If you missed last Friday’s opening of Hey, Hot Shot! 2009 Second Edition because you were suffering from Armory-Arts-Week-Overload, fear not, the show is still up through next Saturday, March 20th. All five Hot Shots joined us in person at the gallery for the opening, then we headed out for dinner afterwards to talk shop over soup dumplings and scallion pancakes. But, getting-to-know-our-artists aside, we hope you’ll come in and see this phenomenal showcase before it’s too late. Ranging the full spectrum in approaches to their photographic practice,s from landscape to documentary to abstract, the works both complement one another and create a tension amongst styles, challenging the viewer to investigate how each of the pieces was crafted.

Photographs by Marisa Aragona

Elizabeth Leitzell snapped an album full or gorgeous images of the installation and from the opening, so head over to Flickr to take a look, or better yet, come to see the works of Marisa Aragona, Leah Tepper Byrne, Alejandro Cartagena, Jessica Eaton and Justin James King in-person.

We also want to remind you that we’re celebrating the fifth anniversary of Hey, Hot Shot! in 2010 and will now open for entries on Monday, March 22nd. To be automatically notified of the competition’s opening, sign up for the low-volume newsletter, keep your eye on the HHS! site and follow us on Twitter.

Untitled, from the series Lost Rivers in the Cause and Effect project by Alejandro Cartagena

2009 Second Edition Hot Shot Alejandro Cartagena has been awash in publicity lately, all of the sort that any practicing artist loves to get.  In February he won the Critical Mass 2009 book award, and his first monograph will be co-published by Photolucida and Daylight Books.  He was  recently named a finalist in the prestigious 2009 Aperture Portfolio Prize, whose purpose is to identify trends in contemporary photography and bring the work of under-recognized artists to a wider and more supportive audience.  In the last week he was just named one of PDN’s 30, an industry-watched list of promising new photographers engaged in sustained and dynamic work.

Yesterday, Design Arts Daily published a profile of Cartagena and his 3 year long Suburbia Mexciana photographic investigation, showing him at last Friday’s Hey Hot Shot 2009 Second Edition exhibition opening where his work is currently on display.  Writing for DART, Peggy Roalf identifies Cartagena’s vision as both “heroic and poignant,” singling out his ability to visually describe a desecrated landscape in a manner that is aesthetically appealing while simultaneously calling attention to the ethical misjudgments that create such panoramas.

Untitled, from the Fragmented Cities series, part of the Suburban Mexicana project by Alejandro Cartagena

While there are numerous artists working with great success on themes of industrial interests in landscape, developing first nation growing pains and the ongoing hangover of an American-driven obsession with consumer culture, what makes Cartagena’s work unique is his ability to create a conversation in images that encompasses political and capitalist interests, the toll each takes on both environment and the populations it is meant to serve, and an awe-inspiring capacity to make landscapes into a new kind of portraiture, one that describes, with brutalistic beauty, the effects of a very specific kind of hardship brought to bear on the lives directly impacted by an ill-conceived housing boom.  On his website, which I highly encourage you to spend some quality time, Cartagena lays a map to twelve separate bodies of work that are all intertwined with the notion of Cause and Effect as it has affected his home town of Monterrey, Mexico.  Coming out of a tradition that might have more in common with the early Magnum creed of “concerned” photography, Cartagena writes:

After photographing these landscapes for the past 3 years I have now returned to many of the finished housing complexes and learned of many misfortunes the new inhabitants are facing, the ecological impact and the increasing distance being formed between the well-urbanized city and these new fragmented cities in the peripheries; a new chaotic ambient to which México is growing into. Expectantly what I strive for with these aesthetic representations is to point out and open relationships between issues created by an economy-driven State and how our society resides in the dilemma of living as capitalists but wishing for a fairer World.

Weaving together photographic threads including housing projects that are seemingly abandoned mid-construction which evoke stacked tombstones in a cemetery, or focusing upon a series of dried out and/or paved over riverbeds, Cartagena manages his aim of producing work that is both “beautiful and thoughtful” while trafficking in decidedly un-sexy terrains such as urban disintegration and cultural homogenization.

untitled, from the series Fragmented Cities, part of the Suburban Mexicana project by Alejandro Cartagena

His work can currently be seen at Exposed: Critical Mass in Seattle, online at Circuit Gallery out of Toronto, or right here at Jen Bekman Gallery during our Hey Hot Shot! Second Edition exhibition (on view through March 20th).

