Joseph Allen

Joseph Allen is jack-of-all-trades who hopes only to be reasonably-good-at-just-one before the time he becomes flower fertiliser. Always fascinated by the phrase 'mixed business' used by many Sydney convenience stores, Joseph Allen adopted this phrase as an umbrella term for his unrestricted commercial art making. In the last decade Joseph has spent most of his time in London designing skateboarding periodicals and record sleeves. Now back in his birth town, Sydney, he has established Izrock Mixed Business as an (in)convenience store for general art tom foolery. Currently his main focuses are being the gallerist at Monster Children Gallery, other curatorial work and running Izrock Pressings, a platform for independent small run artist books, zines and editioned art prints. (Portrait by Rhys Lee.)

Website — http://izrock.com

Latest Posts

Amanda Maxwell Reading Saturday the 23rd May

May 17th 09, 1:06

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Samuel Hodge Book now available for pre-order

May 17th 09, 1:02

Pretty Telling I Suppose
Samuel Hodge

Available from the irrepressible RAIN OFF BOOKS
There is a forward by GERT JONKERS from FANTASTIC MAN and BUTT.

It’ll be hard cover and cloth bound
72 pages
20.3 x 26.6 cm

http://www.rainoffbooks.com/news.html
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Cafe Legs wit curiosities curated by Aaron Rose

May 15th 09, 19:59

11-6 4157 NORMAL AVE (corner of virgil) LOS ANGELES, CA. 90029
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Our Spot Pop Up Store in Darlinghurst

May 14th 09, 22:03

I realise this may be old news to most as the store has been open for two weeks now but I keep forgetting to post it.

Get up there. I know I have been!

Our Spot is pleased to announce a ‘pop up’ store from Friday 1st May until Saturday 30th May.

Located at 114 Burton Street Darlinghurst (entrance on Darley Street) between Forbes and Darlinghurst Road.

The store will feature current Season Nom De Guerre, Rittenhouse, United Bamboo, Common Projects, James Cameron, YMC and Rachel Comey footwear.

Open Monday through to Friday 12pm – 6pm and Saturdays 11am – 5pm.
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Rocket Time

May 14th 09, 20:10

I am involved in Luca Ionescu’s new project that opens tonight.
Come on Down!!!!

‘Record Time’
24 Local and International Artists, Designers and Typographers explore the notion of time by laser etching and cutting their art on vinyl records.

Featured Artists:

ALIFE
ANDREW VAN DER WESTHUYZEN
ARBITO
ALEX TROCHUTT
ANDY HOWELL
BIGFOOT
BEN BROWN
CODY HUDSON
DAN FUNDERBURGH
DEB
ERIC ELMS
JEREMY HOLLISTER
JOSEPH ALLEN
JEREMYVILLE
JONATHAN ZAWADA
KID ACNE
KELVIN HO
LUCA IONESCU
MATT FRENCH
MICHAEL C PLACE
MICHAEL LEON
MAROK
PHIBS
TILT
TODD BRATRUD

7PM FRIDAY 15TH MAY

PALMER PROJECTS GALLEY
2/238 PALMER STREET, DARLINGHURST

A special thank you to MODULAR RECORDS for supplying the blank records!
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SlamX on SlamX – A trip to Auckland

May 11th 09, 1:29

Took a flight to Auckland this week.

I watched The Last Waltz on the plane. It was interviews and footage of The Band and their last gig by Scorsese. I hadn’t seen it before. It was amazing with heaps of cameos.

Got off the plane and went straight to the auction house I was delivering 2 x Kill Pixie works and 4 x Cleon Peterson works too.
It’s Webb’s if you wanna bid this Tuesday – great works

There was heaps of taxidermy from some dude’s collection

This guy reminded me of that Rachenberg

This is Neil with the Koons. Super rad.
The packaging and the box and the instructions! Ha!

Then I took a walk around the city before dark.

I saw Max Gimblet mounting this show.

There he is in the back.

Found amazing book stores. Parsons!!! – Thx Rene!
Also this second hand one which was great.

I found this there and meant to buy it.
Robert is the curator at IMA Brisbane. I was psyched this book had travelled to here. Oh the life of a well loved book.

Found the Auckland Art Gallery and hit the NZ section.

This gallery had an amazing dimensional replication of that neverending reflection you get when you look in two facing mirrors. So great!

Joy Bong.

That night Erin picked me up and took me to dinner with her brethren the Slamxhype / Paything folks that I had never met.

L-R. Leah, Ben and Nickie.

Then Yasmine and Adam.

Tepanyaki man with the most rye and jaded jokes like he sad said them millions of time.
It was much better that way.

The next day.

I preferred to think of this as less of a demand and more of a suggestion for living.

Went to see the SlamX offices and more importantly the new Plaything Gallery where Erin had a show.

Then to the Museum

Great weaponry

And other fellows.

The botanical gardens and hot house.
Yes!

Then the flight home.

Ahhh. The reason to come home.

Jules less so.
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Yes I Can-Brah!

May 11th 09, 1:28

So it’s been a busy week and a half and there have been no posts for sometime. Serious backlog is upon me.
Let’s see, last week Tristan and I drove to Canberra to see the Martin Bell of Martin Bell fame open his sculpture at New Acton. It was the same sculpture ‘Cowboy Style’ I had commissioned for Batteries Not included reassembled as a collaboration with Anat Ben-David from London/Israel. It was also the launch for the amazing Soft Sculpture exhibit at the NGA – so it was a pretty big thing.

