Hong Kong

Survived a full day in the air. Now waiting in noodles shop at Hong Kong airport for 9 hour layover (with free WiFi! Shame on NYC airports).

If this is Friday

Back from Tampa! Thanks so much to everyone who helped and supported me!

Now packing for Indonesia, leaving tomorrow. Will be a long journey

NY to Vancouver: 5:50
Layover: 1:15
Vancouver to Hong Kong: 13:19
Layover in Hong Kong: 9:00 (hmm. enough time to go to town?)
Hong Kong to Surabaya: 4:47
Surabaya to Ijen via car: 8 to 10 hours

Total journey: 10,150 miles in air, 150 miles of rutted mountain roads, 42 hours total (assuming all connections are made, and the car doesn't get stuck).

Indonesia

Heading to Indonesia next week!

Here's some information/links about the area we're exploring.

We'll be in the area of Bondowoso

Here's some weather links:

In town
On the volcano

Info on the Arabica Homestay (our base)

Some interesting photos of the miners

I hope to post my own pictures once we're there!

NO LIMITS: JANET BIGGS

The opening of my Tampa mid-career retrospective is tomorrow, October 8. It's up until January 8, 2011, so hope lots of friends can come down and see what I've been up to for the past ten years!

Wet Exit Documentation

Here's a link to a 5 minute video, showing highlights of the WET EXIT performance on Saturday, September 23, 2011.

VIDEO -->

Performance this Friday and Saturday - Under Manhattan Bridge

I'm very excited about this performance, hope you can make it! It's in the park right outside Smack Mellon in DUMBO.



WET EXIT / Multimedia Performance by Janet Biggs

Friday and Saturday, September 23 & 24 at 8:30pm, weather permitting. Free!

Waterfront Amphitheater in the Brooklyn Bridge Park,
entrance at Main and Plymouth Street.

Smack Mellon presents artist Janet Biggs' premier of Wet Exit, a multi-media performance that looks at loss, chaos and control. Wet Exit combines projected video images, vocalist and musicians, with choreographed kayakers performing in the East River.

Press release and more information >

Garbo Talks!

I was interviewed by "This Week in NY" - check it out!

L Magazine

L Magazine Review of show at Winkleman

Exploration Art: Janet Biggs and Duke Riley Scout Forgotten Islands and Dark Tunnels
by Benjamin Sutton

The artist as not just an aesthetic explorer, but an actual traveler discovering uncharted or unauthorized places, is a notion that by necessity involves not just performance but storytelling. We see this, for instance, in land art like Michael Heizer's 1969 desert incision "Double Negative," wherein the piece becomes inseparable from the artist's labor and subsequent visitors' pilgrimages to discover the work. Two young artists doing away with the artwork at the end of the journey, Janet Biggs and Duke Riley, turn the act of exploration and discovery into their medium. Biggs, in a trio of documentary videos on view at Winkleman Gallery, uses a very dramatic mode of presentation. Riley's two mock-historical installations at Magnan Metz Gallery, meanwhile, acknowledge the strange, nearly kitschy novelty of becoming an explorer at a time when Google Earth and similar tools let anyone travel to the farthest reaches of the globe. Both artists document enigmatic journeys in rarely-traversed waters towards obscure islands.

Biggs's first solo show at Winkleman Gallery, The Arctic Trilogy (through March 12), follows three different sorts of explorers in the little-known Svalbard islands in the Arctic Ocean. The shortest, "In the Cold Edge" (2010), shown in an appropriately cavernous rear alcove, follows a spelunker into a seemingly endless glacial cave. Though copiously edited, it's the least complex documentary of the trio. The two larger projections play in alternating loops in the main gallery. "Fade to White" (2010) follows an arctic explorer navigating a 100-year-old sailboat and his kayak through icy waters. Biggs edits the short so that it seem as though the explorer is the only person on the vessel, and conceals whatever research mission is behind this solitary, slightly insane excursion—despite the bearded man's calm demeanor, one can't help but worry for his safety when he's kayaking in icy rain and heavy snow, or near polar bears. This extreme flâneur's Arctic wanderings in majestic, serene landscapes beneath stunning mountains are intercut with countertenor John Kelly—dressed in white against a white backdrop—whose ethereal voice emphasizes the journey's metaphysic rather than scientific power. Not the conventional excursion into wilderness for the sake of self-discovery, "Fade to White," as the title implies, involves a kind of self-erasure.