In celebration of the art fairs, the gallery will be open this Sunday, March 7th during regular hours of 12 – 6 p.m. So, if you’re bouncing around town, perhaps using our handy Art Fairs map, then make sure to stop by the gallery to see the Hey, Hot Shot! 2009 Second Edition Exhibition.

Photo of the New Museum by godiex on flickr

You can also join us for Armory Arts Week on Sunday, March 7th for guided gallery tours of the Lower East Side. Tour groups will be leaving from the New Museum Lobby and maps and guides for self-guided tours will be available on-site at The Armory Show, The New Museum and online at leftbankartblog.blogspot.com. All are open to the public, on a first-come first-served basis.

Sunday, March 7th Schedule:
12 p.m., Aaron Thompson, local resident and founding artist of art.les.nyc studios
1 p.m., Pearl Albino, art advisor
2 p.m., Rita de Alencar Pinto, independent curator
3 p.m., Heather Hubbs, Director, New Art Dealers Alliance (NADA)

The New Museum
235 Bowery, New York, NY
Phone: 212.253.0700

See you Sunday!

Illustration by Kate Bingaman-Burt for Newsweek

Kate Bingaman-Burt, the ever-prolific cataloger of purchased everyday objects, ranging from lightbulbs to mouthwash to Dreyer’s Butter Pecan ice cream , has a new illustration on how to eat gourmet for $50 a week featured in the current issue of Newsweek.

Her everyday drawings’ quippy annotations, like “impulse purchase of overpriced ice cream at Walgreens. My throat hurt. It was justified. I am eating it as I draw this. Five dollars and ninety nine,” below the drawing of the pint of ice cream suggest that Kate is, the utmost of conscientious consumers. So, it is fitting that she offers her take on the affordable ingredients that will please even the most sophisticated palate in illustration form: a grab-bag of goodies that includes beans, onions, fig jam, and a few mystery bottles of something decidedly delicious.

Kate has a screenshot of the full article that appears in the print version of Newsweek available on her flickr—also on newsstands right this minute. You can also purchase your own prints of Kate’s hand-drawn consumables in three sizes on 20×200.

Smoke Signals, 2007 by Clare Grill

Oh, the weather outside is frightful—slush!—but in here it’s so delightful. Thanks in part to our trusty heater, but mostly because of the gorgeous paintings of Clare Grill, whose solo-exhibition What You’re Told closes this Saturday. If the painting above doesn’t warm you up, I guarantee that Clare’s artist statement will.

Clare writes:

I didn’t dare eat candy during Lent because the saints were watching. Our old house was haunted – our dad said so. We imagined a wolf roamed our neighborhood because it was fun to be scared. I thought our family was ideal. I believed in Santa until I was 13. I clung tightly to the things I was taught, my heavy cloaks of security. Like most, I’ve unraveled them slowly and steadily, being careful not to rip out all the seams through the years.

These paintings, however, aren’t just run-of-the-mill nostalgia. “Ms. Grill’s expressionistic portraits can remind you at times of the work of Elizabeth Peyton, who made it big painting acquaintances at art-world parties. But Ms. Grill is actually a better painter, suggesting she will make a success of whatever subject she chooses,” writes Benjamin Genocchio for The New York Times. Especially when seen up close and in person, Clare’s intuitive technique, “makes you notice the paint as much as the pictures.”

While the snow shows no signs of stopping, we really hope that you’ll slog over the the gallery and check out these wonderful paintings before the show closes on Saturday!

The Overachievers, 2009 by Clare Grill (also available as a limited-edition print on 20×200)

Close Our Eyes and Go to Bed, 2008 by Clare Grill

If you’re not in New York at all, make sure to have a look at the show’s installation shots on Flickr and peek inside her studio, courtesy of MoMA/P.S.1.

