Whitehot Magazine

By Any Means Necessary: Origins of Base 36

 Roscoe, Andrea, Luka, and Jet - Base 36 (2022)

JEFFREY GRUNTHANER, Nov. 22, 2024

The term Base 36 derives from computer coding—a technical shorthand for condensing vast quantities of information into a more manageable size. It’s also the name of a young NYC-based arts and culture collective. Base 36 has taken on the mantle of an ambitious, and even expansive, creative platform without being beholden to the narrow framework of a mainstream commercial gallery. It’s not just art and music events it hosts—though those are its touchstones. Science, research, anything with a vital criticality about it—all lies within its scope. Yet what makes Base 36 stand apart from the many project spaces that come and go through New York's art scene is its ability to deftly evade the art world establishment. 

Andrea - Rolling artworks in Berlin (2023)

Andrea in front of Jet Le Parti Painting at Base 36 (2022)

Fomented by a loose consortium of like-minded individuals, Base 36 doesn’t seek validation; it doesn’t flaunt itself or overhype its events. You might say it’s a sort of nomadic refuge for people who care as much about thinking as they do about making and exhibiting art. It’s at this intersection, not so much of life and art, but of mindfulness and visibility, where Base 36 finds its jumping off point. It’s not just about pushing art into political discourse, though it certainly does that. It’s about how art shapes and reframes how we experience life—how we interact with the music we listen to, how we weave the fabric of a culture with warp and woof of practice and necessity. There’s a refreshing directness here, as though Base 36 is creating a new kind of network of avant-garde praxis—a space not defined by what’s fashionable or commodifiable, but by a genuine attempt to rupture the stale vocabulary of the “art world.” 

Ethan + Jet with sound gear in elevator of Studio building (2021)

Jet Le Parti - Painting at Sotheby's (2023)

Terms like “avant-garde” or any kind of “-ism” are far too restrictive, too compromised by systems Base 36 never sought any allegiance with. It aligns itself more with Fluxus, with techno, with anything that refuses to adhere to any single ideology or mold. When looking for an exemplary representation, or personification, of what it is to “be Base36,” you can take a look at none other than two of its central, foundational figures: Jet Le Parti and L. S. Toy. Jet Le Parti, the backbone and galvanizing current animating the organization, is a contemporary artist gaining attention with his paintings—and, more recently, with his music and poetry. L. S. Toy, another vital figure in the Base 36 design, uses his large scale works to foreground the tricky overlap between art and economics. Neither artists‘ work exists in a rarified air of aesthetic detachment. Both Le Parti and Toy examine the social dynamics of art—how it’s received, who receives it, and under what conditions. As their work with Base 36 reminds, art doesn’t exist in a vacuum; it’s embedded in a web of geography, history, and commerce.

Jet Le Parti - To Be Hung at Sotheby's (2023)

Jet Le Parti - Trojan at Relaispunkt (2023)

Jet Le Parti at Base 36 - basement floor (2022)

What makes Base 36 so different from the avant-garde gestures of the past is that its methods, though aligned with the rebellious seeds of propaganda, don’t rely on shock value or aestheticized aggression for aggression’s sake. Instead, they work to engage—to overwhelm the senses, perhaps, but in a way that demands attention without resorting to mere spectacle. Unlike the boomer aesthetics of folk art or the linear progress of modernism, there’s a calculated dissolution happening here, one where art is less about presenting a message and more about creating a space for a deeper conversation. It’s about placing art within the existing markets, not as an outsider looking in, but as a participant in an ongoing story about what art can be—how it can exist not just as a force of opposition, but as a living entity capable of interacting with the nadirs and potentials already built into the systems that surround us. For the artists associated with it, Base 36 provides a deeper engagement with the world—a gesture which refuses to be simply reactive, and which creates its  own language of possibility.

Jet Le Parti, Brooklyn Studio (2022)

Jet Le Parti in Brooklyn studio (2021)

Base 36 tends to shy away from any kind of collective identity; though it may also be said to be a collective under the vision of one person: namely, Jet Le Parti. As a venue and as a platform, though, Base 36 has all the markings, gestures, and even the public-facing facture of an art object. That is, it bears the individuality of the person who initiated it, but also transcends the merely personal and comes to involve the individualities of others in a storied way. Le Parti's own passage to art began in the American South. Raised on the disciplined fringes of military life. everything shifted when he moved to Philadelphia for college. The underground was a revelation. Philly's DIY music scene—the warehouse parties, the clandestine late-night rituals—started his awakening. It pushed against the constraints of his upbringing, and promised a world where art wasn't placed on a pedestal, but was an electric, breathable experience. In this cacophonous atmosphere sparked the initial fire that would eventually spread into Base 36: art as a living environment, art that invites you into its mythos.

