An On-Set Visit With Las Vegas Body Painting Artist & Skin Wars Producer Robin Slonina

-->

The sign on the entrance to Stage 7 at Hollywood’s Sunset Gower Studios reads “Closed Set – No Photography”. Filming of the third season of The Game Show Network’s popular SkinWars body painting contest is underway and the identity and progress of the contestants is a closely guarded secret until the ten episodes are screened. All the contestants are sequestered away during the six-week shoot without access to the potential distractions of cell phones and television until they are either eliminated or master the creative challenges to claim the $100,000 prize money. 

            Robin Slonina, Las Vegas-based artist and owner of Skin City Body Painting, has been a producer and judge for each Skin Wars series. She laughs, “We call it body paint boot camp, but we look after our contestants. They stay together in a house with a pool, barbeque and pool table, and the current group have been entertaining themselves by choreographing and performing song and dance routines.” 

-->

Taking a break from filming, Slonina and fellow expert body painting judge, New Orleans-based artist Craig Tracy describe what they will be looking for in the winning contestant. “Our three main criteria are creativity, technique and the execution of the challenge, and the artists must be able to work under pressure. It’s anyone’s game right up to the last challenge. A contestant could be winning the whole time, then make one mistake and they’re out”.

              Transformation icon Ru Paul completes the judging trio and X-Men star Rebecca Romijn hosts. Skin Wars season three is scheduled to screen early 2016.

Party in the Afterglow Sets the Stage for 12" of Sin International Juried Art Award

Farasha Desert Siren performs in the Main Space at Party in the Afterglow

  Party in the Afterglow is the kind of event where party-goers often rival the performers with attention-grabbing outfits. Sin City Gallery Director Dr Laura Henkel and Gallery Manager/burlesque performer Lou Lou Roxy worked together to develop this annual celebration of visual and performative works that address love, lust and all the complex variances in-between, and sets the scene for three months of festivities surrounding the 12 Inches of Sin International Juried Art Award.

Two party-goers put on an impromptu performance.

Party in the Afterglow entertainment was continuous throughout the evening in both the Main Space, and the Garden of Eden VIP area where photography was off limits, encouraging impromptu audience participation. Featured performers were Lily Starr, La Rosa Muerta, Morgane Latouche, Nomi Malone, Randilyn, The Raunchy Professor, Madame Estrella, Michelle Jackson, Farasha Desert Siren, Blue Ruin, Ophelia Pearl and her Gimp Jeffery, Lou Lou Roxy, Ambrosia Minge and Suwasit. Dr Sketchy's supplied a model and drawing materials, and DJ Carey C provided the music. Local charity organization Sin Sity Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence benefited from the event.

World Male Pole Dance Champion Suwasit

 

The party also offered a preview of the finalists' works selected for the 12 Inches of Sin Juried Art Award and Le Salon Des Refusés Du Péché.  US artist Raymond Elstad was awarded Best in Show for his black & white digital photographic work Box Grid, and will have a solo show in 2016 at Sin City Gallery.

Also invited to participate in the 12 Inches of Sin Award Show are Gregory Brown (UK), Chris Labine (USA), Steve Bormes (USA), Barbra Loveless (USA), Billy Pacak (USA), Daniel Martinez (Uruguay), Yousif Del Valle (USA), Juan Ramiro Torres (USA), CADOC (Canada), Michelle Delecki (USA) and Héctor Pineda (Mexico). 

The selection committee responsible for narrowing down all the submissions to 12 finalists was comprised of notable international, national and local figures involved in the arts: Aurore Giguet, Program Manager, The Marjorie Barrick Museum, University of Nevada, Las Vegas; Brent Mizel, Pinup Pointe Gallery; Christopher John Ball, Co-Founder, The Association of Erotic Artists; Dennis McBride, Curator, Nevada State Museum; Henry Rosenthal, Filmmaker and Musician; Dr. Laura Henkel, Director, Sin City Gallery, and Founder, ArtCulture PR; Lou Lou Roxy, Gallery Manager, Sin City Gallery, and Burlesque Entertainer; Lucio Bubacco, Glass Artisan; Miltancia Erotica, Art Consortium and Richard Schemmerer, PDXart.

