all or nothing #18 - are you reading between the lines?
table of contents
1.events 2.words 3.missed connections 4.horoscope 5.listen
»looking forward
+inhale the exhaust opening reception+
To live in New York is to die in New York. Every day you walk through these polluted rat-infested streets, you lose a lil something. Perhaps it's offset by what you gain in perspective, but really, who’s to know? To produce something under such circumstances is the truest definition of balance: when something new is brought into the world, something must also be taken. Often that’s time, sanity, or relationships, but it can also be sadness, grief, or solitude. The exhale follows the inhale and that’s the most important part. So come to our East Village spot on April 18th, from 6 - 9pm, for the opening of a new group exhibition to see how a group of New York based artists exhale.
»looking back
+community dinner no.3+
Life consists of a series of moments where strangers become acquaintances, followed by a trial period where one will be categorized as friend, foe, or nothing. Perhaps the best accelerator into the friend category is to break bread with another person. That’s what the community dinners are all about. Hope to see you stuffing your face at the next one.
+you are (not) invited ii opening reception+
The masses lined up on Hester street on a rainy night, taking refuge under awnings to enter what was expected to be a kitchen but, in reality, was a home. The artists and curators of the Kitchen projected meticulously crafted a multimedia journey through diasporic femme Asian stories on care and labor, interrogating the novel and known ways of taking care of each other.
words
Like many words, depending on context and usage, the word “floating” can have an extremely positive or negative connotation. For example, an excited yet chilling friend may say, “Bruh, you hear that new Carti verse? ‘ish had me FLOATING…” Whereas a concerned parental figure might alternatively offer, “You’re wasting your life, [name redacted]! Art won’t keep clothes on your back or your stomach full! You’re carelessly FLOATING through your twenties like a useless oaf and you know what? You’re bound to fall and, when that happens, not a single person will be there to catch you!” You see? The same word, but very different meanings. Personally, though, I like the idea of floating. Floating is surviving. It’s persisting through currents and waves, all while keeping your head above water. It’s a subtle resistance that may appear like doing nothing but, with a closer look, it’s a state of great internal activity. When I hear the word “floating,” two succinct visual memories flood my mind’s eye. One is the promotional imagery used in support of the 2013 Yeezus tour, which featured a silhouetted Ye (previously Kanye West) floating in a beam of light, (some may even call it an “ultralight beam.”) Rather than passively floating, this image teeters further on the spectrum toward levitating. I, however, would use the words interchangeably, as they both encapsulate a feeling of weightlessness. Here floating has a religious motif with hints of science fiction, i.e., “Beam me up, Scotty,” hinting towards enlightenment and redemption. The design highlights Ye as the protagonist of his musical universe (as well as pop culture at the time) as he rids himself of earthly concerns and now, completely unburdened, floats or levitates towards the heavens. In his ability to levitate, he situates himself as a god on an aerial plane reserved for holy figures such as Jesus, hence, “YEEZUS.” After years of religious texts conditioning our collective consciousness to seek out “signs” and “greater meaning,” flying is now associated with God and, more specifically, angels. Since flying is regarded as entirely impossible, to do so would be a miracle. But floating isn’t flying. Flying has purpose, direction, and drive. There’s a certain aggression about cutting through the air and propelling oneself forward which seems aptly related to religion. Floating has no reason, though.Where flying is about doing the absolute most, floating is about learning how to truly do nothing other than breathe. The second thing that comes to mind when I think about floating is the scene in the 2016 academy award winning film Moonlight where a young Chiron, the protagonist, is learning to swim. There’s a unique tenderness that infiltrates this scene, which starkly juxtaposes the extreme violence Chiron faced and highlights the vulnerability that can exist within masculinity under the right conditions. Chiron had an extremely traumatic childhood at the hands of his peers and family, which very understandably led to the development of some pretty serious trust issues. Yet Juan, a neighborhood drug dealer but more importantly a good person, earned Chiron’s trust through consistency and warmth. As the most consistent male figure in Chiron’s life, Juan became his mentor and surrogate father, and in this role he decided to teach him how to swim. As his body was enveloped by the water, Chiron instinctually began to thrash and flail uncontrollably, but he eventually relented through the reassuring words of Juan, who held his small body afloat in the water. Juan promised Chiron that he’d be okay and, in doing so, Chiron’s fear of the unknown disappeared in favor of his trust in Juan. For a couple of moments, Chiron completely gave in to the unknown world and floated. This notion of trusting that everything will be okay is indicative of floating as either a positive or negative concept. When you float without faith, you’re just killing time, wasting important seconds, minutes, days, or even years. Inversely, when you float with trust in what’s to come, it’s about ultimate presence in a single moment. As you float in the water, you feel a gentle pressure caressing your body and holding you up. It's a feeling of simultaneous fullness and complete emptiness at the same time. You are not in control, but the choice to give up control is entirely yours. In order to maintain balance, you must actively work to accept your momentary station in life. So in the words of a modest little mouse, “We’ll all float on, okay.”
missed connections
+community dinner no. 3
you: my latest experiment
me: a salivating scientist
description
You ate, I watched, you listened, I talked. We mixed, we made, we kissed for what felt like days but it was really just an hour of nutrients and power ups, so lets concoct this brew then dip out and do what lovers do.
