Monthly Archives: September 2010

Misericordiam: Mournful Clacks at DUMBO Arts Festival

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In Ranjit Bhatnagar’s Misericordiam, an old accordion hangs in space, suspended from cords and cables. If you press one of the 4 buttons in front of it, the keys begins to move and then play the “tune” you selected. Tune, here, seemed to be more a clacking of keys than anything else and had names like “Shake.”Ad Misericordiam is traditionally an appeal to pity, and in this case you start to feel bad for the old accordion still struggling along make mournful noise. 

It has the appeal of fascinating old mechanical things, even as it plays itself at your command. It was definitely one of the pieces I really enjoyed at the DUMBO Arts Festival last weekend. 
More from the artist here (and a lot of it is awesome.)

Frida Kahlo, and Me, at MoMA

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Me with Frida in Fulang-Chang and I

I took this picture at the MoMA the other day. I really do LIKE Frida Kahlo, even while I think she is over hyped. Fulang-Chang and I depicts Kahlo with one of her pet monkeys. The painting was included in the first major exhibition of her work in New York in 1938 to much attention. Later Kahlo gave the painting to her close friend Mary Sklar, attaching a mirror to it so that, if Sklar chose, the two friends could be together.

And of course, I love inserting myself into other people’s art; see Pistoletti and Kiki Smith.

Image from the museum’s website, so you can see the painting better:

Chardin and Proust, on the Beauty of the Everday

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Still Life with Plums, 1730

Rather I should say: Me, on Chardin and Proust, on the beauty of everyday things like jugs, water, and fruit in an article up on Escape Into Life magazine.  Being able to see the beauty in the commonplace is surely a quality to be valued.  Chardin’s still life above looks nothing like my messy kitchen table–but then perhaps it does more than I can appreciate.

I’d love to hear what you think about the article.  This train of thought spun off my enjoyment of De Botain’s How Proust Can Change Your Life, an enjoyable book I shared earlier this month here and also worth a look.