Good Point

Yeah Nineties portraits.

This was at the National Portrait Gallery – I hadn’t seen this before.

I knew the Askill boys were gonna be in Canberra too – they came to the launch of a portrait show that had their mother Adrienne’s painting in it and there it was.

Howard Arkley

Sidney Nolan – kinda like a Rhys Lee right!?!

Who was this again Tristan?

Mombassa

Rick James, Bitch!
Just kidding.

I forget

Paul Worstead

I forget again.

This was rad to see in the portrait gallery.

Then we hit the Soft Sculpture show and found Marty.

Christopher Langton

Beuys

Oldenburg drum kit!

This Chuck Close was just hanging tough in the middle of nowhere!

Caught up with Daniel

Then made it to why we came.

Check out Martin’s sculpture here:
http://www.spookyaction.com.au/html/exhibition.html

This was Canberra to me!
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Steve Powers in St Louis – 2 fists of Iron and a Bottle of Beer

April 30th 09, 16:33

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Sam Smith x Ben Briand for Benah

April 28th 09, 15:52

Ben Briand made this video for his girl Brenda’s new accessories company.
Sam Smith dances in his apartment for it.
Full length film will play at the launch at China Heights this Friday.

http://www.thebenah.com/
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MOUNTAIN FOLD LAUNCH

April 27th 09, 2:38

My best boys Douglas and Sinisa launched Mountain Fold at Black and Blue recently.
Mountain Fold is a music journal that is published quarterly by that genius Douglas Lance Gibson. Sinisa did the art direction with Rain Off team mate Rob Milne as creative assistant. Of course there were a bunch of other people involved but these lads have come along way.

Songs played the launch and many free mags were passed. Find Mountain Fold where you can or check their stockists HERE.
You need to get one of these. The cover is by the one and only Stefan Marx.

These video stills by guru Rene Vaile
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The New Yorkers curated by Todd James!

April 23rd 09, 22:05

No messing with this line-up!

V1 – Copenhagen
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Rhys Lee Book – Revealed

April 22nd 09, 2:10

Holy Shit – You need this if you can get one! 100 only!

Rhys Lee book – edition of 100 – available at Karen Woodbury Gallery
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Sneak Peak (as in mountain, not as in spelling mistake)

April 22nd 09, 2:06

Tru$t Fun and Kris Moyes – Glory Holes.
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Tru$t Fun! and Kris Moyes with Glory Holes at Monster Children Gallery

April 21st 09, 18:29

Monster Children Gallery Presents “Glory Holes”
An Exhibition by Trust Fun & Kris Moyes

Opening night: THURSDAY 23RD APRIL 6.00PM
Exhibition continues from 24TH APRIL – 9TH MAY, 2009.

About the Exhibition:
Award winning Australian designers Trust Fun! and international director Kris Moyes will present a series of works titled ‘Glory Holes’ at Monster Children Gallery from April 24, in an exhibition which explores the increasingly blurred line between art and commerce.

Glory Holes will explore the ideas of the Animal, the Vegetable and the Mineral from a cosmic, mystical and aesthetic angle – all with tongue planted firmly in cheek. The space will be filled with pieces covering a range of mediums including high quality digital prints, hand screen-printed glass, video projections and sculpture. Many of the pieces in the exhibition have their origins in the concept stages of album covers, tour posters, music videos and marketing ideas that were later rejected by clients as either ‘too weird’, ‘too difficult’ or ‘too confusing’.

Throughout their respective commercial careers, the Trust Fun! designers and Kris Moyes have each created many things that have been considered ‘not quite design’ while also ‘not quite art’, and Glory Holes attempts to find an outlet for these ideas and explorations. With the line between art and commerce having been progressively blurred since the 1960s and 70s, the Trust Fun! designers believe this line has recently become so fuzzy it’s almost totally unrecognizable, particularly where young audiences are concerned.

The designers feel that in recent years art has managed to alienate many in the younger generations by demanding an academic and conceptual appreciation. As a result, they have increasingly found artistic and creative satisfaction in products and brands, elevating designers to artist status and coveting limited-edition products from multinational juggernauts beyond that of independent artist and craft. Through artistic collaborations and sponsorships, many brands are now bringing the younger audience back into the art environment and with ‘Glory Holes’, Trust Fun! and Kris Moyes hope to further blur that boundary between art and product and encourage people to scratch a little deeper at commercial creative expression and think a little shallower about art.

Trust Fun! is a Sydney-based trio comprising award winning graphic designers Jonathan Zawada and Shane Sakkeus and fashion designer Annie Wright-Zawada. Under Trust Fun! the trio fuse art, fashion, graphic design and humour into a range of limited edition silk scarves that are sold in exclusive boutiques around the world. Kris Moyes is a multi-award winning director and artist whose instantly recognizable style can be seen in music videos for Franz Ferdinand, Beck and The Presets amongst many others.
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Gray Matters in Melbourne tonight!

April 15th 09, 18:37

All your favourite Melbourne artists and mine too!
See you there folks!

Carlton Hotels and Studios, 193 Bourke St, Melb
6pm Thursday 23 April

A group exhibition of black and white painting, illustration, photography and video art from Melbourne and Sydney based artists.

Featuring:
Martin Bell
Andy Murphy
Polly Deadman
Danny Young
Sarah Larnach
Nathan Gamble
Tim Hillier
Brad Barry
Johann Rashid
Mark Lording

Opening night Thursday April 16 6 -9.30pm

Show runs from April 17 – 23, 2009, 4-7pm.
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