Black Metals 2

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Wade Marynowsky Black Casino (2013)
‘Black Casino involves five flying V guitars mounted atop a rotating spin wheel as used in popular game shows such as ‘The Wheel of Fortune’. The guitars form a five-pointed star – a pentagram, which conjures certain magical associations and is used today as a symbol of faith by many Wiccans and Neo-pagans. This pentagram, however, depicts Diabolus in musica: the ‘tri-tone’ musical interval that has been used since the sixtenth century as the signature of the Devil – an association exploited by many heavy metal bands.’

 

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Torbjorn Rodland Infernus (2001)

 

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Alexander Binder Traum (2017)

 

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Jan Hakon Erichsen Obvious Art Work nr.12, Black Metal Art (2010)

 

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Bjarne Melgaard Kill Me Before I Do It Myself (2001)
‘For the uninitiated, Frost engages in a performance piece composed with Bjarne Melgaard that they call, “Kill Me Before I Do it Myself.” In a profoundly angry display, Frost, mere inches from the audience, engages in aggressive torching of the set, destructive stabbing of furniture and outright overt blasphemy. As viewers watch burning embers rapidly descend from the exhibit’s structure and experience Frost destroying a multitude of items, they have only seconds to prepare to watch as Frost uses a menacingly long knife to slit his arm vertically from wrist to elbow. He then follows suit on his neck. The audience, clearly in shock, is not entirely sure if they are witnessing an actual suicide and they stand in silence as Frost reclines down, eyes open, with blood oozing out of multiple sites in his body.’

 

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Harmony Korine The Sigil of the Cloven Hoof Marks Thy Path (2000)
‘Harmony did a show where he photocopied a bunch of pictures from Lords of Chaos, and blew up pictures of Fenriz and hung them on a wall in a gallery! He put a picture of Varg up there too, and this is in some bullshit gallery in Santa Monica, what do others think about him? Is he ripping off BM culture, does anyone care? I don’t but this show is funny, a bunch of pictures of Fenriz and some national socialist looking runic art, stuff that has been on Black Metal album covers for ages, put up in a gallery under his name.’

 

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Mickaël Sellam Black Metal Forever (2010)
‘Equipped with sound sensors that amplify the noises it makes while moving, the machine becomes a massive and worrying musical instrument that plays in a dramatic atmosphere. From the top of the picker, the operator directs and synchronizes the movements of the machine so as to produce a spectacular and wild soundscape, a mechanical black mass.’

 

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Joachim Hamou J’ai Froid (2014)
‘Tapping into the unrest and general neoliberalisation of the Scandinavian welfare-states, a new generation of artists’ interest in anarchistic expressionism and Black Metal has emerged. Their interest in this subculture lies perhaps in the promise of an oppositional position and the potential for expressing angst, distress and feelings of being overwhelmed.’

 

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Nader Sadek Re:Mechanic (2014)
‘Since 2009, conceptual artist Nader Sadek has been directing and producing an epic undertaking. The first phase of this project was the album In the Flesh released in 2011 (the band, a Death Metal supergroup brought together by Nader), the second phase involves videos based on the album’s tracks, and the final phase is a type of Metal opera—a magnum opus, if you will—which promises to be a spectacular fusion of art and music including sculptures, installations, and performances. Born in Cairo, Nader draws upon his direct experience with the use of Metal and art as a form of political protest, which he has written about here. He is currently based in New York City and has established an international reputation in the Metal community for his artistic collaborations with Attila Csihar, which have produced costumes and stage designs.’

 

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Juan Pablo Macías BSR Complete Stock #1 (Ratas – Zona roja) (2017)
‘Juan Pablo Macías devotes part of his work to the restoration of the Biblioteca Social Reconstruir (BSR), a libertarian and anarchist library founded in 1978 in Mexico City and now dismantled. For the sound installation BSR Complete Stock #1 (Ratas – Zona roja), shown in the exhibition Altars of Madness, he invited Mexican metal bands to record their music.’

