ghada amer and the thoughts that follow...
wow. i am so totally blown away right now, and completely revitalized at the same time.
i just got back from hearing ghada amer speak at the civic theater downtown, and it was so amazing. she's such a perfect persona and representation of the way things should/could be... she was beautiful but normal, brilliant but spoke broken english (so she wasn't throwing out these over-your-head words and/or phrases), and her work is built on these really basic concepts and yet it's completely multifaceted... i think what was so great about it was that she and her work sometimes contradictseach other/themselves but in these ways that we ALL as human beings contradict ourselves in the ways we live and think and act...
her words and her work just forced self-reflection in ways that were not ostentatious or pretentious. it is totally obvious that she creates this work for others to reflect on through her own observations and perceptions of herself and her role in society.
its strange too because her work could be this really offensive thing (and is to some people i'm sure) but i can't help but just think it's beautiful and says so much without all the cliches... maybe you'd recognize it.
anyways, the way she explained herself in relation to her work was just too perfect. it really gave me this new hope for the art world. really.
that combined with it being just a really healthy dose of good art conversation, along with the most amazing "refreshments" i've ever had. they served fried goat cheese balls with raspberry jelly, vegan thai peanut spring rolls, lime-spinach salmon and parmesan cheese stuffed mushrooms... awesome. and i got to catch up with katherine (my old painting professor), so that was really cool too. just a good night overall i guess.
and now somehow this week is catching up with me. i have so much to get done in the next two weeks. getting everything done for the HAAC reuse/rethink show, getting something together for the forest hills fine art show, starting my new job monday, teaching every day this week (i'm tempted to take friday off to get all of this done!), and finding time to spend with people who i love so dearly. there's also a show tomorrow night at the ladies literary club that i really want to go see... anyone want to go with me? 10 dolla! listen up!
i also just heard that michael chabon and yann martel are speaking in april, the same weekend that iron and wine are coming! woot wooot! explosions in april too. fab. just fab. and somewhere in there, i need to find the time to start running on a regular basis again so i can actually run that half-marathon that i think i'm going to run... (!) i hope the ymca agrees to let me in for free because i'm poor. cross your fingers for me. it's too cold to run outside right now.
there's a lot to be accomplished and experienced in this world as of late.
who's with me?!
i need a shower
i just got back from hearing ghada amer speak at the civic theater downtown, and it was so amazing. she's such a perfect persona and representation of the way things should/could be... she was beautiful but normal, brilliant but spoke broken english (so she wasn't throwing out these over-your-head words and/or phrases), and her work is built on these really basic concepts and yet it's completely multifaceted... i think what was so great about it was that she and her work sometimes contradictseach other/themselves but in these ways that we ALL as human beings contradict ourselves in the ways we live and think and act...
her words and her work just forced self-reflection in ways that were not ostentatious or pretentious. it is totally obvious that she creates this work for others to reflect on through her own observations and perceptions of herself and her role in society.
its strange too because her work could be this really offensive thing (and is to some people i'm sure) but i can't help but just think it's beautiful and says so much without all the cliches... maybe you'd recognize it.
anyways, the way she explained herself in relation to her work was just too perfect. it really gave me this new hope for the art world. really.
that combined with it being just a really healthy dose of good art conversation, along with the most amazing "refreshments" i've ever had. they served fried goat cheese balls with raspberry jelly, vegan thai peanut spring rolls, lime-spinach salmon and parmesan cheese stuffed mushrooms... awesome. and i got to catch up with katherine (my old painting professor), so that was really cool too. just a good night overall i guess.
and now somehow this week is catching up with me. i have so much to get done in the next two weeks. getting everything done for the HAAC reuse/rethink show, getting something together for the forest hills fine art show, starting my new job monday, teaching every day this week (i'm tempted to take friday off to get all of this done!), and finding time to spend with people who i love so dearly. there's also a show tomorrow night at the ladies literary club that i really want to go see... anyone want to go with me? 10 dolla! listen up!
i also just heard that michael chabon and yann martel are speaking in april, the same weekend that iron and wine are coming! woot wooot! explosions in april too. fab. just fab. and somewhere in there, i need to find the time to start running on a regular basis again so i can actually run that half-marathon that i think i'm going to run... (!) i hope the ymca agrees to let me in for free because i'm poor. cross your fingers for me. it's too cold to run outside right now.
there's a lot to be accomplished and experienced in this world as of late.
who's with me?!
i need a shower