3.4.2021

The 33 Project

Another Thursday. It’s gloomy out and my super insists on leaf blowing at 7:30 am every morning. So, I’m great. After visualizing ways of murdering him, I’ve returned to reality and have some recommendations to satiate your curiosities this week.

1/ Back in 2019, the art world crossed over into the mainstream when someone sold a banana ducked taped to a wall for $120k. I recently came across The Art Angle, a podcast that offers the “biggest” stories in the art world. This episode on the banana art is a great starter if you’re interested in learning more about the business of the art world. Also, this is a great column if you want even more content focused the money of art. Also also, tax the rich.

2/ The letters between Virginia Woolf and Vita Sackville-West have long been lauded as beautiful material worth consuming. What’s new here, is Alison Bechdel’s recommendation to read the updated publishings in the Guardian. This “intro” provided by Bechdel really dives into what makes Woolf and Sackville-West’s correspondences worthwhile, emphasizing not only the intensity of their love, but everything else they communicated about. Here’s a quick excerpt:

In middle age, I read the letters again. If I had had any doubt as to their continuing relevance, it would have been dispelled during one thorny patch of my own intimate life, when I found myself having passages quoted to me by two different women. This time though, the thing that impressed me most was how Vita and Virginia juggled all the elements of their fantastically busy lives – public demands, creative work, family and social obligations, other relationships, including those with their husbands – while still maintaining their own intimate connection.

Despite my initial reaction to this being, ‘well, they didn’t have television,’ I am intrigued to re-read.

3/ Lastly, I loved this little ode to New York and summer in the city. It’s important to get the non-artist take on why being in NY is so powerful and it always comes back to diversity - diversity of people, of activities, of conversation. It really is the best place in the world.

Till next week.