Fast Forward into Fall

_Seeking Kali Mail Art for Ray Johnson/ABAD_

Autumn is fast approaching; I can tell because I’m already in sensory overload trying to keep track of the exhibits I want to see and the work I’m contributing to exhibits.

!! Plus; with the help of collaborators Ria Vanden Eynde and Susan Shulman we have the Seeking Kali blog in place.  I’ve already posted some pictures of the artist portfolio in progress that we are at work on.  The blog and now the Facebook group is an addition to the personal pieces on the mythic Kali images we are working on for publication early next year.

The Seeking Kali blog in particular has become a labor of love as we showcase an international group of artists that have used Kali or the topic of paradox as an inspiration for works.  Although this is up and running only a bit over three weeks already we have submissions of paintings, drawings, as well as poetry and music.  A rather exciting opportunity has also presented itself for the Kali project by being included in the Ray Johnson/ A Book About Death show in November at the SAL Gallery on the CW Post campus of Long Island University.

If you visit the link be sure to check out their right sidebar for my free poster download and two more great ones by artists LuAnn Palazzo and Angela Ferrara.

The CW Post exhibit includes the complete works of the 480 artists works that make up the original Book About Death that was exhibited at the Emily Harvey Gallery one year ago.  This project was conceived by artist Matthew Rose and has since been exhibited world-wide.

Examples of ABAD are included in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.  The exhibit at CW Post will focus on the contributions of Ray Johnson to our current network of mail artists.  Joan Harrison, LuAnn Palazzo and Constance Wolf curate this edition of ABAD.  Johnson, the inspiration behind Matthew’s Emily Harvey exhibit, mailed unbound pages of his book about death to his New York Correspondence School students. Johnson is widely regarded as an originator of Mail Art. Please visit their link for the artist call concerning new mail art submissions. (Oct.15 deadline)

Small teaser of the Kali Shadow Theater

(work in progress for SAL Gallery and the Ray Johnson/ABAD)

The Seeking Kali presence at the SAL gallery is two fold.  We will exhibit a video loop of the contributions to our Seeking kali artist call that have been received by Oct. 30th. Submission information for inclusion at this link. Submissions to the blog by the 10/30 date will allow enough time for your inclusion in the video to be shown at SAL.

We will also present a shadow puppet theater during the performances at the opening.  The shadow theater is loosely based on French cabaret shadow performances and Nang puppets from Thailand.  The theme of our Seeking Kali performance is Kali Yuga; an Age of Confusion. The focus is on the folly of total devotion to personal gain at the expense of the collective. Human forms, puppets and silhouettes cast the collage of shadows in this work.

We hope you will join us in the Kali project... lend an arm as we seek to include artists in our international forum for artists working not only with Kali, but myth, narrative paradox and collective actions. Your visuals, poetry, sound and more are welcome here.

Seeking Kali collaboration for the upcoming ABAD exhibit at Belknap Mill
(Myself with Susan Shulman and Ria Vanden Eynde)

 For all information concerning the past and future of A Book About Death the archive link provides a great history of that sister project as well as new call and collaboration opportunities. We are at the one year anniversary of ABAD and it still continues to thrive as artists all over the world add chapters. Our Seeking Kali collaboration began as a result of introductions during ABAD.

A quickly approaching ABAD opportunity is the Laconia, N.H. exhibit at the historic Belknap Mill. The artist call indicates that work is being accepted through October 1. John Moriarty, executive director of Belknap Mill and Melissa McCarthy of The Studio curate.

Last (for this post) but certainly not least is A Book About Death exhibition opportunity this fall curated by Cecil Touchon of the Fluxmuseum at the Fort Worth Community Center. The deadline here is also Oct.1 Visit the call for works for more information on this opportunity.