THE DUSTWARD (PHOTO EPICENTER)

THE DUSTWARD
Opening January 10th 2008
At San Francisco’s
Hamburger Eyes Photo Epicenter

Featuring:
Timothy Walkiewicz, Dan Murphy, Stefan Simikich, Jesse Geller, Kunle Martins, Tim Badalucco, Emily Riedman-Walkiewicz, Rebekah Maysles, Sergei Trudnowski and Mark Cross

Video Flyer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axDQBQq_fqw
Print Flyer:
http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t292/duffedout/dustwardflyerjesse.jpg
Work Poster:
http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t292/duffedout/dustwardwallpaper4.jpg

Artwork showcased will include paintings, signage, black and white and color photographic prints, mounted digital illustration, collage, screen-printing, vinyl work, projected video, t-shirts, posters, and zines. The artists will also collaborate on a site-specific group installation.

What is the Dustward:

The Dustward is a collective of notable artists emerging from the underground of art, publishing, graffiti, photography, bicycle messenger culture, skateboarding, design and urban music scenes.

From the early 90’s individual Dustward members have interacted with each other on a variety of levels to the present day where they all have indivually risen to prominence in their chosen disciplines.

In 2007 the artists solidified their social and artistic network forming The Dustward uniting artists from Philadelphia, New York City, Los Angeles and San Francisco.

As a collective unit the artists work to display their unified vision; a bleak, outside look at the last outposts of a crumbling society refracted and rebuilt into an overwhelming, all-consuming, multi-layered visual, audio, lifestyle collage.

The Dustward looks into itself to see any kind of future; it prides itself on its adaptation and utilization of tools and vehicles, prospers from adversity, and moves in positive forward motion into a millennium not yet formed.

Who is the Dustward:
Board Members:
Timothy Walkiewicz
(aka Tim Artz aka Casual Stroll aka Napolean Grill aka Tim IzOut aka Half Lock aka ARTZ)
Timothy Walkiewicz is an artist who lives and works in lower Manhattan. His recent work revolves around appropriation and the reconstruction of meaning involving found video, visual and audio collage, as well as his work with painting, drawing, cartooning, phonecards, bathrooms and signage. Sometimes he does tags and produces a small zine called Duffed Out. Tim has designed logos and cartoon mascots for graffiti/street brands Krink, and IRAKNY as well as the SNIFA series of flyers in early 2007 for the late aNYthing’s 205 club.
He is one half of international superstars BumRush. He has exhibited work in Philadelphia, NYC and Miami.

Dan Murphy
(dance murphy, aka skater dude aka white bough, aka G-ginger aka switchie cunningham, aka bhakta blunt, aka dynamic daniel)
Lifelong Philadelphia cultural icon and artist Dan Murphy has been steadily amassing a distinct, expansive visual identity for the past 10 years. He has published Stuck on the Map as zine and a book since 2000 and is the co-publisher of internationally recognized Megawords Magazine. Dan recently, along with Tony Smyrski, published Public Wall Writing in Philadelphia. Dan grew up in the same neighborhood as Jesse Geller. He did graffiti in the 90's and has lately been trying to make up for the spots he missed since he "quit". Dan enjoys traveling, Kathryn, Germantown, health food, and has recently become a novice farmer. He has exhibited in Philadelphia , NYC and Miami.

Stefan Simikich
San Francisco photographer and artist Stefan Simikich is known widely for his stark, black and white photography and his co-founding of SF based HamburgerEyes Photo Periodical and Art Empire. As a member of the Dustward his work with collage, drawing and media manipulation has become essential in setting a standard in the group aesthetic. Stefan was born at a very young age. He spends his days climbing scaffolding and fixing broken shit, by night he may be found wandering the streets of SF shooting fotos and kicking it with his squad outside somewhere. He has exhibited in many places.

Jesse Geller
(aka nemel aka d.gene aka geffrey nelson aka dj narombo aka jess.t.d aka gellerstein aka gellerburg aka j.gels aka ruben aka icy prez)
Philadelphia Born Lifestyle Artist Jesse Geller resides in San Francisco where he creates signs, paintings and takes photographs. He is the founding and only original member of international superstars BumRush, still performing with the group. Jesse also likes doggies and avocado sushi. He lived in SF General Hospital for three months after being attacked with an axe and falling off a roof. He gets epic and loves his mom. Jesse owns an original DeMartini bag. He likes to do art shows and has had his exhibited in Philadelphia, NYC, San Francisco, Miami and Los Angeles.

