New York Times sensational exposé on Heckel’s Horse:

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/03/arts/design/frieze-london-billy-childish.html

On the subject of Isabella Kwai‘s New York Times article: The Artist as ‘Ever-Moving Target’: Billy Childish Refuses All Labels

These last 11 years, Billy Childish and I have been collaborating on a series of around 200 (so far) paintings, under the alias Heckel’s Horse. It’s been kept quiet till now, but things are starting to change. Still, hardly anyone knows about it. Sometimes all it takes is one word to get things going. This time it’s ‘collaborator‘, as mentioned in the New York Times article. Long gone now, are the dark old days when Edgeworth Johnstone, me!, was either too confusing or disgraceful to be publicly credited alongside Billy Childish. Even to the extent of you’d-think-credible galleries deliberately mis-selling and publicly lying about Billy and my collaborative work together WHAT A SCANDAL!!! (as discussed in my interview with Emma Pugmire, co-member of Black Ivory Printmaking & Audio Club).

That was fun! Seeing my name airbrushed from collaborative work Billy and I had done together. All because, apparently, the artworld find “Edgeworth Johnstone” not to their liking. Pure lies in the publication of work under Billy’s name must qualify as one of the CRIMES listed in the Stuckist manifesto motivated purely by financial concerns, no? (Stuckism manifesto point 19). Art college, a perfect training ground/ indoctrination camp for the artworld. Lie, be lied to, be lied about. Welcome to anti-Stuckism. Welcome to anti-punk. Welcome to anti-art. Welcome to Heckel’s Horse.

Have you bought a “by Billy Childish” from a reputable gallery or art dealer, and now you’re wondering if it was largely done by me in my Muswell Hill studio? Don’t worry. Free Jompiy are only a well-timed stroll along the South Bank away and come with blockchain level security against these types of crafty artworld shenanigans. Not only are Jompiy blockchain protected against the forgers and pinstripe suited dodgy art dealers Heckel’s Horse is up against, but they’re numbered to give early acquirers a better deal than latecomers. The early birds being largely the proletariat, the latecomers being largely the establishment. At last, some real socialism in the artworld.

It seems now though, the artworld tides might be turning a bit. I’m not, apparently, such a problem anymore that they feel they have to lie about me, to make me go away. At least, not all of the time. Maybe due to my alter-ego Jompiy‘s growing reputation and recognition for inventing The Bitcoin of Art amongst the true art elite of the South Bank, outside Tate Modern. Never mind the South Bank, how about State University of New York? Here’s my trailblazing Black Ivory colleague, Ron Throop introducing Jompiy to the top brass of US academia:

In 2010, my work was being shown by Tate inside Tate Modern, now I’m giving it away for free outside Tate Modern. Credit Isabella Kwai and The New York Times for doing more than parrot the same old Tracey Emin, punk rocker, Stuckism stories you get in most coverage of life in Billy’s Chatham painting studio. One small step for The New York Times, one giant leap for Heckel’s Horse.

The You’d-Think-Forbidden fact that Billy Childish and Edgeworth Johnstone are decade-plus long collaborators on what Billy’s publicly declared to be his “favourite work” is seeming to be less of a problem for the artworld to digest. Maybe some behind the scenes number crunching finally fell in favour of poor old Heckel’s Horse. Why such paranoia about Heckel’s Horse being allowed out in the open? I don’t know, but nothing as big as Heckel’s Horse gets such sidelining by accident.

This is the thing. How comfortably can it sit with both Billy and me, constantly self-associating with things like punk, Stuckism manifesto, and championing the amateur DIY and all that, when Heckel’s Horse still rots in Anti-Art-Establishment-Queue/Prison, largely unexhibited, unshared with the world in the true punk and Stuckist fashion the Stuckist manifesto calls for? Heckel’s Horse, patiently biding its time, for no other reason than, the hope of being launched by the mainstream conservatism the Stuckist manifesto derides the Brit Artists for kowtowing to (Stuckism manifesto point 14), in some Anti-Art Establishment Art Fair Celebrity Shit-Fest or uber-professional White-Wall-Galleryesque-Horror-Show of all the glittering prizes we, supposedly, aren’t motivated by. It’s a mass dereliction of the multiple Stuckist duties we impose on ourselves, and publicly big-loud-wallop-pat ourselves on the back for adhering to….isn’t it?

