1. Robert Crumb at the 2005 Carnegie international, Pittsburgh I was glad Crumb got over his distaste for institutions of higher art and became the highlight of this years Carnegie International. A truly awesome collection of original covers for Zap, Weird comics, along side hundreds of sketches and drawings spanning his entire career. I particularly enjoyed the bitter diary entries from his early years.
http://www.cmoa.org/international/the_exhibition/artist.asp?crumb#void

2. Katarzyna Kozyra's 'The Rite of Spring' at the 2005 Carnegie International, Pittsburgh Inspired by Vaslav Nijinsky's extraordinary choreography for the composition by Igor Stravinsky.*also wins my special award for best animation of naked old people.
http://www.cmoa.org/international/the_exhibition/artist.asp?kozyra#void

3. Paul Chan's 'Happiness (finally) after 35,000 Years of Civilization—after Henry Darger and Charles Fourier', at the 2005 Carnegie International, Pittsburgh This very cool digital animation combines the utopian visions of 19th-century social theorist Fourier with those of the 20th-century reclusive self-taught artist Darger. A surprisingly tactile and deceivingly low tech computer animation, sort of like if Henry Darger had a computer.
http://www.cmoa.org/international/the_exhibition/artist.asp?chan

4. Libby Hague, 'Everything Needs Everything'. I saw this at Open Studio (Toronto) and Loop (Toronto) last year. Each time this piece is shown it just gets better. Absolutely wonderful installation of woodcuts made into an immersive, painterly environment. A touch of whimsy and dread. Libby Hague is the future of printmaking.
http://www3.sympatico.ca/libbylibby/loop.html

5. Ed Pien at Mocca (toronto), part of 'Just My Imagination' drawing show. I can't remember the name of this piece,....anyone, anyone? this vast blue watercolour was like a dip in a cool stream on a hot day, or maybe like getting sucked into a whirlpool, or maybe like...aw you get the idea.

6. Andy Fabo at Mocca. This exhibit featured Fabo's painting, drawing, video works from the 1970's until now. I loved his series of ink washes portraying a likeness of a man which appears to slowly dissolve into abstraction.

7. Jason Van Horne, 'Nuclear Winter Wonderland' at Katharine Mulherin Contemporary Art (Toronto). forget going to see the new 'King Kong' movie, just take a walk around van Horne's devastated miniature city. a kind of vertigo of scale occurred while i was viewing this, i felt omnipresent and utterly insignificant at the same time. Made me want to learn how to pronounce 'nuclear' properly. *best use of old kraft dinner boxes and flour.
http://www.kmartprojects.com/">http://www.kmartprojects.com/">http://www.kmartprojects.com/

8. James Turrell, Pleiades, 1983 at the Mattress Factory, Pittsburgh (ya i know it's 1983 but i just saw it this year). The Mattress Factory has a few great early works by this artist in their permanent exhibits. Pleiades was my favorite. Reminded me of the part in the Sudbury Big Nickel Mine tour when they turned out the lights.
http://www.mattress.org/index.cfm?event=ShowArtist&eid=45&id=216&c=Permanent

9. Sarah Peebles and Robert Cruickshank, MUSIC FOR INCANDESCENT EVENTS; SUNSET at Deleon white Gallery (toronto). well technically this was 2004, but i didn't make a list last year so there!
http://www.sarahpeebles.net/sunset.htm

10. Katamari Damacy. This isn't exactly art but its as close as you can get in a video game if you ask me. I spent the last part of 2005 obsessively rolling things up in this game. fun, fun, fun! If only i could clean my house this way.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katamari_Damacy

I typo-ed Andy Fabo as Andy Fab. Sounds kinda good. He's certainly "fab" in my books!
- sally mckay 1-14-2006 5:45 am

I agree, Jason Van Horne's city is amazing.

- L.M. 1-14-2006 7:57 am

the man that andy fabo painted was his partner michael balser who passed away a couple of years ago, no?


- myfanwy (guest) 1-14-2006 9:33 pm

Right on. Jason van Horne. Stopped my dead in my tracks along Queen when
I saw them. Great choice.
- Tino (guest) 1-14-2006 11:25 pm

Yup Michael Balser. One of my very favourite artists. Made smart smart hilarious sardonic sad videos.
- sally mckay 1-15-2006 5:33 am

Couldn't find an image from 'Just My Imagination', but did have this one of Ed Pien making one of his huge paper cut-outs.

(freak.)

- L.M. 1-15-2006 9:54 am

thanks mfawnway and L.M. for the extra info. I had trouble finding images for the 'Just my imagination' show to. Somebody should work on that Mocca website!
- mnobody (guest) 1-15-2006 7:11 pm

no kidding. I think they think they are being avant garde by not putting up any pictures of any artwork.
- sally mckay 1-15-2006 8:07 pm

A friend of mine gave me an R. Crumb chocolate bar. I ate the chocolate (because it was exploiting me) but I did save and frame the wrapper.
- L.M. 1-16-2006 3:27 am

this is fantastic! where did you get it? (and was the chocolate any good?)
- thom (guest) 1-17-2006 2:40 am

The chocolate was vile. A friend of mine was working on a movie that had something to do with R. Crumb, the bars were a gift for the crew, so I have no idea if they were ever available commercially.
- L.M. 1-17-2006 7:45 am

they're out there

"The sales of Robert Crumb's "Devil Girl" chocolate bars soared when Sony Pictures decided to place the candy in theaters featuring the Crumb documentary. Before that, the Crumb-designed candy bar was sold only by mail order and at comic book stores. Now that the documentary is about to be released on tape, video rental stores are interested in carrying the candy, opening up legions of new outlets."

that was from 1996. i hope yours wasnt that vintage.
- bill 1-17-2006 4:54 pm

So I guess it really is bad for you.
- thom (guest) 1-17-2006 6:30 pm

Yup, it was 1996 when I got it. (what? I'm going to save a chocolate bar for 10 years?)

I'll ask my friend what movie she was working on.
- L.M. 1-17-2006 8:47 pm

I am closing this thread due to spam.
- sally mckay 7-17-2007 5:42 pm