Bailey on Ichiuji

The Postmodern Art Joke of Suffering

By James W. Bailey

The jokes in the world of high art often write themselves. Indeed, we were recently treated to the rare spectacle of an immensely funny postmodern art joke with artist Melissa Ichiuji, as reported in the Washington Post article, "Calling a Halt to Suffering for Her Art."

Ichiuji, who was suppposed to stand in the semi-buff in front of the Corcoran Gallery of Art for 36 straight hours, was forced to call a 14 hour early halt to her "non-performance" piece "Stripped" after nearly collapsing from heat exhaustion from excessive exposure to the balmy weather as enhanced and amplified by the unnatural elements of Washington, D.C. concrete and asphalt.

Mrs. Ichiuji supposedly shed herself of the excesses of her life (Starbucks, NetFlix, Whole Foods, Politics and Prose, those types of things I guess) in an attempt to explore something about who she really is outside of the unnatural products that she takes into her body and mind.

We are told in this supremely funny high profile Washington Post article that her only company prior caving in to upper middle class reality was a homeless man who lay down nearby to watch Mrs. Ichiuji struggle through her "non-performance" in all her sunburned and diarrhea-stricken agony – no doubt the homeless man could identify with that low profile real life struggle.

We’re also told Mrs. Ichiuji tried to contact her husband for emergency rescue from her plight. Apparently, her husband never bothered to return the desperate messages that were left on his cell phone. It’s also reported that one of the other luxuries in life that Mrs. Ichiuji swore off for her art was sex – I guess that might help explain the husband’s failure to respond to those text messages.

Although her husband is a banker, poor Mrs. Ichiuji, apparently penniless (I guess her sports bar didn’t have a change holder), was forced to thumb a ride in a cab back to the modern comforts and conveniences of her home. That must have been an interesting cab ride. One can easily picture Mrs. Ichiuji, half-starved, jumping out of the cab at every delicious chain restaurant in the District begging the management to freely inhale at will from the salad bar.

Now, nobody loathes postmodern art theory and theorists more than I do, but I just can’t help but deconstruct Mrs. Ichiuji "Stripped" to discover a greater truth and meaning about her project. There's a remarkable parallel between her self-imposed bodily denials leading to her near collapse and the refusal of a banker to assist her with the similar bodily denials (usually state enforced against the will of the child and their parents) that are found among hundreds of millions of impoverished children throughout the world and the refusal of the World Bank to assist them.

But unlike Mrs. Ichiuji, those kids don’t have a cell phone to call a high ranking bank official, let alone the ability to hitch a ride in an air-conditioned cab to a safe, cool and well-stocked abode.

James W. Bailey
Experimental Photographer
Force Majeure Studios

Jenkins on Ichiuji

By Mark Jenkins

I'm wondering if anyone else has found Melissa Ichiuji's "36 hours" a little unsettling in its aftermath.

Weening herself from cellphones, and TV, etc... I can see as a return to a more animal nature. I'm all for that. As for fasting, and cutting off social contact with friends, peeing in public, that's where it gets a little gray.

While the peeing part might be animal (I suppose), cutting off social contact while sitting on a corner on a platform and not talking to anyone seems to make yourself like an animal at the zoo with people gawking at you.

I too, came by, maybe to gawk, or to watch other people gawking; and anything done outside in the name of art outside (physically at least) of the institutions always gets my curiousity up. But upon arriving I discovered that she had left.

Just a note that said that she was ill. She'd left and taken her pee jars with her!

And in the aftermath, in my own comic way that amuses me if no one else, I sat on her empty perch and ate a hot dog, and when a few people came up and asked where she was I responded, "She's sick."



They looked a little concerned, disheartened, and sweaty (like me) after having made the walk over from their workplaces.

Ultimately, I think she's a caricature of our own inner selves who, seeing the ever increasing trash of technology, turns its absence into a treasure. But the catch is that even while seeking it you can't seek it purely.

One of Dostoevsky's characters said something profound once that I remembered. Something to the extent that modern man has become diffuse in his thoughts; he can no longer think a sole thought but always has several competing interests to contend with.

Buddhist monks would agree. And I'm sure probably wouldn't have given her a high chance at reaching any sort of success in this small amount of time. And of course there was the congential defect in her mission, that even while she fasted, and weened, her website blinked, (and blinks now) about Washington Post coverage and in the back of her mind, she was thinking...