Who is the Dustward:
Contributing Artists and Dignitaries

Tim Badalucco
(aka Gkae aka Germantown vampirer aka Mr Weasel aka Gremlins Gang aka Gary Knight, aka Gents aka Gank aka Chevy aka Eleven aka The vampire vampire, California Inmate Number P48xxxxx)
Tim Badalucco was made a martyr by the LA county Penal System in the mid to late 1990’s serving jailtime for his supposed crimes as epic graffiti writer Gkae MSK. In the years following his incarceration he continued making a mark on the country by living in a number of US cities, he paused in New York City for a number of years and finally settled in the Germantown Region of Philadelphia in 2005. He has exhibited work in LA, NYC, SF and Philadelphia as well as most other American cities.

Kunle Martins
(Ace Boon, aka Kool-Aid aka Faggot Nigger Asshole aka El Prez, aka CanKoon aka Fola aka Earsnot aka Shnoty, aka hey you.)
Ultra-New Yorker artist Kunle Martins has gained notoriety and fame as much for his work as graffiti and shoplifting legend Earsnot IRAK as for his revolutionary IRAKNY clothing label. His section of the graffiti documentary “Infamy” has become a cult classic amongst graffiti writers, normals, and jocks of all generations. He works in a variety of mediums from enamel on metal, and silkscreened t-shirts to digital illustration and media manipulation and video. He has exhibited in NYC, LA and London.

Emily Riedman-Walkiewicz
Lifelong New York resident and artist Emily Riedman-Walkiewicz has been an art educator in Manhattan, Brooklyn and the Bronx for the New York City Public School System and Parsons School of Design for the last 6 years . She teaches her students the value of new art and media with inspirational, hands on demonstrations of technique and style. Her personal work highlights the underside of the suburban and rural areas surrounding New York City using a variety of mediums including painting, printmaking and digital manipulation to create her nostalgic, foreboding imagery. She lives in Lower Manhattan and enjoys spending time with her dog Jackie, talking, and looking at sea otters on the internet. Emily has exhibited in New York City many times.

Rebekah Maysles
Rebekah Maysles (with a s) is an artist who was born and raised in Manhattan. She spent a formative ten years of her life living in Philadelphia where she met Dan Murphy and became a contributor to Megawords Magazine. Rebekah, in collaboration with her sister Sara, and Dan are creating illustrations for a book focusing on the lives of the Beales of the influential 1975 documentary film Grey Gardens. Her interests include beautiful women, broken baby strollers, overloaded shopping carts and things that try not to fall apart. Rebekah’s artwork is as much documentation and demonstration of lifestyle as it is craft and design. She takes photographs, records sound, paints, and works with printmaking. She is also a tie-dyer and glass-blower. She produces the publication Ha Bie Bie. She currently lives in Harlem and is the proud parent of a black cat named Danger. She has exhibited her work in NYC, Philadelphia and North Carolina.

Sergei Trudnowksi
(aka sima aka cannonball aka cb)
Sergei Trudnowski is an artist, photographer and pioneering street skateboarder who lives and
works in Philadelphia, PA. He retired from his years of pro street skating in 1999 after years of touring and representing for Love Park and the Philadelphia skateboard and hardcore scenes. In 2000 he began his graffiti career as SIMA, a key component in the early 2000’s NYC downtown graffiti scene. In this era he played a key role in the introduction of many Dustward members. He is a father and still skates the streets and parks of Philly today. Serge shows a variety of photographs and artwork documenting his and his friends involvement in all aspects of his life from the late 80’s to the present time.

Mark Cross
(aka mark mark mark aka cake)
Mark Cross is a San Francisco artist who produces his zine Mudd Gutts and other artwork.