If Tate Modern came along and said they’d like to do an exhibition of Heckel’s Horse. Even if it was just the small paintings, collages and easy stuff we could exhibit ourselves, in a front room with tables, chairs and cups of tea, like the Stuckism manifesto goes on about. If Tate came along, said it would run for 6 months, big shiny catalogue, all pomp and ceremony, it would happen. It would happen if they said it needed to be ready to hang in two months. There’s no doubt in my mind, mountains would be moved to make that show happen. So it’s fair to ask: Why do glittering prizes have to be on offer if ‘enriching society by giving shared form to individual experience and an individual form to shared experience’ means anything? It’s the antithesis of Stuckism. The opposite of amateur DIY. It’s anti-punk. Not only are we failing to do what we advocate, but we’re doing exactly what we mock. At least, as far as anything we could put on ourselves. But what about a bigger show? Billy and I have done our bit:

Heckel’s Horse has produced around 200 paintings, the vast majority 6 footers on Belgian linen deep edge canvas. Heckel’s Horse, the greatest untold story of art. Never fear, Heckel’s Horse Jr.‘s here!

‘The Artist as ‘Ever-Moving Target’ is a good title for the New York Times article, as I think it contrasts quite starkly with Heckel’s Horse and gives an indication of the frustration Billy and I have felt trying to encourage along an exhibition, book, or some proportional exposure to what, we at least recognise Heckel’s Horse‘s value to be. Heckel’s Horse is an ‘Ever-Paralysed Target’, despite Billy’s in particular, efforts to get things properly moving. But we just seem to hit a brick wall every time.

Artistically, Heckel’s Horse isn’t paralysed, but we’re both Stuckist-manifesto-relater-to-ers despite Billy long since leaving the Stuckists (having STOMACHed it for as long he did), and I distance myself too from a lot of Stuckism, mainly by writing manifestos by The Other Muswell Hill Stuckists AS PER MY BOOK ON AMAZON ‘Stuckism Bitcoin Jompiy’. … The Other Muswell Hill Stuckists are, very much, not Stuckists but you have to respect the centre-corest of Stuckism’s fundamentals:

It is the Stuckist’s duty to explore his/her neurosis and innocence through the making of paintings and displaying them in public, thereby enriching society by giving shared form to individual experience and an individual form to shared experience. – Stuckism manifesto point 8.

It’s counter-Stuckist nature to see the opposite happening to Heckel’s Horse. Art’s to be shared, not locked away. Especially when it’s for business reasons, who needs the glittering prizes anyway? – Stuckism manifesto point 7. The only type of “public recognition” on offer here is that which the Stuckism manifesto point 15 attacks, not the glorious public recognition of Stuckism manifesto point 8. The current Heckel’s Horse predicament is the opposite to what I can only understand the Billy Childish & Edgeworth Johnstone & Stuckist way to be. Stuckism manifesto point 1, UNCENSORED EXPRESSION. Point 9, The Stuckist is UNAFRAID TO FAIL. Heckel’s Horse seems afraid to even move. Career artistry at its finest.

Heckel’s Horse makes Career Non-Moves.
Heckel’s Horse Jr. makes Non-Career Moves.

