Art Interlude

The United States government has decided that most state IDs and licenses are no longer good enough for air travel, so I had to plonk down the money for a passport. Kirby already had one from his semester teaching in Norway. This gave us a great idea: if we've got it and we aren't yet on our super-restrictive post-move budget, let's use it. We visited Toronto this summer, making Canada the first foreign country I've ever visited. And while we saw a host of amazing historical sights and art venues, one of my personal favorites was the Bata Shoe Museum.

Like several other specialty museums in the city, the Bata Shoe Museum has a pay-what-you-can night on Thursday evenings; we gave them $5 Canadian for each of us. It was absolutely worth it! The museum is far larger than I thought it would be and, if you're interested in historical fashion, it's a goldmine. Foot binding has interested me for years, and when you see how tiny the shoes are in real life, you'll understand why: that second picture is Kirby's hand over a pair of "lotus shoes" for scale.

My one disappointment about the museum is that some specimens, like theses incredibly rare Chimu shoes, were hard to photograph with the glass cases and the many lights reflecting off of them. That's a common issue in museums, though, and I'd rather they preserve the specimens than leave them in the open air for people to grope. (That happened in the Royal Ontario Museum, by the way: some middle-aged couple ran their hands all over an ancient piece of statuary from India and I just about lost my shit.)

It's also worth mentioning that you could spot a lot of modern trends in these very old shoes. Just look at the pointed toes and embellishments on these Italian heels from the 1660s: don't we seen similar shoes in Barney's today?

Speaking of Barney's...

Somehow, we managed to miss a lot of fascinating exhibits that were in Toronto before or after our visit, including my favorite living artist's recent piece "Infinity Mirrors." (SOB) and Toronto Pride (DOUBLE SOB). But it just so happened that the Bata Shoe Museum was showcasing a collection of Manolo Blahnik shoes. Hence, I spent an hour surrounded by dozens and dozens of Blahniks, the type of shoe I once promised I'd buy myself when I still wore high heels. While I've always admired Blahnik's work, I didn't realize just how much range he had until I walked through this exhibit.

Manolo Blahnik: The Art of Shoes will be open until January 6, 2019. If you want a rare opportunity to see some beautiful and historic footwear (and I'm not just talking about the Blahniks here), the Bata Shoe Museum is well worth a Thursday evening trip.

Art Interlude

A cricket enclosure with some super-stylized bug noms--I couldn't find the artist label for this one.

Here's a quick warning: I've found bugs infinitely fascinating since I was a little girl. That's not to say I'm cool with poisonous wasps floating around my head or that I'd love to wake up covered in roaches, but for the most part, I am the kind of person who tries to kidnap spiders, photograph them, then release them instead of smooshing them. If you are truly terrified of insects, this isn't the post for you.

While some of the pieces at the current Wood Street Galleries exhibit are true blue art, a lot of them are a mixture of visual spectacle and science. Take this little cockroach munching on a tomato: he's obviously not art in and of himself, but he and his buddies were shown alongside a three-legged robot. It was designed so that--get this--the cockroach itself would move the robot, with no outside help. Explicitly art? No. Explicitly cool? Totally.

There were still some "art for the sake of art" pieces, of course, like "Justified By Love" by Jennifer Angus. Yes, all of those bugs are real...and this is just one of several arrangements Angus created. Again, I really like bugs, so I'm hoping these guys were already dead before she pinned them to the boards. Regardless, it's an interesting piece that questions what we find beautiful and what we consider a wall-worthy trophy.

And the wallpaper selection (which includes phrases like "Remember Me," shown here) makes me wonder about how we value living creatures. Think about it: all of these bugs in this art piece are dead, as was the squirrel I noticed on the side of the ride a few days ago. But I admit that I felt a stronger emotional reaction when I saw the mammal. Why? That squirrel wasn't my pet, it wasn't inherently more valuable to the ecosystem than a cicada or a bee, and it probably would've bit the shit out of me just as quickly as any black widow spider.

Speaking of bees: OH MY GOD, THEY HAVE GIANT SEE-THROUGH BEEHIVES! I've been obsessed with bees for years now, and seeing them this up close and personal was a real treat. I could have watched them for hours if I'd had the chance. What's interesting is that this beehive includes a tunnel that pokes through the window and allows the bees to fly around outside of the gallery, and they come in go by the multitudes. Yet nobody down below notices. These two worlds are so fast-paced and busy, but we take no notice of each other. It makes you wonder how the world functions around you on so many different levels...and you never notice.

