Yesterday, the New York Times published a review of the exhibition [St.] Raymond Pettibon[e]: 1978-1986 at Specific Object in Chelsea. The review and the press release sparked my interest though I was a little disappointed that I hadn’t picked up on this exhibition sooner because it closes September 26. Many of these early Raymond Pettibon graphic works were created for the punk band Black Flag as well as for Red Cross, The Minutemen, Nig Heist, and others. Over two hundred gig flyers, artists’ books, album covers, posters, t-shirts, stickers, skateboard decks, and the first five editioned prints by the Art21 artist chronicle a history of L.A. punk/hardcore between 1978 and 1986.
Though I usually find press releases mind-numbingly boring, Specific Object excerpts great quotes by Pettibon from a 1984 Los Angeles Times article titled, “Black Flag Cover is Pure Pettibon.” Here is one of my favorites:
“(My drawings) are violent,” Pettibon, 24, admits. “And that’s dictated by the medium, in that I just use one frame. You can’t tell a whole story with all kinds of exposition. It’s like taking one frame out of a movie or one crucial scene out of a book at a critical point. You can’t really be subtle.”
Make sure to see this show if you are in New York City. It is located at 601 West 26th Street and is open Monday through Friday. For those of you unable to catch the show, read more about Pettibon’s album covers on Paddy Johnson’s blog, Art Fag City.