Realistic Means: Winter Selections 2002

The Drawing Center's

RealisticMeans W int er Select ions2oo2 Nu tr too e Cn m Po s Jn m e sDu sr lN An o n e w GRAsslE CvHr HtnL tH REn Rr o CHn r s Ru sn

2B The Drawing Center'sDrawing Room 4owoosterstreet

M a r c hz - A pri t 2 0 , 2o o 2

RealisticMeans Win t er S el ec ti ons 2oo2 N u r uooe C nmpos Jn m e sD us rrN Au o n ewGR A s s rE Cvr urn rn Lrru REn Rro CHn r s R us H

E s s ayb y L u rs C n m rrtz tn

R e a l i s t icMea n s Lur sCnm n trz e n of art fromi ts i ob to acceptanydevi ati on a pubti ci l t-di sposed Dur ingt he f i rs tp a rto f th e tw e n ti e thc e n tu ry, work by the argumentthat of Picasso's the legitimacy of depictingvisuaIrealitywas forcedto acknowledge w as , scapabi ti ty i f he w antedto. On onel evel thi t he ac t uat lyh a dth e a b i ti tyto w o rki n a re a l i s mode On another r eas s ur ing s i,n c ei t me a n th e w a sp a i n ti n gthe w ay he w asby choi ce,ratherthanby acci dent. prej udi ce that onehadto l earnhowto drawfromreati ty t ev el,t his c o n te n ti o h n e l p e dfu e lth e w i d e s pread as a deviationhadto be beforeattemptingany otherformof art-that the rightto workin a vein perceived ear ned,wit h a n e m p h a s ios n th e w o rd s" ri g h t"and" earned."

E quatedw i th I n t his r es p e c t,re a l i s mh a sl o n ge n j o y e da n aturalki nshi pw i th academi icnsti tuti ons: reference for arti sts,the putati veori gi nof arti sti cski tts.Thi s f ait hf utr end e ri n gi t, h a sb e e na p e d a g o g i c al i t hasal soreduced aestheti c, ac adem icbi a sh a sn o t o n l ytre a te dre a l i s mas a fal sel yhomogeneous onl y.A cl oserl ooki nto the hasexi stedi n appearance r ealis mt o t h e te v e to f c ra ft.Bu t th i s h o m o g enei ty andthe i n renderi ng, t r adit ionr e v e a l sth e te n s i o n sb e tw e e nth e n oti onsof i deal i sti magi ng,accuracy matter of fai thful l y l s real i sm a of truth. l p ti c a ti o nof im s certai ndefi ni ti ons ideologic aatn d p h i to s o p h i c a i n the servi ceof an por t r ay ing w h a tw e s e e ,o r i s th e rero o mto smuggl ei n somedegreeof mani putati on or i s real i smj ust im aginedid e a t?l s w h a t w e s e ew h a t re a l l ye xi stsoutsi dethe confi nesof our percepti on, a t ool t o do c u me npt e rc e p tu aml o d e s ?l f w hatw e seei s real l ythereand the w ayw e seei t, do w e haveto (true)real i ty?

