NEXT at Artropolis

A quick look at my search logs showed an enormous increase in traffic yesterday. It was clear that most of you were looking for some substantial reporting and/or images from the NEXT art fair or (the regrettably named) Artropolis, in general. I'm not an art world insider, so sorry: no gossip about that guy with three names who had to resign from Village Voice. I've included links to some of the photo sets and commentary I've stumbled on below.

Images from NEXT:

Fair White Frogman. Next Art Fair Parts 1 & 3.

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Flickr Sets

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Critiques, interviews and more images:

Bad at sports: episode 138 & 139 NEXT art fair. Artropolis
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Art or Idiocy: Artropolis and Version-towne
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ArtLetter
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photo: Lone Motel. Tracey Snelling

Sunday Music: Lee Hazlewood

In 1970, after a long career writing and producing hits for other artists (Duane Eddy, Dean Martin and Nancy Sinatra, among others), Lee Hazlewood went to Stockholm to make a television special, A Cowboy in Sweden. He later recorded an album of the same name, the first of several produced in Sweden. 13 was released in 1972, and has been a sought-after rarity among collectors on this side of the Atlantic. The label Smells Like Records reissued the album, which is how I happened to hear a couple of the songs in a mix someone made for me. "Ten or Eleven Towns Ago" has one of the best rhymes in the history of pop music: "San Francisco" and "Nabisco."



"Lee Hazlewood" Wikipedia [Link]
Smells Like Records [Link]

NEXT Art Fair

Update: For links to photo sets and commentary on Artropolis and NEXT, go HERE

If you live in Chicago and have Sunday or Monday free, I highly recommend visiting the Merchandise Mart to see the NEXT Invitational Exhibition of Emerging Art. [Link]. It's an opportunity to view some of the most exciting new visual art in the world, and to do so up close and personal. The photo is of Paul Villinski's Lumen, one of his series of exquisite, fragile sculptures of butterflies. A similar work is at NEXT, and I was able to get within inches of it to see how it was made, and how the artist affixed the tiny sculptures to the wall. Amazingly, they are made from discarded beer cans. Paul Villinski's website: [Link]

NEXT shares the Mart with some other exhibitions, including Art Chicago, the International Antiques Fair, and Intuit Show of Folk and Outsider Art. Intuit is small, but I enjoyed it as well. Art Chicago was disappointing, with overstuffed floor space, and a shopping mall feel about the merchandise...er art. There were a few really nice pre-war Chicago paintings here and there, but if it's a decade before I see another Ed Paschke, it will be too soon. Oh, and the cafes and bars at NEXT are better than at Art Chicago, too. My favorite was the Old Country Bar, which appears to be the actual interior of a real country-western honky tonk. Unfortunately, I didn't bring my camera, but will post photos if I find them out there on the internets.

Have a great weekend!