Chelsea, NYC
The artist Rikrit Tiravanija has always intrigued me and this was one of his works providing Thai food in a pop up cafe within a gallery, with the kind of folks he brings together and I respect. This is one in a series of pastel drawings about art seen in New York. Part of the motivation for the series was to match the medium of pastel to the subject. More or less to question medium applicability, to notice it. Art itself being represented is part of the subject and reasoning behind the technique of choice. Rikrit’s work plays with context and appearances which is the question he proposes..
The Outing
Manhattan is a walking around city. You have to walk outside with your neighbors everyday. This day in the city was a beautiful one. When New Yorkers can walk outside in casual attire it is a moment to embrace. The epicenter of the city's 1960s counterculture movement, the tree-lined streets of Greenwich Village are now a hub of popular cafes, bars and restaurants. Jazz clubs and Off-Broadway Theaters can also be found amid the brownstones and New York University buildings. I photographed this couple while walking through the village on one of my art gallery outings. I liked the point of view and decided to make a drawing. The behind view and the separation as well. I’m sort of a voyeur and documentarian, finally an artist engaged with my metier.
Going to the Met
I go to the Metropolitan Museum whenever I’m in New York. It’s what I think of, along with the Louvre, as the definition of a Museum. I decided to make this drawing as a portrayal of a soldier in armor on display twice removed from its original context. Rembrandt used to collect costumes and other props to copy in his work. Artists can be seen in the met drawing from specific works as an exercise. I haven’t done that yet. This is as close as I‘ve come.