1.21 (belief)
edition #37
all or nothing #37 - what do you believe in?
table of contents
1.events 2.words 3.missed connections 4.horoscope 5.listen
»looking forward
seeing what isn’t there opening
do you hear what i hear? probably not. what i hear is pretty fricking bad. now, what i see, though? that’s absolutely gorgeous. because i’m looking at all the beautifully haunting artworks from the upcoming seeing what isn’t there group exhibition at all street. the exhibition will be on view from february 1st - 26th at our 77 east third street locale. pull up to the opening on february 1st from 6 - 9pm. it will be a grand time.
»looking back
“2,4,8,17,32” exhibition by nuntinee tansrisakul
time is perhaps the only thing we can really believe in, or so we thought. but apparently time, too, is relative. a newborn in a crib doesn’t experience a minute the same way an octogenarian on their death bed does. artist nuntinee explored such paradoxes of human existence with a wide ranging exhibition featuring interactive sculptures, audio installations, and video works at our 77 east third street location. sorry you missed it, but then again, if time is a circle, then maybe it’s not really over?
words
+how to unsuccessfully believe in yourself+
none of your thoughts are original. your art isn't unique. nothing is new. eventually you will die. and everyone you know will die, too. and any memory of you will entirely cease to exist. eventually all record of our collective existence will cease to exist. the sun will explode, the planet will eviscerate, and everything and everyone that ever was will become nothing. that is our future. there is no escaping it or denying it. this is inevitable. despite these facts, every day you decide to wake up. get up and keep punching. punching at a goal that, when contextualized by our greater existence, doesn’t even really matter. but who’s to say what really matters, anyway. everything is cult. everything is religion. everything is blind faith. collectively, we’re all just wading out into the abyss without any idea of what we’re doing or where we’re going. we just trust that time will continue and step by step, inch by inch, and minute by minute, we’re on our way to something better. but in actuality, the only thing we’re all headed towards is DEATH! Dun! Dun! Dun! nowadays, everyone likes to consider themselves a skeptic, blessed with a discerning eye to see through the constant wave of bullshit and false prophets offering us salvation, riches, and political unity. thanks to the unlimited wealth of knowledge the internet has provided us, we’ve all become experts prepared and ready to dismantle the latest argument made by the snake oil salesman of the week. in fact, netflix has generated millions of dollars and fueled the very unhealthy viewing habits of many by analyzing and exposing the elaborate lies and misdeeds of these viral grifters in formulaic limited series that seem to be released on the platform weekly. on an interpersonal level, we’re raised to be doubtful. you know, don’t talk to strangers and all that jazz. yet we’re supposed to have a tremendous amount of trust in various unproven institutions at the same time, such as the police, hospitals, and authority figures. further, we get a constant slate of mixed messaging in the media. love at first sight (aka obsessing over an attractive stranger) is beautiful and wholesome and pure, but if you’re alone with an ugly stranger you will most likely be brutally murdered before the movie is over. so, what’s the takeaway? we hate people but love concepts. beauty and power are concepts and we love anything and anyone that fits into these conceptual categories. and that is why celebrities are at the top of our pyramid of worship today. everyone wants to be a celebrity, f*ck a celebrity, be friends with a celebrity, or really just be near a celebrity. that’s why we will all love a celebrity one day, then cheer for their destruction and social ostracization the next. it’s not the people we love, we’re just fascinated by what they represent. the first celebrities for most people are their parents and teachers; they are anointed with an unknowable power to dictate over our lives, thus they are perceived to be inherently important. of course, this veil is eventually shattered by the circumstances of life, so we seek larger targets to worship. art, academia,yoga, sports fandom, clothing, sex. eventually, we find some sort of passion or area of interest that is seemingly more acceptable to worship than a god and we throw ourselves wholeheartedly into that job, area of study, or hobby and it simultaneously consumes and soothes us because it allows us to momentarily suspend the bleak fact of our inescapable death. so, if you can be conditioned to think that you need to do your homework every night, pay your rent on time, and go to bed at a reasonable hour, then you can convince yourself that you’re worth believing in, too.
missed connections
+1.9 “2,4,8,17,32” opening
you: infinity and beyond
me: buzzed, drunk, and in love
description:
five hundred twenty-five thousand, six hundred minutes is how you measure a year, but how do you measure our love? you can’t because it’s infinite.
+1.18 delightful opening
you: a river flowing slowly towards the edge
me: a swimmer without a raft
description:
only to you i cling, lead me to salvation, or to death? either way it’s freedom in your cool, cool embrace.
+1.20 mlk day
you: wouldn’t forget
me: has a memory like swiss cheese
description
let’s do it better this year. you know what we need to do.
horoscopes
+Aries+
believe you can and you’re halfway there. where is there? well, that’s up to the racist cartographers of yesteryear and the sociopolitical gerrymandering done by the elusive global elite in preparation of the celestial vote to determine whether the milky way is composed of oat or dairy.
+Taurus+
lets say you got a dope af can of top of the line tuna fish that you’ve been saving for a special occasion. that special occasion comes and you grab the can and see that it expired one day ago. what are you going to do, throw it out? nah, you crack open that puppy do a sniff test and then grub out on that nice salty and aromatic diced up tuna meat, of course. and you should do the same for life.
+Gemini+
a famous gemini once humbly uttered, “i am a god,“ which raises some questions. to say you’re a god implies you must believe in multiple gods and, thus, if you’re a god then everyone can be a god, too, including you.
+Cancer+
trust your gut. except if you’re lactose intolerant. then you should probably get a second opinion.
+Leo+
build a bridge and you welcome friends and enemies alike, but build a moat and you’re safely alone for life. so do your want to have alligators in your trenches, or stop being so pretentious?
+Virgo+
stop proofreeding and just free write, you won’t get a chance to look over your life when it’s all said and done.
+Libra+
stop looking for solutions and start accepting problems. sometimes it’s ok to leave your fate in the hands of a liger, a wizard, and a chiffarobe.
+Scorpio+
come find me. i’m on a street that is neither prime nor divisible by 34. maybe it’s not even a numbered street at all. i’m above ground but below see level. but maybe that wasn’t a typo and i actually meant see not sea, so what could that mean? maybe i’m below eye level. but who’s eye level? well, maybe the universal center point for hanging art: 57 inches. but it’s not the size that matters but the unit of measurement. remember the nike store that used to be on 57th street? oh, it’s still there, you say? well, that’s cool, i haven’t been able to afford my sneaker addiction in a long time, so to me it’s closed. and yes, you should read into that sidebar. what does it all mean? read between, above, and below the lines. there it goes again. lines. lines. lines. follow the lines. now you’re getting it. follow the line that doesn’t bend but breaks. snaps is a synonym for breaks, but it’s also a food when paired with the word ginger. you know, ginger snaps? well, you know what store is infamous for the delectable ginger snaps, don’t you? well, bravo, sherlock. you found me. i’ll be at the place and the time and we can finally sort this all out.
+Sagittarius+
your destiny cannot be found. when you’re ready, it will come to you.
+Capricorn+
believe what people show you, not what they tell you. it may be the difference between life and death.
+Aquarius+
faith is for the fortunate and you, my friend, have gambled away all future fortune.
+Pisces+
don’t stop believing.
playlist
+send us your writing, ideas, notes, observations or anything you want to gallery@allstnyc.com to be considered for future editions of all or nothing+
image credits
artworks by liz slome from her past exhibition delightful which was on view at our 77 east third street location.