IMPERA ET DIVIDE

The book for sale.

2009-04-30T07:00:00.000-07:00

Okay, people, I'm finally ready to deal out the book...
It's pretty simple: you should send payment via Paypal to the following address: pedrodonald AT hotmail.com (I'm writing it this way to avoid robotware to link it).
But you should send me your address to the following email: pedrovmoura AT gmail.com
The books will cost 25 USD for the Americas and 18 Euros within Europe (postage included). For the rest of the world or more than one copy, please inquire.
I am sorry there's no professional site or whatever, but this is the beginning, or so I hope...
Thanks!

There was an unfortunate editing error that inverted the order of Andrei Molotiu's "Pym" piece. Here's the errata you can print. There is also a pdf file available, which you can request via email. My humblest apologies to Molotiu, whose work suffered this terrible blunder. I hope you can all understand.

Lemos's secret present

2009-04-22T18:43:00.001-07:00

I should have uploaded this earlier, but here's a great drawing André left on our dry-erase board in our kitchen. We didn't find it until they were gone a few days - Violet found it and freaked out she was so happy! Nice nails/tentacles in the head!

Workshops

2009-04-21T19:38:00.000-07:00

The other things I did for SSG in conjunction with the show were 2 workshops, both on making minicomics and zines. The first one was at the gallery and only had 2 paying participants, though the SSG folks made some books too - Andrew's was pretty funny. The other workshop was just last week at Western Albemarle High School with 2 different art classes. There were a lot of kids and they seemed to really like making little books. Prom (a big formal dance, like a ball) was the next day so some of the kids drew books about that. It was good and I had fun (Thanks Nancy).

For both classes I started them with drawing a little fold up book about a guy sleeping - I told them what to draw where, we xeroxed the pages and then folded and stapled them. Even though they knew the little, very simple story I had the draw there was still that great moment when they first read throguh the book they had made.

Then I talked all about minis and zines and showed a bunch of examples, then had them do another fold up book - a one-sided folded thing that made a 4-page book. Finally I gave them all a bunch of links to minicomics and zine resources.

One thing I really emphasized was how zines were like blogs, but better in some ways. I stessed how people LOVE getting little books even if they don't usually look at art and I really pushed the idea that this is a great way to get one's work out into the world. Hopefully there will be a flurry of weird little books out at the high school...

Talks

2009-04-20T17:50:00.000-07:00

So we're in the last week of the show and I'm a bit sad about it. I'm lucky that I get to go by and see the show often and I'll miss being able to wander around in it...

There's a lot that has been going on and I want to make sure I get it all in the blog before Saturday when the show closes. The first thing is all the talks I've done in the space.

Preview and Opening nights Pedro and I talked a bit (André was too cool to talk!) and I did another little talk at the First Friday for April when SSG had another small reception. Surprisingly there were a number of folks there (Thanks Rob and John), probably because of all the press we got that week - 2 revies and my article with the little book (Thanks Brendan, Laura and Erika). At this talk I mostly said the same things we did at the first talks about how the show happened, why these artists are in the show and how we see this work in the wider art and comics worlds. I tried my best to say things as well as Pedro who did such a great job when he was here.

I did another talk as part of the Virginia Festival of the Book, an annual book festival here in Charlottesville. When we originally pitched this show to SSG I thought it would be great to have it up during the Fesitval and since it all worked out they added us to their official events (Thanks VFB). We were scheduled for opening night when there were tons of events and we didn't get many folks, but it was good to see those who did come (Thanks Greg, Col. & Jenny and Prof. Pike). One visitor, in a completely random way, was someone I barely knew when I lived in St. Louis for a year. It was a LOST moment... Anyway, in this talk I assumed the audience knew little about comics, so I gave a long talk what comics are, a history of them, their place in US, European and Japanese cultures and gave examples of a lot of contemporary work. I then went through each artist in the show, talking about each and showing examples of thir printed work. I thought it went pretty well!

I did one other talk, this time about my own work. SSG does a series called "Artist Forums" where they have artists come in and discuss their work in the gallery. I did it a couple weeks ago, showing some big drawings, collages, books etc. Everyone who was there filled out postcards so they'll get drawings in the mail and I gave them all stickers and lil books. I talked a bit about the "dandelion strategy" of my seed toss mentality (see my blog for a little more on that) and passed around tons of old sketchbooks for folks to look at. One good question - "Why do you do this?" still vexes me (Thanks Andy). Another comment was that I was brave to allow people to rifle through my old sketchbooks. It was a good talk, but, again, sparsely attended (Thanks Martha and family).

I'm not sure why these talks were pretty empty other than there's a lot going on and it's hard to get the word out. There may have been some Warren-fatigue too, I know I was tired of me!

Later, more Warren/André jam drawings, more André art he left in my house and more more more, but next up, the workshops I did in conjunction with the show.

3 reviews, 1 video, 1 booklet

2009-03-31T02:50:00.000-07:00

Here are three reviews, one for the show, and two for the money... I mean, for the glory of Warren's work. I have to say that there are a few minor mistakes (I, Pedro, am not the artist, André Lemos is, I'm just the suspicious looking character) and differences of attitude - I'm always insisting this is a show on COMICS, so stop using prettied-up words... Anyways, enjoy:

Erika Howsare's article for C-Ville.com: here.

Brendan Fitzgerald's article also for C-Ville.com: here. (watch the video at the end)

And Laura Parsons' article for The Hook: here.

