The Gagosian Gallery on 23rd St. in Chelsea recently featured this work by Michael Heizer.
Negative Wall Sculpture (1992-94)
It’s a 5.7 ton hunk of black granite mounted with a metal rod (apparently, a damn strong one) inside a weathered steel frame.
You can say it’s just a rock in a box. A reasonable argument can be made that it has little to do with art. But when I walked into the gallery, it filled me with a moment of awe. Perhaps it was the juxtaposition of the surrounding white walls or the fact that no one else was there. Just me and this big, stupid, imposing, beautiful rock enveloped in a thick, heavy silence. It really did work for me.
Since it’s in a gallery, I have to presume it’s for sale. I wonder how much? It’d pull the side of my house right down.
Over at the Sean Kelly Gallery is this clever eye-trick by Idiris Khan.
A feather pattern printed in white on hanging panes of glass. Stand in front of it and light streams through.
Move in close and its secret is revealed: They’re sentences.
Printed words layered until they merge into each other. I couldn’t make sense of what it said, which I imagine is intentional. The message is the pattern, not what composes the pattern. I think.
Khan also printed this large piece on a wall at the gallery entrance. [Note to self: Next time, include an object to show scale.] There’s no way to preserve this. It’ll simply be painted over when the exhibit closes.
This one includes layers of English and Arabic.
In tonight’s shocking episode of “The Andy Griffith Show”:
iiiiiiii…KNEW IT! It’s so obvious in hindsight. I always thought Floyd was a little light in the loafers. And he was the town hairdresser, after all.
I went to church a couple of weeks ago. I occasionally attend and always go with an open mind and an open heart. It meant a lot to my mom and it’s meaningful to My Bride. I want to be respectful.
The first reading was a faerie tale about how God put a man to sleep, open his chest, extracted a rib and invented women. I am astonished that people still believe this is how women evolved. And please don’t tell me it’s an allegory. If that’s the case, are there other allegories I should be made aware of? How about the resurrection?
The second reading was from the New Testament. Jesus was asked his opinion about remarrying after divorce. He deemed it tantamount to adultery. That means that my mother, a devout Catholic who spent untold hours performing charitable works in the Church’s name, is now burning in hell as an adulterer. My blood started a slow simmer.
Instead of a Gospel reading, we were treated to a video by The Most Rev. David M. O’Connell, the Bishop of the Archdiocese of Trenton. He announced the beginning of the Faith to Move Mountains fundraising initiative. The church needs cash. He said he didn’t just want us to give. He wants us to give until we feel the weight of a true sacrifice. I took that to mean we should give an amount that causes some mild economic distress to our household. This church [not our regular church] serves an affluent community and is known for its aggressive fundraising. We know someone who was called at home and told a $10,000 contribution would be an appropriate amount to give.
After listening to a load of blarney about how women were invented and then being told that, according to a strict interpretation of Catholic doctrine, my mother is no better than a common whore in the eyes of the church, they wanted me to give them some money.
So that didn’t go as well as I would’ve liked.
The next day, I read in the New York Times that the church spend $170,000,000 to restore St. Patrick’s Cathedral on 5th Avenue.
$170,000,000 for one church. Praise Jesus and his mysterious, tax-free ways.
Exile on Pain Street 
That tax freedom is a coveted part of the church. We studied that in B-school, they would declare war rather than jeopardize their tax free status.
Love the artinstallations Mark – nice photography and cool art, Thanks so much for bringing it to us.
The Church. You probably know I believe very much in God – I can’t see how the universe could be as it is without a higher design. That said, I too am distrustful of and dislike religion. Too many men of power strutting about and telling people how bad they are. Fuck the C**ksuckers. Anyway, I agree with you but I don’t let that affect my faith.
Great post Mark – oh by the way, I just did a guest post over at Willow’s https://willowdot21.wordpress.com/2015/10/13/if-we-were-having-coffee-august-232015/#comment-26437 I would be honored if you had the time to drop by for a read. Thank You.
Hello, Paul. Thanks for the link. I wonder how their tax-free status came about? I’ve always been fascinated by it. Some drug store preacher with three congregants doesn’t have to pay taxes. It’s kind of a scam. Don’t churches use city services? Why don’t they have to pay? The scam here in New Jersey involves property taxes. Some wealthy individuals keep a few beehives on their property and that qualifies them as “farmers” and are afforded deep property tax reductions. It’s not illegal but it’s immoral.