DUSTWARD GUIDE

Previous Dustward Exhibitions
Destroy and Destroy Oct 2005, KCDC Brooklyn NY
Welcome to the Dustward April 2007, Max Fish NYC
Steve Powers Signarama December 2007 Basel, Miami, FL

Related Inter-Web Addresses:
The Dustward: http://thedustward.com/
Hamburger Eyes: http://www.hamburgereyes.com/
Megawords: http://www.megawordsmagazine.com/
Duffed Out: http://duffedout.wordpress.com/
http://myspace.com/duffedoutzine
Stuck on the Map: http://www.stuckonthemap.com/
IRAK: http://irakny.com/
Stefan Simikich: http://www.hereyouarenow.com/
Emily Riedman-Walkiewicz: http://emilyriedman.com/02.php
MuddGuts: http://www.muddguts.com/
Free News: http://www.freenewsprojects.com/
Smyrski Creative: http://www.smyrskicreative.com/

BUMRUSH:
Jesse Geller formed BumRush in Philadelphia in 2005. After numerous lineup changes and firings the group was solidified at Coney Island in the summer of 2006 culminating in an acclaimed 3 hour long barrage of insults leveled at most participants and observers of the Paper Magazine Deitch Art Parade. The group continued to gain media attention throughout 2007. : “…graffiti artists Tim Artz and Jesse Geller, who are members of the avante-gard band Bum Rush, were a tag team of hooliganism, with Mr. Artz swirling a a 76er’s hype towel over his head while Mr. Geller pulled down his pants to flash the traffic along East Houston.” -New York Observer August 2007. The groups long anticipated album is currently in production.
BUMRUSH Messenger music video: http://youtube.com/watch?v=Oo7mbjHp_SE

Additional Dustward Related Media:
Megawords Radio Megawords Radio broadcasts online each week between 8 - 10 pm EST, featuring DJ’s Dan Murphy and Nag Champa megasound dub collage:
http://www.megawordsmagazine.com/radio.php

Public Wall Writing in Philadelphia: “Their expression and declaration of self, or declaration of existence, is what is important. We are in a time now, with our personal freedoms at stake in many ways, where we are constantly overwhelmed by advertising and messages that our not our own. It may have never been more important to remember to ask those questions, and make as much noise of your own as possible.”-Tony Smyrski , co-editor PWWIP., on public wall writing. http://www.smyrskicreative.com/wallwriting/

Landlords Cycling Club: Dustward members are featured in Cheryl Dunn’s short film and book Bicycle Gangs of New York . “The Landlords, never reveal their identities. All biz, just track bikes and rusto...” http://cheryldunn.net/films/bicylcle_gangs.html

Messageboard Transcript #2 Jesse and Tim do Talk Radio and read transcripts from an internet messageboard, Sound by Dan: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bdZgsQy95eM

Dustward Affiliations:

IRAK: Kunle Martins is the president of New York City’s IRAK graffiti crew. Many Dustward members are also members of IRAK.
MSK: Tim Badalucco has been a key representer of LA based, global graffiti leaders MSK since the early 90’s.
ICY: Jesse Geller is the current president of Inner City Youth a graffiti crew founded by
Suroc in the early 1980’s in West Philadelphia. Members have included Nope and Espo among many other icons of Philadelphia Graffiti.

Mark Surface International: Many members of the Dustward have either contributed to Steve Powers’ Mark Surface International as subjects of his artwork, or have worked behind the scenes in production of Powers’ artwork.

Selected Outsider Representation:
Fun Vampires Tim Walkiewicz/Duffed Out/Dustward Interview: http://funvampires.com/2007/04/02/fun-vampires-meets-duffed-out
Fun Vampires, Max Fish Photos: http://funvampires.com/2007/04/02/fun-vampires-meets-duffed-out
Razor Apple, Max Fish Photos: http://razorapple.com/2007/04/06/duffed-out-welcomes-you-to-dustward/
Colophon, Megawords feature: http://www.colophon2007.com/archive/?mag_id=209
Fecal Face, Max Fish Calendar: http://www.fecalface.com/calendar/NYC/calendar.php?mode=view&id=525
Mass Appeal,Tim Artz Bathroom Show: http://massappealmag.com/2007/08/13/tim-artz-is-all-duffed-out-and-shit

The Dustward encourages a vegan lifestyle and advocates the healthy usage of coffee and marijuana.

January 10, 2008

THE DUSTWARD