Pimp on da run

De Pimp is busting a nut with all the work on at the moment so the diary has gone into sleep mode, but check the Platform blog for current X info. 2008 is gonna be an exitin' year with a move out of the subway and into Creative Village as well as a whole new look!

un comeback!

News on the streets is that un Magazine is set to make a 2008 reappearance with a special edition edited by Rosemary Forde and overseen by the usual suspects from the un Committee (Lily Hibberd et al). Check out this link for information about submissions or to download previous issues of our much missed critical art review magazine.

AUSTRALIEN ART PIMP

Sometimes living here can make you feel like an alien – a legal alien as opposed to an illegal one (see Australian government illegal immigration and indigenous rights policies for further information). This was on my mind when I was recently asked by Phip Murray and Constanze Zikos to visit my former art school at Swinburne Prahran to give a talk to the students and install some work in PB Gallery on St John Street. The result was an illegal Australien flag – a textool breakdown. Yet I'm still an occasional alien... and so it is...

THE PLAYGROUND OF MISCHIEF

Check out Melbourne performo-ho Catherine Sewell's blog The Playground of Mischief that outlines some of her design concepts relating to performance work in public and private spaces. Catherine is currently completing her Masters in creative arts therapy at RMIT but is better known around de traps for her work in film, design and performance.

MAKING SPACE

The hot word on the streets is the upcoming Making Space statewide event and publication (edited by your own artpimp) launching at 6pm on Friday 27 April at Platform. Developed by the Australia Council, Arts Victoria and VIA-n (the Victorian Initiative of Artists Network) Making Space will involve 21 artist-run spaces from around Melbourne and regional Victoria. Those involved include: 24seven, 69 Smith St Gallery, Allan’s Walk (Bendigo), arc Yinnar (Gippsland), Blindside, Bus, CARNI, Citylights Project, CLUBSproject, Conical, The Dolls House, Kings ARI, Seventh Gallery, TCB Art Inc, Trocadero, Victoria Park Gallery, West10, West Space and Yarra Sculpture Gallery – proving once and for all that the ARI scene is where it's at!

JESSICA HUTCHISON

Melbourne sculptor Jess Hutchison has continued to explore consumerism and the increasing lack of brain activity in the general populace with her caged performances and observations at BOX. Throughout December and January, Jess has installed herself in her own handmade cage for half hour commuter documentation while she takes notes on the things people apparently want but rarely need. The lists have since become a collection of bizarre and funny things stuck up on the window opposite BOX and the entire work is presented as an ongoing experiment. On until early February, this may be the last BOX show from de pimp (sniff sniff)...

HAHA

Stencil streetho HAHA was the guest BOX artist for November, showing four recent stencil paintings from his AFL series that explore the Australian male gaze. Revealing the homoerotic undertones implicit in men celebrating and worshiping other men, HAHA's multilayer stencils show his typical controversial offhandedness when it comes to tackling big untouchable subjects.

PLATFORM ARTISTS GROUP

While we update our new Platform website with wizzbang stuff, we created a blog Platform Artists Group to post pix from some of our shows and talented local art hos...

MELBOURNE DESIGN GUIDE

Attended the launch exhibition from the forthcoming Melbourne Design Guide on Saturday at GPO. A pocket guide to all things slick in hometown including architecture, interiors and fashion, the MDG will also feature a section on public art, galleries, ARIs and street art all homespun by yo'own ArtPimp and some local art hos the likes of Lily Hibberd, Alexie Glass and Andy Mac!

SAY OH NO HO!

Despite the appearance that Attorney General Phillip Ruddock is the living incarnation of Mr Burns from the Simpsons, he has rejected the recent Australian Law Reform Commission's push to remove the term 'sedition' from the anti-terror bill effectively curtailing Australia's freedom of expression. Creative industries are now aligning to collectively say OH NO HO!

THE AUTOPSY

Southside art ho Jade Palmer has joined forces with Andy Sargeant of SevenNine and Darren Henderson of dirtygood. De three talented fellas just about to open The Autopsy at 162 Carlisle Street St Kilda East... right on de pimp's home turf! (This image shows Merda's wall mural for the opening night)

JAMES DODD

James Dodd has played his infamous hand in BOX with the latest October exhibition. JD's new installation, Ride With Prince, features a full window stencil inspired by Purple Rain, as well as the front window cutout board offset by a collage painting on the back wall. The effect throws a twisted shadow out onto Elizabeth Street as well as giving the rich colourfield depth to the text work. Hot stuff from the master of underbelly oz culture. See it at 351 Elizabeth St Melbourne during October.

HOT PINK PIMP

Your very own Pimp has veiled BOX on Elizabeth Street in hot pink fabric in an odd mix up of deference and sexualisation of a building. The best result is seen at night when it adds a decidely camp colour swatch to the otherwise grey-blue-brown spectrum of the Melbourne CBD. For more information about this work see the BOX site.

CONSTANZE+MERDA

Check out the latest collab wall work from Constanze Zikos and Merda at the new Red Bull Academy in Richmond. Full pics available on Merda's blog.