And here's a direct link for the small cut-out, fold-up, rock-on book Warren did for the C-Ville paper, a variation on both his oeuvre and the show. ***

Threesome interview...

2009-03-22T13:01:00.000-07:00

Now, don't get me wrong... the title is a little joke.
David Erklund, who runs his own video company in Charlottesville, Videography, made a small documentary/piece on the show. He promised he would get back at us as soon as he had the whole thing finished, which he did, and we thank him for it and his sympathy. He's cool. That's him filming away during the opening night!

So, you can check on youtube, here, the short statements each of us (Warren, André and I) gave. I look horrible, but at least you can also see Warren and André.

Enjoy.

Gallery talk

2009-03-17T19:21:00.000-07:00

image by Ilan Manaouch

Thursday I'll be giving a Curator's talk at the gallery as part of the Virginia Festival of the Book:

Festival of the Book at Second Street Gallery

Please join us on Thursday, March 19, at 6:00 pm for a talk by Warren Craghead III, as part of this year's Virginia Festival of the Book.

Warren, who is the co-curator of Second Street's current Dové Gallery exhibition Impera et Divide, will be discussing examples of art-comics by artists working around the world.

This talk is FREE and open to the public, with artwork and books available for sale.

We hope to see you there!

Catherine Barber
Associate Director, Second Street Gallery

Visual log of the greatest trip ever

2009-03-16T08:20:00.000-07:00

Wednesday 03.04.09

Two weeks ago Pedro Moura and André Lemos came to visit us here in Cville for the opening of the show. They stayed at our house and we had a great time, both working hard to get the show up and sitting around late at night drawing. They were the best guests and friends and Annie, Violet, Ginger and I still miss them.

So here's what might be an illegible log of what happened. That first image was of Wednesday where I worked with the gallery folks to hang the show all day, then drove up to Dulles to pick up the guys. We spent the 2-hour drive down talking and then passed out once we got home.

Thursday 03.05.09

Thursday we had both little girls with us as we went to the gallery to finalize everything. Pedro worked to organize the mountains of books and art we had there as André helped finishing the hanging. The preview opening that night was packed and we saw lots of folks. We ended up at a party at a board members house and then eventually at my house, drawing together on the kitchen table until late late late.

Friday 03.06.09

Friday we went back to the gallery for more organizing, went by the UVA Art Museum to see the Oliphant show, then hung out at my house until it was time for the opening. Again we went downtown and met more people - more artists at Friday's opening which was good (see the laurel leaves and strong sword arm of victory?). Afterwards we ended up going back home where the Portuguese boys cooked a tortilla and we ate and talked with Annie until late.

Saturday 03.07.09

Saturday André painted that crazy mural on The Bridge while Pedro hung out with mya family at the park and the gallery. Later he cooked fish for all of us and it was delicious. That night more talking then drawing until very late.

Sunday 03.08.09

Sunday we said goodbye to Cville and I drove the guys up to DC. We saw Obama's house and ended up at the Hirshhorn with Truly and Carol seeing the Bourgeois show, then a crappy comics show at the Native American Museum, then a great little Guston show at the National Gallery. I finally and sadly said "adeus" to the guys at Truly's house in Capitol Hill and drove home. They stayed there and flew out the next evening.

(I cross posted this over at my blog too.)

Blowing one's horn.

2009-03-13T14:11:00.000-07:00

Or actually, one's friend. André Lemos left a present for Truly and Erin. Lovely, disturbing little critters!

Warren/André jams.

2009-03-13T07:03:00.000-07:00

Ok, now that Warren has shown you the drawings he and André did together, the ones he kept, I'm showing you the ones André brought with him...
My participation in this jam was like those guys playing the drums or cracking the whips in galleys... Playing music (not always good), making sure they were in good spirits to work, swapping pages, etc. A little pleasure for a midget amongst giants.
We hope this'll make it as a book!

One comic-related show in Charlottesville. Oliphant.

