i've been pondering this passage since i read it yesterday from frederick buechner's listening to your life:
"English-speaking tourists abroad are inclined to believe that if only they speak English loudly and distinctly and slowly enough, the natives will know what's being said even though they don't understand a single word of the language.
Preachers often make the same mistake. They believe that if only they speak the ancient verities loudly and distinctly and slowly enough, their congregations will understand them.
Unfortunately, the only language people really understand is their own language, and unless preachers are prepared to translate the ancient verities into it, they might as well save their breath."
cups of coffee: 2
mood: fare thee well, august....
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Sunday, August 29, 2010
uneasy contradiction
hold out, shanghai, 2004
edward burtynsky
in his artist's statement, he quotes:
"These images are meant as metaphors to the dilemma of our modern existence; they search for a dialogue between attraction and repulsion, seduction and fear. We are drawn by desire - a chance at good living, yet we are consciously or unconsciously aware that the world is suffering for our success. Our dependence on nature to provide the materials for our consumption and our concern for the health of our planet sets us into an uneasy contradiction. For me, these images function as reflecting pools of our times."
uneasy contradiction. how true. i think that's one of the pulls urban life has for me - this state of living in uneasy contradiction. i am daily faced with decisions on how to consume or not consume. economic and social disparities stare me in the eye and force me to respond in some way - i can choose to do nothing, of course, but even in doing nothing i am choosing a way of responding.
living in the tension is something i enjoy - i don't like black-and-white cookie-cutter answers. life seems to be too complex for formulaic solutions. living in uneasy contradiction forces us to question, ponder, and really do the work of wrestling with issues and sifting through the possibilities of our involvement.
somewhere along the way, we (particularly as americans) have come to value comfort above all else. but comfort isn't the goal - contentment is. a life of discomfort may still yield a heart of contentment and fruits of joy, perhaps more so than a life of comfort.
cups of coffee: 1
mood: breathe....
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
*kiss kiss*
this is hilarious. it's comforting to know i'm not the only who's made many a social faux pas in the art world. i couldn't get used to the air kisses on each cheek at first, but now i love it. yes, there is the potential for the gesture to carry a certain air of snobbery and snootiness, but give me a peck on the cheek over a handshake any day.
the dutch, however, often throw me off with their three kisses..."left, right, left".... i accidentally almost planted a smack on a guy's neck once....
ARTnews
ha ha, "everyone is totally freaked out all the time." comforting.
cups of coffee: 1 + 2 green tea
mood: happy happy, busy busy
the dutch, however, often throw me off with their three kisses..."left, right, left".... i accidentally almost planted a smack on a guy's neck once....
ARTnews
A new book on the fine art of diplomacy
by Jenny Brown
"One kiss, two kisses, or three?" asks Wendy Olsoff, co-owner of P.P.O.W. gallery in Chelsea. "One is never sure." Knowing the appropriate number of air kisses is a common conundrum among art-world socializers, and one of many addressed in a little black pamphlet about behaving and misbehaving in today's art scene. In I Like Your Work: Art and Etiquette, recently released by Paper Monument magazine, 38 artists, curators, dealers, and critics talk about the stresses and missteps they've encountered in their careers—and offer some tips on how to avoid them. Painter Roger White notes it is protocol for artists to dress like artists (that is, with fashionable slovenliness) but gauche when they play look-alike with their work. "A stripe painter may not wear stripes," he says. An anonymous contributor recalls being cornered by two visitors at the NADA art fair in Miami and being told, "This is not your best work." The recommendation: wait until you're a safe distance away from the artist and dealer before making foul remarks about a show—otherwise known as the "six-block rule." To those who haven't coordinated their air-kiss greeting, or their comments, multimedia artist David Levine gives a comforting pat on the back: "Remember," he says, "everyone is totally freaked out all the time."ha ha, "everyone is totally freaked out all the time." comforting.
cups of coffee: 1 + 2 green tea
mood: happy happy, busy busy
Monday, August 16, 2010
laughter
"Laughter is the celebration of incongruity." - Brennan Manning, Souvenirs of Solitude
last night was a most interesting experience dining at pearl's home (palace, i should say). there were many moments i wanted to bust out laughing at the absurdity of it all, but discreetly held my guffaws in check out of propriety. it was larger than life - everything from her gallery to her loft (which was pretty much another gallery) to the 52-foot dining table decorated with porcelain dragons and red plumage to the guests who were all involved in the art world in some way and made sure you knew it. the very fact they all took themselves so seriously made it tempting not to take them seriously.
upon arrival, my date and i were ushered by the doorman to her gallery, located on an entire floor of the building. we were welcomed by servers with glasses of champagne staggered among the clusters of guests decked out in black and white chic. dinner was then announced, and we were directed to take the elevators up to her residence. entering her apartment was like entering a museum/temple - a giant statue of buddha sat demurely in the foyer. the dining table was amazing - a cornucopia for the senses. tall vases filled with feathers and flowers towered above porcelain dragon candlesticks; red and gold chandeliers fashioned from chinese brocade clasps hung heavy in the dim light. at each seat, a pair of porcelain hands extended from a small plate, holding the name card of the guest. the hands were designed specifically as place settings, and the jade dishware fit perfectly on the immaculately white palms. beneath the porcelain place settings were place mats sewn from peacock feathers. it was like dining in wonderland.