NAOMI TETTMANN

Naomi Tettmann, one of Melbourne's hottest young couture fashion designers has installed her complex piece 'Dream Hellscape' in the BOX window. The work is a mutilayered dress with a feathered trail and covered in hours of beading which wraps up the walls of the small window space. Having already garnered a reputation with her flamboyant fashion, seen at shows like 'Couture Dreaming' at the 2006 L'Oreal Melbourne Fashion Festival earlier this year, Tettmann will soon be flying out to the Museum of Modern Art in Santiago with her partner Ash Keating (who also has an event at Platform on the 1st September just to let you know). So, check out Tettmann's work at BOX before she is poached from abroad (or even worse-Sydney! that's a joke sunnysiders). Evening performance in the BOX and drinks this Thursday 24 August from 6-8pm - 351 Elizabeth Street Melbourne.

YASEMIN SABUNCU

BOX recently played host to two interstate artist shows: The first was from Adelaide-Sydney artist and filmmaker Yasemin Sabuncu. Exploring ideas of modern greed through folk lore, Sabuncu created a light and playful installation about Jack and The Beanstalk with a dark twist. Entitled 'Urban Myths,Fairytales & Propoganda' the work consisted of vinyl cutouts, painting, polyutherane and dirt (see picture above). We had a good turnout for drinks at BOX and Yasemin insisted it was getting harder for her to decide which city to base practice in...Melbourne is now a hot contender! The second show was a brief return from the Match Box Girl, aka Leanne Shedlezki, and her twin sister Naomi. The twins are promoting their Match Box Projects portable gallery that showcase small 2D art works in clear perspex suitcases. Following their success at the Sydney Design 06, we all wish the girls success as they take a collection Australian artists' work to Japan as part of the 2006 Australia-Japan Year of Exchange.

NU PIMP ACTION

Da Pimp is flexing his grip on the underground art scene in Melbourne with the news that he will be joining the Platform Artists Group Inc. in the subway under Flinders Street...yah! Looking forward to joining Simone Ewenson and Luke Sinclair and the Sticky zine team. If you don't know where Platform is...enter down the middle stairs from any train platform at Flinders Station or enter from Degraves Street stairs. Platform consists of a series of display cabinets and has a 16 year history as the true underground art space of Melbourne. Remember ho's that the deadline for submissions for the 2007 program is the 28th July. Platform application guidelines can be found here.

ROH SINGH

Following straight on from his top-selling solo debut at Dianne Tanzer Gallery in Fitzroy, local sculpt-ho Roh Singh managed to save one piece for the latest BOX show. Featuring his Bird of Yore sculpture, Roh has once again produced a series of technical and aesthetic stunners with a finesse few artists possess. Using 3D virtual software - similar to the software used to render CGI in film - Roh projects his compositions through a set of perspex layers which he then drills into, creating illusionary objects in space. Viewed from one angle, Bird of Yore appears as a flat solid but, moving slightly to one side, a mirror image of a bird (or a stealth bomber) appears to hover within the clear plastic sheeting. On until the end of June in the window at 351 Elizabeth Street Melbourne. Hot-Hot-Hot!

PANDAROSA'S BOX

Pimpo's fave Pandas have finally installed a new work in the BOX window! Fresh from their sticky success at the containers project in the docklands and Hotel Fox in Copenhagen, Pandarosa (aka Ariel Aguilera and Andrea Benyii) have returned to the cut and paste days of olde. The new installation 'P&A;' features two cardboard 'coffins' with texta portraits of the pair complimented with paper and vinyl flourishes on wings and walls throughout the window. On show 24-hours a day until 31 July! Pandas rock Pimp loves Pandas xx

BOX HEDGE

The BOX Hedge is in fact the leftover creations from the recent Hedge-Mony performance at the Melbourne Museum as part of Festival Melbourne 2006. There was a fantastic turnout to see the show of hedge-headed performers under the guidance of Red Cabbage (a troupe of talented not to mention lovely looking ladies and germs...not that you'd know it from the headgear!). So together with Red Cabbage member Zita Whalley, I decided to show the clippings of Hedge-Mony at BOX! Zita is no stranger to the tiny window...she performed as part of Bird Girl launch party last year. Check BOX HEDGE during April and watch out for street performances and other buried treasure...

MEME

Melbourne artist Jeanna Bajic recently teamed up with scientist Luke Noble to create the MEME installation at BOX. Taking the board game Balderdash as a starting point, the two played out the word game using "meme" with a group of friends (both artists and scientists who by the way as equally kooky as one another!) Someone got in first with my totally wrong definition of 'an egotist with a stutter' but the result was a hilarious collection of meanings. Jeanna then laid out all the definitions over the game board, photographed them, then printed and stitched the set into a seven metre canvas! What does one do with a seven metre long photograph? Well... enter Luke Noble to create a triangular rotating machine (imagine a enormous old fashioned clothes wringer) and throw in some rubber bands and a battery and wham, there you have one of the strangest and most original creations to visit BOX.

ROTTEN ART THEFT

Check the Art Theft article at ROTTEN - one of my more fave sites on anything and everything...