Ahhh, that tax free status is a hum dinger. Ha! I wanted to do my Master’s thesis on the fact that the university also has a tax free status and they would not let me. It can be used and abused in ways that would blow your mind. For instance, with a gentleman’s agreement with the church elders, a rich man can make a donation of, say $1 million to the church. He gets a tax credit and once the money is inside the church, he can invest it (with their blessing) and again tax free, build a nice nest egg. That nest egg can then be dispensed to the businessman in later years as , say a disbursement for services rendered, and the tax paid at a much lower rate. That shit actually happens at the university. Our Degree program was privately, not publicly funded (as most Canadian degrees are) and yet it still was considered tax free for the university. I wanted to see how that worked in my thesis and the university absolutely forbade it. ha! That puppy is their golden egg.
Did you mean to make me sick with that? Because you did. This beghets the question, what ELSE goes on that we don’t know about. I did some work for the private wealth division of Morgan Stanley. I’d always known there were High Net Worth individuals but did you know there’s a category called ULTRA High Net Worth? You should see what THEY get away with. A new benchmark for my own mediocrity.
I wonder how much the boulder thing costs? As for Jesus… Preach it, brother. People forget the message of grace when it is convenient for them, i.e. when using guilt and shame increases your fundraising capabilities.
Sometimes the art gallery literature includes the prices but I couldn’t find what this cost. Maybe I’ll call the gallery and ask. I’m that curious. As for the church, it sounds like a business. I understand that a LOT of charitable work is done but it still feels wrong-ish.
Talk the art gallery into donating the boulder to the church – they can then take a tax deduction. The church could then sell it, and your “donation” has been completed. Killing two birds with one stone, so to speak.
Ohhhh! *snap* You’re good. Have you considered a career in fundraising or politics?
The boulder and the feathery words, such a great juxtapostion, Mark.
Your hopefulness and the church’s messages, not quite so artistic of them, no. So many of us used-to-be-Catholics around, you know, and the heirarchy wonders why. They made my believing and relationship with my idea of the Top Floor a home affair decades ago.
That’s very clever. I didn’t make the association between the boulder and the light, airy look and feel of the other work. A happy accident that you needed to point out. Thanks, pal.
The pews are emptying. The ranks are thinning. You can’t deny the statistics. (Although, in fairness, I have to say that the churches are plenty packed in my bucolic suburban enclave.) It was the wrong day for me to attend. It was a blatant pitch for money set against what, for me, was a disagreeable backdrop. Bad timing all around.
Yeah. I feel better at weddings and funeral services, believe it or not, because those messages are more straight-forward and less gimme.
Plus, you can usually get a pretty good meal at weddings and funerals. Those body of Christ wafers always leave me wanting.
(Waiting for the lightening bolt to strike. Should be any second now.)
Just don’t let the communion wafer hit your teeth, and wiseassery will be forgiven. My turn to look skyward and duck.
“So that didn’t go as well as I would’ve liked.”—Ha!
As for the big rock, hmm, now that’s art maybe even I could create. Must go hunt down some stones now…
It’s a cast-off pun but the truth is I really do wish I had a better relationship with the church. A lot of people in my life who I love and respect get something out of it so attention must be paid.
You should see some of the art gallery crap-ola I DON’T post. Modern art has a bad enough reputation. I’m not going to pile-on. It’s too easy a target.
There must be some connection between the giant rock and the church — and not in a good way. I’m thinking heavy, inflexible, unresponsive… (And that’s just the church!)
Of course, I speak as a lapsed Catholic, so. 😇
This is the second analogy brought to my attention in the comment section that’s entirely appropriate but got by me completely. The church is the rock. Of course! Earlier, it was pointed out that the “weight” of the two art pieces were at opposite ends. You guys are way smarter than I am. But you need a straight man, too.
I like the new Pope. Do you like him? I’ll bet he’d be fun to have a glass of communal wine with.
Maybe you’re not as cynical as we are. That’s probably a good thing!
As for the Pope, I was in his camp until he met with Kim Davis. I don’t know if he got pwned or something, or if he actually invited her, but it sure knocked him down a peg.
More about the rock: I remember George Carlin asking, Can God make a rock so big even He can’t lift it? Hmmm…
I think that “meeting” was overblown and exaggerated by the Davis camp and Fox News. I think it was more of a receiving line that didn’t count for all that much. Can’t blame ’em for being opportunists.
