Arty arty art art on Washington

I know you've been waiting for the exciting conclusion to my blog post from the other day.  What's that you say?  What post from the other day?  Why, the post about me getting out to galleries last weekend.  This post!

After leaving the Cherokee Street galleries, I headed to midtown to see Urban Alchemy, the Gordon Matta-Clark show at the Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts.  Which I've been meaning to see for, like, ever.  Why didn't I go before now?  I'm a dummy, that's why.  Don't make the same mistake I did!


I don't know how to explain the show well but I can pluck a phrase from the Pulitzer's site about it that I think captures it nicely: "lost interventions".   It's films and photographs -- and, perhaps most strikingly, pieces -- of buildings that are decaying, in the process of being demolished.  Which now, of course, are long gone (Matta-Clark died in the 1970s).  It's really moving and beautiful.  It closes on June 6.  Please don't miss it!

The Pulitzer did quite a bit of outreach related to the exhibit.  One related project is an exhibit across the street from the Pulitzer, at the Bruno David Gallery --THEASTER GATES: Dry Bones and Other Parables from the North.  It.is.beautiful.  Go see it!  I mean it this time!

Again, I don't really have an extensive art vocabulary, but it's just a wonderful show.  Paintings that are so familiar, somehow, even though I'd never seen them before (see especially "hopeful commerce, mixed use dwelling").  The exhibit was curated by Juan William Chavez, of Boots Contemporary Art Space, on Cherokee.

The Theaster Gates show closes on June 5.  Hurry!   

Finally, crossed back to the other side of the street to the Contemporary Art Museum, to take a look at the Great Rivers Biennial show, featuring work by Martin Brief, Sarah Frost, and Cameron Fuller: Super interesting and provocative (in the best way) and beautifully displayed.  

I had never been to the Contemporary before.  It was Free Family Day, and kids were making instruments from recycled materials and print making and running around and generally having a grand time.  The Great Rivers Biennial is open for a couple more months, but come on, just visit all three galleries in one afternoon, and soon!  Simply a wonderful way to spend the day.

Couldn't take photos in any of the above places, but did take one of the courtyard of the Contemporary.  Doesn't that look like a perfect place to sit and think (or not think)?

best intentions

I was at the grocery store today and I heard a little squeal and this woman asked about my earrings as she'd just made some earrings that were meant to be hamburgers and she thought mine looked like food and she's absolutely not the first person to tell me that about this particular pair of earrings. Her companion agreed, and at least two other people have independently told me that my earrings look like food.

They don't look anything like food to me. I generally don't attempt novelty jewelry creations unless it's for a kid or something, so I was/am sort of thrown off that what I thought was an interesting configuration of shapes looks like food to others. It wasn't meant to be anything in particular!

Nobody who has commented on their foodly appearance has disliked them. So I guess insofar as jewelry/art/etc. is meant to please people, they have done their job. But they're sending a message, and one that I didn't intend, and that's ... disconcerting is too strong of a word. But some milder form of disconcerting might fit.

This interaction today brought me back to a notion that cycles around in my head not infrequently. Of the photos I've taken -- and made public in some form or another -- those that I love the very best, those that turned out just as I'd hoped or even better, those that I think are exactly what I meant to "say", most don't seem to resonate strongly with anybody but me.

I want to be clear that this isn't a "please admire my photos" fishing expedition -- I have come to accept that some people really like some of my photos. But insofar as anything of mine is "popular"*, those photos aren't generally ones that I feel particularly reflect my style.

This one at the top of the page here? For sure in my personal top 10 of work that I think says "Hilary". I spent more than a little bit figuring out this composition, and I got it just as I wanted it and this is the photo I meant to take.

A few months ago a friend was looking through my photos and came across this one and said something about how this photo was frustrating because he wanted to see the whole sign and there was this stuff in the way and what I should have done was just take a picture of the whole sign.

This friend never says things just to be nice, and gives useful feedback that I don't get from a lot of other people, so it was interesting to hear that perspective**. It didn't hurt my feelings, because I know I got what I wanted and did what I intended to do.

It makes me wonder about others' work; if that's a common experience -- your personal favorites of your own work never really matching up with what others tend to be drawn to. Would love to hear thoughts on this (and see your personal favorites!)






* as measured by Flickr favorites or purchases of prints, as I don't have much else to go on
** although I'm not sure if it was especially useful, as we don't share much of an aesthetic -- I'm more Lou Reed than Lionel Richie, for example