Celebrity photographer Todd Eberle, who was out shooting the 2010 Whitney Biennial last night for Vanity Fair Magazine, praised the work of Jen Bekman Gallery artist Nina Berman as the one the Biennial’s highlights.

He writes:

There were some knockout moments, particularly from Nina Berman, whose brilliant and sensitive photojournalistic images of an American soldier whose injuries at the hands of an Iraqi suicide bomber left him beyond any reasonable description of “disfigured.” After 50 reconstructive surgeries, he wed his high-school sweetheart. Berman’s pictures are at once beautiful, intimate, and defiantly deny the act of “looking.” (I had to go back three times to take in their terrifying poetry.)

A few members of the JBP team also hit the town the last two nights for the VIP openings and were lucky enough to catch a glimpse of Nina’s photos, which are located on the 2nd floor of the museum. To see more of Eberle’s impressions of the Biennial, visit the full article at Vogue.

The Biennial officially opens to the public today and will remain on view through May 30, 2010, so make sure to head up town and view the exhibition in-person.

Ty with gun, 2006, by Nina Berman

The JBP tumblr—one of the many places you can find us online

Perhaps you’re an artist or gallery and want to know how to reach a wider audience using that buzz-y little thing called Twitter. Or, you want to know how to use mobile technology to get people clued in about your organization. Or you want to see how Facebook can really work to help spread your mission, project or news about your upcoming event.

Then, the first-ever Social Media Art Camp may be just for you. What is SMartCAMP, you ask? It’s a full weekend (March 5-7, 2010) of lectures, talks, seminars, roundtables and demos here in New York City about how artists and arts organizations have successfully used existing social media tools—blogs, mobile-technology and existing online networks—to develop relationships with collectors, build communities, and generate excitement and attention in the art world.

On Sunday, March 7th, from 2:30 – 3:15 p.m., Jen will speak on The Value of Building Community alongside Yancey Stricker of Kickstarter, Charlie Festa of Threadless/skinnyCorp and Anda Corrie of Etsy about each of the models these companies have undertaken to create their own circle of support.

Anyone can register to attend, either for a half day ($35), full day ($65), or the entire duration of the conference ($120). Click here to see the full list of conference speakers and the schedule for the weekend.

What: Social Media Art Camp
When: Roger Smith Hotel in New York City
Where: March 5th – 7th, 2010

We hope to see you there!

Google, 2009, by Michael Mandiberg

If you caught the Summer Reading show at Jen Bekman Gallery last year, you will surely recognize the laser-cut and shrink-wrapped phonebooks above as the work of interdisciplinary artist, designer, and technologist Michael Mandiberg. Since Summer Reading, Michael has been working on lots of exciting new projects, talks and exhibitions and he shows no signs of slowing in 2010.

As part of the Transmediale Festival in Berlin, Michael collaborated on a “book sprint” with five authors, one programmer and several remote contributors to write a 130-page book called Collaborative Futures in just five days. Starting with nothing but the title, this group of strangers put together a book in which the process embodies the content.

Michael writes,

I just got back from one of the most intense and satisfying work weeks I have ever had. We started Monday morning with only two words: the title of the book. As we raised a toast to our success with the festival director Stephen Kovats at 10 p.m. Friday, we sent the book to the printer.

The book will be printed on demand for visitors to the festival. If you pre-order, it will be available for pick-up at a book launch party on March 4th at Eyebeam in New York City. You can read more about the book here and download a free PDF.

Collaborative Futures Book Launch
Thursday, March 4th, 7:30pm
Eyebeam
540 West 21st Street
New York, NY

The other project Michael has been working on is a Kickstarter project called Bright Bike, an initiative to make riding your bike at night safer. The Bright Bike kit, starting at $10, includes a set of custom-cut vinyl stickers which look normal in daylight but become super reflective in car headlights.

Michael writes,

Right now, we make each kit by hand, which takes time, and is expensive. We are actually afraid to really start promoting the idea, because right now, we are not ready for the kind of interest that might be possible. We need to streamline production so that we can lower prices and be ready to get this kit out to the cycling community.

To learn more about helping fund the Bright Bike project, click the Kickstarter badge above.

