PARAMITSHA
DADA
POETRY
DADA
POETRY
Over and over again, names, mottoes, watchwords have been turned inside out, and upside down, and hindside before, and sideways, by occurences out of the control of those who used the expression in their proper sense; and still, those who have sturdily held their ground, and insisted upon being heard, have in the end found that the period of misunderstanding and prejudice has been but the prelude to a wider inquiry and understanding.--Voltairine de Cleyre
Who is a Surrealist? Who is not? And who is to say who and who is not a surrealist? Neither silly nor simple, these questions are vital for anyone who wants to know the truth about surrealism. Critics who attempt to define the movement in aesthetic or literary terms, as a "style" or a "school," overlook the crucial fact that surrealism is a "community of ethical views.--Toyen
Perhaps the greatest danger threatening Surrealism today is the fact that because of its spread throughout the world, which was very sudden and rapid, the word found favor much faster than the idea. --André Breton
On one of those idle, weary nights which were quite numerous in the early days of surrealism - contrary to what is so often fancied in retrospect - the Exquisite Corpse was invented. One of us said, "Let's play 'leaflets.' It's a lot of fun." So we played the traditional game of "leaflets:" Mr. meets Mrs., he talks to her, and so forth. But that didn't last long. The game suddenly broadened. "Just write anything," said Prevert. On the very next turn, the Exquiste Corpse was born - under the pen of Prevert, precisely, for it was he who wrote the first words: The Exquisite Corpse, so well completed by will drink the new wine.
...Violent surprise provoked our admiration and sparked an insatiable passion for new images: images unimaginable by one brain alone - images borne of the involuntary, unconscious, and unpredictable combination of three or four heterogeneous minds. Others lapsed into excessive absurdity. And don't forget - the wastebasket had a role in all this.
...No doubt the participation of some of our great painters added a few jewels to the game. But real discovery was reserved for those who had no talent, for it offered them the possibility of creation and thereby opened, permanently, a door on the unknown. (Emphasis added)--Simone Kahn, one of the core group who kept the Bureau of Surrealist Research open in 1924-1925, married to André Breton 1921-1929.
Her reminiscences of the "Exquisite Corpse" game were written for the exhibition catalog, Le Cadavre exquis, son exaltation [The exquisite Corpse, Its Exaltation] (Milan, 1975). Translated from the French by Franklin Rosemont.
Dear Friend, ...But how after that, André Breton, can you invite me to participate in an exhibition, in an art gallery, hyper-chic, ultra-flourishing, loud, capitalistic ...and where all demonstration can only have now the stylized, limited, closed, fixed character of a tenative art. In a gallery one sells Paintings, only buys paintings...
...the objects on display are put in a box (in a coffin) or show-windows, in incubators, that's no longer life; all the snobs meet there like, alas! at the Orangerie they met before Van Gogh who deserved a much different night. For there is nothing that brings down to earth the cosmography, hydrography, the demography, the science of eclipses, of the equinoxes and the seasons as does a painting by Van Gogh. No, I can absolutely not participate in an exhibition, and especially in a gallery,... --About the 28th of February, 1947
Mike Welzenbach, Art Critic; Virginia Valentine, Surrealist; and William Newman, Chairman of Fine Arts, The Corcoran Museum, Washington, D.C. and painter extraordinaire, pictured during the first week of demonstrations (Artists Against Apartheid), early 1980s in the District of Columbia against the system of apartheid in the Republic of South Africa. Soon after this picture was taken we were handcuffed, arrested, driven to jail in a police wagon and thrown in a holding tank. Virginia's arresting officer, who was an African American, requested that his picture be taken with Virginia. Needless to say, the request was granted. The arrest records are permanent. Viva la révolution!
