you say hygge, i say lort

schneewittchen?

Sun, 19 May 2013 17:30:29 -0400

schneewittchen?

on a day to day basis, i often forget that the summer house in...

Sat, 18 May 2013 23:39:52 -0400

on a day to day basis, i often forget that the summer house in brekkestø is still there, still my home. we are so far away, so far removed from a life that can correspond to the pace and obligations of life on the island. then days like yesterday (the 17th of may) and today (the eurovision competetiion) come along, reminding me of times when we were there much more often, spending cool evenings with friends in extravagantly long conversations on the dock, watchjng the sailboats pass as the evening stars arrive, and when the twilight came around the hour of 11 pm, we’d retreat inside to a scene like this. i miss that very much. terribly.

another from norway, from some time ago. the sun just after...

Fri, 17 May 2013 19:12:00 -0400

another from norway, from some time ago. the sun just after midnight in the lofotens. well, that was years ago. #17mai

has anyone else been getting these quarters? seems like a number...

Fri, 17 May 2013 10:10:27 -0400

has anyone else been getting these quarters? seems like a number of boston fans have infiltrated new york’s financial and cultural networks.

i see a dilapidated car and i think of two things: the shambolic...

Wed, 15 May 2013 11:35:00 -0400

i see a dilapidated car and i think of two things: the shambolic universe of the royal tenenbaums combined with the shambolic disposition of steven wright… in my head, i see myself as the reluctant passenger, steven wright the driver, mumbling irascibly, “last night i went to a 24-hour grocery. when i got there, the guy was locking the front door. i said, ‘hey man, what the… the sign says you’re open 24 hours.’ and, he goes: ‘not in a row!’ unbelievable.” i don’t think i’d want steven wright as my driver.

hester street.

Tue, 14 May 2013 13:14:20 -0400

hester street.

morning exercise after a long day and night of editing....

Tue, 14 May 2013 09:16:15 -0400

morning exercise after a long day and night of editing. intensely productive editing. intense. focus. tension. teeth grinding tension. thirst-producing tension. feels very good to run around. (at Sara Roosevelt Soccer Field)

today’s weather is like a summer day in sørlandet (the...

Mon, 13 May 2013 10:21:41 -0400

today’s weather is like a summer day in sørlandet (the south of norway): brisk, wind-tossed clouds, crisp air, cold enough for a scarf yet just warm enough to sit outside by the dock, huddled around a cup of coffee. (at Verandah place)

as always, it is lovely to take a ferry and then have the luxury...

Sat, 11 May 2013 10:15:31 -0400

as always, it is lovely to take a ferry and then have the luxury to spend hours looking at work, looking for inspiration, looking for that idea that i’d want to steal or deconstruct or reverse engineer. there were some stand-outs this year, but if you’d been to the armory show back in march, then you’d already have seen a significant number of the pieces that are featured at this year’s frieze. that’s too bad. certainly, the tino sehgal performance piece stood out this year. i loved the tall photographs of clouds richly etched in blue (or were they illustrations?) by an artist whose name, for the life of me, i can’t remember, reminding me of the wall scrolls in traditional chinese (guó huà) landscape paintings. the work was similar to jochen lempert’s dragonflies. i liked kibong rhee’s “blurred” landscape paintings while it was nice to see catherine opie’s newer work. jack early’s installations had a clarity of purpose and a strong sense of space but i am neither a fan of its style nor content. there was the usual abundance of female nudes, angry nudes, tribal nudes, bound women, crotch shots and provocations: lazy work. lots of work featuring mirrors and reflective surfaces, inspiring attendees to do the #selfie mambo. there was a wall-mounted pizza sculpture by tom friedman that does little except beg to be photographed, so you’ll see that on blogs and instagram, for sure. speaking of ubiquitous, anish kapoor’s work is there, of course, and ryan mcginley, damien hirst, and the usual presence of money, big money, and bigger money, with all of its tiresome constituencies. the usual abundance of art world gimmicks and text+graphics-based power grabs. a bit of craft, lots of flash, keys to “secret” doors and speakeasys. surprisingly, i saw very few digital pieces involving screens. i expected more of that. going on friday allowed for many unfettered moments, with time to be outside, to explore the space: it felt like going on holiday. that was great. there was nothing i wanted to steal (except for the food!) but i can live with that. #friezenewyork (at FRIEZE New York)

the piece i liked best, the one that most spoke to me, was the...

