Artists Space

Abasement #65

Concert
September 18, 2023, 7pm

Performances by Che Chen, Blacks' Myths, Marija Kovačević “Music for Broken Violins”, and Alex Zhang Hungtai & Bentley Anderson. DJ Caroline Snow. Visuals by Joe Stickney.

Magazine cutouts of faces printed in green ink, with red dots and accents, overlay a yellow and red printed background that has also been collaged together and drawn over with red and blue abstract lines. A block of black typewritten text on a white background is placed upside down in the bottom left of the image, and reads "ABASEMENT 65" and then the list of performers. On the right side of the image is text that reads the time and place of the event.
Flyer by Joe Frivaldi. [Magazine cutouts of faces printed in green ink, with red dots and accents, overlay a yellow and red printed background that has also been collaged together and drawn over with red and blue abstract lines. A block of black typewritten text on a white background is placed upside down in the bottom left of the image, and reads "ABASEMENT 65" and then the list of performers. On the right side of the image is text that reads the time and place of the event.]

Abasement is a monthly music series featuring four performances, a guest DJ, and a projectionist. Beginning in 2015 at Max Fish bar in New York's Lower East Side, the evening brings together artists and bands working in free improvisation, jazz, noise, minimalism, and experimental composition. When Max Fish permanently closed due to Covid, one of the few experimental music venues in Manhattan temporarily ceased to exist. Artists Space is pleased to continue hosting Abasement this summer.

A close-up color image of a musician playing the saxophone. Half of his face hidden by his hat. Orange and red projections cast onto him.
Abasement #65. Performance documentation, September 18, 2023, Artists Space. Photo: Joshua Wildman. [A close-up color image of a musician playing the saxophone. Half of his face hidden by his hat. Orange and red projections cast onto him.]
A close-up color image of a musician sitting on a chair playing an electric guitar in an unusual way. The guitar is laying on his legs and he is using a metal stick to play the chords. Blue and purple projections cast onto him.
Abasement #65. Performance documentation, September 18, 2023, Artists Space. Photo: Joshua Wildman. [A close-up color image of a musician sitting on a chair playing an electric guitar in an unusual way. The guitar is laying on his legs and he is using a metal stick to play the chords. Blue and purple projections cast onto him.]
Two musicians perform on stage. To the left, one of them sits on a chair with an electric guitar laying on his legs. To the right, a musician stands playing the saxophone. Rainbow lights are projected onto the stage.
Abasement #65. Performance documentation, September 18, 2023, Artists Space. Photo: Joshua Wildman. [Two musicians perform on stage. To the left, one of them sits on a chair with an electric guitar laying on his legs. To the right, a musician stands playing the saxophone. Rainbow lights are projected onto the stage.]
A close-up image of a musician sitting on the floor playing the violin. Three other violins lay on the stage before her.
Abasement #65. Performance documentation, September 18, 2023, Artists Space. Photo: Joshua Wildman. [A close-up image of a musician sitting on the floor playing the violin. Three other violins lay on the stage before her.]
A close-up image of a musician surrounded by three microphones is sitting on the floor playing the violin. Three other violins lay on the stage before her. Abstract images are projected onto the back.
Abasement #65. Performance documentation, September 18, 2023, Artists Space. Photo: Joshua Wildman. [A close-up image of a musician surrounded by three microphones is sitting on the floor playing the violin. Three other violins lay on the stage before her. Abstract images are projected onto the back.]
A color image of audience members sitting on the floor looking towards the stage. Blue light dots are projected onto them.
Abasement #65. Performance documentation, September 18, 2023, Artists Space. Photo: Joshua Wildman. [A color image of audience members sitting on the floor looking towards the stage. Blue light dots are projected onto them.]
Two figures musicians perform on stage. On the foreground, a figure is playing the drums. On the background sits a guitar player. Blue and red lights are projected on the back wall.
Abasement #65. Performance documentation, September 18, 2023, Artists Space. Photo: Joshua Wildman. [Two figures musicians perform on stage. On the foreground, a figure is playing the drums. On the background sits a guitar player. Blue and red lights are projected on the back wall.]
Two figures musicians perform on stage. On the left, a figure is playing the drums. On the right, a guitar player, sits on a chair. Blue and red lights are projected onto the stage.
Abasement #65. Performance documentation, September 18, 2023, Artists Space. Photo: Joshua Wildman. [Two figures musicians perform on stage. On the left, a figure is playing the drums. On the right, a guitar player, sits on a chair. Blue and red lights are projected onto the stage.]
A close-up icolor mage of a musician playing the guitar. Red light cast onto them. A disco ball hangs from the ceiling, projecting white dots onto the room.
Abasement #65. Performance documentation, September 18, 2023, Artists Space. Photo: Joshua Wildman. [A close-up icolor mage of a musician playing the guitar. Red light cast onto them. A disco ball hangs from the ceiling, projecting white dots onto the room.]
A figure performs on the stage. He is sitting on a chair playing a guitar. To the right, there is another chair with an amp on the seat. Nature images are projected onto the stage, and back wall.
Abasement #65. Performance documentation, September 18, 2023, Artists Space. Photo: Joshua Wildman. [A figure performs on the stage. He is sitting on a chair playing a guitar. To the right, there is another chair with an amp on the seat. Nature images are projected onto the stage, and back wall.]
A color image of a figure, seen from behind, performing on stage. The figure sits on a chair and plays the guitar, and the audience is on the background. Red, and purple light fills the room.
Abasement #65. Performance documentation, September 18, 2023, Artists Space. Photo: Joshua Wildman. [A color image of a figure, seen from behind, performing on stage. The figure sits on a chair and plays the guitar, and the audience is on the background. Red, and purple light fills the room.]