 

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Nancy Pagan Animation Sons of Northern Darkness, Ep. 1 (2015)
‘In the fall of 1995, Black Metal band, ‘Immortal’, set out to make a string of music videos for their upcoming album. With little to no-budget, they walked into the woods outside their hometown of Bergen, Norway, never to be seen again. This is their story. Featuring King Diamond!’

 

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Vincent Como Paradise Lost 001 – 004 (2011)
Oil on Linen with Wood, Wax, and Fire

 

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Terence Hannum Further Desecrations (2017)
‘I think a lot of my friends and the initial people who turned me on to death metal were incredibly intelligent people who a lot of society had really written off. They had intelligence about books or electronics, or records, just this depth that I didn’t know. I know I am romanticizing it a bit, but I pulled a lot from my friends who I grew up with who were super smart but somehow got written off in school or by their families.’ — TH

 

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Per-Oskar Leu Vox Clamantis in Deserto (2010)
‘Vox Clamantis in Deserto (“The voice of one crying in the wilderness”) shows Per-Oskar Leu performing the aria Vesti la Giubba (“put on the costume”) from the opera Pagliacci (Ruggero Leoncavallo, 1892) in Black Metal attire.’

 

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Banks Violette Various (2008)
‘Death metal, ritual murder, and teenage suicide are mere starting points for Banks Violette; his gothic installations construct operatic analyses of the dark side of American culture. In works such as Black Hole, Violette aptly portrays this phenomenon of excess. Heavy-metal aesthetics become a mirror of youth culture anxiety, an adopted language compensating and empowering sensations of immense sorrow and despair. Citing examples where musical lyrics become instigating factors to real-life violence, Violette refers to an over-identification with fiction where artistic expression exceeds critical confinement, and fantasy and reality are blurred.’

 

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Tereza Zelenkova Various (2016 – 2019)

 

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João Onofre Box sized DIE featuring Sacred Sin (2007-2008)
‘Box sized Die featuring No Return, 2007-2011 is both a sculpture and a performance. It consists of a black metal cube with sides measuring 183 cm. Making a direct reference to the minimal sculpture work by Tony Smith, and in particular his piece Die, João Onofre explores the potential of this black box by getting a Death Metal band to play inside it. Activated, the work offers an invisible show contained in a closed space. Only the residues of the sound vibrations attest to the inner power. The length of the performance is variable since the musicians are putting their physical limits to the test in experiencing imprisonment and asphyxia.’

 

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Erik Smith Perfect is My Death Word (2007)
‘Perfect is My Death Word is a recreation of the James Lee Byars sound work of the same name. The original work was produced by Byars and the Neues Museum Weserberg Bremen in 1995 and exists as an edition on CD of twenty minutes of silence followed by Byars saying the sentence “Perfect is my death word.” Smith asked Dutch Black Metal band Sammath to recreate the sound work by adhering to the twenty minutes of “silence” format before launching into one of their original songs with Byars’ sentence as chorus. Sammath performed Perfect is My Death Word at the De Appel Contemporary Art Centre in Amsterdam on February 16, 2007 for the opening of Smith’s exhibition The Ghost of James Lee Byars Calling.’

 

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Seldon Hunt Various (2014 – 2019)

 

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Gast Bouschet & Nadine Hilbert
‘Over the past few years, Luxembourg duet Nadine Hilbert and Gast Bouschet have developed a multifaceted body of work at the crossroads of several media (video, photography, sound, etc.) and disciplines (visual arts, music, dance). In Metamorphic Earth, immense video projection and complex sound constructions plunge the spectator in a bewitching universe where he loses his physical marks and where fascination clashes with anxiety.’

Toward the Event Horizon (2011)

Tempestarii Video (2016)

Metamorphic Earth (2017)

 

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Analogue Black Terror (2019)
‘Between the late ’80s and 2000, a fringe of the extreme heavy metal youth culture decided to secede from the contemporary scenes to express their deep disgust and hostility towards organized religions, democracies, human rights, the modern world, and humankind in general. Driven by hatred, misanthropy, and Satanism, fueled by juvenile passion, and with very limited means, they produced myriads of homemade black metal recordings which left no room whatsoever for tolerance, mercy, or any kind of positive energy. Some were spoiled brats in search of a reason to rebel; some were convicted murderers, arsonists, grave desecrators, or rapist;, others were merely incredibly talented artists with a sincere will to put their work into the service of a greater evil.

