Hit it Up: Current Must-See Shows
Great current and upcoming art happenings Current: Right now, you can check out Terminal Kings as it visits Denver. Watch street artists from LA as they do live art every day. Plus Gallery’s Frank T Martinez show is almost over, be sure to see it this week. This week and onwards: Be sure to check out this Friday’s opening at David B. Smith Gallery, featuring the work of Liz Miller. A sample of Liz Miller's installation work The Invented World, by Sandy Skoglund opens this Friday at Rule Gallery. You might know Sandy Skoglund by Fox Games, famously installed at the DAM. All the more reason not to...Read more
filed under: events
tags: Art Redline Sandy Skoglund Huma Bhabha Liz Miller Terminal Kings Street Art Denver
December with Denmark's Nicolai Howalt
In the spirit of winter, I bring you Nicolai Howalt who, in collaboration with David Stjernholm, brings us, Rusland, or Russia in English. This series, exhibited in 2010, is a photographic documentation of the 260 hectares (which is just over 642 acres) of protected moorland in Denmark. It struck me, at first glance, a snow or frost covered forest void of any signs of life. The forest is actually a unique growth. The frost like dusting is actually sand, which was placed there after the “drifting sands” settled in the 1700’s. The habitat found a way to grow among the harsh debris of the historic sand storm of Holocene period. The overgrown forest appears in a timid grays...Read more
Tonight! Illiterate Film Night: Artist Series - An Even With The Group Show Artists
You've seen their artwork, now learn where it comes from! Starting tonight, each month the exhibiting artist(s) at Illiterate will take over one our Thursday Film Nights to present and discuss movies, segments and shorts in relation to their own work. Grab some popcorn, take a seat and take a look beyond the wall into the influences behind the art. Tonight at 8PM we start off the Film Night: Artist Series with Illiterate's four studio artists, Sander Lindeke, Katherine Rutter, David Coccagna and Andrew Hoffman who are currently exhibiting as part of the Group Show (Closing on Friday!). Oh and in case you're wondering, admission is FREE! ...Read more
Illiterate Group Show
On Friday, May 7 The Illiterate Group Show opens, an exhibition without bounds, featuring new works by Illiterate's four studio artists: David Coccagna, Andrew Hoffman, Sander Lindeke and Katherine Rutter.Working alongside one another at Illiterate, each created individually cohesive series to collectively form an exhibition emancipated from premise. four studio artists who have created individually cohesive bodies of work alongside one another to form an exhibition void of uniformity and emancipated from premise. However displayed together these four separate bodies of work enter into surprising conversations, creating a dialog of unexpected connections. Pieces range from figurati...Read more
filed under: events
tags: Illiterate Group Show 2010 Sander Lindeke David Coccagna Katherine Rutter Andrew Hoffman
malicious candy: Jessica Hilvitz and Ashley Sands at Boxcar Gallery
This weekend before you go to Illiterate, check out that old west Denver block called Santa Fe Blvd, because Jessica Hilvitz and Ashley Sands are showing at Boxcar gallery. I was in attendence at the soft opening... and i saw some pretty cool stuff. Hilvitz and Sands have an interesting converstation about colors and technique, i find a lot of similarities throughout both artists works, and of course i didn't recognize those without realizing some interesting contrasts as well. Sands' work, for instance is more folk-like, it has a more rural, down-and-out feel. it's very sentimental. the paintings are a uniform putrid green and contain eerie, gothic portraits of the spectacle...Read more
Kseniya Simonova: Sand Drawing
Watching the emotive sand animations of 24 year old Ukranian, Kseniya Simonova, I can only imagine that in the 1980's while I was busy figuring out how much of the sandbox I could fit into my Pampers, on the other side of the world, a little soviet girl was making her first discoveries with negative space and the world's most abundant art supply — dirt. Though sand drawing recieved it's 15 minutes of fame in the US through commercial advertising (Qwest anyone?), Simonova's animations, which communicate compelling tragedy, captivated her nation, and won her $130,000. In this video Simonova, competing on Ukraine's Got Talent, depicts ...Read more
Better Late Than Never: Where The Wild Things Are:
A friend of mine who directs films once told me, "no matter what you do on a shoot, feed your workers". I didn't know exactly what was so important about providing snacks to actors until I found myself filming with a five year old for this Where The Wild Things Art . We kept Max happy and pliable with a constant supply of his favorite food: pushpops. If you're wondering who the Illiterate Max. His name is Armani and the little boy that plays Max. If you're wandering who the little boy is, his name is Armani, the son of artist and illiterate's drywall expert, Stephen Alerid. He hung out with us on a late November Sunday chasing and being chased by me, Joe and Sander, as the...Read more
Embrace the Whole DAM thing
The Hamilton Building, Denver's new addition to the art museum, invades the skyline and surrounding buildings like a walking UFO, which, depending on how you feel about large shiny pointy buildings, will make you awe or eww. This point of architectural controversy over the new building by architect Daniel Libeskind seems to be the main factor in the upcoming exhibit at the Hamilton building. Appropriately titled Embrace, the exhibit includes 17 artists who each received invitations to use the dynamic space for site specific installations and works. The DAM staff has chosen to "embrace" the space and its challenging angles and slopes instead of fighting for flat walls and typical spaces: a po...Read more
Where is Illiterate: Space Update
It's approaching the 24 hour mark before Illiterate's grand unveiling: Where The Wild Things Art. As promised, we've been working away the days like a pack of meth addicted chimps getting the place ready for the HQ's big debut tomorrow — after a series of consecutive gallery "sleepovers" I think our crew supervisor, Sander Lindeke, may actually prefer a plywood box to a real bed. In the last two weeks, we called in the reinforcements for the final stretch and as of today, the sign is up, the place is painted and the walls are flat. just right to house some incredible art! Sander Lindeke and Illiterate artist in residence, Rachel Paton, taking a minute to contemplate all the ...Read more
filed under: other
tags: 82 S. Broadway Illiterate HQ Rachel Paton Sander Lindeke Mark Sink Steve Arnold Broox Pulford Rise Tren
Matt & Baily's Excellent Monolith Adventures
ACCESS PASS Photographs by Matthew Novak, our Photography Editor (except this one. I took it. duh.) THE ILLITERATE FASHION EDITOR That is I, Baily Rose. I studied & took notes & stuff on my cute little Steno Notepad I had gotten from my Grandma.... but I still couldn't figure out who the hell those old guys were (Monotonix) back stage everybody was taking pictures of. Matt: " They look pretty important." Me: "Yah.... they must be... hmmm... wonder who they are...?" OUR FIRST INTERVIEW This guy. I stopped him because I liked his outfit. and his necklace. Turns out this Peter D Spear fellow was in the band R...Read more
filed under: music
tags: Monolith Matt Novak Baily Rose Benjamin Miller Sandi Calistro Neon Indian HEALTH