Thetensi onsthat surroundthese ac k nowt ed gaed i v i n ea u th o ro f th a t i n d e p e ndent ques t ionssu g g e s ct o m p l e xa n d d i v i d e dw a y sof seei ngthi ngs. een p the debateovertheretati onshibetw T heem er ge n coef " h y p e rre a l i s mi n" th e r9 6 o sfurtherenri ched (parti cul arl y the by C l aude S hannon), as descri bed per c eiv er theory an d p e rc e i v e dIn. ftu e n c ebdy i n fo r mati on per of detai las defi nedby i nformati on-densi ty te r' n s e wc h a l l e n gw a maxi mum e a sto a c h i e ve r ealis pain t pai nti ngat thi sti me yet i roni cal l y, extreme, s quar einc h ." R e n d e ri n gw" a sta k e nto a n u nprecedented i nsteadto surpass l yi thth e w aythe camera" sees,"attempti ng g e rc e p tu a lw s t oppedc omp e ti n p of the w orl doutsi deus, Thereati tyof reference, phot ogr ap hdi co c u me n ta ti obny fo c u s i n go n resol uti on. peri nch:Thel ensbecame dots mere matter of d y a " re a ti ty "e m p ti e do ut of content,a c am et o be r e p ta c e b becamea ki nd m or eim por ta nth t a nw h a tw a sb e i n gto o k e dat. W i thi ts focuson formali ssues,hyperreal i sm A sa approaches. to, moderni st of r ealis mt h a t c o u l do n l yh a v eb e e nth e re sul tof, ratherthana precedent pedagogi cal had approach c ons eque n coefth i s n e wp l a c e me nit,t b e c amecl earthatthe establ i shed as to w hatP i casso openi ngroomfor specutati on e i th [o g i c atnecessi ty, c h ro n o l o g i csael q u e n cw c onf us ed on. c m ighthav ed o n eh a dh e b e e ns p a re da n a c ademieducati that underwenta rolein the shapingof creativeexpression for rendering's It was not only expectations paradi gm A new camei ntobei ng ti me. at the T h ew h o teo f W e s te rna rt w a sb e i n g" conceptual i zed" r ev is ion: on dbe seen of a probl em-formul aticoul wher ear t is s u e sw e rere p h ra s eads " p ro b l e ms"(eventhe absence fromsomeof thei rformer themsel ves T h u sa rti s t scameto di stance as t he f or m u l a ti oonf a p ro b l e m). to the wortdof crafts,moreor lessceasingto usethemto generateart proiects(e.g."painting connections painting"), for exampte.Onceart was seenas a way of solvingproblems,craftsweretreatedas mere about p ro d u c ti o n . of ins t r um en ts hascometo be seenas to,g e th ew r i th th e other" i sms"of the tw enti ethcentury, S inc et he 6o s ,h y p e rre a l i s m revival of nineteenth' post-pop rather than a art avant-garde a movementof the past,a varietyof lateor practi ce. as N egl ected as a vi abl e , a l i s mi ts e l fh asby andl argebeennegl ected c ent ur yr ea l i s m.M e a n w h i l ere etconceptual i zatial onl ow edfor a maj orchangei n on. welthasbe e nth e i mp a c to n i t o f c o n c e p tu a ti zati Y for realismto occur:Artistssoonwerefreeto regardit as a strategyratherthana requirement prove render accuratel y, they coul d no need to that T h e re w as dem ons t r a ti nteg c h n i c acl o mp e te n c e .

E venthe bel i efthatthe w orl di s, i n to anypurpose. th e yw e refre eto a p p l yth e a ctof renderi ng t her e fo re Withits absoluteness lost,realismhasbecomea absoluteterms,the way we seeit, is no longerrelevant. l o th e rsw model. val i di tyno greaterthananyotherdecentstructuraI , i th cogni ti ve f or mo f o rd e rp a ra l teto of the w orkof si xarti stsi n the hands n x p l o reth s e s ei ssuesthroughan exami nati on T hep re s e net x h i b i ti o e i l l ustrati on, andbecome and/ornarrati ve of wh o mre a l i s mh a ss to p p e db e i n ga tool for si mpl edepi cti on l t i s bei ngusedt o medi tati on, obsessi on, andmemory. ins t e a da w a yto e x p l o rei s s u e sl i k ed econstructi on, Fortheseartists,the choiceof realismis realitiesand differentformsof representation. explorealternative be val i dated as ski l tfulgui , dedsotetyby the needto sol v eand b y th e i rl o ngi ngto an inf o rm e do n e ,u n ta i n te d ex pr e s p s a rti c u tapr ro b te mas t a g i v e nmoment.

