The Dikeou Collection is housed in a historic building in the heart of downtown Denver. Known as the Colorado Building, it was originally constructed in the early 1890s and served as a department store and later was converted into an office building with a diverse group of tenants. One of those tenants was Morris Jewelers, which could have likely occupied a suite on the 5th floor where Dikeou Collection is located because there is a large, walk-in safe which is now home to Simon Periton’s Radiant Anarchy Doily. Created in 1998, Radiant Anarchy Doily is a brilliant representation of Periton’s dexterous papercutting abilities and personal perspective on popular culture. Periton’s three Barbed Wire Target cut outs, exhibited just outside of the walk-in safe, again serve as a nod to the artist’s interest in the intersections between art, history, and popular culture. Beyond his intended references, Periton’s grouping of works at Dikeou Collection magnify the historic elements of the space where they exist and contribute to the already rich narrative of the Colorado Building and the artwork within.

Frieze Magazine featured Radiant Anarchy Doily on the cover of its 1998 September-October issue. Writer Michelle Grabner describes the work as “thin, beautiful and exact. The concentric rings of ‘A’s which comprise its doily pattern have as much revolutionary promise as a capital A inked out on the back of a teenager’s notebook, suggesting neither a spoof nor a call to arms.” The contrasting pink and black colors reaffirm this inherent contradiction within the anarchy symbol, as does the highly controlled pattern of the doily itself and its history as a feminine, domestic item. This work’s placement within the safe, symbolic of capitalism and monetary regulation, adds another layer to Pertion’s roguish dualism.

Barbed Wire Target I, III and IV allude to Jasper Johns’ seminal target paintings/assemblages from the mid-1950s. In her curatorial statement Devon Dikeou observes , that Periton “cleverly attacks the idea Johns addressed: formal space and color in terms of literal recognition (of the target as recognizable icon) and formal resolutions of space and color as one sees them. Periton’s iconographic use of Pop imagery, one that bespeaks a certain youth and culture, fuses image and space, whereas Johns meant to defuse it through the use of images that provoked no meaning.” Additionally, while a target is something to be aimed for, to be struck, and represents a specific goal, barbed wire is a defensive tool meant to prevent intrusion. The metallic foil from which these are made is shiny and attractive, and draw the viewer toward these symbols of danger and exclusion. In a sly curatorial quip, the targets are exhibited adjacent to Vik Muniz’ Milan: Last Supper, extending their symbolism into religious territory as they become references to Christ’s crown of thorns.

Periton’s astonishingly precise cut outs have earned him the title “punkish maestro of the scalpel,” and they were published for the first time anywhere in zingmagazine issue 12 . In his most recent exhibition at New Art Centre in Roche Court, UK, Periton created sculptural renditions of Radiant Anarchy Doily and the Barbed Wire Targets out of cardboard. By reconfiguring their structure and materiality, Periton continues to give new meaning to these works and the symbols upon which they are built.

-Hayley Richardson

Paramitcha being introduced by Director Hayley Richardson.

On Friday, June 24th we celebrated the start of summer with the fifteenth installment of our Fresh Jazz & Crisp Vinyl Series at Dikeou Pop-Up: Colfax. Isaac Linder warmed us up with a DJ set comprised of tracks from our extensive vinyl archive, and Paramitcha, a local quartet of young musicians, played a stellar live performance that highlighted the incredible diversity of the jazz genre. Over 60 people gathered at the pop-up, and they whooped, stomped, whistled, danced and clapped through the summer heat, matching the tone and beat of the vibrant rhythms.

The Fresh Jazz and Crisp Vinyl Series focuses on jazz musicians living and working today, whose names are not yet embossed into history, but whose energy, wisdom, well worn instruments, and presence in the jazz scene are further defining our admiration for the life form, Jazz music. Selections from the vinyl archive will thus serve as a remembrance to all the jazz greats who came before the jazz musicians invited to play at this bi-monthly series.

DJ Isaac Linder in action.

Isaac Linder is an artist, designer, guest curator at Dateline Gallery & contributing editor at *continent. His DJ set included a lot of technologically avant-garde jazz musicians and served as a nice precursor to Paramitcha, which experiments with mixing various jazz genres like gypsy swing and bluegrass. Through the music played from the vinyl archive and performed by the band, people can see and understand how jazz crosses all kinds of boundaries and expectations. The spontaneity of jazz and the urge to feel your way through a melody and a dance rhythm is special to the experimentation and trusting of one’s instinct, going away from the tight guidelines of most other genres.

Paramitcha and crowd.

