Post-Industrial Misery and Gloom

One music critic used these words to describe Radiohead´s music:

Post-Industrial Misery and Gloom;

and to this I would just add:

Goodbye Capitalism, Welcome Monopolistic Technocracy & Kleptocracy

to describe the age that we are living in. Democracy without Socialism is just capitalist imperialism, communism as it has been established in examples leads to tyranny. And don’t think that the age of Colonialism is over. Just think what country your country is sharing table and bed with.

As I have been exposed last month to social networks again all I can say is that marketing promotes stupidity and stupidity is universal. I have seen “amazing” videos of how to properly cut cucumber, change trash bag in trash bin, couples devoted to their cats and dogs and their selfish desire to burn everything to the ground in their name, celebrities (with no expertise in anything) arguing vaccination with immunologists, cheered by a horde of social network addicted junkie-monkeys, people using Google Search to support their argument in the field they have no clue about and worst of all, parent(ing) zealots promoting and worshiping online schooling because finally they can relive and finish their primary and secondary school with the best mark. On top of that various racist and nationalist rants by upper middle class bigots, old school “professors” and “doctors” and worst of all various world leaders: Pig Vomit in the White House, One China Poo Bear from 3,705,407 mi² Woods, many other recognized tyrants, killers, mass murderers …and Viktor Orban. I have to put a short note for him here:

Dear Viktor,
Only people who are missing Kingdom of Hungary are now over 100 years old Hungarians, and they are missing more: their bones, teeth, liver, functional prostate, libido, mind and will to live, while the rest of us here are admiring the shape of your skull.

So yeah, all I can say is I don´t want to be a part of that game. Even if that means cutting ties with friends or less exposure or promotion of my artwork, I can live with that. As Martin Gore nicely put it into words, “Welcome to my world, step right through the door. Leave your tranquilizers at home, you don’t need them anymore.” So allow me to introduce to you something I´ve been baking in my atelier last month. Two new dioramas accompanied with their respective (sketches) paintings they are based on. Both paintings are named after Radiohead´s songs from The King of Limbs album and dioramas are named after remixes of those songs from TKOL RMX 1234567 album. There is a dance in those albums.

So here there are.

4 New Artworks

I decided to move forward with my Krletke series to see what sizes are good for dioramas built my way. I am thinking to start with the city birds. From our new apartment I have a nice view of the top of the tree in front of our building. Plenty of city birds pay us a visit every day. So I am considering now to start a series with presentation of different “city” birds’ species. And I started with my favorites – magpies.

What I did differently from the first two dioramas is that I have made a sketch – a painting for it in first place. I am accustomed to making sketch directly on canvas and then to paint over it so it felt really weird when I placed a paper and water colors in front of me. Boy, I had a laugh. I took two sheets of canvas, gesso, 5 mm paperboard and made myself a sketch board. Did all the drawing and painting over it, then framed it over basic stretching frame and then framed it with black floater frame. Damn I´m good.

As for the second diorama, since it was twice as large, I went outside of Krletke and I did Benkei and Ushiwakamaru on Gojo Bridge scene. During the process I became more confident that this is a borderline size for diorama done in my way, so I will most likely avoid this size or just use it for custom orders. Unfortunately I haven’t been able to identify omocha-e for diorama presented at Tatebanko website and I want to thank all my friends (+ Alec W. from UKIYO-E Q & A web board) who took their time to help me identify the scene.

The texts for dioramas and their sketch-paintings are the same. The photos are not.

Since all 4 artworks are rather small in size compared to my “regular” sized paintings I have made myself a stamp. I hope it reflects my current state of art.

Small Exhibition at Atelier

I had a friend visiting me at my atelier and I have set a Small Exhibition at Atelier for him. And then I decided that I should make a short break from painting. I realized that I was rather tired and drained and instead of forcing myself to start working on 3 new canvases, I should play Dragon Quest Builders instead with my kids cheering me from the couch and that was what I was doing last week, and updating my website, cooking, chilling, watching cartoons with kids and TV shows and movies with my wife. Exhibition has been set up from 08. 06. 2020. ´till 15. 06. 2020. Now, my atelier is open for individual visits, just contact me a day in advance so we can arrange the time. If you wish, I can check your temperature at the door. Joku.

Attack on World Museums in awe of Black Lives Matter Movement

Racism is evident in the States as soon as you step on American soil. You can feel it in the air; it is so thick you can cut it like cheese. White arrogance I felt in my “broken English” remarks from the people who hardly have finished highs school. Although the protests in the States look scary they are very much needed. I admire people ready to “take it to the street” and try to improve or make a change. I love that in French society and other countries people are ready to go out and protest. Unfortunately in my country people like to stay home and complain over a cup of coffee how their life is hard compared to someone else’s, or brag how it is better.

Now, everyone wants to jump on Black Lives Meter Movement train and promote their own agenda through it. And one thing that I don´t like to see is this idea that world museums like MET, MFA Boston, the British Museum are promoting imperialism, colonialism etc. Every good museum does 4 things for culture and arts: promote, present, preserve and protects. I am not denying that some of the artifacts are there because of colonialism and they have been stolen or acquired in illegal way, but don´t forget they have been preserved, categorized, made public and promoted (and digitalized). They have been promoting other cultures and having an impact on promoting global multiculturalism.

Many of those objects come from private collections. Rich folks like to have their name preserved so they give gifts to Museums. If those artifacts are illegally acquired then their name should be erased from the legend of that artifact. If the country of origin has stable government and economy and there is the Rule of Law, museums should exchange their own national artifacts or works of art with the museums in the country of origin of stolen artifacts. I say exchange and not return stolen, because in this way you are enriching both museums and both countries and promoting multiculturalism, but only if there is the Rule of Law. I live in the country where there is no Rule of Law and where kleptocracy has been firmly established. Those people don´t care about culture or arts, our museums are falling apart and they would sell our countries’ cultural treasure with no shame whatsoever or, as they are doing right now, they are letting it decay or they are deliberately letting it be destroyed. So consider do you really want to “return” cultural artifacts or works of arts to countries that have questionable government and low economy, so they could be destroyed, or resold again, or put in private treasury of ruling tyrant. Art and culture should be globally accessible (well documented digital version) and most of all – promoted, presented, preserved and protected; and to have all this you need stable economy and the Rule of Law.

Japanese Guitar in my Son´s Hands

My son received a Maya (Rokkoman) Stratocaster Jr electric guitar as a gift from my best man. It needed a little bit of tidying up. Our family friend and a father of Isak´s best friend does repair and restoration of electric guitars as a hobby. So when I brought him a guitar to check it out and see what needs to be fixed, he told me: “Hey that is a Japanese guitar”. To my surprise he then told me how Maya (sometimes El Maya) were cheaper rip-offs of Fender guitars built in Japan and they were quite available in Yugoslavia. As the story goes Maya disappeared as a brand after Kobe Earthquake in 1995 and it is assumed that they continued to produce guitars but as official franchise. There is a fandom of Maya brand in Europe in guitarists’ circles, since this guitar is usually first el. guitar they could afford or have received as a gift. Please check out a video of Isak´s repaired guitar and if you like el. guitars check Damir´s youtube channel, plenty of interesting guitars there.

For the end I hope you are all good and healthy,
I hope you are happy, and that you have someone to be happy with.

As for me, I am off to paint 3 new canvases before summer vacation,
and fight against infestation of small hydros popping up as pimples on beautiful rivers of Bosnia and the Balkans.

Peace, Love
Udon & Sake
muha