Thanks Hrag

The blogazine Hyperalleric gave my work a nice plug this week.  I sent off a few of my mailart pieces as well as a couple of my handstamps to their Brooklyn offices and in return Hrag Vartanian wrote up a nicely researched piece.  Plus, he had to find my website because I didn't include explanations in my package.  I've been involved with A Book About Death, a project originated by Matthew Rose, so a few of those pieces went in. (including one of the originals from the 2009 Emily Harvey Foundation Exhibit that resides deep in the vaults of MoMA).

Some of our Seeking Kali announcements went in as well as an example from the Analogue Narratives project where a group of us are struggling to finish Rene Daumal's Mount Analogue novel.

But my tic tac toe game pieces made the biggest hit. (probably the big H didn't hurt).

The best part? I came across my work while looking at some of their other reviews. Always great arts coverage and insights.

Hyperallergic also publishes a weekly newsletter as well as LABS which explores weekly art themes and their bliptv channel is always worth a look.

Wearable Art

May 6th is the Mobius Wearable Art Runway Show  and Seeking Kali will be featuring a Scroll Sari.  The inspiration for this piece is the oriental scroll art, and in this case a scroll large enough to be worn by two people. The 20' long fabric is hand painted with scenes derived from the Kali Shadow Theater.

Detail of progress on the Seeking Kali Sari

The scenes are an updated take on the traditional myth of the goddess Kali in which she is called forth in a battle against demons throwing the world into chaos.

The piece will be modeled during the show by my wife and myself at opposite ends of the sari; masked as Kali and a demon.


Gyotaku is the ancient Japanese folk art of painting fish. The first Gyotaku were created to preserve the true record and size of species caught by Japanese anglers as far back as 1862.

I'm using this technique along with sumi-e to create the images on the fabric.

The Mobius event blog will be featuring the sari this Friday. (Now Up)

Props to the two other members of Seeking Kali, Ria Vanden Eynde and Susan Shulman for their input and encouragement.

More information on the Seeking Kali artist collective can be found on our website.

Omaggio a Ray Opening

 

-The view from the exhibition hall - Un Libro Sulla Morte Omaggio a Ray Johnson-

The KaliRay Flip Book is a well traveled tome. In light of it's origin as a collaboration, it has trekked from the USA to Belgium to Canada, back to the US and finally on to Treviso, Italy.  Curator Virginia Milici has assembled a collection of over 100 artist books, all hand made volumes to honor the late Ray Johnson. 

The exhibit held in the Comune di Morgano on Piazza Indipendenza while lending a very formal overtone to works dedicated to the often irreverent Johnson, seems a very fitting setting as another edition of the A Book About Death exhibitions.

These exhibits originated as the brainchild of artist Matthew Rose with an initial exhibit in New York City at the Emily Harvey Foundation Gallery in 2009. Almost two years later the concept of these exhibitions remain fresh with new international venues emerging as curators continue to embrace the concept and level of engagement by a diverse and talented pool of artists.

In a departure from soliciting a single page contribution from artists, Milici's omaggio focused on the artist book.  The collaboration with Susan Shulman and Ria Vanden Eynde on the KaliRay expanded to the production of a limited edition of 20 unique hand bound pieces; one of which is to remain in the Italian archive. (purchase details can be found on our website)

The making of the KaliRay Flip Book

Un Libro Sulla Morte Omaggio a Ray Johnson - April 9 -17.

Site Work

-The new Seeking Kali website is up.  After several weeks of collecting files testing templates, writing, photographing and updating, our artist group finally has a nice clean site to show for our efforts.  I'm part of the artist group Seeking Kali which began in early 2010 over some Facebook conversation.

From our splash page:

Seeking Kali began as a response to the eternal Facebook "What's on your mind?" query.  William typed in the thought, "the manifestations of Kali",  Ria Vanden Eynde responded with her thoughts, Susan Shulman joined the thread and we were off. To Where? We had no idea as we exchanged comments on goddess iconography, indigenous belief systems, concepts of time, western perceptions, travels and sources.

That day, I was staring at a tangka, hanging in my studio that depicts the wheel of time being devoured by Kali.  This was one of my first art purchases. I was in my first year of college, lucky to be there by virtue of a scholarship and yet I went and spent some of the meager funds on art. I don't quite know why to this day my younger self, fresh from rural mid New York state, thought to buy that art.  I had never been exposed to Eastern art of any type; yet somehow was drawn to the piece.  I have always had it hanging where ever I've had a studio as a reminder of the beginning of a journey.

So, that day in the studio as I glanced at it once again I was struck with the fact that I'd never really researched the rich iconography or the origins of the image. One of those insightful moments when you realize how little you really know.

I typed "The manifestations of Kali" onto my facebook page and within minutes I was immersed in a conversation with two artist friends, Ria Vanden Eynde and Susan Shulman, that over time has led us to curating an artist call, collaboration on many works and inclusion in several international exhibitions.

I have learned from this collaboration, especially as our portfolio of images relating to Kali is coming closer to completion, that we are incorporating some of those manifestations to bring our work beyond artistic interpretation of the Kali myth.
As we began to think of ourselves as a collective, we find that submerging our individual egos and combining our many arms of differing skills is very fruitful and enlightening, not only to works we create in concert but to our personal work as well.

So welcome to the Seeking Kali website an archive and record of our collaborative efforts.  Seeking Kali is William Evertson, Susan Shulman and Ria Vanden Eynde.

New Website

-My new website is finally done and published- 

http://www.williamevertson.net/

The hardest part is deciding where to stop; but I am quite pleased that I finally got to it. I focused mainly on the last two or so years with just a bit of history. Only as good as your last work?

Only problem - this blog was completely ignored lately.  Next - update the upcoming exhibitions.