Marques, 2008.

Two portraits of musician and songwriter Marques, from 2008. Part of an unfinished project including a 2-channel looping video piece that I should probably catch up on when I get a chance...

Compassion, curated by AA Bronson at the Union Theological Seminary

Compassion

Union Theological Seminary, Broadway at 121st Street, New York City

November 19 - December 20 2009

An exhibition with Bas Jan Ader, Marina Abramovic, Michael Bühler-Rose, Alfredo Jaar, Terence Koh, Gareth Long, Yoko Ono, Paul Mpagi Sepuya, Chrysanne Stathacos, Scott Treleaven.

The Institute of Art, Religion, and Social Justice is pleased to invite you to the opening of its first exhibition, Compassion. Join us at a reception at Union Theological Seminary at 6:15pm on Thursday, November 19th, and take a tour of this remarkable architectural complex.

In today’s shifting political, economic, and ecological landscape, the need for compassion has never been greater—compassion understood as mutual interdependence, knowledge of self and others, and concern for human flourishing. This kind of compassion requires seeking to know all aspects of human reality, being open to truths beyond our everyday experience and embedded in it. Artists often awaken compassion most profoundly. They form our imaginations such that we can envision our interconnectedness in ways that mere didacticism cannot achieve.

Compassion uses the buildings of Union Theological Seminary to create a kind of pilgrimage. The works are situated in various locations to create a tour of this remarkable and often overlooked historic complex.

Alfredo Jaar’s Embrace (1995), from his Rwanda series, greets the visitor in the Hastings lobby. Scott Treleaven is featured in the James Chapel with black and white photos from Cimitero Monumentale (2009). Marina Abramovic’s video 8 Lessons on Emptiness with a Happy End (2008) shares the Narthex with Yoko Ono’s Whisper Piece (2001). If the visitor strays to the other end of the building, she might find Bas Jan Ader’s iconic image I’m too sad to tell you in the Burke Library, echoed in the plaintive chant of Michael Bühler-Rose’s liquid ritual I’ll Worship You and You’ll Worship Me (2009), which can be found in the upper reaches of the Rotunda. Chrysanne Stathacos’ Rose Mandala Mirror (three reflections for HHDL), also in the Rotunda, was originally created in honor of the Dalai Lama. While circumnavigating the cloisters that link the various spaces of the seminary, watch for further works by Sister Corita Kent, Gareth Long, and Paul Mpagi Sepuya.

The Institute of Art, Religion, and Social Justice was founded under the auspices of Union Theological Seminary to explore the relationship between contemporary art and religion through the lens of social justice.

Compassion is curated by AA Bronson, Artistic Director of the Institute.

The exhibition is presented in conjunction with Karen Armstrong’s TED Prize 2009 of the same name.

For further information contact Kathryn Reklis, Executive Director of the Institute, at 212.980.1404 or kreklis@uts.columbia.edu.

To check out images of work in the show click here.

Dean and Steve.

Dean and Steve, Brooklyn. 2009

More photos from Ryan McNamara's Sacred Band...

BUTT 2010

One of my portraits of darling artist Jay Matthews is in the BUTT 2010 Calendar. Pick up your own copy to check out Jay and so many other hot guys, so many great photos from all over the world!

Opening at the Studio Museum last night.

There's my work back there! To the left, an installation by Jayson Keeling. Better installation shots to come.

Sacred Band photos with Ryan McNamara.

For years I have had in my mind to do a collaboration with a choreographer, dancer, or performance artist to do a series to be photographed. When my friend Ryan asked me to participate in his piece for Performa 09 (Ryan McNamara Presents The Sacred Band of Thebes AKA In Memory of Robert Isabell AKA Any Fag Could Do That, Friday November 13th at X Initiative), first thing I thought was, Let's do a photo project from it. More to come! And do come out Friday night for the performance at 8pm.

Below are all photographs created in collaboration with Ryan and a few of his 30+ performing "Band of Thebes":

Dancers Bradley Ellis and Luke Gutgsell, performance artist Jack Ferver, and artists Sam Roeck and Myles Ashby.





Myles and Sam.


Jack.


Bradley and Luke.

And if anyone is interested in doing any performance/photography collaborations, let's chat.

ZOOT magazine.

I shot some portraits of the band The Poselles, menswear designer Robert Geller, model/designer David Lindwall, design duo Pleasure Principle, and designer Kenneth Courtney for the Portuguese magazine ZOOT, out now!

