DK'ed Art Show

Facebook event HERE

"My Conjoined Twin"

Writers are:

Brother Mike Cohen

Richard Allen

Mystie Chamberlin

Dave Perry

Jack Jerz

Artists are:

James Rubio

Maya McCarthy

Betty Rose

Marissa Bea

Chris Soprano

See the facebook event HERE

Upcoming Events! Pinup Girls and Sexy Rockers

Thursday (tonight!) we've got Pinup Girls galore! Come on down to Niagara to see the attractive ladies of art.






















And of course, stop by on Monday for Alphabet City Soup! No Steve will be blowing your minds. And if you're lucky, they might take off their clothes. See the facebook event below!

NO STEVE AT NIAGARA!!

Every Good Art Show Needs a Good DJ

Art Show Tomorrow!

Rat Houses - 2 weeks later

Have a little respect for the rats!

2 weeks ago we spent a few hours in Tompkins Square Park, showing off the rat houses that several of our artists made. People were really great, asking all sorts of questions and taking pictures and everything. A few days later, we set up the houses in an empty lot on 14th street and let them be exposed to the elements!

We initially thought that after a few days, they would be removed, by either the city or by people stealing them, or something. And that partially did happen. A few of the houses have now been appropriated by new owners, Ethan's capitol building, Un's rat cafe, and Jeramy's log cabin have all gone off to live elsewhere.

The rest of the houses remain however, and still look fairly decent, even after some inclement weather. We even have a new addition to the group, someone set up a beaten guitar case and gave it the name, "The Hard Rat Cafe". Someone else cut a hole in the fence for easy access, so people can actually stroll in and out of the open lot as they please.

Check out the situation as of this afternoon! And go take a look at these houses, it doesn't look like the city has any intention of removing them (or really any knowledge OF them). 14th St. between 2nd and 3rd Aves.

Never Can Say Goodbye/Never Records

Never Can Say Goodbye part 1 from Ethan H. Minsker on Vimeo.

Never Can Say Goodbye part 2 from Ethan H. Minsker on Vimeo.

This show is still open until February 13th, please stop on by and see all of the amazing artwork.

Location: The old Tower Records store on 4th and Broadway, down by NYU.
Hours: 12-7pm, Wednesday through Sunday

Antagonist Showcase @ Never Records!

AAM Orphans Potluck: In Photos

Many gracious thanks to Un for taking these photos which I stole off of facebook.

ANTAGONIST ORPHAN POTLUCK!

Everyone get excited for the annual Antagonist holiday party! This year were busting out with all sorts of cool stuff, from music, art, food (obviously) and writers!

The night will be hosted by our own Julian Stockdale and everyone should participate by bringing photos you have of Antagonists. We're going to put up stuff all over the walls, like a giant end-of-year scrapbook.

The night will go something like this:

6pm: Bring FOOD!
7pm: Photo Show Starts
730pm: Mystie Chamberlin
8pm: Bradley Dean
830pm: Holiday Horror Stories
9pm: Paloma
945pm: More Holiday Horror Stories
10pm: Raffle!
1015pm: Seann Branchfield & Band
11pm: Richard Allen Birthday Roast

Bring those dancing shoes, we've got 4 amazing musicians/bands playing!

And please bring food, we want to eat.

And bring your friends, we want to meet them.

Oh, where is it?
Niagara Bar!
112 Ave A (@ 7th St)

Time: 6pm-Late

Date: December 14th (that's a monday, kiddies)

It might be best if you take that tuesday off from work...or warn them that you'll be somewhat less capable that day.

SEE YOU MONDAY!

Kickstarter Us to Lisbon!

Don't forget about this folks! We need help in our conquest of international art collaboration, give us some support!

Kickstarter: Help us Get to Lisbon!

A bunch of the Antagonists will be going to Lisbon in 2010 to create an art show! We're going to be working with international artist, street art, music shows and making a documentary of it all.

This great website called Kickstarter is one way we're looking for help from all of you! They give us a platform to have anyone and everyone pledge to help us fund some of our costs for Lisbon.

For different amounts we're also giving incentives, such as t-shirts and DVDs, just for pledging a few dollars. For example, pledge $15 and you'll get a DVD, pledge $100 and you'll get a limited edition print plus both of our DVDs! This goes on and on, you can read more about it at the Kickstarter website.



We greatly appreciate any and all help. As a community of working artists, our goal is to always assist each other in our endeavors, so provoke us into doing art by pledging to get us to Lisbon!

Royal Flush Recap

A hearty congratulations to everyone involved in the making of this year's Antagonist contribution to the Royal Flush Festival. Not only was the gallery opening a huge success (we couldn't get people to leave the place) but the film screening sold out, and when pushed into the larger theater, nearly sold out of that as well.

