Comix Ex Machina
Opening - June 18th, 2005

The Show
In the summer of 2004, Flux Factory produced a collaborative work called Cartünnel. A 2,000-square-foot walk-through maze was constructed. Its walls were illustrated by nine artists working together to produce characters and a story. Depending on what route the viewer traveled through the maze, it yielded a different version of the narrative. The intention was to highlight the importance of graphic novels and illustration as contemporary art forms and to show their performance and sculptural possibilities.

This summer, Flux Factory will produce a show that follows the thematic of Cartünnel—comics-as-installation—called Comix Ex Machina. The Comix Ex Machina exhibit looks back to archaic technologies like Stereoscopy and the automated mechanical entertainment of the turn of the previous century. It also draws upon the aesthetics of interactive and contemporary science museum displays. In Comix Ex Machina, each artist will build an installation with graphic as well as mechanical components that presents a sequence of images to the viewer in an interactive setting, making the story part of an overall physical experience. The pieces will be engaging and inclusive, inviting viewers to be active participants in the art.

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Participating Artists

Woojung Ahn's illustrations have appeared in the New York Times, Cricket Magazine and in Kitchen Sink Magazine. Her first book, Adventure of the Right Hand, is forthcoming from New Suit press. Visit www.woojungahn.net.

Ian Burns is an Australian artist, now based in New York. He has had numerous solo shows in Australia and the United States. His first New York solo show opens this Spring. Ian’s work has been included in recent shows at commercial venues such as Jack Tilton Gallery and Gigantic Art Space, museum venues such as Sculpture Center and The Newcastle Region Art Museum in Australia, as well as emerging artists spaces such as Smack Mellon.

Daupo is an illustrator and comic artist who has shown work in galleries throughout the city and abroad. A frequent contributor to Flux Factory projects, he is currently working on a number of comic strip projects. Daupo's work can be viewed at daupo.com.

Brian Dewan used to build furniture for a living and as of late is making and projecting I-CAN-SEE filmstrips. Two CDs, Brian Dewan Tells The Story and The Operating Theater feature songs with autoharp and electric zither accompaniment. He has exhibited drawings and filmstrips at The Brooklyn Museum, The New Museum, Pierogi Gallery, The Armory Show and Modern Art Oxford. Learn about the electronic instruments he invented in collaboration with his brother Leon Dewan at www.dewanatron.com.

Andrea Dezso is an artist, designer, writer and educator. She is full-time faculty at Parsons School of Design and an artist represented by the Jack Tilton Gallery in New York City. Andrea's illustrations have appeared in the New York Times Book Review. She is a contributor to Print Magazine. Her fiction was published in McSweeney's. She lives in New York City. Her work can be seen at andreadezso.com

Aya Kakeda does illustrations for a number of prominent publications, most notably The New Yorker. She has been asked to present work for New Visual Artist 2003 in Print Magazine, American Illustration Web 2003 & 2002, RSVP, and the International Print Center 2003 competition. Aya recently received “Best in Show” at the competition in Post Picasso.com. Her work can be viewed at ayakakeda.com.

Wendi Koontz's illustrations have appeared in the New York Times, Playboy, Bust Magazine, and American Cheerleader. Visit her website at www.wendikoontz.com.

Yunmee Kyong received an MFA from the School of Visual Arts in 2002. She has published work in World of Interior, Bazaar, Premier, Sky Magazine, Cine 21, and The New York Times. Her work can be seen at yunmee.com.

Jason Little has been drawing cartoons since he was a child. In addition to the graphic novel Shutterbug Follies, he has also written and illustrated the Xeric Award-winning Jack's Luck Runs Out, as well as a number of short works for various cartoon anthologies. He has been published by Fantagraphics, Drawn and Quarterly, Top Shelf, and D.C. Comics. His work can be viewed at beecomix.com.

Brian Matthews, Flux Factory's resident mad scientist, assembles out of metal, rubber, and electricity what his imagination designs or his mind instantly recognizes as the most absurd solution. He has a Mechanical Engineering Degree from Ohio University and won 1st place in the American Society of Mechanical Engineers Undergraduate Design Competition in 2000. Brian has worked as a technical director, lighting coordinator, engineer, artist, and builder of mechanical horses, floating tea parties and pie launchers. A regular member of the Madagascar Institute, Brian presently works as Assistant Lighting and LED Lighting engineer for the TV show “The Apprentice”. his work can be seen here


Doug Skinner. In addition to his work as a visual artist, Doug Skinner is a translator, lecturer, actor, ventriloquist, and musician. He has written several scores for theater and dance, most conspicuously for Bill Irwin's 'The Regard of Flight', which enjoyed a Broadway run and a spot on PBS's 'Great Performances'. He has played piano on the BBC, cello at the White House, and ukulele on the 'Joe Franklin Show'. Hear music by his band at WhiteKnuckleSandwich.com.