009 Nora Sturges
Andy Dixon silk, Molly, rigid denim
But first
Ah! What a crazy time of year. Work has been absolutely slammed, which has directly resulted in fewer of these! But it was fun when my worlds collided and I got to work on Marco Brambilla’s, Limits of Control at Bitforms Gallery (which is up through Jan 11th.)
Was back in Nashville for xgiving and we asked H’s parents to take us to some of the classic restaurants. They took us for dinner one night to Sperry’s, a fifty year old steak house. His mom recalled being in the bar watching the first episode of SNL shortly after the restaurant had opened. A perfect, classic steak house - dark and moody, lots of wood, paintings of boats, hasn’t been touched since the 70s. The salad bar is supposed to be quite good. Also let’s just sit with the concept of a salad bar in a nice restaurant for a second. But I didn’t want to get up and deal with all of that in the middle of dinner. We closed it down, and the only other table left heard us mention a little dive we go to when we’re in Florida and they knew it, go there all the time and live in that tiny town! What are the odds of that?
It’s almost comical at this point how many New York spots have their only other location in Nashville. We returned to their version of Attaboy, which we hadn’t been to since my first visit back with him years ago. And Frankie’s has apparently already opened their Nashville location, which I knew was happening but didn’t realize was open already. Will have to catch that one over Christmas.
For another 50th anniversary celebration, I went with an old friend and fellow Powerbroker head to see Robert Caro talk at 92 St Y. And surprise! Bryan Cranston was there and wanted to read a passage. Only in New York. Percolating on my final thoughts as I round the corner on completing this tome. 91%!
Nora Sturges
Nora Sturges’ first solo show in NYC, Voices in the Dark, at JJ Murphy Gallery is an absolute treasure trove. These tiny paintings, 4.5 x 6 in to 6 x 8 in, are perfect little abstract gems with a surrealist bend, the show is also rich with depth and reference. Influenced by early renaissance painting from the Sienese movement, specifically the show currently up at The Met, Sienna and the Rise of Painting 1300-1350. She is also referencing classic biblical allegorical tales. These little paintings really draw you in. Using the flat, chalky surface of gouache to reference the texture of a fresco. She mentions in several interviews that she is using frescoes as the influence for these pieces, some times only the parts of them that have been damaged or lost in the original that creates a bit of an abstract element to jump off of. She is often using reference images online or elsewhere vs the actual locations and letting poor reproductions, camera angles and even watermarks in the reproductions influence her final piece. Some are more representative of the original and some move a little further from the source. She mentions being influenced by Thomas Nozkowski, specifically this show at Pace last spring in this interview which also give a very through walk though of the show.
The inverse of scale is surprising and very effective. When I was building my list for this outing, I saw Nora’s work and thought it looked interesting, but I had assumed these were large paintings, based on the composition and level of detail. When I arrived at the show and saw that these were tiny tiny paintings I was truly blown away. I wouldn’t expect these little paintings, which are influenced by much larger frescos, to work on such a small scale, but they do. The detail and tiny little brushes used, the gorgeous colors and density of composition on such a small scale, there is so much that is working so well. And there are so many pieces to see in this show! It makes for such a rich and through example of her work. I really enjoyed going around and being sucked into each one. Her technique and palette are incredible. And these gems are all under 2k. She has a talk at the gallery on Saturday, December 14th at 4pm, and the show is open through December 21st. This one is really special, don’t miss it.
Other shows seen
Jenny Morgan is one of the first young contemporary artists that I found and fell in love with at a gallery in New York. Probably 12ish years ago. Going to one of her shows feels like catching up with an old friend. I was so glad to see she’d landed at Anat Ebgi Gallery, a good fit for her work. She continues in the psychedelic, sometimes spiritual, leanings we’ve seen from her in recent years. Reoccurring wood grain and waves and ripples and draping, cloaking her classic, and always moving portraits. No Endings for the Wild is up through Dec. 21.