Early this month after driving eleven hours from St. Simons Island to Charlottesville, I returned to the Studio to seven weeks of mail and telephone calls, and a crashed mailbox (for over three days). I lost over one hundred e-mails, but unfortunately not the following (from an unnamed person since he has subsequently requested that I remove his name and link from my site, which I did gladly):
I need to ask you something that really bothers me! First, let me say: I am sickened by the art of death! I do not like people that celebrate the art of death and the art of battle! Oh, let us not forget: the art of warfare! Now that you know that about me, let me also fill you in on why I feel this way, and hold much contempt for the people that celebrate killing their fellow human, (only if it is sport), it is still very fucking sick and wrong! Battle and conflict has reaped such misery and suffering on man/woman and child, that to this very day, we all question the reason: why does man and woman kill? Valerie!, I loathe, (and I also really dislike) people that celebrate battle and war and conflict as sport! For example: Fencing! or how about Shooting?! or how about Archery?! I am sickened and disgusted by anyone that can participate in the "sport" of shooting a gun, or fencing! It is real fucking wrong and sick! It celebrates the death of our fellow man and woman! There is no beauty in it! There is no denying that! As a surrealist and as someone who really lives for peace, I hold contempt for any that engages in any of the "activities" let alone engages in it as sport! Blood is blood and when it it is spilled, it is horrible! So, can I ask you Valerie? IS THIS YOU?* I freaked out when I seen [sic] this and I just hope that this is not the peaceful surrealist artist that is Valerie Valentine Coles! Please tell me that is not you!? I am pleading with our earth mother god that this is not Valerie Valentine Coles from Studio Valentine! I cannot stop crying and I hope and pray that this is not you! Please tell me that this is not you! Please!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
*One day a friend called me and asked if I would do a local Democrat, George Loper, a favor...he needed a fencer for a tongue-in-cheek project "Sportsmen and Sportswomen for Mark Warner" on his site. I explained to Mr. Loper that I was neither Democrat nor Republican and before I could expound he said "I know, you're a surrealist." Well that sealed the deal. Check it out!
First, Dude, get a grip..., and my name is VIRGINIA.
Second, apparently you have not scrolled down very far on this page for the above photograph has been published since January 1, 2001. I have never killed anyone nor do I plan to; probably won't have to either. Too bad you cannot interview the two muggers in Washington, D.C. who attacked me, or a would-be rapist in the hallway of my studio in San Francisco, California, or the would-be who knows what attempting to crawl in my bedroom window, location classified. Coulda killed 'em, but didn't. They knew that and were quite satisfied I am sure with the major injuries inflicted upon their psyches...'cause they coulda been DEAD. Wimp city, dude; they ran and crawled away when they realized they could suffer injury. SURPRISE! That sweet, gentle, peaceloving little surrealist can defend herself. Generally, when a man protests a woman's expertise in the martial arts and self defense, and spefically compares such to celebrating killing their fellow humans, loving war, and implicitly aggression, it indicates low self-esteem and fear of something inside himself. En Guard dudes, you do not want to meet me in a dark alley with anything but respect, love and peace on your minds!
Third, and most important, it appears the author of the above attack has not read his surrealist history, or if he has is deep in misconception. Where is the contradiction? Martial artists cannot be surrealists? As we know, Guilluame Apollinaire, Jacques Vaché and DaDa Max Ernst all served in the armed forces during World War I. Apollinaire, who was the inventor of the word "surrealism," volunteered in the French army; wounded on the front in 1916, he returned to Paris to resume his role as leader, herald, sponsor and commentator of the revolution of the arts. André Breton himself was a medical attendant in a military hospital in Nantes where in 1915 he met Jacques Vaché who had suffered a minor wound. Breton emphasized in his writings and verbally the influence Vaché had on the development of his own career as a surrealist. Between 1909 and the onset of the war, Ernst became thoroughly conversant with the latest developments in the European avant-garde. He served in the German army as an artillery engineer. Wounded twice he managed to continue producing paintings some of which were exhibited in 1916 at the gallery Der Sturm. I cite this ancient surrealist history not as an advocate of war, quite the opposite, but as evidence of the argument's flaws. In view of some of this individual's pro-war posts in cyberspace, I believe he, as my father used to say, "speaks with a forked tongue."
The quiver/fan graphic used on this page as a divider is taken from the leather cover of EVENTAIL, Dix Gravures de Marie Laurencin Accompagnees de Poisies Nouvelles de André Breton, Max Jacob, A. Salmon, Louis Codet, Jean Pellerin...... Paris, Nouvelle Ruvue Francaise, 1922.
Comment, 09/08/02:A couple of months ago I noticed that I had been blown out of the now Surreal site but thought "never mind" inasmuch as I have been blackballed, blown up and away, kicked to the curb for the duration of my artistic life (like the time I was invited to show on the old Pablo-Weisz Carrington site and then was told that the WEBMASTER thought the NUDITY on my site was inappropriate and was booted even before I got started...oh, well). Thought I had gained disfavour at NowSurreal because I did not respond to the offer to hawk my wares on the site, you know, tee shirts, mugs, mousepads, nude calendar of myself from 1969, and the like. Discovered today that I am in excellent company... Xtian, Hannah, Derek and Zazie. ZAZIE?!! For the time being will leave the link above as is just because the Forum is hot with surrealist dialectic. Imagist Avatar's comments are hilarious..."F*** me, f*** you, f*** us I feel! More f***ing is needed here (wish some one would f*** me!)" It gets better as he expounds further..."I've just used the f*** word big and cleaver (sic) man I am!" Back here in C'Ville the F word is used extensively by young sirs who have not yet put razor to face and Yahoos who have consumed cases of beer during UVA football games. We've all used it succinctly, certainly Bukowski used it well to the very end. The manner RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE is presently using it is as language/culture. However, "wish some one would f*** me" is neither poetic or surrealist; sounds like the Forum has become a chat room for frustrated maledroits. Hope you get laid soon imagist Avatar! DaliAli
Comment, 01/19/03:YO, Zippy, looks like we're in the middle of another surrealist smackdown, scroll down...controversy is integral, dialectics rule...and by the way, count on being published when you mail me, without notice and/or permission...dream on everybody...
