Went to the Guggenheim this weekend, and what a mixed bag!

I have a greater appreciation of the Cubists now, seeing the work up close, and Pablo's the man all right.. woot woot!

I also have a greater appreciation of pure crap now too. I know that art is subject, but in the new exhibition (Singular Forms, Sometimes Repeated: Art from 1951 to Present)there are some good pieces but also some pure crap going on.

Yes, Dan Flavin, I'm looking in your direction. This guy laid out 6 flourescent lights on the floor in a slight arc. Yep.
http://www.guggenheim.org/exhibitions/singular_forms/highlights_2b.html

Next piece: THREE flourescent lights put on the call in no particularly interesting order.
http://www.guggenheim.org/exhibitions/singular_forms/highlights_2a.html

My least favorite of the show, and it's not you Dan Flavin(but which I also saw in variation awhile back at MOMA) is a piece called Untitled (Public Opinion). It is a pile of individually wrapped candy, which you can eat, move, what have you. Here's a pic, but obviously it didn't look like that because it's "everchanging". Ooooh!
http://www.guggenheim.org/exhibitions/singular_forms/highlights_13b.html

I read the notecard next to it. You know the one. It's the one where you say either "oh, this piece has something interesting to say on some level!" or "Wow! This guy is just full of shit and left us a pile of candy". Here's what it says generally about the piece, but I wish I had copied the overly verbose text of the card down itself:
Untitled" (Public Opinion) is a dark, aggressive sculpture. The missilelike shape of the candy and its brooding, almost sinister, appearance allude to our culture's pervasive militaristic outlook and hostile hegemonic stance. As an artwork produced in the conservative political climate of the first Bush administration and the Persian Gulf War, the work presages the still pervasive censorship in America and suggests that public opinion is not as informed as it once was.

I'm going with "CRAP" on this one. I ate some of his exhibit and moved on. (Or was my eating the "good" candy inside, and discarding the wrapper like an empty human husk a metaphor for casualties of war? Nope, just had some candy).

Now, a quick good note. I saw a lot of this woman's stuff at Sensation! at the Brooklyn Museum and I find her interesting. Here is a link to a piece of hers. She casts molds of empty spaces. Like the open area under chairs, or her entire room from childhood, stuff like that. She's fun, not too pretentious, and at least has an interesting theme. I like her, you should too.
http://www.guggenheim.org/exhibitions/singular_forms/highlights_15a.html

Because life is like a burrito:

LAYER ONE: The Basics
Name: Anton
Birth date: Jan 24, 1970
Birthplace: Pittsfield, Mass (Yes, it is as horrible as it sounds)
Current Location: Jackson Heights
Eye Color: blue
Hair Color: what remains, blonde
Height: 5'11"
Righty or Lefty: Lefty, of course
Zodiac Sign: Aquarius



LAYER TWO: On The Inside
Your heritage: Polish, Dutch, Amer Indian, other stuff
Shoes you wore today: Bass fake clunky Doc dress shoes
Your weakness: devistating eyes
Your fears: occasionally heights, but not much else. Oh, generally visiting the hospital
Your perfect pizza: pepperoni, sun dried tomatoes
Goal you'd like to achieve: world domination ("Same thing I try to do every night, Pinky")

LAYER THREE: Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow
Your most overused phrase on AIM:"heh"
Your thoughts first waking up: NOT THE MONKEYS!
Your best physical feature: it's impolite to brag, ladies
Your bedtime: 3:30ish (thanks Online gaming!)

LAYER FOUR: Your Pick
Pepsi or Coke: diet, either way
McDonald's or Burger King: BK Lounge
Single or group dates: single.
Adidas or Nike: Adidas
Lipton Iced Tea or Nestea: Diet Peach Tea by Snapple
Chocolate or vanilla: Chocolate.
Cappuccino or coffee: coffee when I must or after an amazing meal

LAYER FIVE: Do You?
Smoke: only socially
Cuss: with great regularity, often at technology
Sing: Yes, often times getting paid to do so
Take a shower everyday: yep
Have a crush(es): my life is one big crush
Like(d) high school: once I bent them to my way of thinking, yes
Want to get married: did, not neccisarly any more tho
Believe in yourself: NO, I refuse to believe I exist
Get motion sickness: only in taxis to Queens
Think you're attractive: If you're in love with Alton Brown, then I'm your man
Think you're a health freak: does a gamer who likes his sugar but is diabetic sound healthy to you?
Like thunderstorms: oh yeah, bring it!
Play an instrument: many, often for money, though not lately

LAYER SIX: In the past few months have you...
Drank alcohol: yup
Smoked: nope
Done a drug: yup
Made Out: yup
Gone on a date: yup
Gone to the mall?: yup
Eaten an entire box of Oreos®: no, but close
Eaten sushi: yes, and if you are in the city, I will take you to a great place relatively cheap
Been on stage: yep
Been dumped: yep
Gone skating: yep
Gone skinny dipping: yep, much to the dismay of the local wildlife
Dyed your hair: yep
Stolen anything: yep
Lied: NO WAY (oops)

LAYER SEVEN: Ever...
Played a game that required removal of clothing: yup
Been trashed or extremely intoxicated: yup
Been called a tease: yup
Gotten beaten up: yup
Shoplifted: yup

LAYER EIGHT: Getting Older
Age you hope to be married: any
Numbers and Names of Children: hmmm.. Janson for a boy and perhaps Hannah for a girl..I just like it
Describe your dream wedding: friends, fun, and no worries this time around
How do you want to die: orgasming while skydiving from a plane where I've spent some "quality time" as Keeper of the Vestal Virgins
What do you want to be when you grow up: yeah, see, there's that whole growing up thingie there..
What country would you most like to visit: that place with the pointy rock thingies with dead people in them

LAYER NINE: In a girl/guy?
Best eye color? green.
Best hair color?:blonde or brown
Short or long hair: long, but I like if it were long, but shaved close at the back underneath
Height: over 5'4' and my neck is happy (only wants to crane down so far)
Best first date location: it has to be somewhere fun, so I can see if she can cut loose and have fun with me..you don't smile and laugh, you don't get me

LAYER TEN: In The Numbers...
Number of people I could trust with my life: 3ish
Number of CDs that I own: a disgusting amount, but soon none.. thanks MP3 player!
Number of piercings: 1
Number of tattoos: none
Number of times my name has appeared in the newspaper: with the word "convicted"? none.. but I've been in a bunch.. I perform. It happens
Number of scars on my body: nothing major, but three or four tiny ones.. we can sit around the table like in Jaws and tell stories of how we got them
Number of things in my past that I regret: nothing, although I wish I had given more thought to what marriage meant before I leapt in that first time there.. ahhh hindsight!