Its companion piece, "Brightness All Around" (2011), is the best of this very good exhibition. Linda Norberg is a coal miner working several miles beneath the frozen tundra at reinforcing the ceiling of a newly excavated tunnel. She operates a heaving, clattering, buzzing machine in a science fiction setting barely lit by her headlamp, water gushing down all around her. Biggs cuts between the mining machinery's incredible clamor and vocalist Bill Coleman, all in black leather against a black backdrop, singing about near-death experiences over an über-masculine rock guitar instrumental. Biggs inverses the gendered dynamics of exploration in these two major videos, portraying a male traveler as a passive, vulnerable figure in an all-enveloping white landscape, while Norberg drills and transforms the black depths of the planet. The juxtaposition of pristine landscapes in the former and a moon-like mining operation in the later further complicate the exhibition's power dynamics by underlining its environmentalist resonances.

Unlike Biggs, who remains almost completely absent from the excursions she films—she appears at the end of "In the Cold Edge" firing a flare over a frozen lake—Duke Riley stars in his projects. The expeditions brought together in Two Riparian Tales of Undoing at Magnan Metz Gallery (through April 9) involve the cities in which they were first presented: Cleveland and Philadelphia. In the former installation, titled An Invitation to Lubberland and occupying the front half of the gallery, Riley explores the grid of tunnels beneath Cleveland to rediscover an ancient spring called Kingsbury Run, long ago buried beneath the city. Stylized videos of Riley's sub-urban exploration done in Chaplinesque costume and with silent movie title cards lead visitors through a circular hallway lined with mosaics made of glass, tile, coins and cigarettes portraying the homeless communities that inhabit the Run, and the string of murders that led it to be condemned. Part clowning explorer—filming his costumed companion sliding down the gushing tunnel on his belly and marching back upstream—Riley also does some earnest anthropology, rediscovering and dramatizing the practices of the displaced communities that lived along the Run.

Reclaiming the Lost Kingdom of Laird, first shown at the Philadelphia Historical Society, concerns the fate of a small island in the Delaware River between Philadelphia and Camden. An Irish immigrant named Ralston Laird occupied Petty's Island for the second half of the 19th century with his wife and ten children. They were eventually joined by several other immigrant families. He farmed and raised cattle until his home burned down mysteriously, forcing the Lairds and other families to leave the island, which was being eyed for industrial development. The Venezuelan oil company Citgo has occupied the island for decades, building large oil silos on its north end that are now abandoned; Hugo Chavez announced plans in 2009 to donate the island to New Jersey, though contamination clean-up issues have left the island in limbo and off-limits—Riley wrote Chavez an open letter in the Huffington Post demanding that the island be returned to the Laird family. In the meantime he and the Laird Kingdom Liberation Army made an expedition to the island by kayak, retrieving archaeological objects from the burned-down home and—as shown in an informative short documentary—painting a portrait of the forgotten king on the roof of an abandoned Citgo silo. Nearby hand-written charts and faux-historical drawings remind of Treasure Island, although here the island itself, and the curious story that lies buried within, are the treasure.

For both Biggs and Riley, then, these journeys are primarily about strange, little-explored places and the people who seek them out—Werner Herzog's Encounters at the End of the World continually comes to mind, especially in the Arctic shorts. But both are also telling fascinating stories that conflict with official histories and dominant narratives. Linda Norberg, piercing her way through frozen rock in search of raw fuel, is the epitome of the phallic woman. Riley's fond rediscoveries of a homeless-inhabited waterway and immigrant-governed island reveal little-known havens that are both countercultural and profoundly American. Their solitary, enigmatic journeys document fascinating new frontiers of human endeavor.

