Jeffrey Vallance: Now More Than Ever

These are drawings of the drawings in the show.

I went to the opening for Jeffrey Vallance:  Now More Than Ever at Edward Cella Art and Architecture gallery in Los Angeles, California.  The exhibition title is a reference to, a nod to the Richard Millhouse Nixon Presidential Re-election campaign of 1972.

On the walls of the main room, there were 12 new drawings and an octopus painted over some presidential campaign signs.  The exhibition guide, a piece of literature, said that there were twenty-two drawings in all, but not all were up on the walls.  In the center of the main room stood a hugely tall, flat file, about 20 or 30 drawers high.  It was a monolith of drawings so high that there was a ladder next to it so you could see the drawings in the top drawers.  I didn't at first think it was part of the exhibition because it didn't look like art, but it was very exhibitionistic, featuring 100 drawings out of Mr. Vallance's past.

Here is a picture of the monolith of drawings.

 

If you like drawings with multi-mediums and collage, then you should go, it's your moral imperative. Go see them even though Jeffrey is a male.

His drawing is largely unhampered by his maleness, but that maleness does place his art a step beneath any woman's art.  I was able to overlook this fact and accept the show for what it was, fun.

The show featured Blinky, the friendly hen, in more ways than one.  She was resting in state for a stream of mourners and was the subject of a drawing showing her vivacious, severed head.  It was dramatic, both the drawing and her stately resting.

Some of Jeffrey's less recent works were on loan to the gallery, and these were nifty but I saw these as a foundation upon which the latest works were built.

The gallery is immaculate, and the restroom was relaxing and really clean.

This article presupposes familiarity and knowledge with Jeffrey's work.  If you want more info, use the search engine of your choice to look him up and down.  He is on the internet. 

Mitzi Pederson Artist Talk

A Pederson painting I drew from memory.

I went to the Mitzi Pederson artist talk at Real Time and Space, a building that houses artist studios, or maybe it's the artists in the studios, or maybe it's a combination of the building and the people.

Anyhow, Mitzi is a woman artist, and she talked about the paintings of sculptures that she taped to the wall in front of us, the audience.  She talked about not bringing a slide show and showing paintings instead of a slide show because that worked better than slides.  She also brought some collage work that I didn't look closely at, and some other collage work that she did with photocopies.

I don't usually listen to people talk about abstract art, so it was very new and different.  she talked about filling a space and that made sense to me because I kind of see art as something that fills a space.  

I feel like you should've gone instead of reading my lame attempt at describing it because being there and watching her try to put into words what she has done and is doing was illuminating.  How do you talk about abstractions.  I guess words are abstractions.  She mentioned the word "language" but didn't go so far as to say what she did was part of language.

And you get to see her personality in action which to me was interesting because here she is, going into creativity land in her soul to make her art things, and it's kind of a wild space where things just happen for the fuck of it.  And I suppose this is relevant to her because she apparently likes the idea of chance in work, or at least that is how someone described her work to me.

She mentioned the word, "simple" or simplicity, and when she said that, I thought of poetry and poems for some reason, I guess because they can be short and to the point, and there's elegance in simplicity, and simplicity can be beautiful, and well, I don't know.  I like stick figure art.  what the hell am I talking about.  anyhow.  I wasn't bored.  It was a little awkward to watch her struggle with words, but everybody was nice and supportive so it was fine.

There were other things she talked about, but I won't tell  you because you just should have gone.  She talked about her photocopy collages, and it made them seem fun, her manipulating visual information to create different experiences.

I drank a bottled water and used the restroom.  I sat on a wooden bench during the talk. 

The Jeffrey Vallance Museum Interview

 

Jeffrey Vallance stands in his bedroom museum. (photo: Jules Bates, 1980)

I went to the opening of the Jeffrey Vallance Museum in Van Nuys, California on February 14, 2016, and I had fun because we were all there to open a small museum about 1 cubic foot in size.  It was composed of three walls, and Jeffrey's three drawings of a cat, a dog and Blinky the chicken were each on a wall of their own. 



Jeffrey Vallance at his museum's inauguration. (photo: Somebody, 2016) 

We ate barbecued chicken bought from Ralph's supermarket in honor of Blinky and had a ceremonious ceremony where Jeffrey cut the inaugural ribbon, opening up the museum to the public.  The museum was small and essentially an artpiece in itself, but it was and is symbolic of hope for a larger, real deal museum to house the works of Jeffrey and to serve other functions which he describes in the following interview where I ask him questions and he answers them.


What is a museum?

A museum is a mausoleum for dead art. Art is only alive while the artist is making it. The JV museum will have art as well as what I call "evidence" or artifacts and reliquaries of the art practice—objects collected while on research expeditions and voyages, plus pop culture detritus and performance relics.

Who is Jeffrey Vallance?

