Hey there :)
Today is an extremely tired and a (lowkey) emotional Monday. You know those days where it seems like you have to read the same thing at least five times over to even begin to comprehend what it’s saying? That is me today. All I want is to crawl into my bed, cuddle my cats, and ROT. I am counting down the hours. But for now, I will pick my head off my desk (kidding! - if you’re my boss and somehow reading this, I am very hard at work), put on a very awake and positive mindset, and write this incredibly important roundup.
Words
“Stop worrying about your identity and concern yourself with the people you care about, ideas that matter to you, beliefs you can stand by, tickets you can run on. Intelligent humans make those choices with their brain and hearts and they make them alone. The world does not deliver meaning to you. You have to make it meaningful…and decide what you want and need and what you must do. It’s a tough, unimaginably lonely and complicated way to be in the world. But that’s the deal: you have to live; you can’t live by slogans, dead ideas, cliches, or national flags. Finding an identity is easy. It’s the easy way out.”
Zadie Smith, from On Beauty
Music
This song was on my Discover Weekly this last week and it's pretty cute. Here's 104 Degrees by Slaughter Beach, Dog:
What I’ve been watching
The Decameron on Netflix is, honestly, everything I love in a show. It’s loosely based on Giovanni Boccaccio’s 14th-century collection of short stories and follows a group of Italian nobles and servants who flee to the countryside to escape the Black Death. It’s honest, funny, and has a modern twist - definitely a part of the newer historical series trend going around like Bridgerton and Dickinson.
What I’ve been reading
Nothing! I’m kidding, but I do need a new book.
Art I saw in person
This week, my in-person encounters with art were sparse. A bit of an intentional divergence from my usual weekend ritual of gallery hopping and drinking free wine was put into play. It's wild how often I forget that stepping back is a choice— how dare I do normal weekend things. Yet, the truth is, I adore both deeply. But sometimes, even the most cherished routines require a little pause and some space to breathe.
Despite this, I did engage in a studio visit with an artist for an upcoming show I'm curating. So I suppose I will speak on her wonderful and provocative collages here - if I must.
Quick synopsis: Heather Link-Bergman is an incredible artist working across collage, photography, print media, installation, and artists books/zines. Her work “perceives and responds to unseen forces embedded in institutions and complex social systems, with special interest in economic, spiritual, and paranormal ideologies.” (in other words, really cool and important stuff happening here)
I first encountered Heather's work a few years ago when she contributed to The Yellow Show at Dateline (if you know, you know). One of her collages from that time still lingers in my memory. Crafted from vintage materials, it depicted a picnic or feast laid out over a woman's pubic area, held together by map tacks. It was a piece that toed conventional boundaries, and one I adored.
As I began conceptualizing my upcoming show, Heather naturally came to mind. While I can't divulge the specifics of her contributions to the exhibition just yet, I can share a piece that I believe everyone should witness. Her work continues to captivate and challenge, offering glimpses into the hidden currents of our world. Here, in this quiet moment of reflection, I find myself mesmerized once again by her vision - or maybe something else? Lol.
Art I saw online
I've been following Grace Kalyta for a little less than a year, ever since I “discovered” Pangee, a gallery located in Montreal, on my Instagram discover page. From what I can tell via their (gorgeous!) feed, Grace seems to circulate through Pangee quite often. Pangee's feed is an alluring blend of contemporary pieces that seem to breathe life into the static grids of social media. Their curation is impeccable, a virtual haven for those of us craving artistic nourishment. If anyone were to ask me what my favorite gallery is, it would be Pangee. I’ve never been there, but they always have the bits, and I wouldn’t dare argue with that. Their digital presence alone is a testament to their knack for capturing and sharing beauty.
Okay—Grace. Breaking away from the 2D surface is something I think about often. I’m sure most painters do, or at least I hope they do. There's a certain magic in transcending the flatness of a canvas, a desire to infuse it with a tactile essence that reaches out to the viewer. This is one of those things that has to have the right sauce—the right material, color palette, style, and so forth. Grace, in my very professional opinion, does this with such, you guessed it: grace. The way she combines textures, objectivity, and painted realism truly displays a unique assortment of how to break free from the 2D surface of a panel.
Take, for instance, her audacious use of black velvet. The rich, absorbing darkness of the velvet is punctuated by the tiniest speck of a painting in the center, drawing the eye into an almost cosmic abyss before delivering you to a minuscule, intimate scene. In a number of her other pieces, folds and sheen of fabric are captured with such precision that you can almost hear it rustle. Imagine standing before a painting and feeling the phantom touch of satin or the cool whisper of silk against your skin. Her attention to detail in rendering these textures is nothing short of mesmerizing.
Grace blends the soft and hard, the old and new, the seen and hidden with ease. Her work challenges us to look beyond the superficial, to touch and to feel. It is an invitation to engage, to explore the spaces between reality and imagination, where texture becomes language.
Favorite Moments
My partner started a job that, really, took a long time for him to get and I couldn’t be more excited for him. To celebrate we went to the park and we ate meat, ate cheese, drank wine, and read to each other. It’s moments like these ones that remind me how sacred slow and peaceful nights can be.
Starting new projects and believing in myself/standing by my beliefs - not going to dive into this too much, just proud of me.
Floating down the river in the rain with my partner and my best friend. Very fun times even though it was freezing and I now have 3 extra bruises.
What I’m wearing
For work, I’ve been trying to lean into flowy and drapey clothing as I love being comfy and don’t believe that work is the place to be uncomfy. Anyway, I’ve been trying to figure out a way to make this look professional and not scruffy - and not be wearing the same outfit over and over. I don't have a lot to share of this right now (bills!) but I am saving!
What I wish I was wearing
If I had the money, this is what I would be wearing to work.
I am so obsessed with this black pleated midi dress from Nordstroms. Trying to find something similar, but we’ll see.
Peter pan collars have me in a chokehold and this one from Garmentory is so beautiful.
What I’m grateful for
Very grateful to have a job, people around me that love and support me, my freaking cats (kiss kiss), and to have a very capable mind and body.
What I’m working on
This week I’m working on patience and sacrifice. Just like anyone else, I hate feeling the feelings that are uncomfortable. I just have to remind myself that these things are necessary, sit in them and understand them.
What brought me joy
I’ve brought up my cats a few times already, but when I walk in the door and they immediately greet me and love on me, it really just makes my day so much better. To know that I have them to cuddle and hang out with always reminds me that I’m going to be ok.
Something I’m thinking about
Honoring myself while still showing respect to others - this balance.
Thank you for reading and talk to you soon xoxo