For those of you who don't know, This is Berlin, Not New York won the "One of a Kind Award" at the closing night ceremonies. This award is also often referred to as "Best of Fest," which I think none of us will dispute. After all the man hours and tears and sweat and love that went into making this show superb, we deserve a little recognition!

Below you can watch Ethan introducing the film (to a packed house) and then Jim (festival director and awesome himself) explaining how all artists can get involved in the festival next year. I know everyone worked exceedingly hard to make this weekend amazing, and I think we put on the absolute best shows of the fest. Our success only proves that with a little love and devotion, you don't really need lots of money to do great things (although none of us would turn down lots of money...).

Bravo and a standing ovation to you all!





-Marissa

Art Show and Screening!

Does everyone remember that movie about Berlin that we made? On October 17th, as part of the Royal Flush Film Festival, not only will the Antagonist Art Movement be having a gallery opening with art, music, booze and fun, but we will be having a screening of This is Berlin, Not New York.

Dear god, what's the location!?

Royal Flush Festival at Anthology Film Archives
32 Second Avenue
Manhattan, NY 10003

How the hell do I get tickets to this!?

You go HERE.

But wait, did we say there's a gallery opening too?!

Is there ever. There is an Antagonist group showing at the Mindy Wyatt Gallery from 6-9pm, and afterwards we'll all be going over to the screening. Our artists will include many of our favorites:
Ted Riederer
Pat Conlon
Jeffrey Beebe
Jeramy Fletcher
Sylvia Ortiz
Daniel York Krupin
and more!

The gallery is located at 814 Broadway on the 2nd Floor, between 11th and 12th streets.

The gallery show is free, but remember, you need to get your tickets for the screening...HERE!!

Don't worry, we'll remind you again. And again.

Sneak Peeks at Our Treats

Why should you come to Fahrenheit and Alphabet City Soup? Because we have musicians like Lisa Jaeggi (who is performing on September 21st) and writer's who do antics like Mr. Katzban.





See you at Niagara!

Fahrenheit!

Fahrenheit will accompany this week's art slam. No, no shit.

Fahrenheit!

WHAT: FAHRENHEIT - the open mic/spoken word/comedy/ storytelling/poetry/music thing do twice a month in the East Village

WHERE: Black and White Bar located on East 10th street between 3rd and 4th Ave in the East Village in Manhattan

BROUGHT TO YOU BY WHO? The Anatagonist Movement and the "T" brothers. (Johnny+Crispy)

WHAT TIME: 9pm-11pm

HOST: we have new host, his name is Matt and he has a beard. He has replaced Nick who has left NYC to learn how to write on the left coast.

CAN I GET ON STAGE? Sure, fuck face, you get only 5 minutes. Thats 5 minutes.

WILL ZEKE TEWILLEGER BE THERE? no, he hates all of us...but Richard Allen and Brother Mike Cohen will be there.

ADMISSION: Free, but you should buy some drinks and leave your poland spring at home.

WHEN IS THE NEXT READING IF I CANT MAKE IT ON SUNDAY? Thursday September 17, 2009 at Niagara....dont worry, I will send another email.

-Brother Mike Cohen

"Anything Boys Can Do" at Brooklyn Museum

"Anything Boys Can Do" at Brooklyn Museum

Please pass this on to anyone you think would be interested. It's on Halloween so I want to make sure people know it's going on.

If you write a blog, please re-post it. Or if you think you can make it, stop by. There is no cover once you are inside the museum.

This is an old film I did in 1996. I think you will like it.

We are releasing it on DVD October 20th

Thanks

Ethan

Fahrenheit - Writer's Night

The writers night (Fahrenheit) began sometime in 2002 at Black and White bar located on East 10th street in the East Village. Of course all praise to Ethan Minsker for coming up with the idea of a writer's night and a big shout out to Bryan "MC Buttafucco" Middletown for being the orginal host and creating the orginal vibe of the whole goddamn event. ("5 minutes to tell your story and if you do poetry we throw something at you!") I was invited to attend the writers night by President Ethan Minkser and made my debut sometime in January of 2003 playing a cassette recording of secretly recorded verbal conflict with my dad. The crowd loved my tape and cheered for more. While listening to the other readers read their "6th grade cliche crap" I decided to start writing stories that I felt were more interesting than what I was hearing. The writers night was a weekly event until Bryan Middletown left NYC sometime in 2005(?).