Billy’s put it out there in at least one interview that Heckel’s Horse is his ‘favourite work’. We’ve talked about, and worked on plans to independently-ish put out a joint book and exhibition of Heckel’s Horse, I think through L-13, but those conversations started not long after the sensational Heckel’s Horse Jr. Highgate Gallery show was booked in late 2022. So, two years and counting on a publication that doesn’t even involve anyone from the white-wall anti-art gallery system throwing spanners in the works, and we still can’t get it done. At what point do you stop counting and write it off as yet another brick wall? So afraid of taking a wrong step, it seems Heckel’s Horse is incapable of taking any. Contrast this with the heroic intrepid risk taker of the Stuckism manifesto, and you can’t help questioning what the Stuckism manifesto is. From the extremes of being a clinical and transparent account of the James Bondian truth to Don Quixote doth protesting too much, to anything in between. Is the Stuckist manifesto heartfelt sincerity or just another lame tongue in cheek cop out?…..Stuckism, Fact or Fiction?

Whatever the truth of it, the leap between talking about publishing, and actually following through and doing it, seems to be getting increasingly impossible for Heckel’s Horse. What to do about it? Create Heckel’s Horse Jr. and bypass all the Heckel’s Horse bottlenecks.

I guess the necessary people are busy and/or not majorly interested in Heckel’s Horse. But Heckel’s Horse Jr.‘s here now and, crucially, I’ve got nothing better to do apart from Jompiy, Edgeworth Band‘s half-written songs and The Stomach Turner Prize 2024 demos. All systems go Heckel’s Horse Jr.!!!!

The Stuckist manifesto berates Heckel’s Horse: “Stop talking about it and just bloody do it!!! You’re surrounded by walls. Get your precious pictures up!!! What’s wrong? Not white enough for ya!!!! You’re supposed to be anti-white wall gallery system. Saving your virginity for a career as a prostitute? You talk it enough. Try walking it!” AS PER Stuckism manifesto point 18:

“The Stuckist is opposed to the sterility of the white wall gallery system and calls for exhibitions to be held in homes and musty museums, with access to sofas, tables, chairs and cups of tea. The surroundings in which art is experienced (rather than viewed) should not be artificial and vacuous.” – Stuckist manifesto point 18.

I remember back, probably 2014, some official-whatever people coming round the studio, going on about how great the Heckel’s Horse paintings are. We couldn’t have done too many by then, but it seemed they got how eager Billy and I were to get these up in a proper solo show, sometime relatively soon. But it’s like Little Britain. “Artworld says “No”. Although they don’t ever say “No”, it’s more of a grin-fuck thing (SEE THE BIT ABOUT MONOPRINTS).

It’s not the greatest, over a decade later, still essentially being in the same position, but it’s like Billy often says in the studio “If they’ve got what you want, they’ve got you.” Heckel’s Horse will have its day in the sun one day, and the longer it takes, the better for Heckel’s Horse Jr. I’ve got high hopes for Heckel’s Horse Jr. but I’ve veered off into the Jompiy thing recently so haven’t done much since the Highgate show. I moan about Heckel’s Horse but you can’t complain too much about being a prisoner if you’ve got the keys in your pocket. And how many people are going to share Billy and my rating’s of Heckel’s Horse anyway? No disrespect to the others, but you know the blonde good-looking one from “Portrait Artist of the Year”? She came round Billy’s studio to interview him for a Sky Arts documentary about Van Gogh. Like there aren’t enough documentaries about Van Gogh. I was all ready for the inevitable floods of celebrity praise when Billy showed her the Heckel’s Horse work, but she couldn’t have looked more disinterested if she’d tried. The same ‘critic’ that fawns over all that Bayswater Road crap on TV. Wouldn’t know a decent painting if it shat on her head. Maybe locking up the Heckel’s Horse painting’s got some merit to it. “None of you know what you’re looking at.” I think’s from The Rebel Billy often quotes. Anyway, Heckel’s Horse Jr. ‘s the way forward. It’s like my mum said ‘If you want something done, do it yourself.’ To me, that sums up true punk. Heckel’s Horse is demonstrably anti-punk, and will be the litmus test of Stuckism. Or, given that we’re already over a decade down the road, maybe the punk/Stuckism ships already sailed for Heckel’s Horse. The horse that never bolted. In Tracey Emin’s words “stuck, stuck, stuck“. How not Ever-Moving Target can you get? Answers below.