Joe Waks

Greetings Race Fans and Hot Rodders —

I hope all is dandy with you we each of us desperately seeks to shed that pesky layer of winter fat in preparation for Speedo season.

I am super duper elated to report to you that I will be making my New York City solo show debut in just a few short weeks!  Please join me for the opening reception of JOE WAKS - ABSURD WORLD at the hippest, most happenin’ new gallery in all of Gotham, S & J PROJECT(s).  I will be exhibiting a generous number of my infamous Neo Socio Absurdist paintings, including several brand spankin’ new works.  It’s gonna be a blast, so throw on a pair of clean undies and come on out!  As always, I offer my sincere gratitude to those of you who take the time to read these ridiculous missives, to the folks who make the effort to attend my shows and to my patrons who support my nasty art habit.  

Thank you!  Here’s the deets:

What: JOE WAKS - ABSURD WORLD

When: Friday May 31, 2013

6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

Show runs until Sunday June 30, 2013

Where: S & J PROJECT(s), 191 Henry St. (Lower East Side), NY, 10002

S & J PROJECT(s) hours of operation:

Wednesday to Saturday - 11:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Sunday - 11:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Hours also by Appointment

Let Us Know Your Goin’

Hello harlots, charlatans and all others of low moral standing —

It’s been quite some time since I have sent you an electronic missive from Waks World HQ.  I’ve missed you so much, (insert name here)! 

 Although I haven’t recently pestered you with self-serving e-mails detailing my artistic exploits, I have been quite busy crankin’ out paintings and prints with Soviet-style efficiency, doin’ my college best to titillate and offend both serfs and royalty alike.  My practice has been steadily growing, and I am über excited for what the future holds.  In that spirit, I have two shows comin’ up.  Here are the deets:

1)  PCNJ EDITIONS:  Print Matters!

Opening Reception - Saturday, February 23, 2013, 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.

Gallery Aferro

73 Market Street

Newark, New Jersey 07102

www.aferro.org

The show runs from Saturday, February 21 through Saturday, March 30, 2012.

Last year, I was fortunate enough to do a fellowship at the Printmaking Center of New Jersey (PCNJ), along with three other super duper talented artists, Ibrahim A. Ahmed III, Diana Gonzalez Gandolfi and Joe Ciardiello.  This show, which was originally exhibited at PCNJ, moves to Newark’s wonderful Gallery Aferro and features the silkscreen print, entitled ” Buy now! .today!,” I created with Master Printer Randy Hemminghaus, as well as a dozen other pieces in the grand tradition of Waksian Kwaliteé®.

2)  Solo(s) Project House at Fountain Art Fair NYC

Friday, March 8 through Sunday, March 10, 2013

69th Regiment Armory, Lexington Avenue & 25th Street

New York, New York 10010

http://www.fountainartfair.com/

Hours of operation:

Friday, March 8:  12:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. - VIP/Press Preview

Friday, March 8:  7:00 p.m. to 12:00 a.m. - Opening Night Reception (21+)

Saturday, March 9:  12:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. - Open to the public

Saturday, March 9:  7:00 p.m. to 12:00 a.m. - Saturday Night Event (21+)

Sunday, March 10:  12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. - Open to the public

This is the second year that I will be showing at Fountain NYC with Newark’s premiere commercial gallery, Solo(s) Project House, which is a terrific institution that has be very supportive of me and my work.  Fountain NYC is part of NY Art Week and if you didn’t get a chance to come on down last year, make the effort this year, because Fountain features more that 60 international avant garde galleries and a lot of krazeé shit goes on there!  Plus I will have three - that’s right three - new paintings proudly hanging in the Solo(s) Project House booth.   

Well, that’s enough blather for now.  As always, thank you for your past and future patronage!

— J.W.

Joe Waks

Painter - Bon Vivant - Provocateur

Come check out this nifty show at Seton Hall’s Walsh Gallery. (It’s a great space.) There’s some great work, including a heapin’ helpin’ of my world famous McLandscape® paintings. The opening reception is Thursday, January 26, from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. The show runs from Monday January 17 through February 17, 2012, if you can’t make it to the opening wing ding.

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Hey Peoples,

I hope y’all are doin’ peachy as we cruise toward Thanksgiving, (more) krazee Republican presidential debates and the angelic tone of 15 horsepower gas-powered leaf blowers. 

It’s been a while since I have communicated with you regarding my creative endeavors. 2010 and 2011 have been my best artistic years ever — I had my first commission (from a very large advertising/marketing firm) and I had two successful solo shows in Newark.  I sincerely thank all of you (and there were many) who came to check ‘em out and those of you who took the plunge and purchased your very own “Waks.”

