Work by Brazilian artist Adriana Varejão.
April 2008
Dear Readers,
A very intelligent curator once told me that the longer he stays in the art world, the more interested he becomes in the viewers’ relationships to the work of art. As an artist, I loved that concept, and it has certainly stayed with me. In this month’s edition of The Art Section, we present three different relationships to the work of art for consideration. First, we have sound artist/composer Jason Freeman on his own work, the web-based software program entitled iTunes Signature Maker (iTSM). Since this program constructs a musical work by algorithmically assessing a listener’s musical preferences, it proposes a very intimate relationship between audience and art work. You can experience Freeman’s diverse taste in music and sound here, and also try iTSM online yourself. Next is Brazilian and, importantly, Rio-based artist Christina Roiter discussing the difference between Rio and Sao Paulo from her local perspective. Roiter’s perception of the art in current exhibitions in Rio is inflected through her understanding of what it means to be in one place as opposed to the other. I wonder, are there two other cities that function comparably as the yin and yang of their country’s art world? Finally, we have critic Phil Auslander’s fast train of thought on a Perry Vaquez Victor Payan’s work “Keep on Crossin’”, presently on view in the exhibition TransActions: whatever at the High Museum of Art in Atlanta. Read him and watch his mind move from the work to an extended speculation on cross-cultural currents. Interestingly enough, following the thread of Auslander’s thinking is a bit like listening to the result of Freeman’s software’s sampling of his musical taste to produce a concise musical portrait.
All my best,
Deanna
Deanna Sirlin
Editor in Chief
The Art Section
Deanna Sirlin is an artist and writer from Brooklyn, New York currently living and working outside of Atlanta, Georgia.