Barebrush Announces 10th N*des-of-the-Month Calendar

Curated by Kim Foster of Kim Foster Gallery, the June calendar combines a sense of humor with a sense of adventure in this classic art form. "It's a calendar," she said, "have fun with it."

Art News: Barebrush CEO -- "It's OKAY to enjoy the art of the nude"

New York, NY -- May 31, 2007 -- Barebrush.com announces the publication of its tenth monthly calendar, June N*des-of-the-Month, curated by Kim Foster of Kim Foster Gallery in NYC. The June calendar, 30 artworks (one for each day of the month) by 26 artists was selected from 333 entries submitted by 63 artists world wide. The virtual show includes painting, sculpture, photography, mixed media and drawing. N*des-of-the-Month June 2007 is in previews for members only and viewable by the public beginning June 1, 2007 at www.barebrush.com.

Barebrush, the video, can be seen at the website and also at the popular video site, youtube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4_cNpkBi6I). CEO Ilene Skeen says, “With the use of video, it’s as if I can tell everyone personally, it’s not pornography, it’s the nude: it’s OKAY to enjoy the art of the nude.”

About Kim Foster and Kim Foster Gallery

Since Kim Foster opened her gallery in 1994 in Soho, she has been known for an adventurous independent vision. She was among the first to migrate to the Chelsea art district where her gallery has occupied the ground floor space in the 529 West 20th Arts Building since 1998.

The gallery has a reputation for exhibiting thoughtful works that are intellectually challenging while maintaining a raw visual appeal. Although there is a great variety in the work of Kim Foster Gallery's artists, there also is a haunting elegance to her exhibitions that exemplifies the gallery's aesthetic. That elegance permeates Foster's affinity for obsessive and eccentric sculpture built from an assemblage of often minutely constructed parts, and requiring massive hand labor.

Kim Foster's vision is focused on enabling her artists to explore and evolve in their extraordinarily different ways, but with remarkable coherence within the gallery's aesthetic.

About the Artists and the Show:

True to character, Kim chose Kasper Holten's stoneware, china and string sculpture, Adventures, to launch the June 2007 calendar. "It's a calendar," she said, "have fun with it."
Kim chose Antonio Petracca's giclee print, Sleep with the Fishes, (June 2nd) from his show, Pompeii Overlay Tagged, as her jury of selection.

June N*des-of-the-Month artists (with day of the month): Oudi Arroni (13), Sebastien Aurillon (18), Stephan Beyst (23), Lia Chechelashvili (29), Roger Cummiskey (14), Dulcie Dee (30), James Dinverno (20, 21), Octavian Florescu (25), Esther Pacht Goldstein (22), Kasper Holten (1), John Woodrow Kelley (19), Nina Kuriloff (27), Tony Lee (26), Jean Marcellino (9), Dan McCormack (8), Jacqui Morgan (7), Hector Olvera (17), Antonio Petracca (2), Peter Ramon (15, 16), Joost Reemus (4), Emily Rich (5, 6), Pedro Ramon Rodriguez (28), Chanit Roston (10), William Stephen Rothstein (11, 12), Ilene Skeen (24), Randy Thurman (3).

This information was released through Mass Media Distribution Newswire to journalists and editors via email, and fax. To see the complete document, including site statistics, click here

Who will be remembered as the art icons of the 21st century?

Discovering the extraordinary (and being part of it)
Excerpted by Ilene Skeen

Monkdogz Urban Art is featured in La Revista Mensual Del Siglo XXI
The 21st Century Monthly Magazine

As barebrush afficianados know, Monkdogz curated the March 2007 N*des-of-the-Month calendar for barebrush. Although barebrush is dedicated exclusively to the art of the nude, I feel there are strong parallels in commitment and energy. Here are some excerpts from the article about the gallery, which celebrated its 1st anniversary in March as well:

When asked about the gallery’s future plans Robert Hogge was heard to say “We’re going to raise the barometer. We didn’t come here to be just another gallery in New York. We came to be very innovative and we are driven to accomplish that mission”.

“This is the venue for the ‘art icons of the 21st Century’ in traditional, contemporary abstraction and over-the-top images…..so, fasten your seatbelts!!”

At the Monkdogz website NOW is a call for entries for "Heat" (The Next Tortured Genius 2). The entry deadline is June 3rd. Here's the intro:

Like most reputable galleries throughout the world, Monkdogz Urban Art Inc., in the Chelsea District of New York City is looking to the future of art. We also realize on some level that we are in a unique position to help create tomorrow's art realities. We are on an international search for artists whose work is driven by talent, desire, impact, imagination and a sense of purpose.

