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JJ Brine

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JJ Brine
JJ Brine
JJ Brine
Background information
Birth nameJonathan Friel[1]
BornNovember 8, 1983
Occupation(s)Installation Artist, Singer/Songwriter, Filmmaker
Years active2010–present
LabelsDrugLord Records
Websitejjbrine.com

JJ Brine (born Jonathan Friel)[1] is an American visual artist and gallerist. The artist calls himself "The Crown Prince of Hell." He curates and operates Vector Gallery in New York City, which has drawn attention and critical response for its avant-garde postmodern multimedia narratives on Abrahamic religions. The gallery has attracted controversy as “The official art gallery of Satan” and purported operations as a sovereign nation with its own time zone, theology, and community of adherents, Vectorians. Some refer to the gallery as a cult, and to Brine in turn as a cult leader.[2] In an interview with V Magazine, Brine clarifies that Vector is not a cult. "We're really a group of close friends. We have the same religion, but we practice it differently. The practice of our religion is making art."[3][4][5]

The NYC location closed when Brine traveled to Tanna, Vanuatu and opened for a period on Beverly Boulevard in Los Angeles.[6][7] The press reported Brine’s intentions to move Vector from LA to Washington, DC during the American presidential election season. As of the fall of 2017, the Vector Gallery is located at 951 Grand Street in Brooklyn.[8][9][10][11][12][13]

Early life

Before becoming an artist, Brine attended graduate school at American University of Beirut and was an assistant to National Security Advisor Brent Scowcroft.[1][14] Earlier, he interned for the American-Turkish Council.[1]

Art

Vector Gallery 2018

Brine refers to his installations as "Shrines" and his exhibits combine performance art and visual narrative and his work has been compared to that of Marcel Duchamp and Andy Warhol.[2][15][16][17][18][19][20][21]

Brine was sponsored by Select Fair in conjunction with Art Basel Miami Beach 2014 and opened Vector Gallery on site. Part of the gallery’s participation included "Body As Commodity", an installation in which Lena Marquise, performance artist and Vectorian minister of state, charged cell phones with her vagina. Musical artist Usher visited Vector on December 3, 2014, participated and charged his cell phone inside the installation. It was the top story generated during Art Basel.[22][23][24][25][26][27] In 2015, Brine was commissioned by clothing retailer Opening Ceremony to provide the space for their tribute to Gregg Araki’s Doom Generation.[28][29] In 2015 Brine returned to Art Basel and was sponsored by The Satellite Show. His "Satanic Suicide Hotline" won ArtFCity's annual "Who Wore It Better" critique.[30] In December 2015, Brine staged a retrial for Charles Manson in which Manson was played by his reputed son Matthew Roberts.[31]

Vector Gallery - New York City

On July 15, 2013 Brine opened Vector Gallery on 40 Clinton Street in the Lower East Side of New York.[32] However, the venue lost its lease at the end of May 2014 and the gallery relocated to 154 East Broadway, straddling the border between the Lower East Side and Chinatown, 11 days later.[33][34][35] The second space contained a backroom signposted, "Cost Of Entry Your Soul."[21]

Critics praised Brine's work for its originality and vision[36] and it was compared to Andy Warhol's Factory by The Huffington Post ("LOOK: Is this the Next Warhol Factory?")[7][37][38] but the gallery has been a subject of controversy for many neighborhood residents due to its occult theme and Brine's intense imagery of Satanism and Charles Manson and fringe elements have connected Brine's work to the Illuminati.[15][17][39][40][41] Guestofaguest.com described the installation: "Is it the lair of a mad scientist? An occult apothecary? A wonderland of neon worship? Well, it's sort of all that (and more) rolled up into one unique gallery space, run by resident artist JJ Brine."[42] OracleTalk.com also wrote, "Implementing cool DIY principle and conjuring references to Duchamp’s ready-mades and rollicking religious iconography, the Vector Gallery is a gushing cornucopia of hypnotizing elements, provocative subject matter and lots of mirrors."[43] Vice’s Mitchell Sunderland called it "one of the last original places on the Lower East Side."[6] Urban Resource has also called Vector the "most controversial art gallery" in New York City.[44]

On October 16, 2013, Vector celebrated the 75th birthday of The Velvet Underground chanteuse Nico with "Time Doesn't Move."[45][46]

"Vector Gallery is a gift of creativity to New York, instead of another place to buy stuff," wrote Art Nerd New York's Lori Zimmer[47] The gallery has also been described as being "among contemporary art’s foremost installation spaces.[48]"

Brine and the ministers of VECTOR began holding a series religious services as performance art at the gallery on February 1, 2014.[49][50][51]

