Preview: Tommy Hartung and Uri Aran at White Flag

In anticipation of the joint exhibit of Tommy Hartung and Uri Aran, Eleven decided to send some questions to the man in charge, White Flag Project’s, Matthew Strauss. Like he asked, these inquiries and replies are without omissions and without editing for content.

 

Eleven: How did you come to find Tommy Hartung and Uri Aran?

Matthew Strauss: I first encountered Tommy’s work at the Greater New York exhibition at PS1. His film “The Ascent of Man” was something I wanted to show at White Flag and I put it in a group show called Impossible Vacation (MoMA actually just bought that film…) We started talking about a show of his work at that point. I was aware of Uri Aran’s work, but really it was Tommy’s idea to bring in Uri for a more or less collaborative show. They’ve known each other since grad school and have a very close friendship.

 

11: What is the theme of the exhibit?

MS: The nature of these two really great young artists’ exchange with one another.

 

11: Where is it you find a median between the work of Tommy Hartung and Uri Aran? Hartung is a filmmaker and Uri Aran arbitrary utilizes a vast breadth of approaches and mediums for his found sculptures. It seems like this could lead to either a disjointed exibit or an exciting experiment in the cohesion of two different mediums.

MS: They both make films, they both make objects, they help one another with their separate work… it’s really not about finding a median as much as it is about letting these two great friends and great artists try something out. It’s just about their relationship and the relationship of their work, and then my faith in them as artists.

 

11: In Aran’s last work, there where over 80 artists participating who effectively collaborated to create a distinct vision. Where your choices influenced at all by Aran’s participation in Commercial Break?

MS: That’s actually not my understanding of how Commercial Break was conceived if we’re thinking of the same thing- I think that was just a really disjointed bunch of videos Neville Wakefield put together for Venice that was supposed to go around with a big screen on a boat or something, right? Anyway, I don’t think those films added up to much aside from a good party in Italy. In any case I didn’t even notice Uri was in it- everyone was talking about the video with Lindsay Lohan that Richard Phillips made.

 

11: In reference to Tommy Hartung’s latest film, Tommy Hartung’s Budget Guide to New York, how is it that St. Louis artists could learn from Hartung’s film?

MS: That’s actually not one of his films- that’s something PBS’s Art21 did about him. I think the only thing a St. Louis artist could learn from that is that living in New York is not impossible, it’s just difficult and requires a lot more hustle and sacrifice than it does in St. Louis- but they probably already knew that.

 

11: Is there any local artist that you feel could make a pertinent film on how to make it in St. Louis as an artist? What aspects do you think he or she could focus on?

MS: There’s no such thing as making it as an artist in St. Louis… I mean I guess it depends a little bit on what one means by making it- an artist can survive here, make a living I guess. You can show your work and get a teaching job. But no artist is going to get work into MoMA hanging out in St. Louis. No one’s going to have Art21 following them around- for better or worse that’s just not how it works. If someone could make that film it would be pretty fucking impressive.

 

Thanks Matthew for clarifying the nature of Tommy Hartung’s Budget Guide to New York!

We’ll let the reader decide on the nature of the Commercial Break work. What do you think? Disjointed, cohesive, containing Aran’s work, or just plain lacking in the LiLo?

 

Who: White Flag Projects

What: New exhibit featuring Tommy Hartung and Uri Aran

Where: 4568 Manchester Avenue St. Louis, MO 63110

When: January 19 – February 18, 2012

Why: ‘cuz White Flag is dope and we all need to question the legitimacy of contemporary art as a reflection of our world.

This entry was written by Blair Stiles, posted on January 12, 2012 at 10:00 am, filed under Interview, Q+A, Upcoming and tagged , , , , , . Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.

How to Spend Your Saturday Night: Violins to Vocoders

St. Louis is in for a great night, we have two pretty serious events going down one after another and less than half a mile apart – how can you lose?

Up first is a show put on by St. Louis’s New Music Circle featuring legendary experimental musician Tony Conrad at 7:30 at White Flag Projects (4568 Manchester).

“For nearly fifty years, experimental sound and visual performance artist, Tony Conrad, has been making drone music and short films that re-examine and re-invent their form, content and structure.

Conrad was one of the early pioneers of New York minimalism and deep listening microtonal music. He worked in 1962 on LaMonte Young’s “Dream Music” project with the likes of John Cale and Angus MacLise (both moving on later to form The Velvet Underground). Since then, he has remained the purest and most ascetic of the minimalists.

Violin has remained his trademark instrument, although he has also manipulated sound through electronics, studio techniques, and projects with various collaborators.”

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After having your mind thoroughly blown by Conrad, talk a short stroll down to the Gramophone for Smoove,  a new dance party (with your’s truly getting it in on the 1s and 2s from 11-12) guaranteed to make you shake down the walls with a solid line up of disco, house, booty and moombahton.  Be prepared to get messy, though, because this is a glow paint affair, so plan your outfits accordingly – or just leave your outfit at the door, your choice.

This entry was written by Scott Trausch, posted on December 3, 2011 at 1:01 pm, filed under Live, What's Going On and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.

Follow Friday: Matthew Strauss

Local artist Matthew Strauss bought a building in the Grove with the intention of making it into his personal studio. Little did he know, it would turn into the non-for-profit alternative art gallery, White Flag Projects. Eleven sat down with him to discuss The Grove, the story behind the gallery’s name, and the art and music scenes in St. Louis.  

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This entry was written by Ashley Jones, posted on August 13, 2010 at 6:35 pm, filed under Local Profile and tagged , , . Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.