Interdisciplinary Visual Arts program in the Peck School of the Arts at UW-Milwaukee. Choosing the Interdisciplinary focus means that I approach my work in a conceptual manner, and then I decide how best to realize the work materially. My practice involves the critical use of collage, montage, and appropriation, and the exploration of the contextual meaning of images and objects. Art creates a critical space. Images and objects brought into an art context and divorced from the ways they normally function or circulate in the world are considered in a new light within this critical space. Art can bring a new focus to the ordinary, the everyday, or the overlooked, and can force interactions between images or objects that may not be readily apparent in another context. Images and representations can be taken at face value in other forms, but within the sphere of art larger cultural issues about image circulation, narrative structures, or the ideological constructions of representations can all be investigated in intriguing and challenging ways. I see art as a unique and crucial space to examine, address, and comment on larger issues within our culture.

2) What brought you to UWM for your graduate studies?

I was living in Milwaukee, and had been familiar with UM-Milwaukee and the Peck School of the Arts. The Peck School of the Arts has consistently brought great things to the Milwaukee art scene, from the public lecture series, visiting artists, film screenings, and excellent slate of exhibitions though Inova, it seemed like a very strong program.

3) What’s been your best experience so far?

I would have to say, collaborating with A. Bill Miller—then a graduate student and now a lecturer in the UWM Art Department—on our installation “Beer Barons and Brewery Workers” at the historic Blatz building downtown for the Make Your Own History exhibition in the spring of 2008. It was great to meet him, and begin a collaborative relationship with our art. The project was fun and challenging as well, creating a site-specific work in the Blatz building that spoke to the larger history of the brewing industry in Milwaukee. That collaboration has spawned further projects, and Bill and I continue to work together today.

4) If you were able to merge another discipline with yours, what would that be and why?

I would love to work with Architecture and Urban Planning. I feel artists can have a lot to contribute to ideas about public space and urban navigation. I am interested in the theories of the Situationists, and the conceptual architectural projects that Situationist artists like Constant Nieuwenhuys developed, as well as the ideas of contemporary architects like Rem Koolhaas. I love how Koolhaas describes space as a sequence or montage, using film language. With collage and montage being the conceptual starting point at the heart of my practice, I find it exciting to think of these ideas in terms of an immersive space, especially on the kind of scale that architecture can function. Not only that but, with new green building techniques and innovations like zero energy video walls, the notion of architectural montage and sequence can be pushed in interesting, immersive, and sustainable ways.

5) What is your favorite stress-reduction activity?

I would have to say playing with my little baby girl—Eden! Everyday she grows physically and mentally. It is amazing to witness her as she grows and develops. She is a very happy little girl, and she brings a lot of joy to my wife, Wendy, and me!

6) What do you most enjoy about Milwaukee?

I love this city. It really is my home. I feel Milwaukee is severely underrated. Obviously there are problems here as well, and those should not be ignored, but with that being said, we do have a lot to be proud of here. We have a beautiful lakefront, which we can thank the history of Milwaukee socialism for, as well as the other imprints that history has left on this city. Milwaukee is also very fortunate to have places like Growing Power, and Simple Soyman—who make the best tofu ever. Not to mention places like the Oriental Theater, and all of the wonderful restaurants all over the city. There really is a lot to love, as well as a lot to work towards to make this city even better.

7) Is there anything that you’ve had to “give up” as a graduate student?

The short answer would be a social life… Between full-time graduate study with TA and PA appointments, teaching as an adjunct at the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design, producing a video art television program through MATA Community Media, continuing to exhibit my work both in Milwaukee and around the country, not to mention my wife Wendy has now started graduate school as well, and as I mentioned, our beautiful little baby girl who is full of life and full of boundless energy… needless to say a social life has really gone to the wayside. I hope that when I am done with my MFA it will not be to late to resurrect some of it.

8) What are your plans for after graduate school?

Looking for a full time teaching position, as well as continuing to work on my artwork and exhibit it.

9) What trait do you find most necessary to succeed in graduate school?

Dedication, hard work, and self-motivation to push yourself further than you thought you could go. Graduate school has been an insane pressure cooker for me, but it has been incredibly productive and challenging. I have to give a lot of credit to my committee, who has consistently pushed me to refine and expand my ideas and not let me settle for simple answers—unless the simple answer came through a lot of hard work and was found to be the best answer! You really do need to push yourself; I cannot stress that enough.

10) Do you have any advice that you would give to a new graduate student in your program?

I think the biggest piece of advice I would give would be to choose your committee wisely. Take the time to meet as many different faculty as possible in your first year and find out who understands the ideas you are developing, and find those who challenge you in ways that are most helpful to your process. Having a good committee can mean all the difference in this program. There are a lot of great faculty to work with, but not everyone is going to be the right fit for the direction you want to take in your work. The faculty are very dedicated to what they do, and they take what you say seriously, so take what you do and say seriously while you are here. You are ultimately building a relationship with your committee that will carry you through the program so it is important to find the right balance of voices and personalities to work with in that process.

I am a featured artist in the new book Paper Politics: Socially Engaged Printmaking Today that has just been released by PM Press.

Here is the description of the book from the PM Press website:

Paper Politics: Socially Engaged Printmaking Today is a major collection of contemporary politically and socially engaged printmaking. This full color book showcases print art that uses themes of social justice and global equity to engage community members in political conversation. Based on an art exhibition which has traveled to a dozen cities in North America, Paper Politics features artwork by over 200 international artists; an eclectic collection of work by both activist and non-activist printmakers who have felt the need to respond to the monumental trends and events of our times.

Paper Politics presents a breathtaking tour of the many modalities of printing by hand: relief, intaglio, lithography, serigraph, collagraph, monotype, and photography. In addition to these techniques, included are more traditional media used to convey political thought, finely crafted stencils and silk-screens intended for wheat pasting in the street. Artists range from the well established (Sue Coe, Swoon, Carlos Cortez) to the up-and-coming (Favianna Rodriguez, Chris Stain, Nicole Schulman), from street artists (BORF, You Are Beautiful) to rock poster makers (EMEK, Bughouse).

Check it out! It is an excellent book on contemporary political printmaking with great essays addressing the history of political printmaking as well as challenges for the future of socially engaged printmaking and social activism.

I included in the exhibition the piece “Remediation Composite #1″- a recent animated video collage looped on a monitor.

Here is the gallery information:

UWM Union Art Gallery
2200 E. Kenwood Blvd.
Milwaukee, WI 53211
414.229.6310

Click here for the UW-Milwaukee Union Art Gallery blog.

Hours: Mon, Tues, Wed, Fri & Sat 12-5pm; Thu 12-7pm

I just found out a piece I did in the Clarion Alley in San Francisco back in 2000 has been documented and included in a new book titled “Street Art San Francisco: Mission Muralismo“.

The title is a little misleading because the book only deals with work in the Mission District rather than the whole of San Francisco, but it has great history on the murals of the Chicano movement that are found throughout the district as well as the famous mural alleys- Balmy and Clarion.

The book delves in to the history of the Clarion Alley Mural Project (CAMP), and also looks at the artists of what has come to be known as the “Mission School”- including artists like Barry McGee, Margaret Killgallen, Chris Johanson, and others. Beyond that there are photos by a whole slew of great artists like Swoon, the San Francisco Print Collective, Ester Hernandez, the Billboard Liberation Front, and Claude Moller. It is a very good mix of street art, graffiti, and mural painting both historic and up to date, and the book is well researched and documented with some very good essays.

Click here for a link to a review of the book on the Brooklyn Street Art site by Josh MacPhee.