+you are (not) invited ii opening reception
you: the life of the party
me: still waiting for an invite
description:
Are you keeping me at a distance to build anticipation or cause you're assessing your options?
+dc capital art book fair
You: wore glasses and had a tote bag with pokemon pins on it
Me: wears contacts and had a backpack with digimon pins on it
Description:
While you browsed, I tried to think of something witty to say but before I thought of anything, you started to leave so I knocked over some books in a panic, and of course you helped to pick them up. Our hands touched as you handed back a mini zine and you smiled. I was struck by your perfection, unable to even part my lips to whisper a measly “thank you” until you had already long disappeared from my view. Oh, what could have been.
horoscopes
+Aries+
Be here, be there, be everywhere. Just be now. Not on one side nor the other. Sides don’t exist. The middle isn’t a place, there is no beginning or ending, just space and time.
+Taurus+
If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it. What it is depends on who’s looking and whether you’re peeking, gazing, glancing, peeping, or staring. It’s not about where you look but how you look because personality can only take you so far.
+Gemini+
Take a hint from the earth and shake things up this week. Get to the flattest ground you can find. Lay down and look up. What’s above you? What’s below you? Once you’ve decided, get up and run, don’t walk, to your nearest bodega (and it better not be a chain pharmacy or nothin’ like that, we support small biz ‘round here). Buy a pack of Mentos and a bottle of Coke, and take them to the nearest park. Find a busy intersection with a bench nearby. Lay out the carbonated sugar water and the pack of minty white candies side by side on the ground, then retreat to a nearby bench with a good vantage point. Sit and observe, taking vigorous handwritten notes in your field guide. If you don’t carry a pocket notebook with you everywhere already, then I’m sorry to inform you, but you are extremely uncultured. Wait exactly 4 hours. If no one has performed the proper alchemy to turn the sweet ingredients into an explosive volcano bottle, then it’s time to change up the experiment a little bit. Take a piece of paper from your notebook and write out the following: “If you do what needs to be done, you will receive great riches.” Slide the note under the Coke bottle with a single dollar bill beneath. Once completed, find a passerby to make uncomfortably long eye-contact with then, without warning, sprint off in the opposite direction until you’ve left the bounds of the park. Return the next day to the exact spot for a surprise and the answer.
+Cancer+
Sometimes the only way to get home is through a dimly lit corridor. Looks can be deceiving, so just keep on keeping on, knowing that everything you see exists only in your head. There is absolutely no proof that anything or anyone you’ve ever seen was actually real.
+Leo+
Even if we are living in a simulation, what does it matter? We can’t control when we get happy, sad, excited, or angry, so stop trying to control everything. You’ve never been able to and you never will be able to, so just give up. Accept the current and let it take you.
+Virgo+
Let the ball roll down the corridor, around the corner, under the bridge, and over the hill. Just let it roll, wherever it may go. But no matter how far it rolls, never follow. Just enjoy the view and let it roll on, undisturbed.
+Libra+
Borders are lines, lines are shapes, shapes are invented. Imagination realized. But if dreams can come true, so can nightmares. Think about that and proceed accordingly. While overlap is inevitable, a dream stifled before it blossoms will immediately become a nightmare.
+Scorpio+
A famous Canadian once said, “Somewhere between I want it and I got it,” and I want you to focus on that somewhere. Where is your between? Is it wanting it or getting it? Even more important than the answer is the question.
+Sagittarius+
Opportunities are like doors. It’s all about perspective. With every entrance there’s an exit and with every exit there’s an entrance, so be less concerned with moving forward and focus a little more on standing still.
+Capricorn+
The longer the line, the longer the life, so learn to love waiting because doing nothing is no different than doing everything. You can’t afford to waste another second claiming to be bored.
+Aquarius+
No matter how far you travel, the only real destination you’re headed towards is the void. Embrace the journey and take in the sites because the void is devoid of sound, color, and texture, so cherish your memories without living in the past, find balance, and stay there.
+Pisces+
You’ll be stuck forever.
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+