After an uncomfortably slow day at work, I walked over to the David Zwirner Gallery to see the latest Raymond Pettibon installation,To Wit.  I’ve been staring at his eerie and profoundly disturbing images for over 25 years, ever since the early Black Flag and Minutemen album covers.

He is the artist behind one of the most popular tattoos in history and now has a completely baffling Twitter presence.

 

I can’t think of a more aggressive or controversial guy.  He created the flyer that enraged an LAPD already bent on kicking punks’ ass in the early 80s.  It resulted in an unfair reputation for the LA Hardcore scene that laddered up/down to Prime Time TV.  Shows like Quincy ran episodes that focused on LA punk as a violent death cult.  We can thank Raymond Pettibon and Black Flag.

This show is good.  Hastily put together becomes Pettibon.  With his art, there’s a baseline expectation that you’ll see some fucked up images that you can’t unsee and he succeeds.  Lots of it is trying too hard, though. The phrases painted around his works read a lot like his tweets with obvious but consistent misspellings. Built to confuse. The language also explicitly acknowledges excessive alcohol as an influence on his life and art.  I was starting to wonder if he’s trying to become a punk rock Foster Brooks.  Lots of hard cocks too.  All over. Ray is a dirty, dirty old man, man.

Overall, an enjoyable show.

The giant hardbound book they’re selling looks fantastic but is $60.  Hmmm.

19th Street between 10th and 11th
September 12 – October 26, 2013