ART NEWS SAN DIEGO 2001-02

KAREN FINLEY @ Sushi Performance & Visual Art: January 4-6 "SHUT UP AND LOVE ME".

A spotlight shined on her ass as she whirled from side to side. Mmm ghetto funky, round and round she turned around, sexy red dress, and high heels. She danced for us, played with us and herself, engaging the audience with the confidence of a seasoned exotic dancer. Venus-Rex or Lotus of the Opium Desert, swinging her tail for all to see and touch. Following this paraplegic sex dance she segues into a Schizo-phanatical spoken word performance that was both dramatically charged and ridiculously provocative. Finley was neither subtle nor restrained in discharging sacred issues of sexuality, intimacy, and dysfunctional relationships. She read, spoke and spit on a Fainting Couch and continued behind an erect blue table that acted as a large podium. The performance included fused elements of theatrical monologue, script reading/spoken word, and dynamic blocking. All of which was accentuated with dramatic character changes, exaggerated acts of masturbation and seductive body gestures.
Our emotions fluctuated from pure hysterics to veritable concern and empathy. Its honey time! Finally, her dress slips to the floor as her chosen volunteers poured pitchers of honey over a blanket. VERY WET, VERY STICKY! The music begins and Karen leaps into the pit of honey. Tossing, turning, rolling, kicking, slipping and sliding in the gooey substance. Traditionally Finley, this gummy ritual paid tribute to Winnie-the-Pooh. Suddenly, on her knees the music stops, brilliant lights reflecting her dripping face, I should have swallowed!Honey! Thanks for coming! The music starts and Karen proceeds to the honey-covered floor with a goal. I wish I could have that much fun with myself! Up and down she went, pausing, along with the music and gasping for air. This episode continued until she was ultimately satisfied. The audience was in tears! Karen logistically positioned her honey-glazed body towards the center stage. Where she arranged her scripts using both feet as suction cups and then situated her self on a towel spread out on the floor. The bright lights faded along with the music into a single spot- light, which shined on the artist as she read the final scene. Shut Up and Love Me was a strong performance, especially for those who have never experienced her work. The show was very much like past performances and has not really progressed. The expectations of an art star are great so, consistency is essential in maintaining the highest possible standard. Karen Finley, you know the artist who covers herself with _ naked, you know, one of the NEA4. My expectations were lofty and I was not entirely satisfied. She left me somewhere between the couch and the bed whispering Shut Up and Like Me.

OFF A BEATEN PATH... Never stop looking for it! You are bound to find it somewhere! Maybe in the dark corner of an alley, out-of-the-closet, at the swap-meet, street, or at the Post Office waiting to be shipped out, far away...

Spruce Street Forum:
"Body Broadcasting" fun art by artists Melissa Smedley & Curt LeMiex. (Through-January 19)

"No performances tonight, that died back in the 80s".
Naked people running around doing weird shit, bad acting and poorly presented productions".

- The Unknown Art Administrator (very loosely quoted, but you got the gist of it.)


