First door of the 2009-2010 Season - Quay Branly - after the a newer folk-art museum in Paris (rive gauche - xxème?)
This and the following 3 were composed, assembled and polished at the same time upon the artists' return from Paris / St-Germain, where he and his wife spend 5 weeks every year 'replenishing' the proverbial well.
The bottom two panels of the door. Butterflies, dolls limbs anxious to answer the teacher's question ("me me, oh golly gee sir, won't ya pick me!").
Original B&W photo taken by artist in the 60s. Mother of pearl butterfly isn't real - or was never, how shall I put this, 'animated'...
Bottom right pannel, doll heads impaled by wooden handles from dutch sewing tools. Bandanas.
Left Left, African amulet made from African statuette -- used in a western context to avoid african.... luck.
Right left, left right. doll head mounted on a cake icing syringe used for fine pastries -- gives new means to 5 minutes of pleasure 5 years on the hips.
A better view of the first door of 2009-10 season in its entirety of panels.
Up right panel, a beetle-juice resembling slithery snake composed of African ebony statuette head, on vertebrae of some poor mamal -- tail is a gazelle horn.
Center piece --- as glam as they come --- buttons on paper, so arranged.
Door #2 of the 2009-10 season -- "Birth"
Et tantôt Brancusi, tantôt plutôt Cornell (how is cornell THAT famous? it's not like his art is sooo innovative...)
Pastry utensils.
This is as close as I've ever seen one of these famous 'honey combs' come to being put to good use.
You remember the wooden honey spatulas they would use in cereal ads (honey nut cherios) to make the cereal look like it was just fresh baked in a farm in nebraska? or Arkansas? Well this is what those utensils are really only good for.
Cat skull on paper in an interior domino frame. Exterior frame of upper left egg shaped stone, old printer stamps (the dark wood) and what appears to be (on the bottom right) a piece of a stone or clay pipe I brought back from india.
Below, little wooden sculpture emerging from behind turtle shell curtains, adorned with luxurious seagull feathers. The extravagance!
Iroquois or Sioux head piece on doll head with a wind instrument reed protector as adornment, below. Wood scepter type "stick" is perhaps from a wind instrument --- most certainly from a tree.
It is exposed on an official looking, close to a century old, document. Also, most probably originating from a tree.
One last "vue d'ensemble".
THIRD DOOR of 2009-10 season --- "Orpheo Negro" last door to be presented for this season until new material is collected for next Fall-Winter collection.
(Funny thing about the Courier font, it was created for IBM in the early 20th century for typewriters. Conservative, orderly and equaly spaced for each character, it is a rare font that cannot be "bolded".
This artist (Franklin Amzallag) worked some 27 years for that same company and was almost as revered as famous within the company culture for his 'bold', no nonsense personality and "get the fucking deal closed" salesmanship. He was nick-named "Dr. Death". Go figure.)
Back to Ariel, for a description of the 3rd of 6 doors - and last to be presented - of the Fall-Winter 2009-10 collection. (For a description of doors 4 through 6, please refer to my previous blog post)
So in dedication and loving memory of IBM's changing corporate culture (a company that allowed our entire family to live quite well), and in the spirit of these hard times of doom and gloom, I'd like to name this following door "The Scepter of Dr. Death".
BEHOLD! The wonderous sceptre of Dr. Death!
"For he who wields this wonderful instrument has the greatest power known to man ---''
More seagull head mounted on a clarinet neck, vertebrae interspersed with wood, with a hardened sharp bone at the base.
We've all heard of children of the corn -- this panel to the right features their toys. Butterfly's, doll limbs (YES!), a cow's femur and osso bucco... not sure what rests on their noggins though.
Upper panel, bones, crab shell, domino, keys, tooth, in the molds of what you now know to be for making "Madelaines" (small seashell shaped French 'brioche' cakes).
Right Pannel, African statuette on a door's ornate key area - ebony and brass. Next to it, a war decoration from my great-grandfather Raymond Dieumegarde with a little lead minnow shaped weight for fishing, as well as a non-descript round object --- all on a piece of medium brown wood. Thermometer. Old rusty box of mints below ornate african statue frame.
Around; other stuff...
I believe this one to be quite self-explanatory.
Perhaps this is the mask of Dr. Doom - the tribal witch doctor. African mask, native american blanket. crab legs, porcupine quills sticking out of a same cone shaped pipe from India.
Bottom right, brass instrument valve.
Sceptre #2, teeth, small shell, ebony wood, piece of terra cotta cloth from pillow from Artist's childhood casablanca.
Bottom left pannel (just above) bird made from --- wait for it --- sculpture of bird. (*aside -- "Really!?! ... Franklin -- really!%? .... You're not even trying anymore are you? How to f*** do you want me to sell this shit!!") ... Just kidding...
But seriously folks, it's an ivory bird sculpture assembled as a bird with bone head, animal claw -- oh and wait I love this part -- -a feather!! ... How un-birdly...
Here it is again below:
I think it's wearing a seashell as a hat - or helmet.
A helmet -- as they say in motorcycle rider parlance -- of the "brain-bucket" variety.
Dernière vue d'ensemble:
LET ME KNOW if you're interested - and I'll LET YOU KNOW when we finally organize a vernissage!
Happy new year 2010!
Zack Amzallag | Manager
J'Adoor! -- The Art of Franklin Amzallag
Portes Épiques - L'Art de Franklin Amzallag
http://www.portesepiques.com
(514) 690-9605
portesepiques@gmail.com
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