Burlesque performer Blue Ruin in the pink

The Best in Show winner was then chosen by a separate committee comprising Allena Gabosch, Producer, The Seattle Erotic Art Festival; Catherine Johnson-Roehr, Curator, The Kinsey Institute; Francois Dubeau, Artist; Hans Van Der Kamp, Founder, The World Museum of Erotic Art; Jerry Vile, Co-founder, The Dirty Show; Julian Murphy, Artist; Marne Lucas, Artist; Dr. Sadie Allison, CEO, Tickle Kitty, Inc; S.R. Sharp, Executive Director, The Tom of Finland Foundation; Sister Loosey Lust Bea Lady, Founder, Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, Las Vegas Chapter; Steve Diet Goedde, Artist; and Tony Mitchell, Founder, The Fetishistas.

The 12 Inches of Sin IV Award Show opens at Sin City Gallery June 4, following on from last years' 12 Inches Best in Show winner, Bulgaria-based artist JP Rakehorn. Then from July 2nd, Le Salon Des Refusés Du Péché exhibition, curated by Dr Laura Henkel will take place. For those wishing to retain a taste of each of the 12 Inches shows, Sin City Gallery is publishing hard-cover editions featuring all the selected works to date.

An Artist Residency Experience at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas

-->

Completing an artist residency in a large resort on the Las Vegas Strip has definitely been one of the most interesting art experiences to date. The P3Studio residency is a partnership between The Cosmopolitan of LasVegas and Art Production Fund in New York City. The residency program is designed to provide guests with an interactive art experience, so there is always a participatory element to each project and artists change monthly.

When I open the studio doors to visitors for the first time on Wednesday, December 11, I am not sure exactly what to expect. I have produced two previous audience-participation collage projects – the first took place over a few hours at the London Biennale in Nevada satellite project and the second over a few days at the Life is Beautiful Festival. However, the House of Paper Birds project at The Cosmopolitan spans a few weeks, and at the end of the residency period, I estimate that visitors will have completed two collage panels inspired by the fruit of the Joshua Tree and a large reverse-glass window collage where bird-women reign over a desert landscape. I provide a starting point for each of the works, then with a little guidance, the visitors do the rest.

I hope that during the process, visitors will also enjoy the opportunity to browse a range of fashion, lifestyle and art magazines in the adjoining Reading Room. This area is inspired by the MOCA Grand Avenue Reading Room in Los Angeles and is designed for me by Patina Décor. I also envision conversations taking place around the large studio table amongst friends old and new, as visitors source collage material from the stacks of magazines.

As it happens, my hopes for cultural interchange are exceeded. The P3Studio visitors are of all ages and from all over the states, with many from other countries also. Christmas is fun. I Skype with family in New Zealand on our Christmas Eve, and spend Christmas Day in the studio meeting many family groups who are enjoying the bright lights and festive events on the Strip. There are little toddlers who paste paper strips onto the window collage and charm me by blowing me kisses. There are teenagers who talk about their love of art and leave me little drawings. Some people stay for a few minutes, some stay for an hour or more. And at the end of the residency, the collaborative collage works seem to almost vibrate with the convergence of their collective energy.

I am joined in the weekends by invited special guests who bring elements of the House of Paper Birds to life; artist Shelbi Schroeder appears as an aloof black swan watching us watching her, burlesque entertainer Lou Lou Roxy demonstrates the skilled techniques of the fan dance, fashion designer Mina Kahn exemplifies the exotic in her feathered creations on models Kathy C Liu and Tarah Una Robinson, and entertainer/fashionista Devi Amuro stages an intergalactic fashion invasion of the Reading Room with models Starza and Lashonza Ferguson.

In the same way that collage combines disparate elements and creates something fresh, the residency has brought together my favorite aspects of Las Vegas – fashion, flamboyance, performance and the dramatic desert environment – and created a singular experience within the wider cultural experience of The Cosmopolitan itself. In addition to the residency program, The Cosmopolitan curates the public art program Pause, also in partnership with Art Production Fund, where moving image works by artists such as Tracey Emin, TJ Wilcox and Laurie Simmons periodically take over the large-scale LED signs. The Cosmopolitan brings a wealth of contemporary visual art to Las Vegas, while incorporating local artists into the mix and offering visitors the opportunity to participate in building this creative culture. The positive energy I experienced in this process is something that will always stay with me.

