Lowbrow Literati BLOG

Hi TC,

Fellow TC members and I started an art & culture blog named Lowbrow Literati (www.lowbrowliterati.com). We are dedicated in documenting the history and influences of the lowbrow art movement one artist at a time. Our first article is on Tim Biskup. This is part one of a seven part series. We're not asking fluff questions, but rather getting deep into the details on what their influences are. I bet you'll be surprised once you read all seven articles on Tim.

Of course it can't be lowbrow without the tiki culture, so we will cover lots of tiki events and cocktails. I'm in contact with a few TC artists at the moment who have agreed for an interview. I can't get into the details as of yet, but I promise that it will be interesting and worth your time reading it.

Since you guys are my main audience, are there any TC artists you would like me to cover? Please reply to the post or send me an email at

[email protected]

Any suggestions and comments are welcome. Check out our contributors page. You might recognize a TC name or two.

http://www.lowbrowliterati.com

"Burning Brushes and the Great Art Machine"

"Now that Tim has honed his natural talent and evolved it to his own personal style that defines him. The artist needs to connect to the collector, and the gallery is going to act as the middleman. Around 1997 he preceded to La Luz De Jesus gallery, which Shire owns and handed him a portfolio of his latest work. With his trademark raspy voice Shire calmly says, “It looks like Shag.” Bewildered Tim admits, “I’ve never heard of Shag before and was like…what?” So he immediately went online, Googled Shag and concedes, “I see what [Billy] sees.” At this point he gave up on finding a gallery and decided it wasn’t going to happen. Life is funny sometimes, because the minute you stop looking for something, that something present itself to you."

To read more please visit link:

http://www.lowbrowliterati.com/Lowbrow_Literati/Lowbrow_Literati/Entries/2012/5/31_Tim_Biskup_Part_3_-_Burning_Brushes_and_the_Great_Art_Machine.html

Tim Biskup Part 4 - Catharsis

"In 2006 his work became more serious –but even the word “serious” is an understatement. A more appropriate word is darker. His Berlin show, “Vapor,” contained really disturbing images of his trademark character Helper, who is normally cheery, with an axe and the words “Something is Wrong” painted in the background with blood red vermillion. He concedes that his impulse to paint this way was uncontrollable, “This is what my brain was going through, yet it was also a conscious decision to do work that represent what was visually going on inside.” He was going through psychological training and learning how to connect his emotional life with his art and declares, “This is what art school is suppose to teach people.”

To read full article click on link:

http://www.lowbrowliterati.com/Lowbrow_Literati/Lowbrow_Literati/Entries/2012/6/4_Entry_1.html

Heylownine, one of Tiki Central's own, wrote an article recapping Mojave Oasis 2012 for Lowbrow Literati (www.lowbrowliterati.com).

Please show your support and read his article series.

http://www.lowbrowliterati.com/Lowbrow_Literati/Lowbrow_Literati/Entries/2012/6/5_Mojave_Oasis_2012_Recap.html

Really enjoyed the piece about Tim Biskup. Have been a really big fan of his work. I can really see the Mary Blair / John Kricfalusi influence in his earlier work, but he still has that quirky, goofy edge that is both undefinable, yet uniquely HIS voice. Great job on the blog. And, oh yeah, Tim had his Helper character totally ripped off by Yo Gabba Gabba!

On 2012-06-06 11:44, quickiki wrote:
Really enjoyed the piece about Tim Biskup. Have been a really big fan of his work. I can really see the Mary Blair / John Kricfalusi influence in his earlier work, but he still has that quirky, goofy edge that is both undefinable, yet uniquely HIS voice. Great job on the blog. And, oh yeah, Tim had his Helper character totally ripped off by Yo Gabba Gabba!

Quickiki

Thanks for your support! The story on Tim only becomes more interesting, so stay tuned. Are there any artists (TC or not) that you would like us to interview?

Although there's been several articles about Mark Ryden and an extensive interview by Communication Arts (I think, it's been a long time since I read it), I think he's always interesting and might be nice to see an updated article.

Tim Biskup Part 5 - Critical Mass

"Tim summarizes the theory in plain English, “The control is in the hands of the people who talk about art and not the artists.” This explains why there are so many good artists out there that barely sell their work for hundreds of dollars, yet painting sell at auction for millions of dollars and you scratch your head asking, “My kid could paint that?”

To read the full article. Click on link:

http://www.lowbrowliterati.com/Lowbrow_Literati/Lowbrow_Literati/Entries/2012/6/8_Tim_Biskup_Part_5__Critical_Mass.html

On 2012-06-08 07:36, Pirate Steve wrote:
VERY Unique...

Sir...Private Steve...Sir

Thank you for the feedback. Your patronage is deeply appreciated. Please spread the word. We need all the help we can get. Just wait and see, we are more than just artist interviews and event recaps. We have another surprise for you guys.

Part 6 - When Success Hits the Sky was Falling

"With his newly found education Tim’s next show was titled, “Operating Systems” or O/S in Paris’ Addict Gallery on October 11, 2008. You may have forgotten, but this was an important week around the world. Lehman Brothers went bankrupt and was sold for 8 cents on the dollar on October 10th. As a result of Lehman’s bankruptcy, the stock markets of European nations began to crash on October 12th. Anecdotally, Tim tells me that not a single painting sold during that show, yet it was a successful art show."

To read full article click link:

http://www.lowbrowliterati.com/Lowbrow_Literati/Lowbrow_Literati/Entries/2012/6/11_Tim_Biskup_Part_6_-_When_Success_Hits_the_Sky_is_Falling.html

Tim Biskup Part 7 - There is no Art without Risk

This is the final installation for the Tim Biskup interview. Please enjoy.

"His most interesting and most daring work to date is his submission for the 25th Anniversary of La Luz De Jesus gallery in 2011 appropriately untitled. It is painted in his signature polygon style, which Tim has perfected, but to be delicate, it depicts two heterosexual couples engaged in a pubescent boy’s wet dream. This piece is not to be shown in polite company. Anecdotally, Tim admits that he had to conceal it form his 9-year old daughter whenever he worked on it. There were over 260 artists that participated in the event, and no one was talking anything else, but Tim’s piece. Warily he admits, “I can’t tell you how many people have commented on this painting.”

To read the full article please click link:

http://www.lowbrowliterati.com/Lowbrow_Literati/Lowbrow_Literati/Entries/2012/6/13_Tim_Biskup_Part_7__There_is_No_Art_without_Risk.html