The exhibition currently up at at Jacqueline Sullivan Gallery is titled after and inspired by the book In Praise of Shadows, which I happened to read earlier this year (Mentioned in Desiderata Oblongata Issue 002) and went purely to see how that could possibly be executed in an art exhibition. And turns out it can be done quite nicely. I don’t think I’d heard of this gallery before. I definitely do not remember making the trek up the four floor walk-up in the past. “A decorative arts and design gallery centered around small, thoughtful, concept-driven collections” according to their website and the collections tend to have a literary bend based on their exhibition history. Hello, soul mate. I don’t know where I was before this moment, but I’m here now. Well worth the hike, what an astounding collection of objects. In such a beautiful space, made all the more lovely together. They’re a proponent of my favorite design aesthetic: do not be too precious about styles and time periods. Just put it all together. Really love some of the Brian Grizzo pieces and the Bořek Šípek candelabra is incredible. You have until Jan 11 to catch this one, be sure you do.
Loved Erin O’Keefe’s 1 of 1 edition photographs at Sargent’s Daughters. They are playful and charming works. Beautiful colors. Wood blocks painted and arranged and photographed in a studio. Really wanted the book they had printed to accompany the show, the design was really interesting. I was there on the last day of preorders and didn’t get one in in time, but I’m hoping they do another run! Erin is an architect and I’m noticing a trend of artists who are or used to be architects are often making work I really like. I saw the man with the telescope is up through December 21st.
While I personally do not subscribe to the - this is the end time, everything is terrible - mentality. I liked how much fun Oliver Clegg is having with the idea in his show, Don’t just do something, Stand there at Tennis Elbow.1 Their home page is accidentally linked to Emily Pettigrew’s show from this June, but this was serendipitous for me because it allowed me to make the connection that the artist I had just seen in the group show at Shrine was the same artist, and I loved getting to see some more of Emily Pettigrew’s work again so soon. Michelle Paterok’s paintings in the same show at Shrine, Hope Bites, was also lovely, very sweet, and a unique muted palette. Want that little firework diptych.2 Clegg at Tennis Elbow is closed, and so is the Shrine show, sorry took me too long to get this one out!
There’s a lot of nostalgia painting happening right now, but Lola Gil’s surrealist spin at Nino Mier Gallery is one of the best. Filling Up Rooms is a college of imagery, scale and perspective that had me doing laps around the room again and again, finding something new each time. You can see it through December 18th.
Everyone was talking and posting about Gretchen Scherer’s Seeking an Exit at Monya Rowe Gallery. And for good reason. I went to see it at the end of a very long day of galleries. There was another week left, I could have come back another time later in the week, but no I got on a train to see one more show. And I'm so glad I did. Her interiors of famous museums operate as portraits of these spaces, but also a reflection of the artist herself, with a bit of wit, humor and playfulness in her depictions of these well known spaces. This show has closed, but keep an eye out for Gretchen’s work in the future.
Silk scarf from Andy Dixon
Gah. I would rather not know some things exist. I can’t want them if I don’t know about them. All that to say Andy Dixon put out a gorgeous silk scarf with Moutoniere. I was priced out of his work many years ago. There is an absolutely massive 53x53 in. version for $1350, which is a great bargain for something of that size. I was very tempted to get that one, but it’s actually too big for any of my walls, framed it would be 5x5ft. (NYC problems.) But I did get the smaller one (34x34in. for $800). I’ll frame it, I couldn’t wear silk that expensive.3 I’ve always liked the idea of framing silk scarves, its very contemporary tapestries vibes. I thought I was long past ever getting to own anything of his, so a scarf is better than nothing. I loved his work 10+ years ago when he was at galleries in Vancouver. The really fun thing about being invested in this world for a bit is getting to see some people whose work you really appreciated early on reach new levels of success. There were only 125 made in each size so get in there if you want to snag one!