“Paramitcha began in 2010 as an offshoot of the University of Colorado Denver’s longstanding traditional/Dixieland jazz ensemble, The Claimjumpers. Members of the band became infatuated with the music of Django Reinhardt and decided to start a side project to honor this timeless music. What began in the classroom, quickly spread to local venues. The band was even able participate in the Jazz en Vercors Festival in Villard de Lans, France in 2010. 2016 has seen a reemergence of the group, swinging harder than ever after years spent honing their individual skills. Their high energy, rhythmically driven set is sure to get the crowd out of their seat and, while rooted in tradition, appeals to music lovers of all generations. The ensemble includes Armando Lopez on saxophone and clarinet, Colin Clark on guitar/vox, Brant Williams on guitar, and Zach Antonio playing bass/vox.”1

Paramitcha and crowd.

During Paramitcha’s set, Armando Lopez would switch with ease between clarinet and saxophone. Guitarists Colin Clark and Brant Williams gave the band a multi-faceted strumming, drum-like beat and bassist Zach Antonio had an amazing bass solo in which the crowd couldn’t help but dance.

Watch a clip of Paramitcha’s performance here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I97JBqhEm48&t=2s

 -Madeliene Kattman 

Devon Dikeou’s installation Between The Acts (Virginia Woolf) consists of nine curtains that replicate the backdrop fabric of famous late night talk show hosts. The curtains vary in color, pattern, and texture, some classically elegant, like Jay Leno’s wine colored velvet, some striking and brash (Conan O’Brian’s metallic stars). The piece was originally shown at NADA art fair in 2014, with eight of the curtains installed in various “in between” locations throughout the fair. The ninth, Johnny Carson the ‘king of late night’ (blue, gold, pink and olive), wrapped Devon’s booth. The installation now resides in the basement at The Dikeou Collection’s Colfax Pop-Up location.

Devon Dikeou, BETWEEN THE ACTS (VIRGINIA WOOLF): JAY LENO, 2014 Ongoing, Variable dimensions

As objects, curtains imply both secrecy and adornment; from the luscious velour of a stage curtain that hides the unformed set of a play to the curtain at a movie rental shop that separates the under 18 crowd from the adult film section. The curtain is a symbol of separation, often covering and indicating the entrance to sacred places or objects. The veil of the temple of Jerusalem signifies the separation between humanity and faith and is torn at the crucifixion of Jesus. Like magical cloaks that bestow the wearer with supernatural powers and bridal veils that are lifted once wedding vows are spoken, the curtains of talk show hosts are aesthetic suggestions of individual cosmic importance, be it comedic or otherwise.

Devon Dikeou, BETWEEN THE ACTS (VIRGINIA WOOLF): CONAN O'BRIEN, 2014 Ongoing, Variable dimensions

As Devon notes in her artist statement, although there are female talk show hosts, there are no female talk show hosts that have curtains as a part of their stage backdrop. Thus there are no women represented in this piece, excepting its title. The title refers to the final and posthumously published novel Between the Acts by the modernist feminist novelist Virginia Woolf. The book centers on a historical pageant-play, which is being performed on the lawn of Pointz Hill, the country house of the family Oliver. As the title suggests, the story is not propelled by the plot of the performance, but rather the way in which the characters are revealed when the screens (or curtains) between inner dialogue and exterior action is broken.

Devon Dikeou, BETWEEN THE ACTS (VIRGINIA WOOLF): JOHNNY CARSON, 2014 Ongoing, Variable dimensions

Miss La Trobe, the theatrical delphic author and director of the pageant, places her actors amongst the trees. With their costumes strewn on the grass, the mystique of what the audience is usually forbidden from seeing is intermingled with the natural world. The play is performed without a curtain and thus the audience, both reader and character, feel as if a secret has been divulged to them. However, the curtain of a comedian or late night talk show host does not have such secrets to divulge. One might imagine finding a brick wall behind their curtains. The curtain of a talk show host contains all the suggested mystery of the symbol and none of the actual divinity. Devon Dikeou suggests with her piece that perhaps women talk show hosts know what Virginia Woolf knew, that to remove a curtain marks the penetration of a mystery.

-Liana Woodward

As a verb, “muse” is to consider something thoughtfully, an instance or period of reflection. As a noun a muse is, in most scenarios, a woman who is the catalyst of inspiration for a creative individual. Greek in its origin, The Muses were the nine daughter goddesses of Zeus and Mnemosyne who stirred creativity and enlightenment in literature, science, and the arts. Their powers have endured, dwelling within the souls of women and men alike throughout history and sparking the creative brilliance inside the artist with whom they attach themselves. The muse depicted in Juan Gomez’ Share series at Dikeou Collection is not your typical supple-bodied female with a come hither stare. She is intensely active and confidently aware of a voyeuristic presence in the midst of her sordid activities. Gomez’ muse contradicts the stereotypical attributes of traditional depictions of the subject, but she is still the embodiment of creative inspiration and artistic energy.

