The Yale student art project that I wrote about yesterday, the one with a young lady performing multiple self-induced abortions, was a hoax.

Here’s the Yale press release explaining the “piece.”

Yet the hoax was her art. It was very successful, indeed, as stories of the hoax was all over newsfeeds and blogs. I still think, with talent, you can be a more effective “performance artist.”

As if I needed another reason to go to Chabot Space and Science Center, there is a new one. It is to see Reuben Margolin’s large-scale kinetic sculpture “The Hexagonal Wave.”

According to Chabot folks, Margolin’s work combines the logic of mathematics with inspiration drawn from the beauty and patterns of nature such as wheat fields waving and the motion of caterpillars. The sculpture moves effortlessly, as if dancing.

An opening reception for the piece will be held Friday, April 25, in conjunction with Chabot’s occassional Lunar Lounge event. I went to the last one and it was super fun.

While I do enjoy art that is edgy and perhaps even disturbing, I have been struck by a bunch of “art projects” in the news lately that seem to exist only to tick people off.

The first flap that I noticed was a local one. Adel Abdessemed’s exhibition “Don’t Trust Me,”  scheduled to open March 31 was canceled by the San Francisco Art Institute.  According to the press release, school leaders feared for the safety of their students after hearing from a number of animal rights groups about the exhibit. Basically, Abdessemed’s piece included a video of a bunch of animals being bludgeoned to death. Critics of the work, which included people in the SF arts community, said that there was no context offered to explain this cruel showing. It seemed to be included just for shock value.

The second one came across on a message board I am on. Guillermo Habacuc Vargas tied a dog to a wall in a gallery in Nicaragua and told people not to feed it. The dog died. This “piece” is just depressing.

Finally, a Yale art student inseminated herself multiple times and induced abortions for the benefit of video viewers.  While she insists her piece is not made for “shock value” it is by its very nature shocking and disturbing, no matter where you stand on the debate of abortion or procreation.

It irritates the crap out of me that these “artists” are killing animals and possibly harming themselves for the sake of making some sort of statement. The ugly fact is they are also getting the press they so desire from doing things that are just, in my opinion, terrible.

Also, there are millions of people who haven’t been exposed to the many forms of art that entertain, enlighten and inspire. The morning radio crew I listen to includes a jock who hates all forms of art, thinking it is stupid and thinking it is even more stupid that the government helps fund certain art projects.

With these types of “artists” in the news, no wonder he thinks the arts are a waste of taxpayer dollars.

 This is a self-portrait created by longtime Oakland artist/ printmaker Casper Banjo who was shot by Oakland Police last month.

Banjo was 71.

Apparently, there is going to be a fund-raising event *tonight*  for his family. It’s just $5 to get in and no one will be turned away.

Here’s the announcement from Bay Area muralist Dan Fontes’ blog:

A Community Fundraiser for the Family of Casper Banjo

Friday, April 11, 6:30PM
Swarm Studios + Gallery
560 Second Street, Oakland
$5 donation at the door (no one turned away for lack of funds)

Please join us in celebrating the life and mourning the tragic death of beloved Oakland artist, Casper Banjo.
Shockwaves rippled through the Bay Area art community recently at news that influential printmaker Casper Banjo had been killed. Casper was 71 years of age. An artist and teacher since 1970, Banjo was among the group of local artists who helped define the black aesthetic in visual arts. His trademark was using bricks in his prints, even creating a legendary brick-patterned suit that read “Express Yourself,” and an African-American-themed yellow brick road.

Artwork for this event is donated by members of the art community and will be available for purchase. Contributing artists include:
Milton Bowens
Bill Dallas
Slobodan Dan Paich
Anna E. Edwards
Tom Franco
Dan Fontes
James Gayles
Susan Matthews
Eileen Starr Moderbacher
Rosalind McGary
Frank D. Robinson
Malik Seneferu
Karin Turner
Orlanda Uffre
Amanda Williams
Keith “K-Dub” Williams
TheArthur Wright
and more…
DJ performance! Appetizer delicacies donated by Cock-A-Doodle Cafe, Oakland
All proceeds from this event will benefit the family of Casper Banjo

Our Hearts Are Pained…
Casper Banjo, of Oakland, California was born in Memphis in 1937. After obtaining an Associates Degree at Laney College he earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts and Master of Fine Arts degree from the San Francisco Art Institute where he subsequently taught. He began his art career as a printmaker. His prints have been exhibited nationally and internationally at locations such as the Studio Museum in Harlem, the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, the Smithsonian Traveling Exhibition, The John McEnroe Gallery, the Venezuela Second Biennial Del Grabado de American and a traveling exhibition of the Gong Gallery in Lagos, Nigeria. He also participated in the Very Special Art Gallery’s African-American Artistry, the California Society of Printmaker’s Exhibition at the Triton Museum, The Oakland Museum Collector’s Gallery and the Laguna Arts Museum Prints and Painting Show. His work can also be found in numerous private collections. Mr. Banjo traveled extensively throughout the world, including West Africa, Upper Volta, Benin, Jos, Zaria, Lagos Nigeria, Ghana, Ife, Kano and Ibadan.

Yuri’s Night 2007: Photo from NASA

I am kind of torn about writing about NASA’s Yuri’s Night 2008 celebration coming Saturday to Moffett Field. On the one hand, it is an uber-hipster event with fashion, art, science talks, dancing and all kinds of other things going on. I am excited to hear Amon Tobinas our Web guy over here, George Kelly, highly recommends him. And I just like going to the NASA site and hanging out in a huge hangar.

The problem is, the event costs $40 in advance and $50 at the door. And if I remember correctly, last year I got there at around 7 p.m. and was ready to go home at around 11 p.m. after seeing all the sights. This is not a fund-raising event for a non-profit organization. I just don’t get why it is so expensive.

If you plan to go, as I do anyway, bring a warm coat and leave your drugs at home. The place is open-air and heavily guarded by not-very-friendly looking cops because it is on federal property.

If it’s too much a hassle to drive all the way to Mountain View for a space party, but you are available and willing to drop 50 bucks on something, I suggest going to The Crucible’s ballet, FIREBIRD: “L’oiseau de feu”. Your money will go to supporting Crucible programs and the event is sure to be entertaining at the least. When I get some pictures of last night’s performance, I will post them here.

I absolutely adore this photo of the tattooed ladies of the Sacred Rose Tattoo shop in San Francisco. It is both classy and edgy. I admit, I am a bit envious of women who get their entire backs inked. I have always wanted to do it but I am too cheap and too chicken.

But this isn’t about me! This is about lovely pieces of art in the “Sacred Rose Family Circus” show opening Friday at the Lucky Juju Pinball Gallery in Alameda.

Lucky Juju is *the* place to go for pinball in the Bay Area and its owner Michael Schiess is hooked up with all kinds of cool cats - from scientists at the Exploratorium to the tattoo artists of Sacred Rose.  Every month, Lucky Juju hosts a gallery show in their modest space off Webster Street. This month, the show is exploring the work of the Sacred Rose artists.

“Waves Tattoo” by Karen Roze

This show is comprised of photos of the artists at Sacred Rose and their own tattoos, plus examples of their work and art, known as “flash” in the trade. It is being billed as a rare treat to see tatto art of a variety of diciplines — Japanese, Pacific Island and American.  And you don’t even have to go to a MEGAHUGE tattoo show at the Cow Palace (which happened last weekend) to see it!

Plus the pinball gallery has active pinball machines from the dayes of yore AND you are supporting a non-profit organization when you go to play. How cool is that?

Maybe you’ll be inspired to cover up some of that prison ink with the real-deal!