I went to a great flea market today, one that I didn’t even know existed on the south side of town. While there I started thinking about the stuff we collect. I went there with a friend who’s been opening my eyes to the creative possibilities in new media, but that’s for another blog post. The flea market was divided into lots that were room sized and contained what looked like the remains from estate sales. While aimlessly perusing the lots I thought how strange it is that we collect this stuff, die, then our stuff ends up in landfill or at places like flea markets to become collections in someone else’s pile of stuff. As an artist I’d like to think that my cherry-picking items from the store to incorporate into my work sets me apart from the public, who buys this stuff to clutter their already cluttered homes. But my dusty art sitting in the corner of my studio is like that tchotchkes you have on your end table. And I find it so interesting that our stuff ends up – after all our curating and efforts – in other collections arranged in all sorts of often unauthorized ways, to be consumed by future patrons of detritus. Here’s some of what I liked – for “clever” and “ironic” use in my future art.
Notice here the Air Jordan logo in the skull
I love that someone thought to collect this picture and give it to an antique store
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Last week I sorta took a break from everything. Well, in truth I took a break from my job and hung out with my boyfriend mostly at home. Most people call that a vacation, I think it was instead a strangely intimate reconnection that was completely casual and unplanned – I think that’s the secrete to our romance. We did manage, though, to get to New Hope, Pennsylvania where I had a delightful visit at “The Studio” gallery; and I saw these great “future collage images” in a cute tourist trap.
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We also managed to get to Jones Beach State Park in New York where we took in the annual airshow. We braved a pretty blustery morning to see the following fantastic show:
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These two stops and a cute off-Broadway show “The 39 Steps” made for a more than nice break.
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I wanted to end by making a kind of nuanced point about our obsessions as a culture. I find it fascinating that in the midst of a policing and gun control crisis in this country that seems to disproportionately affect blacks that media and a good chunk of the public are obsessed with Bruce Jenner’s transition to becoming a woman. I had a conversation with a friend last week who was in tears over Jenner’s confessions to his ex-wife about his experience (as tediously displayed on ‘Keeping Up with the Kardashian‘”. It was truly a stunning display. Now I was warned by this very friend that I would recieve an epic beat-down if I didn’t support my fellow LBGTQ with unquestioned praise for his courageous late-life decision. And so it’s with some reluctance – because I hate being compelled to endorse anything because culture bullies tell me to – do support transgender rights. But in this case I can’t help but to think it’s very very sad that the black and brown lives that have been lost over the last few years due to police and gun violence gets less attention then this one wealthy white man’s personal and private journey. Click here to see a report in Mother Jones on the true cost of gun violenece in America that I though was compelling. Click here to see testimonials on the police violence crisis in America.
Ok another long blog but hey I had a lot to say this week.
Anthony Smith Jr. 