Created in 1997, the ten drawings that comprise Share originally appeared in issue 10 of zingmagazine . The muse features solo in five images. Whether it’s expressively posing with her hands and feet bound, or with a flower vase, or anticipating her next erotic maneuver, her fierce energy is palpable beneath her subdued exterior. In the additional five drawings, Gomez’ muse is hurled into a frenzy of sexual activity, where her body and that of her partner(s) coalesce into a carnal blur. Here Gomez’ dexterous handling of movement and form pulls the viewer in to look closer at each composition, teasing them to decipher the tangle of bodies.

Artists’ relationships with their muses are as varied as the artworks that result from them. Often the artist and the muse are romantically involved, either as husband and wife like Ada and Alex Katz, or as an extramarital affair like that of Marie-Thérèse Walter and Pablo Picasso. The muse is sometimes an artist as well, like Georgia O’Keeffe and Alfred Stieglitz and Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera. Naturally same-sex relationships exist in the artist/muse dynamic. Romaine Brooks painted numerous portraits of her partner Natalie Barney, and performance artist Leigh Bowery was the subject for some of Lucien Freud’s best paintings and influenced numerous other artists in various mediums like Boy George, Alexander McQueen, and Lady Gaga.

In the case of Gomez and his muse, the two were romantically involved. The intimate bond shared between them is evident in the muse’s openness with her body and in the artist’s bold, confident line work. Though explicit, the drawings are signifiers of trust and how meaningful relationships are maintained through a balance of light and dark.

On July 22, Dikeou Collection’s Video Dialogue Series will focus on Juan Gomez’

Share

series and explore the abject videos that exist on major platforms like Youtube and Vimeo, which are known for their strident terms of content. The screening will feature audience-generated content, so if you’d like to suggest a video for inclusion, email the link to dc.videodialogue@gmail.com.

- Hayley Richardson

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Joshua Abelow with his Call Me Abstract (Self Portrait at Age 36) grouping.

Joshua Abelow is a Maryland-born, New York-based artist who is represented by James Fuentes Gallery in Manhattan’s Lower East Side. Curating is an extension of his practice, and he has not only created spaces for himself to work and exhibit, but spaces that open doors to many other artists as well. Currently living in a defunct church in Harris, (a small town about two-hours drive north-west of Manhattan) Joshua has made a studio-living space for himself, as well as “Freddy,” his curatorial project space to exist in a permanent manner. Abelow received his BFA from the Rhode Island School of Design and his MFA from Cranbrook Academy of Art. We were fortunate to have his company last week for an event at Dikeou Collection and show him what the Front Range is all about.

Wednesday, May 25

Joshua Abelow calling himself in front of his Call Me Abstract (Self Portrait at Age 36) grouping.

After picking up Joshua from Denver International Airport, pointing out Luis Jiménez’ great blue mustang and all of the peaks visible from I-70, Dikeou Collection Director Hayley Richardson, Joshua and I went to eat a late-afternoon lunch in Denver’s Highlands neighborhood. Being a little nervous and only having one very tight parking space available, I was unable to parallel park, extending the time between parking and eating. Joshua promptly offered to park my car for me and in the most graceful fashion, swooping my car into this tiny space and expediting the relief of our hunger pains all while impressing us with his fine use of angles.

As this trip was Joshua’s first time to Colorado, we had to begin the sightseeing close to home and showed him around the Dikeou Collection, with the tour culminating within the room that houses his grouping of oil on burlap canvases, Call Me Abstract (Self Portrait at Age 36).

Thursday, May 26

Conversation at Dikeou Collection.

Joshua and Hayley kick off the conversation.

At noon, Hayley, Joshua and I all met at the Dikeou Pop-Up: Colfax. Showing Joshua around the space, we talked about his fellow Fuentes Gallery artist Lizzi Bougatsos’ work featured in the space, as well as works by Sarah Staton, Rainer Ganahl, Anicka Yi, and Devon Dikeou. After learning more about Joshua’s written work, we headed to Cap City Grill for a quick bite before going to Denver’s unique Clyfford Still Museum. After falling for Clyfford’s work all over again, we brought Joshua back to Devon’s loft for a brief rest before the event later that night.

On the way to the loft, Joshua says, “Wait! Pull over really quick!” As it turns out, he spotted fellow New York Fuentes artist Jonathan Allmaier and his wife and artist Maria Walker. Pulling the car over there was a lot of “Oh my god” and “What are you doing here” exchanged. Sitting in the middle of the street with my hazards blinking and cars patiently waiting behind me, I realize how small the U.S. art community is. Two people represented by a gallery with 19 artists on its roster can run into each other 1,800 miles away. Later in the evening, Jonathan and Maria joined us for the conversation and experience the collection.