Since February, 2011, I have been making new works for this upcoming show — New Works by Joe Waks: The Neo Socio Absurdist Series. The Slingluff Galley is a wonderful space and was voted best gallery in Philly two years running. I am truly excited about showing in America’s fifth largest municipality.  Many of you, particularly my pals from the political realm, have been urging me for years to have a show somewhere south of I-195, so now you are getting’ your wish.  For all of you in the Greater Newark-Jersey City-Bayonne Metroplex, please know that the City of Brotherly Love is less than a 90 minute drive down the good ol’ New Jersey Turnpike, so I don’t wanna hear any lame-ass excuses. 

I am not one to toot my own horn, but I feel confident in sayin’ that this is gonna be a really super duper kool show. You are probably asking yourself, “What the hell is the Neo Socio Absurdist Series? I am not really sure what that means, but it sounds sufficiently artsy-farsty and confusing, so I am runnin’ with it.

Anyways, as always, thank you very much for takin’ the time to read this missive and for your support and encouragement. I hope to see you on Saturday, 12/10 from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. at the Slingluff Gallery in Philadelphia. And if you can’t make it on 12/10, the show will be up until 12/31/11!

— J.W.

Joe Waks

Painter - Bon Vivant - Provocateur

Opening Reception - New Works by Joe Waks: The Neo Socio Absurdist Series

Saturday, December 10, 2011 · 6:00pm - 9:00pm

The Slingluff Gallery
11 W. Girard Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19123

Hey Peoples —

I hope y’all are doin’ peachy as we cruise into the season of playoff baseball, krazee Republican presidential debates and special autumn menus featuring innumerable dishes made with god-awful butternut squash. 

It’s been a while since I have communicated with you regarding my creative endeavors. 2010 was my best artistic year ever - I had my first commission (from a very large advertising/marketing firm) and I had two successful solo shows in Newark. I sincerely thank all of you (and there were many) who came to check ‘em out and those of you who took the plunge and purchased your very own “Waks.” 

Since February, 2011, I have been making new works for this upcoming show. The Slingluff Galley is a wonderful space and was voted best gallery in Philly two years running. I am truly excited about showing in America’s fifth largest municipality. Many of you, particularly my pals from the political realm, have been urging me for years to have a show somewhere south of I-195, so now you are getting’ your wish. For all of you in the Greater Newark-Jersey City-Bayonne Metroplex, please know that the City of Brotherly Love is less than a 90 minute drive down the good ol’ New Jersey Turnpike, so I don’t wanna hear any lame-ass excuses. 

I am not one to toot my own horn, but I feel confident in sayin’ that this is gonna be a really super duper kool show. I will be displaying 12 brandy-dandy new paintings in the Neo Socio Absurdist genre. (I am not really sure what that means, but it sounds sufficiently artsy-farsty and confusing, so I am runnin’ with it.)

Anyways, as always, thank you very much for takin’ the time to read this missive and for your support and encouragement.

— J.W.

Opening Reception

December 10th, 2010
7:00pm - 11:00pm
Index Art Center, Newark, NJ 

McLandscapes® embody the commodification of food and art and reflect the monotony of the global landscape.    A Big Mac tastes the same whether you bite into it in Kalamazoo or Katmandu, Poughkeepsie or Paris, Seattle or São Paulo. This fodder is sustenance for the masses, but is it nourishing in any sense of the word?    The “starving artist” paintings which serve an integral role in McLandscapes® can be seen in innumerable motel rooms, funeral homes, or on the wall in Aunt Muriel’s foyer. These canvases allow Mr. and Mrs. America to transform their home into their own little slice of the Louvre, yet what meaning do such works imbue in the viewer?    You can barely throw a stone without hitting the Golden Arches. Drive down a country highway, walk through a busy urban thoroughfare or visit an exotic port of call and you will see the shining marquee. Is this comforting or menacing?    McLandscapes® seek to elicit these thoughts, if not answer the questions posed above.

May 1st, 2010

joewaks.com presents: 
A Kwalité Retrospective 
(#@$& OLD AND NEW)

J.W.’s new solo show!

Hey there Friend and/or Art Enthusiast!

Hope all is dandy as we get ready give thanks for all the swell stuff going on in our lives.

I’ve received a number of (valid) complaints that recently I have been “Last Minute Charlie” when it comes to letting y’all know about my shows. True ‘nuff. Between workin’, makin’ art and grooming my Chia Pet®, it seems that I don’t get around to sending out those handy electronic missives on a timely basis. I was planning on sending out this message last week, but had to rearrange my sock drawer, so you’re not getting this alert until now.