I had to finish my cigarette before I went in to face the mob. I new it would be extremely fascinating and it would be a while before I got out of there. Bright lights; white walls, conversations and laughter echoed through the spaceHa ha ha ha ha ha! It was the call of the intellectual! I knew then, that I was in the right place. I took my first step toward the Body Communication. Suspended wires, extended wires connected firmly to the groin of two figures drawn on masking tape. A large portion of two walls was covered in tape. In the main exhibition space I found much of LeMiexs little figures on what appeared to be prepared papers (in glass frames). Little wires and tubes joined to the drawings extended out of the glass and hung like a horse mimicking the parts of the figures. My interest was more about the contour lines of the figure and its primitive quality. Did he buy the paper ready-made? I would have liked these drawings a lot more if they werent protected and formally placed in glass. MACRO CUFFS? Scared the hell out of me! Giant institutional-like hand/arm/body cuffs are extended from the center of the room. Joined in tape and streaming over the ceiling, down the wall and covering the large rectangular gallery-front windows. From there, to a cob of corn turned into a telephone by Melissa Smedely. Ok! I got it! Communication! Body parts connected to an electrical outlet, conceptual ant stuff, and some really dirty ski boots. They were either snow boots or a new type of leg warmers (art leg warmers) trying to tell us they are cold and dirty. I love implied narratives! The bootys were filled with soil and perched upon a rooted trunk, not very functional. I was then drawn to 3 amazon like women with short art-hair and engaged in, in-depth conversation. It would seem every cities art world has its own style highly influenced by the BEATLES. Maybe it has to do with the recent death of one of its members and people were paying tribute. Aside from my newly constructed interest in fashion/art-fashion the work left me hangin, like the institutionalized cuffs floating above my head. I pursued my investigation into the Body Communication talking to art people along the way. A tightly enclosed room with an attitude, voluminous with long spikes relative to large pencils protruding outward and puncturing the walls of the room. Seeking asylum from the menacing spikes threatening lead poisoning, I migrated near a seemingly misplaced palm tree planted in the center of the room. My eyes followed the trees descent into the ceiling and through the sky light. I began to imagine what the top might look like, but then I got bored. Large white, heavy, stone-like blocks hung all around the tree trunk with rope. If I was a hippie, AND I AM NOT! I might have been inclined to hug the tree and/or free it from its heavy burden. I saw this installation as a metaphor for the artist, struggling to free the imagination, determined to sore out into the universe of endless possibility. Only to find themselves bound within the confines of the institution, frustrated by the limitations/expectations of the gallery walls, and handicapped by the restraints of bureaucracy. Reinforcing my idea that art should be free! The Spruce Street Forum is a non-profit visual and interdisciplinary arts program. One of the few places in San Diego that presents installation, video, experimental music, and poetry readings. I dont know how accessible it is to the emerging, emerging artist as a venue. Even San Diego has its heroes/ART STARS! It has UCSD written all over it, which is probably why it still exists. Check-it-out, check the reader events for their next show, go to your nearest vintage store and purchase a new outfit, and then swarm the next event. Take it over! After all, its yours to take.

AVAILABLE SPACE I feel like writing, reading. I feel like making music, dancing. I feel like making some art, collaborating, fusing, my, imagination with other creative minds. Like they used to back in the day, and like they did at Sushi Performance and Visual Art Nov 29-Dec 1. AVAILABLE SPACE, A powerful and spontaneous combination of poetry, dance and sound presented by Sushi and Lower Left. Performances included the Taco Shop Poets with Palabra, Lower Left dancers, and percussion by Red Fish Blue Fish. The audience, for the first act sat facing each other against three walls that surrounded center stage. Red Fish Blue Fish performed a John Cage composition on the escalated center stage. The stage was then vacated to the 4 corners of the room as Palabra, a kind of third World/hip-hop percussion group played against the far back wall. From each corner of the room the Taco Shop Poets entered one at a time, reading poetry, and improvised words. To the rhythm and the beat they were joined with complimentary body movements by Lower Left dancers. The artists circled the room, interacting with each other and the audience. The seating was changed for the second half. The audience was seated in a pyramid formation facing 4 outward directions. The 4 corners of the room were occupied by Red Fish Blue Fish. Improvised sounds and beats echoed and rung throughout the space. Emotions heightened as the Taco Shop Poets and Lower Left moved in a gestural circle around the audience. Familiar sounds, meaningful words, profound movements were created as parts join to the whole. Available Space was interactive, inspiring, intimate, and spontaneous! One of the best shows Ive seen in San Diego!

The 3813 Ray street Gallery: paintings by Stephen Sears entitled "Land and Work" through January, 28.

This show is worth seeing. A series of what he calls idealized landscape paintings ranging in size and scale are compositional enlargements of a sort of functional landscape one that signifies a human presence and order as an aesthetic and compositional tool. The artist utilizes systems, patterns, and grids to exemplify a kind of man vs. nature structural harmony. Sears employs a minimal palette of black, white, muted yellows, and red oil stick. Emphasizing high contrast lights and darks, subtle value relationships, and a methodical placement of shape and form. Sears embodies some of the basic characteristics of a black and white photographer and yet expresses himself truly as a painter and inventor.