Base 36 crowd for sound exhibition (2024)

Studio 15 Party - Jet Djing Afters

L.S. Toy in Brooklyn for Base 36 Show - September 2024

As Le Parti made his transition to New York City, he'd spend his early days sharing a studio space in Bushwick with his childhood friend and fellow artist from Georgia, Roscoe. Roscoe and Le Parti had come up through Philly together; both had philosophy backgrounds; and both were into painting. It was Roscoe, in fact, who introduced painting to Le Parti, who then started immersing himself in it more intensely. Together they weathered the financial pressures of the city while striving to maintain their artistic integrity. Out of necessity, Roscoe and Le Parti modified their space and began hustling events that blurred the lines between music and art. These gatherings became something of a lifeline—providing much-needed income while fostering a sense of community among creatives looking for alternatives to the mainstream art world.

Studio Party (2021)

Studio Party on Film - Photo 1 (2021)

Some of the DJs featured in the early nightlife grind days (all of whom were Brooklyn locals) included AceMo, Aiden Curtiss, MoMa Ready, X-Coast, No_4mat, and Nini. As can only be expected, though, the rise of Base 36 also attracted its share of unwanted attention; not just the usual breed of artworld parasites, the stragglers and starfuckers, but also the paranoia-inducing presence of city and state officials started to loom. A police raid in October 2021 was a serious setback for the burgeoning space. The confiscation of equipment halted operations for an extended period, and forced Le Parti and Roscoe to rethink not just the logistical and conceptual underpinnings of their quasi-communal project, but to recalibrate their whole approach to space itself. 

Base36 - Gallery floor 4 (2022)

Shared Resident studio - Base 36 (2024)

Jet Le Parti Studio Photo - Studio 15 (2021)

For them, it was never just about the work. They had two adjacent studios they had fully moved into. Subsequent to the federal seizure of equipment, an unprompted eviction notice would result in Le Parti’s total transitioning away from NYC to Los Angeles—where he planned an unexpected return to the world of sports. Following an unfortunate shoulder injury, Le Parti then returned back to New York, where he had been ostensibly presented with a formal exhibition opportunity, prefaced as an act of patronage by one of those billionaire types and her son. However, six months into planning the exhibition—right before it was set to open—it became apparent that their intentions were deceptive, with additional demands for substantial money and artworks imposed under the guise of a necessary "taxations" for the event.

Jet Le Parti + Roscoe (2022)

The sudden development ultimately led Le Parti to abandon the agreement altogether, and return to what he knew best: his whilom home of vacant warehouses in Brooklyn. Being only one week away from the planned exhibition, and with no venue to host it, Le Parti’s partner and co-curator Andrea Angel, managed to secure a last-minute location at 67 Metropolitan Ave. So it was largely her efforts that enabled Base 36 to make a crucial turn—inaugurating a vibe shift from spontaneous gatherings to more formalized exhibitions and events. Working with, at most, movers from a Balkan moving company, Jet, Andrea, and a school friend of Jet’s began to mount short-term exhibitions as the concept of Base 36 continued to crystallize.

Andrea - Shooting art at Relaispunkt (2024)

Base 36 now began to carve out its space in NYC's art world. It began with a series of exhibitions. These didn't feature the typical shlock-for-shlock's-sake pieces, nor were they the sterile, market-ready objects crafted for the easy consumption of collectors. No, these were works that asked something. They were research-driven, laden with ideas that lived in the spaces between intellectual curiosity and emotional directness. The art at Base 36 was an affront to the entire apparatus—not by being overtly political, but by simply existing outside its grip. Traditional art norms weren’t a barrier—they just weren’t worth acknowledging. The very act of staging exhibitions, of creating work that could be shown and circulated with little to no dependence on the gallery-collector system, was itself a radical gesture. 

Ashley Oakley (Right) + Jet Le Parti (left) at Base 36 performing (2024)

In 2023, Le Parti and his team relocated to Berlin for nearly a year. For Le Parti, a German-American, this move was both personal and professional: an opportunity to reconnect with his heritage and immerse himself in Berlin’s vibrant art and music scenes, lauded for being global art hubs. But his time there was marked by observation rather than participation, as the brevity of the stay and limited integration into local networks prevented deeper engagement. Still, Berlin left a lasting impact. It ignited in Le Parti a vision to create something truly global—a platform capable of fostering authentic creative expression across borders. This ambition would lead the gang back to New York, where they reestablished their program with a dual focus: facilitating meaningful physical engagement with the arts while building a digital infrastructure to sustain the program’s decentralized nature.