2009-03-13T07:00:00.000-07:00

I forgot to tell you about this. While we were in Charlottesville, we also had the opportunity to check on the travelling “Leadership: Oliphant cartoons and sculpture from the Bush Years” show, held at the University of Virginia Art Museum. Although it had a handful of older work too, comprising cartoons, rough sketches next to the final work, most of it were really cartoons related to the Bush Administration years. Pat Oliphant is one of the most interesting political cartoonist of the United States. I have to confess that I failed to understand something like 40% of the jokes, given the fact they were always very local, despite my familiarity with some of his work (and other contemporary American cartoonists). For instances, not knowing who Attorney General Alberto Gonzales was or with kind of shenanigans he was involved did not help to understand a few of the exhibited cartoons, but a quick explanation put me into the joke.
Oliphant is a real master: he takes a no prisoners, no holds barred attitude towards every single politician one can think of, and sometimes their figuration is very strong (Bush as a wide-eyed kid, with cowboy hat and all, Rice as a parrot, etc.). this lead to an interesting discussion with some people we met. I said that I though that one can not think of a single honest politician (actually I think that that adjective is incompatible with that noun), but some folks guaranteed me that they do exist. Vice-President Biden is one of them, I was told. I'll try to learn and follow if this is really a possibility. However, Oliphant's work will nott help me in this, and all the better for it. Moreover, as the great masters of social commentary and political critique via caricature and cartoon (practically the same), Oliphant makes good use of the caption, the title, the sentence. More often than not, text in Oliphant's cartoons is not redundant, but a confirmation and a true “punch line” of that which was brought by the image.
In this sense, Oliphant is an inheritor of old masters of political cartoonism/journalism such as Gillray, Rowlandson, Cruikshank, Daumier... So it comes as no big surprise, but a surprise nonetheless, that the Museum held a complementary, smaller exhibition, entitled: “With the Line of Daumier”, showing litographs and drawings by Daumier himself (the one I'm including here was on the show, a caricature of France and Britain goading the Portuguese rival king brothers against each other like dogs, a comment on our own Civil War), and a handful of other French, British and American artists. Daumier, it seems, was a major direct influence on Oliphant, and that is very clear less in the figurative strategies than in the composition of the cartoon, especially the ones which shows throngs of people. His use of allegorical figures, from talking animals to branded objects to monsters (the headless hulk standing for the Bush electorates, which were many) makes me think also of Thomas Nast. I am thinking of lions and tigers, mostly, in Roman-like arenas, to represent a particular strong and complicated bout of political and economical power, but also on the recreation of politicians as other known characters such as Emperors, theatrical personages, a common staple in this sort of work. In any case, both shows highlight the way how Oliphant is in the continuation of the modern cartoon, steeped into real world politics.
I am not very certain here, but one of the things I liked the most in this show was the fact that Oliphant seems not to have no qualms in attacking both Republicans and Democrats (and everyone else, for that matter), whether they're little or small (Presidents are constant victims). Despite these jokes on the Presidents, the story of Ford allowing him to draw on his head the customary band aid is really cool, as well as the last Reagan cartoon (“The last goodbye”, 2004)... they make me wonder if, in the end, Oliphant doesn't keep a little ounce of respect for these guys. Someone was at the artist's talk at the Museum, and they told me tht he drew, while talking to the audience, a preposterous cartoon of a naked Palin and a moose (don't ask me for details, I really wanted to see this, but it was just impossible!). So his acrid, corriding verve is still on. Obama does not escape him either, and I'm glad there's people like this cartoonist who does not go all goo-gaga, and still thinks that if it's a politician, then there's always fodder for satirical attack.... More power to him! (we couldn't take pictures, so these images were ripped off of the internet)

Links again plus a couple

2009-03-12T21:28:00.000-07:00

I'll be posting more of what André and I drew together, what I drew in the museums and all about the incredible time we had during the opening and the few days my Portuguese pals were here. For now I'll just say they were the best houseguests we've ever had and I'm sad they aren't still here. Violet also misses "Silly-Man" and "Drawing-Man".

There are lots of things afoot about the show so I'll keep updating as they happen. Even though Pedro beat me to a few of these links I thought I'd post them again:

Laura Parsons of the local weekly The Hook gave us a great boost for the opening (Good to finally meet!)

ArtPark wrote a really great review (Thanks guys!)

Mike Rhode of ComicsDC wrote a little piece too (Nice to meet you and Sara!)

We also got shout outs from Metabunker, Poopsheet and Bill Randall.

Truly grateful.

2009-03-12T16:25:00.000-07:00

André and I had to spend a night in Washington before we flew back to Portugal. We were hosted by the lovely and charming Truly Herbert. I do not want to go into details about personal life, but I just wanted to leave a trace that we were so very lucky of meeting wonderful, welcoming people while our short stay in the States. And creative, intelligent people at that! First Warren and his family, and then Truly, and her roommate Erin. The funny thing is that Truly's home is just like a small, personal museum. She did everything, from painting to drawing, from collage to print works, from small sculptures (Bourgeois is hovering there) to plush toys-like objects d'art... We were allowed to take a few pictures, and she has no problem in us having them published here. Moreover, some of the paintings (the photos of the details are ruined, so they're not posted) include comics characters such as the Green Arrow (nerd alert?). So it all comes full circle at all times, it seems. Is there any escape... from noise?, as Negativland asked.
As I said, we were so very lucky to be surrounded with incredible talented and welcoming people. Truly was not an exception only, but the proverbial cherry on top of the cake. This trip really created an hunger to return and to become a better professional and a more creative person. I hope I can return what I learned in these few but full days in some manner.
However...
I truly believe not many of us can become, even less so be, artists.
I truly believe everyday life mows down the necessary spirit of selfishness
I truly believe that we should understand what talent really means and make sure we water it, make sure there's enough sun, and good, fertile soil and wiggly worms too, because, well, their part of the whole thing underneath the surface. And wiggly worms are fun too.
I truly believe Truly is such a flower.

Here's a link to some more of her work. Check it out!

Three comics-related shows in DC. 3. Philip Guston.

2009-03-12T15:05:00.000-07:00

The third show was held at the Tower Gallery of the National Gallery, presenting a few paper works and paintings by the one and only great Philip Guston. I'm presenting here a few pictures of this show. Guston is an extremely important reference for people interested in the study and appreciation of a wider field of comics (feel free to use another word if you feel more comfortable). The show has direct and simple notes showing us how De Chirico and Crumb were sources for Guston (permanent) reinvention. Everyone's knows from where the big feet come! (if you don't, just keep on tryin'!) And the big four fingered red glove will surely put us in the ballpark.

