zine, [zeen] noun. 1. abbr. of fanzine; 2. any amateurly-published periodical. Oxford Reference

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Showing posts with label Yoko Ono. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Yoko Ono. Show all posts

Saturday, August 15, 2015

The Belfie Annual 2013




The Belfie Annual 2013 - Elena Colman

A5, 16 photocopied pages with rubber stamped front and back cover. Hand bound. 
Also includes a signed and numbered artist's arse print

Edition of 50. Produced by Ladette Space. 

£4


Think of this as a contemporary re-working of Yoko Ono’s infamous 1966-67 art piece Film Number 4 (Bottoms) – an 80 minute film of the rear ends of 365 ‘saints of the time’.

At the time Ono said about the piece:

In 50 years or so, which is like 10 centuries from now, people will look at the film of the 60’s. They will probably comment on Ingmar Bergman as meaningfully meaningful film-maker Jean-Luc Godard as the meaningfully meaningless. Antonioni as meaninglessly meaningful, etc, etc. Then they would come to the No. 4 film and see a sudden swarm of exposed bottoms, that these bottoms, in fact belonged to people who represented the London scene. And I hope that they would see that the 60’s was not only the age of achievements, but of laughter. This film, in fact, is like an aimless petition signed by people with their anuses. Next time we wish to make an appeal, we should send this film as the signature list.*
Forty-seven years later we live in a very different cultural climate, where it is almost more shocking if you have never revealed your private parts in public, where the media is obsessed with almost bottom of every celebrity and near-celebrity on the planet.

The Belfie Annial – 2013 is a nod a wink to all of this, a selection of selfies reduced down to the most backwards facing portraiture. Topped off with a neon pink arse print made by the artist.



More about Elena's work here: thecolmansingularity.com


*1968 Interview with Tony Elliot, Time Out Magazine. flickr.com/photos/yokoonoofficial/3304679559



Review by Nathan Penlington

Tuesday, July 7, 2015

Yoko Ono Zine


Yoko Ono Zine
24 pages (including front / back covers)
digest size, all art-quality card stock
$15.00

This may be the most perfect zine I've every held.

(Admittedly I'm Biased. I am a huge Yoko Ono fan. No other artist has influenced me as much as she has.)

Inside the thick yellow envelope there is a little bundle tied up with brown twine. It's a lovely package in any context, but especially delightful to me as I am reminded of some lines from Grapefruit, (TAPE PIECE III,) about wrapping gifts.

The package contains a lovely business card, a little piece of art sealed in plastic, and the zine, wrapped in brown paper. I do not know if this package is the way LOSTBOY always sends their zine out, or if this was specifically for me because of our shared love for Yoko. So, I'll just concentrate on the zine itself.

The entire inside 20 pages is card stock, off white. The cover is heavier card stock, brown. The front cover has a circle cut out. The art on the first page combines with the art on the front cover to make the cover people see when they first look at it. The spine is finely stitched, and the title information is stitched inside the back cover.

The art inside is amazing. Some of the drawings have Yoko quotes incorporated. There is a balance of simplicity and complexity. At first glance somewhat whimsical, but with a minute attention to detail. Line drawings mostly. A hint of the zen tangle style. Figure drawing. Abstract. Graphic design. Conceptual.



The first time through is slightly rushed, I'm eagerly drawn to see what's on the next page. Getting to the end is almost a relief, now I can go back through and spent time with each image. Let the eye wander and linger. Soak it in.

I'm mesmerized, and at a certain point I realize I'm on the verge of weeping. I cry all the time, so that's not unusual, but I can't remember the last time a work of art caused such an emotional response. I think it's a combination of the overall loveliness of the work, a sense of the devotion the artist poured into it, and nostalgia for that time in my life when Yoko and others were beacons to my lost and wandering young self, and finally, knowing that new generations of young artists are still discovering and being influenced by Yoko.

An absolute treasure.

Order:

Web site:


Review by Jack Cheiky



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