FEMINIST ACTION

Okay, let's pretend Da Pimp is a pro-femmo and can talk about femmo art. I just like to use the term femmo, along with homo, or commo, or art ho. They are oh-so interchangeable, no? Though seriously this show at Spacement has some excellent talent (thinking here of Sue Dodd and Alex Martinis Roe) although I'm hesitant to fully endorse feminist shows in general, regardless of how good the work is. Now girls don't go getting your knickers in a twist, let me explain. Da Pimp has problems with franchising political fringes. What I mean by this is where one "group" define the parameters of everything they are not and thereby establish a social intervention. For instance, the Sydney Mardi Gras as "representing the GLBT community" which is simply not true for everyone. Oh, and GLBT is not a drug or a sandwich people, look it up. What eventually happens is that community group ends up becoming a small imitation of the imperial capitalist patriarchal dominion over earth (otherwise known as political). Now, politics sucks; just look at question time on the ABC if in doubt. Playing a fringe franchise on politics simply isolates the very things people want changed and load them up as something to be simply argued about and compromised over until the world has moved on and outdated policy is passed. Feminism should not be political. Feminism should simply be chicks saying "we do most stuff better than you regardless of what we got between out legs" okay maybe something less crass than that. It really makes me wonder what wave we're now up to in capital F Feminism. Women are in more positions of power (good) but still earn less than men (bad) are choosing family AND career (good) but still wanna look like Jennifer Aniston (eeuw how wrong town). So I'm not gonna crtique this show cos I'm not a feminist. I'm not any kind of -ist and i have no -ism to push. But do still go see it!

ACCA ROCKS DA PIMP'S SOCKS

Not since Susan Norrie's stunning Undertow graced the exhibition hall has Da Pimp been so excited about an ACCA show. NEW06 is undoubtedly one of the best exhibitions to be curated by Juliana Engberg and so I finally get to rave about something that is actually "new" in the NEW program, which aims to expose fresh Australian talent. Caps off to the Makeshift team from Sydney for producing their cardboard maze world replete with hidden rooms of models and lightshows. After being bored senseless by the Contemporary Commonwealth shows at NGV/ACMI, my expectations for the ACCA NEW06 show were somewhat dampened and I arrived 20 minutes before closing which literally meant a run through. Helen Johnson has taken over the walls in the main hall that has been split into two spaces this time. Her lightly temporal painting covers four walls and is worthy of closer inspection considering it will be obliterated in May. From memory the first artist to paint directly on the walls was Andrew McQualter back in the debut NEW03 show. So movin on, right past Giles Ryders' ode to neon sixties, and onto Natasha Johns-Messenger's incredible spatial installation. The work features an oblong cutout from the main wall of ACCA that is displaced onto a three dimensional shape on the floor. This is a brilliant piece of spatial play that literally cuts through the white walls of the gallery cube to turn the physical space into a self-referencing sculpture. Spot on. Quickly bypassing the other artists (as I only spent a short time with their works... note to self: must revisit) and straight into Makeshift. This crew hails from Sydney and the peeps involved are Anna Crane, Ned Sevil, Pep Prodromou and Marley Davison. The sheer amount of labor that has gone into producing this installation is something close to phenomenal, particularly because it is made out of cardboard. Welcome to Merrylands 2006 is a walkthrough space made up a series of maze-like walls - even the handholds are visible so you can literally climb the walls here (actually maybe don't try that!). Like a cave from the movies, there are a number of options that send you off through this totally engaging space. It reminds me a lot of one of Engberg's favourite subjects of the rhizome as a metaphor for contemporary thinking. So up stairs or under crawlspaces and you soon find yourself in near hidden rooms with sculptures and shadow play about travel and the sea. The work is part funhouse, part ghost train, and part like being put in a huge cardboard rat cage. Makeshift's Merrylands left me completely revitalised about contemporary art...finally! Less of the "con" and more of the "temporary" I suppose. This one should definitely be traveling nationally. Yay ACCA (wow there's a first time for everything!)

RUN ARTIST RUN

We have just launched Run Artist Run - a new blog as part of Artists' Week Workshops at the Adelaide Bank Festival of Arts 2006. The royal "we" is in fact Lily Hibberd, Ianto Ware, James Dodd, Lisa Kelly, Andrew Best and me your friendly art pimp. Run Artist Run is the most comprehensive set of links to Australian ARIs (Artist Run Initiatives) you're likely to find online right now (cos tomorrow it might be outdated with another initiative going off!) Check out the new blog, leave comments, suggest new links and dive into the big brave world of DIY art fame.

DA PIMP IS BACK or IS THIS THE END?

Da Pimp is Back! Yup I have finally emerged from the scarily soul extricating world of corporate design and returned to the fold of super rich artists. So, the latest issue of un Magazine was launched at the Adelaide Bank Festival of Arts last week. I think it was the quietest launch we ever had. Maybe too many people coming out of Callum Morton's epileptikos Walk-In Drive-In...? I did scare some chick half to death when I stepped down off the mirrored podium. She almost spewed poor luv. I think she thought I was a sculpture but like they don't scratch when they look at art do they? Anyway, Da Pimp was over with Lily Hibberd (un Magazine editor extraordinaire) who inspired the crowd at a number of forums and workshops with her dinky DIY approach to surviving as an artist in Australia. Needless to say, Lily is leaving for LA in a couple of weeks (haha) though seriously, she will be joining her naughty beau Brendan Lee who is on an OzCo studio residency and chocking up as much high grade video hours as his hot little finger can push. So, is this the end for un Magazine...? Well it may well be kids. Oh No. Well duh, the team has been pitching for support from every man and his dog and every dog and it's fleas and well well well wouldn't ya know no-one wants to support it but boy they really love it. Thanks, cos sympathy is great for paying printers with. So, after seven brilliant issues, featuring hundreds of emerging artists and writers (who rarely show up in the standard art media) the powers that be (boring) have decided that the magazine is not worthy of further funding. I should note here that un did receive some small grants in the past to cover writers' fees. How Arts Vic, OzCo and the other funding bodies can justify the some of the shite they pour funds into (that continue to exacerbate the anti-art funding public sentiment) while refusing to continue support for an artist run project such as un is totally beyond me. Yes, yes, I understand the policies of supporting new smaller budget works from new applicants but un is not a one-off self grandising project like...well, maybe I won't mention them here...but nevertheless, un has shown a dedication to publishing first time writers, publishing artists (yeh like we can actually write), emerging curators (who probably shouldn't be allowed to write) and new artist run spaces. In fact (whew take a breath) I would hazard a guess that around 90% of un material will take the next five years to appear in the mainstream art press (but that's mostly because they are all waiting for their new edition of contemporary art terms to be released otherwise what wanky name will they have for it?). So despite returning from the Adelaide Festival feeling inspired about the next generation that will soon be blipping our eyelids, I can't help but feel underweighed by the heavily apathetic and power hoarding culture of Australia's passive agressive art scene. Yup. What a rant. I've barely started....