We could go on forever, but instead will leave you with this list of Michael’s upcoming events:

• If you’re in Chicago, don’t miss this talk at CAA titled “Giving Things Away Is Hard Work: Three Creative Commons Case Studies on DIY“
.

• New Yorkers are advised to attend this panel titled “Mashups, Memes, and HOWTOs: New Forms of Online Video” on new forms of online video and keep their eyes peeled for more details on “The Digital University,” a day-long conference on “the impact of digital media on academic work.”


• In Portland, The Great Recession, a solo show at Pacific Northwest College of Art, opens April 1- May 31 at Feldman Gallery
.

Last week we wrote about our upcoming 20×200 print giveaway at Brooklyn Museum’s Target First Saturday, and we wanted to send you a quick reminder to cancel all your other plans, because it’s happening this Saturday from 6 to 8 p.m.! All 200 8”x10” prints from Valerie Hegarty’s gorgeous forthcoming edition, First Harvest in the Wilderness with Pileated Woodpecker are packed, our brand new 20×200 banner has arrived, and we’re uhhh…still brainstorming on our apparel. We hope you’ll join us for what is sure to be an awesome evening full of talks, music, film, dancing and art.

Ms. Jen Bekman will be speaking, exclusively to 1stfans, about 20×200 and JBP’s approach to supporting artists. So, after you’ve started or renewed your 1stfans membership (and picked up Valerie’s print!), join us for a talk!

We’ll be giving away 10”x8” prints by artist Valerie Hegarty to new and renewing 1stfans members and Ms. Jen Bekman herself will be speaking to an intimate group of 1stfans at a meetup. Meetups are an opportunity for 1stfans to interact exclusively with the Museum’s staff, its collections, artists, and other members every month at Target First Saturdays.

Bierstadt with Holes, 2007 by Valerie Hegarty

20×200 has been collaborating with 1stfans founders, Shelley Bernstein and Will Cary, and artist Valerie Hegarty over the last few months to produce this unique benefit edition. For the first time ever, collectors will be able to pick up a print in person and become a 1stfans member all for the ridiculously affordable cost of $20! 1stfans is the Brooklyn Museums’s socially networked membership. Valerie Hegarty and 20×200 have donated the prints for this event.

If you can’t make it to the event, you’ll have another chance to pick up one of Valerie’s prints plus the 1stfans membership. We’ll release the prints in two larger sizes, 14”x11” and 20”x16,” the following week on 20×200. Every print from Valerie’s edition will include a one-year membership to 1stfans and the proceeds from the print will benefit the Brooklyn Museum as well. The prints are gorgeous and we think they’ll go fast, make sure you’re signed up for Jen’s newsletter to get first dibs on one!

Target First Saturday at the Brooklyn Museum
Saturday, February 6th, 2010 | 6:00 – 8:30 p.m.
Jen’s talk | 8:00 – 8:30 p.m.
Brooklyn Museum
200 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn, NY

Laundromat, 1997 by Colleen Plumb

Jen Bekman Gallery artists Ian Baguskas, Colleen Plumb and Sarah McKenzie have generously donated pieces to the Sixth Annual BAMart Silent Auction at the Brooklyn Academy of Music.

From the website:

With opening bids starting around $100, there is something for everyone! Works can be viewed and bid upon right here once the live exhibition and bidding both begin on March 18th and you can visit this site to place and track your bids, and keep on top of exciting auction news from BAM. Best of all, every dollar earned will go to support BAM’s dynamic and innovative programs. So click, bid, support!

BAM brings a lot of vitality to the arts in New York, and they’re an organization that we’ve supported through collaborating with them on a 20×200 benefit edition. Proceeds from the sale of Greg Lindquist’s edition Embers of the Maritime are donated to BAM.

We’re also thrilled because the three artists involved truly represent the breadth of Jen Bekman Projects. All three have had exhibitions at the gallery, all three have released limited-edition prints through 20×200, and the two photographers came to our attention by entering Hey, Hot Shot! As they develop new bodies of work and their accomplishments accrue, we’re reminded about how happy we are to work with such talented and generous artists.