servers in matching white, stylish mao jackets served each course quietly and quickly. the courses were simple - sweet and sour pork ribs, chinese spinach, beef and carrot soup, a heavenly fish with ginger and scallions that flaked nicely with the fork. dessert was a dish of almond soup. and free flow of wine and champagne - my glass never reached empty.
conversations were nothing short of interesting - i sat between a former general manager of kempinski hotels and a former sotheby's employee who started his own art consulting company. our hostess has the habit of playing musical chairs during meals, jumping up and down and grabbing guests by the hand to swap their seats. she is the epitome of a networker. so by the end of the evening, everyone was switched around and you had the opportunity to meet a fair number of guests. other guests i talked with included a young chinese-british shoe designer who is positioned as the "jimmy choo" of china, and lorenz h., indubitably THE most successful gallery owner and art dealer in china.
i finally did meet our illustrious hostess towards the end of the evening and found out that she remembered me from a mutual friend who had introduced us via email, which is why i think i ended up on the invite list. it's all still very strange to me. she was genuinely friendly and curious about our gallery and what we do, and she was much easier to talk with than i'd imagined.
i really wanted to take pictures of the apartment, but didn't do so for fear of appearing gauche. many of the guests were dinner veterans, and i didn't want to be the gawking spectator snapping away with my iphone camera.
what struck me the most about pearl's decor was the fantastical whimsy of it all. the art world can be oh-so-serious, and though there was more than a touch of that among the guests last night, the ambiance of her place was more playful than pretentious. even the bathrooms were secretly tucked away behind wall panels, and you had to know just where to look for the doorknob.
the randomness of last night makes me laugh. the randomness of life makes me laugh. reading manning's souvenirs of soltitude today, i reflected on the immense power of God and how He makes light what we make heavy. He who has conquered Death lifts the very burdens that wear us down. yet most of us continue to live as if we are merely trying to survive - drudgery instead of joy, despair instead of hope. i love this passage where manning talks about the naming of isaac:
In seminary I was taught that Isaac (Yishaq in Hebrew) means "laughter." Abraham and his wife, Sarah, gave up on God's promise of a child. When Sarah was told that she would soon be pregnant, she laughed in disbelief. But God had the last laugh. A son was born to them in their old age, and the human laughter of despair turned into the Father's laughter of love. They named their son Isaac - laughter - for he was a sign of the triumph of God's levity over man's gravity.
"The triumph of God's levity over man's gravity." well put.
may i never forget the triumph of His levity, and how that very levity frees me to laugh and marvel at the works of His hands with endless awe.
cups of coffee: 1 coffee-ish drink
mood: excited
last night was a most interesting experience dining at pearl's home (palace, i should say). there were many moments i wanted to bust out laughing at the absurdity of it all, but discreetly held my guffaws in check out of propriety. it was larger than life - everything from her gallery to her loft (which was pretty much another gallery) to the 52-foot dining table decorated with porcelain dragons and red plumage to the guests who were all involved in the art world in some way and made sure you knew it. the very fact they all took themselves so seriously made it tempting not to take them seriously.
upon arrival, my date and i were ushered by the doorman to her gallery, located on an entire floor of the building. we were welcomed by servers with glasses of champagne staggered among the clusters of guests decked out in black and white chic. dinner was then announced, and we were directed to take the elevators up to her residence. entering her apartment was like entering a museum/temple - a giant statue of buddha sat demurely in the foyer. the dining table was amazing - a cornucopia for the senses. tall vases filled with feathers and flowers towered above porcelain dragon candlesticks; red and gold chandeliers fashioned from chinese brocade clasps hung heavy in the dim light. at each seat, a pair of porcelain hands extended from a small plate, holding the name card of the guest. the hands were designed specifically as place settings, and the jade dishware fit perfectly on the immaculately white palms. beneath the porcelain place settings were place mats sewn from peacock feathers. it was like dining in wonderland.
servers in matching white, stylish mao jackets served each course quietly and quickly. the courses were simple - sweet and sour pork ribs, chinese spinach, beef and carrot soup, a heavenly fish with ginger and scallions that flaked nicely with the fork. dessert was a dish of almond soup. and free flow of wine and champagne - my glass never reached empty.
conversations were nothing short of interesting - i sat between a former general manager of kempinski hotels and a former sotheby's employee who started his own art consulting company. our hostess has the habit of playing musical chairs during meals, jumping up and down and grabbing guests by the hand to swap their seats. she is the epitome of a networker. so by the end of the evening, everyone was switched around and you had the opportunity to meet a fair number of guests. other guests i talked with included a young chinese-british shoe designer who is positioned as the "jimmy choo" of china, and lorenz h., indubitably THE most successful gallery owner and art dealer in china.