Secondsight Meeting

Secondsight is an organization dedicated to the advancement of women photographers through support, communication and sharing of ideas and opportunities.

The next Secondsight meeting will be held on Tuesday, May 31, 2005.

All meetings will now be held at the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Services Center, (just accross the street from the Fraser Gallery Bethesda) located at 4805 Edgemoor Lane, Bethesda, MD 20814. If you are catching the Metro, exit on Wisconsin Avenue, take a left on Old Georgetown Road and walk for one block. The entrance to the services center is next to Chipotle. There is a public parking garage on Old Georgetown Road. The meetings start at 6.30pm and end at approximately 9pm.

Secondsight's next guest speaker is Chris Foley, Master Digital Printmaker and Director of Old Town Editions in Alexandria, Virginia. Chris will discuss the history of digital printmaking as well as the latest techniques, he'll show attendees the latest papers, discuss archival issues and answer all of your questions.

The presentation by the guest speaker will be followed by portfolio sharing. The group will split up into smaller groups of about ten and each member will have the opportunity to discuss their work. For those who brought their portfolio to the last meeting, please feel free to bring it again as you will be sharing your work with an entirely new group of photographers.

Meetings are free for members of Secondsight and $10 (cash or checks only) for non-members.

Please RSVP to secondsight@hotmail.com if you would like to attend the meeting.

Money, budgets, grants... votes?

An interesting WaPo article on the alleged shenanigans being played through the use of art grants funding by the Politburo Chief of the Soviet Socialist Republic of Montgomery County.

The Montgomery County Council voted yesterday to strip County Executive Douglas M. Duncan (D) of his power to distribute millions of dollars in grants to arts organizations in the fiscal 2006 budget, saying the process has become too entangled in politics.

Read it here.

Express on Tate

Today's Express has a really cool interview with Tim Tate on "Compelled About Content" (page 30 of the pdf file).

"Tim Tate is a third generation Washingtonian and the city's premier glass artist..."

Read it here.

Dawson on Glass

Jessica Dawson has several mini reviews in today's WaPo and she has one on our current "Compelled by Content" glass exhibition in Bethesda.

Read it here.

The Power of the Web

I've never reviewed a movie in my life, but somehow a few days ago, because of DC Art News, I received an invitation to a press preview of the series-ending Star Wars movie and being the SF geek that I am, I went to see it [Duh!] and here's my review:

A @#$%*&! great movie!

Opportunity for Artists at AU

When the new galleries at American University's new Katzen Arts Center open, they will be (by far) one of the the largest visual arts spaces in the area, and Jack Rasmussen has posted the submission guidelines for artists wishing to be considered at the American University Museum at the Katzen Arts Center:

Please submit a CD of up to 20 jpeg images along with a resume, image list (title, medium, size, and date), a short statement and/or cover letter. If you are proposing a group exhibition please include resumes by all artists involved.

Please do not send slides. Submitted materials will not be returned. The reviewing process should take 6 – 8 weeks. We will contact you if we would like to see additional materials.

Submissions should be mailed to:

Jack Rasmussen, Director and Curator
American University Museum
at the Katzen Art Center
4400, Massachusetts Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20016

Viktor Koen Reviews

Our Viktor Koen exhibition at Fraser Georgetown was reviewed last week by Louis Jacobson in the City Paper.

It has also been reviewed by Kathleen Shafer at Thinking About Art and also by Alexandra Silverthorne at Solarize This.

More work by Koen here.

Synergy Winners Announced!

Alexandra Silverthorne has a list of the artists selected for the Synergy Project.

Read the winning teams here.

Arts Agenda

The DCist Tuesday Arts Agenda is here.

Seven Update Two

Together with some of the artists already selected for Seven, we walked through the spaces again on Monday.

There are so many nooks and crannies in the seven separate spaces that comprise part of the Ruppert holdings on 7th Street, that ideas and thoughts keep popping up in everyone's minds as we walked through.

And thus an exhibition begins to develop itself.

To start, I really like this powerful piece by Joseph Barbaccia titled "Naked Aggression;" A piece that I first saw at Artomatic.