 

Visual Art Is Vibrant at Life Is Beautiful Festival 2014

"Love is Power. Power is Life. Life is Beautiful." The words are scrawled in red, encircling a cut out of a large, purple cactus flower. Pasted to the wall, the flower is surrounded by hundreds of other natural desert elements, with hand-written messages. For this year's Life is Beautiful festival, my proposal submitted to curator Patrick Duffy envisioned a collage installation created by the festival visitors themselves, slowly growing over the three days of the festival.
Attendance numbers were up for Las Vegas' second Life is Beautiful festival held during the last of the warm weather in late October. The focus on visual arts was again strong, with the exhibition venue moving to the previously shuttered Western Hotel, sharing space with the guest speakers in the Learning component. The Street Art Program, again curated by Charlotte Dutoit, brought new works to buildings in downtown Las Vegas. With many mural works from the first festival in 2013 still in existence, the face of downtown has changed dramatically.
I've put together a slideshow with Huffington Post, offering a tour of both temporary and permanent visual art features of the 2014 festival. I can't promise that it's fully comprehensive, but it gives a taste of the visual smörgåsbord available to festival-goers taking time out from the multitude of aural offerings. The first images were taken the evening before the festival opened, when some of the visiting street artists were putting the finishing touches on their works. For further information on artists, see the Life is Beautiful line-up.
The best festivals are uplifting, creating a powerful positive energy that lives on after the festival is over. In the downtown center of a city where stark reminders of the hard-hitting recent recession are still evident, the Life is Beautiful festival achieved that for me. As one of my collage participants wrote, quoting the Red Hot Chilli Peppers, "Destruction leads to a very rough road but it also breeds creation."

The Traveling Miracle Show Crosses the Great Divide

JK Russ is now a blogger for The Huffington Post and has written up The Traveling Miracle Show's road trip from Las Vegas to Reno. We stopped at a number of cultural attractions and small towns en route, including the hauntingly beautiful ghost town of Goldfield, NV, where Matthew Couper photographed me beside a pair of marooned subway entrances. S.B.

Here is an abridged write-up from the Huffington Post:
In April we took an adapted version of The Traveling Miracle Show on the road to Reno, Nevada -- 450 miles north from Las Vegas across the arid Mojave Desert. Although we were following in the hoof prints of the traveling medicine shows of old, we had the benefits of bitumen and a hired Dodge Caravan, allowing us to make the trip in a day.
Our aim was to explore the broader arts and culture of Nevada and to forge personal connections with other artists to help bridge the gap between Southern and Northern Nevada that stems from more than just geographical distance. Competition for steadily decreasing state funding is one of the issues causing division, but we viewed this as even more of a reason for artists and organizations to work together to share knowledge and resources in order to realize projects.
Our first stop was Goldwell Open Air Museum, adjacent to the ghost town of Rhyolite, where we enjoyed responding to the sculptural installations, including German artist Sofie Siegmann's mosaic sculpture Sit Here!. The history of this 15-acre sculpture park dates back to 1984 when Belgian artist Albert Szukalski created his Last Supper installation. Goldwell also offers an artist residency program in the Museum's nearby Red Barn Art Center.
We also visited the historic Oats Park Art Center in the town of Fallon, 60 miles east of Reno. The former school building, built in 1914 has been beautifully restored and now comprises three galleries, a lounge bar and 350-seat theater. There were also interesting works on display by Michael Sarich, Joan Arrizabalga and Patrick Zentz among others, from the private, non-profit Churchill Art Council's regional art collection.

Having navigated the 'Great Divide' between Southern and Northern Nevada, we arrived in Reno just as the sun was setting over the snow-capped mountains and the famous neon lights were blinking on.  We headed straight to Reno Art Works based in the industrial Dickerson Road area that has become a hub for creative enterprises. Founded by Aric Shapiro and Pan Pantoja -- two artists sharing a strong social conscience -- Reno Art Works hosts regular exhibitions, open studios and multi-disciplinary events. After a tour of the venue, we were back the next day to set up for the Reno version of The Traveling Miracle Show. By the time the sun was again setting, Mayra Padilla and I were positioned in the entrance way, as a pair of contemplative human cacti. Behind us, Matthew Couper's painting monkey worked on an animated version of Albrecht Dürer's Melancholia, and Artist Michael Barrett, in minimalist athletic attire, labored to deliver A Truckload of Paradise one shovel-load at a time. His growing trail of sand tracked past Nathan Coté's images of plants miraculously grown from vacuumed dust and Jenessa Kenway's endlessly flowing High Life video installation. Later, 'Ginger Healer' Jevijoe Vitug concocted a restorative, magical brew to share with audience participants.
The short video The Traveling Miracle Show @ Reno Art Works gives a little taste of the event.

