Life is demanding without understanding.
Monday, March 29, 2010
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
March Art Party Happened
My commentary is this: Uncle Jenny's Psyche Ward Ruled, Julia Blackburn/Dust's display was beautiful, Emily Baker's/Sword and Fern installation was killer, Ms. Renee the Tarot Reader gave a line of people readings, there was so much more that I didn't photograph. Atole, STLS, queer jerkin', and a fashion show I was in that the lovely and talented Chelsea Starr created. My excuse is that I flew in from LA that morning at 9 (7 am flight) and that I was totally fried. I promise to take pictures consistently from here on out! Come to Branx next Friday, April 2nd, for fun arty times.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Monday, March 22, 2010
Ideas for Future Whitney Biennials
So this year the Whitney Biennal was really underwhelming. Here's my response.
Ideas for future Biennals
-Gather up a group of arbitrary artists. Maybe 3 or 4 teams of 10 or so working in different disciplines--film, video, dance, painting, fashion. They must work as a team to create awesome work in one floor of the Whitney. This can be done however they choose. RuPaul, Tyra, Oprah, and Ellen DeGeneres are the judges. Winning teams get a lifetime supply of tampons, which should be free anyway and made available to all visitors, In fact, can the next Biennal just be sponsored by Gladrags and Kotex?
-Create one or two themes! I saw really none this year--other than the requisite throwbacks to other artists/art movements the overall presentation sludged together in a way that the stand outs were vaguely weighted down by the confusing mediocrity of the whole. I love Ellen Gallagher and Storm Tharp, but the weak showings of the other work actualy made me question their validity. And the few political works, such as the Jackson Hutchins' couch, and the portraits of the Iraq women burning themselves out of desperation seemed perfunctory. So why don't you have a theme, curators? Again pick your artists and give them a theme, an impetus to create new work. That way the viewer will be able to see how well an artist can work under limits.
-Include fashion/theatrical performances. Isn't the world in a both over the top, tragic, and horrendously beautiful state? Much of the work seemed really safe. I don't want safe in artwork. If it is going to be safe I want the techniques employed by the artists to be off the hook: something that was not present across the board in the works I observed.
-Shut down the institution of the Biennal and make the work go into the streets and take place all over the city and burroughs. Instead of having to travel to see ALL the work, some of the work will be in everyone's face all the time. If I want to see a particular artist, I might have to go to Long Island City. Then I might have to stop in a restaurant I've never been in before and buy something. Or, keep the museum open, and for the $18, people can get a mani or pedi from a starving artist who has an MFA. Conversations between artist and visitor can be recoreded and uploaded onto the Whitney's website. Artists these days are still so hungry for exposure I'm sure they'd do it for free, Whitney, so exploit away.
-Select the artists, then hire private investigators to find out the following:
Was the artist the first in their family to go to school?
If so, do they have student loans? Who is paying those student loans?
What kinds of jobs, besides "artist" has the artist had?
Was being an artist encouraged by the artist's parents?
What nationality, gender expression, age, socio-economic status is the artist?
Did the artist have to fuck anyone to get a "break"?
If so, who and for how long a time period?
Can the artist afford to have an assistant?
What is the artit's annual income?
Does the artist get $$ to be in the Biennal?
Ideas for future Biennals
-Gather up a group of arbitrary artists. Maybe 3 or 4 teams of 10 or so working in different disciplines--film, video, dance, painting, fashion. They must work as a team to create awesome work in one floor of the Whitney. This can be done however they choose. RuPaul, Tyra, Oprah, and Ellen DeGeneres are the judges. Winning teams get a lifetime supply of tampons, which should be free anyway and made available to all visitors, In fact, can the next Biennal just be sponsored by Gladrags and Kotex?
-Create one or two themes! I saw really none this year--other than the requisite throwbacks to other artists/art movements the overall presentation sludged together in a way that the stand outs were vaguely weighted down by the confusing mediocrity of the whole. I love Ellen Gallagher and Storm Tharp, but the weak showings of the other work actualy made me question their validity. And the few political works, such as the Jackson Hutchins' couch, and the portraits of the Iraq women burning themselves out of desperation seemed perfunctory. So why don't you have a theme, curators? Again pick your artists and give them a theme, an impetus to create new work. That way the viewer will be able to see how well an artist can work under limits.
-Include fashion/theatrical performances. Isn't the world in a both over the top, tragic, and horrendously beautiful state? Much of the work seemed really safe. I don't want safe in artwork. If it is going to be safe I want the techniques employed by the artists to be off the hook: something that was not present across the board in the works I observed.
-Shut down the institution of the Biennal and make the work go into the streets and take place all over the city and burroughs. Instead of having to travel to see ALL the work, some of the work will be in everyone's face all the time. If I want to see a particular artist, I might have to go to Long Island City. Then I might have to stop in a restaurant I've never been in before and buy something. Or, keep the museum open, and for the $18, people can get a mani or pedi from a starving artist who has an MFA. Conversations between artist and visitor can be recoreded and uploaded onto the Whitney's website. Artists these days are still so hungry for exposure I'm sure they'd do it for free, Whitney, so exploit away.
-Select the artists, then hire private investigators to find out the following:
Was the artist the first in their family to go to school?
If so, do they have student loans? Who is paying those student loans?
What kinds of jobs, besides "artist" has the artist had?
Was being an artist encouraged by the artist's parents?
What nationality, gender expression, age, socio-economic status is the artist?
Did the artist have to fuck anyone to get a "break"?
If so, who and for how long a time period?
Can the artist afford to have an assistant?
What is the artit's annual income?
Does the artist get $$ to be in the Biennal?
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Monday, March 1, 2010
When I was a Dog
Some selects from the split zine my friend Dexter Flowers and I made last month. Next week they will be at Reading Frenzy and there will be a copy at the IPRC. If you want a copy contact me and I will mail you.They are $8. Full color--around 18 pages.Super limited edition.
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