"WISH YOU WERE HERE" Paintings by Jeremy Farson 838 G Street Gallery (NO Longer)something about a hostile take over in the vein of art education. Once again I was drawn to the deep dark aesthetic underground of downtown San Diegos urban art district. The heart if you will, of the under construction Bohemian East Villas, specifically the 838 G street Gallery. A hip clothing store attached but in no way related to the Art College International. Yellow lights, smoke and chitchat animated the otherwise deserted sidewalk entrance. Im gonna finish my cigarette first. This gave me time to execute my ART CRITIQUE PREPARATION/ADJUSTMENT MENTAL EXERCISES. First I assume an art posture, slowly hunching over towards the ground (the closer the better!). I then take, with cigarette in hand, deep art breaths. This helps to clear the mind for a more meaningful art viewing experience. Each breath is taken in art increments. In between each breath I take a casual drag, not puff, of a cigarette. A casual drag rather than a graceful puff or a fishy suck sets the mind at ease and creates contrast to the deep inhaled breaths of air. Once the cigarette has burned to the filter and a few clever words are said (almost always one-liners!) I am truly prepared for any art viewing experience. These techniques are universally employed by art critics all over the world. So, now that I was well prepared, we went inside clear minded and with immense optimism. Our first encounter was a recomposed version of colored panels by Emily Smith. Hmmm, I thought this was a solo show? Her paintings, varying in size, lined the walls of the stairway leading up and in to the exhibition. Much like an opening act, her paintings presented a sort of entertaining intro to the solo show. Her colored panels ornamented two main walls from top to bottom. The ambiguous placement of color appeared playful and yet carelessly arranged. Initially arousing my curiosity leading me up the stairs, but taking me nowhere. Each painting was separate from the whole and cried out for order. It would seem that the artist has not fully realized the works potential in elements of painting, sculpture, or installation. Definitely an interesting concept but I would question the artists intentions. Finding myself teased and already unfulfilled, I continued on. The main exhibition consisted of large perpendicular, black contour paintings on white paper. Suspended from the ceiling and encompassing the space. A small number of colored oil paintings were placed in between the suspended works. The presentation was the strongest part of the show. Long white sheets of paper floating in space free of any foundation. This was inviting and wonderfully intimate. At first glance these paintings appeared bold in application and scale. Serenading the viewer with the elusion of a melody and a sort of masked confidence. His subject matter incorporated figurative cartoon like representations of American pop culture. Images such as female playmates in seductive poses, a fire hydrant, a public phone, and a group of people standing in front of a store. Farsons attempt to render these images in a loose gestural contour line was incomplete. The sexy women were out of proportion and became uncontrollably morphed, cut out and lifeless. They were like figure studies painted from a magazine ad. The objects and the group of people were the most successful but still seemed unfinished. Each overly worked stroke highlighted the artists frustration and lack of persuasion. The artists true ability was best reflected in the more complete colored oil paintings on canvas. He was able to fill in the negative and positive space of his cartoons with color to achieve volume and proportion. Thus equipping the artist with a more convincing true to life representation. Farsons usage of color as an impression of the figure in movement is his strongest point. A stylized, wet-on-wet blending of images leave an implied sense of motion. This is best expressed in his freeway painting on the exhibition flier. Overall, the work showed off Jeremys painting skills and craftsmanship, but lacked confidence, uniqueness and resolve.

TRUTH SHOW GALLERY:

This is a private party, you have to be on the list. Cant we just look at the art?
Luckily I had a friend put us on the list. They apparently did not accept press passes and were not too keen on uninvited guests. This was an art show, an avant-garde reception, and the epitome of the San Diego underground art scene. A broad mixture of alterna-youths in Radiohead/Beatles garb. SHEPARD FAIREY, WHERE ARE YOU?!!! Finally, a gallery in SD where the snot nose art fags from the top of the hill may gather and relish in their self proclaimed pseudo elitism. A casual forum for the airbrushed emerging bohemian to be groomed for stardom. Thus protecting the historically repetitious class song of exclusive insecurity. Truly a place where the pansies may frolic and reaffirm their identity/destiny. It was like the movie WHITE SUBCULTURAL TRASH. You know the scene in which the artist Blain Wetherby Rothenstein is masturbating at his Birthday party on a throne made of found objects. All of his friends brought pop art and that weird band was playing. The end was great! When Blain raised his fellow artists from the depths of the mainstream and onto the perch of the underground. Looking down, at all of those ordinary people who could never understand greatness. Yeah, the cinematography was fabulous!
Anyway, more color panels by Emily Smith covered the walls behind the stage. Wow! Man, she gets around! Her work is all over San Diego. The artists Taxidermy series in the North wing of the gallery was a refreshing change to her mass-produced color panels. The Archaic Lion Kitty carved in paint is the strongest piece in the series. Meow This pussy needs some attention! The rest of the show, well the artists went out amongst the peasants and collected their refuse, manufactured, fabricated, painted and collaged artful images and constructs. The final consequence was the exercising of the Eye Sore Demon, a ritual that is highly overused in San Diego. Certain textural surfaces and diverse media techniques enamored my initial attention, only to lead me to the artists thoughts. An object or an image in desperate need of a concept, a higher purpose, a reason and a rhyme. It was like a blind first date gone horribly awry.