But more important (can I really say this?) than his painting and paper work, from which this small show is a great if small choice, is the 1971 Poor Richard, a sequence of caricatures of President Nixon represented as a big balls-cheeked, dick-nosed person, and his mates, such as Kissinger, represented as a free-floating pair of thick glasses. However, this would only be published in book form in 2001 (through the Univeersity of Chicago Press, with a study by Debra Bricker Balken). The important aspect of this work is that it is not a series of caricatures, but a real sequence, i.e., it is organised by a principle that forces us to read it through its appointed order. There are internal sequences that make this point even stronger - the visit to China being the most visible and central, I guess.
The figuration is also very telling, at one time formally simplistic, just like well-recognised characters of classical strips (Popeye and Krazy Kat come to mind), and semiotically charged. The themes are harrowing and personal, but to a certain extent they can be reinterpreted a little bit more freely, as figures with their own little narrative, independent of highly detailed context. I wonder if one could say the same of his paintings? If one can see the Mickeyesque red glove as more menancing than the Disney character can ever dream of being (or perhaps we could even see it as a critique of that entertainment Empire, so into suing as much as it can?), can we also see the Klan's hooded figures as cutsy? Hopefully not.

Sorry to tell you on this, Warren, but... Warren doodled throughout this show too, short riffs on Guston's work. I would like to see it here!

Three comics-related shows in DC. 2. Comic Art Indigène.

2009-03-12T13:04:00.000-07:00

The second show was actually and narrowly related to comics. It is held at the National Museum of the American Indian, also a part of the Smithonian Institute, although it was organised first at the New Mexico Museum of Indian Art & Culture.
For a brief, official presentation, you can check here.
I have to start by saying that I totally disagree with the first sentence of the curatorial statement. Comics are not "poorly understood, underanalyzed, and under-utilized". There has been, in the United States alone, dozens of academic books on comics being published every year. There are conferences, meetings, forums and venues for discussion, and newer, perhaps better ways to produce, present and divulgate comics.
They're also not disposable... tell that to the collectors, buyers of graphic novels, and contemporary anthologies!
Anyhoo, the exhibition was a mish-mash of Native Americans' arts and crafts, such as cave painting, ceramic bowls and embroideries, compared to contemporary North American mainstream comics... At the entrance we see a painting of a warrior (?) with a shield whose colour scheme reminds one of Captain America's; and to drive that point home, there's a pic of Steve Rogers in his superheroic garments for comparison... Other works include contemporary crafts that use comics as a model for figuration, comics that have Indians as characters (from "bad, savage redskins" promptly confronted by the good ol' cavalry, to "Indian mutants"), or downright comics made by ethnic Indian peoples (can I say this? I am sorry if I'm being politically incorrect, I am not familiar with the terms as informed American citizens). One example is this image, that was used for the flyer... We'll all recognize (and a copy is included) John Buscema's scheme of the cover for The Avengers # 57. Sure, this version presents a very interesting riff using the Pueblo's own hero Po'pay fighting the Spanish, but apart from being a pretty nice appropriation, bringing about many interesting readings of a political nature - and even, perhaps, of rewriting and empowering History - does this make good comic art?
One of the most, no, the best piece of the exhibition, for me, was Cochiti Pueblo artist Martha Arquero's clay figurine of a Pueblo version of Spiderman. It is not only well-made, strong rewriting, a nice crossing of Peter Parker's known heroic alter ego and certain Pueblo tales (the old Spider Woman) but also damn cute. I actually think that this is the best meeting of two seemingly different and perhaps even strangely at odds modes of expression... One being a very traditional creation, steeped in uniqueness, and the other not-less unique but quite diluted as a commodity. To a certain extent, it reminded me of the comicbook - even more childish than usual - Spider-Man Fairy Tales. Many questions arise with this show, surely.
The point that "comics", as modernly understood, existed since time began (or at least, in the American continent, since rock drawings), goes back to a vexing question of the definition and historicity of comics. This has been discussed over and over again, and the fact that this exhibition takes no account of these things does not make it a good service.
I know that the very fact I am asking this question begs other questions and, at the end of the day, it is not a very intelligent way to discuss such exhibition... But frankly, I wanted to see strong, new work, and I fail to see and understand its power. Perhaps I needed to read more about it, to become more informed of the context and the quality of resistance that these works surely present.
Sure, it tackles the stereotyping that exuded from many American comics throughout its existence as a popular genre, and it is a nice showcase of a handful of Native American artists using comics as their weapon of choice (for it is, indeed, a weapon). Identity is a major issue, and taking in account that most superhero (a genre that seems very present in this show) is all about alter egos, secret identities and masks, it's very telling thaat most Native American characters, even when superheroic, show their own faces.
According to Mike Rhode's blog post, the curator, Antonio Chavarria, "was a comics fan before becoming a Curator of Ethnology". However, although it's a nice way to bring these two worlds together, they do not seem to coalesce into a single, unified field.
Oh, well, still have this really cute clay Spidey...

Three comics-related shows in DC. 1. Louise Bourgeois.

2009-03-12T10:23:00.000-07:00

Warren drove André and me up to Washington D.C. the day before we left the States, and what do you know, we managed to check on three shows that can somehow be related to the expanded field of comics (I'm ripping off this expression from my good friend and mentor Domingos Isabelinho).
The first was a Louise Bourgeois show at the Hirschhorn Museum & Sculpture Garden of the Smithonian Institute. At the entrance one finds one of her magnificent spider moms at the entrance. Although it's one of the smallest, it is no less imposing...

