2014 solo exhibition: king for a day at Theodore
King for a Day was a solo show, my first in New York at Theodore:Art in Brooklyn. The title was a tongue in cheek nod to how exactly it feels to accomplish even a little feat like putting on a solo show. The artist is the main attraction for a fleeting moment. I'm still pretty uncomfortable being the main attraction, I'm not a spotlight seeker. Don't get me wrong, I like and appreciate attention and praise for hard work (who doesn't?) but I'm deeply uncomfortable with with hype culture.
I wrote an oblique press release for the show with imagined "man on the street" pull quotes in reaction to some unexplained event in an unknown place.
"I've got nothing to say, do I have to explain myself? What is this, some kind of inquisition? What do you want? What kind of place do you think this is? What's going on out there anyway? Who's coming with me? Haven't we been through this before? What's with the third degree? What are you so defensive about? Who's there? Do you even realize who you're dealing with? Do I look like some kind of an idiot? What's the big idea? Do you know who I am? What the hell? When are we gonna get outta here? I don't have to stand here and take this, do I?"
The Mayor of Nowheresville
"I think it's going to be next to impossible to monitor that part of it. The Department of Health is probably going to have to make that decision."
Phyllis Poole, assistant District Attorney, Nowheresville
"We've had to increase patrol activity up there since this whole thing began."
Wayne Van Volkenflick, Chief of Police, Nowheresville
"I'm just worried about the children."
J. B. Fairhope, concerned citizen of Nowheresville