Gawd, I love New York

Where else can you go to a museum, then upon exiting, a few doors down pass a mission, complete with two people asking for money- “I only need 80 cents…can you spare a dollar chief”, then past a dozen shuttered restaurant supply places, then cross a street and come upona gallery opening, walk right in, get a strong vodka & cranberry for free- tip the bartender of course- view some art, take in a scene, find yourself looking into a barbershop (is it a haircut if no one is there to watch it?), talk to a producer of childrens' television, exit, slightly buzzed, then pass a dozen lighting places- all dark of course, notice several windowsmade up of fish tanks, or rows upon rows of smoked chickens, of redpieces of roast pork, mystery meats all hanging from hooks, buy adinner’s worth of incredible seafood noodle soup with a curry broth for $7, pass a prison, then another mission, then cross one of the most famous streets in the world, look up & see a Gothic skyscraper, see a Dan Flavin neon sculpture, pass a $25 million home, then nearly step on a rat the size of a cat, see the Ghostbusters firehouse, then the building where JFK Jr. used to live, pass Harvey Keitel, then a cement mixer next to a Mercedes next to a backhoe, then see two lovers sharing a kiss where a homeless guy used to live, then finally climb my steps, slightly frozen, to reflect upon life in NY, my journey, and of course, enjoy my dinner, while watching The Office.

Show me the show

To mark the closing of the X Initiative gallery in Chelsea, they opened the doors for 24 hours and invited anybody- which of course includes yours truly- to exhibit pretty much anything you could drag over there.

I made a print of an image from my nightlife series, and placed in an "appropriate" location.

All around were installations of paintings, drawings, photography, sculptures, videos, sound recordings, conceptual pieces, interactive pieces, happenings, and the occasional small child or dog. These were hung, taped, nailed, screwed, glued, wired, push pinned, constructed, placed, poured, painted, drawn, silk screened, printed, and otherwise attached or put all around two floors of the gigantic X Initiative building….I only wish there were more galleries/shows like this where there were no rules, no curation, no limits, no arbiters of good or bad taste, just every kind of “art”- and lots of it!