A n i ntense of hi ssurroundi ngs. actthat refi neshi s know l edge I n Re n a to 'ws o rk ,d ra w i n gi s a me d i ta ti onal pl aces the arti ston a l eveIw her e c om m u n i c a ti owni th " th i n g s "(h efe e t she can" touchthemw i th hi seyes" ) obl ectson the surfaceofthe pape r to re-construct he c a ng ra s pth e i re s s e n c e sF.ro mth e re,he proceeds e as, eachi s the i nescapablresult bei ngal mostcoi nci dental anyr e s e m b l a n cbee tw e e nm o d e tsa n ddraw i ngs by the artistin his search Bothareonlysynchronized of separatesystemsof growth,of differentchemistries. f or t h e i ri n n e rn a tu re s .

CynthiaLinusesthe mediumto extractaestheticlawsfromthe In herdrawingsof dust and [intformations, areusedto expl orethe fronti erbetw eenorderanddi sor der , e draw i ngs inv is i b l eSe . e mi n g ltro y m p eI' o e i l th and reatism.Linlooksat dustas one mightlookat and arestrangelyplacedbetweenAbstract-Expressionism on the mostdi spensablthings e i t i n tro d u ces onl ya mi ni mumof order.B y focusi ng s plat te rsa, n d i n d e p i c ti n g betw eenart andnon-art,forci ngus to confrontperceptual ly s ur r o u n d i nugs ,s h ei d e n ti fi eas me mbrane negle c tepda rtso f o u r p h y s i c ael n v i ronment. to the i deaof art aboutar t . e vea di fferentdi mensi on s y AndrewGrassi gi T heima g e so f mu s e u ms i tu a ti o n b that containsit. Oftenre-portraying environment by creatinga meta-artistic Grassieout-hypershyperreatism hi s pi ecesremi ndoneof the QuakerOatsm an out s ta n d i negx a m p l eos f th e w o rkfro mthat peri od' sheyday, on t he o a tm e abl o xh o l d i n ga b o xw i th hi s ow ni magehol di nga box,andso on dow nthe l i ne.W hi l ei ma geclearwhenGrassie cyclebecomesparticularly wisea photographwouldbe equallyefficient,this referentiaI pains ta k i n gpl ya i n tso r d ra w sh i s i n s ta l tati on shots. viewfinderto framehis images,"freezing"themas if theywere Nunode Camposusesa camera's The photographs, thoughof courseit is the modeIwho is frozen,forcedto behaveas if in a snapshot. by the a feel i ngof ci nematisl c owmoti on,onei ntensi fi ed s u srecreates ens u i n gs e q u e n c o e f d ra w i n g th awar e n e sosf th e ti m en e e d e dfo r th e draw i ng.

Theotheri s w i ththe popul arnoti onof l andscape. : ei s concerned J am e sD u s ti nw o rk so n tw o l e v e l sOn to which,usuaItyusedas secondary accessories evolvedfrom his thinkingaboutframesandviewfinders, ). i ntoarchi tectural modets(" pavi ti ons"Through these ex c lu d e x tra n e o ui sn fo rma ti o nD, u s ti nconverts modelandthe l andscape becomea the handmade c ons tru c ti o nhse th e nfra me sa g i v e nv i ew .Together, realitythat onlyexistsin hiswork. unifiedand equallybelievable Gently, ChrisRushcetebrates and vindicatessubjectswho haveneverbeengivena chancein portraiture. vatuesthat emanatefromthe conceptof he confrontsus with the discriminatory and devastatingly, lovingty, of standardi zed beauty, afteral l ,i s not to determi nati ons " nor m a l c y ."

C ta s s i fy i nth g e w o rl da c c o rdi ng programmati c sti n thi s probabty arti l y not,R ush, the most l l i c a ti o n sIn. te nti onalor wit ho u ti d e o to g i c ai mp gr oup ,l e a d su s to a fo rmo f p o l i ti c ael nl i ghtenment.

N u r. ro or CRmpos Thedrawingsin this showbelongto a seriesin whichthe femaleprotagonist mediatesher rapportwith us in groupsofthreeand presented by meansofa rangeofobiects.Thedrawingswereconceived as triptychs.

