Wallace Berman "Mail Art" to Billy Jahrmarkt (Batman Gallery)

 

A handmade mail art collage announcement made by Berman for an event at Billy Jahrmarkt’s Batman Gallery, which featured Lew Welch and Kirby Doyle reading, as well as a film or performance by Paul Beattie and Bill Spencer. The postcard is illustrated with a pasted down photograph by Wallace Berman, which features Lew Welch peering out from beneath a hole in a dock or floorboards, with the large leatherbooted foot of Kirby Doyle poised above his fingers. The image appears on p. 61 of Wallace Berman: Photographs.

The event which this commemorates was likely the joint reading of Welch and Doyle’s “Din Poem” in 1961, which is mentioned in the chronology in Ring of Bone. The event was likely held on the opening of George Herms’ show that year at the gallery – a reminiscence by George Herms in Foley notes that Beattie showed a film and Doyle and Welch read at his the opening of his exhibition that year [Foley p. 21]

The Batman Gallery had opened in November of the previous year, and though only active for 5 years, was in retrospect on the most important alternative art galleries of the west coast. The walls had been painted matte black by Bruce Conner, who was the first artist to be shown. Jahrmarkt was a close friend of Berman, whose Verifax collages were created on a machine given to Berman by Jahrmarkt. A very early work by Berman with an excellent assocation, linking him with a close associate and the greatest gallery of the time.

Berman, Wallace. Mail Art Announcement for an Exhibit at Batman Gallery.

San Francisco: 1961. Collage, silver gelatin print. ink, and postage stamp on card stock [3 5/8 x 6 1/4″]. Addressed in Wallace Berman’s hand to Billy Jahrmarkt and postmarked in May of 1961.

From Mail Art: Division Leap

Sunday, April 14, 2019

Good things happened this week, but the passing of Gary Stewart put a dark cloud over many people.  Suicide is dumb when young, but when someone my age commits suicide, it becomes a profound gesture that is scary, depressing, and of course, frustrating.  Especially when someone like Gary, who seems to be well-loved by everyone in the record geek community.  For those who don't know, Gary Stewart is very much part of the Rhino Records world.  A visionary fellow, a man of taste, and used his talent to make and distribute fantastic music.  His death disturbs me.  I can sense others feel the same way.  

Today, I went to the Printed Matter Art Book Fair at Geffen MOCA in Little Tokyo.  My well-known secret is that I'm very uncomfortable in large rooms, such as at Geffen MOCA.  I have to keep moving from getting dizzy.  The thing is with museum places; it is very much like a maze, or at the very least a room within a room.  Different size cubicles and I feel like I'm being sucked into a void. There is a fear that I will not make it out.  Alternatively, being trapped.  I never look up to the ceiling, because I feel my knees are buckling, and about to fail me.  

On the other hand, it's a terrific book fair.  I didn't buy anything because I felt everything was too good.  The energy in the rooms was ten maximum, and in actuality, I went twice to the festival. Gagosian Gallery had a room set up for artist Spencer Sweeney.  He was making music directly into a 7-inch single using a record lathe.  That was interesting of course, but also he had his favorite books displayed, including my dad's book "Semina Culture."  It's an important festival, and one has to applaud Printed Matter to organize such a magnificent presentation. 

Yesterday I spent the morning at the Los Angeles Times Book Festival, in which I was on a panel discussion on the subject matter of Los Angeles, which is a vast subject matter for a discussion that can only last for an hour.   The dialog was between yours truly, Lynell George, David Kipen, Lili Anolik, and the moderator was William Deverell.  My only regret is that it couldn't last for three hours or so.  Lili wrote a book on Eve Babitz, and her subject matter is close to my book "Tosh," but I don't mention Eve.  Still, when I did the reading of my book, I focused on the chapter on Marcel Duchamp's retrospective at the Pasadena Museum, which took place in 1963.  Eve is famous (besides her writing) for posing in the nude and playing chess with Duchamp.  She couldn't go to the opening of the exhibition because her boyfriend, Walter Hopps was with his wife at the show.  So, as a revenge of sorts, she posed naked with Marcel.  My experiences at the time were that I did go to the opening and met Duchamp.  Although I did not take my clothes off to play chess or with the bicycle wheel that was displayed so beautifully in the show.   I met Eve numerous times when I was a child and teenager, but those were just fleeting moments. 

Semina Culture Wallace Berman & His Circle ARTBOOK | D.A.P. 2015 Catalog Books Exhibition Catalogues 9781938922725

Semina Culture: Wallace Berman & His Circle

Published by D.A.P./Santa Monica Museum of Art
Edited with text by Michael Duncan, Kristine McKenna. Text by Stephen Fredman.

