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Artist Feature

Every week an artist is featured whose single image was published by Der Greif. The Feature shows the image in the original context of the series.

Joakim Almroth - Of Lymph Vessels and Artery Messes, 2013

Nov 05, 2014

all works: lambda prints, paper, 36 x 46 cm The unambiguous humanity of square and sharp offers me consolation in a world of disproportion, or should I say nature. When people use the saying 'don't be square' to imply boring, in theory I kind of wish we were, rather than organisms (or; disproportionate rectangles) of biological violence on a tiny sphere of collected mass. Depending on scale it's perfectly round due to our gravitational field, and I can't even begin to understand how that came to be, not to mention experience this circle first-hand. This is why I cherish small labyrinths of thought with sharp corners constructed of patterns and lines, even though they cut. Homage to Agnes Martin, Josef Albers, John Stezaker and many others.

Artist Blog

The blog of Der Greif is written entirely by the artists who have been invited to doing an Artist-Feature. Every week, we have a different author.

O + ( N x S ) + Cpm/T + He

Nov 13, 2014 - Joakim Almroth

Newspaper by Jonas Greve Handskemager (2012) For my last day I want to share a recipe of sorts – I sincerely hope no one's allergic. Thanks to Der Greif and the readers for having me! Love, Joakim

More than Violet

Nov 10, 2014 - Joakim Almroth

Julia Peirone (b. 1973) is a visual artist based in Stockholm. Peirone received her MFA from Konstfack in 2001 and has been exhibited all over Europe as well as in the US and Japan. Her series More than Violet (2010-2011) was published as a hardcover book in 2012, including text by Michael Famighetti and more related work. One series depict images of horizons painted with eyeshadows based on the girls' make-up and a series of hairbands. For more, please check out: www.juliapeirone.com

WITCHCRAFT and the Gay Counterculture

- Joakim Almroth

For my birthday I want to share information about the book WITCHCRAFT and the Gay Counterculture – published by professor Arthur Evans in 1978. The book has been given extended life by the feral death coven clandestinity's 2013 digitalization of it in PDF form. Google will lead you to it. The book is subtitled »A Radical View of Western Civilization and Some of the People it Has Tried to Destroy« and I guess that says a lot, but I'd still like to share part of the feral death coven clandestinity's introduction: "We should first make clear to the reader that this edition of Arthur Evan’s notorious Witchcraft and the Gay Counterculture is in every way an underground endeavor. We do not have permission from his estate to reproduce it, nor do we have any interest in such legal rights. The actual process of its reproduction has been an illicit affair each step of the way: the text was obtained, typeset, printed and bound by queer anarchists involved in underground publishing. We chose this approach for several reasons. Firstly, because this book means a great deal to us, and we want to recognize that significance through our methods. Secondly, because we have no respect for the laws and processes surrounding the ownership of texts. And lastly, because this book has become increasingly difficult to find, and we don’t believe the words within it should be the well-kept secrets of those collectors and academics who leave their tattered editions to rot on their shelves. Rather, we believe this book deserves a place within a queer canon against the civilized order." – the feral death coven clandestinity CONTENTS Introduction to the 2013 Edition Introduction to the 1978 Edition Joan of Arc: Transvestite and Heretic Who Were the Fairies? Homosexuality and Class Warfare Heretics: Women, Buggers and Free Spirits The Sacred Orgies of Witchcraft The Medieval Counterculture The Mass Murder of Women and Gay People Sex Magic in the Early Third World Sex Among the Zombies Magic and Revolution Appendix: Calendar of Events Bibliography

What Gender Construct Feels Like For A Girl (Madonna Cover)

Nov 09, 2014 - Joakim Almroth

Film by Maja Malou Lyse (2014) Related links: girlification.tumblr.com boothbitch.me

Thomas Moore – Poetry

Nov 08, 2014 - Joakim Almroth

mg class="alignnone wp-image-38913 size-full" src="http://dergreif-online.de/www/wp/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/IMG_9341.jpg" alt="Artwork by Michael Salerno" width="850" height="567" /> Prime/fake Some guy online tells me he’s dying Says it’s been fun but things have just Caught up with him and he’s looking for Someone to hang out with for his last Few days. He doesn’t say what’s killing Him or whether he’s killing himself But it’s clear that he’s sincere and whatever Is happening he’s convinced he’s going to die I ask him for his address and tell him That I’ll go over, not telling him is that Really I think I’ll be able learn something From being close to his death in some way That will make me feel deeper or more Aligned with the sort of work that I want To create that at present I just can’t make What he doesn’t tell me is that he’s in his Prime and somehow with all the fake Profiles and drugs that I use all of this Time I’ve simply been talking to myself