Jet Le Parti performs at an exhibition at Base 36

The return to New York brought both opportunities and challenges. Increased visibility attracted collectors and recognition from publications, but it also subsequently drew opportunists—vampiric types more interested in attaching themselves to the brand than supporting the art. Driven by status and trends, they were less concerned with the authenticity of the project, than to capitalize and affix their names to whatever they could. Base 36, however, managed to adapt and even thrive in this evolving context. Le Parti and his team cultivated a dedicated community of collectors and supporters, while exploring more experimental exhibition styles inspired by their experiences overseas. This approach discountenanced those who lacked any genuine social intent, but simultaneously elevated the project's cachet, opening up new opportunities for growth across varying disciplines and media.

LS Toy - Shared Resident sutdio Self Portrait (2023)

LS-Toy - Base 36 Show - (2024)

Now Base 36 finds itself at a crossroads. In 2024, it premiered Relaispunkt.1, an initiative that offers artists access to a global stage while also commenting on the role of art in a world that isn’t as interested in its beauty as it is in its value, its provocative intent. Directed by Andrea Angel, who has managed the bulk of exhibition programing since 2021, the brick-and-mortar strategy is still very much intact, the social production of space still felt in full force; only now Base 36 aligns itself more carefully with the rhythms of the surrounding environment. The DIY energy which had always been its hallmark has been honed and refocused, translating the directness and immediacy of underground events into a more deliberate but still fiercely independent series of exhibitions. The stakes are higher, but so too are the possibilities. 

Relaispunkt - Chinatown Opening (Feb. 2024)

Attuned to the harsh economic climes artists often have to weather, Base 36 is developing its own grant and residency programs. Yet even as it expands—into music, publishing, even pedagogy—it retains the integrity of what it always was: a platform for artists to find new avenues of expression and collaboration. Among the artists benefiting from the new developments is Tino Park, who started at Base 36 as an intern and production assistant and is now part of the Relaispunkt roster. Another artist, Moto Joho, interrogates the future of painting at the intersection of fine art and technology. With their background in neuroscience, Joho canalizes their research in AI and machine learning into an eclectic style: something like a surreal fusion of neo-Rococo and baroque-inspired elements. Also integral to the Relaispunkt roster is David Murray, a sound artist and DJ whose work with Base 36 has already introduced a more rigorous approach to sound production. All told, Base 36 isn’t just expanding; it’s becoming an essential space we didn’t know we needed. 

Par.X Shared Studio View - works by Moto Joho + LS Toy Par.x

Par.X Shared Studio Residents - Moto Joho in Parx Base 36 resident sutdio (2024)

I can’t stress enough how this thing runs on its own terms. Many “collectives” have made their home in NYC. But Base 36 distinguishes itself less by being a platform for future celebrity artists, and more for providing space for artists whose ideas and methods are often opposed to the superficiality of the art world and the aporia of money that tethers it to blanket forms of posturing and unreality. This isn't your typical art scene fare, the generic fly-by-night collective that sputters out after “the allegations.” Base 36 is different: it’s different because it exists now, in NYC, and not as some washed-out relic of its Downtown heyday. Based on a vision of art that can be radical in its commitment to freedom, autonomy, and the often difficult process of making work, it’s not just about creating; it’s about how one creates, and how one confronts the systems that dictate how art should function. Base 36 has become a haven for those who understand that art is not simply about innovation for innovation’s sake, but about maintaining a constant, critical engagement with and within the world. Creatives find here the rare opportunity to develop their Ideas without compromise—without needless pressures imposed by either market expectations or institutional forces. As it moves towards cultivating a global community, those who are drawn to it find themselves bound less by any shared aesthetic or goal, than by a clear-eyed awareness of art's potential to unsettle, disturb, and transform. WM

Jeffrey Grunthaner

Jeffrey Grunthaner is an artist, writer, musician, & independent curator currently based in Berlin. Essays, articles, poems, and reviews have appeared via BOMBartnet NewsThe Brooklyn RailAmerican Art CataloguesHyperallergic, Heavy Feather Review, Arcade ProjectFolder, Drag City Books, and other venues. He's the author of the poetry pamphlet, Aphid Poems (The Creative Writing Department, 2022), and the full-length poetry collection Paracelsus' Trouble With Sundays (Posthuman Magazine, 2023). Some recent curatorial projects include the reading and discussion series Conversations in Contemporary Poetics at Hauser & Wirth (NY), Sun Oil for Open White Gallery (Berlin), and FEELINGS for synthesis gallery (Berlin). 

 

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