At Trash Art Gallery this evening

The title of the show, “Switch, Pop, Boom, Box” is a descriptive mélange of the facets appearing in this multi disciplinary artisan show. The SWITCH paintings of Paul Kostabi, the POP culture influenced art of Scott Mitchell Putesky aka. Daisy Berkowitz and the BOOM BOX from the sonic sound collision Scott will be providing for an aural sculpture in the gallery this evening.

Both artists appearing at Trash Art Gallery this evening share a multidisciplinary love of art. Both Paul Kostabi and Scott Mitchell Putesky have had a passion for art beginning in childhood and big dreams and the talent to fulfill them. Both artist found fame rising to the top of the Rock ’n’ Roll world, Paul founding and performing in such bands as White Zombie, Psychotica, Youth Gone Mad, The Dee Dee Ramone Band and currently Damn Kids.

Scott founded and performed in Marilyn Manson and The Spooky Kids under the stage name Daisy Berkowitz as well as many other musical projects. Paul Kostabi is a seminal figure in the art world and continually garnishes critical acclaim and demand for his artworks internationally. Paul recently had an incredibly successful launch of his new brand of “BAD THINGS” in NYC where his artwork is appearing on various electronic device covers such as iPhones in retailers throughout the city. Scott Putesky is devoting more time than ever to his art and enthusiastically diving in head first into a foray back into the art world after a long musical hiatus.

Paul Kostabi

Paul is a critically acclaimed artist born in Whittier California on October 1, 1962. Currently residing in New York City, he is an artist, musician, music producer and audio engineer. He is the brother of artist Mark Kostabi. Paul Kostabi’s artworks are published, shown and collected worldwide in an incredibly long list of publications, galleries, institutions and museums that span the globe. His paintings are present in Permanent Collections of: The Guggenheim Museum, New York, The Whitney Museum of Art, Video, Paper Tiger Sessions, The Paterson Museum, New Jersey, The New England Museum of Art, Brooklyn, Connecticut, Millennium Museum, Museion Museum, Bozen, Italy, to name a few.

SWITCH: An on and off mechanism used to turn things on and off; a flexible rod, typically used for corporal punishment; a paintbrush? This series of new artworks by Paul Kostabi was inspired by the recent Super Storm Sandy, which devastated the North East. He watched the tide rise and the wind blowing on his SWITCH forest. Through all the havoc and anxiety of possibly losing everything, the SWITCH forest survived and possibly even thrived. Then he got the call from a neighbor stating that his Japanese Knot-weed trees were “blocking her view”. As he cut them down, one by one, he felt there had to be a further use for these beautiful weeds that had made a wonderful natural barrier. This inventive series of works, a departure from Paul’s signature figurative expressionism, use only SWITCHES, no traditional paint brushes, as we know them. Paul’s “SWITCHES” range from 20 feet to 2 feet long. He uses bamboo chutes to literally whip and strum the paint into place. Some by chance, some by careful manipulation of the SWITCH. He applies the first layer from 20 feet away, which is hard to control, providing a loose background that he later ties together with each additional layer using diminishing lengths of the SWITCHES. Paul says “There is a sort of Zen like action to the application and free flowing acrylic paint that hardens to a nearly flat surface after switching the first layer into a smooth texture ready for the second layer with a shorter switch. There is even a switch for the application of oil paint. Each painting has at least four layers some as many as twenty.” The process from start to finish can take days or even weeks to complete one painting. Paul acknowledges and admires the work of Brice Marden, as he created masterful twig paintings that are gentle and flowing, with a subdued monochromatic color scheme. Paul describes his recent SWITCH works as “Very colorful with enough contrast to be similarly compared to a colorized movie”, which he obtains by constantly photographing his images in black and white to see where color or contrast needs to be added or subtracted in order to get the well balanced final compositions you will view this evening.

Scott Mitchell Putesky (aka. Daisy Berkowitz)

Scott Mitchell was born in Los Angeles just before a certain eponymous cult darkened the Hollywood Hills with murders that shocked the world. Years after, the burgeoning performer and designer had desires to be Picasso, a TV star, and a circus ringmaster. He was actually a magician, puppeteer, painter, musician and stage actor… all by the age of twelve. And there was always the drawing. While music dominated Scott’s high school years (he was in three different bands), a teacher encouraged him to pursue graphic design. He went on to earn a degree in marketing and advertising art and after working in various print shops, he formed a bizarre little band called Marilyn Manson & the Spooky Kids that combined his passion for music and art. Scott coined the name Daisy Berkowitz for himself (the rest of the band members had similarly contrived names – combining a female screen star with that of a serial killer) and designed the band’s t-shirts, flyers and cassette liner art. He also wrote most of the group’s music – a high-concept low-tech skewering of American glamour, vice, hypocrisy and exploitation. Marilyn Manson (& the Spooky Kids) went on to change music and art the world over in the twilight of the 20th century. The maniacal fun of “The Spooky Kids” would become legend. Music is still a vigorous part of Scott Mitchell’s creative output.