NYLON AUST/NZ

Check the inaugural issue of NYLON AUST/NZ Magazine with a piece by Da Pimp on Anita King and Sophie McAlpin's BIRDGIRL shop at 155 Brunswick Street Fitzroy. The artist/fashion duo design, pattern and sew all their garments instore, ramping the one-off garment trend by making the creation a performance in itself. Also take a squiz at Culture Club pages for a piece on Pandarosa. Stay tuned for more updates here soon or read The Australian's story on the birth of Nylon here.

ARTKRUSH

New York based ArtKrush have selected Diary of an Art Pimp in their current feature on art blogging around the world. The Art Life team in Sydney were the only other local art bloggers to appear in this funky online art mag. Check the current issue which also features cover artwork from the ever-hot Wooster Collective!

LEANNE SHEDLEZKI

Sydney artist Leanne Shedlezki has installed her latest matchbox range in the BOX window at 351 Elizabeth Street Melbourne. Leanne's overlaid screenprints first appeared in Melbourne this year at Span Galleries in a show about identity. Floate, the design studio that fund BOX, already own a matchbox girl by Melbourne artist Ropar but were happy to be revisited by the famous flaming redhead. Check Leanne's work, on until the new year, before she burns out of town.

Apols for the severe lack of updates as De Art Pimp is busy working on a new project set to launch in 2006.

In the meantime, check de pimp's review of a recent x at Blindside in the latest issue of Machine, a spunky little art mag from Brisvegas.

SPACEMENT WALLS

Glen Walls continues his unique spatial breakdown of the clean lines of modernism at the next Spacement opening. Walls works with the juxto of architectural modernism and people who seem to defy gravity and repeat themselves in barren spaces. Working in sculpture, video and installation, Walls is a dedicated art ho who has spent many a late night assembling tiny perfect models of our far from perfect world. Check it at the next Spacement opening on 10 November 2005 at Watson Place Melbourne.

SNAPS FROM TURKEY CREEK

Opening this Sunday 6 Nov (4-6pm) is an interesting new Citylights photographic x by young artists from Warmun Aboriginal Community East Kimberley. Using disposable cameras a group of ten young people (15-25yo) took snaps of their local area over a six month period and this x is the result. Three of the artists (Jonah Kingsley, Johnine Echo and Erica Nodea) are travelling down from Warmun Art Centre which is 200km south of Kununurra...get out your atlases if yo hos don't know where tis!

DANGEROUS LIAISONS

Lily Hibberd's latest x has opened with unfurling curtains and mirrored paintings in the back room of Linden in St Kilda. Having painted the walls a deep rouge, Lily and Mr Lee were wondering whether anyone realised the installation was more than a cosmetic improvement... Nevertheless the paintings set on ghostly mirror backs inside black frames once again showed Lily's brilliant painting techniques of appropriating cult cinema mise en scene. Dangerous Liaisons x runs until 13 Nov.

PANDA TRANSLATION

The ever-inspiring Pandarosa duo will be appearing in the Translation group show at 101 Collins. Opening is 6-8pm on Wed 2 November and the x runs until the 19 November at 101 Collins Street Melbourne.

CARNI

For those in Melbourne who haven't heard about CARNI then get out from under your rocks kids. Jason Keats and Rod Payne are the grunt behind this latest (and probably most ambitious) ARI for Melbourne. After running the ARI Making Sense for more than a decade, the guys decided to take over the leasehold of an old leather factory in Preston. Following some pretty serious makeover work, CARNI was recently opened and now features a bar, stage, artist studios, performance spaces, exhibition space, plus events and outdoor entertainment areas. Check the CARNI website for more updates soon. In the meantime, members and friends of CARNI are invited have a drink and check this massive new project space on Thursday evenings at 60 High Street Preston.. Northside never looked so promising...

MARLIYN JEANETTE

Photographer Marliyn Jeanette has just installed her latest montage exhibition in the BOX window. Pussycats, rockstars, and glamour girls are just some of the subjects to appear in more than 100 photographs taken since Jeanette moved to Melbourne from Sydney. The photoshow will be up until the end of October at 351 Elizabeth Street Melbourne.

PROCESS

UN 5

Download issue 5 of the glorious un magazine here. The ever talented Mr Lee and Ms Lil have made a black issue and Tony G is all over it (cover features his kiss of death). The pic here is a detail from the collage work of Garifalakis' entitled Ruin of Empires (Pimpo raved about it when it showed in Family First at VCA).