Brine was also one of the last guests featured on East Village Radio's final hours of broadcasting on the Andrew Andrew show, where Brine performed The Ritual of Infinite Names, or "ALAN". The hosts said that VECTOR closing its Clinton street location was "almost as important as CBGB's," and that the interview was "the last, and possibly the best" of their decade-long series.[52][53]

Vector Gallery Brooklyn 2018
Brine's art installation at Vector Gallery 5.0 in the Bushwick neighborhood of Brooklyn, NY as of 2018

In April 2015 Brine announced the NOIR (Night Of Interior Restitution) Covenant, which detailed the means by which souls could be reclaimed and offered "an irreversible decline" to the city of New York.[6][54]

Brine moved the Vector Gallery to Los Angeles in the summer of 2015.[6][55] Vector Gallery opened at 8 pm, August 8, 2015 on Beverly Boulevard in Los Angeles, again generating attention from the art press and controversy and protests from local residents.[7][56] On December 28, 2015 the Vector Gallery hosted "The Retrial Of Charles Manson", featuring Manson's alleged biological son Mathew Roberts. "The Retrial Of Charles Manson" was covered by media outlets such as TMZ.[57] After closing the gallery in Los Angeles, Brine announced plans to open it in Washington, DC “to program the elections, to make my commentary on them.”[14]

The Vector Gallery moved back to New York City with its fourth incarnation opening in August 2016 at 199 E. 3rd Street in the East Village.[58][59] The Vector Gallery endured an electrical fire in January 2017; the gallery sustained minor danger.[60] During the "Bravana: Middle East Peace Mass" on March 1, 2017 (which also happened to be Ash Wednesday) an onlooker on the street called 911, mistaking controlled flames being used in the mass for a fire. The FDNY showed up with three trucks and over 20 fire fighters to shut down the small gallery space for the night.[61][62] On March 31, 2017 New York City Buildings Department filed complaints that the Vector Gallery was "being used illegally for religious assembly".[63][64] The East Village location of the Vector Gallery closed on July 1.[65]

The fifth incarnation of the Vector Gallery, dubbed "Vector V: The official art gallery of Jesus Christ", is slated to open at 951 Grand Street in the Bushwick neighborhood of Brooklyn on November 16, 2017.[66]

Vectorian faith

Vector has its foundations in the Abrahamic traditions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Brine describes Vector as the fourth chapter and final chapter in a tetralogy preceded by the Torah, Bible and the Quran.[citation needed] Although Vector presents itself as "the official art gallery of Satan", the supreme Vectorian deity is identified as ALAN.[67] Brine describes the lemniverse as a "temporal-spatial simulation experiment". ALAN communicates with other "embodied fragments of its will" through the experiments in the simulation. Brine predicts the world will end in 2033 AD through the simultaneous annihilation of all life on earth, or the return to ALAN.[67]

JJ Brine has been called “an icon of post-American America.”[68] In September 2015, Vice ran an article depicting an event in which Brine and his Vectorian Government placed a curse on Kentucky county clerk Kim Davis, citing her refusal to issue gay marriage certificates as the motive for the ritual.[69] Brine’s art has been praised by underground filmmakers John Waters and Bruce LaBruce.[69][70][71][72] Brine’s occultism has drawn the attention of conspiracy theorists, who believe he is part of a new world order global conspiracy.[73][74]

Music

Brine described his music as "electronic spirit music," or ESM, which refers to the channeling of spirits.[75]

In addition to his solo project, he is also a member of the LaBiancas, a Charles Manson concept band, along with bandmate Lena Marquise.

Studio albums

  • President of Mozambique (2012, DrugLord Records)

With The LaBiancas

  • Charles Manson is Jesus Christ (2013, DrugLord Records)

Singles

  • "Monarch Butterfly" (2012, DrugLord Records)

With the LaBiancas

  • Charles in Charge (2013, DrugLord Records)
  • Charles Manson is Jesus Christ (2013. DrugLord Records)
  • I'll Never Say Never to Always (2013, DrugLord Records)