The following is a fine piece of Surrealist writing by Xtian titled "Ian - My Last Words to You" e-mailed to me on September 9, 2002:
Nowsurreal Oberfuhrer Ian,
Seems you're keen on recieving e-mails, as you keep pointing out to ex-nowsurreal members:
"Your failure to contact me directly clearly exhibits your lack of sincerity..."
Well, I'd rather not be labelled insincere by you, because dagnabbit, you being the King of Honesty, your opinion of me is most important to my well-being!
So, here I am, direct and sincere. Deal with it.
1. You have, time and again pointed out there is no censorship on the forum. You have, time and again, pointed out it is open to anyone, to say what they will. Then you i) banned Freels; ii) deleted postings regarding September 11; iii) changed message headings; iv) DELETED ENTIRE SECTIONS OF THE FORUM, AS WELL AS MEMBERS!!!!!! Liar.
2. You claim to take no sides and to be an objective modertor. Yet you refused to reprimand David/Imagist for his abusive and provocative imbecilic behaviour (and yes, this can be done objectively), whilst attacking Freels and Torch. Liar
3. You claim Hannah and myself use(d) nowsurreal to advertise our projects (eg: Brand X), and for nothing else. Since you have deleted every single post of ours, we can't prove that: i) we started many [intelligent] discussions/debates; ii) we started several collaborations with nowsurreal members; iii) we started and participated in interactive fictions; iv) we initiated games; v) we hung out for general chit-chat. Liar
4. I don't give a rat's arse for you deleting my posts, in fact I'm still laughing at yor petty power-trip (were you bullied in the playground?). However, I am disgusted to my marrow at your rude treatment of Derek, the only guy on the forum who's treated EVERYONE nicely, But of course you'll deny this because you're a Liar
5. You made up allegations concerning Zazie and Hannah, none of which were proven by you or anyone else, in fact, when challenged to prove it, you either resorted to mind games, changed the subject, or just plain ignored the requests. Liar
6. You claim Hannah and myself played mind games. When asked for proof, you showed none - because there wasn't any, for we have done no such thing.. Liar
7. You claim nowsurreal is a surrealist site. Nonetheless, every single time a surrealist opinion is expressed, that opinion is attacked and denounced - by you [and others I need not mention].Liar
Seven is, traditionally speaking, a magical number Ian. I have caught you lying seven times. Not just fibbing, but either completely distorting the truth, or fabricating it. My nice side says I should give you the right of reply, however, your recent actions and cold, insincere replies to others querying the situation has shown that this is not necessary. Your tank is rolling through the truth, and look out those who step in the way!
Speaking of... in your endless pursuit of truth, you have "forgotten" to tell the others members of nowsurreal of just what did happen to our postings/artwork/members! Surely you're not hiding the truth from them, hoping no-one will notice the new-look "Swiss Cheese nowsurreal?" Or are you a Liar
Not only have you shredded postings, you hav severed friendships, you have smeared your own site with lies and obscenities, you have turned it into a hotbed of pestilent filth-mongers, where deceit, contempt, derision and hate breed like maggots in shit.
Frankly, you have made your bed, now get ready for the bedbugs. This is not a threat, merely a promise: your actions, ironically WILL enter surrealist history, albeit as a bitter example of he effect of the tapeworm in the guts of surrealism. Parasites are not welcome Ian, one gets rid of them.
There will be reprisals.
The mutilated carcass of nowsurreal, complete with your Unholy Trinity ready to shred anything resembling human will decompose - you shouldn't have dealth the deathblow. You should have wormed instead.
(I daresay the site resembles Imagist these days: a decaying, dying, bitter thing, drained of all humnity. Kiss him 'hello' for me, he is most endearing.)
And before I go, I will ask he question I posted in the guest book (before you removed it that is):
ARE THERE ANY LIVING SURREALISTS ON THE FORUM?
Surprisingly calm and laughing at your stupidity,
Xtian, Surrealist