VOLATILE

Lyndal Walker has re-installed Volatile in BOX as an abandoned shopfront window. Volatile Over continues Walker's exploration of the rise and demise of popular culture through marketing, advertising and general consumer memory lapse. In a deliberate attempt to undermine her own artwork, Walker creates faux brands that collapse after the hype. Volatile was created as a fashion brand featuring appropriated pop imagery of skulls, stencils and inverted nude stereotypes. Originally installed as Volatile So Hot Right Now, the work has been seen at Gertrude Contemporary Art Spaces in Fitzroy as part of the 2005 Melbourne Fashion Festival - and the irony didn't escape many fashionistas although left a few asking where the clothes were! Volatile Over will be on display until the end of September at 351 Elizabeth Street Melbourne.

AMAC

AMAC has squeezed into BOX for an exclusive one week show! The work features spraycan wallpaper and four photo light boxes of local street artists including HAHA, work from Rats of Melburn and an image of the gated enemy of the burbs. AMAC's 'Too Bad You're Gonna Die' installation will be up until this weekend Sunday 4 September. Check it at 351 Elizabeth Street Melbourne. Looks best at night. Yah!

JAMES A-CHANGELING

Embracing his metalesque adolescence, James Dodd will soon be showing his new series of work at Helen Gory Galerie. JD continues his interest in cultural icons whose time has probably come. The new x is entitled Something Metal Inside Me and is opening on 1st September. Get out your stovepipe black demins and let's rock!

JOY BOYZ LEAVE TOWN

If yo were too busy to haul fan' to BOX to check Constanze Zikos' Joy Boyz in Kleptomania 2, then you are too late cos they just passed by...

CIVILIAN EMERGENCY

Local street artho Tom Civil is once again shining his spraycan onto our social disarray with a new x at Citylights Centre Place in the CBD (off Flinders Lane). Opening is 3-6pm this Saturday 30th July and runs until 27 of September. The message from CIVIL: "Let's make shrines from the wastes of capitalism. Bring treasures and flowers to commemorate civilians killed at war." We're gonna need a lot of flowers kids.

RASH LAUNCH

Local film directho Nicholas Hansen is set to launch his new film, RASH, at the Melbourne International Film Festival. Screenings at Greater Union Cinema on Thursday 21st July 7.00pm and Tuesday 2 August 9:00pm. Hansen's doco is an exploration of Melbo's hot 'n' itchy street art scene that will soon come under attack with the arrival of the 2006 Commo Games and the accompanying Royal Hoopla Nonsense that ensues in town. Perfect timing...check it.

SPEAK ENGLISH

Interesting to note that visitors to the diary in the last 2 weeks have come from countries far and wide including: Denmark, Singapore, Belgium, Hungary, New Zealand, Portugal, United States, Canada and Turkey. rockin! x

GAVIN BROWN

Legendary southside ho (and damn fine painter) Gavin Brown will be launching his latest collection next Wednesday 27 at 45 Downstairs on Flinders Lane. If you are not already familiar with Gavin's work then shame on yo and haul fanny downstairs to check these semi-nudelicious paintings from one of the great pansexual art hos of our time.

BASEFIELD COMMONS

Word is officially out about this year's Basefield exhibition organised by local dovetailer Jade Palmer. The theme of this year's bumper show, called The Commons, takes its cues from the faerie tales of legendary hunchback Aesop. Not to be confused with the local cosmetic pushers, Aesop was executed by the ancient Delphians who then, in typical ancient melodramatic style, suffered horrible calamities that would become known as "The Blood of Aesop". His legacy was a huge number of fables that were passed down the centuries by word of mouth until they were penned down as fairy tales. The Commons will show more than 200 original works from round the globe so get to the opening at 6.30pm on Wed 27 July at Chapel off Chapel Galleries Prahran. X runs until 15 August. Some local boyho's work to hit da walls include Ben Frost, Merda, and Andy Sargent plus too many for pimpo to memba. Be there.

HEDGE-MONY

Those kooky Red Cabbage collective chicks are at it again with their latest performance Hedge-Mony The Maze. Designed as a human maze spectacular, folks shall be donning head hedges at 2pm on Sunday 24 July at Artplay at Birrarung Marr (behind Fed Square). Hedge-Mony will also be staged as part of the 2006 Next Wave Festival.

TROCADERO LAUNCH

The latest artist-space to launch in Melbourne is TROCADERO which promises to push the ARI scene into the western burbs...'bout time. Various westies both trying and true will be appearing at the show. De primo lineup X includes work from the likes of: Brendan Lee, David Noonan, Sue Dodd, Juan Ford and Nicola Loder, plus other hos from the side where the sun sets . None other than Melbo's own ornatemental bedhead pusher Franco Cozzo will open the new venue. Saturday 23 July from 4-6pm. Address: Level 1, 119-121 Hopkins St, Footscray Twill be a hootenanny!

THE MAP

The Map is now out! Created by the VIA-N (Victorian Initiatives of Artists Network...chew on that) which is headed by usual supects including Brett Jones of WestSpace infamy. The launch at Conical was a rocker although le pimpo has 2 crits of the finished pro: 1. the map looks scarily similar to Andrew Hurle's photographic series, 77 Defunct artist-run galleries - Melbourne and Sydney 2002 that Schwartz exhibited at her Store 5 show and recently seen again at the MUMA TENT X. Rip offs aside (they are so common now that originality is becoming a dirty word) my other gripe is that some spaces have not been included. Now whether this is deliberate or accidental who is to know but ho's should keep in mind that THE MAP is an excellent guide and not the final word. In any case Download and enjoy now!