When we discussed it, one of the interns working on this exhibition (Adrian Schneck) came up with the brilliant idea that a terrific way to exhibit it would be by having the blade stabbed into one of the walls, and thus the penis carved out of the knife handle sticking out.

Barbaccia liked the idea, which now brings the logistical issue of how to do this without damaging the blade (get to thinking Joe).

I am also considering giving an entire wall on the second floor of the third building to Kelly Towles in order for him to decorate the wall in a logical follow-through to his Artomatic show and his terrific solo debut at David Adamson.

And Mark Jenkins gets a tree on the sidewalk, and the outside walls of the building and probably a floating piece on one of the ceilings.

And Alessandra Torres has sent me a blustery proposal for an installation in a room that just whispers her name when one walks in.

And he doesn't know it yet, but Charlottesville painter Michael Fitts, whose piece received the highest bid (over original estimate) at the last Corcoran auction, has a great spot reserved on a distressed wall on the top floor of the third building, atop a stairs leading to the space where a performance will take place as part of "Seven."

I am still reviewing work and will re-review all slides in the WPA/C Registry soon, and will continue to review additional entries until June 10. Entry is free for all WPA/C members; see details here.

New Art BLOG

PrettyCity is a docublog for DC street art (including graffiti and performance art).

The BLOG is open to submission and if you'd like to contribute, or send in photos of art you've seen or done (flickr links are good too) send them to daylightdrama@yahoo.com or dcstreetart@yahoo.com.

According to Mark Jenkins, the site's purpose is to document street art/expression in the DC area.

Seven Update One

I'll be walking through the Warehouse spaces sometime today, along with some artists whose work I'd like to include in the coming "Seven" exhibition.

Visit here to enter "Seven."

Let the Corcoran Be

Sandy Kaye of Newton, Mass. on Blake Gopnik's Corcoran's idea.

Back from the Festival

In spite of rain late Saturday (preceded by a brilliantly sunny day which of course resulted in a sunburn) and in spite of sprinkles throughout Sunday, the second annual Bethesda Fine Arts Festival was a spectacular success for the second year in a row. I managed to sell quite a few drawings, including a very large portrait of Frida Kahlo from my 2003 exhibition.

And loads of collectors were out and about: Pennsylvania sculptor Lorann Jacobs managed to sell every single one of her large, whimsical bronze sculptures on the first day of the festival, and New York painter David Gordon sold over $15,000 worth of his paintings plus gathered a $5,000 commission.

And many of DC Art News readers came by and said hello; it's very nice to put faces to the online hits. Also J.T. Kirkland, his mom, and the fair Brenn came by the say hello and chat for a while.

And I'm doing it all over again next weekend at the Northern Virginia Fine Arts Festival.

Together with around 130 artists from all over the country, Mexico and Canada, I'll be at the Bethesda Fine Arts Festival all day today and tomorrow.

The Weekend Art Primer

This is one visual arts intensive weekend! No excuses allowed: go out and see a show or two.

For starts, tonight is the second Friday of the month, and thus the Bethesda Art Walk, from 6-9PM with fifteen participating art spaces. The artwalk also features free guided tours. Tours will begin at 6:30pm. Attendees can meet their guide at the Bethesda Metro Center, located at the corner of Old Georgetown Road and Wisconsin Avenue. Attendees do not have to participate in tours to visit Art Walk galleries.

We will open Compelled by Content, perhaps our most important exhibition ever, and one that's causing intense debate already in the online fine arts glass community. Opening reception to meet all the artists is from 6-9PM.

Tonight is also J.T. Kirkland's opening from 6-9PM at the University of Phoenix Northern Virginia Campus. Directions here.

In Alexandria, Principle Gallery has an opening tonight from 6:30-9:00PM for Lynn Boggess. Also tonight in Adams Morgan, Studio One Eight, a new space in town, has an opening of works by Steve Griffin.

On Saturday from 10AM-6PM and Sunday from 10AM-5PM is the massive Bethesda Fine Arts Festival, with over 130 artists from all over the nation showcasing original artwork and fine crafts. I will be there as well, in booth 23. This is an excellent opportunity to see a lot of original artwork all in one place. The festival is free and open to the public and takes place on Auburn and Norfolk Avenues in the Woodmont Triange of Bethesda and directions are here. The event is located six blocks from the Bethesda Metro station and is near several public parking garages where visitors can park for free on Saturdays and Sundays.