Don’t miss this opportunity to bid on an all-star roster of artists in support of a great organization. More details on lots and bidding are available at the BAMart Auction website.

Exterior 1 (Plastic Trees), 2009 by Sarah McKenzie

Traces, Ocotillo Wells, California, 2008 by Ian Baguskas

Happy Sunday! We have an exciting announcement: we’re extending the 20% more ridiculous event until tomorrow, Monday at 2:00 p.m. EST! You still have plenty of time to browse and collect for 20% less — stock up today during your Sunday leisure, or squeeze in a mad dash during lunch at the office tomorrow.

** Enter RIDONK at checkout for 20% off your prints till 2:00 p.m. EST Monday, February 1st! **

The sale extends to purchases $40 and greater; now’s the time to jump for the larger print you’ve been eying. The savings really start to stack up and many of these editions are on the edge of the forever-disappeared from 20×200: They’re going, going and likely to be gone when this event ends.

30”x40” prints with only 1 of 2 remaining for $2,000 $1,600:

Untitled (Hanoi no.2) by Kelly Shimoda

The Faceted Couroucou by Carrie Marill

Katarina by Karolina Karlic

Plattsmouth, Nebraska, Carts #1 by Kate Bingaman-Burt

Unleaded, Unleaded, Premium Unleaded by Eric Graham

Towards Christiana (Copenhagen) by Rachel Sussman

Site by Sarah McKenzie

Fortune (will be successful in…) by Kirby Pilcher

ny.07.#32 by Jennifer Sanchez

Auditorium by James Rajotte

White and Grey Canary #1 by Luke Stephenson

House Plant 2 by Carrie Marill

House Plant 3 by Carrie Marill

132 Birds at The American Museum of Natural History by Jason Polan

The Weight of the Bridge by Amy Park

Untitled (elephant) by Don Hamerman

In One Ear, Out the Other by Jessica Snow

Burning Down the Second House by Ann Toebbe

Waiting for Hand Grenade Practice, Southern Israel by Rachel Papo

16”x20” prints with 6 (or fewer!) of 20 remaining for $200 $160:

Running Track by James Deavin

Embedded by Aili Schmeltz

Mossball by Don Hamerman

Idaho Springs, Colorado by Justin James Reed

Untitled #46 from “Stories” by Jessica Bruah

Bonaparte 9 by Superdeluxe (Adrienne Wong and Karin Spraggs)

Hank Williams’ Bed, Georgiana, Alabama by Scott Eiden

Berry by by Kevin Cyr

Houndstooth Pattern in Parking Lot, at Disney World, FL by Alex MacLean

Color Study #4 Dustin Amery Hostetler (UPSO)

Monk by Mark Ulriksen

Stricken by Don Hamerman

Untitled (You’re Impossible) by Mike Monteiro

Space and Illusion by Carrie Marill

The Office by Rebecca Loyche

Palm Aire by Tema Stauffer

Powerhouse Gym, 2008, by Brian Ulrich

Photographer, 20×200 edition-maker and 2009 Guggenheim Fellowship recipient Brian Ulrich will be giving a talk and signing books from 5:30 – 7 p.m. tonight at Hous Projects Gallery, and yes, you are invited!

Much of this work is part of the larger project Copia for which Ulrich is currently working on a Guggenheim Fellowship and planning to continue across the country making pictures for a compilation of photographs to culminate in a book that examines 100 years of consumer culture in the US.

Besides talking about his current body of work, Brian, also will talk about the works in the show Versus and the perspective of the new generation of photographers.

The event coincides with Brian’s inclusion in the Versus show at Hous Projects, on view through March 8th.

In the months since the summer, when Brian’s photograph [above] appeared in the Summer Reading exhibition at Jen Bekman Gallery, Brian has continued to photograph, exhibit and participate in various projects at a rapid pace. So rapid, in fact, that he has another opening tonight.

Instruments of Empire, a two-person exhibition also featuring works by Amy Stein, is also on view at Caption Gallery in Brooklyn. Together, their work presents “powerful, dystopic visions of global capitalism’s flipside.” If you’re in town, these are two shows you will not want to miss.