MAP

Taking the art underground above for promo to the general public (who in pimpo's mind get way too much press) is the aim of Via-N (Victorian Iniatives of Artists Network). No link as their site has an uglymug shot of Senator Vanstone (aka hitler in a fatsuit) getting on with a dog...gross. So moving right along, the ARI Map will be launched at Conical at 7.30pm on Sat 9 July. Just watch the institu curo ho's lap up the unpaid talent for their public gallery x's where they can claim to have salvaged poor artists from "the garret" of ari-land.

FAMILY FIRST

Stylin Mark Feary has been a busy curo with the Family First opening last night at VCA. Tis a crankin' show with a solid dose of death, rock and political slag. Standout work from Tony Garifalakis (check here for a similar x). Tony G's Ruin of Empires is my fave piece in this x - a glam horror collage college wall. Other ho's on the go in Feary's FF show include: Shaun Gladwell, Matthew Griffin, Rachel Howe, Marco Roso and Blair Trethowan.

ABSOLUT MERDA

Melbourne ho Merda has teamed up with Phibs to paint billboards here and Sydney. Pic shows a detail from Merda's design in Sidders (Phibs worked up the St Kilda bilby). Those Swedes love to throw a bit o penning round in the art ho crowd but whose complainin...as long as its free, absolutely.

UN 4

Last Satdee West Space held the launch of un magazine issue 4 with a sweet bleed cover from B Lee. Hugs to ongoing support from curo hos (Simon M and Vicky Mc) plus apols to peeps who missed the gig cos pimpo was slack on the email route. If yo can't find a hardcopy (hello where are yo? get outta da house!) then check the un site to download the full colour piece.

BIRD GIRL v WONDERBIRD

Pimpo forgot to post pics from the performance by Anita King and Zita Whalley. So here's one. AKs on top with ZW doing her best impression of a ladder. Heaps more picz may post elsewhere...

DE ART LIFE

Oo yeh...the world of art bloggin' is hottin up kidz (though biased am i) following a recent reco to the art life became totally keyed at what i found!  These guys offer reviews, critical insights and general hoopla from de art world in one awesome blog! czechoslov it x

LOCAL HO LOCOS

De blog had been updating slowly as de pimp has been on a major corporate reconnaissance mission...have now added a new menu listing: ART HO LOCOS (which basically translates as artist-run spaces in Melbourne...not all just some) x 

JOY BOYZ

The latest installation work by Constanze Zikos has made an appearance at BOX. Take a reflective drive by at 351 Elizabeth Street Melbourne. Entitled Kleptomania 2 (a continuation of work from Blindside) the refit features woodgrain stripe reflexi with pink jack and more. Various Joy Boy fans passed by during installation asking to have their bits photographed. KZ: haha.

HUNGARY FOR ESTHER

Looking forward to the safe return of Esther-Emilie Vida from Hungary where she was pimping wares includings paintings of her own plus Ry David Bradley and entire suite of new works from Constanze Zikos - does that ho ever stop? Check X pix at Zsokavar Galleria.

MEN

Glen Walls is havin a opening at Westspace Inc this Thursday night at 6pm. New DV work features dudes smashing up cars and walls and other such glorious stuff. Should be fun!

DAVID NOONAN

When you get a car and a spare hour or so check David Noonan's retrospective X at the sans-garret MUMA (Monash University Musuem of Art) you know it's like an Aussie suburban version of MOMA. A massive show, called David Noonan: Films and Paintings 2001-2005, it's curated by neo herr director Max Delaney and the ever delightful Liza Vasiliou (who is now freelance art hos take note!). This is a highlight show for the year - don't let the trip to Clayton put you off.

AS SEEN ON TV

For Sidders folk don't forget Ben Frost's X opening of new paintings at blank_space in Surry Hills on Thursday night 26 May.

CLOSING NIGHT PARTY

Anita King will be joined by Zita Whalley for the closing night performance of King Carousel at BOX. The white vinyl will make a reappearance as BIRD GIRL and WONDER BIRD get stuck in the art window to entertain the commuters. Come down to check out the birds in the box on Thursday 5th May at 5.55pm at the window of 351 Elizabeth Street Melbourne (near the corner of Latrobe). Party afterwards. See Floate for more x

MX CATCHES THE BIRD

Grab today's copy of MX and check out the page 2 chicks...

BLEE METALLIAXXX

Brendan Lee, that white framed art ho bout town, is making more video art...you are warned. This piece features a rolling car (aka XXX style action genre) that just keeps on rolling. Along with founding KingsARI, un magazine and the Projekt Video Art Catalogue, BLEE also has his finger on the pause button of Australian video art (see the latest issue of Photofile if you don't know what i'm on about).

BEN FROST STILL DEAD

After some deserved Japanese R&R;, Ben Frost has made a comeback hitting enough local mags to wallpaper yo wardrobe. Check latest issue Black + White for a piece on Ben's next show in Sydney opens on may 26 in sydney at blank_space in surry hills. Ben's work is cheeky, vultureculture jammin, pop blender with enough allusions to keep your illusions in check.