‘Little consideration was given to sophisticated production, and given how much money was available in the scene, fancy options were not on the table anyway. Home-xeroxed duplicated tapes were spread hand-to-hand within local scenes, or worldwide, via snail mail, among a network of individuals all gathered around one idea: to remain an elite that stood alone against the modern world and prayed for its annihilation. A lot of them disappeared, a chosen few became legends… The author has an opinion of what happened to these bands since 2000, stating: “…before falling into disgrace to represent the embarrassing circus that black metal mostly stands for a quarter of century later.” Take that for what you will, there are definitely “cvlt” fans that want to return to the unrefined, raw sounds of the past, while others enjoy the progression. Either way, this book looks to be an incredible visual guide to history that is black metal.’

 

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Pavel Lyakhov
‘My favorite art subject: Sadness; latest autumn, winter, etc.; depressive music; ruins; abandoned places, etc. – such things inspire me to create my art. I get inspiration in my expeditions to Russian North, where I see snow-capped mountain sceneries. Survival in severe weather conditions gives me Inspiration for my art. My artwork is my world – it is frozen, cold world. And I feel comfortable in it.’ — PL

Живопись. Художник Павел Ляхов. Работа в мастерской

🎨🎨🎨 Shadows of the Past. Vol-V. BlackMetal version

 

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Death Orgone Various (2017)

 

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Konrad Smolenski One Mind in a Million Heads (2015)
‘Konrad Smoleński describes his work as a mix of “spectacular pyrotechnic effects” and “minimal punk aesthetic.” Smoleński’s works frequently have an audio component, which might take the form of noise, music, or noise music. Speakers and microphones are also frequent motifs in his installations, appearing in overwhelming configurations and quantities, often alongside combustible materials and flames. The artist has an openly anarchic disposition, which manifests in the works as a sense of anxiety, disorientation, and awe.’

 

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Grace Ahlbom Various (2018)
‘I don’t really listen to black metal, but I don’t think that’s the point. It’s more just about the fan culture and the overall––the props, the makeup, the whole theatrical performance behind it is what I’m interested in.’

 

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Aaron Metté On the Black Universe in the Human Foundations of Color (2017)
Text: François Laruelle

 

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Peter Beste True Norwegian Black Metal (2007)
‘In 2002, New York-based photographer Peter Beste packed up a bag of belongings and a camera and flew out to Norway with the idea of documenting the country’s most notorious export, Black Metal. Six years and seven trips later, his resulting film and book, True Norwegian Black Metal, hits the airwaves and shelves. While some of Beste’s photos take the classically ’grimm’ route, others gently pry behind the mask, capturing the likes of Gorgoroth, Carpathian Forest, and Darkthrone in more natural surroundings. Intimate, almost conspiratorial, they give the impression of being welcomed into a lair.’

Watch it here

Book version

 

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Grant Willing Svart Metall (2008 – 2011)
‘Grant Willing’s ongoing photographic series Svart Metall is a meditation on the ineffable qualities of an unsubtle musical subculture, Black Metal. Though its sonic qualities are challenging even for some metalheads, its Nordic atmospherics and paganistic themes are arguably evocative for a diverse range of artists. The photographs are allusive of the themes black metal culture treats, and presented in a surprisingly informal way—printed on bleached newsprint stock. On this ephemeral paper, the photographs retain a stately quality but gain a more disorienting sense.’