LIMITED EDITION PORTFOLIO

a mockup of the hard-shell linen portfolio box.

PAUL MPAGI SEPUYA no.1
PORTFOLIO OF TEN 11X14 PRINTS IN A HARD-SHELL ARTIST-DESIGNED BOX
All portraits 2008, printed 2009. Edition of 25. Each box signed and numbered.
Price starting at $1500

I am producing a limited-edition set of prints, a selection individual portraits from 2008 which will be released in December. A special preview for those of you on my mailing list. There are only 25 in the edition so for pre-order price and purchase inquiries, please contact envoy enterprises at office@envoyenterprises.com or visit http://envoyenterprises.com/shop.html

Snapshots from the darkroom.

One of the 2008 portraits of Alex will be included in the editioned set.




Some possible pairings with Dean and Steve at their kitchen table.

I've been spending the past few weeks at the Camera Club of New York printing up a portfolio in edition of 25 that I'm producing with envoy and will soon be available through the gallery. It is including 10 11 by 14 prints all from 2008, some of my favorites individual portraits from that year that will all be exclusive to this set and not re-printed. Needless to say, it's quite a task making upwards of 250 prints in the darkroom! I've been really lucky to be able to use this complimentary time at the Camera Club.

Look for more info coming up soon about the box edition.

In between printing all that up, I've taken a few breaks to catch up on work from the late summer and early fall. There's so much more to do, but playing around with diptychs of Dean and Steve has been really fun and also I'm really excited to finally have made a portrait of one of my best and thus far elusive friends...


A quick proof print of Adam

October pile.

Some polaroids.

Ben and Saki sketch.




Amy sketch.

Performa.

I will be participating in my friend and fellow artist Ryan McNamara's performance piece at PERFORMA on November 13th, and making a collaborative photography-video piece with Ryan based on the one-night performance.

In 375 BC, the Sacred Band of Thebes, an elite force composed entirely of homosexual lovers, annihilated the Spartan army, a brigade three times their size, at Teygra. 2352 years later, party planner Robert Isabell triumphed as well, becoming an instant sensation when he filled Studio 54 with four tons of glitter.

Ryan McNamara is an artist working in New York City. In spring 2009, he worked on “Bernie, The Magic Lady,” a performance and installation at APF Lab. This summer, his video and performance work was included in the 2nd Athens Biennale and “Stars!” at Salon 94 Freemans. In August, McNamara wrote, directed, and starred in “Ryan McNamara presents Klaus von Nichtssagend: The Musical” at Klaus von Nichtssagend Gallery. McNamara has also performed as a dancer at numerous New York venues, including Dance Theater Workshop, P.S. 122, and The Kitchen.

Presented by X Initiative.
548 W. 22nd Street
Friday, November 13 8:00pm

FREE

Getting the ball rolling.

In the past three weeks I have settled into the LMCC space downtown at 77 Water St and, since I resigned my position at the Joan Mitchell Foundation now just helping out there 1 - 2 days a week, have for the first time really felt like this is what I really need to be doing. Planning projects, making sketches, shooting and printing. Being surrounded by all of the other artists ( see them here, I love them all! ). I am still looking for some part time project-based jobs to pay the bills come winter, but I think it's about time I really push the artwork and all opportunities to extend what I'm already doing into something that can be self-sustaining. The challenge of all artists...

Last December I applied for a darkroom residency at the Camera Club of New York ( check it out if you don't know ) and as a runner up was generously awarded one-month of free darkroom access for the future. It had almost slipped my mind but thinking about all the work I've been shooting and soon needing to print reminded me to get back in touch with them. Fortunately the offer still stood almost a year later and I'm very excited to begin printing there in the next day or two through mid-November.

As part of the LMCC artist-in-residence program I was able to apply for and awarded Visiting Artist status at New York University digital media lab through next July, with access to all of their amazing equipment and personal lab support. I'm honestly pretty bad with scanning and handling digital images for Epson printing and so have never used those techniques - I am an old-fashioned darkroom c-printer - and am really going to try and learn something new. Perhaps to make some larger, nicer prints of the digital snapshot "landscapes" that I have been working on along side the portraits for the past year.