And what about the naming of the animals? Forget the impossibly daunting task that represents. This morning I quickly grew bored cutting up 15 copies of 14 student ID photos on a guillotine slicer. But then, I secretly felt the job was beneath me, whereas naming animals! That’s prestige.
That’s true! That’s the passage before the rib incident. Man named EVERY LIVING THING (presumably in English) and thereafter became bored, so God invented women. I’ll bet that left Adam yearning for some boredom.
I very much like the image of you using a guillotine. Did you wear a black hood over your head?
No, but I was very worried about my tie.
Just your tie?
Heh. It’s “Working Blue Wednesday” here at EoPS.
I like both pieces of art. I wouldn’t want the rock thing in my house because I’d be terrified it’d fall off the wall, but the painted glass idea is beautiful and something I’ve never seen before. I’d spend WAY too long trying to figure out what it said, though.
Have you watched the John Oliver diatribe of televangelists? It’s. AMAZING. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7y1xJAVZxXg) I believe in God but not religion and certainly not people claiming to speak for God. I audit non-profits, which include universities, unions, trade associations, and it’s incredible what they get away with. I can’t say any specifics because I’d probably lose my job, but lookup the tax forms of some of your favorite charities when you have some free time and scratch your head over how much the top officials are paid. And please, don’t even get me STARTED on unions.
The rock might look kind of silly on screen but I tell you, it was a cheap thrill when I walked into the gallery. It was a pretty rock! I love stuff like that. Even when it doesn’t work (which is fairly often) it’s worth your time.
Do you know what? I don’t think I want to know the specifics of the kinds of tax breaks churches, unions, universities, etc. get. I feel powerless enough and don’t need to exacerbate it. This is a case whereby I’m going to willfully maintain my blissful ignorance. I wish I could feel closer to the church. As I mentioned above, it works for a lot of people in my life who I respect, so there must be SOMETHING there besides faerie tales and threats.
Thanks for the link. I’ll watch it on my bus commute home. Should be perfect viewing for when I’m at a complete stand-still on the New Jersey Turnpike. Should cheer me right up. Heh
Awesome video Erin. We have similar issues here in Canada.
They really asked someone for $10,000? Man, they’ve got brass, I’ll give them that! If I were you I’d go Dawkins on those guys and start talking about what humans can learn from their ape cousins! BTW, Jesus forgave an adulterous woman.
These guys mean business. My understand is that they call you if you’ve missed one too many tithings. It’s a well-off neighborhood so I think they feel a warped sense of entitlement.
Do you know what’s funny? We think that YOU’RE the ones who haven’t evolved. Isn’t that a riot!?
Something tells me if Jesus came down from his puffy cloud and see what Christianity has been doing in his name, he’d have a thing or two to say to the church elders. It’s a little off-track.
I think I would sooner worship Michael Heizer for putting a boulder in a box and figuring out how to hang it on a wall. And the words that look like feathers also strikes me as pretty miraculous.
I may have told you that I was raised Catholic. My parents sent me to Catholic school for twelve years; what I refer to as atheist training. I had barely started first grade when Sister Mary Menopausal Loon asked us two stomach-turning questions (I don’t recall the order, this was half a century ago): raise your hand if you have any Jewish friends and raise your hand if your parents give you an allowance. Instinct told me I didn’t like where this was going so I kept my hand down. The kids who revealed that they had Jewish friends were told that their Christ-killing pals were destined to go to hell if they didn’t get them to convert pronto. Those who received allowances were asked how much and then ordered to donate their small change in its entirety to the collection basket on Sunday. I told my mother about this wondering if Debbie, my friend as well as all of my dad’s friends (they were all Jewish) were really going to go to hell. That seemed so unfair to me, everyone was so nice. I was very worried. My mother assured me that everyone could stay Jewish, no one was going to go to hell and that I could keep my allowance and she’d deal with the donation. A few years later, I learned the term anti-Semite from my brother. The first person that came to my mind was that nasty nun.
Rocks and feathers. That stuff looks even more impressive in person. Do you gallery hop? The best part is it’s your second favorite f word: FREE.