The Traveling Miracle Show @ Momas N Dadas

There was a great response to The Traveling Miracle Show at Momas N Dadas New Genres Project House in the Las Vegas Arts District. The First Friday festival brought in an audience who enjoyed the installations, unicorn rides and a Sin Eating feast. Seen here is Nathan Coté's, 'Self Watering Suspended Lawn' and Brent Holmes' 'Sin Eater' also featuring Yasmina Chavez and Ashanti McGee. DJ Cyril Noir and burlesque performer Ella Mental rounded off the evening in style. For further coverage, see the article and footage by Sonya Padgett and Chase Stevens of the Las Vegas Review Journal.

Greetings from Silverado Belle – ‘The Bandit Queen Curator’ from the wild western town of Las Vegas, Nevada….

-->

I am honored to be invited to guest host this long-running Arts Journal, established in 2005 by my artist friend and partner-in-crime Jo Russ. My focus as a curator is on artists, exhibitions and events shaped by the local culture. SB

From the heart of a miraculous metropolis in the desert…

For my first post, I would like to introduce a one-night art installation and performance event ‘The Traveling Miracle Show’ which I have assisted with in a curatorial role. It opens 6pm this First Friday April 5^th at the new Momas and Dadas New Genres Project House, in the heart of the Las Vegas Arts District. In the tradition of the historic traveling medicine shows, the audience is promised ‘Astonishing Spectacles’ and ‘Miraculous Events’, including a mystical beast, human cacti, an infinite fountain of alcohol, and a cure for melancholia.

            I have enjoyed working with these seven exciting Las Vegas-based artists to develop this touring show which been awarded funding from the Nevada Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts. Participating in the show are Artist Michael Barrett, Nathan Coté, Matthew Couper, Brent Holmes, Jenessa Kenway, JK Russ and Jevijoe Vitug. These artists have established reputations in the fields of video, performance and installation. Couper, Holmes, Russ and Vitug participated in the 2012 ‘London Biennale in Nevada’ performance event, proclaimed “an avant-garde success” by Las Vegas City Life. Barrett and Kenway were featured in the 2012 ;Off the Strip New Genres Festival’ at the Las Vegas Contemporary Arts Center. Coté has just concluded his MFA Thesis show  ‘If you can understand this, I’m sorry. The mystery is lost to you.’

            Details for the Las Vegas event are below, and the artists will then take The Traveling Miracle Show on the road to Reno Art Works for the night of Friday April 19^th.

First Friday April 5^th 6:00 – 11:00 PM

Performance Schedule:

6:00 PM onwards ‘Sin Eater’ performance

7:00 – 8:00 PM ‘Desert Bloom’ performance

8:00 – 9:00 PM ‘Unicorn’ performance

Free entry.

Momas and Dadas New Genres Project House, 926b South Casino Center Blvd, Las Vegas, NV89101

momasanddadas.wordpress.com

Night Sky at the USA Lounge

Los Angeles-based artist Alison O'Daniel brought her touring film 'Night Sky' to the iconic USA Lounge, in conjunction with Pop Up Art House, Henderson. The screening began with live sign by Lisa Reynolds and the theme of hearing and communication continued throughout the film. For me, the star of the film was the white boxer 'Deafinite' - a ghostly shape running through the desert. Beautifully filmed, 'Night Sky' delivered leisurely, but compelling, viewing.
O'Daniel, Reynolds and Deafinite were then heading to The Guild Cinema in Albuquerque, and eventually to the Cleveland and Detroit art museums.
The USA Lounge's vintage-style popcorn maker was popular with the younger members of the audience, and musician Zach Ryan played a great farewell set for Las Vegas, before heading out to Nashville, TN.

Off the Strip 2012 ... the event ...

-->

In the Shadow of the Strip

"The Contemporary Arts Center’s Off the Strip New Genres Festival exists in the shadow of the Las Vegas Strip’s seductive glamour and addictive charms.

The city of Las Vegas is a nucleus of entertainment, risk and romance. It is known for its wedding chapels and since 1911, it’s liberal divorce laws - in other words, the full spectrum of relationships.

Beyond the Strip, Las Vegas is a vast, sprawling city, which most tourists visiting Las Vegas have little concept of. And beyond the city itself, is the Mojave Desert – a vast, inhospitable expanse that many city dwellers never visit.

Nevada in many ways is still the Wild West. It can be a tough place to survive in, let alone thrive in, but the city permits the possibility of fun along the way.

The artists in the Off the Strip festival, whether local, national, or international; have all created works that reflect the glamor, the grunge, the struggles and intricate relationships that are the foundation of Las Vegas and its burgeoning art scene."

- from my Introduction to Off the Strip 2012.