Eachpart of the triptychrepresents in whicha womanwearinga [ate-6os a momentin a shortnarrative, patterneddressholdsand displaysan obiect,looksat it in an absorbedmanner,or offersit to us.The genericmomentsrepresented in eachdrawingcarrythe tensionof what hasjust happenedand what is aboutto develop.Throughthem,we areimplicatedin an act ofacceptance/refusal and desire,bothcovetous and promising.

Theobjectsthat arethe centralfocusof thesenarratives sharea similarcharacteristic.

Thewomanin Knife hasa miniatureSwissArmyknifethat she handsout. lt servesto represent the time in lifewhena childis offeredthe first adulttoy,with alt the latentexpectation and dangerof adolescence that that entails.Justtike the drawings,theseobjectsembodythe elusiveabitityto transformtheirbeholders.

Theydo this not only practical functions, but also through their cultural and ideological contents. throughtheir BoRN f N P o R T o , P o R T U G a 4 1 9 6 9 ; L r vEs r N Bn o o r r vN, NY.

W o n r s t t t H e ExHte ltto t' l D i m e n s i o n sa r e i n in ch e s,fo llo we db y ce n tim e te r s;h e i ght precedesw i dth precedesdepth U n t e s so t h e r w i sen o te d .wo r ks a r e in th e co lle ctio n so f the arti sts.

Knife #2, zooo Graphite o n p a p er r4 x rr in. (j5.7 x z7.g cm) courtesyofthe CliffordSmithGallery,Boston Knife #3, zooo Graphite o n p a p er 14x rr in. (35.7x 27.9 cm) courtesyofthe CliffordSmithGallery,Boston Knife #4, zooo G r a p h i t eo n p a p er 14x rr in. (j5.7 x 27.9 cm) collectionof MadalenaTeixeira,Lisbon,Portugal

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N uN o D EC AMPos,K ni fe #2, zooo Graphi te on paper,14 xti n. (35.7x27.9 cm).

N uN o D EC AMPos,K ni fe #3,2ooo Graphi te on paper,74x l i n. (35.2x27.9 cm)

Nuruoor CAMPos, Knife#4, zooo craphite onpaper, r4 x t in.(35.7 x27.9cm).

Du srr n J n nnes a subject interesthasbeenin presenting thingsin multipleviews:to betterunderstand My tong-running pavilionmode]s Forthe lastseveralyears,I havebeenbuitdingsma[[architectural throughre-examination. landscape takingup the outsideon my studiorooi with viewsof the surrounding that are photographed and exhibitedwith basedon the photographs openspacesofthe models.Thepaintingsarethenconstructed the models.

Withthe paperPavilionpaintings,the modelhas beendesignedwith variousopeningsin the wallsand the of tight,as well as to framethe viewsoutsidethe model.Themodetis seen roofto allowfor the penetration in a varietyof ways,as the tightand changingshadowsdocumentthe passageof time.Theindividualsheets providea frameworkthat allowsthe subtledifferences betweenimagesto emerge. suggesting the possibilityof rea[built space,with Thearchitectural sca]eof the paintingsis ambiguous, with the modelon handforviewing,one is drawnto comparing beyond.However, viewsof the city landscape the paintingsto the spaceas definedby the model.

Bo nn rruE X E T E RN, E w H A M p s H r Re ,7 9 5 9 ; L tvEs tN Bn o o r lvn , NEw Y oR K .

SeriesPP 80,7999-2ooo Set of six sheets Acrylicon preparedpaper 24 x 46 in. (6o.96x 16.84 cm) Pavilion ModeI 5.1, t9g9-2ooo PaintedMDFboard& basswood 7 xg x 4 tlz in. Q7.78x 22.86x r7.4Jcm) SeriesPP70,79gg-2ooo Set of six sheets Acrylicon preparedpaper z4 x 46 in. (5o.96x u6.84 cm) Pavilion Model n.3(b), r999-zooo PaintedMDFboard& basswood 7 x g x 4 tl z in. G7.78x 22.86x tt.4j cm)

DusrlN,SeriesPP8o, t999-zooo JAMEs paper, x 116.84 cm).