I went to a parochial school for four years and then mom ran out of money so that was the end of that. Straight off to heathen public schools with the atheist urchins. I didn’t have the horrific experiences you describe here. I’m half hoping you’re just kidding and that none of it really occurred. Good on your mom for keeping it real. I wonder why she insisted you go there after knowing all that?
I saw The Humans last night at the Laura Pels. A great, great show. And what a cast! Reed Birney, Sarah Steele, Jayne Houdyshell, etc. And I love the Laura Pels. One of the best venues in town. Lots of discounts floating around (inexplicably).
Mom was actually an ardent Catholic. And a Republican. If she lived in today’s world, I doubt that she’d be either.
We’re thinking about joining Roundabout, but for the 2016 shows. We just can’t afford to see everything. Boo hoo.
My mom was a good Catholic as well. Charitable and not judgemental. The best part of what the church is all about.
Do you know about access 10 tickets at the Roundabout? $10 seats for the first four previews of any show. The best secret in town.
Churches and taxes – not the best start to my day. Someone suggested you donate the boulder.I’d go further -donate it from a great height!
The feathery installation looks lovely. I Googled Khan and I see that he uses combinations of various elements then merges them digitally.I’d like to see this.
It’s so strange to think of you reading this over breakfast. My dinner is not far off. This internet thingy really has shrunk the world, hasn’t it?
Why didn’t I think of Googling Kahn? Or dropping a giant boulder on the church? You have all the angles worked out.
Yes, cyber speed does make a difference.once upon a time, by the time word reached a King that there was a war somewhere and the King rounded up some knights and barons and peasants and trotted off to fight….it was all over when he got there. Today? It’s on facebook before BBC News has heard about it!
By the way, I’ve missed you on the blog-go-round.
Thank you, dear. I took some time off from reading, writing and commenting. I was getting sick of the sound of my own voice. I can imagine how everyone else felt.
I love the rock art – must be what my countertops looked like in the rough. I know that sounds sooo pretentious, but hey, I worked hard for them and I love them. Like the feather art as well – just really like it when you post this stuff! I’m not hard to please when it comes to anything creative, really. Maybe I will develop a more discerning eye by vicariously viewing these pieces through you! Keep them coming, Mark!
I’m just like you. Easy to please. I don’t want to see that we have low standards, but you do walk around happier if you are easily amused. People with high standards are never satisfied. Nothing is ever good enough. It’s a trap.
I have tickets to that Impressionist exhibit at the Cleveland Museum of Art the day after Thanksgiving. I can’t wait!
So I’ll be looking at your photos on this blog from my own hometown museum! Pretty cool, Mark!
You should try to get over to that exhibit if at all possible. Cleveland is the only stop for that show. It’s a pretty big deal in the art world and the paintings are gorgeous!
The church as rock…the feathers juxtaposed with the rock…and the feathery words having something to do with the weight of words maybe. So many things to connect, Mark. This is a groovy post! I really like the feathery words installation. That’s really nice.
I grew up Catholic and my parents divorced, so they stopped going because, you know, since they knew they were both going to hell. I generally respect religions, but what on this earth has caused so much strife, wars and death as organized religion? Not to mention all the corruption within the Catholic church. I like to think I’m spiritual, but understand the draw may be more about community. That’s quite a restoration! That’s a pretty penny. That’s a lot of meals to feed the hungry right there.
I swear to you, Amy, I didn’t see any of these connections until you guys started to point them out to me. I suppose I could be a big smarty-pants and pretend it was all intentional, but that would be a lie. It’s all just a happy accident.
My mom found so much peace and solace with the church, especially towards the end. I wish I could get closer to it but that, too, would be a lie. I can’t manufacture enthusiasm for something I only partially believe in.
It is, in fact, one hell of a restoration. Ha. See what I did there? No, seriously, it’s beautiful!
I do see what you did there! There you go being clever again.
Dang you got lots of comments on this one. I like your description of going to church and all that non-profit status, etc. I think it’s all a crock of horse manure. Most churches pay their pastor/preacher/ what ever, way too much money and some churches have mindless followers who can not see past the curtain pulled over their eyes.
I call myself Christian but do not go to church. I believe that most of what was written in the bible was to scare the bejesus out of folks in an effort to keep them in line and to follow the moral beliefs of a particular time or age. The idea that woman was created from a rib is so far out and I have never believed that nor people turning into pillars of salt. Besides lots of other outrageous Bible history/teachings.