For all the time I've lived in New York now, Lower Manhattan and especially around Wall St, are still so new to me. There's something exciting about traveling to a completely different part of the city every day to get down to business. So much to explore, and in a funny way I like really acknowledging that all of this artwork is my business.

That's all for now. I'm so greatfull when I think about everything. More to come very soon!

Update on 30 Seconds.

I wrote in an earlier post (here) about the upcoming group exhibition 30 Seconds Off an Inch, opening next month at the Studio Museum in Harlem. The participating artist list has been released and I'm really honored to be showing with so many amazing artists who I admire and some of whom I know. The artists participating in the exhibition are:

Adel Abdessemed, Edgar Arceneux, Jabu Arnell, Kabir Carter, William Cordova, Thierry Fontaine, Charles Gaines, Deborah Grant, Rashawn Griffin, David Hammons, Maren Hassinger, Leslie Hewitt, Wayne Hodge, Rashid Johnson, Jennie C. Jones, Jayson Keeling, Simone Leigh, Glenn Ligon, Dave McKenzie, Nicole Miller, My Barbarian, Kori Newkirk, Chris Ofili, Demetrius Oliver, Karyn Olivier, John Outterbridge, Clifford Owens, Akosua Adoma Owusu, William Pope.L, Michael Queenland, Robin Rhode, Jimmy Robert, Nadine Robinson, Paul Mpagi Sepuya, Gary Simmons, Xaviera Simmons, Shinique Smith, Soda_Jerk, Kianja Strobert, Stacy-Lynn Waddell, and Nari Ward.

TM Davy painting Rafie, Warwick, NY.

Polaroid sketch of TM painting Rafie, Warwick, NY.

Frankie.

Frankie, 2007.

Halloween video screening!

STARR SPACE TO HOST 'CODEX GIGAS,' THE ULTIMATE HALLOWEEN ART PARTY ON SATURDAY NIGHT, OCTOBER 31st!

NEW YORK – Starr Space, a Brooklyn-based performance art venue founded by artist Jules de Balincourt, is pleased to announce an evening of prose readings, exclusive screenings, live performances, and orgiastic sacrifice that will take place on Saturday, October 31st, 2009. Organized by curator Joseph Whitt, this event will feature Harmony Korine, Terence Koh, Disco Mayhem (Lizzi Bougatsos and Rita Ackermann), No Bra (Susanne Oberbeck), Kendell Geers and Ilse Ghekiere, Amir Mogharabi and Jeffrey Perkins, Paul Mpagi Sepuya, and DJs Patt Fink and SteFUN. Doors open at 8:00 P.M. Show starts at 9:00 P.M. and will last well into the wee hours. Expect surprises. Cost is $10.00 at the door, until filled to capacity.

NY Art Book Fair in ARTFORUM and the NY Times.

Above, from Artforum. And there was a feature on the fair and our project in the New York Times by Holland Cotter. Read it here.

Collaboration with J.Morrison at the New York Art Book Fair

"As sharp and hot and love-laden as JUSTINE and BALTHAZAR, only more so!", 2009. C-print.

I've made a new piece (above) to be turned into a silkscreen print as part of J. Morrisson's MANPURSE IV: ASSEMBLY LINE at the New York Art Book Fair at PS1 Contemporary Art Center in Queens, October 1 - 4. Come to PS1 this next weekend to have a custom tote bag created by J., Scott Hug, Michael Magnan, Slava Mogutin, Dave Ortega, Dave Ulrich, Grant Worth and me! Each artist is contributing a unique screen to the assembly line.

Setting up studio, getting back to work.

A snapshot of Dean and Steve in Brooklyn, NY. I'm hoping to get to the darkroom soon to make prints.


New studio getting set up at the LMCC Workspace artist-in-residence program.

I'm settling into my new studio space as an artist-in-residence with the LMCC Workspace. It's at a beautiful location downtown near Wall St in Manhattan and there are 19 other amazing visual artists in the program. It's the most exciting opportunity I've had and I'm going to take full advantage of the next nine months- spending at least 3 days here, getting into the darkroom, having studio visits and attending all of the salons and programming with visiting artists, writers, critics, dealers. It's something I think every artist should apply to. It's the first award I've applied to and received, and it was my second year trying, so ALWAYS try again!

In the next few weeks I'll finally be getting my website up completely again and making new work. And now that I've left the weekly day-job behind, I'm looking for any interesting and new collaborations, projects, and paid print portrait/other projects! What's out there?