i finally did meet our illustrious hostess towards the end of the evening and found out that she remembered me from a mutual friend who had introduced us via email, which is why i think i ended up on the invite list. it's all still very strange to me. she was genuinely friendly and curious about our gallery and what we do, and she was much easier to talk with than i'd imagined.
i really wanted to take pictures of the apartment, but didn't do so for fear of appearing gauche. many of the guests were dinner veterans, and i didn't want to be the gawking spectator snapping away with my iphone camera.
what struck me the most about pearl's decor was the fantastical whimsy of it all. the art world can be oh-so-serious, and though there was more than a touch of that among the guests last night, the ambiance of her place was more playful than pretentious. even the bathrooms were secretly tucked away behind wall panels, and you had to know just where to look for the doorknob.
the randomness of last night makes me laugh. the randomness of life makes me laugh. reading manning's souvenirs of soltitude today, i reflected on the immense power of God and how He makes light what we make heavy. He who has conquered Death lifts the very burdens that wear us down. yet most of us continue to live as if we are merely trying to survive - drudgery instead of joy, despair instead of hope. i love this passage where manning talks about the naming of isaac:
In seminary I was taught that Isaac (Yishaq in Hebrew) means "laughter." Abraham and his wife, Sarah, gave up on God's promise of a child. When Sarah was told that she would soon be pregnant, she laughed in disbelief. But God had the last laugh. A son was born to them in their old age, and the human laughter of despair turned into the Father's laughter of love. They named their son Isaac - laughter - for he was a sign of the triumph of God's levity over man's gravity.
"The triumph of God's levity over man's gravity." well put.
may i never forget the triumph of His levity, and how that very levity frees me to laugh and marvel at the works of His hands with endless awe.
cups of coffee: 1 coffee-ish drink
mood: excited
Thursday, August 12, 2010
impossibilities
"Sometimes, I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast." - Alice, Alice in Wonderland
back in shanghai, back to the grind. america was lovely (as always), and coming back to shanghai is a strange return to what is simultaneously surreal and familiar.
since our gallery runs on sort of an academic calendar year, september is my january - my time of fresh starts, new resolutions, glancing backwards while pressing forward. every year, i'm amazed by the seemingly insurmountable that we've overcome. and every year, i look ahead with trepidation and excitement at the new daunting challenges that loom ahead. and boy, are there challenges ahead this year....
i feel like i live in a world of impossibilities. then i remember i know a God who makes all things possible. :) let the craziness commence!
speaking of crazy, i received this email this morning and did a triple-take:
Dear friends,
Pearl is giving a dinner for Federike Mijnlieff (Former Dutch Ambassador's wife in Beijing) at her apt on 15th Aug, 2010 (Sunday) at 2000hrs. Dress code: lounge suit
It is a formal proper sit down dinner with seating plan. Kindly please let me know whether you are available to join the dinner?
this is pearl lam of contrasts gallery fame. the ny times wrote a feature article about her penthouse loft a few years ago.
my first reaction was: it's a mistake. they accidentally included my email on the mass email list. my second reaction was: surely, they have the wrong eva. third reaction: they must be desperate to fill that 52-foot dining table of hers.
regardless, somehow my name ended up on that invite list, so my date and i will need to press our lounge suit best. i have no idea what to expect...who are these other guests and whatever will we talk about?!
craziness. it's good to be back.
cups of coffee: 1 - lots of green tea!
mood: up and down
back in shanghai, back to the grind. america was lovely (as always), and coming back to shanghai is a strange return to what is simultaneously surreal and familiar.
since our gallery runs on sort of an academic calendar year, september is my january - my time of fresh starts, new resolutions, glancing backwards while pressing forward. every year, i'm amazed by the seemingly insurmountable that we've overcome. and every year, i look ahead with trepidation and excitement at the new daunting challenges that loom ahead. and boy, are there challenges ahead this year....
i feel like i live in a world of impossibilities. then i remember i know a God who makes all things possible. :) let the craziness commence!
speaking of crazy, i received this email this morning and did a triple-take:
Dear friends,
Pearl is giving a dinner for Federike Mijnlieff (Former Dutch Ambassador's wife in Beijing) at her apt on 15th Aug, 2010 (Sunday) at 2000hrs. Dress code: lounge suit
It is a formal proper sit down dinner with seating plan. Kindly please let me know whether you are available to join the dinner?
this is pearl lam of contrasts gallery fame. the ny times wrote a feature article about her penthouse loft a few years ago.
my first reaction was: it's a mistake. they accidentally included my email on the mass email list. my second reaction was: surely, they have the wrong eva. third reaction: they must be desperate to fill that 52-foot dining table of hers.
regardless, somehow my name ended up on that invite list, so my date and i will need to press our lounge suit best. i have no idea what to expect...who are these other guests and whatever will we talk about?!
craziness. it's good to be back.
cups of coffee: 1 - lots of green tea!
mood: up and down
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