It seems like I’m preaching to the choir here (ha) but religion is awfully, awfully popular. It drives the world. So it must have something going for it aside from wealth accumulation, although that seems to be a big part of it.
My mom had a healthy relationship with the church. She embraced the kindness and turned a blind eye towards its sometime cruelty. Faith shouldn’t be like a menu where you select the items you like and disregard the ones you don’t, but that’s how it worked for her.
Re: the comments. I have a small but vocal audience. They have a lot to say and, boy, do they say it!
And you can be glad that your followers/commenters feel comfortable with you and write how they feel about your post topics. Sometimes I don’t comment for fear that I will blather to0 much, over step the boundaries and, come across as a complete idiot. Even if I don’t comment sometimes, I still read all the comments on your posts. It makes for some interesting reading.
Someone else mentioned that by writing about religion, I left myself vulnerable to abuse. That never dawned on me. I’m kind of an innocent. Plus, who gives a damn what I think?!
Don’t ever be afraid to comment. You’re among friends. I have a long history of sounding like a dope. It’s a shame I can’t turn it into a money-making venture.
I did laugh at your summary of what went down in church! The way you wrote it sounded like the voice from your journals, i.e. the younger you. My Dad used to work close to a church in London (not a mainstream religion, some obscure one), and they would be out on the streets canvassing and blatantly saying “Money is a burden, we will relieve you of that burden” – credit to them for being upfront about it I guess. Canterbury Cathedral which is near me costs millions for the various refurbishments. I just looked it up to get an example and found “Rebuilding the Great South Window £1.1 million. 1.1 million for just one window! I’d want the windows in my whole house done for that – ha! They charge an entrance fee just to go in and look round the cathedral and they’re always fundraising in addition to that for the latest renovation project. They have a little team of stonemasons as part of the permanent staff there – quite an interesting job I should imagine for those who are into such things.
The art piece of the English and Arabic overlaid looks like one of those fur rugs you get in front of fireplaces, is it meant to look like fur?
I wasn’t visiting the church with my usual cynical attitude. I really did want to get something positive out of it. But then they laid a bunch of stuff on me that I just couldn’t embrace and the cynic came roaring back.
I’d love to hear more about your dad’s obscure faith. Have you ever written about it? If so, leave a link here. I’m off to Google the Great South Window. A window that costs that much deserves initial caps. Can you imagine being a stonemason and being employed there? I’ll bet they think they’ve died and gone to heaven without actually going through the trouble of dying.
The piece on the wall doesn’t look quite so furry in person. It’s a little more sharp edged. Try clicking on the pic and blowing it up. That might help. It’s a nice piece and I like the idea that it’s going to be destroyed at the end of the show. Like one of those sand mandalas.
Thanks for reading and commenting, as always. You give good comment. They’re post-quality.
Noooooooo!!! My Dad would be horrified if anyone thought that religion (or ANY religion) was anything to do with him – when I said he worked close to that church, I just meant geographically, not, er…spiritually, if that’s what you thought I meant? He used to walk past them when going out to lunch and they’d be trying to shove leaflets at everyone.
A few years ago when I was doing some writing for a local magazine I interviewed the head Stonemason at Canterbury Cathedral, that’s how I knew about it. You can’t read the article very well here, but I did just see that it says she has a team of 19 stonemasons working for her there, I’d forgotten it was that many – clearly a lot of ongoing stonemasonry work to be done at Canterbury Cathedral – https://vanessachapman.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/picture-9.png
Aaahhhhh! That’s funny! I like my version better. I like the sense of outrage it would’ve incited. I love the idea that a leaflet could do something as dramatic as change your belief system. As if.
Thanks for the link! I love that you got a by-line. Well done, you.
Do you think that’s what does it though? The fact that this rock is planted on a giant, plain wall and out of place, makes you pay attention to it? Because is that really art? It is natures art, yes but you’re only paying attention to its texture and what it evokes because it is out of its natural setting.
I like the feathers and words; that’s brilliant.
Churches are great places when they’re old and historic and have an unquantifiable presence within. When they’re full of arseholes preaching bollocks, not quite as good.
Hi Jules. I’ve been on a bit of a reading/writing/commenting sabbatical but I wanted to mention that I’m enjoying your series.
I’m sure if you were strolling down a forest path you wouldn’t look twice at this rock. But stick it in a weathered iron box in an art gallery and you’ll be gobsmacked when you see it. It is environment. You’re right.