Also, nobody panic, the bees cannot get inside the gallery.

As I waited for the bus home, I noticed a dragonfly land on this man's hand and stay perfectly still for a full minute. When it flew off, he rolled up his sleeve and revealed two dragonfly tattoos. This was almost certainly coincidence--dragonflys are weirdly sedate, and tattoos of them abound--but it still felt very special and sweet. You know what they say: there's beauty in the mundane.

Wood Street's "All Around Us" exhibit will remain open until the 19th, so if you're in the city and you're not terrified of insects, definitely check it out. As always, the exhibitions are free, though donations are appreciated.

Art Interlude (with bonus blather)

Avinash Veeraraghavan, "In the Upper Room"

Downtown Pittsburgh's galleries are currently featuring Indian and Indian-American artists for fall's "INDIA in Focus" events. My graduate school studies focused primarily on Indian art and culture, so of course I was stupidly thrilled about this series. Every piece showcases the diversity of India's visual culture.

(The fabulous lady in the poncho, by the way, is my cousin Meg, AKA the best art buddy around.)

Hetain Patel and Eva Martinez-Patel, "The First Dance"

 Most of the work is comprised of solo shows. The Wood Street Galleries, for instance, are showing several video installations and photographs from Hetain Patel. Patel's work was not actually my favorite from this series, but I did find the installation "The First Dance" eerily beautiful. There's a smooth rhythm for most of the piece, and its sudden interruption at the end is well-played.

Several of my friends have said that this show is their favorite in the series, by the way, so I probably just have really bad taste.

Shilpa Gupta, "24:00:01"

My personal favorite piece was located in Space. Shilpa Gupta's 24:00:01 rolls different words and phrases across a flapboard for a full 20 minutes, and if the gallery hadn't suddenly been overrun by screaming children, I could've stayed for an hour just enjoying this piece. Yes, the actual movement and sound of the flipping tiles are weirdly hypnotic. But I was truly taken in by how much it made me question myself. What do we think about in a day? Are words innately meaningful, or do we endow them with more meaning than they deserve? How we categorize our moments--do we remember them with words, with images, with sounds?

Sarika Goulatia, "A Million Marks of Home"

The 707/709 Penn Galleries are featuring two more solo shows, including this piece by Sarika Goulatia. When I first entered the room, I was very "meh" about it, but it quickly grew on me. I became obsessed with looking for patterns in the wood, admiring the stark difference between a board with a few minuscule dots and another that was covered in drill holes. The smell was addictive as well: that mixture of dry wood and chili powder needs to be a perfume. I would be stunned if the smell wasn't as carefully designed as the visual elements.

All of these galleries are free and open to the public, and the shows should be running through the end of November.

And now, a moment of blather.

This past month, I accepted an offer for a second job. Without getting too in to detail, it was a temporary work-from-home position with good pay. I left the job early on due to personal reasons. At the time, I was concerned about the money I'd just given up. But I realized something: working this job transformed my work week from roughly 30-40 hours a week to 50-60. Yes, it was only temporary, and yes, the money would have been nice. But October is my favorite month. And because I was so bogged down with work, I spent 4 out of 5 beautiful fall days...in my room. It was 65 degrees outside and sunny, with the leaves changing colors and the houses covered in Halloween decorations, and I was inside!

I'm not saying people shouldn't work hard, because a strong work ethic is something I truly value; hard workers keep the world turning. But when I left that second job, I became almost eerily aware of how much time I'd forfeited just to make more money.

Shortly after leaving the position, I spent time with my parents and video chatted my partner. The day after that, I ate pizza and ice cream whilst critiquing the Democratic debate with my friends. I was able to give my students my full, undivided attention without feeling stressed about how I was going to get everything done.

I slept better.

I took my time when I ate.

I read books.

I enjoyed the knowledge that, even with my busy "regular job," I had pockets of free space to do as I pleased.

I say this now because beholding a piece of art takes time. But if you find pieces that move you, that make you question something or feel a strong emotion, then it may be time well-spent. Our time is finite, more finite than our savings account ever will be; we must choose how we spend it wisely. I want to continue my journey to experience more and overspend less, and I hope you'll continue that journey with me.