Here a very drastic (and probably dumb) reduction of the History of Art of the 20th century. Just a thought, really. Dichotomies and clear-cut categories are usually ridiculous (we try to escape them all the time, especially with this show), but sometimes they do let us think about things in a pretty organised manner, upon which we can construe or from which we can step away. Whether we like them on a personal basis or not, it's probably pretty difficult to come up with other two names than Picasso's and Duchamp's as the greatest artists of the 20th century. “Artists” in its most comprehensive, powerful, full-fledged sense.
Louise Bourgeois is perhaps the third. Not actually in an hierachical way, mind you. Here's the thought then. If Picasso was an artist in its Adamic power, in which everything he touched became art, Duchamp was rather Luciferian, in the sense that he also mimicked the Adamic gesture of naming things by their true or new (or true and new) names, i.e., “art”, but in order to corrode and subvert the entire building of art.
Louise Bourgeois, however, brings a perfect balance of both impulses. The title of the collection of her essays, writing, and interviews says it all: “Destruction of the Father, Reconstruction of the Father”. Picasso and Duchamp. Adam and Lucifer. Creation and Destruction and Reconstruction. Solve et coagula. Make it up, fuck it up, bring it up again (and fuck up some more).

Where our interests, tastes and inclinations are concerned, the most important work is undoubtedly He Disappeared into Complete Silence , a sequence of nine engravings with text with which she did a book. To a certain extent, we can related it to other print work by the artist, such as the puritan, given the fact it presents us with a story told by images and a text. It was begun in 1947 and it has met many versions and states over the decades. I actually cannot tell you which version/state is the one at this show. It was also forbidden to take pictures of them, but I took a few before being warned, so let's see if they hold up here for a while...

I'm calling it sequence because it is supposed to be read by its rightful order. It tells us a story. It is a "drama of the self", according to Bourgeois' own words. Based somewhat on the life of a real person (you can find more details in the wonderful book Destruction of the Father. Reconstruction of the Father. writings and Interviews: 1923-1997, Violette editions) it presents us with a somewhat whimsical story of unrequited love, of loss, of the impossibility of communication, of people that miss the bus (of love, that is, and shit). The images show us towers, buildings, vertical structures. Seemingly, they have nothing to do with the text in any direct way, or perhaps they just "illustrate" an urban texture in which the story unfolds. Or perhaps they force us to look up where no horizon, no future, no hope is even possible.It was wonderful to look at the engravings (a first time for me, at least) just as we stepped from an experience of a show where artists try to expand the relationships of text and image, story and visibility, support and fruiton...

Here's a picture of Warren and André checking the small brochure of the show. Warren doodled something on it. Perhaps he'll show us what.

Yet another review.

2009-03-12T10:04:00.000-07:00

Rob and Laura Jones, from the Migration Gallery (who're taking warren's stuff to a New York art fair soon), wrote a very sympathetic note at their blog. Check it out here. Thank you!

Laura Parson's review.

2009-03-12T09:56:00.000-07:00

This is a small review about the Charlottesville scene... It opens with really nice words on our show, and you should check it out, here.

The-de-dada-details

2009-03-07T20:35:00.000-08:00

To the sound of Nicola Arigliano's 20 kilometri al giorno...

Mural hot bun progression pic-story.

2009-03-07T20:24:00.000-08:00

Have you been high today?

Mural tools.

2009-03-07T19:52:00.001-08:00

Benny Lava mural at the Bridge.

2009-03-07T14:41:00.000-08:00

The Bridge is a very cool place in Charlottesville. We met director Greg A. Kelly the opening night and immediately asked André if he'd be interested in doing a mural for them. You don't have to ask André twice. He was dropped there by 10AM, and soon after lunchtime we went there to meet him. This is what we found!

If you're wondering what Benny Lava stands for, and why we're in these stupid poses, and if you're not afraid nor offended with a little silliness, check the root of it all here.

Check other posts for other details, and here for more pics, done by the folks at the Bridge.

Backstore.

2009-03-07T14:23:00.000-08:00

As we mentioned on previous posts, the gallery's space was smaller so it couldn't hold every piece that was sent. It's a shame, and I'm partially to blame, eager and megalomaniac that I was... Still, for those of you who're interested, you can always ask the galelry staff to let you check the "backroom" or "backstore" and check on the available extra work by all artists. It's all good, of course, but please make sure you check Frédéric Coché Hic Sunt Leones' pages. They're absolutely ravishing.

The books for sale are on display, as you know, but here's a pic of the extra boxes inside...

Opening night

2009-03-07T14:07:00.000-08:00

Here's a few pictures from the opening night. The place was packed!
We met a lot of great local artists and gallerists and just plain, good old folk!
It was fun. The Argentinian wine and the food was also superb.

Eggs.

2009-03-07T14:05:00.000-08:00

Don't ask. But it was yummy.

Lisa Beane's XO.

2009-03-07T13:50:00.001-08:00

Lisa Beane is a very well-known artist from Charlottesville, and she has exhibited extensively throught both the States and abroad. Our show opened at the same time that Lisa's last works show, entitled XO (you should read it "X-O"). It had intensive paintings and one sculpture, and you should check it out asap.
And Lisa is one cool woman!

Mike Rhode and Sara Duke on the show.

2009-03-07T13:38:00.000-08:00

Mike Rhode and Sara Duke were kind enough to drive down from DC to Charlottesville to be with us on opening night. We spoke for a while on all things comics, as nerdy and as intelligently as can be.
Here's Sara, Pedro and Mike. That's André hand butting in...
Sara will be writing about the show on the next IJOCA (that's the legendary International Journal of Comic Art, edited by John Lent, and shame on you for not knowing this!), but Mike tokk down a few notes on his own blog, ComicsDC, and which you can check here.
Thank you so much, Mike! And than you too, Sara. We'll be looking forward for your review. It was nice meeting you both!
Update: Mike put up a few pictures here. Check them out!