NOTHING WONG WITH A LITTLE CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM Are you the (blank) guy putting out that (blank) news letter? - anonymous gallery Owner A number of the Galleries and art places in downtown San Diego are unhappy with Art News San Diego and are indubitably discarding it. I suppose technically, in order to put fourth such a critique I should be qualified, validated, authorized and at the very least certified by a recognized institution or organization. Otherwise with out approval, according to the existing mandate, individual/critical thoughts will be withheld for the greater good of the village and shall be enforced by its leaders. What if Jesse Helms opened a gallery in San Diego? Would it be called the Helms Gallery, Jessies Gallery, At the Helms Gallery, or the HG Gallery of contemporary fine art? What do you think it would look like? What kind of art, do you suppose this gallery would house? How do you think Mr. Helms would respond to a critical interpretation of his gallery and the artwork it represents? Here are some words used in relation to this news letter: If you want a WAR* You are putting yourself out of BUSINESS* Your BUSINESS* burned bridges* IGNORANCE* You should know what your talking about* I DONT KNOW WHAT YOUR TALKING ABOUT I DIDNT THROW ANYTHING AWAY* WE DO ALL THAT HERE AND MORE* There is a lot happening in San Diego! Hmmm? What is goin on here? I was in one of the village art hallways called Flux Gallery relieving myself in the bathroom of a glassy eyesore interpreted as an exhibition and a tribute to Italo Scanga. I looked down and discovered a stack of newsletters crinkled up and thrown in the trash. I asked one of the owners if he had thrown it away and he replied I dont know what youre talking about, I didnt throw anything away, what is it, you should ask someone before leaving anything. He was obviously guilty and appeared somewhat angry and yet apathetic, reinforcing my conspiracy theory. Ron Stevenson of the RB Stevenson gallery was a little tense and disconcerted regarding the newsletter. Following a very shallow conversation with the director I noticed a drastic disappearance of Art News in the adjacent art studios building lobby. I repeatedly checked and replenished this location observing its tremendous popularity. Richard, the owner and director of the 838G street Gallery was insistent upon the FACT that all the things I said San Diego lacked, he did. So, it would seem the missing link has been in front of us all alongand since his gallery exhibits art, my perceptions of an art void were Wong, and critique of someone who is actually doing something is corrupt, negative. Is this the art of business, or the business of art? I wonder, what is the reasoning behind this book burning-like act? If the motive is business then any PR is good PR. If it is personal opinion, then art is open to interpretation and censorship is the equivalent to hypocrisy. Ever wonder why, it is so dry and lifeless in the desert? The sun is always out and it never rains. The seasons are more obscure and you have to look a little harder to see them. Maybe censorship is inherent and part of the evolutionary process? Are the galleries like the seasons in the desert in need of validation and reassurance of its subtle existence? Maybe they are like the rain, cleansing us with culture and filling our empty cup with generosity. HmmmI have generally been thankful for the few, art crumbs the cultural elitists have scattered throughout the village. Especially amidst the current art famine of which few galleries have managed to survive, and only through hard work, passion, and of course creative marketing. It is an arduous task for the art place to succeed in this conservative and culturally vacant village we call home. But desperation, emotional instability, insecurity, naivete, and/or a need for promotional/moral support will not suffice as a protective shield from critical interpretation. Nor will threats of exclusion or the burning/shredding/destruction of Art News San Diego hinder its accessibility and distribution. That will only increase with the established web site https://artewong.tripod.com/artnewssandiego

A THING CALLED MANIFEST

I was at this thing called manifest, an exhibition of all female artists. WHAT A CONCEPT! The show was in late November in the heart of downtowns artsy East Village. A large loft above a clothing store located at 838 G street. Apparently they have shows all the time. So, I was at this thang, lookin at some art, two of the walls were layered with colored panels by Emily Smith, very m-o-s-a-i-c-like, kind of ethnic, lots-o-color. I think this artist has FOUND HER NICHE. There were a lot of paintings and carefully crafted fuzzy sculptures. Two paintings by an artist from SF demanded my attention. The artist combined painting and drawing on paper. In contrast to the fragility of the paper which floated gently over the back wall like Chinese scrolls. Francis Bacon-like images appeared both expressive and primal. Writhing brush strokes working with and against the violently rendered scrawl. Unlike Bacon these images were both feminine and masculine. These paintings were aggressive, violent, and beautiful. Thus, reflecting my thoughts and needs, at least for the moment. Outside of this unknown artists window of reality my interests were drawn to fashion. I felt slightly underdressed and was pleased there wasnt a dress code. Man, impressive! Fur coats, high heels, Elvis Costello eye wear, the coolest in 2001 art gear. This was truly, the underground! Art, fashion, and of course DJs! I think the show runs through late Dec. ILL BE BACK! Itll give me a chance to break-in my new art outfit.