More Press

Charlie Finch, "Coal Miner's Daughter" in Artnet

Doug McClemont’s Top 10 Shows in New York: March 2011 in Saatchi Online

"Fade to White" video by Janet Biggs shown at Winkleman gallery

New York Times Review

The New York Times' Holland Carter has written a lyrical review of my Arctic Trilogy show at Ed Winkleman Gallery.

Art in Review
JANET BIGGS: ‘The Arctic Trilogy’

By HOLLAND COTTER
Published: February 17, 2011

Winkleman Gallery
621 West 27th Street
Chelsea
Through March 12

The three short, related videos that make up Janet Biggs’s debut show at Winkleman were filmed on glacial islands between the top of Norway and the North Pole. Playing on separate screens and in overlapping sequence, the pieces can be viewed in any order, though a gallery news release, which I assume represents the artist’s intentions, suggests starting with “Fade to White,” which was filmed mostly outdoors and serves as an atmospheric scene-setter.

It opens with a shot of an antique schooner. On its deck a man suits up against the cold and launches a kayak. For most of the rest of the video we travel with him through ice-floe-clogged waters, catching glimpses of bears and other wildlife that make up the Arctic’s fragile ecosystem. As if to emphasize fragility, these scenes alternate with studio shots of the performance artist John Kelly, dressed in white and singing a mournful Baroque madrigal. The video moves back and forth between the singer and the seaman, until the kayak heads toward the horizon and the screen goes white.

Most of a second video, “In the Cold Edge,” is a space-distorting tour of an ice-cave interior, its fantastic forms illuminated only by the lights of mining helmets. The third piece, “Brightness All Around,” takes us deep down into the earth where a solitary coal miner and machine operator named Linda Norberg oversees a thunderous array of drills and extractors. As a counterpart to their unearthly clamor, Ms. Biggs has folded in shots of another performer, Bill Coleman, dressed in black leather, and delivering a demonic, death-tinged chant.

As I said, the viewing sequence is optional. I watched “In the Cold Edge” last and was glad I did. It concludes on a stirringly ambiguous note. After we emerge from the ice cave to a terrain as bleakly beautiful as a moonscape, a woman — Ms. Biggs — shoots a flare into the sky. The sudden flash of color, heat and energy comes as a relief in a frozen world. At the same time it implies a condition of emergency, which takes us back to Mr. Kelly’s rendition of a love song that sounds like a lament.

Arctic Trilogy on View

The arctic work will be exhibited at Winkleman Gallery -- see info at www.jbiggs.com/arctic !

Miami Sun and my Roommates Blog

I've been going nonstop since I've returned from the Arctic, making new work and traveling for exhibitions. I've finished my first piece from this year's Arctic trip (which required a few all nighters to complete in time for the Miami art fairs). It will be shown with Conner Contemporary Art at Pulse Art Fair .

These images are from my new piece titled "In the Cold Edge."

My video from last year, Fade to White will also be there as part of a curated program titled "Pulse Play ". Todd Smith, director of the Tampa Art Museum (where my mid-career survey show will open next year) curated the program. My new NASCAR video will also be in Miami at Winkleman Gallery as part of the new fair/exhibition "Seven".


All this activity has made it difficult to upload my journal from the Arctic. "Bear" with me ... it will come, but in the meanwhile check out my roommate from the Noorderlicht's blog. Urszula Dawkins is a beautifully lyrical writer that does justice to the region and experience that I never could. Her blog is http://urszuladawkins.blog.com/. I couldn't recommend a better read!

Back ... in Charlotte

Apologies for lack of updates. I got back to NYC, decompressed a bit, then had to finalize materials and fly to Charlotte for my show at the Mint Museum.

I give a talk at the museum today, and the show opens on Friday (November 6). The show includes four videos, including Fade to White (which features footage shot in Svalbard in 2009) and DUET, a new piece built around NASCAR pit crews!

Information about the show is on the Mint Museum's website.

While I've been in the Arctic, things in the real world have stayed busy. I was happy to come back to find that my recent show at Conner Contemporary Gallery was reviewed in the November ARTnews and the October ArtForum.

