Thanks to making some new friends and throwing myself into this painting thing, I've been able to take part in a multitude of new arty experiences.
Terry and Chip invited us to FLUX, which is a night of 'art, arm wrestling, performance, outdoor films, escaped zebras... projections and experimentation'. I had never been to Castleberry Hill. It was fun; a night beginning with dinner at El Taco, all of us squeezing in a cab over there, glowsticks, dancing naked people and 'light paintings', pictures with a traveling menagerie, weird scary vultures roaming the streets and one very, very tall man with an umbrella. Oh, and a room full of smoke. (Photo courtesy of John Hersman)
We also had the opportunity to go see Jeff Koons speak at the High Museum on October 5th. I enjoyed the talk -- he mostly referenced his work to the Dali exhibit, exploring Dali's celebrity influence and themes. Apparently Koons has a workshop of around 150 people, all working on his art projects. Since then, I've also discovered the Koons Family Institute, which is an initiative of the International Centre for Missing and Exploited Children.
I'm not a huge 'fan' of Jeff Koons, or Salvador Dali. But this is the first exhibit I have seen at the High museum that has not been a big disappointment. The information, format and content of the exhibit were much better than I expected; and although not his most famous work, I was more interested in his influences and personality that came through some of these massive pieces. His interest in Vermeer's Lacemaker resulted in his 'copy' of the same painting, representing the lace with rhino horns. His wife, Gala, was prominent also, and just the sheer detail and smoothness of the paintings were astonishing to me. So although not a fan, I'm pleased to learn about Dali and may even go back and see the exhibit again. I'm certainly glad I didn't see any melting clocks.
Well, time leaves me finishing this post early... but I have more updates to come! The Unveiling was fantastic, with great friends and cocktails. I will write more soon. Thanks for checking on me. Happy Monday!
