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I know it's been a while since my last update, but things have been happening. I am working on a couple of really interesting and quite disturbing projects right now -- one related to capital punishment and another to crystal methamphetamine -- but will stick to recapping things already complete for now, and will update as these flesh out. If any of you happen to be in Washington DC over the next two months, Visual Politics: The Art of Engagement is an exhibition at American University Museum worth seeing. And certainly not simply because I am in it. Based on the book of the same name by art historian Peter Selz, and curated by Jack Rasmussen, the caliber of political artists in this show is remarkable, and to say that I am honored to grace the same walls is a gross understatement. Two of my works will be on display and thanks to the collectors of those pieces who loaned them to the American University Museum. Mikki and Stanley Weithorn loaned Condoleezza Antoinette and Tim Campbell loaned Like Apple Fucking Pie. Both the Weithorns and Tim have formidable collections in their own right and I am grateful to them for making these pieces available, as well as, of course, Toomey Tourell Gallery in San Francisco and Axis Gallery in New York. |
| Annoy.com Editorials Depends What 'Is' Isn't Once upon a time, we impeached a President because he lied about a private affair with a consenting adult. This President has sent men and women to die under false pretenses, leaked classified information for political purposes, and authorized illegal eavesdropping on Americans in flagrant violation of the constitution. That not a single senator, save Senator Russ Feingold, has the moral certitude or political courage of their convictions to so much as formally reprimand him, speaks volumes about American leadership. In his famous parsing of all parsing, President Clinton famously declared before a grand jury: "It depends on what the meaning of the word 'is' is." The liars, leakers, cheats and hypocrites that reflect the media, congress, and this Administration has reached a point where nothing is meant by what is said, and no one means anything they say. >>Depends What 'Is' Isn't: Full Editorial |
| Annoy.com Covers Presidential Leak Last week, papers filed by Patrick Fitzgerald , the Special prosecutor in the Scooter Libby investigation, revealed that the President himself had authorized selective leaks to the press to refute Joe Wilson's claims that the Administration's WMD rationale for going to war -- buttressed by Saddam Hussein's pursuit of yellowcake from Niger in order to enrich uranium -- was dubious at best. Only, the leak was re-termed a declassification. And a formal declassification only took place ten days after the authorization. According to Fitzgerald's April 5, 2006 filing, Libby has also testified that in July 2003, that then-Counsel to the Vice President, David Addington "opined that Presidential authorization to publicly disclose a document amount to a declassification of the document." >>Presidential Leak: Full Image |
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Demented Demon The wife of former North Carolina Senator, Jesse Helms, announced that Helms has dementia and has been placed in a convalescence home. That's like announcing Pamela Anderson has breasts. Nonetheless, the censorious, homophobic looney, who spent more time thinking about gay sex and art than most gay artists deserves a little "send-off". Demented baby, demons haunting Homos, lesbos, flagrant flaunting Artless world with artless art Heartless life with heartless heart Once at the helm of government Now incoherent incontinent Jesse how the tides have turned Your Mapplethorpe has just returned Bone disorder, cancerous prostate Niggers, AIDS, the fruits of your hate Vascular dementia, awfully sad Anal probing, terribly bad Artificial art official, Robbie Conan scream Superficial, prejudicial, Bono, boners, cream Anti-homo, funding no-no, lying in your bed Condition dire, brimstone fire, every black is Fred >>Demented Demon: Full poem and image |
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Mission Accomplished II Three years later, to the day The shock and awe long gone away A quagmire yes, that will not rest That put preemption to the test A failure from the very start No exit strategy, aint that smart? A terror haven on the rise Upon a promise based on lies Flimsy Hummers, tinny tombs Not South Dakota mothers' wombs Military might stretched mighty thin A lose-lose battle none can win A new air strike to kill and maim A civil war, insurgents blame Sectarian violence, big surprise Democracy in deep disguise Neocon negligence run amok Iran's the menace now, fuck Iraq Impossible hand-over, sub-standard training The Coalition of the Waning Three years later, what has changed? Iraqi policy still deranged Mosques in ruin, the Abu Ghraib scandal A mad mistake too hot to handle >>Mission Accomplished II: Details |