To see the magazine article on line, click here.

For the prospectus for "Heat", click here.

Humanity Unclothed in Mexico

ABC Newsonline. Photo from Reuters.

About 18,000 people have posed nude for US photographer Spencer Tunick in Mexico City's Zocalo Square, setting a new record for the American artist known for snapping his subjects in the buff.

Thousands of naked volunteers formed a giant mosaic of flesh for Mr Tunick, who far exceeded his own previous record of 7,000 nude models set in Barcelona.

"All eyes are looking south from the United States to Mexico City to see how a country can be free and treat the human body with happiness and not as pornography or as a crime," Mr Tunick said.

According to a preliminary count by organisers, more than 18,000 people participated in the photo shoot held in the city's vast Zocalo Square, the third largest in the world.

Mr Tunick had the throng of volunteers of all ages pose in the foetal position and give a salute to an imaginary flag within sight of the capital's main cathedral and National Palace.

"It was a work of art, a political statement and at the same time an act of love with our bodies," said university student Juan Lagos.

It took Mr Tunick's associates five years to secure permission for the shoot, in which the Roman Catholic cathedral on the square and the Mexican flag will not appear.

Mr Tunick has carried out similar photo sessions in Australia, Belgium, France, Britain, Canada and the United States.

In 1994 he was arrested in Manhattan after a nude model posed for him in broad daylight.
- AFP

This is the complete story, but to see the original, click here.

For more about Spencer Tunick, click here.

Call for Entries -- Artists Invited to participate in N*des-of-the-Month June 2007, curated by Kim Foster of Kim Foster Gallery, Chelsea NYC

Deadline May 22. All visual artists are encouraged to submit art of the nude to the barebrush.com for selection by Kim Foster of Kim Foster Gallery, Chelsea, New York, for the June 2007 N*des-of-the-Month exhibition.

New York, NY –May 3, 2007. barebrush.com announces today that Kim Foster of Kim Foster Gallery in the Chelsea art district of New York City will select and curate the June 2007 N*des-of-the-Month virtual exhibition. The entry deadline for the June 2007 calendar is May 22. Art must be uploaded to barebrush.com on or before May 22 to be eligible for the June exhibition. "I continue to be proud of the level of interest and enthusiasm for barebrush on the part of the curators," says Ilene Skeen, barebrush.com founder and CEO. "Kim is a dealer with an impressive list of established and emerging artists. I am excited to see what barebrush artists come up with for Kim for the June show."

About Kim Foster Gallery

Since Kim Foster opened her gallery in 1994 in Soho, she has been known for an adventurous independent vision. She was among the first to migrate to the Chelsea art district where her gallery has occupied the ground floor space in the 529 West 20th Arts Building since 1998.

The gallery has a reputation for exhibiting thoughtful works that are intellectually challenging while maintaining a raw visual appeal. Although there is a great variety in the work of Kim Foster Gallery's artists, there also is a haunting elegance to her exhibitions that exemplifies the gallery's aesthetic. That elegance permeates Foster's affinity for obsessive and eccentric sculpture built from an assemblage of often minutely constructed parts, and requiring massive hand labor.Kim Foster's vision is focused on enabling her artists to explore and evolve in their extraordinarily different ways, but with remarkable coherence within the gallery's aesthetic.

True to her vision, when asked what she expected for the June N*des-of-the-Month calendar, Kim stated, "Just as I say on my web site, I would like to see work that is intellectually challenging while maintaining a raw visual appeal."

To read the entire call for entries, click here

Too Nude or Too Real? Not Showing in Texas

By JANET ST. JAMES / WFAA-TV [Dallas - Fort Worth, TX]

A painting banned from a local art showing this past weekend is generating controversy.

Take a look and decide if it's a case of censorship or all in the interpretation.

"To me, there's art in the nitty gritty and the real."

And so for her portraits, Rhon Drinkwater picks real women, with real bodies....

There were other nudes in the gallery.

But Rhon's was apparently the only one taken down.

"It was banned and censored and I was told it wasn't family friendly."

The building and gallery management sent out an email explaining the "unwritten rule" of hanging "G-rated" work appropriate for people of all ages.

But considering one in eight women will develop breast cancer in their lifetime and how many families that affects, Rhon believes her painting is appropriate for everyone....

At the very least, Rhon Drinkwater hopes her portrait now makes for a teachable moment about breast cancer, beauty, artistic interpretation, and even censorship.

To see the complete story, and the painting, click here