Oh yeah that thing I was talking about…

So as you may have imagined by now, the opening of my show did actually occur. All of the work got made in time (as it always does, even though I teeter on the brink, I’ve never had a show where the work wasn’t ready) and the opening took place on Thursday night, one of record setting cold here in NYC. The gallery is located on 22nd street between 10th and 11th avenue, meaning that it’s about two blocks from the Hudson river. By 6pm Thursday a vicious wind was coming off the river and the claim was that wind chill was down around 15-20 degrees below. That I couldn’t gage – I do know it was fucking cold. Despite that, a surprising number of people showed up. including Thor. I felt very gratified, although some of it was quite surreal. Since I grew up here, the people who come to my openings can really ruin the gamut. There was a girl who I went through fifth grade with, and several generations of former students. Folks from SF, members of Hot Ash, current and former co-workers. My favorite lesbian performance artist, a former girlfriend and her son, that guy with the frizzy hair who goes to EVERY New York opening, and some weird guy trying to schmooze me for admittance to the private party afterwards. One shocking thing about New York is that people actually go out to openings as a thing to do, so there is also a contingent of just curious folks who show up and hang around.

As events, openings are not my favorite – it’s impossible to have a satisfactory conversation with anyone – you’re constantly breaking off to say hi to someone else, and apologizing and doing it again. I worry about whether people are having an ok time, so I find myself fairly exhausted by the end of the evening. But even with that I was very happy.

As for the work – There are nine pieces in the show, and as soon as I have a bit of an LJ tutorial I’ll post some pics of them. It’s my usual mix of objects , drawings and video. The things are pretty stark, and while I find them satisfying, I have no idea about how they come off to other people. Underlying everything are bits of racial tension, self criticism, and (I hope) humor. A former student, who has become a remarkable sculptor said that it was about loneliness, and I think it is, in part.

Now the fun part beings, in a way: I get to hear from folks about how they are seeing things and what the pieces evoke for them. I’ve been back to the gallery a couple of times, and each time has produced an interesting conversation. The problem with the show is that since it includes video footage of me, it’s impossible for me to just sit there and observe people looking at the work. I immediately get asked if I’m the artist. So, it looks like I’m going to be having a lot of talks.

Well, there’s more on the way, but that’s the initial report. Got any questions? I’d be glad to answer them.

0 Comments +

  1. congratulations!

    You should wear a funny hat, or maybe dress really outrageously, and try to sneak in.

    What’s the Nayland Blake version of “anonymous nonchalance?”

    I don’t think it’s healthy to listen to strangers talk all unawares about your work, but I do love eavesdropping, too.

  2. my professor, my corruptor…

    It turns out I’ll most likely be leading a brave little band of freshmen foundation students to your show this coming Saturday, as a part of our school’s yearly kamikaze field-trip blitz to NYC. I’ll be sure to pass the hat for questions; I know there’ll be many. And I’ll delight in attempting to conceal my hard-on while answering them.

  3. Congrats on your big opening! (ducking)

    awful jokes aside, it’s good to hear you got it all together and even enjoyed the company that showed up. Sorry for not commenting earlier on your pre-show anxiety. Since I haven’t exhibited since I was a student, the closest analogy I can think of is the anticipation before the premier of a series I helped with. Not much help, compared with your personal vision out there for judgement.

    Seeing so many people from your past show up must have been a nice reminder of your career’s history. Sort of a human scrapbook parading past. Any good memories stir up?

  4. Re: my professor, my corruptor…

    If you can figure out when you’ll be passing by, I may well be able to answer their questions in person, and provide you some cover for your hard-on concealing.

  5. Re: my professor, my corruptor…

    If you can figure out when you’ll be passing by, I may well be able to answer their questions in person, and provide you some cover for your hard-on concealing.

  6. Nayland,
    How long is the show going on… I will be in NY over my birthday- Feb 6-9.
    It was a long birth. Thinking of going to see some things before I ran up to Woodstock.

    Congrats on the opening. Stay warm.

    robert/
    supertan

  7. Re: my professor, my corruptor…

    That’d be a real treat! Both the question answering and the hard-on concealment. Let me crunch some numbers and get back to you on Friendster tomorrow with an approximate schedule. If you can make it I’ll be sure to feed you afterwards!

  8. Re: congratulations!

    Well, it is rare to be able to get a sense of what people think in an unedited way. That’s why I like to do it. But I don’t do it endlessly, and since this show opened, I’ve had some other experiences too: folks glaring at me and barging out. Normally there wouldn’t be that direct an identification of me as the “culprit”.

  9. Please note that the above has been the only time I’ve been congratulated on it, er one of them, or…whatever.

    What was the series? I would actually imagine the anticipation to be much harder to sit through since there are so many ways things can go wrong that have absolutely nothing to do with what you could control. Also I’m fascinated by the delay that animators must experience. How do you handle that? I make a drawing and there it is, boom, available for viewing – you make one and so many other folks have to get it ready for viewing.

    As for good memories, I tend to have them more when I’m attending other folks things,i.e.: a college pal of mine is the remarkable harp player Zeena Parkins who has been collaborating with Bjork for the last couple of years. It was thrilling for me to see her up on stage last summer and thinking of her back at Bard, and weird tapes we had made together or goofy performances we were both part of. When it comes to my events, my neurosis and guilt kick in, so I see folks and worry that it’s been too long since I called them or something like that.