 

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Ben Lee Ritchie Handler & Mike Z Morrell Crystalnacht Watersports Grimoire (2016)

 

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Russell Nachman Various (2012 – 2917)
‘I like having big ideas and weird mysterious stuff in the universe. This is kind of a longing for that. Like maybe in a post-religious society after everything has collapsed, these drunken idiots just pick up all sorts of detritus from Western civilization and remake it in their own image. So I never think of this, even though theyʼre black metal guys with tattoos of upside-down crosses and all that, itʼs never anti-Christian for me. Itʼs kind of like a post-Christian homage.’ — RN

 

 

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p.s. Hey. ** jay, Hi. Oh, that does sound amazing. I’m almost solvent again, so I think that’ll be my way back into my recently dormant gaming habit. Something else to live for. Thanks, pal. ** _Black_Acrylic, His stuff is mostly quite entertaining and very German. ** kenley, Yeah, I know, sorry for the to-do pile up, but I’m similarly beset over here if that helps. Skipping a party to watch Rohmer! You are my soul mate. Not to mention the sushi. One of the few drawbacks to Paris life is that it’s almost impossible to find good vegan sushi. No, haha, Diller and Pryor were separate events. Hm, pleasurable lately, almost anything that doesn’t have to do with my visa shit and my financial precariousness shit. Which doesn’t leave a lot. I think my pleasure is mostly anticipatory. There’s a Leonora Carrington retrospective and a big Georges Perec exhibition and even a possibly fun looking new haunted house attraction, so I think I’ll be okay. I like ‘Chilly Scenes of Winter’ for sure, but I don’t think that I’ve been as high on the other Ann Beattie I’ve read. Recommendation? Cool that you’re writing. Song lyric <-> novel. ** Steeqhen, I loved ‘Resident Evil 8’. The future always finds a way to slip through the obstacle course. At least during my lengthy-ish stint on earth. ** Carsten, I’ll start with the Southern curve, which makes sense. Thanks for the review of the Jarmusch. You’re the first flesh and blood person I know who’s seen it. I guess I won’t rush, but I’ll get to it. I actually liked ‘Broken Flowers’, but I really like Bill Murray when he’s committed to a role. ** Steve, Thanks for the Nirvanna’ fill in. Now I understand. Matt Johnson, right. Sounds maybe kind of missable, but that’s not my thing. But still. Of course I don’t know if the bug chasers are real. Some of them certainly seem to be. You can go check out one of the big sites where the poz guys hangout and pontificate and hook up and where Prep is treated like the enemy if you like — breedingzone — and see what you think. Everyone, Steve’s ‘overview of “Rendezvous with French Cinema,” covering four films, is out now.’ I don’t know the answer to your question, but … Everyone, one more thing, a question from Steve to any of you: ‘Every version of Anna’s Archive I know about is down right now. Does anyone know a link which still works?’ ** Charalampos, Glad the blog’s zeitgeist colluded with yours. I don’t know where David’s title originated. In the US when you’re going to see a film or any show later in the evening you say, ‘I’m going to the late show’, so I guess I assumed it came from that? Hi from P. ** HaRpEr //, Same here. To me Sunday’s just the day when a lot of stores and tabacs are closed. Nice about the ‘Castration Movie’ premiere. None of the ‘CM’s have played here yet, I don’t know why. I hope you can shake the doldrums off this week and hopefully early into it. Did I see ‘The Dirties’? I saw something of his whose title escapes me. ** darbbzz⋆｡°⋆❅*𖢔𐂂☃︎꙳, Nice audio visual combo. I was awake at 6:30 am, and I don’t think the moon was red, so maybe Paris got shut out. I’m obviously glad that the explosion has passed. Prosaic thoughts can be such a bitch. ** ANGUSRAZE, Hi! Sure, yes, great. Just hit me up when the time is right. I haven’t seen that video yet cos I’ve been in a life mess moment, but I’ll try to catch up with it today. Love from moi. ** Thom, Yay about the gig. Being a lofi guy, sloppy just sounds like an interesting texture. Major luck gathering everything you want and even need. Enjoyable day back to you. ** Nicholas., War will definitely do that. Or this one at least. When I imagine the world ending, I just imagine no more internet or cell phone signal. That’s as far as I can perceive. Which is plenty harsh enough. You certainly can still write. Put that worry to bed. Excellent ghosting there, whew. ** nat, As someone who forces a solid text blog on my blog readers every day, I should be able to handle it as a reader. I buy stuff from Asterism all the time, and I haven’t noticed an uptick in my toxic spam yet. I’m awfully glad you feel better! ** Okay. I seem to have decided on a whim to turn my previous Black Metals post into a franchise. See you tomorrow.