DAVID HURWITZ

This is Grass Angel, a new painting from David Hurwitz who is finally leaving his studio exhibit again, not that we've been waiting (that long). Uber Gallery in St Kilda will open with a group show this Thursday featuring David's work alongside Louis Porter's photographs and David Waters' sculptures. All the artists have been commissioned to produce works that look into that subject of our beautifugly Australian dream: suburbia.

TRIO HIT ZSOKAVAR

Esther-Emilie Vida is set to fly out Tuesday to Budapest, Hungary to set up her first group show at Zsokavar Galleria. Esther is carrying over dozens of new works by herself, her partner in crime, Ry David Bradley, and former teacher to all of us, Constanze Zikos. Show opens at 6pm on Wednesday 3rd May 2005. Pix from this show soon...

PINK PIMP

Here is more of de pimp's work as a few ho's wanna see my goods too...

LARA PITERMAN

Lara Piterman will be opening a solo show at tomorrow in Fitzroy next week. The series of new works, called Imaginary Places, continue Lara's material based practice that she started when I met her while studying at Swinburne Prahran. Opening 6-10pm on 3 May 2005 at tomorrow, 122 Johnston St Fitzroy. Imaginary Places runs until 5 June.

BASEFIELD PROJECTS

Basefield, the creative snooky of the totally hugable Jade Palmer has finally launched with a new Basefield Projects website. The new online art store is a treat and the artists page contain links to some of the best fresh art ho's on the give a shit scene. Jade has organised two major international charity exhibitions over the last couple of years: 2003 The Great Divide, then the 2004 Lost & Found, and for this year it will be called The Commons, with Aesop's Fables as the theme for each artist. Make sure you are there ho's: Opening 27th July 2005, 6.30pm at Chapel Off Chapel Galleries Prahran.

SHAMELESS PIMPY

This is one of my photographs from a series taken over the last few years with the subject of paint spills. Just a bit of shameless self promotion x

ULTRA UN KLEIN HEX

The latest work from Constanze Zikos, some of which is going to Budapest this week, the rest which may (or may not) be appearing in the next show at BOX in the city. The hexagons are made with ultramarine blue vinyl (reminiscing Yves Klein Blue) and stripped in reflective silver.

KISSING MOTO

Simone LeAmon is soon to return from Milan where she has been presenting a collection of new work at the Salone del Mobile with Association Viafarini. One of the pieces is this one, Kissing Moto, which involves Simone accosting strange men in leather just to ask if she can kiss their engines. The Italians got into it a lot more when Nat and Ali were filming Simone in Milan last year. The Melbourne scene is cheekier but still a little shy, you'll be able to see this and many of Simone's new 'designer art objects' in Melbourne soon.

VOLATILE

Lyndal Walker's faux fashion brand, Volatile, continues to grab attention following her Studio 12 exhibition, So Hot Right Now, at Gertrude Contemporary Art Spaces. There will be a short piece coming up on Lyndal in the next issue of pagesonline and Lyndal has also agreed to be the third artist to show in BOX so the pimp is croonin with delight over that!

PANDAS IN COPENHAGEN

My fave local pandas, Ariel and Andii, are still painting their way through Europe. These are shots sent from a recent job at Hotel Fox in Copenhagen where the dynoduo painted the lobby, entry and floor. If you don't know the work of Pandarosa here in Melbourne or on their continental sojourns then get to it. i lurv my pandas x

VINYL REPEATS

Seen here is Constanze Zikos walking out of his five minute exhibition at Vinyl Repeats on Chapel Street. Although Zikos was at first taken with the woodgrain veneers of the space, the overall artist fee was too low for his liking, much to the shock of his now defunct vinyl tailor.

OF LEGEND AND MURDER

James Dodd has dropped mo than a few bombs on the local scene here since arriving from Adelaide a couple of years back. His work has been seen on pylon posters in capital cities, in artist-run spaces and commercial galleries and has even made its way into the National Gallery of Australia print collection. Subjects in the past have ranged from anti american imperialism, the decay of the british monarchy, flouro culture billboard advertising and now the urban legends of Australian folklore. Next opening is 6pm tomorrow night (Wed 23 March) at Firstdraft Gallery in Surry Hills and runs until 3 April. Also check the Australia Council site The Program for a profile on JD... da bomb!

DRIVEBY TIME

BOX art space has finally opened in the front window of 351 Elizabeth Street Melbourne. Anita King's first installation is Carousel - a quiet vinyl sculpture with more a passing reference to da white horse. (Still working out how to have an opening on the street what with all them sexy harleys and superbikes a few doors down...do i hear the rev of Simone LeAmon comin down the road?) Carousel will be changed by AK over the next few weeks, culminating in a performance that may rival her 'Artist in a Box' day-long performance at Spencer Street Station last year (another behind glass piece that got more than one member of the media all wet and bothered).

x PIMPLIST x

Have started xPIMLISTx email to let ho's know about stuff on the blog and in the realworld, so if you aren't gettin any and you want it then email the art pimp xxx

GOSSIP POP

Can't get enuf of the Dodd Duo's Gossip Pop. Part of the Melbourne Fashion Festival, DEATH Vs POP was held over a series of nights at The Croft Institute this week with Sue and Phil Dodd as GOSSIP POP against Emile Zile and Christian Bishop as MORLOCH. Two totally random extremes singing n parading about to get the audience vote on who comes out on top. Excellent sounds from both teams but Sue Dodd wins fist up for her sexy dancin and cuttin lyrics on the cult of celebrity. Check the next issue of pages for a profile by yo pimp on Gossip Pop.