| Exhibitions & Happenings Visual Politics: The Art of Engagement On tour from the San Jose Museum of Art (SJMA) in California, this exhibition examines the interconnected history of art and politics since the Cold War with a focus on art from the West Coast, where protest politics and countercultural activities have been particularly pronounced. Free speech, Vietnam, black power, gay rights, Chicano liberation, the environmental movement, poverty, immigration, and nuclear war are among the issues explored and reflected in paintings, sculptures, works on paper, mixed-media pieces, interactive videos, and an outdoor installation of knotted fabric on the museum's facade by Helene Aylon. The exhibition comes with a 300-page book by Berkeley art historian Peter Selz, who lectures on the exhibition May 25. It is organized by Susan Landauer, SJMA's chief curator. Drawn almost entirely from the socially-based contemporary art collection of SJMA, the exhibition premiered in San Jose in November 2005 and appears at the AU Museum for its only East Coast showing. Part 1: Against War and Violence -- Ariel, Robert Arneson, Helene Aylon, David Best, Enrique Chagoya, Binh Danh, Conner Everts, Al Farrow, Rupert Garcia, Wally Hedrick, Frank Lobdell, Erle Loran, Long Nguyen, Irving Norman, Manuel Ocampo, Dinh Q. Le, the team of Tamiko Thiel and Zara Houshmand. Part 2: On Racism, Discrimination and Identity Politics -- the team of Anthony Aziz and Sammy Cucher, Judith Baca, Hung Liu, Lynn Hershman Leeson, Lari Pittman, Tino Rodriguez, Travis Somerville, M. Louise Stanley, Salvador Roberto Torres. Part 3: Toward a Sustainable Earth -- Chester Arnold, John Buck, Edward Burtynsky, Rene de Guzman, Helen and Newton Harrison, Masami Teraoka. Part 4: Contemporary Politics -- Sandow Birk, Hans Burkhardt, Robbie Conal, Clinton Fein, Llyn Foulkes, Bruce Hasson, Evri Kwong, William Wiley. WHERE: American University Museum Katzen Arts Center 4400 Massachusetts Ave NW Washington, DC 20016-8031 WHEN: April 19 - July 30 Opening Reception: April 22, 2006 Time: 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM >>American University Museum |
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Fifth Annual FRESH - A Live Spring Art Auction Contributing artists include: David Hasslinger, Jon Steven Walters, Victor Arimondi, Albert Park, John Graham, Cortez Walker, Michael John Rizzo, Marvin Pitt, Deborah Bell, Kara Maria, Remi Bourquin, Monica Denevan, David Cannon Dashiell, Harry Bowden, Mark Paron, Jerry Frost, Doug Glovaski, Ed Baynard, Pam Dernham, Robin Denevan, Michael Beck & James Nasmyth, Tom Holland, Clinton Fein, Maria Park, Gary Bukovnik, Joel Hoyer, Henry Jackson, Matthew Hudson, Ed Baynard, Aaron Plant, Tina Lauren Vietmeier, Jock Sturges, Livia Stein and Gus Fink. Participating Galleries include: Fraenkel Gallery, Jack Fischer Gallery, Toomey-Tourell Fine Art, Charles Campbell Gallery, Andrea Schwartz Gallery, Michael Martin Gallery, Smith Andersen Editions Stephen Wirtz Gallery, Gregory Lind Gallery, Dolby Chadwick Gallery, and Patricia Sweetow, Robert Koch Gallery, Steven Wolfe Fine Art and Catharine Clark Gallery. WHERE: Clift Hotel 495 Geary Street San Francisco, CA 94102 WHEN: Thursday, April 20, 2006 Registration: 6:00 p.m. Auction: 7:00 p.m. >>Visual Aid >>Academy of Friends |
| First Amendment Project Roundup Ex Gay Unhappiness? Once the ACLU Foundation of Northern California and the national ACLU Foundation's Lesbian & Gay Rights Project agreed to defend Mr. Watt, Exodus International stood more chance of turning Richard Simmons straight than prevailing in their legal battle. Alan Chambers, the president of Exodus International, told the New York Times that the group did not want someone to think that it had endorsed the image. As if. And, he told the Times, "he has no problem with it now that the logo is gone." About the logo my ass. Like any reasonable person is going to think that a bunch of uptight, sex-obsessed, torture-device-waving homophobic quacks would genuinely direct people to www.gay.com. >>Ex Gay Unhappiness?: Full Post |
| Desperately Seeking Anyone Under the Sun