When I was a child I arranged activities and events (that now seem akin to pranks). At the time I had no name for them. In 1968, when I was 13 years old, I took a bus trip across the U.S. I’d heard of people releasing weather balloons with their name and address attached. Some balloons traveled great distances. I bought a bag of balloons, blew them up, popped them, and tied on a card with my name and address. On the bus trip, at each rest stop I ran down a block and threw a balloon on the ground. When I got home, people were already writing me back saying they had found a balloon. I came across an article in a Bay City, Michigan newspaper on the discovery of one of my balloons. In a few years, I was writing and meeting with corporate mascots (like Ronald McDonald), pop culture figures, and politicians to engage them in absurd activities. When I started going to college in 1974, some of my professors looked at what I was doing and said it sounded like conceptual art or performance art (neither of which I knew much about), so I decided to name it "art." I realize that my work has never precisely followed academic definitions of art and that many times people are confused. I have always threatened to take away the label of "art," while continuing to do exactly the same things I’ve done intuitively.

What happens when you have a Jeffrey Vallance Museum?

At this point the museum is only a concept. The small maquette that we had for the Grand Opening may serve to bring awareness and possibly start the process that may lead to a larger scale version of the museum.

Will this museum be different from other museums because it has only your art in it?

The JV museum will be different from most museums since it will not only have the "art" but all the evidence (by-products) and research materials that encompass the work of art.

Is this a lifelong dream?

When I was 8 years old (shortly after my father died), I started collecting, possibly to make up for the feeling of loss. In 1965, when I was ten years old, I started displaying my collections in my bedroom. I focused on strange objects produced by culture. As my art career developed I collected things on various research expeditions, like when I first met with the King of Tonga. I lived life as if my museum would one day exist. Recently, especially during this sad time of "art flipping," I have my doubts whether it will ever exist as an institution.

What was the first museum you visited?

The first museum I visited was the La Brea Tar Pits. I was fascinated with all the prehistoric animals stuck in the tar, so I started drawing them.

What risks do people/does culture face if they don't visit the museum?

They run the risk having a dull, uncreative life. They may not develop the skill to question authority.

Will there be muses at the museum?

In Greek literature, inspiration is said to come from the muses. These were goddess spirit-messengers of artistic influence from which we get words like amuse, music and museum. A few years ago, I made a pilgrimage to the Shrine of the Muses (Heroon of Mousaios) on the Hill of the Muses in Athens, Greece, to ponder the influential roles that the Muses have played in the arts. I found the grotto shrine of the muses with two pedestals carved out of stone. The pedestals were empty, so I looked around in the rubble and found two vaguely human shaped rocks and placed them on the pedestals. Afterward, I considered how this is the most primitive action in art—taking a stone and standing it upright. I like to think that the muses will follow me to the JV museum.

Who is the designer/architect of the museum?

At the current stage of the museum, there is only a 144 square inch maquette. There is no official architect yet.

How long did it take to make the museum?

It took me about 15 minutes to make the drawings for the maquette. This piece was originally made for John Kilduff’s Art Basil exhibition. During Art Basil, Kilduff constructed a miniature version of the Art Basel art fair in his backyard in Van Nuys, California. I attended the event and he asked me if I’d like to have a booth, so I took out a Sharpie and some paper and made three small drawings for my booth and entitled it the "Jeffrey Vallance Museum." Afterward I gave the whole thing to Kilduff who later cut my booth away from the others with an X-Acto knife. Thus was birthed the freestanding version of the museum.

Did public monies fund construction?

All funding came from John Kilduff who put up posters, made announcements on social media, and at the opening of the museum cooked delicious barbequed chicken (in honor of Blinky). I bought a bag of balloons.

Who would you like to thank?

First, I’d like to thank all my ancestors who played their part in supplying their DNA for my existence and for spiritually guiding my creativity. I’d like to thank John Kilduff for making the Grand Opening & Bar-B-Q happen and Paulette Nichols for making the museum drawings and posters.

Does its size restrict its impact on culture or the individual experiencer?

Size does not matter; it is the concept that is important. The current museum size is about one square foot of exhibition space.

Is it modeled after any other museums?

The JVM is modeled after U.S. presidential museums, the old Roy Rogers Museum in Victorville, California, and the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh, which has a large collection of Andy’s ephemera. The JVM will have a library, research facility, display of collections, exhibitions of artwork, a map room, studios, chapel, and gift shop.

What style is the architecture?

I envision the museum to be a cube of poured concrete reminiscent of an institutional parking structure.

Was there ever any controversy surrounding the design of the building?

The current version of the museum is a small model, and I was worried that people attending the Grand Opening might feel disappointed at driving so far just to see a puny mock-up. However, the visitors who turned up at the event seemed very happy. I believe that they accepted the event as more of a "happening."

What questions do you want asked which I'm not asking?

"Do you expect your museum to actually be built?"
Thinking that one day all my collections, artwork and research can end up in one main archive has been a driving force in my life. Recently I’ve come to the conclusion that it may never happen, which makes me reevaluate why I collected all these years. It all might end up in a dumpster or thrift shop.

Is this a family-friendly, all-ages experience?

The JVM is a very family-friendly museum! There will be a hall of ancestors, maps, flags, heraldic plaques, bronze busts of leaders, collections of pop culture miscellany, exhibits of weird artwork, and many informational placards.

