Irene Dogmatic (also known as Nancy Maass Mosen) is an American visual and performance artist, musician and writer who has been active since 1972. Her work has been published in Esquire, New York Woman, Elle Decor and House and Garden magazines.[1]
Dogmatic was an early friend and collaborator of The Residents, best known to fans for her appearance in the group's unfinished feature film Vileness Fats. Dogmatic also created artwork for the limited edition Third Reich 'n Roll Collectors' Box, released in 1980.
Biography[]
Irene Dogmatic began her artistic career in San Francisco in 1972 as Nancy Maass Mosen. In August 1974 her work was published in Esquire magazine, and she was noted in Miriam Shapiro's 1975 publication A Woman's Sensibility.[1] Dogmatic began creating "Dadamatic" mail art in the 1970s.[1] In 1976, she contributed a piece to the Los Angeles Free Music Society compilation album I.D. Art #2.
In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Dogmatic was involved in the punk scene which had developed around the San Francisco Art Institute, joining the groups SST, The Beautykillers and The Kahunas. Dogmatic also created the cover art and packaging for SST's only single, which was released in 1978 on Tidal Wave Records.[2]
Dogmatic moved to New York in 1982 and returned to San Francisco in 1994.[3] She has remained active as a visual artist, poet and travel writer.[1] Her "Dog Me Around" series of dog portraits were exhibited at the San Francisco Public Library in 2010,[1] followed by an exhibition of her "Dadamatic Mail Art" in December 2016.[4] Between 2011 and 2017 her travel writing was published by the non-profit online magazine The Global Dispatches.[1]
In October 2020, she released a four-song EP, Songs, on San Francisco label Bottomfeeder Records, featuring lyrics and vocals by Dogmatic and music by Erik Ian Walker.[1]
Work with The Residents[]
The Residents by Irene Dogmatic, included in The Third Reich 'n Roll Collectors' Box in 1980
In the early 1970s, Dogmatic created artwork for a Residents, Uninc. Christmas card.[4] Between 1974 and 1976, she appeared in the "Banquet Hall" scene in The Residents' unfinished feature film, Vileness Fats, as a character named Irene.[Note 1][5]
Irene's last collaboration with The Residents was for the Third Reich 'n Roll Collectors' Box, one of a planned series of deluxe limited edition box sets of their albums, which had been in the works since 1977. The Third Reich 'n Roll was the only box in the series to be fully produced at the time, finally seeing release in 1980, in an edition of of 50 copies. The box contained two signed and hand-numbered lithographs by Dogmatic, one depicting The Residents and the other an artwork of dogs in bondage.[6]
Hardy Fox mentioned her in a 1995 interview. Her appearance in Vileness Fats was mentioned by Joshua Raoul Brody in the 2015 documentary Theory of Obscurity: A Film About The Residents, and two years later she was mentioned by Charles Bobuck in the tenth issue of Fox's Hacienda Bridge email newsletter.
See also[]
- Vileness Fats
- Mole Show/Whatever Happened To Vileness Fats?
- The Third Reich 'n Roll
- Collectors' Box series
Notes[]
- ↑ In the 2015 documentary Theory of Obscurity: A Film About The Residents, Dogmatic is erroneously described as portraying The Mayor in Vileness Fats, although the character is clearly portrayed by a much older man. An image hosted on The Residents' official website with the filename "VFMayorAndIrene.jpg" indicates that Irene is the woman seated on the Mayor's left. Her character is also referred to simply as "Irene" in the film's script.
External links and references[]
- "Arfonline" - Irene Dogmatic's official website
- Irene Dogmatic at The Global Dispatches (archived via archive.org)
- Irene Dogmatic at Discogs
- SST at Discogs
- The Kahunas at Discogs
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 "Bio" at Irene Dogmatic's official website
- ↑ Onechord, "Irene Dogmatic (SST / The Beautykillers / The Kahunas)", April 16th 2014
- ↑ "I moved to New York in 1982 and returned to the Bay Area in 1994." Irene Dogmatic, comment in Ralph Records unofficial Facebook group, August 13th 2023
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 nutMeg, "The Most Dada Thing: Neo-Dada in San Francisco & Dadamatic Mail Art from Irene Dogmatic’s collection", 2m2t, December 27th 2016
- ↑ Ima Buddy, Ima Buddy's Totally Impartial Companion to Uncle Willie's Highly Opinionated BIG MAMAS, 1992
- ↑ The Third Reich 'n Roll Collectors' Box on Discogs
