reunion

when you see a friend you were once intimate with, years after that intimacy, there is often a warming up period. feeling each other out. seeing ho the other person has changes. testing to see if old patterns still work. and after a little bit of time, you get in the groove. you smooth out the awkwardness. you sit closer. you lean in. you move in ways that feel familiar and new at the same time.

art and i are this way lately.

there were times in my life, lovely privileged times as an art student, when i went to three or hour art museums in a couple of days. or gallery after gallery. or returned to the same show just to sit in the presence of a piece i had built a relationship with. and yet, i haven't spent time looking at art, strolling through images, swimming with colors, wrestling with concepts, for months. the dry spell has been too long. and so as i approached the armory show today, i stumbled through the first awkward moments. but then, i was addicted to the relationship again. despite my feet hurting, my tummy growling, the crowds, the prices, the pretentiousness, i kept going and going. just one more row of galleries. just around this corner then i will leave. just... just... just...

the original armory show towards the beginning of the 20th century introduced the united states to modern art. this was before we fancied ourselves as the center all of things art. it was groundbreaking. it was moving. it shattered perceptions of the visual, perceptions of culture. the changes it brought reached far deeper into american culture than just fine art.

the current armory show (international fair of new art) does not live up to that radical ideal, but it is likely the most interesting collection of current art i have ever seen. at first i was confused... there are two piers that included work--92 and 94. 92 held modern work... and it was ok. there were exciting pieces that were new to me, but much of it was mediocre examples of incredible artists. i almost left before hitting pier 94. 94 held all the new art. this is a show i would come back to new york to see again... just for this. galleries from at least three continents were present (they could have been a little more gobal than they were) but i felt challenged and inspired by what i saw. people are pushing the boundaries, reinventing what we thought was old and traditional (kinda like we are doing in the church). asia seems to be the new center. from my perspective, american art it no longer on that front edge. it will be interesting to see if another city replaces new york in this century the way new york replaced paris in the last century.

blah blah blah. i realize i sound self-important and like i know more than i actually do. i apologize. it comes form love and admiration. and the hope that i can learn to push the envelope artistically too.