A) a Regular Column by Helge Janssen ''LEFT EYE THINKING (LET)''

here

B) various artworks by Independent artists

here

LEFT EYE THINKING (LET)

Helge Janssen is a DJ; Artist;Performer;Clothing Designer Residing In Durban Natal South Africa. He has been a leading light of Independent music and arts for over twenty years, and remains an inspiration to those who dare travel the path less taken.

 Exit through the Gift Shop - no thanks, you can keep the gift. a review

A film by Banksy and Fairey

This film is a film about a film about a film about hype and is a critique, deeply cynical - though not always correct - about the power of advertising and the belief that if you TELL somebody something with authority, they are quite likely to believe you. It is this latter aspect that for me is the most powerful part of this Banksy instillation celluloid product.

Due to some very scant pre film information, I went into this film not knowing that DTTGS was filmed and produced by Banksy himself. Simply watching the film the impression given was that it was a film made by Thierry Guetta...until of course there is a weird switch and suddenly Banksy takes control. This struck me as stylistically odd as there was no change in the way in which the documentary was being conceived. From then on I began to wonder what was the catch? Was Guetta a real person or a character in a film about a film about a film...get it?

 There were also some very weak psychological insights that were (deliberately?) flimsy: Thierry’s reasons for being so obsessed with filming being one of them. It was all too slick and neatly packaged. His wife never shows the slightest remorse/concern at her husbands long months spent away from home 'documenting'. She is surprisingly cheerful and unconcerned, happy to bring up their children on her own, yet we are given absolutely no insight as to how she coped emotionally. Guetta, we are told, made huge amounts of money buying clothes cheaply and selling them for a fortune which allows him to travel the world 'filming everything'. He basically never has any financial woes until he succumbs to the big bigger biggest culture of America that sees him mortgage his house in order to hammer the last nails into his first and massive solo exhibition. Shame, such a biiiig sacrifice! And we never see Thierry actually creating any of his artworks except for splashing paint along the 200 or so free exclusive prints he is giving away at the opening. And then there is the matter that the film is a collaboration between Banksy and Fairey: why? What did they feel they were up against? The 'clever' part is that the film is constructed in such a way that you could be taken in to believing that this is a real documentary. It is the 'tongue-in-cheek' part that may escape many. A Banksy trademark.

The film is therefore an expose on how corrupt the art world is and how little the general public know about art, and what it is that gets art buyers to buy art. The joke of course is that the character played as Theirry Guetta is anybody, a random person given the right hype who achieves fame never before dreamed of. The deeply cynical part is that Guetta in transforming into 'the famous' Mr. Brainwash (MBW) has not done a single thing to earn his art status other than hype hype hype and stick stick stick and paste and get somebody else to do his artwork! You HAVE to laff at that! Oh, and of course backed by huge amounts of boodle. Remind you of somebody?

Such is the American dream which we now know has turned into the American nightmare.

But I could not avoid feeling somewhat irritated. The not so subtle ploys to manipulate a somewhat gullible audience on such flimsy and trite excuses for one; and the overplaying of such a ‘terrible’ thing that happened to Guetta three weeks before his first major showing - gosh, horror, gasp, splutter: he broke a foot bone! Shame, the poor poor boy. This was related with such sincere concern and foreboding one would have believed he was virtually on his death bed. Hahaha....that was very funny. But really, does anybody care? And in America of course you have to go big bigger biggest otherwise you are simply not going to be taken seriously. To me this simply means the more money you have the more power you have: another shocking point in the glaring spiritual decline of America. But that is the way that capitalism works and the rest of the world seem very keen to follow. What is also somewhat irritating to someone who already (me) finds spin doctoring verging on a crime against humanity, is the ‘double entendre’ of using advertising to send up advertising. Warhol was the first who went around sending himself up: ‘.....oh...I am not an artist....I just go around doing what everyone else tells me to do...’ said in his fey blond white wigged way! At least one felt that he was being (sarcastically) authentic.


Such an elaborate con as DTTBS exhibits, has only one aim in mind: to authenticate both Banksy and Fairey as ‘true street artists’ and bring their art from street walls onto the silver screen. In a sense its a bit like throwing your toys out of the cot in order to throw them back in again. Shame, they must have been feeling a little left out of the global market lately and needed to remind the public how great they really really really are! You have to admire the chutzpah, but I somehow feel they should rather keep that for their street art shenanigans. The celluloid thingy undermines them.


My advice: when watching this film get as plastered as you can or coked up to oblivion, scream with amusement whenever you feel compelled, and take absolutely NONE of it seriously...except the part about the lengths artists will go to get noticed.....then go home and trash all your art works! But be afraid, be very afraid....there is an artist waiting to happen near YOU!

addendum

The point is that I, with some reservation, agree with Banksy and Fairey (what a wonderful name...wonder if its real...must research it) who are horrified at what Thierry Guetta represents. What I don't like is the fact that they have done the con so well. There are those who will see nothing wrong with the antics of Thierry Guetta and in fact laud him for ripping the establishment off. If the others can do it, why shouldn't he? Its the take take mentality of capitalism that makes the macho sensibility think it can plunder the earth indiscriminately and think nothing of it. The deeply disturbing moral question is conveniently by passed and cuts to the very CORE of what is so disturbing about our ethical decadence. THAT is how sick we are. It is for this reason that I am at pains to point out the flaws in Thierry's character precisely because of the thick skinned idiots that are going to be taken in.