The event took a bit of a hiatus and then returned as a once a month event with Dantagonist Graff and Brad "Zeke Tewilleger" Ackerman hosting the event. Dan and Brad could not get their shit together and had their heads up their own asses so we had to give the task to the wonderful Nick Katzban. Nick had a similar energy and vibe to original host Bryan Middletown and the writers night was back on track, (new writers, old writers, Richard Allen and myself holding the whole goddamn thing together...and of course we could not do it without the "T" brothers - Johnny T and Crispy T - thanks for letting us use your space!!!!).

Nick is leaving town and writer Matt is talking over as host at Black and White the first Sunday night of every month. We also do the writers night at NIAGARA bar usually the third thursday of every month. (unless I am attending a rock show it may be on the 2nd thursday of every month) I am the host of the Niagara thursday writers night. 5 minutes to tell your story, tell your jokes, sing your song, read your poetry, or just plain antagonize. See you at Black and White on Sunday September 6 at 9pm and Niagara on Thursday Sept 17 at 9pm.

Brother Mike Cohen Saturday August 22, 2009 2:43pm NYC.

The Antagonist Begins

Greetings all of you fabulous antagonists. For those of you who are unaware of what this blog is about (even after reading the profile page, which I'm sure all of you have done), then below is the entire manifesto of the Antagonist Art Movement. Read on for further enlightenment, stay tuned for all of our events, reviews, rants, raves and pure trash-talk.

Manifesto of the Antagonist Movement

The Antagonist is one in whom potential is provoked to creative
emanation, emanation that, in turn, provokes both the creator and
those with whom it comes in contact, to further authentic creativity.
Thus a powerful cycle is unleashed upon the world, one which is fueled
by its own unstoppable spirit, drive, and dynamic energy.

The Antagonist defines him-or-herself as one in opposition to the
natural order on many fronts. If that is a crime, then the Antagonist
is the criminal of art, one at war with a number of enemies.

One persistent enemy is the ‘If” – “If he fails,” “If she succeeds,”
“If they are laughed at.” Contingencies must not matter and must not
be allowed to take hold of the artist’s mind. The Antagonist must
become deaf to their whimpering and have the courage to make art in
spite of it.

Another ever-present danger to the antagonist is the artist’s ego.
When self-aggrandizement enters the creative cycle as a significant
player, satisfying its appetite soon becomes an end in itself,
stultifying and deadening creativity, making it impotent and incapable
of provoking more creativity, thus threatening the very life of the
creative cycle.

Commercialism and opportunism are perhaps the most virulent enemies of
the Antagonist. The exploitation of the creative is not an Antagonist
objective in any sense. Such behavior does not provoke true creativity
because material reward soon becomes an end in itself, the creative
cycle is interrupted, and, deprived of its soul, languishes and dies.
Witness the dead art that floods the commercial markets. Antagonists
do battle against “commercialists,” the parasites of the art world. If
Antagonists sell their work for profit, they must never make art with
material reward in mind even if they seize upon their power to use the
system against itself when necessary.

Not only is the Antagonist one who opposes, but also one who provokes.
He or she is bound by a most sacred vow to bring forth creative
potential wherever it resides, whether in the human heart or in the
soul of non-human material. The Antagonist pledges to do what he or
she can to assist any artist, in any field of art, to engage in the
creative process, and to destroy obstacles to genuine free expression
everywhere. In like manner, the Antagonist will bring into the service
of art any resource, material, or tool which would perpetuate the
creative cycle as described above, whether authorized by social
convention or not, no matter how great the resistance to doing so.

The words set down above constitute a Manifesto of the Antagonist Movement.

Members of the Antagonist Movement hereby underwrite and pledge to
live and make art according the principles outlined herein and to
further these principles whenever possible in their own community and
in the world at large.

The Antagonist Art Movement consists of crazies from all walks of life who gather to create art. We run several shows in the East Village area:

Alphabet City Soup is our Monday night music show that runs every Monday and brings you the best of new music in the NYC area. We've had some foreigners play our show as well. It's free, coupled with $4 Mojito Night and if you are a band, or know a band who wants to play, contact Marissa at alphabetcitysoup@gmail.com.

Art Show night happens every Thursday and always has different artists showing off their goods. Everything is put up and taken down in just one evening (think guerilla museum exhibition!) and there have been thousands of artists who have already shown their stuff. If you are interested in showing your work, or know an artist who you think is great, contact Ethan at antagonistart@aol.com.

Writer's Night is for the linguistically gifted artists and takes place twice a month at two different venues. Each writer gets 5 minutes to show off their shit, whether it be poetry, short story, music, silence, whatever. We've found some famous people at this night, so contact us at antagonistart@aol.com if you wanna be next!

We all hope you enjoy what you read here and that you, in turn, realize the power of your art. Come support us at any of our shows and if you want to get involved just tell us! We love giving and receiving support. Thanks all.

-The Antagonist Art Movement