"ME AND MY ETERNAL COSMIC CHILD" 2002: New Years Eve, the Childrens Museum, downtown San Diego, I was well prepared to expand my awareness and embrace the new dance, play, and interact with kindred spirits. You know! A multimedia type of experience to top off the new year. There I was, lured in by this enchanting flyer, DJs, musicians, performers from Project Cathedral, Technomania Circus, and Native State. The event, Neo: Philia promised to be an interactive, all ages experience designed to inspire your ETERNAL COSMIC CHILD. In addition, the show was said to include Ft art installations, theatre, and Surrealist exhibition. Tickets for the event were fifteen dollars and yet it was said to be A PARTICIPANT SUPPORTED EVENT, and COME PREPARED TO PARTICIPATE, PLAY, and TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR OWN FUN! I did not have to pay to get inside due to the small turn out, maybe a hundred or so people. Some dancing, smoking and just wandering around lookin for some art. Neo: Philia, was an all ages, glow-in-the dark, cherry soda drinking, ARTOON TOWNish, looking for love in all of the wrong places and now Im at the Childrens Museum, hangin out a rave with no ecstasy. A beautiful woman on stilts, spinning and dancing while suspended from the ceiling. The space was the coolest part of the show. The museums installations seemed to fade away into the darkness, overwhelmed by the invading techno beats and background video projections brought in by Merge Life and Music.

"ART NIGHT" in Downtown, San Diego (Urban Night life)

Keep an eye out for a black & white Halloween like flier. It's actually quite safe! The downtown, culture, has masterfully preserved all of the best traditions of the past. A living museum if you will. A time and place where culture is beautifully archived and secured. Art Night is a wonderful opportunity to DRINK and view art from some of the last surviving galleries in downtown.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR AT ART NIGHT!

1. Art College International: An art school in San Diego? Sort ofbut they exhibit art, serve wine and sometimes BEER! They serve the absolute best cheese and crackers in town.

2. Flux Gallery: A very cool upstairs space on tenth. When you go inside imagine that it is much bigger, better art, and in New York. Its great! Think of it as a junior/baby Guggenheim. Check-it-out! They serve wine and its probably the only time youll catch them open.

3. Basile Studio: Another hip, happinin little art-spot. Imagine a small studio apartment stuffed with Z gallery-like furniture, restaurant/nightclub paintings and photographs, WINE, and oh, he usually has a band or a DJ.

4. Brokers Building: Great building, old, lots of space, art, and is conveniently located next to Hooters.

5. Sushi Performance & Visual Art: Sushi is one of San Diegos strongest assets. Yet, it seems to be absent on the Art Night flyer? Sushi is located at 320 Eleventh Ave in the reincarnation building next to the Debra Owens Gallery (You know! the gallery that IS ALWAYS CLOSED). Youll like the space, Sushi has an inviting quality to it far unlike most art-places in SD. Dont let the artwork in the gallery give you the Wong impression. Sushi is far from conservative, but the visual art is its weakest attribute.

MOCA: "Lateral Thinking" (through Dec)" A great exhibition, Im going back! What ever you do, DO NOT pay to get in! Do you know how much money they take in? Our petty entrance fee is a slap in the face! Ill pay once I see some literature and press inviting "the public". WAIT OUTSIDE THE ENTRANCE AND ASK PEOPLE FOR THEIR TICKETS. If you find yourself waiting a long time, chances are my idea is working too well, or know one is inside. Most likely its the ladder.

"So theres this dream I have where everything and everybody becomes real.

Everybody understands and there is meaning. There is no dichotomy just complete passion. Pseudo-elitism is gone But its a dream. Too many narrow minds rule, its enough to make you want to shave your head and puke on everybody that is at hand. Anything to catapult them to consciousness. Here I must kill myself to become real." Richard Alexander (Taken from a project by Richard Lou).

