O is for…

…optimism. The sun is slowly starting to shine through. Come on Spring, you can do it. I think we all desperately need to catch some rays. Some ray-rays?? (ok so only a few people will get that joke, it’s a nickname I get called). O is also for ok then, oops and openness…but I can’t tell you why. Well, not today…

In it’s first week, \”home\” at the AirSpace Gallery, got over 100 visitors, which is good going. Also slowly getting a lot of feedback cards so they’ll definitely be some data on its way. Let’s still hope for some much needed critical feedback, I have no idea how to encourage this more. You can only send the press release to the journalists so many times. It is funny going to visit the show as opposite there are queues and queues of people waiting to see the Staffordshire Hoard.  Find below some photos of the exhibition…I’m not a fan of Flickr for some reason. Should I be?

So there are certain things which I had completely forgotten about. Memories recalled in an instant courtesy of sending my BA Fine Art students artists and/or project which I thought would be of reference to them. It largely brought back memories of New York, cruising (yes cruising) the art fairs, seeing what was there, and how much you could get for free…I was always out for the books, I am a catalogue junkie nonetheless. So here are a few things which sprung to mind. The first was the exhibition Design and the Elastic Mind at MoMA in New York. I can remember sitting in an immersive video dome for hours, or it seemed liked hours…the second was the work of Ruby Rumie at the 2008 Affordable Art Fair…and another was by Elmgreen and Dragset called Prada Marfa. I had a colleague/fellow Guggenheim intern called Jeff who spent time down there after the New York days. We got so excited about this project. So, so clever. Witty, and speaking of wit, here’s a photographer who I like to follow called Toby de Silva. I have mentioned his work before and have recently been informed of new series including Horror Houses and Jack, both documentary types and darkly witty.

This weekend has also consisted of reacquainting myself with Mad Men, series 3. There is something so captivating about the deceit and inaproppriateness of the provocative advertising industry on Madison Avenue and its passionate personal relationships in the 1960s. To be part of that traditionalism and driven industry for just one day. New York is still like that in some respects. So I suppose I have been part of it. I miss that city today. I’d love to be there now just to go out and have breakfast from Gracie Mews Diner round the corner from where I used to live on 79th and York. Granola and fruit…or maybe wholemeal pancakes and blueberries…and yes, the next letter is P. One lady knows exactly what this means…let’s see if she notices next time I post…