Co-ordinating an entire festival program has been an interesting - and sometimes challenging - experience, but I couldn't have done it without the skills of Demecina Gray, Contemporary Arts Center Gallery Assistant, and the great crew of dedicated volunteers. And most importantly, all the participating performers and video artists who made this such a memorable event.
At the festival opening party on Friday night at Emergency Arts. Multiplexer launched the Intercept 5:7 video program and 5th Wall Gallery featured Jevijoe Vitug's now-titled installation, along with the Nuclear Weapons Testing Legacy: A Tale of Two Cultures project.
And shown here at the weekend events at the CAC are performing artists Miguel Rodriguez, Artist Michael Barrett, Lou Lou Roxy, Amanda Haymond, Aaron Nemec, visiting Polish film maker Slawomir J. Milewski, and Justin Favela at the satellite venue The Mini Market.

Off the Strip New Genres Festival 2012 - this coming weekend...

I've been posting a little less often recently as I've been working to bring together the video and performance events for the Off the Strip New Genres Festival 2012. The main program takes place at the Contemporary Arts Center on Sept 1 and 2, with satellite events at Multiplexer and 5th Wall Gallery in Emergency Arts and The Mini-Market in North Las Vegas.
Performing artists featured are Artist Michael Barrett, Justin Favela, Amanda Haymond, Aaron Nemec, Daniel Oshima, Miguel Rodriguez and Lou Lou Roxy.
Video artists include Candy Warpop with director Ryen McPherson, Austin Dickson, Julia Holden, Jenessa Kenway, Kid Meets Cougar with directors Mike and Jerry Thompson, Slawomir J Milewski and Ronnie van Hout.
The festival will provide opportunities for Q&A with participating artists including attending UK-based experimental film maker Slawomir J. Milewski and artist/musician Aaron Nemec from Indiana.

Image above from The Ecstasy of St Agnes by Slawomir J. Milewski.

Red Kross play Double Down Saloon

Supported by Seattle band Night Beats (top left), Red Kross played the Double Down Saloon aka 'a clubhouse for the lunatic fringe' (as stated on the venue website). The venue has real character, and although it's not that far from the Strip geographically, it wouldn't show up on any of the mainstream tourist maps.
The crowd was fortified by event sponsors Sailor Jerry, but was still fairly restrained as Vegas crowds often are. Red Kross, however put on a high energy performance, and showed that after 34 years playing their own unique brand of punk rock n' roll, they're not planning on slowing down anytime soon.

JJAMZ at the Hardrock Cafe

LA band JJAMZ playing at the Hardrock Cafe on the Strip as part of their recent tour. Each band member already had an established career when they first joined forces: Jason Boesel (Rilo Kiley), James Valentine (Maroon 5) Alex Greenwald (Phantom Planet), solo artist Michael Runion and Berg (The Like) and formed JJAMZ, named after their first initials. They've been described as 'the West Coast Blondie' and are building a strong following ... and just last night they performed live on late night tv show Jimmy Kimmel.

Tears for Fears

Tears for Fears play Las Vegas on a Hot August Night. The stage was outdoors at Sunset Station with conditions that Roland Orzabal described as being 'sauna-like' under the bright lights. I for one, though, enjoyed the springy green grass underfoot, and the spectacular lighting was a great backdrop for the sumptuous synthetic pop of the 80's legends.
Opening for the band was British-born singer Carina Round, who also provided back-up vocals.

London Biennale in Nevada - the event

It was a pretty full-on night so I only got a few photos from the Rainbow performance event - but more can be seen on London Biennale in Nevada's facebook page. The venue was Pop Up Art House and the USA Lounge and environs in Henderson.
Seen here is Matthew Couper performing Polemical Alchemy watched by roving performers from Eri King's Orange Assembly. Jesalyn Lethal poses by the trailer home in Desert City Bird Life, my collaborative piece with MzMina Kahn. And below is Jevijoe Vitug performing Survival #2 and Noelle Garcia's Chuck Moccs Workshop.
Documentary film coming soon - will keep you posted...

London Biennale in Las Vegas... tomorrow night...

I'm honored to be involved in this international event. There is a great line-up of artists in Rainbow, the Nevada satellite performance event. It runs from 7-9pm tomorrow night (21 Sept) at Pop Up Art House. More information can be found on the website, along with a location map. Entry is free.
For those of you not in Las Vegas, we also have a great film crew who will be documenting the event for the online archive and upcoming show in September at the Contemporary Arts Center.