24x 46in.(60.69 Acrylic onprepared

PavilionModel5.t, JemesDusrrru, for SeriesPP8o, t999-zooo. wood,7 x 9 x 4 rl z in.

Painted (r7.78 x 22.86 x 77.43 cm).

Ar u o R e w GRRssre O r dinar ilypai , n ti n g cs o meb e fo ree x h i b i ti o n s.

P ai nti ngs are pai nted,a hangi s devi sed, andthe ensui ngshow (for betteror worse)"represents" the works.ln the lastfew years,AndrewGrassiehasingeniously reversed g n u mb e ro f teasi ngtrompe-l ' oeipai t his" nat ur al"o rd e rb y p ro d u c i n a I nti ngs that represent the exhi bi ti ons in whic ht heya p p e a r-i n c l u d i n ga,t ti m e s ,th e t easi ngtrompe-l ' oeipai I nti ngs themsel ves.

Grassi e'strategy s ( whic hs t r ong tyi n d i c a teas ta s tefo r b ri n k ma nshiand p the burni ngof mi dni ghtoi t)i s as fol l ow s.Theshowi s ins t alled.

P ho to g ra p hasreta k e na n dd e v e l o p ed and pri nted;thenGrassi pi e cksone,squaresi t up, t r ans c r ibes it in te mp e ras, e tsth e p a i n ti n gi n i ts pre-prepared frameandthen-here I' mguessi ng-heruns to the galleryas ifthe devilwereafterhim and dashesup the stepsgaspingfor breathand burststhrough the doorand slamsthe pictureon the wa[[and checksit's straightand wipesoff the sweatyfingerprints and ahh. . . T hega l l e ryo p e n s th , e p u b l i cs ta rtsto arri ve,andeveryone i s i ntri gued: H owcana pai nti ng' s h a t,a t l e a s ti n p ri n c i pl e, r ef er entbe a p h o to g ra pth coul dn' be t takenti tl afterthe pai nti ngw asmade?

O f c our s e,a m i n u tea c t o f fu d g i n gl i e sa t th e c o reof thesemi meti ctabl eaux.

E achi magenecessari l y containsa tiny,treacherous sectionthat isn'ttranscribed froma photograph, but evolvedfromthe artist's v is ualim agin a ti o n T.h e s es m a l Ib u t c ru c i a"l o ff" momentsarecl ues,al erti ngvi ew ersto the arti st' s persistentinterestin anomalies-detailsthat are somehow, subtly,not quiteright.Forexample,he'spainted grubby-tooki ng a J udyChic ag p o i e c ei n s ta l l e di n u n d i g n i fi epdr oxi mi ty to a net curtai n;a R odi nscul pture ( whic hbegst o b e s e e ni n th e ro u n d )s h u n te di ntoa cornerat TateModern;pai nti ngs

by A gnesMarti nand M at c olmM or l e yh u n ga n d p h o to g ra p h ecdh e e k -by-j ow sol that botharerhomboi ds, argui ngw i thone anot her(.E v e nw h i teth e ys u c c e e d i n b e i n gb e auti ful lbal y anced composi ti ons, Grassi e'pai s nti ngs ac k nowledgaen de x te n dC h u c kC to s e 'ps ro i e c t,i nsi sti ng gazeof the on the undi scri mi nati ng, mechani cal camera,whichrecordsa powersocketas lovingty, and lovetessty, as a "masterpiece" of Westernart.) (or Thosefudgedmomentsalsounderlinephotorealism's basic,paradoxical investment in success-in-failure f ailur e- in- s u c c e sEv s ):e ryp h o to re a l i spta i n ti n ghasa cri ti calvi ew i ngpoi ntat w hi chmessage succumbs to medium,and whenGrassie's realismevaporates, refinement and gracetakeover.However, this isn'tthe levet at whichthe worksare "beautifut.""Paintingis not aboutideas"wroteAgnesMartinin ry72-but skipthat.

