Neoism

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Monty Cantsin, Neoism Manifesto, 1979. [1]
Neoist Akademgorod.jpg
Brain in the Mail catalogue, 1979, PDF (part), JPGs (part).
Istvan Kantor, Neoist Chair Action, 1980. First realised on 22 May 1979. [2] [3]
APT 80 catalogue, 1980, PDF, JPGs, JPGs.
The Neoist Network's First European Training Camp catalogue, 1982, PDF, JPGs, Log.
SMILE 1, 1984, HTML.
Neoist Book, 1984, PDF, Log.
The Art Strike Papers, 1991, PDF, Log.
A Neoist Research Project, 2010, PDF, EPUB, Log.

Neoism was a cultural movement influenced by Futurism, Dada, Fluxus and Punk, which emerged from the Mail Art Network in the late 1970s.

Historical note

This section is based on the Neoism entry at StewartHomeSociety.org.

The initial idea came from the US Mail Artists David Zack and Al Ackerman, but the fledgling movement found its focus in Montreal (Spring 1979). The Montreal group wanted to escape from 'the prison of art' and 'change the world'. With this end in mind, they presented society with an angst-ridden image of itself. Their activities are typified by Kiki Bonbon's film Flying Cats. Two men, dressed in white coats, stand on top of a tower block. They have with them a selection of cats. One at a time, the cats are picked up and thrown to their death. Throughout the film, the protagonists repeat the phrase 'the cat has no choice'.

The Neoists tended to use the mediums of video, audio and live performance. They developed the concept of Apartment Festivals as a way of showing such work. These were week long events based in the living spaces of individual Neoists. The first of these was held in Montreal in September 1980. Subsequent Apartment Festivals took place in Baltimore (twice), Toronto, New York (twice) [4], London, Ponte Nossa (Italy), Berlin and Montreal (twice more) [5].

By the summer of 1981, the centre of Neoist activity had shifted to Baltimore (Maryland, USA) and was focused on Michael Tolson (who worked under the names Tim Ore and tENTATIVELY a cONVENIENCE). Tolson is self-described as a 'mad scientist/d composer/sound thinker/ t hought collector/as been & not an artist'. He is best known for his Pee Dog/Poop Dog Copyright Violation, which he performed on behalf of the Church of the SubGenius in September 1983. The event made national news when Baltimore police discovered him stark naked beating a dead dog in a railway tunnel, with an audience of 35 people watching.

The Neoist Network held its first European Training Camp in Würzburg, Germany, in June 1982. This led to the involvement of the Scottish artist Pete Horobin, who went on to organise the 8th Neoist Apartment Festival in London (1984) and the 9th Neoist Festival in Ponte Nossa, Italy (1985). However, after a few years of frantic activity, all the members of the small British group renounced Neoism. Another large Neoist event was the 64th (sic) Apartment Festival organised by Graf Haufen and Stiletto in Berlin, December 1986.

Protagonists

Works/Resources

Events

Publications

Catalogues

Magazines, newsletters

  • The Neo, 10+2 numbers, ed. Monty Cantsin, Montreal, 1979-81. Last two numbers published with the title Organ.
  • PhotoStatic, 41 numbers, ed. Lloyd Dunn, Aug 1983-Jan 1993.
  • SMILE, ed. Monty Cantsin, Feb 1984-95. [8] [9] [10]
  • Retrofuturism, 11+6 numbers, ed. Tape-beatles, Jan 1988-Apr 1993.
  • Yawn, 45 numbers, Sep 1989-Mar 1993.
  • Re:Action newsletter, 10 numbers, ed. Stewart Home, Winter 1994-Spring 1999.
  • Psrf, 2 numbers, ed. Lloyd Dunn, Oct 1997-Oct 1998.

Books

Anthologies, Source books

  • Monty Cantsin, Neoism Now!, Berlin: Artcore Editions, c1987, [156] pp. Audio complement, [11].
  • How to Explain Neoism? Anthology of Pamflets 1978-1990, ed. Monty Cantsin, New York: Neoist Front, 1990, [23] leaves.
  • The Art Strike Papers / Stewart Home: Neoist Manifestos, eds. James Mannox (ASP) and Simon Strong (NM), Stirling: AK Press, 1991, 52+44 pp. A collection of essays and statements concerning the Art Strike 1990-1993, together with manifestos mostly dating from 1984-85.
  • in Justified Sinners: An Archaeology of Scottish Counter-Culture, 1960-2000, Polygon, 2002.
  • A Neoist Research Project, ed. N.O. Cantsin, London: OpenMute 2010, 246 pp.
  • Istvan Kantor, The Book of Neoism?, Blackdog Press, 2017, 504 pp. Collected writings of Istvan Kantor. Review: tENTATIVELY, a cONVENIENCE.

Bibliography

Literature

Books
Essays, articles, book chapters, statements
Bibliography

Archives

Links

See also

Mail art, Fluxus


Visual art

Styles and movementsHistoriansWritersMuseumsCare1990sEast Central EuropeReference
See also Art and culture