We prepped for the event - put out food, set up chairs, mics, the whole sha-bang - and soon enough it was 6:30pm and time to let people into the collection. After mingling with Denver artists, curators, students, and app developers, the event began. The conversation covered so much of Joshua’s work, from his “art blog art blog” to his gallery spaces and of course his paintings, drawings and well maintained practice. For me, the most interesting topic was the documentation of his art blog. This documentation manifested as an independent art object, which included a flash drive, clever packaging and the ingenuity of creating a commodity object around a blog as something that is typically open and available to the public.

During the Q/A session a really great question was asked about an artist’s existence in social media and whether or not it is a requirement to be seen adequately in the art world. Joshua, running a long-running art blog and having a heavy Instagram presence, is a great artist to discuss this subject as he literally created an art object out of his social-media presence. His answer to this young woman’s question was that it helps an artist get more viewership of their work but it can also be self-deprecating. Because of his first hand experience with this dichotomy, he references this self-deprecation a lot in his work.

Installation view of Abelow’s Running Witch series.

Focus in the conversation was also drawn to Joshua’s Freddy character. Freddy takes the form of a running witch in most of Joshua’s current works. He explains his interest in Freddy as an idea that something can exist in your dreams and also pervade your everyday life, much like the internet and social media. Freddy is also a play on words for his hometown Frederick, a joke he and his sister share. There is a sort of magic in merging various times, spaces and realities which painting can do through existing in the gallery space, the internet, and digitally. This transitory magic also carries symbolism and metaphor, and he refers to its importance not only in the art world, but specifically painting.

Friday, May 27

Dikeou Collection Director Hayley Richardson and Joshua in a cabin up at Lake Echo.

Joshua in the renovated Georgetown schoolhouse.

As a reward for our successful evening, we decided to treat ourselves with a day in the Rockies. Our first destination was Red Rocks Amphitheater in the foothills of Morrison, Colorado. Once we parked and approached the entrance, we were told that one of the most unique music venues in the world is closed early for a concert… Our next attempt was Mt. Evans, which has an elevation of 14,265 feet (AKA a “fourteener), one of the few that is driveable to its summit. Again, we got about halfway up the mountain before closed gates informed us that the road was not yet accessible. Undeterred, we strolled around Echo Lake near the base of Mt. Evans, getting our altitude bearings before going back on I-70 and hitting Georgetown. By the time we reached Georgetown, the clouds parted and allowed for a nice walk around its historic neighborhood. It wasn’t long until we stumbled into a recently renovated schoolhouse which now serves as a cultural center for the town. Returning the building to its former glory, this remodel created a similar space to Joshua’s church, allowing for a cultural hub in a rural town. After meandering through Georgetown’s historic neighborhood, ooh-ing and ahh-ing at the late-nineteenth century houses, we returned to Denver, stopping through Golden to catch a whiff of the classic Coors scented hops in the air.

Saturday, May 28

Rockies game selfie. From left to right me (Madeliene), Denver Artist Derrick Velasquez, Hayley and Joshua.

Hayley and Joshua with Dinger at Coors field.

Joshua killing us at pool.

Good ole family fun was the theme of the day with pizza, baseball and pool. The Denver Rockies were sadly defeated by the San Francisco Giants at Coors Field, but it was still a perfect day to relax outdoors and enjoy America’s pastime. We later meandered to El Chapultepec, a nearby bar and Joshua proved to be quite the pool shark. Whether expressed through his art, parallel parking, or pool skills, Joshua knows his angles.

We would like to extend much gratitude to Joshua Abelow for coming to Denver and being a wonderful guest and, despite the altitude, accompanying us for a much-needed retreat to the mountains. Next time we hope he brings his adorable dog Georgia along for the journey.

Additionally we would like to thank Veronica Straight-Lingo for featuring Joshua Abelow and Hayley Richardson’s conversation on KGNU’s Metro Arts broadcast last Friday. The clip can be found here: http://www.kgnu.org/metroarts/5/27/2016. The segment on the Dikeou Collection and Joshua Abelow begins at 15:16.

Joshua’s website can be found here: http://www.joshuaabelow.com/

Come join us for more events this month!

Saturday, June 4 - Family Saturday Workshop: Paul Ramirez Jonas Sound Art Workshop at Dikeou Collection, 12-4pm

Thursday, June 16 - Video Dialogue: Rainer Ganahl at Dikeou Pop-Up: Colfax, 7-9pm

Friday, June 24 - Fresh Jazz & Crisp Vinyl Series with Paramitcha at Dikeou Pop-Up: Colfax, 7-10pm

-Madeliene Kattman