T hes ewit t it ys e ri o u sw o rk si n v i tea n a tti tu d ei n w hi chvi sualabsorpti on andcri ti calandhi stori caI readi ng and r e- r eadinign te rtw i n e h o l i s ti c a l ty T h. ep l e a sure startsthere. -R ncH el W rrH rns

Bonr lru E DI N B U R G HS,c o r r n r u o , 7 9 6 6 ; u vts tN L o NDo N, Er u Gr n ro.

MalcolmMorleyand AgnesMartin,2ool T e m p e ro an p a p e r 9 7I 16x tt tl $ in. (24 x z8 cm) c o u r t e s yM o b i l eH om e ,L o n d o n Locus+,7999 T e m p e r oa n p a p e r 7 77 l7 6x t z 5 1 8i n . ( 2 8x 3 z cm ) c o u r t e s yM o b i l eH o m e ,L o n d o n Locus+,2ooo T e m p e ro an p a p e r lt tl 76x tz 518in. (28x 3z cm) c o u r t e s yM o b i l eH o m e ,L o n d o n Locus+,zoot T e m p e ro an p a p e r 1 11 l7 6x t z 5 1 8i n . ( 2 8x 3 z cm ) c o u r t e s yM o b i l eH o m e ,L o n d o n After ChuckClose,ry99 P e n c ioLn p a p e r q t 3 l 1 6x t t t l t 6 i n . ( 3 5x z8 cm ) c o u r t e s yM o b i l eH o m e ,L o n d o n After ChuckClose,zooz P e n c iol n p a p e r q 4 1 t 6 x t t t l t 6 i n . ( 3 5x z8 cm ) c o u r t e s yM o b i l eH om e ,L o n d o n

A n o n r w GRASST F E,isch li& We iss,T a teM o d e rn, zoot Mobi l eH ome,London T e m p e ro a n p a p e r9, 7I t6 x tz SI 8 in . ( zq x 3 z cm ) .C ourtesy

CvnrHrnLrru I drawthe barelyvisiblein orderto observewhat happenswhenwe are pushedto the limitsof whatwe can seeor know.Otherthoughtsinfluencethe imagewhenwe fail to recognize or entirelydiscernformsbefore pepper us.A smatteringof spitted maysuggestflocksof birds,for example,and memoriesof abandonment couldbe projectedonto a hairctipping.Wispsof threadmayhint at a mysterious foreignalphabet,andwith continuedtooking,bodypartsand topographical mapsmaybeginto emerge.Microscopic structures trigger macrocosrnic Whatstartsout as a randomoccurrence connections. becomesorganized throughthe process fromscienceas well as fromart.Thedepictionof whatcannotbe of drawingusingvariousvisuallanguages seen,suchas diagramsof invisiblemagneticforcesor microscopic crystalstructures, inspiremy methodsof chartingthe energyand movementbetweenunsightlyhairs.

Theseactual-size drawingsof lint,dust,and hairare meantto engagean uncomfortable tensionbetween instinctand intellect.Conflicted, the mindstrugglesto suppressthe body'simpulseto blowor brushaway theseillusorybut truly irritatingsheddings.

Therea[,the represented, andthe imaginedintertwine,leading to contradictory experiences of seeing,feeting,and knowing.Theserenderings of intimatedebrishavethe potentialto both disturband givepleasure.

Viewingthem requiressidestepping our senseof impropriety, for personal public we tendto closelyexamine evidencereluctantly in a setting.A slighttyunnaturalelegance, however, separates thesedrawingsfromtheiroriginalsource. playsa significantrolein the work.Intense achievedthroughspareand considered arrangements Quietness focusrequiredto identifythe minutecreatesa meditativespacethat freesmindsto wanderand wonder.

Peculiarand inexplicable musingsoccurin suchmomentsof privacy.

Retrieving the undesirable dustfromthe cornersof my consciousness, I re-seewhatis usuallyunseen.I discover that experiencing beautymaybe enigmatic, demanding, Throughsuchvisualseduction, transient.

