What a Performance

Sept. 18, 2002

Type: discussion

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BlankSleazy Art meetings (4)

What a Performance

When I was in high school I was the girl that everyone talked about b=
ecause I was always pushing the envelope when it came to conceptual art. I =
was the first to paint a boy nude without one being there, the first to los=
e my business sense out of all my friends, the first to try anal deconstruc=
tion, and now that I'm in my early twenties I had thought I'd tried everyth=
ing. Then I met Trent and discovered I had a lot more 'firsts' to explore.=

We met online on an arts Internet list called Rhizome last month (I w=
as the first of my friends to try that too) and I never thought art could f=
eel so new and exciting. I met him for a one-night happening. He's already =
a net artist (all the good ones are) and he didn't tell me until our third =
meeting. I was a little upset but not so upset that I would stop exploring =
new ways of creating radical Internet art with him. In fact, finding out ma=
de our encounters invigorating just because it makes art with him a little =
more forbidden.

He introduced me to art role-playing, something I had never tried bef=
ore and I didn't think it would turn my nerve endings on. I originally play=
ed along just because he begged me to, but after having one of the best pos=
turing debates of my life pretending to be a gallery owner I've been on boa=
rd for even the simplest scenarios. I've portrayed quite a few different ch=
aracters for him now and I'm only sure of only one thing- it's fun to prete=
nd to be someone else in a creative scenario, situation. I don't know what =
I like better, taking control as a fiery curator or assuming a submissive r=
ole as an art slave.

We've even done some public art stuff that most people would find qui=
te shocking. This one time we pretended we didn't know one another in a sup=
ermarket (not online this time) and he felt my paint brushes up in front of=
a couple of housewives in the middle of an aisle. It was kool performance =
art. He did it casually and walked away without looking back as I cursed at=
him. The look on the women's faces was priceless. I wish I had a camera. I=
couldn't wait to get him home and then I drew a Dot-to-Dot picture of him =
in his car in the parking lot as soon as I got out of the store.

The stuff we've tried in public is never as much fun as the shows we =
put on in private. This other time he pretended he was an art robber; he ev=
en put a ski mask on for effect. I told him I wouldn't turn him in if he pr=
oved he could post-modernize me. I like art power games that give me an exc=
use to force him to do what I want; it makes me feel devious and impulsive.=
He really loved it and with his face covered up I was able to imagine he w=
as any artist, curator and gallerist I wanted him to be.

It's only been a month and already I've been an art director's hook=
er, a German expressionist painter's maid, his very creative baby-sitter,=
and most recently- a ski bunny with artistic potential with a pretend brok=
en leg. I know they keep getting weirder, but I like it. Being the ski bunn=
y was the best one yet because I made him do all the work. I didn't have an=
y other choice- otherwise my leg wouldn't set properly now would it?

Halloween is coming up and we've already bought tickets to a large cy=
ber conference and convention party. We've been brainstorming but we haven'=
t come to any conclusions yet. When I told him I might go as a wealthy gent=
leman who likes to buy artists, not art he told me he'd go as an old frazzl=
ed, painterly drag queen. It's an interesting thought but I think I like th=
e idea of being princess Leia from Star Wars better- the force is with her.=
But then, I already have a leather skirt that would go well with a Xena co=
stume - art is so much fun.

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<DIV align=center>
<P><FONT color=#cccccc><B><FONT face="Courier New" color=#fffff=
f><FONT
color=#008000>Sleazy Art meetings (4)<BR><BR>What a Performance</FO=
NT>
</FONT></B></FONT></P></DIV></TD></TR>
<TR>
<TD vAlign=top align=left height=1178><FONT
face="Courier New, Courier, mono" color=#cccccc size=2><FONT
color=#000000>When I was in high school I was the girl that everyon=
e
talked about because I was always pushing the envelope when it came t=
o
conceptual art. I was the first to paint a boy nude without one being=

there, the first to lose my business sense out of all my friends, the=

first to try anal deconstruction, and now that I'm in my early twenti=
es I
had thought I'd tried everything. Then I met Trent and discovered I h=
ad a
lot more 'firsts' to explore. </FONT></FONT>
<P><FONT face="Courier New, Courier, mono" color=#000000 size=2=
>We met
online on an arts Internet list called Rhizome last month (I was the =
first
of my friends to try that too) and I never thought art could feel so =
new
and exciting. I met him for a one-night happening. He's already a net=

artist (all the good ones are) and he didn't tell me until our third=

meeting. I was a little upset but not so upset that I would stop expl=
oring
new ways of creating radical Internet art with him. In fact, finding =
out
made our encounters invigorating just because it makes art with him a=

little more forbidden. </FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Courier New, Courier, mono" color=#000000 size=2=
>He
introduced me to art role-playing, something I had never tried before=
and
I didn't think it would turn my nerve endings on. I originally played=

along just because he begged me to, but after having one of the best=

posturing debates of my life pretending to be a gallery owner I've be=
en on
board for even the simplest scenarios. I've portrayed quite a few
different characters for him now and I'm only sure of only one thing-=
it's
fun to pretend to be someone else in a creative scenario, situation. =
I
don't know what I like better, taking control as a fiery curator or=

assuming a submissive role as an art slave. </FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Courier New, Courier, mono" color=#000000 size=2=
>We've even
done some public art stuff that most people would find quite shocking=
.
This one time we pretended we didn't know one another in a supermarke=
t
(not online this time) and he felt my paint brushes up in front of a=

couple of housewives in the middle of an aisle. It was kool performan=
ce
art. He did it casually and walked away without looking back as I cur=
sed
at him. The look on the women's faces was priceless. I wish I had a=

camera. I couldn't wait to get him home and then I drew a Dot-to-Dot=

picture of him in his car in the parking lot as soon as I got out of =
the
store. </FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Courier New, Courier, mono" color=#000000 size=2=
>The stuff
we've tried in public is never as much fun as the shows we put on in=

private. This other time he pretended he was an art robber; he even p=
ut a
ski mask on for effect. I told him I wouldn't turn him in if he prove=
d he
could post-modernize me. I like art power games that give me an excus=
e to
force him to do what I want; it makes me feel devious and impulsive. =
He
really loved it and with his face covered up I was able to imagine he=
was
any artist, curator and gallerist I wanted him to be. </FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Courier New, Courier, mono" color=#000000 size=2=
>It's only
been a month and already I've been an art director's hooker, a Germ=
an
expressionist painter's maid, his very creative baby-sitter, and mo=
st
recently- a ski bunny with artistic potential with a pretend broken l=
eg. I
know they keep getting weirder, but I like it. Being the ski bunny wa=
s the
best one yet because I made him do all the work. I didn't have any ot=
her
choice- otherwise my leg wouldn't set properly now would it? </FONT><=
/P>
<P><FONT face="Courier New, Courier, mono" color=#000000 size=2=
>Halloween
is coming up and we've already bought tickets to a large cyber confer=
ence
and convention party. We've been brainstorming but we haven't come to=
any
conclusions yet. When I told him I might go as a wealthy gentleman wh=
o
likes to buy artists, not art he told me he'd go as an old frazzled,=

painterly drag queen. It's an interesting thought but I think I like =
the
idea of being princess Leia from Star Wars better- the force is with =
her.
But then, I already have a leather skirt that would go well with a Xe=
na
costume - art is so much fun.</FONT></P></TD></TR>
<TR>
<TD height=2><A
href="http://www.furtherfield.org/mgarrett/mgw/docs/Sleazy\%20Art\%20=
meetings\%20(4).htm"><FONT
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0meetings\%20(4).htm</FONT></A></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></DIV>
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