This Isn't Makeup: Art by Masha Vereshchenko

In an attempt to follow my own rules and consider what my pocket change can buy besides makeup, I've decided to start showcasing the awesome, but totally-not-beauty-related, products I purchase. (These posts will be located under the "I Can't Paint My Face With This" tag.)

This isn't to say that buying makeup is bad. I'm not here to guilt anybody. I'm just trying to maximize my savings and supplement my other interests by reducing my makeup spending. I also want to be far more aware of how blase I am about spending on makeup I don't need. (And trust me, I spend more on makeup than I would on other things: I can drop $100 on lipstick without blinking, but paying $50 for two new pairs of much needed dress pants last month damn near killed me.)

First up, a piece of art.

This little painting is an original by Masha Vereshchenko, a local artist whose work always strikes me as eerily beautiful. Most of her originals are out of my (very low) price range, but in an attempt to fund an upcoming trip, she created a number of smaller pieces. After missing out on quite a few beautiful canvases, I managed to get my hands on this $35 piece via her Etsy store.

When I showed it to my mother, she said, "I don't get it. Explain it to me--go!" And I fumbled. This is partially because I was put on the spot, but also because I feel that what art means to us can be very, very personal. It's not the sort of thing you just summarize in one or two sentences. (My mom isn't really in to non-traditional art, either, so trying to explain my feelings to her would've made me feel uncomfortably pretentious.) Some artists are also sensitive about viewers getting something that wasn't intended out of a piece.

But I do truly love and feel attached to this little guy. In this small canvas, I see reflected one of my greatest fears: that if I truly succeed in academia, it will only be because I have left behind everyone who was important to me. I will be well and truly alone.

Website: Mouse Bones
(OR: purchase art from Etsy)

Art Interlude

Rebecca Lessner, "Hunter Gatherer"

Now that the weather is slowly but surely warming, I can spend more time checking out the sweet art exhibits in downtown Pittsburgh. I went with my cousin Meg this time, and we hit several shows on the block.

The 707 and 709 Penn Avenue galleries (which, unfortunately, don't seem to have a reliable web link) are one-room galleries that host a variety of shows. Hunter Gatherer was a particularly lovely collection of mixed media: sound, photography, and sculpture. Being Creepy Creepy Two By Fours, Meg and I were enamored with these modified animal skulls. But both galleries housed beautiful work, which should be there until the middle of the month.

Lauri Astala, "On Disappearance"

The Wood Street Galleries don't get a lot of press, but they contain some of my absolute favorite exhibitions. We managed to make it to the last few days of the Absence of Self collection of works. While my lovely readers will have missed this exhibit by the time I post, Wood Street always has some incredible work.

The above video piece--which was damn hard to photograph--actually makes you a part of the artwork. (You can see us standing in the mirrors.) It was incredible to listen to this person on screen monologue about the rooms of our life, and all the while, I felt that I was simultaneously part of the room he stood in and something separate. That's the purpose of art.

Ivana Franke, "Seeing With Eyes Closed"

Another one of my favorite pieces from the day was this interactive exhibit by Ivana Franke. You enter the room one at a time, sit on the pillow facing the lights, close your eyes, and press the button. The strobe lights flash and create patterns behind your eyes. The experience made Meg feel slightly sick, but I felt meditative, relaxed, and utterly impressed.

My one disappointment: the sign outside the exhibit clearly said that only one person should come in at a time. When it was my turn, I was quickly interrupted by a very young couple who refused to listen to the gallery attendant's instructions and acted like I wasn't waiting to try out the art. Dear readers, I hope none of you will ever be this rude at an art gallery.

Mel Chin, "Cross of the Unforgiven"

The Space Gallery currently has a curated collection of gun-related pieces called "Unloaded," which will be viewable until the end of April. Many of the pieces were beautiful, but I was particularly interested in the sculptures and installations. Meg referred to Chin's work as a "gun mandala"...very apt! The Space show is a great one to see if you like a wide variety of art forms.

We made sure we ate some lunch before we went gallery hopping. We gave Grit & Grace a try, and we were both reasonably impressed. We shared three servings of their take on "dim sum"--a quinoa with green curry, some carrot and cabbage kim chi, and pork belly bites--and I had a marinated carrot salad while Meg ate a pork belly BLT.

