The Contemporary Review, Episode 3: Der Holzfäller by Ferdinand Hodler

Episode number 3 is out, this time with comments on Swiss scumbags who bought a lot of paintings. Nothing harmful in that I suppose. This episode takes a turn from last time's Léger B-side and goes straight to a hit by Hodler. This image is somewhat iconic in Switzerland, though I'm not exactly sure what it means to people in the deepest darkest parts of Graubünden. In any case, still bringing you the action straight from the heart of Europe, please enjoy this edition of The Contemporary Review. 

OuBaPo 2017

While digging through the marijuana cesspool that is adccomics.blogspot.com I was surprised by a few pretty good ink and pen drawings. What happens if I break them up to create another narrative? I remember seeing this done with L'Association's OuBaPo (Ouvroir de bande dessinée potentielle); a book that was filled with many different combinations of a select groupe of mostly European cartoonists. Each guy would make a 4 panel strip and the panels would be mixed up.  Now looks like I'm giving it my own mix a shot. 

The Contemporary Review, Episode 2: Les Fumeurs by Fernand Léger

Here's another episode of The Contemporary Review, the show where I look at art so you don't have to. In this episode I take a look at another one of my favorite painters and give you a whole hearted 1AM Tuesday night review. When's the last time you reviewed a painting? Did you enjoy it? I don't know if I did or not. Want me to review a painting or artwork from the past hundred years or so? Shoot me an email and maybe tell me why on earth you would want me to do that. This episode of the review contains music by my Amsterdam home boy Dan Farr, also known within the darker corners as The Muscles Of Grimace. Check out some of his tunes over here. 

The Nature Reserve (out of print)

Here's a book about one of the world's most feared animals, brought right here to your screen. Actually that's not true at all, the dark marks on the screen simply make your brain see the snake. The snake is literally in your head. I always found amazing how we were hard wired to be afraid of anything that looked like a curved stick. This book was part of a larger project I did called 'Ondulations', which was my first installation. I asked so many people about memories and stories about snakes during that period of my life, I became known as "The Snake Guy". Making comics in a smokey south-east Amsterdam bedroom while juicing in Ritaline.. Great times, but thank god they're over!

Rietveld TV Animation (with Anton Valense)

Here's a weeeeird hand drawn animation I did for Rietveld TV back in Summer 2016. After a few burnouts within Buro Rietveld and a good amount of rescheduling rescheduling, we were finally able to get this bad boy out on the Dutch TV channel AT5. I really wonder what people thought of this thing. At least my collaborator Anton Valense, who's lovely voice you hear throughout the video, was happy with my drawings and soundscapes. Special thanks to Timna Tomisa and Rick Haring for technical assistance on this one. Those two are some of the sweetest people out there. 

The whole animation is in Dutch, with unfortunately no subtitles, but this is the jist: Anton is commissioned to go and check out the 2015 Rietveld Academy graduation show, and is confronted with a confusing, melancholic mess. In the end he gets a book signed by the freshly graduated André Chapatte, which without him knowing, is a huge encouragement for the youngster.

Tom Cat (out of print and totally nsfw)

This small book is about an anthropomorphic one night stand! You gotta love the wacky world of comics. Tom Cat was a raunchy little book that was originally published back in the year 2013. At the time I was living in Amsterdam, so anyone who's ever used those steep staircases there will relate to the notion of having someone's butt right up in your face. I had this up somewhere on my old blogspot, with stuff that may be too embarrassing even for this blog. (Check it out if you dare: http://adccomics.blogspot.com)

The Contemporary Review, Episode 1: Composition VIII by Wassily Kandisky

Right. The blogging begins.

Time to inaugurate this baby straight to the point. I'm not going to humiliate myself with online blogging if I don't do it quick and painless. You see, I always hated posting things about myself online. It all sounds the same right? Some guy doing his self branding garbage in order to get those endorphine kicks from likes or views or add revenue or what the fuck ever. I've sat at my computer and just looked at my creation (post, whatever) without even anyone even acknowledging it in any way, and that was enough for me. Sitting and staring. Ugh. Some part of me would much rather be spending time on some bonker-ass forum roleplaying as a magical underdog with Swedish fetish dudes that are into pony play. Look it up it's amazing. 

All that being mentioned and out of the way, here's the first episode of my super weird TV-show. It's been something I've wanted to do for quite some time and now I've gotten to it. Two episodes are already up and I hope I'll find the strength in my soul to make more. (by the way YouTube is TV now if you haven't noticed already. Humanity just keeps making the same mistakes I know it's infuriating.)