Archive

hi again! i keep finding a lot of cool stuff to share and i want to make sure this is a sustainable hobby for me, so i'm not going to editorialize too much this week. just straight to the content!

hyperallergic has a thoughtful critique of a judy chicago retrospective. my first encounter with the work of the 1970s/1980s feminist art movement was initially revelatory, and then quickly became confusing in ways that helped me clarify my own values and interests... i can totally see many of the faults this writer found in chicago's work, but that doesn't negate the lasting impact of some of her major pieces like "the dinner party." it's too bad chicago's work is so often presented in a way that feels resistant to or resentful of the changes in feminist thought that have unfolded since she got her start. i was reminded of the thoughts that i had while reading her very salty book, "institutional time." her words always made it sound like she was worried that being critiqued was equivalent to being dismissed... has anyone out there read her writing? have thoughts on her work? it's divisive!

hi again! i am back and i have collected more mostly-art things to entertain you. i hope you enjoy this week's assorted potpourri of whatnot and etc! ---martha

some of you may know that i have never owned a smartphone, and i used to have a club of other device-abstainers called the high tech luddites. i made us one issue of a zine (which maybe i'll restart!) and another person made an official club mix tape. i know having a flip phone is kind of trendy these days, and now most of my fellow luddites have smartphones, aaand i finally gave into fomo and got on social media, but i am still a technology-skeptic at heart. so i liked this feature about some well-known artists who are seeing the light and de-tech-ifying their practices or using art as a way to question some of the highly questionable ideas about technology and progress floating around out there. yay!

the grapefruits sometimes art mail is back!

i have been super busy in the past year and kind of neglected this project, but thanks to covid i now suddenly have a bit of time to restart things! always searching for a positive spin on things lol.

if you've never gotten one of these emails and don't really know what you signed up for, it's basically just a biweekly-ish assortment of art writing, shows, and other stuff that i thought was interesting. a lot of events and such are portland-centric because that's where i live, but i am interested in art from anywhere.

i would definitely consider submissions for future emails! send me stuff, please! i think it would also be cool if some conversations came about as a result of these emails. i'm not sure if people can comment on emails on the buttondown site or what but maybe i'll look into it...

hi there everybody! first off, my apologies for the delay in sending out this email. it has definitely been more than two weeks since the last installment of the grapefruits sometimes art mail! i am guessing a lot of people out there will relate when i say life has been crazy.

the latest chaos agent around here is my upcoming move back to portland, oregon this july, which i am so excited about! however, that means this newsletter is going on a bit of a summer break until things settle down again. when they do (probably early september?), expect links to some super cool writing and art and videos and podcasts and maybe even some original reporting on art stuff in the pacific northwest!? we'll see where things take me. until then please enjoy some summer fun offline, you deserve it : )

i will leave you with big window's latest, NLXCHANGE:

hello again! this edition of the grapefruits sometimes art mail is the second installment of what i guess is now a mini-series, called "no reading required." this is a podcast- and video-centric version of the newsletter (which is usually focused on writing), and it's back by popular demand because you all really don't like to read! haha jk, life these days is crazy and our attention spans and eyeball capacities are blown out from the constant flow of content, so i am really happy to provide a selection of interesting, enlightening arts discussions that you can listen to while you fold laundry or work in the garden or do whatever physical real-life things you need or want to do. i also want to continue expanding the variety of media i'm featuring on here in recognition of the different ways we all like to process information, so look for the next episode of this little thing to highlight a bunch of cool videos. but for now, here is a selection of great podcasts and such for your listening pleasure:

first up is just the nicest conversation with painter clarity haynes on the "i like your work" podcast. there was so much in what she had to say that i really connected with, especially in the part of the interview where she talks about her studio process. i also believe in questioning the impulse to resist certain aspects of your artistic urges, because so often the reason for this impulse is external. it's also cool to hear about the evolution of her torso portrait series, and the vibes all around are so good. enjoy! (tip: the first 5ish minutes are promos, skip ahead for the interview)

hi everyone! i realize it's been a little longer than usual between emails, but life happens and things just got too busy for a bit. but i'm back and i have cool stuff to share! no real theme, just a lot of high-quality arts content for you. check it out:

i am a big fan of the journal momus, so it's not that surprising that i also loved this interview with momus editor sky gooden. she talks about how art publications are changing perhaps for the better in response to an arts funding landscape that is doing the opposite, which is exciting to hear (and i feel like is why i do this email thing – because arts writing is getting so interesting these days and there is so much good stuff out there to read/watch/listen to!).

hiiiiii! time for more art. this edition of the grapefruits sometimes art mail is kind of just a bunch of stuff i like... i guess the rough through line is representational images in 2 dimensions... aka paintings/drawings/prints of people, places, and things! also i just felt like collecting a lot of beautiful pictures to look at, which is why i got into making art in the first place – maybe you can relate?

this is a bit different for me, but yolo... i am starting with an instagram post by the artist avocado ibubrofen (real name jaako pallasvuo, i think). i really liked this cute yet angsty defense of decoration as a critical practice. i have experienced the knee-jerk reaction of just wanting to make pretty things and not think so hard goshdarnit, only to walk that sentiment back entirely as i argue in my head for the conceptual depth and rigor of prettyness haha.

hiiiiiii! for this edition of the grapefruits sometimes art mail, i'm doing something slightly different. i have been really busy lately, and my attention span isn't what it should be, so reading has been a challenge. instead, i have been listening to more podcasts while doing dishes, making breakfast, etc. it is kind of hard to find art-related podcasts that qualify as the kind of "easy listening" i have been craving lately, but i have put together a few that really hit the spot – hope you like them!

BOMB magazine has a podcast called fuse, and I really enjoyed their latest episode in which writer maggie nelson interviews painter tala madani. i haven't read maggie nelson's recent book, "on freedom," but this made me curious. i have read mixed reviews... anyone out there checked it out yet? also take a listen to this episode if you, like me, love john wilson of the docu-show "how to with john wilson"

hi there,

this is a little late because of the holidays, travel, omicron, whatever. but i say the new year starts whenever you want/need it to! here is an end of 2021/start of 2022 art email for you.

i always enjoy "year in review" type articles, it makes me feel like i was part of something (or totally out of the loop if i don't remember anything on the list!). here's a good one from my old pal the new yorker:

The Year the Art Scene Rebounded, Expanded, and Surrendered to N.F.T.s | The New Yorker

As the city reopened, the art world saw legacy-changing donations for the Met and the Brooklyn Museum, and a seismic shift in Tribeca’s gallery scene.

here are some more art and art-adjacent things you might enjoy:

i can't explain how much i loved this animated fruit rap battle based on a uighur poem... p.s. the navigation buttons on this page are on the bottom left and right (i didn't see them at first)

hi, welcome to the first edition of the grapefruits sometimes art mail! these are a few articles i have read and found interesting recently.

first up, a feature by Léuli Eshrāghi about curating indigenous artists at university of british columbia's museum of anthropology. i appreciated this super direct critique of the way institutions keep reproducing cringey old eurocentric fantasies of pacific island and coastal cultures. it also features work by natalie ball, whose work is so good. check it out here

natalie ball, "bang bang" 2019