It is also for this reason that I present Bansky and Fairey as cohorts who are just out to glorify themselves. Its the type of denigration that the take-take mentality would want to distance themselves from: other peoples underhand motives.

As such, and without proper analysis, the film is in danger of promoting the very thing it sets out to tear apart. The other problem of course is that Bansky and Fairey are not saints. It’s OK for them to do what they do....but not others. And here again another moral question is raised that becomes a conundrum that vexes the modern art world

Surprise and Shine by martin smit

jmannell@indy.rr.com

http://www.idada.org/Artist_Search.aspx?artistID=2457

oil on canvas 19x30”

I spent some time in New Mexico after art school. Although I don’t consciously explore

Southwestern themes, this imagery emerged from my sketchbook with a decidedly western flavor.

The central, abstracted image of a cow skull (an icon of the West), inspired a barred jailhouse

window where an eye socket might lie, and the suggestion of piano keys in place of teeth all

reference the idea of a cowboy ballad. Visual communication, like poetry, should never be too literal.

I hope the color, imagery, and composition of this painting support the idea of a “ballad”.

POD

oil on canvas 35x27”

The more the mechanical and digital worlds intrude

upon our time, the less contact we experience with

the natural world. This painting depicts a human

form altered within a framed construct surrounded

by elements of nature—with reference to both our

reptilian and mammalian natures, but hopefully

representing this modern predicament as a new order,

not a failed evolution.

SCHISM

 oil on canvas 21x26”

Schism represents opposing viewpoints. The hooded

figure is the earnest, if nefarious, departure from

sheepish complacency in an existing order. The exit

of the shepherd in a divided landscape is also conjured.

The image separating them is a cryptic vessel, and

acting metaphor, for the viewer’s interpretation

of events.

 Shudder Through by Martin Smit

The Manipulation Of Emily by martin smit

A little tasty collage

So i can tell u a bit more about my life. After 6 months working with poor and drug addicts in HK, we teach drama, music and art to the problem teenagers. Finally we came back to Switzerland in May, we found our dream flat in August, our son Nias came in Sept, this little family is so happy to have a home!! One more big surprise i'll tell u next time when it's ready.

We start collecting music instruments, found a great Yamaha keyboard in the market, Violin from Esther (learning from friend every week and found my passion in it), a huge bongo for percussion, our vision is to make a music group with children.

Recently i start to play basketball again, as Napoleon gave me a really good Wilson, and yesterday i found my sport shoes in Secondhand shop (since the last 9 years i always used wrong shoes), this morning i teamed with a 8 years boy from Bosnia, nearly win over my friends, but we got so much fun anyway :)

love from kokdamon©2009 

ps:

I wrote this kind of thing 2 years ago, i suddenly feel like making this 10 recommendation for music lover:

1. Kira Lynn Cain - The Ideal Hunter 2007
nice femin voice with retro crime film sound. (photo from Diana Elliot) www.kiralynncain.com

2. Bill Evans & Jim Hall - Undercurrent 1962
Jim Hall is a very tender jazz guitarist, and Bill Evans is one of the most artistic pianist.
i did this drawing long time ago, love this cover photo so much.

3. T. Rex - Electric Warrior 1971
so glam and groove, especially after re-watch Billy Elliot

4. Big Mama Thornton - In Europe: with Muddy Waters' Blues Band 1965
it's a live album of this big size woman with jamming quality backup band, her blues inspired Elvis, Janis Joplin, she also plays harmonica.

5. Leonard Cohen - Live songs 1970-72
never know that he can improvise so much in concert, more than just Hallelujah, more than a poet.

6. Hellsongs - Lounge 2006
indie folk Swedish band cover oldskool metal like Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, Motorhead. www.hellsongs.com

7. Leech - The Stolen View 2007
Swiss Postrock introduced from my guitar student. www.leech.ch

8. Duzze - Flon/Macun 2005
the neighbor lived downstairs is the bassist, some soft rock with SwissGerman dialect, very nice xylophone. www.duzze.ch/

9. Andrea Lang - Liebesode 2009
Opera with simple piano, she's the sister of my student, very high class feeling while playing this CD at my flat. www.andrealang.ch

10. Jon Foreman - 4 Seasons EP 2008
he used to play in a loud band and now solo with totally quiet acoustic with soulful broken voice, sometimes duet with angel voice woman, thoughtful lyrics, emotional instrument and arrangement, i wish to make music like him to express our own believe. www.jonforeman.com

Cat Power = 貓力量 q(*Q_Q*)p

Fall in love with a Cat Power Black Sessions France Radio Bootleg...
i think it sounds even better than the album!

So this drawing is for our Chan Chan Marshall ;> 

Now This Is Dreaming... by Martin Smit