This reprint of the now classic and much sought-after 2005 volume celebrates the circle of the quintessential visual artist of the Beat era, Wallace Berman (1926–76), who remains one of the best-kept secrets of the postwar era. A crucial figure in California's underground culture, Berman was a catalyst who traversed many different worlds, transferring ideas and dreams from one circle to the next. His larger community is the subject of Semina Culture, which includes previously unseen works by 52 artists. Anchoring this publication is Semina, a loose-leaf art and poetry journal that Berman published in nine issues between 1955 and 1964. Although printed in extremely short runs and distributed to only a handful of friends and sympathizers, Semina is a brilliant and beautifully made compendium of the most interesting artists and poets of its time, and is today a very rare collector's item. Showcasing the individuals that defined a still-potent strand of postwar counterculture, Semina Culture outlines the energies and values of this fascinating circle. Also reproduced here are works by those who appear in Berman's own photographs, approximately 100 of which were recently developed from vintage negatives, and which are seen here for the first time. These artists, actors, poets, curators, musicians and filmmakers include Robert Alexander, John Altoon, Toni Basil, Wallace Berman, Ray Bremser, Bonnie Bremser, Charles Britten, Joan Brown, Cameron, Bruce Conner, Jean Conner, Jay DeFeo, Diane DiPrima, Kirby Doyle, Bobby Driscoll, Robert Duncan, Joe Dunn, Llyn Foulkes, Ralph Gibson, Allen Ginsberg, George Herms, Jack Hirschman, Walter Hopps, Dennis Hopper, Billy Jahrmarkt, Jess, Lawrence Jordan, Patricia Jordan, Bob Kaufman, Philip Lamantia, William Margolis, Michael McClure, David Meltzer, Taylor Mead, Henry Miller, Stuart Perkoff, Jack Smith, Dean Stockwell, Ben Talbert, Russ Tamblyn, Aya (Tarlow), Alexander Trocchi, Edmund Teske, Zack Walsh, Lew Welch and John Wieners.

Featured image, Wallace Berman's "Untitled" verifax collage, 1961–62, is reproduced from Semina Culture.

Semina Culture Wallace Berman & His Circle ARTBOOK | D.A.P. 2015 Catalog Books Exhibition Catalogues 9781938922725

Wallace Berman's SEMINA 1955-1964 ART IS LOVE IS GOD published by Boo-Hooray

Just now I received a copy in he mail of my Dad's (Wallace Berman) book "Semina 1955-1964 Art Is Love Is God" published by Boo-Hooray and I have to say it's a brilliant production of a book.  Simple design (not easy to do) exposing each segment of Wallace's Semina project.   Every issue layed out, includes a booklet of text as well.  A fantastic job from Johan Kugelberg, Bryan Cipolla and the fine folks at Boo-Hooray. 

Also keep in mind that there will be an opening this Sunday December 8 at the Boo-Hooray, with a special live appearance from John Zorn.   For further information and pre-ordering this book go to the website here:    http://www.boo-hooray.com

Wallace Berman Exhibition at the Michael Kohn Gallery in Los Angeles

Wallace Berman Film Event at the Billy Wilder Theater on August 25, 2007

About a year ago I found some film footage underneath my studio table
– and alas it was a great find! I sent the footage to The Anthology
Film Archives in New York – and presto! What we have is "Artifactual:
Films from the Wallace Berman Collection."




U.C.L.A. Film & Television Archive will be screening "Artifactual" as
well as my Dad's film masterpiece "Aleph" on Saturday August 25th at
the Billy Wilder Theater in the Hammer Museum in Westwood Los Angeles.
The screening is set for 7:30 PM

The address is:

10899 Wilshire Blvd
at Westwood Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90024




Yours truly (Tosh Berman) will give an introduction to the films as
well as a little bit of Q&A with the audience. Also Book Soup has
arranged to have "Wallace Berman Photographs" (Edited by Kristine
McKenna and Lorraine Wild) and "Semina Culture: Wallace Berman and His
Circle" (Edited by Kristine McKenna and Michael Duncan) on sale at the
lobby of the Billy Wilder Theater before, during and after the
screening.

For further information regarding the screening and purchasing tickets
online check out http://www.cinema.ucla.edu/

Also I will have detailed information about "Artifactual" on my blog
website shortly. The address there is:

http://tamtambooks-tosh.blogspot.com/

Down below is a brief description of the other films at the screening.



Saturday August 25 2007, 7:30PM

FILMS FROM THE ANTHOLOGY FILM ARCHIVES

This program of films from both New York and Los Angeles will include
such landmarks as Saul Levine's New Left Note (1968-82) and Paul
Sharits' T,O,U,C,H,I,N,G. The evening will be anchored by the work of
Wallace Berman, including screenings of Aleph (1956-66) and
Artifactual: Films from the Wallace Berman Collection.

In person: Tosh Berman

16mm, 35mm, 100 min.