  10. Re: congratulations!

    Well, it is rare to be able to get a sense of what people think in an unedited way. That’s why I like to do it. But I don’t do it endlessly, and since this show opened, I’ve had some other experiences too: folks glaring at me and barging out. Normally there wouldn’t be that direct an identification of me as the “culprit”.

  11. Please note that the above has been the only time I’ve been congratulated on it, er one of them, or…whatever.

    What was the series? I would actually imagine the anticipation to be much harder to sit through since there are so many ways things can go wrong that have absolutely nothing to do with what you could control. Also I’m fascinated by the delay that animators must experience. How do you handle that? I make a drawing and there it is, boom, available for viewing – you make one and so many other folks have to get it ready for viewing.

    As for good memories, I tend to have them more when I’m attending other folks things,i.e.: a college pal of mine is the remarkable harp player Zeena Parkins who has been collaborating with Bjork for the last couple of years. It was thrilling for me to see her up on stage last summer and thinking of her back at Bard, and weird tapes we had made together or goofy performances we were both part of. When it comes to my events, my neurosis and guilt kick in, so I see folks and worry that it’s been too long since I called them or something like that.

  12. a few comments

    I have to say I was flabbergasted at the hundreds that showed up for your opening under such brutal weather conditions. It certainly speaks to your stature as an artist, and as a friend. (I was grateful that taxis were easily available to/from the gallery, ’cause nobody else was out on the streets.)

    I wouldn’t use the term “stark”. I have been using the words “cool” and “disturbing” in describing the show to friends. I was very impressed by the mounting, how the seemingly disparate works “spoke” to and addressed each other — the videos to the flags, the flags to the drawing, the drawing to the pipe, etc. — don’t think it went unnoticed where the pipe was mounted in relation to where the self-portrait hung.

    It was very interesting to hear an artist’s thoughts about his own opening. Thanks for sharing those so generously, so candidly, as well.

    Do you really know several lesbian performance artists to have a favorite?

  13. Thanks for your kind words …

    … and careful observation. (and your professional slapping) All of those things about laying out the show are things that I work on a great deal. I believe the rythm is very important. I’ll be curious to hear what you think when it’s less populated.

    And yes, you forget I lived in San Fran for twelve years and ran a space that showed performance, so I know quite a few lesbian performance artists. (in fact it’s that very same space you sent me the article about today). And of all the ones I know, none quite compares to Carmelita Tropicana, who did me the honor of braving the cold like yourself.

  14. Thanks for your kind words …

    … and careful observation. (and your professional slapping) All of those things about laying out the show are things that I work on a great deal. I believe the rythm is very important. I’ll be curious to hear what you think when it’s less populated.

    And yes, you forget I lived in San Fran for twelve years and ran a space that showed performance, so I know quite a few lesbian performance artists. (in fact it’s that very same space you sent me the article about today). And of all the ones I know, none quite compares to Carmelita Tropicana, who did me the honor of braving the cold like yourself.

  15. We like to think of you as growing up here, in San Francisco. Very proud of you, Nayland–congratulations… can’t wait to read about the specifics, and wish I could see the show.

  16. also in New England

    Nayland, you have a piece at the school where I teach as well right now: Montserrat College of Art. A group show curated by Martha Buskirk, your piece is called “Correction.”

    So, I have a question: why 2 screens? I saw your piece with the chocolate and the icing at MIT a year or so ago, but that’s the extent of my familiarity with your recent work.

    oh, and did I detect a little freudian slip?:
    “the people who come to my openings can really ruin the gamut.”

    Very embarrassing old friends?

  17. Re: also in New England

    Wow – somehow I didn’t put that together: that you were teaching where the show is. Martha is very interesting and very smart. How does the show look overall?

    It’s two screens because it’s two different shots. It takes a while to see what’s going on. I guess I’ve been doing a lot of video recently.

    As for my ruined gamuts, don’t attribute to Freud what can be explained by fat fingers!

  18. I’m thrilled….

    … that anyone thinks of me as having grown up at all! But thanks and it’s true, SF was and is immensly important to how I think about what I do. I still urge young artists to think about moving there after school instead of NY. I’ll get some pics of the show up soon, I promise.

  19. Re: also in New England

    Wow – somehow I didn’t put that together: that you were teaching where the show is. Martha is very interesting and very smart. How does the show look overall?

    It’s two screens because it’s two different shots. It takes a while to see what’s going on. I guess I’ve been doing a lot of video recently.

    As for my ruined gamuts, don’t attribute to Freud what can be explained by fat fingers!

  20. I’m thrilled….

    … that anyone thinks of me as having grown up at all! But thanks and it’s true, SF was and is immensly important to how I think about what I do. I still urge young artists to think about moving there after school instead of NY. I’ll get some pics of the show up soon, I promise.

  21. Re: also in New England

    ah, you know us art critics, all wrapped up in Freud when we should be feeling our Jung.

    Martha is quite intimidating (but supportive like everyone else at Montserrat, I’m really lucky). I’m teaching one of her classes this semester while she’s on sabbatical. The show is called “Infinitely Specific,” and it looks wonderful. Really nice mix of photos, installation and media formats. I need to spend some more time with it.

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