Art of poetry at The ArtSpace, York (From York Press)

Poets Rob Fitterman and Kim Rosenfeld and artists Steve Humble and Jade Blood, The ArtSpace, York, August 16

9:10am Friday 13th August 2010 in Exhibitions By Charles Hutchinson

THE ArtSpace is helping to bring two of America’s leading poets to North Yorkshire. Kim Rosenfeld and Rob Fitterman are this summer’s poets-in-residence at Shandy Hall, Coxwold, where their Perverse Library exhibition will run from September 4 to October 31.

“Before then, they’re stopping off here at ArtSpace on Monday to perform their wild, wild poetry, and it’ll be more than just a warm-up,”

says Greg McGee, co-owner of the gallery in Tower Street, York.

“It’s going to be an incendiary event. Kim and Rob are the most exciting artists we could hope for, they’re very special guests, and as far as we’re concerned, they have carte blanche to go nuts.”

The gallery is collaborating again with Information As Material’s Dr Simon Morris and the Laurence Sterne Trust.

Simon Morris says: “Kim and Rob are two of the most radical, exciting performers on the American poetry circuit and regularly perform at the legendary Bowery Poetry Club in Manhattan, New York City. They’re delighted to be performing at The ArtSpace and are looking forward to presenting an evening of extreme poetry.

Expect literary fireworks and textual shenanigans.”

At the age of 17, Kim was taken up by the LA poets, who duly published her first book of poetry. Her latest collection, Good Morning–Midnight– “juxtaposes the languages of science, money and fashion so as to critique how they define and limit women”.

Rob teaches poetry at New York University, where his radical writing includes books such as Rob The Plagiarist.

The ArtSpace will suspend its Richard Barnes exhibition for one night to accommodate Monday’s event, where the walls will be given over to artists who deal with text: Ian Parkin, Jade Blood and Steve Humble.

“Simon Morris and I put our heads together and thought: ‘Who deserves to have an opportunity to be associated with Rosenfeld and Fitterman’s ArtSpace visit?’ says Greg.

“For years, Simon has been very keen on recent Goldsmiths graduate and onetime ArtSpace exhibitor Ian Long, who is at present exhibiting in Israel, while I’ve had great experiences with York ‘Happycat’ artist Jade Blood, and more and more people are flagging up performance artist Steve Humble. These three will provide a perfect backdrop for Monday’s show.”

Parkin will be exhibiting his 2010 installation, 7/7 heterotopia. “The piece started with a question: How do artists approach the vast mass of information, media, perspectives and prejudices surrounding the July 7, 2005 bombings in London?

“What I found interesting was once the quest for truth, or for a unifying narrative of the attack was abandoned, a site of trauma, which previously had been on lockdown, became a circus of overlapping, grey areas, eccentric characters and obsession, which provided a wealth of artistic potential.”

Blood’s work for the night, Welcome To The Devolution Hall Of Fame, “dips its toe into ‘deEvolution’, as we as a species are devolving rather than evolving”.

“As an artist I believe that I should not make art purely to sell, to just look ‘nice’,” she says. “I should critique our devolving state and create an experience/situation where people can discuss/take away something that they might not usually think about.”

Fellow York St John University graduate Humble explores social relations, systems of economy, currency and exchange in his work, together with “the role that mediation and re-presentation might play in altering and conveying meaning”.

Does that all make sense? Fear not, you have an hour, from 7pm to 8pm on Monday, to assimilate everything… and entry is free.