Che Chen has been an energetic presence in New York City’s experimental underground as an improviser, band leader and concert organizer since the early 2000s. Though best known as the guitarist and one of the founding members of 75 Dollar Bill, his other projects include ritualistic, site-specific solo performances, adhoc improvising units, and precisely tuned long form ensemble music. He also organizes the monthly concert series Fire Over Heaven at Outpost Artists Resources in Ridgewood.

Blacks' Myths is a duo from Washington DC and Brooklyn NY, comprised of Luke Stewart on bass and Warren G. "Trae" Crudup III on drums.

Serbian-born, New York City-based violinist Marija Kovačević works in classical, experimental, and improvisational music and theater. Her project "Music for Broken Violins" is an exploration of sonic textures with broken violins, bows, and their fragments. Beyond New York, the project has traveled internationally to Stari Grad, Croatia, Paris, France and Sun Tunnels, Utah. Selections from Volumes 1 and 2 of "Music for Broken Violins" were recently featured on BBC Radio 3's Freeness and Late Junction programs. The full length albums can be streamed and purchased on Bandcamp.

After retiring his project Dirty Beaches, Alex Zhang Hungtai has been focusing on explorations of improvised music, Free Jazz, and his new role as a composer. His recent compositions predominantly work with saxophone, synthesizers, and percussion, furthering his research on ritualistic music of liminality. Zhang currently works as a composer for film soundtracks, along with acting in independent films. He currently lives in New York City.

Bentley Anderson is a New York City based artist working in the realm of noise and experimental music. As a guitarist Anderson has developed a personal way of engaging with the instrument, using alternate tunings and prepared techniques to achieve resonant dissonances, abstract rhythms, and trance-like drones. His music focuses on a texture-based aesthetic that attempts to form a narrative expression with sound, and improvisation as composition. He also runs the cassette label Decontrol, where he releases his own music as well as others in the experimental scene of NYC.

Caroline Snow founded and runs Snow Gallery in NYC.

Abasement has been curated by Joseph Frivaldi and Robert Mayson since 2015.