Tuesday, October 27, 2020

Asemic Front 2 collabs by DES & DVS (Part 2)

By DES & DVS made Friday, October 23, 2020 in Auburn, New York, USA


Documentation (Part 2) of collabs by DES & DVS (De Villo Sloan) made Friday, October 23 at Asemic Front Headquarters Auburn, New York, USA.



By DES & DVS (detail)




 By DES & DVS (detail)




By DES & DVS 




By DES & DVS 





By DES & DVS 






By DES & DVS 























Sunday, October 25, 2020

An Asemic Front first: F2F vispo & asemic collabs by DES & DVS (Part I)

 

Asemic Front 2 collab by DES & De Villo Sloan (Elbridge, New York, USA) (October 23, 2020)


I am thrilled to announce a new milestone in the Asemic Front Project. Among the hundreds of collabs documented as part of the project, none have been made face-to-face, in-person by artists/writers here at Asemic Front headquarters in Elbridge, New York, USA - until now!

On Friday, October 23, 2020 - a stunning autumn day in the Northeastern United States - a collab partner of mine over many years & miles - the extraordinary DES - joined me for a marathon collab session in the basement AF2 studio. I am thrilled to document the results of our efforts in two parts.

This opening piece ("I can reconstruct for you is vast ruinous theaters" [sic]) is 8.5. X 11 inches. The closing pieces were made on 3 X 5 inch index cards, intended for mail art dispersion. Deepest thanks to DES!

- De Villo Sloan 


                                                           By DES & De Villo Sloan (October 23, 2020)




By DES & De Villo Sloan (October 23, 2020)






By DES & De Villo Sloan (October 23, 2020)






By DES & De Villo Sloan (October 23, 2020







By DES & De Villo Sloan (October 23, 2020)






























Thursday, October 22, 2020

Asemic calligraphy by Tucker Sampson

Asemic visual poetry by Tucker Sampson (Concord, New Hampshire, USA)


I have been following Tucker Sampson's visual poetry for some time primarily in Michael Jacobson's asemic group & Nico Vassilakis's visual poetry group, both on Facebook. The appearance of Tucker Sampson's work on Asemic Front 2 is long overdue. I am thrilled to be able to showcase these outstanding pieces of asemic calligraphy as an introduction. 

Tucker Sampson is a visual poet whose work is essentially "language-centered" or rooted in written text (as opposed to visual images). He is among the visual poets today whom I have called post-Lettrist due to his close study of relationships among individual letters (and fonts) beneath the coherence of individual words. 

Thus Sampson achieves a Brechtian alienation of meaning. We are provided an experience of symbols - individual letters or letter fragments - deprived of meaning even on the minimal level of single words. He focuses on the near-mystical area of symbol generation, where a shape is endowed with meaning & becomes part of a larger form. Or, more important, on shapes that elude (or defy) coherence & signify nothing. This often involves a deconstructive process.

Thus Tucker Sampson's work invokes the concept of the meaningless or the unintelligible even before it enters the realm of the asemic proper.  

These calligraphic pieces shown here at Asemic Front 2 are unquestionably asemic & are a testimony to Sampson's ability to navigate complex, contradictory, paradoxical & non-rational precincts of discourse. His great talent, I believe, is to be able to bring us with him. I look forward to sharing more of his work on AF2.

- De Villo Sloan


By Tucker Sampson (Concord, New Hampshire, USA)


By Tucker Sampson (Concord, New Hampshire, USA)





Thursday, October 15, 2020

Recent asemic art by Kerri Pullo including the "Blue Series"

From  the"Blue Series" by Kerri Pullo (Arizona, USA)


I am absolutely thrilled to be able to share this exciting work by Kerri Pullo on Asemic Front 2.

Kerri has been a noted contributor to the Asemic Front Project since its inception. At the same time, she has become one of the world's most revered figures in asemic writing. In particular, she is part of a new generation of women artists & writers who have taken a leading role in asemics & who are re-shaping visual poetry. 

Kerri Pullo is an innovator who constantly experiments with new approaches & is willing to share her explorations with her audience. Thus, over nearly a decade, she has influenced the development & evolution of asemics as well as vispo. 

Her work on Asemic Front & Asemic Front 2 has ranged from austere minimalism, to abstract expressionism, to extraordinary structural complexity. I know I have grown with her & as a result of her influence. I am sure many in the AF2 audience feel the same way.

In my estimation, this gathering of Kerri Pullo's work, including the "Blue Series," is the best the Asemic Front Project has ever offered in terms of her art. Her recent work is deeply complex & I believe is transcendent, even spiritual. The series is meditative & offers wells of emotional depth. "Blue Series" may well be Kerri Pullo's master work, thus far in her career. 

Again, I am thrilled to be able to share this work on Asemic Front 2.

- De Villo Sloan



"Blue Series" by Kerri Pullo






By Kerri Pullo





By Kerri Pullo. Pages for Nicola Winborn's Attic assembling zine
















Wednesday, October 14, 2020

Asemic Front obtains vast collection of "decompositions" & visual poetry by Jim Leftwich

 

"Decompositions" by Jim Leftwich


I am pleased to officially announce the Asemic Front Project has obtained a large & very important collection of material by visual poet Jim Leftwich, widely considered a key figure in the asemic writing movement (although Leftwich made a very public break with the current movement some time ago). 

The Asemic Front Project, after organizing & documenting the pieces, will make this trove of material available for inspection & research to all interested parties. 

Asemic Front "insiders" have known of the existence of the Leftwich "decompositions" for many months. Much speculation & many rumors have circulated vis back channels. Reports of the alarming disappearance of the box, possibly a car theft or ransom situation, cannot be confirmed or denied. 

The fact is that the "decompositions" were recovered & are now safe for posterity. At the same time, Jim Leftwich's departure from Virginia, USA, & his reported appearance at unusual locations across the United States has only fueled speculation concerning the "decompositions" & their whereabouts. We understand he is well & thriving. 

Deepest thanks to Jim Leftwich. 

- DVS



By Jim Leftwich





By Jim 
Leftwich





By Jim 
Leftwich





By Jim 
Leftwich





By Jim Leftwich




By Jim 
Leftwich