Reflection on Miami's art fair & Building Backbones

rank / fair reflection

i walked around art basel in my self-titled tee. i didn't realize the performance aspect of it until i was actually walking towards the fair and thinking of myself dressed as an ad for myself. once in the fair i realized the reach of how far this was an actual fucking performance. so i decided to stroll the fair and not really look at anything in particular. that didn't work needless to say because i was seduced by quite a few art works and took pics on my phone since i couldn't bring in my real camera cuz it had hd on it. anyways... i was beginning to feel drained and low and the flats i was wearing were not so comfy and it was so overwhelming just like i anticipated and wished. i was surprised by how contemporary the art was and how much of it i did like.

at a low point i stood in front of marina abramovic hovering over the kitchen. admiring her hover and weightlessness. wishing i had some of that. and a little girl asks her mom what's the lady doing in the kitchen. and the mom quips, she's being a slave to the kitchen. my lull was broken with some lolz.

the other most memorable moment of walking the fair as myself as myself was in front of the sophe calle piece. there was some text. and below was her image on a billboard. we were a match made in heaven. my color combination of black print on a white t-shirt with a red skirt also made me very happy in front of barbara kruger's works, especially the chess set. shit damn i loved that. i still have dreams of creating a chess set show with local artist groups and this confirmed the chess idea is still alive.

I would like to thank Kelly Fernandez, Andrew Brzozowski, Kellyann Davis, Jo Podlesak, Tara Fritz and Katelyn Ingersoll for prebuying t-shirts to help fund the printing of the edition.



Reflection on Building Backbones

At the time of the #rank miami call for proposals, I had recently commented on Denise Karabinus' status update on fb questioning what she should do with all these rejection letters. I told her to get a binder to collect them. Also around the same time a former MFA professor of mine had responded to my news that I didn't get a residency that he too had also recently received a slew of rejection letters. Personally I am trying to apply for more shows, grants, and residencies and need to build the resilience to and willingness to accept failure.

Encouraged by damali abrams and Jenn Rockwell, I submitted the idea of Building Backbones to #rank's call and it was accepted with an email titled "yer in". The intention of Building Backbones was to alleviate the private experience of receiving the news of rejection for a show, grant or residency to which an artist had applied, and turn it into a new experience, public experience, where serious play is engaged through shared experience and humor. The recipients of the rejection letters would read them aloud at Building Backbones. With Jen Dalton's encouragement, I put a call out via facebook, Chicago Artists Resource, craigslist and blog postings, #rank miami emails, flyering, and personal calls to artist friends to collect as many rejection letters as possible. Collaboration and participation in decision making with my group projects is an important component to the work.

Through conversations around the call for letters, I discovered interesting insights into rejection. Some, like Jacob Galle, Christopher Lawrence and Jennifer Dalton, save every rejection letter they'd ever received. I learned that rejection letters are a war chest, not to be dreaded, but expected and collected. In my own experience in 2010 while I had received four rejections, I'd also received three acceptances and one invite. Also in some cases it was very awkward to ask for rejection letters when the sting is still so fresh. My favorite response was from Duncan Mackenzie, who said he couldn't participate because "in an uncharacteristic fit of rage, [he] ripped it up."

At Building Backbones, led by myself and damali abrams, the punters in attendance read in unison 16 rejection letters submitted by 13 artists, five of whom were present to read with the group. The unison of voices and listening to your neighbor to stay on track was true to the nature of play and community building. It was a perfect Baudrillard moment; a manifest moment of acceptance, community, and bonding while hearing and speaking the latent content of rejection - not one letter directly said you are rejected. While it seemed a critique of the institutions who wrote the letters, the intention was to share the experience and take that nasty sting away. In some cases the application figures were astounding, 2000 applicants and a mere 35 admitted. It is a numbers game, timing, the work, about you and not at all, chance, and content. I loved hearing the voices in unison and the sound of the words in the context of the renegade warehouse of seven commercial galleries where established artists were selling works -- the process of the artist resonated the soundscape. On a micro level the session sat in wonderful juxtaposition to the following panel on applying for a residnecy or grant program with representatives from Smack Mellon and Creative Capital and in an international juxtaposition to the highly successful artists in Art Basel and the satellite art fairs. What an art world it is!

The next sessions presenters' seemed offended by our reading from Building Backbones at first. Later it was acknowledged that they too often get rejected by donors. I hope with that they understood the need for the cathartic act of Building Backbones.

Participating in #rank miami and "performing" at the Art Basel, while challenging, frustrating, a bit drunkenly, a bit depressing, and maybe even fun, left me ready to continue my active pursuit and participation in the art world. I participated in as much rank activity as I could (regrettably I never scored a #rank t-shirt by Laura Isaac and arrived too late for William Powhida's reading of Maritza Ruiz Kim's interview), getting some nice new free art by Caroline Doherty from Sean Naftel's Free Art Stand, some ego analysis and therapy by Dr. Lisa Levy, indulging in the comforts of Mandie's, and the escape from myself with Pumkin Folgers (Jason Mombert) & Corduroy Jackson's ID Corporation where I received a new name which was a much welcomed relief after being so much of myself I didn't want any part of me. And how could I forget Garric Simonsen's Fortune500 fortune cookie put me back on twitter with my new improved backbone. My own realization is that while I might never be a showing artist in the museum crowd of artists, I will continue to make art and participate in the art world where the synergy is best between their interests and mine. I am better informed about the fair for having shown up, made some great new friends, continued my experimentation with collaboration, community building, and play, and have new ideas on how possibly making a living is possible with my art. I think the most transformative moment was Christopher K. Ho asking why not accept art as a commodity. And to me, if broccoli is a commodity then so too will be the ephemera of my art practice.

Thank you, Jen Dalton and William Powhida for accepting my proposal and allowing this performance for #rank. Thank you to all the artists who submitted rejection letters: Denise Karabinus, Sarah Smizz, damali abrams, Jeffrey Augustine Songco, A. Jacob Galle, Jodi Lynkeechow, Kat Schneck, Kelsey Halliday Johnson, Jennifer Dalton, William Powhida, Brian Feldman, and Evangeline Cachinero.