You can’t beat a church for architectural majesty. Just don’t look too closely at how it got there. It’s like sausage. Delicious, but not a pleasant process.
Thank you.
Exactly – sausages are great until you start thinking about them and then you want to vomit.
*smiling here* a long time ago in a galaxy far away….also know as los angeles, i spent too much of my youth in catholic schools. then, vatican 2 happened and the nuns in my high school decided that we needed to hear about the greater world of religions outside, study, and then take the leap of faith if we still believed. i chose wisely.
as to the rock, as other have said “You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my Church.” but all that aside, your experience reminds me of walking under the levitated mass. it was one of those WTF moments for the krewe, but it did stop me with wonder and awe.
maybe, i’ve been in the marsh too long
which for those who don’t know me means…i left. xoxo
So…wait…the nuns gave you free reign to choose whether or not you wanted to continue your religious studies? That sounds incredibly evolved for nuns! Maybe I have it wrong. I didn’t know you were Catholic. We should form a support group.
Thanks, TONS, for the Heiser link. I knew of those other environmental pieces but didn’t know he was responsible for them. Learn sumpthin’ new every time you post.
not free reign to study or not, but to make the choice personally. we all, including the nuns, toed the line in class, but the idea stayed with us and some of left the church, including some nuns! best story ever: the priest that married us (we caved in to parental pressure), left the order some time after our ceremony and married a former nun! here’s to the sisters of st joseph of carondelte and the carmelite brothers! xox
(and you’re welcome and yes, i saw what you did there!)
I hope you realize how incredibly rare that is! Most archdiocese wouldn’t allow that sort of free thinking. Good to know its out there somewhere. Hope it sustains.
It’s a problem I have, that I can’t seem to get over despite my faith, that the people who regularly attend church fail to see the hypocrisy in what they do. No false gods, worship no other idols other than Him – but!! spent millions of dollars on a building. Supposedly that is to glorify Him, but in reality isn’t it to glorify themselves and their church? Because I doubt He cares. i doubt He wouldn’t rather see that money spent helping those in need. But, that’s my issue.
When I go looking, I find Him in the wild places of the world. Nature is my church. I suspect, that is also my issue.
My parents worry about me. They think I need to find a church… They are worried about my soul. It’s an interesting dynamic: to have complete trust in my belief and my faith, but have it questioned by family who think it isn’t enough. How do they reconcile that discrepancy in having raised a good son who is going to Hell anyway? I guess I’ll say “hi” to your mom when I get there…?
My mom and such healthy relationship with the church. She embraced its teachings without any of the judgment or damnation that sometimes accompanies it. I still know the words, responses and rituals. When I do go, it’s a wonderful nostalgia trip. But something always gets in my way. The new Pope is swell but I’m still not quite ready to go back. Maybe on my deathbed. That’s usually how it works.
More amazing art ideas. Thanks. About how many art galleries, big & small in NYC?
*Smiling here 2*
Regarding church, I can’t believe you wrote about that toxic subject. I went to Catholic school for 12 years in a small Ohio town in the 50’s and 60’s. The nuns never spoke negative about the Jews. I thought the Italians killed Christ. Being Italian, I always felt a little guilty. Jews were the chosen people she would say. It sounded more like a race of people than religion and they were better than Catholics. Catholics had the only true church she would say. Money was very seldom mentioned. Then came Vatican II. I understand why the congregation is dwindling.
Compliments to your readers. No controversial rants.
Are you going to do politics soon? Ha Ha Ha
I’m visiting another gallery right after work today. Wait till you see what they have! You’re in for a treat.
When I wrote this I never once gave a thought to backlash or condemnation from a reader. I’m just an innocent. I went to a parochial school for four years. When I was young, I thought the blood of Christ was actual blood! I didn’t know what a metaphor was. That’s a concept idea for an 8-year old.
I won’t touch politics. That’s the third rail. Thank, as always, for your comment. Interesting stuff.
Hullo. This is the first time I have read your pages, I am a farmer so i don’t get out much! The rock is lovely, I have a few in the back yard actually that also floor me when i walk past them – they are just so OLD and so beautiful. Anyway I loved the installation – beautiful – real depth. And religion is important to many people – but it is hard to respect that sometimes. But surely – I mean surely – no-one actually believes that women were created from the rib of a man – or that the world was created in seven days or was it five – or that you can be absolved of your sins by confessing them every three weeks then poof you are a new person ready to go forth and sin again. I mean surely.
