Curated by Linus Coraggio participating sculptor and Art Furniture maker & JohnnyV the mind that brought you Metropolis Apocalypse – L.E.S. Riot Era: Artists 1988-2008
With the blessings of Anita Durst.
.

The theme is Metal: heavy and twisted; represented in an astonishing array of styles by the likes of such masters as
Hubert Kretzschmar, Terrenceo Hamond, Dr. Zian Saxon ,
Dinah Toxic, Brett Kahler, Veronica Bvanega, Steel Neal,
J J Veronis, Ken Hiratsuka, Lars Westvind, Gushon Calik, Rifka Milder, Lale Westvind,
James Garvey, Kelly Irwin, Nick Kuskin, Phillip La Loche, Paolo Pelosini, Daniel Falgerho and Linus Coraggio.

Running through Monday, August 10, 2009

Chashama Gallery: 461 West 126th Street, New York
Gallery hours: Wednesday – Sunday, 3 pm – 6 pm
Please call ahead to verify access to the exibit by calling (212) 866-9556 or (646) 234-1757

In addition to the Opening, there will be an “Open House” night on Thursday, August 6th from 6 pm – 9 pm.

Directions by subway:
Take the 1 train to 125th Street, then walk one block east to Amsterdam Ave.
Turn left on Amsterdam and head uptown one block.
Turn right on 126th Street and walk east to find 461 W. 126th Street.
OR
Take the A or C trains to 125th Street, then walk one block west to Morningside Ave.
Turn right on Morningside Ave. and head uptown i block.
Turn left on 126th Street and walk west to find 461 W. 126th Street.

You will see a signboard indicating Chasama Gallery on the sidewalk in front of a grey metal door

SLIDESHOW

More information:
Celeste Hastings

Butoh originated in Japan in the 1950’s at a time when the country was struggling for its
cultural identity: the massive destruction during WW2, the ensuing occupation accompanied
by unbridled commercialism, the discredit attached to the rigid hierarchical values of traditional Japanese society all contributed to the rise of a culture of resistance and street
protest and had repercussions in new developments in theater, film, photography and performance.
This can be compared to the birth of Surrealism and Dada out of the ashes of the First World War and many connections exist: Kazuo Ohno and Tatsumi Hijikata, the originators
of Butoh trained in the Neue Tanze tradition born in Germany and the experimental culture
in Tokyo was very much aware of French culture, particularly the work of Jean Genêt and Antonin Artaud. Their first Butoh performance in 1959 caused a scandal and got them promptly expelled from the All-Japan Modern Dance Association.
Like the proverbial elephant described by blind men, Butoh must be experienced to be grasped; its creators were seeking a new form of expression yet they used elements form
peasant life, from Noh theater and other traditional sources. Butoh is neither theater not dance; it uses evocative images to express ideas and feelings that were too complex for traditional dance forms.
A few quotes on Butoh:

“The dance must be absurd” Tatsumi Hijikata

“The more people try to understand Butoh, the less they understand, but that doesn’t matter.
There are things like the stars and the Moon which you can’t reach. Nothing is so beautiful, so marvelous as the intangible, the incomprehensible.” Min Tanaka

“The Butoh costume is like throwing the cosmos on one’s shoulders. And for Butoh, while the costume covers the body, it is the body that is the costume of the soul.” Kazuo Ohno

“Hijikata was neither modern nor primitive, he was both as the same time” Min Tanaka

“Did I create this piece or did this piece create me? We superimpose the world of reality
over the surreal world. Aren’t the void and the reality one and the same?” Kazuo Ohno

“Butoh belongs to both life and death. It is the realization of the distance between a human being and the unknown. It also represent man’s struggle to overcome the distance himself and the material world. Butoh dancers’ bodies are like a cup filled to overflowing, one which
cannot take one more drop of liquid – the body enters a state of perfect balance.”
Ushio Amagatsu

“These pictures were taken in Manhattan between 1993 and 1999. After I had a serious motorcycle accident in 1992 I came to the belated conclusion that riding a motorcycle in a city where everyone is in a big hurry and where the enforcement of traffic laws is essentially non-existent was not a good idea. Better late than never.

As a result I found myself riding the city buses almost everywhere and I was struck by the rich diversity of people I encountered: young people, old people, everyone in between, people of all ethnic origins, outcasts, homeless people, business types, nannies with children, members of all social classes. This is where New Yorkers really mix. Here you are in close proximity to people you may never see again, the atmosphere is far more relaxed than in the subway, there is a steady change of characters and you might even strike a conversation. Yes, a conversation between strangers in New York!

I had to document this. I decided to take pictures. Not quite surreptitiously but discreetly, shooting mostly from the hip, using small, quiet, unobtrusive cameras (a Contax T and a Rollei 35 S for those who must know).

From the beginning, I was enthusiastic about this project and few people seemed to mind. I caught a few looking right at the camera and two attractive young women positively glaring but everyone else either paid no attention or let me indulge in my quirky behavior. Hey, this is New York!

My heartfelt thanks to all of them.” – DF