Charlottesville's preliminary black blooming

2009-03-07T13:33:00.000-08:00

Here is the book that Lemos prepared specifically for the Charlottesville show. Its full title is as follows: Charlottesville's preliminary black blooming (an amazing & epic journey of a Portuguese artist to meet the refreshing and brand new Dogwood Festival's Queen).
Whew!
It has a limited run of 50 copies, it will be this print only, it was done over a single weekend and it was issued through André Lemos' own zine house, Opuntia books, of which you can find a blog (just google it).
Here's the link for a short video preview.
Apart from the gallery, you can try contacting André himself for the book, whether through Opuntia books (see above for the link) or through his own blog, Opuntia Syndrome.
They're grrreat!

Divide et Impera book.

2009-03-07T11:34:00.000-08:00

You can check at youtube a small video preview of "Divide et Impera", the book we did for the show, with seven pieces of experimental comics by Warren Craghead III, Andrei Molotiu, Fabio Zimbres, André Lemos, Aerim Lee, Ilan Manouach and Frédéric Coché. It has an essay by me, Pedro Moura, and it was published through Montesinos (Lisbon, Portugal).
The amazing cover was done by Charlottesville's favourite son, Warren Craghead III!
The link is here.
If you want a copy of this, leave a comment, or drop me a line at pedrovmouraATgmail.com
Thanks!

Jamming.

2009-03-06T13:20:00.000-08:00

You think it's all fun and no work? Here's the three of us (Warren, André and me) jamming away the night... Maybe something will come out of this, but there's no plan. We're just drawing - well, I was mostly writing - no safety net, no tomorrow, wasting charcoal and China ink and paper... Hopefully, this will aggregate into a cool-joint book (Craghead/Opuntia/montesinos).

Below is a screenshot of some of the sentences I collected to get things started, but I wrote ("automatically", I might add) as the drawings got completed.

We had a lot of help from stupid little videos from youtube (Bollywood rocks!) and a couple of Sol bottles too!

Books.

2009-03-06T13:10:00.000-08:00

Being this a comics art exhibition, we do have to show also their printed dimension. Actually, as I mentioned last night on the member's opening session, a book has a very special erotic dimension to it. When you say you take a book to bed, you're not saying it as if you were taking a laptop, a kindle or a psp to bed... those are toys, instruments, etc. A book is an actual carnal partner. You look into each other's eyes until you feel faint and fall into a deep slumber, bringing down into your dreamy brain some of the images and texts you just read and saw...
Okay, enough smut already.
So, anyways, we put up two shelves: one has books with unavailable books (at the gallery) but that people can check to see how the original work exists on the pages of a book (and ready to be read, an important side to comics, I believe), and another with books for sale from most of the artists, from zines to publisher houses' fancy publications. The special award, though, goes to André Lemos' newest Opuntia book, made for the occasion, and Montesinos' companion book, Divide et Impera.
See a few posts further...

Artist's corner. André Lemos.

2009-03-06T13:05:00.000-08:00

André presented two of his silkscreen printing work, and the 8 pages of Colossal.

Artist's corner. Frédéric Coché

2009-03-06T12:55:00.000-08:00

Frédéric Coché sent his amazing work just as we asked, but unfortunately we were not able to show it all... We put up three of the small engravings from Ars Simia Naturae and five from Vie et Mort du Héros Triomphant. Hortus Sanitatis and the absolutely amazing oil on paper drawings for Hic Sunt Leones remained out. But check the backstore (we'll get back on that soon).

Artist's corner. Ilan Manouach.

2009-03-06T12:46:00.000-08:00

Ilan sent a lot of stuff too, some of it small, some of it big, some of it too complicated (the original art for La Mort du Cycliste is an accordion-like book, reaaaally long...). So we put up some nice four pages from his latest book, Frag, six images from The ten stages of spiritual cow-herding, and a huge two-piece mixed media drawing called Dark Skins.

Artist's corner. Fabio Zimbres

2009-03-06T12:41:00.000-08:00

Fabio Zimbres also sent a ton on his very diverse, excellent work but we had also to narrow it down to two sets: the black-and-white pages are a full chapter (we call it "The Kirby chapter", and you can see why) from his Musica para Antropomorfos book and the color pages make up also a full story (not in the right order, I'm afraid!), called Pifaros de XXX (sorry, I have to come back to you later on this word), which was made into a short animation film, by Zimbres and Lisandro Santos, called A Árvore-Casca.
But there's much more stuff on the backroom.

Artist's corner. Andrei Molotiu.

2009-03-06T12:29:00.000-08:00

Andrei sent a lot of original ink on paper drawings/painting/comics, but we're only able to put up these. After the generic shot, you can see Arcana I (re)drawn, Braintrust, a color page from Cave right next to Betty's Walk, and than same image, clearer (I suck as a photographer).

This one show how well Molotiu's work goes right next to Zimbre's...

Artist's corner. Aerim Lee.

2009-03-06T12:16:00.001-08:00

Considering the small place, we had a shorter span for choices. Warren decided to print two complete stories by South Korean artist Aerim Lee. She works digitally, so there's no "original art" per se. The stories are Shingu (which means "friends", in Korean) and Paranoia.

I'm putting up here one of Aerim's illustrations she did signing Rainbow, way back, and straight from the hard drive, so you check some of its qualities ...