I was brought up a strict catholic, and we studied our catechism hard so i can say those things. i have always thought that you cannot truly rubbish something until you have studied it.
Many thanks for the opportunity to comment.. c
Hullo, yourself! Welcome. Nice to have you. Thanks for taking the time to read and comment. I’m humbled.
That rock was for sale. He’s a named artist with a long career. I don’t know how much it cost or whether or not it sold. Are any of those beautiful boulders in your back yard for sale? I suppose they’re part of your landscape and you don’t want to part with any. I understand.
The bible is parables and analogies. But for centuries, before science straightened us out, that’s all the truth they had. I wish I could be a more churchy person. My mom found great comfort in it. She made peace with the inconsistencies and occasional cruelties. But I ask too many questions.
Wow. A farmer commenting on my urban blog. The world has surely shrunk.
My Mother was rock solid in her faith too. I love the word boulders it is almost comic.. have a good one – I’ll be back but it is time to get ready for the milking! c
The question is, do Christians hate Floyd the Barber for being gay? A plague of locusts could be headed to Mayberry, and then Barney will try to shoot the locusts. But his gun doesn’t have any bullets. So Barney and Floyd have hot gay sex instead.
The End
If memory serves me, I think Barney had one bullet. He kept it buttoned in his top shirt pocket. I like your ending, though. That’s how David Lynch would’ve filmed it.
I remain particularly intrigued by the clever eye-trick by Idiris Khan. I find that not only innovative but possessing the power to surprise. That to me is what good art is all about.
Great post.
Shakti
It was a shock! You walk into the gallery and see one thing and when you get closer you see something completely different revealed. So much creativity. The polar opposite of what I’m exposed to at my work. Maybe that’s why I love it so much.
You know how I tend to prattle on about how this isn’t art and that isn’t art? Well, to make trillions of dollars off one 2000 year old book that’s part metaphor, part tall tales, and only part true – now THAT is art.
You don’t prattle! Who said you prattle?! It’s not true.
My favorite quote from today’s New York Time Book Review:
“..the grim tedium of this messy compilation of second-rate tribal legends and outrageous bigotry.”
That’s author Matt Ridley talking about the BIBLE. Yup.
Yeah, well, the Bible isn’t exactly the most riveting of books.
You’re not kidding, brother! I went on it kick where I read the Bible and The Book of Mormon as literature. What a snooze-fest. I was going to move on to the Koran but bailed out on the idea.
I’m afraid woman actually did come from the rib of man. That’s why we can’t understand them. That’s why they’re such a pain in the side. That’s why we can’t get along without one. And what Jesus said about adultery is a misquote.
But the Bible…a snoozefest? I mean, didn’t you read the one about the harlot by the side of the road? And the one about that little boy puttin’ the hurt on that big bully, by using his slingshot? It’s all sex, blood, and rock & roll if you ask me!! (btw…this is my humor here)
And all this time I thought it was a simple case of indigestion. I am relieve to hear, for my mother’s sake, that Jesus was misquoted. He seemed like the forgiving type. I don’t know why he went off the rails on this subject.
The bible action scenes you describe sound like a proper vehicle for Vin Diesel.
Vin Diesel…perfect casting!
Have you seen the lovely depiction of Ronald McDonald being crucified on the cross? Think you’d like it, as well as a Finnish artist or maybe Danish, the name currently escapes me, who just put out some rather subversive Tony the Tiger commercials, another winner, Dangerous Minds.net has them up because Kellogg’s is running around the internet and pulling them down as fast as they can.
I haven’t seen the Ronald McD sculpture but I’m going to Google it right after I type this because THAT’S something I want to see. Thx for the Dangerous Minds ping. It makes me wonder what else is out there that I don’t know about.
Who knew? I’ve got negative walls all over the place! I’m an artiste! Oh, those are windows? Whatever. How much will you give me for one? i’ll even hand deliver it…
Unless that church is going to use all that damn money to build homes for the homeless, re-home some refugees, or feed the hungry? fuck. that. shit.
How’ve you been? It’s nice to see you. Hope you and the Captain are well. Please give him my regards.
In the poorest villages, the most opulent building is often the church. That’s why I like this Pope. He don’t play it like that.