Noting that “there is something deeply seductive about the image of a pristine surface that frames unspeakable possibilities,” the show seems, he writes,

to be in thrall to the spirited seductions of gleaming black objects and darkly reflective planes… The black mirror (which historically fascinated artist and magus in equal measure) is actually and allegorically a portal between the most arcane practices and the mainstream of British painting and sculpture.

As an occult accoutrement, the black mirror has a venerable history. The belief that spirits could be summoned in a dark glass or smooth stone goes back at least as far as Euclid, who writes of images appearing in the space between the viewer and the magic surface into which he peers. By the 14th century, scrying with a black stone or a convex glass mirror was widely held to be a common practice among witches… During seances in the 16th century, demons were said to have been summoned from the depths of mirrors, and as late as the 18th century it seems the church was still pursuing adepts of the dark glass: an account from 1712 describes the arrest of a catoptromancer [a mirror-diviner] at the School of Theology in Paris.

Here’s the link again.

Ruscha has always insisted: “My pictures are not that interesting, nor is the subject matter. They are simply a collection of facts.”

“I think that’s baloney,” Lynch says with a laugh. Well, Spam, perhaps. Before Ruscha, such objects — words, gasoline stations, street frontages — were not seen as interesting. Now, because of him, we can see even gasoline stations as having “angles, colours and shapes, like trees”, as the artist has put it, capable, in his hands, of epic re-presentation.

The article is mostly a quick summary of Ruscha’s career, but Lynch’s reflections are pretty interesting too. Link.

Strømme Throndsen designed an attractive box that holds 16, with an optional case to carry only the ones you’ll be wanting to consume. The Heads of State designed a better baggie, which would seem to be the most logical approach for actual commercial sale. LUST created a small, garish box using the colors of the Jamaican flag and statistics about the plant.

My favorite response was that of Base, which rejected the premise of the commission by taking re-appropriated Altoids tins, eyeglass cases, and so forth — the kind of things people already use to keep their joints safe — painting them white, and leaving them unbranded because “nobody owns marjijuana.”

In 1993, Orozco took a Citroen, longitudinally sliced two feet out of the middle, and welded the outer pieces back together. Much like the L1, the steering wheel is centered in the cabin. When on display in museums and galleries, visitors are allowed to open the door and sit inside. See the original post for images.

Cartrain was arrested and is out on bail for the theft of the pencils; in the meantime, he has allegedly begun to make drawings, allegedly using the allegedly-stolen pencils, and he’s allegedly put them up for sale here, attributing them to artists such as Billy Childish, Harry Adams, Cy Twombly, Richard Prince, and Banksy.

This kid, he’s got some chutzpah.

Though needless to say, the whole site might be a hoax. In which case that’s chutzpah of another order.

Only a handful of the snapshots are interesting as art, but they’re all interesting for the content — like a notice at a movie theater, politely requesting that patrons leave their outside refreshments, cigarettes, and dangerous weapons at home. (Is there any other kind?) Check out fifteen of the pictures here. And remember, the next time you find yourself at the movies in Lagos, be sure to check your handgun at the box office.

“It’s a remarkably popular method of exposure featured by graffiti artists worldwide. These labels are free, portable, and quick and easy to exhibit, offering artists the chance to spend more time creating their work than if they were to paint and write directly on walls, vehicles, and public objects.”

In case you’ve never had a chance to check this book out: it’s genius on every page, and well-worth trying to swing a free copy!

We’re lucky to have Zak Smith as a Rumpus contributor. Above all check out his conversation with Anthony Lister, or his conversation with Gordon Terry, or the controversially-titled Barely Legal Whores Get Gang-F***ed. And also, our interview with him.

The art website Fecal Face has a wonderful feature where they invite artists to submit some pieces along with answers to a standard questionnaire. From time to time they run one of these submissions as a “mini-interview.”

Yesterday’s subject was French artist Nicolas Le Borgne, whose piece “Donald” is above; the words aren’t much, but man can this guy draw. See more here.

Juxtapoz has a post up about a big mural project in Philly that Stephen Powers (aka ESPO) is organizing and participating in: Love Letter. From the post (which was taken from the project website):

“Love Letter is literally a love letter painted on the walls facing the Market elevated train. 40 local and international artists will paint the walls in August and the letter will be on view for one and all starting as early as Labor Day.

“The project will encompass 50 painted walls between 63rd and 45th street on Market Street, a documentary film with scripted elements, a sign school and shop that will provide training for area youth and free signage for businesses on the market street corridor, and 2 books documenting the project.”

I think my second-favorite mural is: “I got the butter, I got the bread; I got the milk, I got the blame.”