Instruments of Empire: Brian Ulrich and Amy Stein
On View: January 28 – March 25, 2010
Caption Gallery
55 Washington Street, No. 802
Brooklyn, NY 11201

Brian Ulrich Signing + Lecture
Tonight: January 29, 5:30 – 7 p.m.
Hous Projects
31 Howard St., 2nd Floor
New York, NY 10013

Rothko Sunset, 2007 by Valerie Hegarty

On Saturday, February 6th from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m., team 20×200 will be at the Brooklyn Museum for a Target First Saturday event with 1stfans — won’t you join us? We’ll be giving away 10”x8” prints by artist Valerie Hegarty to new and renewing 1stfans members and Ms. Jen Bekman herself will be speaking to an intimate group of 1stfans at a meetup. Meetups are an opportunity for 1stfans to interact exclusively with the Museum’s staff, its collections, artists, and other members every month at Target First Saturdays.

20×200 has been collaborating with 1stfans founders, Shelley Bernstein and Will Cary, and artist Valerie Hegarty over the last few months to produce this unique benefit edition. For the first time ever, collectors will be able to pick up a print in person and become a 1stfans member all for the ridiculously affordable cost of $20! 1stfans is the Brooklyn Museums’s socially networked membership. Valerie Hegarty and 20×200 have donated the prints for this event.

If you can’t make it to the event, you’ll have another chance to pick up one of Valerie’s prints plus the 1stfans membership. We’ll release the prints in two larger sizes, 11”x14” and 16”x20,” the following week on 20×200. Every print from Valerie’s edition will include a one-year membership to 1stfans and the proceeds from the print will benefit the Brooklyn Museum as well. The prints are gorgeous and we think they’ll go fast, make sure you’re signed up for Jen’s newsletter to get first dibs on one!

Target First Saturday at the Brooklyn Museum
Saturday, February 6th, 2010 from 6:00 to 8:30 p.m.
Jen’s talk will be from 8:00 to 8:30 p.m.
Brooklyn Museum
200 Eastern Parkway, BK, NY

Clare’s show is on view through February 27th, so if you’re in New York City, we hope you’ll stop by the gallery to see What You’re Told in person. We love spending the day sitting amongst these gorgeous works and invite you to enjoy them with us! For those of you who won’t be able to make it in, take a look at the installation views taken by Elizabeth Leitzell we just posted on Flickr.

Photographs ©Elizabeth Leitzell, 2010

We just posted some photos from the packed opening of What You’re Told by Clare Grill (smiling in the bottom photo!) on our Flickr. Thanks again to everyone who packed in to see the show, we hope you had a great time!

Check out the full set of images and see if you can spot yourself and as a reminder, What You’re Told remains on view through Saturday, February 27th, 2010.

Where will we be on February 28, 2010? At the annual powerHouse Books photography portfolio review!

The Sixth Annual powerHouse Portfolio Review event [is] a platform for all levels of aspiring and professional photographers to present their body of work to be reviewed and critiqued by leading experts in the fields of photography, art, media, and advertising and to receive guidance and mentoring for future artistic and commercial career development.

This year the panel of experts includes our own Jeffrey Teuton, Associate Director of Jen Bekman Gallery, and Sara Distin, Associate Director of Jen Bekman Projects. Each photographer who signs up will be assigned five one-on-one reviews of his or her portfolio. Reviews such as these are an extremely valuable way to develop your artistic practice, as well as get on the radar of experts like ours. We’ll make sure to keep reminding you about this awesome opportunity as it approaches, but for the early birds who do their research: the full list of reviewers, and much more information, is available on the powerHouse website.

The registration form (pdf) is available online, and we recommend that you sign up as early as possible because there is a 100 person cap on the event.

Coaster, from the series Ruins, by Beth Dow

Our very own Beth Dow, photographer of surreal ruinous landscapes, was recently interviewed by Darren Ching and Debra Klomp Ching of At Length. Beth talks about the origins of her Ruins series (which opened at Jen Bekman Gallery last year), the process behind her work and where she’s going next.