MUSE Magazine with Item Idem and Haidee Findlay-Levin.

I just picked up my copy of MUSE Magazine, the current issue is dedicated to model/muse Natasha Poly. I did a contribution in collaboration with the genius Item Idem in drag as his "idol" Poly, amazing stylist Haidee Findlay-Levin and hair/make-up by Blair Jaffer. In the accompanying text on p.113 Calvin Klein misspelled my name, but I think Mpagy reads pretty great!

For those in Paris, Colette will be having a special Natasha Poly event beginning this Friday the 18th.

Buddy List.

I'm installing the 2006 Michael (Proofs) in a group exhibition at Space 414 in Red Hook, Brooklyn, curated by my friend Nathan Lee and opening next Friday.

Buddy List

Perspectives on friendship in the age of social networking.
September 18 - October 18, 2009

Apichatpong Weerasethakul
Kendel Bennett
Walter Dundervill
Glen Fogel
Benjamin Kress
Jill Lyon
Paul Sepuya
Adam Shecter
Jeremiah Teipen
Peter Wilson
Joe Winter
Jing Yu

Space 414 is pleased to present Buddy List, an exhibition simply, and not so simply, about friendship. Curated by Nathan Lee, the show groups sculpture, video, drawing, painting, and performance by twelve artists whose work addresses the changing nature of human relations in the age of social networking.

Michael, Dialogue (2006), a suite of color photographs by Paul Sepuya, attests to the persistence of portraiture as a vital contemporary form, albeit one inescapably mediated by technology and compulsive self-presentation. Where Sepuya’s negotiation of his own image in relation to a subject aims for an elegant, transparent intimacy, The Crack Video (2008) by Kendel Bennett presents a thornier, more provocative model of the artist mediating his relationship to the other. Bennett documents an evening spent in the company of Negra, a middle-aged drug addict he befriended. Passing a video camera – and a crack pipe - back and forth as they wander the halls of a Bushwick housing project, Bennett abdicates full authorship of his work while challenging viewers to address their assumptions about agency, autonomy and exploitation.

Peter Wilson’s Barber Pole (2008) codes a different form of marginal social behavior. Embodying the sign, in western culture, of the barbershop – a rare site of physical intimacy between men – Wilson’s painted wood sculpture simultaneously indicates the appropriation of the icon in Asian cultures as a signal for prostitution.

Evoking eros on more personal terms, Jing Yu’s The Golden Fleece (2009) is a delicate, shimmering representation of her boyfriend’s chest hair. Affections are distanced, if not hallucinated, in Yu’s lithographic series XXOO Christian Bale (2008), while Precious Memories (2008) transposes the artist’s affection for mid-century Japanese porcelain figurines, sourced on eBay, into cast lard simulacra that inexorably dissolve.

Glen Fogel’s meticulously framed and printed diptych First Love Summer 1994 (2003) memorializes a fleeting moment of adoration and youthful verve. Benjamin Kress summons another ghostly presence in his disquieting sculptural installation Silent Words, Empty Forms (2009). Jeremiah Teipen emulates a social networking site gone haywire in Together (2009). Adam Shecter presents a series of Selected T-Shirts 2004-2009 given to friends as gifts and retrieved, in various states of wear, for this exhibition. Apichatpong Weerasethakul contributes Teens With a Ship (2009), a photo related to his multimedia PRIMITIVE PROJECT. Joe Winter’s kinetic sculpture ½ Double Negative (Model) (2009) enters into a curious relationship with his ½ Double Negative (Pattern) (2009). Jill Lyon offers a whimsical diagram of a Red Hook apartment building in Shantytown. The exhibition will open with a performance by artist, choreographer, and dancer Walter Dundervill.

http://www.space414.com/

Claudia Rosa Lukas on Interview Magazine online.

Claudia Rosa Lukas has a nice feature up on Interview online, with some of the lookbook photos I did of her previous collection in Vienna. See it here.

Kevin.

Kevin, 2005.

Not to completely pause the blog... here's something else from the past. One of the last strangers/ "models" that I took portraits of back in the summer of 2005. I actually met Kevin a year or so earlier and he was in a few other projects that I did: Sofa Portraits (2004) and some schoolwork back in 2003. We kept in touch and I ended up making these portraits at around the same time I was working on B.O.A.S. portraits late that summer.