I wrote and recorded a record out of my studio there, which is being released in a couple months on Lightning Records. It is called Legends of These Lands Left to Live. It is a wildly different statement -‐ emotional and well, musical. For me, it is much more direct and provocative. I am excited to release it. I believe, in that statement, you’ll find the more feminine and raw energy you are asking about in your question....
Read more at La Mignonette.
New adobe studio in the Mojave Desert. Will be working on a new record over the summer and some new studio works.
Totem to those individuals who exemplify what Hunter S. Thompson was talking about when he spoke of ‘Mould Breaking Heroes; Living proof that the tyranny of the rat race is not yet final‘ . Inspired in part by an ex-San Francisco surfer who paddled around Kauai on a 9.0 surfboard, sleeps in a beach cave, and fishes his own food – and other like surfers and vanguards out there surfing/living for the love of life and true hedonic spirit.
It is completely my intention to directly participate in this philosophy, intently promote a freerider culture and illuminate that which already celebrates life beyond boundaries and to forge new experiences with that which does and does not yet exist.
Limited Edition of 5.
Made by Ali Beletic || Sun Era Studio
Available at Shelter Half.
Great show last week over at Joshua Tree Highlands Art Residency space. Very Excited to work on some very large and very small stone works as well as the debut of the first piece in my primitive lighting series. The clay was dug at an archeological site in Pennsylvania. It is over a million years old. I fired it using a hand dug pit fire as our ancestors have done in the past.
Just finished up these custom Save Rock n Roll Art Flags for Lightning Records. Limited run of 5. Only 2 Left. You can get one at Lightning’s Store. Mention you heard about it from me and I will custom make you a wood and brass mount. Although, the Rock mount looks pretty good too.
Creator and Co-Editor of a journal for Lightning Records this week! It is going to be amazing!! Contributors include Jesus Robles of Design/Build Architecture firm D.U.S.T., Filmmaker Bill Daniel, Rock n Roller Cy Dune, Motocross Artist Derek Gibson, Surfer Chris Kaplanis, Photographer Patrick Gookin, Artist Maya Hayuk, Kid Millions, Rhys Chatham, and many more…Going to be so great. It comes out in March. If you are interested in Pre-Ordering head on over to Lightning and pickup your copy (comes with a subscription to the records). I have a very special ep coming out as part of the 20 artist series over there too.
Wild Fire Sculpture # 3 was an ice fire compass – which melted internally to glow in the compass directions. Beautifully the cardinal directions were mapped by shadow. The blocks of ice also were glowing with the color put off by the heat of the fire. The steam burning off the ice displayed the wind direction.
Quick Jaunt out to Tucson to by a big rock for a sculpture I’m working on. Got Distracted. Coffee, Motorcycles, Fun-Havery. Thanks to the rogue wild Regina Rogers for helping me haul my rock. And for the photo.
So excited and honored to be over at the Joshua Tree Highlands Art Residency for the next 3 months. I will be debuting some new Earth Art pieces and sculptures on April 26/27 over at the Residency space. Special thanks to Fred Fulmer and Jim Berg who built out this beautiful studio.
Humans feel the liveliness, archaism, and elemental beauty of fire naturally – it really doesn’t take much provocation in an artistic sense. The eloquent movement of the flames, the fuel turning into ash, its potency and beauty. The mysterious movement of light illuminating, reflecting, cast onto, around and prohibited by the sculptural dimension of space and material that surround, creates a reflective and mesmerizing calm that so many of us remember, sense deep reflection of our evolutionary survival. It has been an honor to create these pieces which have been such a beautiful and ceremonial conversation with my surroundings and the earth that I know and walk upon.
Working with fire as a sculptural medium is very harmonizing and more than just artistic – there is a deep sense of relating to your own humanity and ancestry.
Wild Fire Sculpture #2 was a series of fires I floated onto a lake in Arizona – to create a sculpture which moved and floated in the wind and water. The ceremony was exquisitely beautiful.
Installing the pools into the beautiful Sonoran desert was arduous and mythic. Hand building the sculptures over the course of several weeks with the help of several friends, architect Jesus Robles, Seth Olinsky, and Peter Baer, hand carrying them into the desert, sourcing water and hauling in rain to be returned to the earth.
Thanks to the sculpture install crew: Beau Hintz, Seth Olinsky, Jeff Stokes, Dot Devota, Brandon Shimoda, Kittie Beletic.
Drummed in Seth’s Cy Dune performance at Heap Collective’s show on Saturday. Poets Dot Devota andBrandon Shimoda made stellar punk videos of performance. Photos shot by Laura Stokes. The night was pretty unwieldy with Architect Jesus Robles, Musicians John Melillo, Jeff Stokes, and Thom Plasse, resident masterminds Jeremy Thompson and Adeena Baer, and more loud drummers… Check it out at CY DUNE SOUNDS.
PRAY FOR RAIN
Earth Art Sculpture and Ceremony by Ali Beletic
Saturday, November 24th
5:00 – 6:30
Like the Kula Ring in the Massim Archipelago, and many other gift exchanges of primitive cultures, Pray for Rain aims to gift exchange with the earth – a return of these life giving waters for evaporation back into the cycle of water. The Monsoon storms stirring in Arizona deserts this year were strong and spectacular. The sculptural wooden and glass pools are being installed into this beautiful landscape in November.
We are happy to invite you out to Picture Rocks Saturday 24th to spend some time with friends in the beautiful desert, and see Ali’s new earth art sculpture and Ceremony Pray for Rain.
The event is being hosted on a very beautiful piece of private land in Picture Rocks, lovingly offered for the event by Micah and Montez Almond.
To celebrate Desert Table #1, we threw the first dinner for our Gordon Matta-Clark and Carol Gooden’s Food Tribute. We harvested Barrel Cactus fruit and Chris Franklin guest artist chef cooked tamales and John Zucchi cooked Javelina chorizo. Seth Olinsky did a wind holi color sculpture – and the night erupted! Watched the sun set and the full moon rise. Thanks to all who were in attendance.
Canyon Oases X and the dueling canyon electric guitars are for the recording of Legends– the newest of the renegade performances — Loud Rock & Roll to follow. Stay Tuned.
