Overkill

In 2000, a New York art collective invited friends and colleagues to create a group show of original art work based on a randomly chosen theme - for fun! It was a response to what they saw as the malaise of their generation. The reaction to this seemingly simple concept and its fresh sincerity was overwhelming. Several shows later, and with additional bases in Berlin and Tokyo, this collective of diverse talents (it takes its name from Le Phalanstere, Fournier's utopian vision of working life) has produced its first publication, Overkill. Its subject is the theme of the 2002 show in Berlin, but the book is far more than a catalogue. Instead it conveys Le Phalanstere's quirky approach and philosophy through a cornucopia of ideas, aesthetics, perspectives and misunderstandings. At first glance the book may seem chaotic and uncontrollable, but delve deeper and a dialogue emerges between the artists. It is the juxtaposition and convergence of their ideas that gives Overkill its energy.

About the Author :
Miao Wang was born in Beijing, China and now lives in New York. She earned her BA in Economics at the University of Chicago in 1999 and is a producer and web/graphic designer. She co-founded the creative group UrbanEtc with Thymaya Payne in 2000 with the aim of bringing together an international group of emerging artists and in the process creating a platform for new ideas. With UrbanEtc, she is developing her next book 31 Market Street, a series of portraits of the diverse inhabitants of her Chinatown apartment building. Thymaya Payne was born in New York. He received his BA in English Literature from the University of Chicago in 1999. An artist, writer, filmmaker, music doodler and producer, he is a founding member of UrbanEtc. He now lives in Berlin, where he preparing his next book with the group entitled A Night Around the World (an exploration of celebratory practices) as well as the first album for his band The Occupation. Jane Parrott was born in New York. She received her BA in Studio Art from Bard College in 1999. She is an artist and set designer and lives between Berlin, New York and Tokyo. She is a founding member of UrbanEtc with whom she is producing a book called Day of the Dead, an exploration of death rituals. She is also working with Thymaya Payne on the first album for The Occupation. Mika Nakanishi was born in Kobe, Japan. During 7 years spent in New York City, she earned her BA in art philosophy/theory at New School University before enrolling at the International Center of Photography. Her first involvement with UrbanEtc was a multi-media installation for the Nostalgia show in 2001. Her work concentrates on fashion photography and portraits, and she is a frequent contributor to Hint Magazine. Her ongoing project is photographing the effects of lighting in urban spaces. Nakanishi lives in Tokyo. There are over 40 contributors to this book. Although some notable contributors are singled out here, there are no stars in Overkill - each is talented in his/her own right: - Eugene Hutz, lead singer and songwriter for Gogol Bordello, a Ukrainian Gypsy Punk Cabaret band that recently opened and participated at the Whitney Biennale 2002. - Isca Greenfield-Sanders, a talented 23 year-old mixed-media artist from NYC whose unique montage of photographs, painting and collage has attracted considerable attention in New York and beyond. - Una Knox, a photographer from Vancouver who has worked with acclaimed Vancouver-based author Douglas Coupland on his books City of Glass and Souvenir of Canada. She also contributes to Adbusters, Harper's Bazaar, Jane Magazine, German GEO and Tank Magazine's Mined. - Kisei Kobayashi, the Tokyo-based photographer and writer who, in 1997, received the Newcomer Award from the Photographic Society of Japan for his third book, Days Asia, which sold more than 300,000 copies in Japan.