Books
Molly by Blake Butler
Ooof. This one was not easy. The first 25 pages he walks you through every moment of his realizing his wife has died by suicide. It is probably the most devastating thing I’ve read. And I mean sobbing. Loudly. Even saying that much makes it sound gross and over exposed, but it feels incredibly honest and hard to believe he was even able to write it. This is the part of the story that usually gets glossed over, we are usually only told the before and after. He begins there, and you live every moment with him.4 He then dives into their past and how they got to this point. And got a lot of flack for it after the book came out. Unpleasant things about Molly and their relationship are revealed and if the gender roles were reversed I think there would be a lot of, Yes Queen! happening around this story and less concern about his privacy, than there was around hers. In the end I think he handles learning about these devastating elements and still manages to express and maintain an incredible amount of love for his partner, someone who was clearly struggling. The grace that Butler is able to carry for both of them in his story telling is incredibly impressive. Relationships are complicated and do you ever really know the other person?
One minor complaint. The last 25 pages are really unfortunate and feel like a completely different book. The whole book is certainly emotional, but very direct, fact driven, practical. The last 25 pages (and a few moments prior to this, but they still somehow feel a little more based in reality) are spiritual and saccharine and this was the only part of the book that felt gross to me. There was a beautiful perfect ending 25 pages prior and then we get into what happens after death. An editor should have cut this.
To get a bit of the other side of the story, or as much as you could in this situation. Molly wrote a memoir of her relationship with her bank-robbing father called Bandit. Which I plan to read as well.
Take Care of Yourself by Sophie Calle
Sophie Calle’s exhibition5 and book entitled Take Care of Yourself is her journey to decipher a break up email and move on after the fact. I love Sophie Calle’s work. No two projects are alike, but everything feels truly and honestly her. Always with emotion at the forefront in a way that never feels gratuitous or gross, always honest and vulnerable.
She employs everyone from a proof-reader and researcher in lexicometry to a philosopher, teenager, clairvoyant, novelist, judge, ad executive and even Feist, which I’d forgotten. 107 woman in all to look at this email and help her come to terms. She begins with the email in full (Butler also presents Molly’s suicide note in full in the first few pages). Taking to the extreme the analytical mode we all go into after a breakup. If we could only get enough information, we might understand.6
The book includes all the research and commentary from the women she reached out to, but also surprisingly beautiful photographs of each person reading the printed out email. The book itself is a beautiful object.
Lastly
I have finally succumbed to selvage denim, a siren song that will get you eventually for any denim lover. As someone who doesn’t believe in soft pants I’m really pushing it over here. I can’t take the revolving door of fluctuating inseams and rises one more season. In the past, it never felt worth it to buy very expensive jeans because they didn’t seem to last any longer than the sub $100 dollar pairs, but I think I was just buying expensive brands and not necessarily good quality. I’ve done a bit of homework this time around and I’m wondering if the annoying selvedge Japanese denim bros might be on to something.7 So I’m investing in some classics as the tent poles of my denim collection in hopes that I’ll have them for the next 10 years. If anyone has any brand recommendations, I would love them! I’m looking for something mid-high rise, and mostly straight from the hip, could be a slight taper. Something that falls outside of current trends. Classic 50s or 80s-90s silhouettes. I expect them to be in and out of style over that decade or more, but will be my style and my silhouette, Jenny jeans.
This is the first pair I committed to, the Catherine from Imogene and Willie in a gorgeous and unusual nep that gives it an almost linen look. I was waiting until we went back to Nashville because I wanted to try them on in person, and I’m glad I did, I definitely would have gotten a size too big and a style that I liked less than the one I ended up buying. While I was annoyed at having to ask someone for assistance, as all the denim was behind a counter, (I am the person that would use the card catalog and dewey decimal system at the library.8 ) it was actually first rate customer service as Nathan walked me through several sizes in many styles. The heavy oz pairs (anything 13ish oz and up) are very substantial and feel like they could seriously last a life time. Once I’d made my selection they were hemmed in store in 10min. They also have an incredible repair and maintenance policy. The customer service and company as a whole were quite impressive, which feels rare these days. (Even if the brand over all falls a little outside of my style.) I’ve worn them a few times and have been able to breathe in the more and more. He said the break in is about 30 wears (dear god) will let you know how it goes.