Culturescape RAY AT NIGHT: Every 2nd Saturday of each month. The event is relatively new and is put on by a number of LITTLE galleries and businesses on Ray Street off University near 3oth street in North Park. Lots of people attend this event and I believe some of them even buy art! The area is great! It definitely conforms to the LITTLE BOHEMIA kind of feel North Park seems to be going for. It is small but quaint. I would assume the galleries are open during the week, but galleries can be fickle. Who knows? Try and swing this event if you can, but get there early before they run out of drinks and food. I made the unfortunate mistake of attending it sober. The peanuts and cookies were incredible! GALLERY NOW: What is this place and why is it in Lemon Grove? The gallery is located at 8053 Broadway, Lemon Grove. Probably next to some diner or AM PM. We shall see! What if the coolest art space in SD was in Lemon Grove? What would that say about us? Are we, you know, Balancing Reality? The gallery is open on Tuesdays 4-8pm. STUDIO 1922: Two Self-taught Masters of Disaster Augusto Sandronis Voyeur series & James Watts Thingamabobs Friday, January 18, 6-9pm. Located @ 1922 Columbia St (2nd floor) in Little Italy Finally, some innovation! Two, very involved artists have amassed a body of recent work and will be showing it in their home. These gentlemen have set a wonderful example for other artists to just stand up and DO SOMETHING!

By Crystal Nichols

When I walked into Wolfgang Laib: A Retrospective at the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) in La Jolla on Sunday, I was immediately transported. In "I Am Not Here", large wax canoes hovered over my head on a river of wooden beams, beams reminiscent of a frame of a church under construction. In fact, blue- print like sketches lined the wall adjacent and took on a function of setting. I was surprised that this Sunday I had found my way to an unexpected place of worship. Laib's exhibit seemed to be an ode of sorts, an ode to Nature.Indeed the very materials, out of which Laib constructed his exhibit, his sculptures are from Nature. German artist, Laib collects his raw materials like pollen and bees- wax throughout the year in his native Germany. This process is put on display in the form of sketches and shrines to pollen throughout the exhibit. I got a sense of seeing the art in the making. However, in juxtaposition to the scanty sketches towered massive sculptures made of bees-wax in the form of stairs. Their natural element invited touch and soothed the soul. I had found myself in an ancient ruin, the steps leading up to the heavens; I found myself "Nowhere-Everywhere". As I turned down the next corridor,my soul was invigorated-- could it be geistgefuhl? Laib's minimalist style infused the purity of the Forms; however, it was not eliciting an aesthetic response of the Beautiful, but rather one of the Sublime. Again to my amazement, I was having a spiritual experience, an aesthetic experience of sublimity, but not in the Kantian sense. I did not feel superiority overNature, but rather a more Romantic notion of transcendence; I felt united with Nature. I finally experienced first hand what has long been said of some art as inciting a religious experience. I slowly walked the hall lined with brass bowls, each filled with a single mound of rice, each an offering of sorts. Indeed, I felt like I was in a place of worship somewhere in the East, somewhere like India-- which happens to be one of the places and philosophies influencing Laib's work.
When I came to the one single bowl containing a single mound of yellow pollen, the color seemed to vibrate. Not only here, but also in some of the sketches a single yellow mound vibrated off the brown and penciled page. The seeming vibrations and my new detached mind took me, as the title of one the sketches suggested, to "Somewhere Else". As if I wasn't already on a spiritual high, Laib then lifted me up more as I towered over the miniature "rice houses" made out of aluminum and wood. These storehouses were overflowing with rice and pollen, with abundance. I
became a giant in an utopian world, a world without hunger. My literal giantess in this tiny town pointed to the idea of the Infinite. I felt part of the Infinite, of a circle, of the universe. Universe is "Brahmandas" in Hindu and is the name of Laib's exhibit of small, smooth, polished stones. Laib
chiseled these himself; perhaps while doing so he too felt a sense of the Infinite, of being part of something larger than what he worked on in his hands. The only thing detracting from my spiritual awakening was the mindless chatter of the museum attendants. My moved Will was halted by an
account of one of the guard's boyfriend's many faults and her consequently awful weekend.
Quiet on the set please! Their mindless chatter annoyed me; I didn't feel mindless at all, but, instead body- less. Perhaps I should have asked them to join me in a prayer, since if it weren't for them I might have stayed longer and ended up in deep meditation. Even without meditation or, adept contemplation, I became body-less. I became autonomous. Laib's exhibit succeeded in elevating me. I had a quasi-Socratic recognition to not cater to life and biological instances, but
to live rightly and justly. I was free through Reason from the confines of my physicality. I had transcended Nature, and reveled in my own human nature, a nature that seems a match for Nature's seeming omnipotence. I have a feeling that this exhibit had succeeded in an aim of Laib's: to participate in the beauty or, in this case also the sublimity of Nature.