Studio visit

Makes my hand tremble and spill coffee over My lap. Sweating on the train to work, trying To figure out a way to forget about the nights Until the night feels like the only option again And until whatever we’re trying to do right Now starts to flash its eyes at us again like A webcam model smart enough to know When and who to talk to. I think about your Sweating smiling face in the club last night

Yeezus t-shirt She’s wearing a Yeezus t-shirt. A picture of a skeleton on its knees praying or begging, if there’s a difference. Tonight they feel the same although I couldn’t tell you what I mean by that. Everything I say feels hollow. If I didn’t have to speak or put things into words then all of this would be easier. There’s a truth at my core that feels so obvious but if I turn my attention towards it, it escapes from instantly and becomes almost laughably unobtainable. I can never describe anything that I feel properly. Behind her the city feels like it’s presenting itself or trying to distract me. She’s telling me something about somebody that I don’t know and I’m trying hard not to cry. Thomas Moore’s work has appeared in various publications in the UK, USA, France and Sweden. His first novel, 'A Certain Kind of Light', nominated for a LAMBDA award, was published by Rebel Satori Press. His novella, 'GRAVES' and two poetry collections, 'The Night Is An Empire and 'Skeleton Costumes', have been published by Kiddiepunk. He regularly writes nonfiction and criticism for TheFanzine. He lives in the UK. Related links: www.kiddiepunk.com www.thefanzine.com www.rebelsatoripress.com Above artwork by Michael Salerno (also known as Aspen Michael Taylor) www.michaelsalerno.net

GENERATOR

Nov 07, 2014 - Joakim Almroth

GENERATOR was made in 2013 by Malik Andersen and Toke Flyvholm. The film is meant to be experienced on full screen with high volume/bass. The film tells a non verbal story about a creature in a tiled room. Toke Flyvholm (b. 1983, Denmark) is a visual artist and musician based in Copenhagen. Graduate from The Jutland Art Academy in 2010. Malik Andersen (b. 1987, Denmark) is a visual artist and musician based in Copenhagen. Currently studying his BFA at The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts.

The Wild Boys

Nov 06, 2014 - Joakim Almroth

When the »wild boys« are mentioned, most people think of William S. Burroughs novel (The Wild Boys: A Book of the Dead, 1971), and I don't blame them - It's not just great but well-known and I recommend reading it if you haven't. But today, I would like to take you back to 1920/30s Berlin and actual wild boys in a series of documented photographs. Unfortunately in low resolution, but documentation is scarce. Wild boys were antisocial gangs of teenage boys involved in detailed initiation rites and ritualistic sex. They lived mainly on the proceeds of criminal activities such as prostitution and robbery. During the 20s, there were over 200 different gangs, isolated from the outside world. »Typically, a young initiate would be forced to box (or knife-fight) with the toughest member of the crew, be gang-raped while bound and gagged, ordered to masturbate publicly and then ejaculate on command, or act as a living commode for his drunken associates. Some newly-inducted boys were chosen by the Bulls as their ‘queens’ or designated shared ‘girlfriends’ for the pack. Most Wild Boys sported pirate-style earrings and garish tattoos. While the majority flaunted their ragtag, hobo garb, others paraded around in distinctive group costumes, like top hats and shabby tuxedoes, American trapper outfits, college graduates in mortarboards, or paper buffalo heads. The gang names alone testified to the influence of Karl May’s North American frontier novels and other staples of German pulp fiction: ›Fear No Death,‹ ›Indian Blood,‹ ›The Forest Pirates,‹ ›The Dirty Boys,‹ ›Red Apaches.‹« – »Voluptuous Panic: The Erotic World of Weimar Berlin« by Mel Gordon, which I recommend reading for more information on the Wild Boys and other documentation of german cults and rituals during the Weimar Republic.