NOVEMBER 2021 – brutjournal

GONE, GONE BEYOND, A NEW, MULTI-SCREEN CINEMATIC EXPERIENCE CREATED BY PEOPLE LIKE US (THE ARTIST VICKI BENNETT, IN COLLABORATION WITH PETER KNIGHT), IS POSTMODERNIST PASTICHE-MAKING ON OVERDRIVE — AND IT'S RIVETING. SEE OUR ARTICLE ON THE BIG PAGE.

THIS IS THE PLACE FOR DISCOVERIES AND DISCUSSIONS OF THE MOST INVENTIVE ART FORMS – ALL KINDS OF ART THAT IS FAR-OUT, FANTASTIC, FREE-SPIRITED, FUN, FUNKY, PHENOMENAL AND GOOD FOR THE SOUL. (MAMA CALLED IT SUI GENERIS)
SUBSCRIBE, BABY. RIGHT NOW!

IN THIS ISSUE, DON'T MISS THESE FEATURES

Canada

Getting to know the outsider artist Menno Krant
by Linda Rainaldi

Editor's Letter

What the heck is brutjournal?
by Edward M Gómez

Wisconsin

Remembering the apocalyptic visionary painter, Norbert Kox
by Cathy Ward

Take it off. Take it all off.

Do the best tattoos come with expiration dates?
by David Bjerklie

GEORGINA STARR'S NEW FILM: "QUARANTAINE"

The British artist Georgina Starr is known for her video, sound, and performance works. Now, in Quarantaine, her new, short film, she blends strange imagery and powerful evocations of female, psychic-emotional energy in a dream-like tonic for these pandemic-weary times. That big head!

INTRO: GIVE US THAT INK — AND MAKE IT STICK

What explains the fascination so many people have with tattoos, an age-old form of body decoration whose artistry its admirers celebrate, reveling in its powerful mode of self-expression? This month, brutjournal speaks with tattooers and tattooees about their passion for this art form. In this intro article, meet Clay Anderson and Marcel d'Eon Aer, who share their tattoos and tattooing experiences. Photos by Bill Westmoreland. (Left: Photos by various photographers; find them in this issue.) Free access to this article.

ARKANSAS: A VISIONARY VERNACULAR ROAD TRIP

The Windgate Center of Art + Design, at the University of Arkansas, Little Rock, is presenting A Visionary Vernacular Road Trip, three related exhibitions showcasing paintings, drawings, sculptures, and objects made by folk and outsider artists from around the U.S.A. Brad Cushman, the museum’s director and the exhibitions' curator, describes their diverse, colorful offerings.

EMIL ORTH: IN DENVER, BECOMING A TATTOO ARTIST

Based in Denver, Colorado, Emil Orth is living his dream, apprenticing to become a master tattooer and working as a tattoo artist. Deeply interested in outsider art, Orth is developing a tattooing style of his own. Here, he recalls his firsthand experiences on both ends of the tattooer's ink-filled needle.

TODAY'S TATTOO ART

A group of special features in this issue explores the colorful art and enduring appeal of tattoos. Above, right: Clay Anderson, 35, a New York-based photographer who specializes in street photography, and, on the left, Marcel d’Eon Aer (who is known as “D’Eon”), 26, a practitioner of what is known as handpoke tattooing. They are seen here together in a portrait by brutjournal’s visual director, the photographer Bill Westmoreland. Here, at the top of the HOME PAGE, see our article about Clay and D’Eon’s experiences as tattooees. Needles! Pain! Art!

NEW BOOK: FLOATING WEST, JAPANESE TATTOO ART

Texas-based Nick York, a tattoo artist and collector of tattoo-related historical material, acquired a rare album of tattoo artists' designs from 19th-century Japan. Now, a facsimile has been published, Floating West: Antique Japanese Tattoo Flash. Here, York tells us about his fascinating find.

LUCIENNE PEIRY, EXCLUSIVE BOOK EXCERPTS: ART BRUT WRITINGS, EXTRAVAGANT GRAPHOMANIACS

The Swiss art historian and curator Lucienne Peiry’s latest big, insightful, illuminating book examines art brut creators who integrated real or imaginary writing into their distinctive compositions in various media. It serves as the basis of a new exhibition opening on October 20 at the Museum Tinguely in Basel, Switzerland. Now, read excerpts from the book in English — a brutjournal exclusive. Free access to this article.

J.D. O'KELLY ON TATTOOS: ART, BUSINESS, SPIRIT

For J.D. O’Kelly, a tattoo artist in Portland, Oregon, tattoos have long symbolized liberation, otherness, and a kind of personal strength. Now, at the age of 50, Kelly has some pointed thoughts about the tattooing industry and the deeper, spiritual significance of an ancient art. Free access to this article.

“YOKO ONO/PLASTIC ONO BAND”: STILL RADICAL

Half a century has passed since the avant-garde artist-composer Yoko Ono’s strange — and oddly compelling — debut record album, Yoko Ono/Plastic Ono Band, first came out in 1970. Edward M. Gómez examines the unexpected impact of this still revolutionary sonic blast.

Coming Soon

TATTOO US: STEPHANIE AND ELVIO'S STORIES

In Pennsylvania, the tattoo artist Elvio Critelli provides his increasingly popular service, and his wife, the fashion model Stephanie Cavalli, operates a vintage-clothing shop. A tattooer and tattooee twosome tell their tales.

HERE, THE FILM “VALTON TYLER: FLESH IS FICTION” FINDS A HOME

The self-taught artist Valton Tyler (1944-2017) lived and worked in Dallas, Texas, and its environs. He created remarkable works — oil paintings, ink drawings on paper, complex etchings — that remain hard to classify according to existing style or genre labels. In 2017, Edward M. Gómez (brutjournal’s founder) and cinematographer Chris Shields made the first-ever film about Tyler’s life and art, which the artist saw before he died. This 42-minute-long film will reside permanently here, on the magazine’s website. It may be viewed in its entirety, free of charge. Watch it and get to know the bright, bizarre world of a techno-baroque visionary. Free access to article and film.