Here an excerpt from Beth on how Ruins began:

I was always fascinated by the work of Francis Frith and other expedition photographers, but Ruins began quite spontaneously. I was on a road trip working on a collaboration with my husband (the photographer and printmaker Keith Taylor) and we planned to reward our patient, long-suffering kids with some time at a water park at the Wisconsin Dells. It had just stopped raining one morning as we drove down the road, and the warm light was glowing on an odd structure that looked instantly like a Francis Frith photograph. It took my breath away, and I knew I had to postpone the original collaborative project. This first image became Coaster.

To read the rest of the interview and see images of Beth’s work, head over to At Length.

One of the most fun pieces in Mixtape (which runs through January 9th!) is the collection of five old-skool cassette tapes drawn by Kate Bingaman-Burt. ”Mixtapes are almost dead,” she writes, “Goodwills and Salvation Army stores don’t want them, small thrift stores sometimes have them, but not often. People either nostalgically cling to their handmade tapes or they dump them in the trash.”

To immortalize this dying art, Kate put out a call for mixtapes:

I need your help. I want to draw your mixtapes. I want your sad songs, your love jams, your sing-at-the-top-of-your-lungs car tunes, your break-up tape, your make-up tape and your BFF-4evah cassette.

I am only drawing the tape. If you want to participate, please snap a picture of the best side of your favorite tape and email it to kate@obsessiveconsumption.com

Since then, she has been drawing away! Yesterday Kate put an awesome handmade zine of her mixtapes up for sale in her Etsy shop. The 14-page zine was produced in an edition of 30 and can be yours for a mere $6 + shipping. For a sneak peek, check out the full set of drawings on Kate’s Flickr.

This is a worthy addition to any shelf, but if you still can’t get enough, Kate’s got four fabulous editions at 20×200, and to inquire about her original drawings from Mixtape contact: sales [at] jenbekman [dot] com!

Velodrome, from The Games We Play by James Deavin

If you happened to miss the excitement, four new 20×200 editions by Jen Bekman Gallery’s own James Deavin were released yesterday! The editions all come from James’s series The Games We Play, which depicts “sporting environments portrayed as simply as possible.” Devoid of humans, these constructed landscapes reveal the strange and beautiful nature of modern leisure and competition.

The series also shows the fascinating scope of James’ work, which spans both the digital and physical worlds. Photographs from the New World, an exhibition composed entirely of screenshots from the computer game Second Life, had its acclaimed debut at Jen Bekman Gallery back in 2005.

Untitled, from Photographs from the New World by James Deavin

James writes:

Second Life is a place where people can live out their dreams. Some people’s dreams are to have a bigger version of what they already have. Others’ fondest wish is to be a talking elephant from Mars. Second Life is not a ‘game’ – there is no “next level,” no “level boss,” there is no winning or losing. Rather, characters enter into complex relationships, build things, earn and spend money. In fact, the world turns over ten million dollars a month. This money is spent in the market place and certain consumer products have become ubiquitous: grand pianos, waterfalls, boats, Japanese gardens. If money were no object, is this how real life would look?

Together, the two series raise an interesting contrast and comparison between what we imagine and what we make real. Taken out of their inhabited context, the environments from The Games We Play seem every bit as absurd and decadent as their virtual counterparts.

All five of James’s 20×200 editions have prints available for purchase.

To inquire about limited edition 30”x40” prints of the aforementioned series as well as other work by James Deavin, send an email to sales AT jenbekman DOT com.

Seam by Sarah McKenzie

Happy Monday! Sorry we’ve been amiss these last few days—we’ve been in Miami, busily manning our booth full of gorgeous Sarah McKenzie paintings at the PULSE Contemporary Art Fair. We had a great time exhibiting many of our talented artists, doling out 20×200 tote bags and browsing the other booths at the fair. But, we are extra excited to be back in New York sitting in between the walls of Mixtape, and encourage you to stop in and see the show.

Reading & Writing by Jason Jagel

As a reminder, many of the artists and editions in Mixtape are already available on 20×200—and many others will be available in upcoming days. We’re celebrating Festivus with twelve consecutive days of brand new editions and extra steals and deals. Sign up for the mailing list to get first dibs on 200-minute specials while you can!