References

  1. ^ a b c d Vilensky, Mike (12 May 2015). "Provocateur J.J. Brine Stirs Up New York Art Scene". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved May 20, 2015.
  2. ^ a b "JJ Brine's 'VECTOR Gallery' In New York City". The Huffington Post. Retrieved January 24, 2014.
  3. ^ "JJ Brine is a Telepathic Visionary, Not a Cult Leader | V Magazine". vmagazine.com. Retrieved 2019-06-30.
  4. ^ Wilson, Michael; Johnson, Paddy (2018-01-31). "These Artists Believe Aliens are Real, Satan Lives, and the Apocalypse Is Coming". Garage. Retrieved 2019-06-30.
  5. ^ "Posthumanism and Catharsis: JJ Brine's "Vector Gallery" :: AEQAI". Retrieved 2019-06-30.
  6. ^ a b c d Sunderland, Mitchell (5 April 2015). "New York's Satanic Vector Gallery Is Closing". Vice. Retrieved April 13, 2015.
  7. ^ a b c "Vector Gallery Opens In L.A." The Wild. Retrieved August 28, 2015.
  8. ^ Kimball, Whitney (18 February 2016). "Raising Hell: JJ Brine is Bringing His Satanic Vector Gallery to D.C." Washington City Paper. Retrieved February 19, 2016.
  9. ^ "Satan's Own Art Gallery Returns to NYC | The Creators Project". The Creators Project. Retrieved 2016-10-28.
  10. ^ "Official Art Gallery of Satan Comes Back With Its Tail Between Its Legs". Bedford + Bowery. Retrieved 2016-10-28.
  11. ^ "This Lower East Side Art Gallery Transcends Time and Space - NYU Local". NYU Local. 2016-09-15. Retrieved 2016-10-28.
  12. ^ "Butcher White Americans – VECTOR Gallery – VIVISXN | The bleeding-edge digital dossier showcasing all things cool". vivisxn.com. Retrieved 2016-10-28.
  13. ^ "JJ Brine". Alt Esc Platform. Retrieved 2016-10-28.
  14. ^ a b Ritchie, Salvador (12 November 2015). "The Crown Prince of Hell: An Interview with JJ Brine". disinfo. Retrieved February 19, 2016.
  15. ^ a b "NATIVE UNDERGROUND: THE CROWN PRINCE OF HELL, JJ BRINE". New York Natives. Retrieved August 8, 2013.
  16. ^ "THE "OFFICIAL GALLERY OF SATAN" HAS BEEN REVIEWED". Animal. Retrieved October 5, 2013.
  17. ^ "Vector Gallery, Jj Brine Declares, Is "The Capitol Of The Post-Human Art Movement In A State Of Psychic Warfare With The U.S."". Posture. Archived from the original on March 2, 2014. Retrieved February 25, 2013.
  18. ^ "AN EVENING WITH THE ANTICHRIST". Wine & Bowties. Retrieved February 25, 2013.
  19. ^ a b Nichole Disser (July 25, 2014). "JJ Brine Will Let You Into His Back Room, But the Price Is Your Soul". bedfordandbowery.com. Retrieved January 24, 2014.
  20. ^ Frank, Priscilla (8 December 2014). "Yes, Usher Charged His Phone In A Vagina. And No, It Was Not Art (NSFW)". Huffington Post. Retrieved April 13, 2015.
  21. ^ Duran, Jose (5 December 2014). "MEET LENA MARQUISE, THE PERFORMANCE ARTIST BEHIND THE VAGINA PHONE CHARGER (NSFW)". Miami New Times. Retrieved April 13, 2015.
  22. ^ Sargent, Jordan (4 December 2014). "Usher Charged His Phone Inside a Woman's Vagina at Art Basel". Gawker. Archived from the original on 13 April 2015. Retrieved April 13, 2015.
  23. ^ Sanchez, Karizza (4 December 2014). "Usher May or May Not Have Charged His Phone With a Woman's Vagina at Art Basel, but It Sure Looks Like It". Complex. Retrieved April 13, 2015.
  24. ^ "Usher Tests the Limits of Art With This Vagina Phone-Charger: NSFW". Billboard. 4 December 2014. Retrieved April 13, 2015.
  25. ^ "USHER CHARGES IPHONE IN WOMAN'S VAGINA". TMZ. 4 December 2014. Retrieved April 13, 2015.
  26. ^ "The Doom Generation Turns 20: Opening Ceremony's Tribute Collection - OPENING CEREMONY". www.openingceremony.us. Retrieved January 4, 2016.
  27. ^ "Vector Gallery Holds a Pop-Up Satanic Mass -artnet News". artnet News. Retrieved January 4, 2016.
  28. ^ Farley, Michael Anthony. "Who Wore it Better? ABMB Edition". Art F City. Retrieved January 4, 2016.
  29. ^ "Il figlio di Charles Manson dimostrerà l'innocenza del padre". Rolling Stone Italia (in Italian). Retrieved January 4, 2016.
  30. ^ "'Official Art Gallery of Satan' Gets Burned By Its Landlord". New York Magazine. Retrieved July 16, 2014.