Dové Gallery

2009-03-06T12:07:00.001-08:00

The Dové Gallery is the smaller gallery within Second Street. That's where the show was put up. Here's a few general pictures...

Putting up the show

2009-03-06T11:53:00.000-08:00

André and I arrived last Wednesday night, Warren drove us down to Charlottesville and into his lovely home. Thanks!
The next day we went to the gallery to check everything and managed to help in a few finishing touches... Here's a few pictures of the backstage manouevres. That's André putting up Colossal, an entire story he had published in the Finish Glomp magazine, and presented now at SSG.

Show email

2009-03-02T21:59:00.001-08:00

Here's what I emailed out...

I'm happy to announce IMPERA et DIVIDE, a group show I've curated with Pedro Moura at Second Street Gallery in Charlottesville Virginia, USA. The show will feature work and books from Frédéric Coché, Ae-Rim Lee, André Lemos, Ilan Manouach, Andrei Molotiu and Fåbio Zimbres. From the press release:

Six internationally renowned artists from Brazil, France, Germany, Greece, Portugal and South Korea will exhibit their selections of comics and sequential art in Second Street Gallery’s Dové Gallery. The show, curated by Pedro Moura and Warren Craghead III, reflects trends in sequential art to diverge from traditional comics and to employ “destabilizing and decentering strategies to offer rich, multivalent reading experiences.” Using ink, pencil, collage, etching, and digital media, these contemporary artists offer a fresh approach to comics.

The show is based on the show Divide et Impera that Moura curated for the 2007 Amadora Comics Festival near Lisbon, Portugal. In addition to the show Moura has published a book "Divide et Impera" that will be available at the show's blog.

-------------------------

IMPERA et DIVIDE
Frédéric Coché, Ae-Rim Lee, André Lemos, Ilan Manouach, Andrei Molotiu and Fåbio Zimbres.
Curated by Pedro Moura and Warren Craghead III
March 6 - April 25, 2009

Opening reception Friday March 6th, 6 - 8pm

Second Street Gallery
115 Second Street SE Charlottesville, VA 22902 USA
434.977.7284
Open Tuesday to Saturday, 11 to 6
ssg@secondstreetgallery.org

Divide et Impera. The book.

2009-02-27T10:33:00.000-08:00

As Warren mentioned before, this show started in Portugal a couple of years ago, as part of the International Comics Festival of Amadora. That show had Warren as an artist, and that's one of the losses in the new show. Warren has been developing work that is very close - or so I think - to the spirit which I think brings these incredibly different artists together.

Well, we have Molotiu and Lemos in this new adventure, and I'm happy Second Street Gallery took us in.

Related to the show: I'm publishing a book, the very first from Montesinos, which I hope will be a new chapter in my life, already dedicated to comics in various fronts. The book is titled after the first show, and has this amazingly beautiful wrap-around-cover by Warren. Isn't it something?

The book is at the printer's as we speak, so let's see how it works out. We're using colored paper so the end result will be slightly different, but I'm sure Warren doesn't mind me showing you his drawing (interrupted only by the logo).

The book includes short excerpts, although self-contained (to a certain extent), from Frédéric's, Warren's and Zimbres' books, complete short stories by Aerim and Ilan, and several short pieces from André and Andrei, as well as short texts on their work.

It opens with an essay by me, and has lots of "dialoging" pictures by Warren.

Stay tuned for more information.

Ilan Manouach

2009-02-27T10:15:00.000-08:00

Ilan is an immensely proficuous artist. If he's not drawing or making music, he's asleep.

Born in Athens, Greece, 1980, to where he returned after a long stint in Brussels, he has published a handful of books, whether through La Cinquième Couche - Les Lieux et les Choses qui entouraient les gens, desormais, La Mort du Cycliste, Vivre Ensemble (an oubapian exercise on Hansen's Petzi series of books) and the very recent and amazing Frag.

He has also published shorter works in Éprouvette, Glomp, and Le Coup de Grâce, coordinated book projects such as Arbres en plastique, Feuilles en papier (the French version) and The Golden Age (the Greek version).

He also has a couple of books he put out himself with drawings, such as The Horse-Headed Statue. André Lemos published A Vara do Açúcar Da Meia Noite E Nos Bordos dos Peixes through Opuntia Books. The title is a very terribly pornographic pun from English to pidgin Portuguese, but I'm not telling what it means...

Check out his site.

Andrei Molotiu

2009-02-27T09:52:00.000-08:00

Andrei Molotiu's blog title says it all: blot comics. But there's a much more than meets the eye (and the brain)!

Molotiu was born in 1967 in Bucharest, Romania, and moved to the United States in 1983. He lives and works as a college professor and artist in Bloomington, Indiana.

He works both with a more traditional approach and computer-assisted techniques to create his very particular strand of work, which can be powerful black-and-white embroideries of thick paint as well as flamboyant colour pieces.

"Re-drawing" is a pretty important verb in his craft.

Make sure you see as much as possible and take in everything it triggers.

You can find his work in many collective publications and seld-published stuff (which I guess is more or less accessible), but stay also tuned for the forthcoming Nautilus (issued by the Danish Fahrenheit).

Fabio Zimbres

2009-02-27T09:32:00.001-08:00

Fabio Zimbres was born in São Paulo, Brazil, 1960, and lives and works presently in Porto Alegre, Brazil. He is a veteran that has worked for many, many publications in Brazil, including the now mythical Animal and Chiclete com Banana, but continuing to participate with short stories for contemporary anthologic magazines such as Front, among so many others.

