by Drew MartinAn hour before the little art opening at my house last night, I threw off my oversized curator and director hats and seethed myself into the stereotype of difficult artist: I was having a horrid day. I wanted to lock myself in a room (which I did for a little while) and let the whole affair pass without me.
Part of me panicked that dozens of strangers, would be tromping over my soft pine floors, while the other part felt the build up paid too much attention to the party aspect of it all: "What about the art!" I heard a little voice cry from within.
Since deciding to host His Girlfriend is Wack!, I have become personally much more reclusive so I was actually not surprised by my actions. Needless to say the artist, Malgrue (pictured above in the gallery), was a little beside herself to find me in my sorry state but took it all in stride.
Last minute touches gave us a common goal and the timely arrival of the first guests put everything in perspective: it was a small introductory show, for neighbors and friends.
In a matter of minutes the evening took on a life of its own and became a wonderful example of the social function of art. Very few of the people who knew the artist, had seen the work on view, so there was an element of surprise. The quick drawings with personal notes on the backside of many of the pieces of lined paper, torn form her notebook, played nicely into the feeling of the discovered, private journal.