Fri, 10 May 2013 23:16:18 -0400

the piece i liked best, the one that most spoke to me, was the exhibit that had no art on its four walls. it was an intimate performance piece in an “empty” space, delivered by a pre-teen girl to an audience of art show attendees. it was one of the few pieces to justify a trip out to the island, where one truly had to be there in order to experience it. the piece cannot be replicated nor adequately conveyed through reproduction, which is why i did not take a photo. it can barely be repeated, for no single performance will be exactly like its preceding performances. it’s called “annlee,” by tino sehgal at the exhibit put on marion goodman gallery. that there were two girls cast, of different ethnic backgrounds, rotating turns, only added to the mystery. and her performance, her diction, her conviction was eerie and amusing. sentient robots, precociously automated proto-adulthood, a reflection on the nature of change and preservation. bravo. (at FRIEZE New York)

this woman is not part of the show. (at FRIEZE New York)

Fri, 10 May 2013 18:57:05 -0400

this woman is not part of the show. (at FRIEZE New York)

joaquin has the likeness of his parents tattooed on each arm....

Thu, 09 May 2013 20:40:45 -0400

joaquin has the likeness of his parents tattooed on each arm. (at Christopher Henry Gallery)

film night in queens. mark pellington (re)screens early videos...

Tue, 07 May 2013 20:18:07 -0400

film night in queens. mark pellington (re)screens early videos and U23D (co-directed with catherine owens, who was also at the screening). “music videos saved my life,” he said. (at Museum of the Moving Image)

first night in a long time that one can sit outside on the...

Mon, 06 May 2013 20:49:47 -0400

first night in a long time that one can sit outside on the stoop. a few lights come on in various apartments. in others, flat screens cast a flickering luminescence that bounces off the walls, the ceilings, the chandeliers. most people walk with their heads bowed as they make their way home. they are still wearing coats.

tiles and a paperback. (at casita estrada kolding)

Mon, 06 May 2013 19:34:43 -0400

tiles and a paperback. (at casita estrada kolding)

amongst the “please curb your dog” signs, a...

Mon, 06 May 2013 10:37:10 -0400

amongst the “please curb your dog” signs, a plaintively urgent cry for help on state street in brooklyn heights.

the sun pushed further towards the west as, from a park bench,...

Sun, 05 May 2013 20:01:45 -0400

the sun pushed further towards the west as, from a park bench, we watched two different sets of well-dressed new parents: one being instructed by a professional photographer on how to pose for a family photo (their wardrobe suggested a ralph lauren catalog); the other, both of them in their fifties, with their waddling toddler in osh kosh b’gosh who played with a set of plastic golf clubs. more like smashing the clubs, relentlessly, remorselessly, tirelessly, onto the grass, while the father watched from a distance, the mother standing further away, her iphone to her ear, arms crossed, platform wooden shoes not poised to negotiate the grass in the middle of the park. the toddler continued his dogged pursuit; the other couple moved to pose in front of the row of carriage houses. the photographer cooed at their child. we could hear her from across the park. sunday, early evening. (at Cobble Hill Park)

returned to brooklyn to discover this. avoid court street at all...

Sun, 05 May 2013 13:17:07 -0400

returned to brooklyn to discover this. avoid court street at all costs. (at Happy Pants Cafe)

across the way from the coffee shop. (at The Coffee Shop)

Wed, 01 May 2013 13:08:57 -0400

across the way from the coffee shop. (at The Coffee Shop)

the things one sees behind a chain link fence in that elusive...

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 18:53:05 -0400

the things one sees behind a chain link fence in that elusive part of prospect heights that used to be called crown heights and may, in fact, be clinton hill.