I would give the food a solid B grade: it was good, but not quite as remarkable as some of the dishes at other Pittsburgh restaurants. The cost of the alcohol was also pretty extreme, even by city standards. But the ambiance was beautiful and the service was fantastic. I might give them another lunch time visit in the future!

Art Interlude

Greer Lankton, "It's All About ME, Not You"

I've wanted to post about these great places since my boyfriend and I visited this past May. But as some of you may remember, my computer's power supply spontaneously combusted, leaving me without pictures and with a bad case of The Bitch. (Seriously, I was not a nice person for a few months there...) Now that I have everything back, I can write about two of the Pittsburgh art spots I LOVE to recommend: The Mattress Factory and the Warhol Museum, both nestled in the North Side. We squeezed both museums in to a 6-hour time frame, but you could easily spend a whole day in each.

The Silver Cloud Room in the Warhol...yes, I was bad.

Let's get this out of the way: you're not allowed to take pictures in the Warhol Museum. I was bad and I took this one in the Silver Cloud Room--you can tell that Kirby does not approve. In fact, he refuses to post the picture on Facebook, because "rules are rules." But I know I'm not the only person who has snuck a photo, because there are pictures all over TripAdvisor.

This is the only picture I've ever taken in the Warhol, and it's the only picture I ever WILL take. This picture alone should be enough to encourage any doubters and Warhol naysayers to consider taking the trip...I know I was a naysayer until I really took a look at more of his work in this  museum. I became a fan after walking through the Warhol. (I could've stayed in the Velvet Underground video space, for example, for well over an hour. Doesn't me saying that get you curious?!) So dear Warhol museum, please don't ban me--I did it for the greater good!

Fair warning: there are other relatively strict rules in this museum, the bathrooms are all located on one floor, and at $20 a head, it's not exactly cheap. But it's absolutely worth the Jackson, especially if you have a student ID or visit late on Friday for half-price admission. There are also demonstrations and special programs available from time to time, like time capsule openings.

Nicola Kuperus and Adam Lee Miller, "Diptyching"

Now for a place that DOES allow photos, and plenty of them: The Mattress Factory! It can be a bit tricky to find this place, seeing as it's tucked back in a residential area. But once you stumble on it, you can't miss it: there are some pretty interesting sculptures outside.

Scott Hocking, "Coronal Mass Ejection"

If you aren't in to modern art or installation pieces, the Mattress Factory might not be your thing. And to be totally honest, I don't think it's the best place to go if you want to change your mind about modern art; it might be better to go to MoMA in New York, which is much larger. But the new exhibitions are always interesting. I'm still bummed that I didn't get to see the Chiharu Shiota "Trace of Memory" exhibition. (It was located in a satellite gallery, and we couldn't walk over there because of a major storm.)

Yayoi Kusama, "Infinity Dots Mirrored Room"

The Mattress Factory is also home to two of my all-time favorite pieces of art: the late Greer Lankton's "It's All About ME, Not You," and Yayoi Kusama's "Infinity Dots Mirrored Room" (which was also a personal favorite of Kirby's). I could make a yearly pilgrimage to this museum and never tire of those incredible works. One day, I'm going to visit the Mattress Factory, sit in the corner at these exhibits, and write until my fingers hurt. They are that inspiring to me.

The Mattress Factory is quite affordable: $15 for adults seems a bit steep for a small gallery, but there are plenty of discounts, and Kirby and I got in for a steal on a half-priced day. (It might've been Tuesday?)

Art Interlude

I couldn't recommend Toby Atticus Fraley's "The Secret Life of Robots" more if I tried. Each piece is exquisitely crafted, the messages rang true to both me and my boyfriend Kirby (visiting from the midwest), and the robot at the donation box scared the snot out of me in a good way. Admission is free. The exhibit will be up until April 27. Check it out at Space in Pittsburgh on Liberty Avenue.

Kirby's favorite bot.

My favorite bot. I think this shows the differences in our personalities and worldviews...

While "The Secret Life of Robots" was my favorite exhibit this trip, Kirby's favorite was "Structures of Time and Space," by Erwin Redl. This exhibition is also free and is open until April 4. Check it out at the Wood Street Galleries in Pittsburgh above the Wood Street Subway Station.