James Kalm is a guy who spends much of his time traveling the streets and avenues of New York City, video camera in hand, in search of the cultural “White Whale”. Many times, it isn’t until he returns to the studio and starts editing the residue of his journeys, that he notices serendipitous connections between the modes and sensibilities of these recordings.
Francis Picabia is perhaps one of the most revolutionary artists to have engaged with the early New York art scene at the beginning of the twentieth century. This group show presents works by some of today’s most recognized artists who’ve been influenced by Picabia including: Phillip Pearlstein, Jason Rhoades, Martin Kippenberger, John Cage, John Currin, Nancy Dwyer, Lisa Yuskavage et al.,
along with several original works by the artist himself.
“CO2 Blues” is the title of this memorial retrospective of the late Melvin Way. Presenting dozens of small drawings dating back over thirty-five years, this exhibition casts a view over a major portion of this enigmatic artist’s career. Using strange chemical, musical, and poetic notations, Way pasted his world vision together with scotch tape, on found paper that he kept in his pockets for months during periods in which the artist was homeless. Strangely, there’s a profound resonance between some of Picabia’s early Dada “mechanomorphic” drawings, and the works by Way from a century later. A musical introduction is provided by Kazoo 365. This program was recorded May 22, and June 5, 2024. #jameskalmreport #jameskalmroughcut #lorenmunk