I'll post more updates and photos from Svalbard here soon. Just have to catch my breath!

Barentsburg

Got a call from Janet today. She's in Barentsburg, home of rotgut vodka, dangerous industry and better celphone reception than midtown Manhattan.

Sounds like a good trip - polar bears, auroras, violent storms. I'm hoping that she'll be blogging from Longyearbyen in two days or so to fill us all in!

Message from Janet

Got a message from Janet - the Noorderlict has a "very low-speed radio link", so the folks onboard the ship are only allowed one short message during the trip.

"All ok up here. We have a bit of sea tonight. I've been shooting off flares and bangers whenever i get the chance. I've woken up a polar bear and a fox so far.

Went out in the kayak today. The sea was so full of ice that we pushed our way through by hand. The landscape is unbelievable beautiful and otherworldly. We have been up in the Love Fjord for the past couple of days. Went to Moffen and visited the walrus. Now heading back down the coast.

Will stop at the island where Swedish explorer Andres set off in his balloon tomorrow. Then ny alesund so i should be able to call you in a couple of days."

On the Town

Saw this today on the webcam -- looks like the Norwegian Navy is visiting Longyearbyen. Unless I'm mistaken, that's the KNM Otto Sverdrup, a Fridtjof Nansen-class frigate. It's a 120-man boat, primarily used to detect and destroy submarines.

So if Janet's ship runs into any rogue Russian subs, they have backup.

Here's a nice shot of (almost) the entire town of Longyearbyen:

Still in the Dark

No news from Janet, but I haven't expected to hear from her. I'm hoping she can get a word through if they get into Ny-Ålesund, but not sure if or when they'll get there.

Good news is that the winds are much lighter than last year -- but it will pick up early next week (predicted windspeeds of 30MPH/50KHP). It's cold up there -- 0F at night, 25F during the day. Daytime is disappearing, too. Two weeks ago, there was 12 hours of sunlight in Svalbard. It's below five hours now, and will be gone by the time they return to Longyearbyen. And even during those five hours, the sun is low on the horizon.

I'm sure they're having fun, can't wait to hear about their adventures!

Signal from Dark Side of Moon

Got a short, enigmatic text message from Janet. "Hey we. Cel reception because passing barentsberg. Elkhound well. Really Kline. Janet."

So the Elkhound is doing well. I'm guessing she isn't so good at texting in sub-freezing temperatures on a rocking boat.

These are pictures Janet shot last year in Barentsburg.
Barentsburg is a little lost bit of Soviet-era Russia, frozen in time. There is still mining going on. It probably isn't economically viable -- the population has dropped from over 2000 in 1990 to under 300. Unlike Longyearbyen, where there is a thriving post-mining economy, there are almost no tourist spots in Barentsburg except for a hotel and its bar.
The Russians probably keep it going in order to maintain mining and property rights.
Barentsburg is only 55km from Longyearbyen, but there are no roads. During the cold war, visitors from Barentsburg to Longyearbyen were required to have KGB chaperones. Now, they just need Kroners, which are just as difficult for the locals to acquire.

Snow

Looks like the weather is finally appropriate for the Arctic. Snow started falling tonight, weather for the Noorderlict is predicted at about -15C (5 degrees F), clear skies, light wind.

Leaving Longyearbyen

We are 19 artists, sprawled across the communal living space of MaryAnn's Polarigg, all frantically skyping and typing away. The bus picks us up in 10 minutes. It's dead silent. Everyone is nervous, but excited to get underway.

Once the bus gets here there will be a made rush to get all the bags on board. Our luggage takes up a sizable room. I remember last year, looking at all he bags getting carried onto the Noorderlicht and thinking ... No way! There is no way all this stuff can fit on that small boat. It's amazing how it's managed and eventually feels spacious on board. There is a light snow falling. Perfect for heading off on our adventure!

That's the Noorderlicht on the far left side of the webcam picture.

I'll be off the grid till we return to Longyearbyen...