He has a book published by Spanish house Media Vaca, illustrating Blaise Cendrar's Panama. He has also published a couple of years ago a collaboration with the Brazilian rock band Mechanics, which led to the CD/book Música para Antropomorfos, with each story-chapter corresponding to one of the songs.

In the States, you can look up for the Alternative Comics anthology (edited by Ng Suat Tong) Rosetta 2, with the beautifully coloured I Married a Bee:

He also participated in Matt Madden's Exercises in Style, where you'll find Fabio's rendering of the story:

The style is deceiving... Lot's of weird stuff going on with his characters...

And you should see his drawings and notebooks!

Check out his site and blog.

André Lemos

2009-02-27T06:44:00.000-08:00

André's wonderful blog is here.

I realize these little bits I wrote are kind of silly but I was thinking of an art-world audience. anywhay, here's what I wrote about the great Mr. Lemos:

André Lemos (Portugal), with crude rendering and stark black and white graphics, creates destabilized and shattered sequences.

and

André Lemos (Born in 1971 in Lisbon, Portugal, where he lives and works)

Active in the European comics world since the late 80s, Lemos has become one of the most published Portuguese authors abroad, with work featured in domestic publications such as Lx Comics, Canibal Crica, as well as international ones such as Pélure Amére, and Glomp. He has launched recently his own imprint, Opuntia Books, in which he publishes limited editions of artists books and zines. With dozens of short stories published in many magazines and alternative publications, he has published a few solo titles: Quem é este Homem?, Superfight II: George Grosz Vs. André Lemos, Tribute Brute, Even Gravediggers Read Playboy, Family Portraits, Cirque Intraveineuse, Word Games - Shaken Not Stirred, O Percutor Harmónico and Embroidered Muscles. Having worked on a puppet show for national television, a sort of Portuguese Spitting Image, Lemos is also an accomplished mural painter, participating in many group and solo exhibitions as well as receiving many commissions for the decoration of public and private spaces.

And Lemos will be here in Charlottesville next week for the opening! YES! There will be drawing...
Also, he just made a new Opuntia book, to be launched exclusively at the show's opening: Charlottesville's Preliminary Black Blooming (An Amazing & Epic Journey Of A Portuguese Artist, Trying To Meet The Refreshing And Brand New Dogwood Festival's Queen).

Ae-rim Lee

2009-02-26T19:39:00.000-08:00

For the original submission I wrote:

The work of Ae-rim Lee (Korea) relies on bizarre, 70s-psychedelia-inspired designs and situations to reassess received notions of cartoons, comics, and design.

snd

Ae-rim Lee (Born in 1973 in Seoul, South Korea, where she lives and works)

Known in her country by her artistic name, “Rainbow”, Lee’s digitally-generated work has been published in Korean alternative anthologies, publications and urban culture magazines, and has been present at the Angoulême Festival de Bande Dessinee in France when South Korea was the guest country. She is currently completing an MA in animation.

Frédéric Coché

2009-02-25T22:04:00.000-08:00

I'll be posting about each artist in the show - I'm sure Pedro will add more info, but here's a start...

I'm beginning with Frédéric Coché whose great work you can see displayed flat in the DeI show post below. Here's what I wrote in application for the SSG show:

Frédéric Coché (France/Germany) uses engraving to revisit art historical sources, arranging them in enigmatic sequences to subvert their original meanings and create new ones.

and here's the bio I sent them: Hortus Sanitatis

Frédéric Coché (Born in Paris, France, in 1975, he presently lives and works in Germany)

Working mostly in several techniques of engraving, Coché has three published books (Hortus Sanitatis, from Fréon, Vie et mort du héros triomphante , from Frémok, and Ars Simia Naturæ, from Oeil du Serpent), with many shorter works published in diverse European publications. He has held many solo shows in galleries across Europe showing his engravings and other work. You can check his profile at Frémok's site, from which you can access to several interviews on his several books (French only): http://www.fremok.org/site.php?type=P&id=36

Coché's work is beautiful but works best in a sequence as in his amazing books. See more at Galerie La Ferronnerie - and special thanks to BN there for her help in getting his work to Charlottesville.)

In the meantime, he has also published recently Hic Sunt Leones (Frémok/Le Signe Noir), whose pages are done by a 4-grid of oil on paper drawings-cum-paintings. Here's a sample of that work:

SSg website

2009-02-25T22:01:00.000-08:00

Second Street Gallery has updated their site with some info about the show.

Divide et Impera

2009-02-16T20:00:00.000-08:00

Impera et Divide is based on an earlier show Divide et Impera that Pedro curated in 2007 for the Amadora Festival outside Lisbon. I figured an appropriate first post would be images from that great show.

Pedro's show was part of a larger and more mainstream comics festival. Milo Manara was there! Ha ha... DeI was the only real "alt" comics thing there and it was really good.

That's Pedro in the green shirt with Fabio Zimbres, pride of Brasil and one of the artists in the show. The show layout was really great - hopefully my snaps can get across how they made little pages in a huge space really work.

More important was the work itself. I had never seen work by Zimbres, Manaouch, Coché or Lee and was amazed. The work really fit with my ideas about comics and sequential art and how we can find new things in both.

Yes, people looking at MY work. ha ha... Seeing all this great stuff made me want to bring it to the U.S. - all of it straddled a line between fine art and comics, between the spinner rack and white walls and I thought showing this work in a gallery context could do something powerful. So I got with Pedro and we got to work looking for a venue in the States. More on that later, but first one more glory snap for me: