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So, these web forms are always a hassle. Excuse the html tags if there are any - it is always difficult to be creative within
a particular structure without things getting a bit messy...
Anyway, tomorrow is the festival of Holi which many South Eurasians and others with religious, cultural and "spiritual" connections
to that region may be familiar with at some level. It is also the first full day in which I won't be in my 20s anymore...
Look out!! My miserable credit will get even worse I suppose?!
To Celebrate and perhaps even make a bit of cash to get up to date on some bills I thought I'd offer you, the arts enthusiast,
some art! The first item I made is completely my creation and it is avialable on Yahoo! Auctions:
http://search.auctions.shopping.yahoo.com/search/auc?alocale=0us&p=nicholas+thompson&auccat=
The second item is both my sister's visual art creation and a letter that has a bit of my art philosophy sort of in a hallmark
style card:
Beware! Auction starts at Midnight New York Time...
http://search.ebay.com/watercolor-isabel-thompson_W0QQsofocusZbsQQ
Well, is it boys against girls, Yahoo! against Ebay or anything else? I'm not much of a verbal person so I'll leave most
of that discussion to those of you who want to think about that... I just hope it will get you thinking about and appreciating
art whether it is verbal, visual, conceptual or anything else. Thanks for visiting my site and the auctions and don't forget
to pay attention to your time zone!
20th of March, 2005 - Berkeley, California
Welcome Spring! - Well, thank you Al Gore (or Tim B. Lee etc) for allowing me to reach a far larger audience than I would
have thought possible when I was in India in Junior High. It has certainly made me think quite a bit about context and about
getting politicians and myself to think differently. Maybe some of them have even visited museums (which should of course
showcase more contemporary art from from outside North America) and watched movies that they wouldn't have otherwise. I
feel fortunate that I don't always have to be representing myself as politicians inevitably must to be taken seriously (what
could be more boring or dangerous than a constantly serious artist?!). Well, I've certainly gone way too far in some ways
and maybe not far enough in others.
Anyway, now... get off the internet and enjoy the (unless you happen to be in the "wrong" hemisphere - or in already
sweltering...) lengthening days and wonderful weather!
Ides of March
I suppose THE GATES and other art projects which have impacted New New Yorkers are causing quite a stir about the
whole idea of what art is of late. This day in March is certainly an important one by some accounts for Senators, Emperors
and other politicians. Politics aside, it certainly takes lots of guts for anyone to move to a foreign if familiar place
particularly when people have a fixed idea of what they are based on where they've come from and what they've done before.
One year ago today some children in Delhi, India were helping me paint and they did a really good job. This isn't
to say that they didn't benefit from my guidance or that their "pre-contact" art would be on par with that
of children or adults here in the West from a Western perspective. A major reason for and benefit of the arts of course
is so that a particular society can gain some perspective on where it has come from and even where it might be going.
For instance, who would have guessed that while health benefits have been on the wane from employers from Wegmans to Weyerhauser
that a company like EBAY would institute them for some of the most independent minded people around? I don't want to
slight any company in particular but who'd want to work in old Hollywood if they could work at such an innovative
place??
The westernization and globalization now affecting India will certainly offer myself and others more interesting insight
into "South Asian Art", "intersocietal" and "intercultural" art but this is sort of a silly and academic way
of thinking about it. What is almost certain is that the demographic and geographic shifts in the coming decades will
be part of an amazing change in Indian society. I don't believe that I'm going to help children in slums suddenly
get western clients and healthcare by being EBAY artists. What I do think is that I'll be able to watch and even participate
a bit in the arts scene as it inevitably becomes both more western and more original.
For someone like myself who has had an eye towards conceptual and abstract art the ancient, rural, and family based nature
of much of the arts in India may be hard to get used to. However, whether I'm around or not the growing cities and crowded
subways are changing Indian society and art and changing the perception of who can and should be an artist in India.
I just hope I can keep up with some of what is going on!
1st of March, 2005 Berkeley, California
A big thanks to all of you who took part in the Send it to the Senate project ( now at https://notsang.tripod.com/sendit.html ) in February. I, Nicholas Thompson, and I hope many other artists, activists and others appreciate the fact you cared
and I suppose still are willing and able to visit this URL.
So - about the big day Sunday: Well, I don't know if I would call SIDEWAYS so original but as my friend Aaron told
Alexander P (the director) it was an enjoyable evening of film watching. In more private discussions we felt the
acting is what really made it matter although THE ACADEMY seems to have only given that a passing nod. Having
said that it is odd that the two actors I thought would get nominated didn't (not to take anything away from those who did).
In fact, (sorry Jack) although it may not have been as demanding as playing something like Jean D'Arc, I felt the acting was
pretty much as good as it gets given what they had to work with.
Well, you probably won't find me writing any screenplays or novels given what I did to the last paragraph.
Furthermore, I can only imagine what a strange director I would make dealing with these terribly talented A-list actors.
Anyway, since Alexander is hard at work on the next project no doubt I wish my friend (who definitely asked Alexander
for work), curious George and any other actors out there with a hankering for films with MidWest angst the
best of luck. Perhaps he'll "sell out" and do a remake of THE WILD ONE in Omaha near Warren's Steakhouse.
When is my Birthday?!
better not tell you - it is often a security question and you might mess up my remarkably great credit..
What Makes You Special...
absolutely nothing other than where I came from (who know's where I'm headed...)
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