JUD YALKUT

The filmmaker Jud Yalkut not only made some of the most important documentary films in the East Coast USA avant grade art scene but he was close friends with Nam June Paik, Charlotte Moorman and Jonas Mekas amongst others and was active in the avant grade of the 60s and 70s.

A significant figure in avant grade cinema, Yalkut initially gained a lot of attention from his involvement in the USCO group: an American media art collective founded by Gerd Stern, Michael Callahan, and Steve Durkee but to which Yalkut soon became a significant figure creating many of the group’s installations, films and often designing the group’s publicity material. The films TURN, TURN, TURN , GHOST REV, DIFFRACTION FILM, and DOWN BY THE RIVERSIDE might be regarded as works that were primarily created as USCO artworks although the first of these films was created in co-operation with Nam June Paik – the giant of experimental video with whom, thereafter, he regularly collaborated.

The emerging counter culture scene and the rise of rock music as the dominant musical genre in the United States led Yalkut to make a number of films involving musicians and, in particular, the film AQUARIAN RUSHES where Yalkut documented the events and bands of Woodstock. He continued to involve himself with new music performances including being part at times of the Fluxorchestra (which had a fluid and ever changing membership) but he also continued to create major installations using projections and music. Even in his later years he would often film musicians including jazz innovators such as Warren James and Pee Wee Russell.

In 1967 Yalkut made SELF-OBLITERATION the most important film about Yayoi Kusuma which introduced her to a wider art audience. The film was shown regularly on the art circuit and drew more attention to the filmmaker who by now was a common figure at screenings in New York and, later, in Ohio.

Yalkut continued to work well into his 60s and in the 70s started a film and video program at Wright State University, Dayton, Ohio. His later life was as primarily as a teacher with occasional forays into the world of art. He died in 2013 only months after a major retrospective of this life and works was shown at Dayton University, OH.

Here we offer an archive of the ephemeral and other material from Yalkut’s activities – mostly from the period 1965 to 1975 when he was most active. There are very scarce items here including a number of unique horoscopes that Yalkut made for his friends and colleagues and, in particular, there is the original collage/paste up that Yalkut made for the premiere of SELF-OBLITERATION in 1967 which incorporates an original photograph by the artist of Kusama.

In total there are 72 items in this archive – all came directly or indirectly from Yalkut’s own holdings. The collection is for sale (or even available for exhibition under certain circumstances) – do enquire as to price. Please note we may consider selling individual items from this group – again please enquire.

HAND MADE HOROSCOPE FOR FRANK GILETTE. c. 1969.

28 x 21.5cm, 1pp working for a personal horoscope for Frank Gilette (the video and installation artist. The paper is from commercially purchased sheets that allow for the casting of these diagrams but there are extensive calculations by Yalkut considering many aspects of the supposed influence of the sun and moon and stars on their lives. JOINT: Stapled to the sheet are 4pp of a carbon copy of a detailed biography of Gilette. JOINT: A second hand made horoscope which is a circular Commercially purchased sheet. Yalkut was a serious practitioner of astronomy. He often created personal horoscopes for his friends and used them to give advice on how to make decisions (and who to work with). This one such example of these pseudo-scientific items. VG although previously folded.

AQUARIAN RUSHES: A FILM BY JUD YALKUT. 1970.

NYC: Loeb Center, n.d. (1970) 28 x 21.5cm, 1pp black on white offset lithographic leaflet for the “premiere” of Yalkut’s 1969 film “Aquarian Rushes,”” which documented the festival. The status of this as the premiere is a little (purple) hazy as it appears to have been sown elsewhere before. VG.

A BENEFIT FOR PIERO HELICZER’S ADIEU. 1970.

NYC: Bleecker Street Cinema, (1970) 28 x 21.5cm, 1pp black on white offset lithographic leaflet for an evening held as benefit for an apparently uncompleted project (Adieu) by Heliczer, featuring screenings of seminal works by Andy Warhol, Jack Smith, Stan Brakhage, Piero Heliczer, Ron Rice, and Yalkut’s film of Yayoi Kusama (Self-Obliteration). VG.

NEW AMERICAN FILMMAKERS SERIES. 1970.

NYC: n.p. (Whitney Museum), (1970) 28 x 21.5cm, 1pp black on light blue offset lithographic leaflet for a “preliminary program” for this series of experimental films at the Whitney(mentioning that “a more detailed program is forthcoming”). Self-Obiteration by Yalkut is included. VG.

CANNIBALISM. 1971.

Toronto: CEAC: Centre for Experimental Art and Communication, n.d. (1971) 43 x 28.5cm, 1pp black on white offset lithographic poster for a series of events in September 1971 which includw Yalkut’s “”Self-Obliteration”” and “Festival Mix”” multiscreen projection. The photograph in the design is alsoby Yalkut. Others included in the festival were Michael Snow with a piano concert, Shitbandit in a performance, a film of Hermann Nitsch’s Abreakaktionnesepeil and Willoughby Sharp’s “The anchoring of activity; breaking frame”; a video performance. Victor Pisani also performed a “North American Premiere performance’. Folded for storage else VG.

THE MILLENIUM IS PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE AN EXPANSION OF ITS FILM WORKSHOP PROGRAM… 1971.

NYC: Millenium Film Workshop, Inc., 1971 28 x 21.5cm, 1pp black on off white offset lithographic leaflet noting the schedule for this film-education organisation which also announced that Jud Yalkut of USCO had been appointed guest instructor for 1971-2. VG.

SHIGEKO KUBOTA LIVE AND VIDEOTAPE CONCERT/THE ASTROLABE OF GOD. 1972.

NYC: The Kitchen, 1972 28 x 21cm, 2pp small poster/leaflet. The front shows the information about the concert and a small b/w image of the artist standing in St Marcos Square in Venice covered in pigeons. One the reverse is a b/w poster for Yalkut’s video work The Astrolabe of God with an extensive design. Former folds from mailing else VG+.

DESTRUCTFILM: A PROJECTION ENVIRONMENT BY JUD YALKUT. 1972

NYC: Judson Gallery, 1972 28 x 21cm, 1pp small poster/leaflet probably designed by Yalkut and with small b/w images. VG.

ROSALIND SCHNEIDER’S FILM FESTIVAL. 1973.

Woodstock, NY: National Shakespeare Company Experimental Art Center, n.d. (1973) 35.4 x 25.5cm, 1pp poster printed black on yellow for a three-day festival including work by over 15 artists; Jud Yalkut being one of them. Folded horizontally for storage else VG.

TETRAHEDRON WATER BALLET AND ELECTRONIC RIVER/WIND/CONCERT. 1973.

Dayton, OH: Contemporary Media Study Center, n.d. (1973) 15 x 20.4cm, 2pp announcement card for “a dance performance with ‘inflatables’ by Yalkut and an electronic environment by Yalkut. The dancers were Jeni Engel and Helen Vislosky.

A MIXED MEDIA PERFORMANCE IN ISOBE’S FLOATING THEATER. 1975.

Oneonta, NY: SUNY Oneonta, n.d. (1975) 28 x 21.5cm, 1pp small poster with a design that look a little like Yalkut’s style. The work shown was “Dream Reel” by Jud Yalkut. VG.

ONE-MAN SHOW BY JUD YALKUT. 1975.

NYC: Millenium Film Workshop, Inc., n.d. (1975) 28 x 21.5cm, 1pp small poster for s showing of TURN TURN TURN, SELF OBLITERATION and AQUARIAN RUSHES by Jud Yalkut. The filmmaker was present to discuss the work. VG.