Anyway, I am happy to tell you that I will be having a new solo gig entitled “Jersey Royale” and I’m kinda giddy about it. It will feature a couple of works you may have seen and a bunch of new ones that are sure to become fan faves. So, c’mon on down. It’s gonna be a ton o’ fun and it’s at a nifty, cozy establishment in Jersey City — White Star Bar — so if you are thirsty, you can wet your whistle whilst treating your eyes to an optical feast. You know how salty art can be.

Here’s the info:
What: JERSEY ROYALE by Joe Waks
Where: White Star Bar
230 Brunswick Street
Jersey City New Jersey 07302

When: Opening Reception
Saturday, November 21st
8:00 p.m - till ?

If you can’t make it, the show will be up for a while.
As always, thank you all for your support, encouragement and patronage.
Hope to see you there! À bientôt! — J.W.

Before I get to the meat of the matter, I just want to thank everyone (you know who you are) who made it to the recent star-studded opening of “7th Inning Stretch” at Index Arts in Newark. The response to the show (and my new piece) was terrific and the Pabst Blue Ribbon was flowin’ freely. The show runs until Friday, July 31st so check it out if you can.

Well, as annoyingly bombastic “Voice of the Yankees” John Sterling would say, I have another show “back-to-back and belly-to-belly” coming up real soon — like this Saturday!

Here’s the info:
What: Aljira Emerge 10 Exhibition
Where: Aljira - A Center for Contemporary Art
591 Broad Street
Newark, New Jersey 07102-4403
When: Opening Reception
Saturday, July 25
2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

The show runs from July 25 through September 26, 2009

Aljira is a preeminent arts institution in Newark and the State of New Jersey and is celebrating 25 years of serving visual artists and the community at-large. The Emerge program gives working artists the business and practical skills necessary to take the “starving” out of the term “starving artist.” I was fortunate to participate in Emerge last summer and part of the program entails and exhibition by the participants. My Emerge colleagues are an extremely talented lot and you will be wowed by their work. 
I have two provocative works in the show, including a brandy-dandy new painting — my largest piece ever — entitled “Anatomy of a Flag.” As always, thanks for all of your support and encouragement — couldn’t do it without you.

Gallery Aferro
June 20th, 2009 7-10PM

“Hellooooo Wallington!!!!” Come one, come all! J.W.’s been in the lab brewin’ up some new work. He’s got a new piece in this expansive group show/auction to benefit Gallery Aferro — a bedrock institution of the Newark art scene. 
If you like Joe’s more politically-tinged works, or if you are a Ronald Reagan or Jack Daniel’s enthusiast, you’re gonna want to put the pedal to the metal, get over to Aferro and snap up this masterpiece.”

Lloyd Lindsay Young
Former WWOR Channel 9 Weatherman

The very first Aferro Benefit
For one night only unique artworks by emerging and established artists are available for sale at prices that will enlarge or establish your collection. Delight a friend or colleague with the gift of artwork.

Gallery Aferro is located at 73 Market St in Newark, NJ.

Arts Guild of Rahway “From the Garden of Earthly Delights”

As featured in NEW JERSEY LIFE MAGAZINE on January 19th, 2009

I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry at Birth Control, one of five works by Joe Waks. Suffice it to say that the name suits the unopened but, ahem, altered packages of Marshmallow Peep Bunnies in all their pastel glory.

Written by Pat Tanner on January 19th, 2009

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City Without Walls, Newark, NJ

As featured in NEW YORK TIMES on December 9, 2007

There are a handful of standouts among the many paintings. Joe Waks hunts down amateur landscape paintings in thrift stores, junk shops and yard sales, then paints McDonald’s restaurant signs into them. Finally, he stamps them with his name, claiming them as his own. The paintings are hideous, but the idea is genuinely intriguing.

Written by Benjamin Genocchio on December 9, 2007

Read The Full Article or download a PDF.

City Without Walls, Newark, NJ

As featured in STAR LEDGER on November 29, 2007

Among contemporary art strategies, Bayonne’s Joe Waks stands out. Waks takes small accent pictures — the kind folks hang in powder rooms, little pictures with frames you can buy at Kmart that show alpine meadows or sunny Southern landscapes, most of them mass-produced in China — and paints little mementos of modern America into them, like a McDonald’s Golden Arches rising out of the forest background.

Written by Dan Bischoff on Friday, November 29, 2007

Read The Full Article or download a PDF.