Art: Rashid Johnson, Antoine's Organ

I'd never been to the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art in Kansas City, MO until a friend guided me there on a recent sunny day, the kind of day one shouldn't be in a museum but that my fair skin, intolerance of heat, and ability to competitively sweat found welcome. Wandering around the museum I was struck by a few Francis Bacon's, the out of focus, figurative painter whose work tends to look the way I feel if awake after 1:30am. But it was one piece in the museum that literally stopped me in my slow, gallery paced tracks: Antoine's Organ by Rashid Johnson.

From floor to ceiling, a living, breathing, resonating sculpture beckoned from within the space; an installation combining video, music, horticulture, literature as object and more. A metal grid (think more sturdy garage/dorm shelving) stacked high created spaces for objects to sit and purely exist, waiting for one to come along and infer their meaning. Chunks of shea butter carved into totems, nearby the oily boxes the medium came in, small monitors with early video pieces of Johnson's, large potted plants reaching for the light, neon tubes illuminating, a pristine, shining upright piano slowly becoming visible in the heart of the sculpture as one's eyes start to un-focus through the jumble of symbols. The whole thing was an organism whose identity was sculpted by those around it, whose presence was acknowledged by interaction. It was like I was meeting a new person, trying to uncover the chosen signifiers that they chose to define themselves- my introduction so aptly interrupted by a security guard ("Can I touch that button hanging there that looks like it wants to speak to me?" "No. Thanks for asking."). Seeing museum go-ers engage and uncover was incredible. Seeing this piece in the Midwest was also incredible, a far contextual cry from Hauser & Wirth in Chelsea NYC where it previously exhibited...

This is, literally, a vital work of contemporary art. Its plants produce oxygen. Its piano, music. Its symbols must be put together by a human being trying to understand the overwhelming complexity of the thing they encounter, watching others as they do the same, learning about ones own preconceived ideas in the process. This piece of art is a reminder that there is humanity in understanding, and that this understanding can be found in beauty, history and experience. So rarely does contemporary art face reality in such a stunning, bold, lush vision- it's not merely a must see, it's a must breathe, listen, taste, feel and, most importantly, live. On view until May 21st.

(photo credits, top to bottom: 1, 2, 3)

Books: Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders

George Saunders’ first novel isn’t quite a novel. It is a mix of soliloquies, disembodied dialogues, historical annotations and a poetic expression of wild & free imagination that (responsibly) sets the mind free from reason in a heartfelt and humanistic way. While reading, one is allowed to experience the realm of the unreal that is creativity, a realm that also tends to exist as a space to question the real world from which it has sprung. In the footsteps of Kurt Vonnegut, Saunders has always been a master of the wry hopeful tone and, like the later years of Grandpa Kurt, Lincoln in the Bardo uses the paranormal/supernatural to make for an even more emboldened exploration of possibility. A better world can be imagined and sometimes to see that we must look beyond what we know as reality. Bardo vibrates with an otherworldliness that ones imagination must engage with to envision the mysteries of the living world and a better future beyond for it.

I don’t want to give too much detail in terms of narrative, I want to remain vague so readers can experience reading the book like I did- a destabilization that makes one re-read a passage, think about it, breathe in the ether it creates. The book coaxes readers down a very precise written path, each step building upon the next, each piece so intentional that the absence of a single word would change the fates of the book entirely. It begins with the death of Willie Lincoln, Abraham Lincoln’s son. Then it veers into a ghostly post-death existence following those trapped in the graveyard beside young Willie Lincoln, their free indirect discourse floats through the text with a quick, stage-like bounce. They comment on their experiences both in and out of death, acting as mediums between worlds and between people. Following this strange and dreamy account of the state of things are historical quotations. Personal letters, books on the Civil War, diary entries are excerpted in succession, painting a picture of what first hand accounts, historians and authors believe to be the reality of the moments surrounding Willie’s passing. These conflicting accounts of time and space completely shake the foundation of truth: the moon was either full or not yet full, according to what source you look towards the waxing and waning is wildly different. The parallels that Saunders silently draws between the unknowingness of history and our own current wavering media reality leaves an indelible mark on ones understanding of perception. But, in true Saunders fashion, the book does not proseyltize its own intelligence, nor does it condemn or judge. The book coos into a humanistic comedy with little boundaries between anyone and anything, evolving into a utopia of timeless empathy.