I had another lovely experience shortly after at The Consistency Project in Brooklyn, which specializes in finding the perfect pair of vintage Levi’s for you. And we did. A gorgeous light wash pair of 550s which felt like they were made for my body.9 Schedule the hour appointment, I used the full time, and cost of the appointment goes towards any purchase (only $10). They will tailor waist and length, but not more than that, no pattern altering or restructuring. Maddy (Matty??) was lovely and knowledgable. I accidentally bought a gorgeous pair of olive Stan Rays while I was there as well. Oops!
I’m going to do a more formal end of year wrap up. But this was my Spotify Wrapped #1 song and I knew it would be lol Banger!
I don’t totally understand what this gallery is doing. A part of The Journal from LA, their NY outpost? They don’t represent artists, even though Oliver Clegg has had four shows there. Their website and Instagram says they have new shows opening every other Friday, and yet this one is up for 6 weeks and I couldn’t find one open for less than three weeks going back a few years. They have a membership, that’s free, but you’re kicked out if you don’t buy anything in a year. Regardless, I often like work they have up even if I find their structure confusing.
I love fireworks. I try to go back and spend 4th of July with my family. We go to the beach which now mostly rich people live on, but they buy really nice fireworks. I was absolutely livid, in a mature way, when everyone was ready to pack up and call it just as fireworks were starting to be fired off by people who had been drinking on the beach all day. There’s nothing to keep you on your toes like a bottle rocket being fired at you. I pouted as we loaded up the car. Fireworks so close I could feel even the small ones in my chest.
And this is very expensive for silk scarves! Hermes scarves aren’t this much, better be superb quality. Jay Z says, “If you can’t afford to buy it twice, you can’t afford it” and I think this is fantastic advice for any purchase. I also hate the feeling of owning things that are too precious to use. I know if I bought this scarf to use as a scarf I would never wear it, I’d be too afraid to damage or loose it.
When I was a junior in high school there was a string of deaths at our school, all within a few months, including several car accidents, a murder and a suicide. When the suicide happened was the first time I’d considered that a loved one finds the body and has to take care of the situation after the fact. The idea of being in that situation myself has haunted me ever since (anyone I suppose). And I was curious to see how I would respond to even reading about it.
I actually saw this exhibition at the 2007 Venice Biennale, Sophie Calle at the French pavilion and Felix Gonzales Torres at the American are two shows I will never forget. H and I managed to wrangle two tickets to the Glenstone Museum a couple years ago. The Untitled Felix Gonzales Torres piece that was outside of the American pavilion lives there now. The area where the two pools were was closed for some reason. But it’s outside so I insisted we hike through the field around to the back of the building, to see it. It was worth it. On Kawara’s moon landing paintings are also there, of which I have a tattoo. You weren’t supposed to take photos in there. Oops!
I got this book as a little treat for myself after my last and worst break up. I found it very cathartic.
Yes, I read most of Ametora, I did abandoned it, but I get the idea and I do recommend reading it if you’re interested in the relationship between American and Japanese denim and style overall.
Back when I used to go to the library, that is. I am now a firm believer in buying every book I read. I’ll only get to read about 1500 more books in my life time, I’m trying to be very intentional with what I take time to consume. If I don’t think it will be worth owning, it’s probably not worth reading. I also take notes, underline etc as a part of reading, I can’t use ereaders for this reason and librarians are not wild about it either.
How did I buy a new pair of jeans last week that was a size 23 and a vintage pair today that was a size 27? A looser fit for the 27s, but still. Woman’s sizing is crazy.