M.O.B. Group Show - Bullet Space

It's made of band-aids.

Leo Fitzpatrick

Richard Kern

Chocolate by Martynka Wawrzyniak

Martynka Wawrzyniak and Richard Kern

Richard Kern

Last-last Friday I went to Bullet Space on the Lower East Side to see the group show “Mob.” I had some friends in town and thier band was playing a show (more on that in a future post) and their set started at 7:30, so by the time I left work I had less than 30 minutes to scoot all the way across town and back. I really feel like I shortchanged myself and anyone who might actually look at these pictures because I was in such a rush, and furthermore I didn’t even write down who made what. The show was actually really great, in a cool place with a very cool history, and there were plenty of really interesting people in attendance, and I only spent like 15 minutes there. I totally blew it and I’m sorry.

I was very excited to see a projection of Martynka Wawrzyniak film “Chocolate” which made me an instant fan when I first saw it this past summer. As soon as I watched it I tracked her down on facebook so that I would be aware of her future endeavors. What I didn’t realize until months later was that she is married to Richard Kern, an amazing photographer and filmmaker of whom I’ve been a fan for years. Kern has shot everyone and his images have been pretty much everywhere and he continues to produce an astounding volume of work all the time. His early films included collaborations with Sonic Youth, the Butthole Surfers, David Wojnarowicz, Lydia Lunch, and Henry Rollins just to name a few. The often violent, often sexual subject matter lead a former girlfriend of mine to say that she “couldn’t be with someone who could sit through that.” Turned out she was right!


Anyway, It was crazy to get to meet him and he was insanely friendly and suffered through a lot of awkward stammering. He told me that he was responsible for shooting “Chocolate” as well as pouring the chocolate itself onto his wife, and that they had to shoot the whole film twice, which must have been brutal. He described a piece that Wawrzyniak is currently working on which sounds truly unique and exciting but that sort of defies explaination. I would have loved to talk to him much longer but due to my idiotic time constraints I (mercifully for him) cut the conversation short as I sprinted out of the gallery like a freak to catch a cab back across town.

If you have the chance, don’t miss this very cool show. The Bullet Space keeps odd hours, so perhaps contact them to see when they would be available. Info is below.

BULLET SPACE
292 East 3rd StNew York, NY 10009
[view map]
347.277.9841
bulletspace@gmail.com

HOURS
Fri / Sat / Sun 1-6pm
or by appointment or chance