Unquestioned Ideals

Michelangelo Pistoletto - Mappamondo (Globe)

When isolated, ideas and ideals seem so clear and so defined. Standing up for those ideals seems like an effortless and righteous task. After all, in a perfect world, in a controlled environment, every idea is either black and white, sinister or pure in nature and is contained within very clear boundaries, with its respective villains and heroes.

Irrational Fears

Boogeyman (2005) - movie poster

Is there anything that can invoke that inexplicable sense of danger in us? The kind of feeling that pierces through our skin, sending down a throng of chills down our spines and makes us tense up in the presence of an unseen threat. Is there anything left for us to fear any more, where we are too desensitized by watching the latest stories on the cholera epidemics and terrorist attacks on the ten o’clock news reports?

Roots and Wings

Shinji-Turner Yamamoto - Hanging Garden

We have the responsibility to give our children only two things in our lifetime – the roots and the wings and, as some may now or some may eventually find out, the hardest part is never the wings. The roots are there to bring us back to where we came from, but the wings will take us places where we can become someone else. Someone our own parents might not even approve of, but someone that we feel the most comfortable being.

House of Cards

William S. Burroughs and Brion Gysin - The Third Mind

I was supposed to design this house for you. I was supposed to put the pieces together, make the exterior flow seamlessly into the interior, bedroom right next to a lofty bathroom, a walk-in closet with miles of shelves for my dresses and even a little hanger for your Ohio State hats. I was going to plan it all out down to the tiniest details, create a beautiful house of our dreams. And we would live there, like two tiny mice running around a maze, searching for that huge chunk of cheese in our peaceful bliss. I wanted to do it all for you, just as soon as I got your approval.

Stillness

Erin Shirreff - UN 2010

Stillness sets upon a dumbfound city. As the wave of silence slowly makes its way through the cracks of streets and sidewalks, a sheet of light swallows a building after a building and all who inhabit them. Like a fading memory, a washed out photograph of the United Nations Secretariat by Erin Shirreff removes its viewers from its once-vibrant existence, instead of inviting anyone in.

Status Symbols

Zaha Hadeed - Cellular

Our contemporary Western society promotes expression of individualism as the ultimate vehicle for taking a stand and proclaiming to the rest of the world, “Look at me – I am so unique and special!” From piercing odd parts of our bodies, to bumper stickers on our Lexuses (for those of us lucky enough to afford such extravagant purchases), to the make up and clothes we put on every day, we strive to differentiate ourselves from our neighbors. God forbid, the woman in the office next door wears the same pair of shoes as us. It’s the end of the world as we know it.

How to Achieve Immortality

Clothespin by Claes Oldenburg

I walked past you this morning on my way to work, barely noticing your elegant pose against the glass-and-steel clad skin of the surrounding skyscrapers. I casually glanced up at your soaring height, I glanced down at the crowds of morning Starbucks goers beneath you. Before I knew it, I was captivated by your immense significance.

Cupid Can’t Do Better

Alyssa Pheobus - The Comber

How can a Hallmark moment be found in the perfectly ordinary activity? The artist Alyssa Phoebus, quite unexpectedly, answers this loaded question and reveals the mysteries of romance in her art along the way.

Don’t Look at Me

David Choe - Waiting for Food

His blog is peppered with obscenities. In a true fashion of an artistic rebellion, he refuses to censor himself. His art/graffiti/photography/mixed media installations often include images of women, caricatures and candid camera shots, in various stages of undress. He paints, sculpts, builds and, quite frequently, drinks while working.