FG.Ft (Fad Gadget). Tribute to Frank Tovey at Envoy Enterprises, New York

FG.Ft (Fad Gadget) is an homage to the founder of the British electronic group’s founder Frank Tovey on the 10th anniversary of the artist’s death. The group exhibition at Envoy Enterprises in New York brings together work by Terence Koh, Olaf Breuning, Lovett/Codagnone, Casey Spooner and many others who produced works specifically for this exhibition. VernissageTV attended the opening reception of the show and spoke with the founder and director of Envoy Enterprises, Jimi Dams. In this interview he talks about the motivation for this show, the participating artists, and the three-part program of this tribute.

FG.Ft (Fad Gadget). Tribute to Frank Tovey at Envoy Enterprises, New York. Interview with Jimi Dams (Director, Envoy) and impressions from the opening reception. New York / USA, March 1, 2012.

> Right-click (Mac: ctrl-click) this link to download Quicktime video file.

Participation artists:

Olaf Breuning, Nick Cash, Nathan Cash Davidson, Thomas Dozol, Casey Spooner, David Flinn, Erik Hanson, Kelsey Henderson, Tom Kalin, Erika Keck, Brian Kenny, Robert Knoke, Terence Koh, Lovett/Codagnone, Slava Mogutin, Micki Pellerano, Edwin Pouncey, Alex Rose, Desi Santiago, Matthew Sims, Stephanie Snider, Gail Stoicheff, Una Szeemann, Frank Tovey, Conrad Ventur, Martynka Wawrzyniak, Liz Wendelbo, Grant Worth.

Press release:

envoy enterprises, in collaboration with NP Contemporary Art Center and Mute Records, is pleased to present FG.Ft, a three-part project series in homage to Frank Tovey – founder of the 1970s/1980s British electronic group Fad Gadget, marking the 10 year anniversary of the pioneer’s death. Summoning a diverse group of artists and musicians who have been both directly and indirectly influenced by Tovey, the series will take place from March 1st through to April 8th, 2012 featuring a group exhibition, live music performances, and a film screening. All events are free and open to the public.

FG.Ft was inspired in 2010 by the film Fad Gadget by Frank Tovey, a documentary produced by the Frank Tovey Estate and Mute, and directed by Morgan Tovey Frost. The documentary incited the possibility of paying tribute to a pioneer of the underground and post-punk music scenes who incorporated innovative electronic textures, Kafka-esque lyrics, and elaborately visceral performances. Known to perform tarred and feathered while hitting drum pads with his head, Tovey’s most influential tracks include ‘Ricky’s Hand’, ‘Collapsing New People’ and ‘Life On The Line’. The exhibitions taking place this March mark the 10 year anniversary of Frank Tovey’s passing and commemorates his work and influence as an artist.

March 1 thru April 8 – Group exhibition on view at envoy enterprises which will feature works by 27 artists. Some will be new works inspired by Frank Tovey and specifically made for FG.Ft. The opening reception is on Thursday, March 1, 6-8pm.

March 3 at 10:30pm – Live performances by Xeno & Oaklander and Ike Yard at Dixon Place as part of the music program.

March 10 at 8:00pm – Fad Gadget by Frank Tovey, directed by Morgan Tovey, will make its US premiere at Anthology Film Archives along with short films from artists in the exhibition.

Show catalog and flyer will be available for purchase along with a DVD of ‘Fad Gadget By Frank Tovey’. To purchase, please contact office@envoyenterprises.com.

All events are free and open to the public on a first come, first serve basis.

Posted in: art, interview, New York