Do you ever get frustrated knowing that your art will never be as good as a woman's art?　 If so, how do you deal with this frustration?　 If not, why not?

It’s yet another limitation like a continual lack of funding and space. I am often ashamed as I witness the apelike nature of men and their warlike aggressiveness, competitiveness, bullying, greed, and love of power. I am upset and greatly discouraged by the low percentage of women artists showing in museums today, while my square-foot foam core museum is yet another bastion.

Is it true that there will be a clown at the opening?　

Many clowns will be attracted to the museum like flies to a putrefying carcass.

What does the clown signify?

The clown signifies chaos and pandemonium. Earlier, in medieval Passion Plays, it was a devilish trickster figure, which may be why children and some adults are terrified of clowns.




　

The Impossibility of Crime in the Context of Art

Here is a picture of the alleged Art Basel Miami stabber.

It's impossible to commit a crime in the context of art because art is artifice not reality.  In other words, everything is make-believe in the land of art.

Art Basil LA Has Basil, Art Basel Miami Has No Basel

This is a picture of a booth at Art Basil LA 2015.

Art Basel Miami will happen December 3 - 6 in Miami Beach Florida, and gallerists can get a booth there for $50,000.00 or more.  It's a trade show relevant to wealth, and it might be prestigious and important and cultural and smart and elevated and highbrow and elite and inspired and beautiful and lofty and highfalutin' and full of what everybody loves about art,  the fame, prestige and money.

Art Basil LA will also happen December 3 - 6 in Los Angeles in John Kilduff's backyard, and gallerists can get a booth there for $50.00, or the event organizers can waive the fee if exhibitors can't afford it.  As the CEO of Art Basel LA, Kilduff says, "It's gonna be fun!  It's a no-brainer.  Which fair would you do?  You're not going to go bankrupt doing Art Basil."  And it will be streamed 24/7. 

Each gallery will get a 12" x 12" x 10" booth and they can fill it up full of art, although one New York City gallery will be digging into the earth 18 inches in homage to Urs Fischer's concept piece, "You," at the Gavin Brown Gallery in 2007.

It's a truly international event with two galleries coming from Canada and one from Greece.  Galleries from San Francisco, Los Angeles, Ohio, St. Louis, Milwaukee, Brooklyn and Oakland will also attend, bringing the total number of exhibitors to over 20.

Eight healthy, young basil plants will perfume the air with their inimitable basil fragrance, and some of the exhibitors will bring their own basil.  So Art Basel Miami won't have Basel, but Art Basil LA will have basil!

The semi-private VIP party is Thursday December 3rd, and VIP's will be attending.

Art Basil LA

Here is a picture of a possum.

The official mascot of Art Basil LA is the possum, and it will be running around at night checking out the art when all the convention attendees are still up partying.

We Love Letters at the Oakland Terminal

Last night I went to We Love Letters at the Oakland Terminal, a show of Graffiti/Street Art, except the art was hung on the wall, not painted on an exterior building wall.

So it was like going to a zoo because these animals are normally seen out in the wild, and there they were, in a gallery, in miniature.

My favorite works were photos of MUGRE's art on a building wall, on a train, on a building wall, and on a building wall.  MUGRE is from Columbia, the land of Columbians.

I made this drawing of a MUGRE burn.

Some woman was there from Nepal, and her tag is Imagine.  I watched her writing it for somebody in a sketchbook, and it was kind of neat to watch.

There was a big, blank gallery partition, about 8 feet tall, and people who attended the show wrote their tags on the partition.  I put my tag, "Side BUSTR" on the wall, but some weenie wrote over mine and 3 other people's tags.  I was deeply hurt and started to cry and vowed revenge on my own terms.  I saw this lack of tagging room as analogous to the lack of affordable housing in the bay area. 

All of the art was made by women, so it was clearly superior to the art of men.

Everybody who attended was beautiful.

My friends like letters and typography, and their appreciation of and interest in letters helped me to appreciate this show.

The James Gobel and Maysha Mohamedi Show Called Gift a Feast

 James Gobel is a man and Maysha Mohamedi is a woman, and their show, "Gift a Feast," was in a storefront in San Francisco in the year 2015 on planet earth.

I met Mr. Gobel in front of the storefront, at the storefront front, and he was talking with two women and then I said hi to him and he said hi to me. 

I went inside and looked at the rectangular 2d art and the ceramic collaborations between James and Maysha. 

I was mostly interested in the 2d art because I like to paint on 2d surfaces and give the illusion of 3 dimensions.

I only noticed two 2d pieces, one made from textiles and another made using paint probably.  My favorite part of the painted one was a shape that looked like half of a woman.

Artists rendering of half of a woman.
 

It was kind of hard to see the big 2d works because the room was small and they were on the ground and there was a crowd, so you had to stand close to them mostly.

James' art was good, but it wasn't as good as a woman's, and Maysha's art was fantastic even though they were collaborating because she's a woman.

I met Maysha inside the storefront, and she was nice and had a magenta colored bandage on her hand. 

After I was finished looking at the art, I said goodbye and left.