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  32. ^ "New experiences". Christina Brunks. Archived from the original on September 27, 2013. Retrieved August 8, 2013.
  33. ^ "LOOK: Is This The NExt Warhol Factory?". The Huffington Post. Retrieved January 24, 2014.
  34. ^ "The rebirth of Lower East Side galleries". Walks of New York. Retrieved August 28, 2015.
  35. ^ "In conversation with JJ Brine about Vector Gallery". The Hermetic Library Blog. Retrieved July 16, 2014.
  36. ^ "À LA GLOIRE DE JÉSUS-CHRIST". alagloiredejesuschrist.unblog.fr. Retrieved August 28, 2015.
  37. ^ "Everything You Need to Know This Week on New York's Art Scene". Guestofaguest.com. Archived from the original on September 28, 2013. Retrieved September 7, 2013.
  38. ^ "Art Basel Paints the Town in North Beach". Urban Resource. Retrieved August 28, 2015.
  39. ^ "Time Doesn't Move - 75 Years of Nico". NYC Art Scene. Retrieved October 25, 2013.
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  41. ^ "JJ Brine's VECTOR Gallery Explores Cultural Hybridity". Critique Collective. Archived from the original on July 25, 2014. Retrieved July 16, 2014.
  42. ^ "MASS AT VECTOR WITH JJ BRINE AND JULIA MARIA SINELNIKOVA". Art Nerd New York. Retrieved February 25, 2013.
  43. ^ "DEAR ANNIE: THE POST-HUMAN EXORCISM". Art Nerd New York. Retrieved February 25, 2013.
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  46. ^ Brine, JJ (July 16, 2014). "An Interview with JJ Brine". AndrewAndrew Sound Sound (Interview). Interviewed by AndrewAndrew. New York City: East Village Radio.
  47. ^ Disser, Nicole (7 April 2015). "JJ Brine is Absconding From New York City, Satanic Gallery May Be Doomed". Bedford+Bowery. Retrieved April 13, 2015.
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  49. ^ "Whacked-out New York Art Space 'Vector Gallery' Decamps West. Los Angeles, Prepare to Not Know What Hit You". Black Book. Retrieved August 28, 2015.
  50. ^ "Charles Manson's Son -- I'll Prove My Dad's Innocence". www.tmz.com. Retrieved January 4, 2016.
  51. ^ "At the opening night of the Vector Gallery on 3rd Street". evgrieve.com. Retrieved 2017-10-30.
  52. ^ "Official Art Gallery of Satan Comes Back With Its Tail Between Its Legs". Bedford + Bowery. Retrieved 2017-10-30.
  53. ^ "There Was A Fire At VECTOR Gallery 2NITE". VECTOR Gallery. Retrieved 2017-10-30.
  54. ^ "JJ BRINE". JJ BRINE. Retrieved 2017-10-30.
  55. ^ "Performance at Vector Gallery draws heavy FDNY presence on 3rd Street". evgrieve.com. Retrieved 2017-10-30.
  56. ^ "Overview for Complaint #:1446945 = CLOSED". a810-bisweb.nyc.gov. Retrieved 2017-10-30.
  57. ^ "A city inspector want to see if the Vektor Galley is 'being illegally used for religious assembly'". evgrieve.com. Retrieved 2017-10-30.
  58. ^ "What the devil? Vector Gallery closes on 3rd Street". evgrieve.com. Retrieved 2017-10-30.
  59. ^ "Vector V Opening". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2017-10-30.
  60. ^ "Vector Gallery: The 'Retrial of Charles Manson' - disinformation". disinformation. 2015-12-26. Retrieved 2016-10-28.
  61. ^ a b "Gay Cult Leader JJ Brine Put a Spell on Kim Davis | Broadly". Broadly. Retrieved 2016-10-28.
  62. ^ "Best of The Next: JJ Brine | Wonderland Magazine". Wonderland Magazine. 2016-01-06. Retrieved 2016-10-28.
  63. ^ Vilensky, Mike (2015-05-12). "Provocateur J.J. Brine Stirs Up New York Art Scene". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2016-10-28.
  64. ^ "New York's Satanic Vector Gallery Is Closing | VICE | United States". VICE. 2015-04-05. Retrieved 2016-10-28.
  65. ^ "Triangles - disinformation". disinformation. 2016-04-12. Retrieved 2016-10-28.
  66. ^ "October 8, 2033: A Conversation with JJ Brine - disinformation". disinformation. 2016-05-16. Retrieved 2016-10-28.
  67. ^ Cerrona, Jericho (March 28, 2012). "President of Mozambique: JJ Brine." Symbiotic Reviews. Retrieved January 16, 2013.