Man on Wire

I'm excited to see this new film about Phillip Petit, the tightrope walker who had a vision to cross the Twin Towers and did it. Late in the evening they shot an arrow with the metal cable attached at at 7:15am the next morning he crossed 1300 feet above the Manhattan sidewalks. I first read about him in an interview in Acne Paper and thought it was so romantic. He reminded me of a real life version of Baptiste from the film Children of Paradise, whom I might be for Halloween. The beauty of his falling in love with a woman who resembled the moon, forever constant in his mind and heart, but unattainable in his complex world. "Love can be so simple" she said. I haven't seen it yet, but know I will be moved and inspired. It's playing at the Sunshine Theatre in NYC where I'll be to launch the current issue of First Person mag and excited to see all NYC has to offer, and there is always plenty, and all my great ambitious warm friends. Here's to having a passion and vision in life and carrying it out in reality.

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Thing is you will end up like me

Is the title of Paul Shiek's new exhibition which opened last night at Stephen Wirtz Gallery. Congratulations to the young emerging artist for being signed to their great roster of photographers. And to Stephen for noticing such bright talent. Funny thing is I've seen two great shows this week with piles of books. Paul's show had a stack of his catalogs on a palette in the middle of the painted white room still wrapped in shrink wrap. He said he wanted the area around the palette to stain with shoe prints to create some sense of aura, and he'd send me a catalog after the show was done. a student of Jim Goldberg, Todd Hido and Larry Sultan there's a bit of them in there mixed with a witty Wil Rogan and youthful Ari Marcopoulos. Paul's off to a wicked start. check it out on 49 geary. black and white photos,and be sure to check out his publishing imprint TBW. The other pile of books was by one of my fave artist collectives Claire Fontaine. Showing upstairs at the Wattis at CCA SF, the stack of bricks covered by French subversive book covers from the usual suspects makes an homage to Carl Andre and the collectives affiliation with 60's French radicalism. Other pieces in the installation include a home video on how to pick locks and a neon sign in Pharsee spelling 'Foreigners Everywhere'. And if you do stop by bring something blue to add to the nest installation upstairs. And be sure to check out the Wizard of Oz show downstairs. Use the elevator. There's a cool rendition of a Steve Martin record played by artist Tim Lee on the banjo! I heart "elevator art". I'm gonna coin that. It's gonnna be bigger than Electroclash, Larry T...

Dots Dots and Less Dots

So, I know you know Tauba Auerbach's conceptual letter and word series. And if you don't, you may find her reconstructed Bible at the SFMoMa amongst other objects in the Design section. Her new series based on chance, comprise of; an abstract minimalist painting of crumpled papers blown up. Her floor composed of randomly thrown tiles like dice resembling a pattern on a computer generated postage stamp, and airbrushed works on paper. Tomorrow at 5pm, Tauba gives a short talk at the Wattis on the 2nd floor in the gallery space featuring her work amongst others (I presume. As I didnt receive the official press release, but rather a hello letter from Tauba). I'm excited to see her new offering in a series of works that I hope are Tauba: totally fun, accessible but brilliantly brainy. She knows how to make conceptual works WORK. Like Sol Lewitt in aesthetic, and almost in practice, as she has a few assistants she could direct entirely like a Yoko Ono instruction painting, her works are thrilling to engage with and that simple kind of "why didn't I think of that" type stuff artists are envious of. In a recent collaboration with a scholar in Oxford, Tauba's research has yet again set her on another adventure deriving symbols for scientific formulas and theories. Good luck in New York and beyond, Tauba. You don't need our blessing! FPxBN