KING BOX

BOX is a new window art project at 351 Elizabeth St in the city and is set to open this week! BOX is supported and subsidised by the design studio Floate and yo Pimp is running the window space. We's kicking off the debut with an installation from Anita King (pictured here outside BOX). The word is now officially out for artists wanting to strut their stuff on the street. Yo Pimp will push it to the public so email me for more info and to apply for exhibition opps.

LOVE DA GARRET BITCH

Many art ho's on the scene are still choking back the vomit after reading Ashley Crawford's appalling piece of brown nosing published in The Age last week. Apparently artists have to get into bed with contemporary curators Juliana Engberg from (SP)ACCA and Max Delany from Monash to get their arses out of the garret. Since publication of this bumsucking excuse for arts journalism the article has appeared as a poster replete with an extreme makeover of these two talents who despite their egos do not hold a monopoly on contemporary art. Get real guys and stay outta our garret.

YOU'RE SO VAIN

Lily Hibberd's Paint Tin Fantasias opened in the groupshow You're So Vain at Karen Woodbury Gallery last night in Richmond. These works feature scenes from Hollywood movies captured in a swirling still inside paint tins. Fantastic Fantasias from Lil. Other standout work included Lisa Roet's ApeMan rotating advertisment boards cheekily challenging the evolution of humans from apes...or is it vice versa?

SHIGEO FUKUDA

Japanese art legend Shigeo Fukuda is comin to town as a key speaker at the 15th AGIdeas Design Week from April 26-29 at Hamer Hall. Fukuda is famed for his 2D and 3D illusion sculptures and graphics. The pic here shows Fukuda's sculpture, Lunch With a Helmet On. It's made from a jumble of forks and spoons and, when viewed from a particular angle, it forms the detailed shadow of a motorbike.

SO HOT RIGHT NOW

Lyndal Walker's installation at Gertrude Contemporary Art Spaces in Fitzroy is her latest exploration of consumerism and the yawning maw we desperately fill with stuff. Set like a fashion store with mirrors, nudey advertising, branded bags and change room, So Hot Right Now offers everything except actual product. This pic shows your Pimp in the changeroom workin' the packaging.

DAVID ROSETZKY

Tha latest issue of pages online is out!
I have started work with pages as their arts editor kicking off with a piece on Melbourne artist David Rosetzky. David recently won the new Anne Landa Award for moving image and new media work. His video installation "Untouchable" has been acquired by the Art Gallery of New South Wales. See more of David's work at Sutton Gallery.

LILY HIBBERD

This is one of my fave paintings from Lily Hibberd - a fantastic painter as well as the co-founder and editor of un magazine. The piece is called "Blinded by the Light" and always reminds me of Uma Thurman so that's always gotta be good. New work from Lily will appear in an upcoming exhibition at Karen Woodbury Gallery in Richmond on 18 March so haul ass down there. Lily rocks. x

UN MAGAZINE



Issue 3 of un magazine is now out! We had the launch at VCA Gallery (24.02.05) Thanks to Vikki McInnes for hosting plus Sue & Phil Dodd for the ever rockin' Gossip Pop performances (more on that soon...) un mag contains features, interviews and reviews from the artist-run art scene.

un is the lovechild of Lily Hibberd and Brendan Lee, themselves excellent artists as well as a dynamo editor/design team. They are joined on the editorial committee by yours truly, along with Zara Stanhope from Heide Musuem of Modern Art, Jeff Khan from Gertrude Contemporary Art Spaces and Anthony Gardiner from Melbourne University.

un is available from MCA (Syd), Kings ARI (Mel), Gertrude (Mel), Westspace (Mel) and other locations around Australia. Only a limited number are printed so pick up a copy now or download all three issues FOR FREE from the un magazine link under the Friends list on the right...



CLUBWORK

Although there are a million other graf and stencil pieces I should be puttin up here, I saw this piece in a night club toilet on Oxford Street while on a recent trip to Sydney...don't ask me which one, I was too out of it to remember...although i'm pretty sure it was the guys dunny. Haha! I thought it was really funny but not as funny as some guy in front of the mirror who was obsessively restyling his hair over and over while chewing his face off on bad e.

SIMONE LE AMON

Here is a mobo pic I took of Simone Le Amon in her studio in February this year. Simone is an artist, designer and teacher and is a hottie to boot! I did a 6-page profile on Simone for Desktop Magazine (March 05 Issue) which has just come out...check the stands. It features Simone's work over the last five years including a double page spread of the wicked CGI bodysuit she developed with Daryl Munton (who did digital fx for Star Wars) and architect David Morrisson. The Desktop cover photo is a detail of Supersystem, one of the sculptural works presented as part of Simone's Masters in Industrial Design. Simone is now preparing for a major show at the Salone del Mobile in Milan, Italy coming up in April.

ANITA KING

Anita King (left) with friend Zita (look out for these chicks in performances coming up...details soon) This was at Anita's solo exhibition of paintings at PB Gallery Swinburne Prahran where we both studied in 2003/04. If you are considering an art school I would easily recommend Swinburne as a place to start out or broaden your outlook. The art school there is run by Paul Quinn who made those funny lookin' skinny dude sculptures near Bourke St Mall in Melbourne. Teachers there include Constanze Zikos, Paul Rodgers, Tania Ivanka, Phip Murray, Simone Le Amon and a lot of other practicing artists who don't just dream it...