Monday, December 12, 2011

Query--abstract comics in shows

I received the following query from Kym Tabulo, who is doing a Doctorate of Creative Arts at Sunshine Coast University in Queensland, Australia, on the topic Concerning the Spiritual in Abstract Sequential Art:

Currently I am researching Gallery Comics.

I know of Silent Pictures and Out of Sequence.

Can you please tell me if anyone has undertaken a solo abstract gallery comics exhibition?

Perhaps Nina Roos, Rosaire Appel, Mark Staff Brandl or Andrei Molotiu?


Kym is referring to the shows Silent Pictures, organized by Linda Norden and myself at the James Gallery at CUNY in September 2009, and the traveling show, Out of Sequence, organized by John Jennings and Damian Duffy for the Krannert Art Museum, and which went to two other locations. Mark Staff Brandl and I were featured in that one.

To begin to answer Kym, there also was an abstract comics contingent in the NeoIntegrity show at MoCCA in 2010--Mark Badger, Richard Hahn, and I, in this case, plus a 1992 piece by Peter Halley. Also, there was an "abstract comics" section--featuring Warren Craghead, Blaise Larmee, Rosaire Appel, Derik Badman, and me--in the Party Crashers show at the Arlington Arts Center, in 2010-2011 (Here is my work in that show).



As for me, I've had solo shows featuring abstract comics at the University of Louisville in 2005(Here is the essay written about my work on that occasion by Jay Kloner), at ArtLexis in Brooklyn in 2009 (unfortunately the gallery seems to be out of business now, and I can't link to it directly--but see image above), and at Franklin College in 2010. (Plus I've had abstract comics in a bunch of group shows.)

Anyone else? Please post all the shows in which you've had abstract comics in the comments. Thanks!

8 comments:

  1. I had a two-page abstract comic called Trescape featured in a comics and illustration show at Portland, Oregon's City Hall for the month of April 2008 in the office of then Commissioner Sam Adams (who later became Mayor).

    In March - June 2009, I had 4 pages of Lightbeam, a 48-page semi-abstract comic, featured in a show called "Comics To The People!" at the Portland Center for the Performing Arts. (Of note: Lightbeam was used in the original pitch to Fantagraphics for the anthology.)

    Of course, my piece from the anthology was also included, along with almost everyone else in the book, in the Silent Pictures show at James Gallery in New York, September - October 2009.

    P.S. I'm hoping to put together a solo exhibition of my many abstract comics at some point in the future.

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  2. I had a show in 2001 in San Francisco that had a bunch of my Abstract Comics. I also did murals of them at a local nightclub. I'll have to scan the photos.

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  3. Most of my solo shows were until recently (when I introduced recognizable imagery again) in fact abstract comics shows, although the "fine" artworld sees more of the painting/installation mix in them. So I have had about 20 solo shows of abstract comics in galleries, Kunsthallen und museums. The one that got me the most press and the like was probably this one: abouthttp://www.markstaffbrandl.com/panelscoversviewers/panels_wall.html

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  4. I've shown abstract comics in several group shows in the past couple of years - including one that's still up at the International Print Center New York. (I'll post a picture of it here.) Another comic of mine is featured in this month's Central Booking Magazine. Rosaire Appel

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  5. For this year's Chelmsford Arts Trail I organised a collaborative issue of my series The Intercorstal which was available to pick up at the barber shop it was based on. It was also available for reading with the other four issues of the Intercorstal I've done in the project's cafe.

    In February 2011 'The Intercorstal: Collider' was included in Abstract Esthetic's 'Liminal' show.

    Two postcard-sized abstract comics based on portraits of Douglas Coupland and Kurt Vonnegut were included in 'Send Me A Postcard Darling' which was December last year, I think.

    In February 2011 a series of images called 'Cloud City' was included in Pimlico Library's mailart show.

    Four framed pages from 'The Intercorstal' were included in the gallery part of the Operation Concrete project in Vibe Bar, London in Dec 2009.

    There's a niggle at the back of my head which says the Intercorstal has travelled more... I hung pages from banners to decorate a bar for a club night, but that's not what I'm thinking of.

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  6. In 2009 i had a solo exhibtion of my abstract comics, (drawings) in the gemeentehuis (City hall) in Katwijk ( the Netherlands).

    One collective show in Cucosa, Rotterdam 2010.

    One collective show in "Drawingcentre" Diepenheim 2010.

    One video installation of my abstract comic "Geen daden maar woorden" festival in the Stadschouwburg in Rotterdam. October 8th 2011

    http://youtu.be/zScuAXM0-Hc

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  7. Greetings from Downunder. Thank you all for your generous responses. You are my stars of the abstract comics /gallery comics movement and I look forward to investigating each exhibition mentioned. As my research progresses I hope to ask you more questions if that is okay. Very soon I will also be buying any of the books you each have mentioned on your blogs as abstract books and zines is also a research sub-heading. Thank you Andrei for your help and inspiration. Cheers Kym.

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  8. You're welcome, Kym, and thank you!

    I just found this notice for my Franklin College show, with exact dates: http://www.nuvo.net/indianapolis/works-on-paper-by-andrei-molotiu-ruins-and-other-narratives/Event?oid=1673296

    There was also a feature about it in the Franklin paper, but it doesn't seem to be online.

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