Jim Buckmaster, the chief executive of Craigslist, told the New York Times that imposing liability on the site for its users' postings would ruin it. He's absolutely correct. The brouhaha began after a posting stipulated the following requirements for a roommate situation: "African Americans and Arabians tend to clash with me so that won't work out." The Chicago fair housing group believes that Craigslist should be liable for discrimination under the federal Fair Housing Act. While Craigslist is protected under the CDA, the big question that no one seems to be addressing is whether someone seeking a roommate should be held to the same standards as someone trying to rent out an apartment, such as an owner or landlord. In a personal ad, if I'm seeking a sexual or romantic involvement with someone am I not entitled to specify my preference? At what point does my fucking become equal opportunity? >>Desperately Seeking Anyone: Full Post |
| The Science of Silence By HANNA REGEV The Suppression of Truth and Scientific Rigor Who would have thought that NASA, the crown jewel of governmental agencies, would be disgraced and come under severe attacks because of its scientific endeavors? Since its inception in 1958, NASA logged many scientific and technological feats in air and space. It sent 12 men to the Moon and now it takes images of Saturn and its moons. This noble institution has become the latest victim of a morally corrupt government. Dr. James E. Hansen, the NASA climate scientist who sparked uproar last month by accusing the Bush administration of keeping scientific information from reaching the public, said that officials at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) are also muzzling researchers who study global warming. "It seems more like Nazi Germany or the Soviet Union than the United States," said Hansen. The Bush government policy of silencing researchers and altering scientific inquiry to pacify ideologues from the far right wing of the Republican Party is a disturbing trend and has reached a level not previously seen in this country. Alarmed by the persistent and sustained effort of the administration to grab power, disregard the US Constitution, suppress freedom of expression at all levels has led some sixty scientists, including 20 Nobel laureates and medical experts to release a statement on February 18 that accuses the Bush Administration of deliberately distorting scientific fact "for partisan political ends." >>The Science of Silence: Full Post |
| In the News Time Magazine -- CLINTON FEIN Purveyor of the website annoy.com, complaining about a bill in Congress that would make it a federal crime to "annoy" someone over the Internet. I don't know who makes these selections or why, but I was amused to find myself quoted in Time Magazine along with Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, George Lucas and ACLU's Anthony Romero. They took the quote from an interview I gave to USA Today. I wasn't actually complaining, per se, but simply pointing out how stupid the legislation is. And how unconstitutionally vague. If anything, I was more annoyed that Berlusconi's quote, "I am the Jesus Christ of politics," was so much more edgy and colorful than mine, which face it, is boring beyond belief. >>Time Magazine: Verbatim |
| Previous Email Who's Your Shepherd? Of course I am referring to the Danish cartoon controversy. My decision to publish the Danish cartoons on Annoy.com (along with a visual reinterpretation) was only slightly more difficult than it was to decide to publish the anti-Semitic response from the Arab-European League (AEL), including the infamous image with Ann Frank in bed with Hitler. The AEL are partially correct. Europe is far less accommodating of their homophobic, misogynist, and anti-Semitic expression than it ought to be. As much as I dislike a lot of their expression, couched as it is as an illustration of Europe's double standards, I defend their right to express it. So long as I am not forced to engage in it, or required to adhere to it. >>Who's Your Shepherd? |
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This is a monthly online newsletter by Clinton Fein. You receive it because we're friends, family, know one another, or you have requested to be on this list in order to keep up with what I am up to. If for any reason, you don't want to receive this, please just hit your reply button and enter the word "Unsubscribe" in the subject line, and your name will automatically be removed from the list. Clinton Fein Email:  I try and send out updates about once a month, but am not alway able to be so fastidious. I will respond to all and any emails I get from anyone, so please respond when you can. Feedback is not just welcome, it's encouraged. |