Scott has been dedicating more time than ever to making new work and developing a style that is visually appealing while representing his own unique place in counter-culture. Scott resists, but doesn’t rail against, conventional parameters, he just chooses to ignore rather than expand boundaries in visual and aural art, drawing inspiration and influence from humor, darkness, passion, music, the 1980’s, mysticism, sex, pop culture, film, social dysfunction, Americana and science. His works this evening utilize vintage magazines, catalog extractions, personal photography and memorabilia, acrylic paint, colored pencil, paper, and board. Working in Mixed Media suits his broad range of influences and desires. His work is theme and conceptually based often with metaphors, messages and visual codes carefully placed within, typically with no delineation between pop culture and sub-culture. This is the future where everyone is famous for fifteen miles.

Also this evening, Scott will also be unveiling his first musical installation at Metropolis Collective, which comes after several years of consideration and several months of development. The aural installation utilizes four portable early 1990’s Sony CFD type stereos (boom boxes) with detachable speakers and CD players set against opposing walls of a gallery/space/interior. The speakers face the room’s center at right angles to each other. One of these models recorded many early Spooky Kids rehearsals. No processed reverberation or aural spatial effects are utilized in recording so the sounds can be heard reacting to their present physical surroundings – the listener’s space. The noises and instrument voices behave as any others would in the same environment. A soft assault on the ears, the “box” is actually the space the listener occupies.

The total program is a twenty-five minute loop of five five-minute segments with all notes in the key of C, Lydian scale, with a standard tuning of A = 440 and play out at a spectral tempo of 100 beats per minute without an obvious rhythmic pulse. A true eight independent channel conveyor of music and noise that seems chaotic at first but after moments you can hear them sing to each other as if across a street or through outer space. Scott says of his installation,“Pumping up the volume is not for break dancing, but it will make your psyche pop-and-lock.”

In the Hole In The Wall Art Gallery

Also this evening at Metropolis Collective is the “Multidisciplinary” group exhibit in the collective’s Hole In The Wall Art Gallery, which will feature the creations of multi disciplinary artists who are all performing musicians. Exhibiting artists include Dave Barr, Scott Mitchell Putesky (aka. Daisy Berkowitz), Christopher Millar (aka.Rat Scabies), Paul Kostabi, Joseph Arthur, John Carruthers, Dean Chooch Landy, Gaye Black, RT Vegas,Ducky Duke and Pat Sandman.

Performing live on The Stage Noir

Performing live this evening on the Collective’s Stage Noir is Central PA’s very own Ducky Duke and TheVintage. Matt ‘Ducky Duke’ states, ”My music is basically a rock’n’roll, bluesy country, soulful vibe with some pop infused. I think the songs put across a vintage sound coupled with a more modern approach and they really sum up everything that I am as a person and musician. Its just rock’n’roll done in my own way.” Ducky Duke and The Vintage is Ducky (Matt Schmohl) -Guitar/Vox, Greg Hildebrand- Guitar/keys, Micheal Tarrant- Bass, Logan Summey- Drums/Percussion.

About Metropolis Collective

Metropolis Collective is a contemporary eclectic fine art gallery and performance space run by a husband and wife team made up of Richard Reilly and Danielle Charette. Reilly is a former NYC native with 20 years of experience working with the prestigious Adelson Gallery, and professional Rock musician and founder of the seminal first wave NYC punk rock band The Victims amongst others. Charette is a Harrisburg native who resided in NYC for most of her life prior to returning to the area. She is an emerging contemporary expressionist artist who actively exhibits nationwide.

Metropolis Collective is home to the Trash Art Gallery, the Hole In The Wall Art Gallery, Danielle Charette Art, Rick-o-Chet Records and The Stage Noir. The collective exhibits an eclectic variety of contemporary fine art (photography, paintings, mixed media, printmaking, sculpture, installations and drawings) as well as hosting musical and artistic performances. The gallery represents the talents of many artists locally residing and non-native, emerging and internationally established. Based in Mechanicsburg Pa, Trash Art Gallery is located at 17 West Main Street, Mechanicsburg, PA 17055. Gallery hours are [Tues-Thurs 12-7, Fri-Sat 12-8pm and by appointment]. For more information, please call: (717) 458-8245, or visit our website: http://metropoliscollective.com/, Facebook:

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/www.facebook.com/MetropolisCollective

or email: info@metropoliscollective.com

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