And Saturday evening is the Light Up the Warehouse party and fundraiser for the Warehouse Theatre and Galleries. It starts at 7PM and there are over 100 artists who have donated original work for this event. More details, including a list of artists, here.

Also on Saturday night, Evolving Perceptions is throwing a multi-genre and performance party at the Ratner Museum. It all starts at 8PM; see details here. At 11PM they will announce the Synergy finalists!

And on Sunday at 7:30PM, DCAC hosts Chris Lee's The Chelsea Manifesto: A three part discussion series about major trends and ideas in contemporary art and culture. Inspired by the current state of the London and New York art scenes - from which the title is derived - it is a mock "manifesto" of the modern revolutionary aesthete. Part III is this Sunday and it is titled "I Once was a Black Artist, Gay but not Stonewall, and All man/Almost." Race, alternative sexuality and feminist issues are all discussed in the context of mainstream culture. More details here.

That's a weekend full of art to satisfy any visual art cravings!

The Weekly Reviews

In the City Paper, Louis Jacobson reviews our current Viktor Koen show in Georgetown. Jacobson also reviews Tom Barill at the Ralls Collection. Barill, of course, is the magician who did all the beautiful printing and darkroom work for Mapplethorpe.

In the WaPo, Michael O'Sullivan reviews Sensacional! Mexican Street Graphics, at the Cultural Institute of Mexico.

And Jonathan Padget discusses 12-year-old Hannah Rose at Hemphill Fine Arts, where Rose (who is the daughter of well-known artist Robin Rose) is exhibiting her artwork: "Gallery owner George Hemphill took note of Hannah's art, and he approached her parents last year about exhibiting what he considers a "prodigious" talent. The exhibition opening next week also features works by Lisa Bertnick and Tanya Marcuse."

Compelled by Content

Following two sold out solo shows (one in Georgetown and one in Bethesda), we asked Tim Tate to curate a group show for us.

We discussed having a show that would fit in with our galleries' focus and goals, and thus the show would have to avoid the highly decorative vision most often associated with fine art glass: the vessel.

Because Tate's own work is driven by his experiences, such as being HIV positive, his mother's death, etc., he has been able (and very successfully I might add) to cross an interesting juncture in the world of fine art: away from the decorative vessel and well within the context-driven camps of fine art.

And this is what we asked of Tim to do for us.

And thus tomorrow evening we will open Compelled by Content, an exhibition curated by Tate and featuring 13 artists who use glass as the vehicle to express ideas, narratives, issues and thoughts, rather than to decorate. They are: Diane Cabe, Brent Coles, Michael Janis, Allegra Marquart, Syl Mathis, Elizabeth Mears, Turi McKinley, Marc Petrovic, Ross Richmond, Alison Sigethy, Tim Tate, Erwin Timmers and Lea Topping.

The premise behind this exhibition has already caused some stir (and every single one of Tate's pieces have already sold - all of them to a very influential local art collector - before the exhibition even opened).

Even more surprising to me, there is a tremendously heated debate in the fine art glass online community.

This is the original classified announcement listing about the exhibition and subsequent comments: Original Posting, which then jumped to main board listing for 9 pages: Main Board Comments, then spawned a parody of the main board listing for two pages: Parody Listing, and the current listing on the topic:Current Listing.

It is surprising and good to see such debate in the artists who feed the genre; it has already, in a sense, proven the focus and theme of this show. In the preface for a book just published on this exhibition I wrote:

"Alfred Stieglitz has often been credited with dragging photography into the realm of the fine arts, and I think that now the time is ripe for courageous contemporary artists to once and for all bring glass out of the realm of craft and into the rarified world of fine art.

And like the many other genres of art that we automatically accept as "fine art," without questions of craft or segregation to "glass only galleries," content is one of the ideal concepts that empower art beyond technical skill and visual beauty. It is through content that today's artists working this demanding media are dragging glass into the realm of the fine arts.

About time."

The opening reception to meet all the artists is tomorrow, Friday the 13th, from 6-9PM as part of the Bethesda Art Walk. We're also working to have this exhibition travel to a Baltimore, MD venue and to a Miami, Florida venue.

See ya there!