Once I heard Saunders speak at a now extinct Midtown Barnes & Noble on his nonfiction essay about Dubai. He spoke of the cynicism he approached the place with, a cynicism that immediately melted when encountering a young boy witness snow for the first time. A manufactured snow being pumped into a resort that housed a desert ice castle. It is this feeling of strange beauty in existence that is the soul of Saunders’ work. Even though we live in a world that we choose to adorn with odd ideas of status, trend and politics, it is still a world we inhabit together, whether it be on the page or off it. Saunders draws no boundaries between the little boy awed by his first snow, the ghosts of the Civil War dead, the President of the United States of America or the reader & the writer. Bardo reminds that we are all human beings vying for love, peace and respect, however misguided our means to get these things sometimes are.

By opening ourselves up to Saunders’ visions of an afterlife, of the “Bardo” (a term for the Tibetan, limbo-like place between life and death), we let our imagination co-mingle with his imagination. In some ways it is like a dark children’s book (something Saunders’ has approached before with 2005’s novella The Brief But Frightening Reign of Phil), more than a foray into the supernatural, where the limits of possibility aren’t yet completely defined so we approach the world with an open heart and mind, letting our adult experiences melt away in a loving positivity. In a time of fake news, alternative facts and the ever expanding chasm between American experiences, Lincoln in the Bardo is a reminder that this feeling of divide and helplessness has plagued the nation before but it is creativity, thoughtfulness and the belief in good that was able to end it.

Spring/Summer!

Where have I been? I was wrapped in the hectic glow and loudness of True/False Film Fest for the past 2 years! Last year I acted as Music Director (little did you know there is an entire music festival humming under the crafted non-fiction film line up!) and Media Curator (overseeing the VR Arcade, everyone's favorite documentary game show Gimme Truth!, film programming & a whole lot more!). Am I only now emerging from some sort of post-fest cocoon? Perhaps. But I am emerging to tell of new & exciting things!

1. Citizen Jane Film Festival is another incredible film fest housed in Columbia MO. It began at Stephens College, the second oldest female college in the US and a school that is home to a stellar screenwriting program! CJ is a Women's Film Festival that showcases features and shorts directed by women, inviting representatives from the films to attend and share their work in person. There is also a Summit curated around a current women-in-film related theme and the Film School, a day long event of talks & panels that also explore the contemporary film landscape through female eyes. In addition there are parties, music and a general loving vibe of creative minds and hearts working to make their stories seen! This year is the 10th year anniversary of the fest and MY FIRST YEAR AS FEATURE FILM PROGRAMMER! The incredible Barbie Banks took over as Executive Director last year and I am more than excited to grow Citizen Jane into something new for the community- both locally and as part of the larger conversation of women in visual storytelling! The 2017 fest takes place October 26-29th, hope to see you there! (psssst, our submissions are still open! And, according to Movie Maker we are worth submitting to! Yay!)

2. True/False's sister org Ragtag Cinema is a lovely arthouse theater whose box office I have been known to work at quite often!  And I love it! I love it so much that when I was asked if I would like to program their Homebrewed series- the best of new American indie film- I was beyond flattered & excited! The series takes place each Wednesday in June and features a different film each week, seeking out those budding auteurs who are taking risks to craft bold new visions of what true independent filmmaking can be. After each screening, we Skype in with the directors to discuss the film with the audience, giving more perspective on process, production and other areas of interest. I've been busily watching screeners and am (hopefully) very close to the final line up- everyone, cross your fingers! Suggestions are welcome too of course! I know there are always tons of hidden gems waiting to find an audience!: donna[at]ragtagcinema[dot]org

3. Also, with some breathing room, I am hoping to be back in the writing/blogging saddle so stay tuned!