I arriveat a liberating acceptance of shiftingirreconcilable experience, a richandessential aspectof humanlife.

Bo nnrruTa r per T,ar wer796 u, 4 ;u v e srNN E W Yo R K, NY.

ShelfDrawing#1,2oo1 S i l v e ra n d g e s s oo n p a p e r 6 712x 78 in. (16.5x 45.7cm) ShelfDrawing#2,2ool G r a p h i t ea n dg e s soo n p a p e r 6 x 18 in. Q5.24x 45.7cm) Shelf Drawing#3, zoot S i l v e ra n d g e s s oo n p a p e r 6 x 27 712in. (t5.24x 54.6 cm) Shelf Drawing#7,2oo7 S i l v e ra n dg e s s oo n p a p e r 9 314 x 29 314 in. (24.77x 75.57cm) ShelfDrawing#8, zoot-zooz Silverand gessoon paper 8 718 x 18 I 18 in. (zz.Sqx 47.94 cm) Shelf Drawing#9, zoot-zooz G r a p h i t ea n dg e s s oo n p a p e r 1 2x 2 9 3 1 4i n . ( 3 o .+ 8x 7 5 .5 7cm ) ShelfDrawing#rc, zoor-zooz Sitverand gessoon paper 7 314 x 79 in. $9.69 x 49.9 cm) I t c h# 1 0 , 2 o o l G r a p h i t ea n dg e s soo n p a p e r t o j l 4 x t 3 t l z i n . ( z7 .3 tx3 4 .zgcm )

Cvrurxta Ltn, Breath #t7, zooo. Silverand gessoon paper,14x t in. (35.56x 27.94 cm).

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Rerunro TenThousandThingsthat Breathe To breatheis to be. I paintas I breathe;I paintuntilthe paintingbreathes.

Thereis no thoughtof representation or illustration whenI create.Thedrawingsin this seriespointto nothingand haveno meaning.Theydefinethemselves; they manifestbeing. practiceofcreatingball-point-pen paintings.

I havechosenthe simpleand never-ending TheobjectsI paint arethingsthat happeninto my pathand filt me with the needto create.Theycan be bottlecaps,a sectionof a bambooflute,a tangledpile of driedfish.

Theprocessis simple.I seean object,I sit beforeit, I touchit with my eyes.My gazegraduallyspreadsall overand beneaththe obiect'ssurface.Thisis not an exclusively visualexperience; thereis alsoa tactile aspect-like knowingthe sharpness of a bladeby tookingat a moundof cut clay,or understanding the thicknessand stickinessof paintas it arcsovercanvas.

In painting"TenThousand Thingsthat Breathe,"I gentlybrushthe tip ofthe balt-pointpenalongthe paper's fibers,pressingthe film of greasyink into the paper'stiny pits,workingin layersas sometransformation is achieved.Everywork is the embodiment of a continuingmoment.

Thetip of my balt-pointpen rollson paper.Thepaintingbreathes.

ThenI let it go. I moveto another,and continuethe cvcle.

B o nr rHCnm nnr Hes S un,P n trp p rr' rE7s9,6 7 L ; rv E rN s N e wY o n r,N Y Iwelve Untitled drawings, r997-zoor from the series"TenThousandThingsthat Breathe" B a t l p o i npt e no n p a p e r 5 t l z x S i n . j 3 . 97 xzo 3 zin .)

penonpaper, Thingsthat Breathe."Ballpoint RENAro, Untitled,ggg,fromthe series"TenThousand 5tlzxBin.

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CHn rs R u s n junk shopsandthrift storesfor evidenceof life outsidemy littteworld.Overand over As a childI searched againlwould comeacrossold medicalbooksfull of scaryand beautifulimages,the bodygrownwild and Thesedocumentshauntedme. unfamitiar.

YearslaterI baseda paintingon a blurryimagefromarg2os medicaltext,showinga boywith brittlebone disease.In paintingthis strangechildI realizedhow muchbetterit wouldbe to workfromlifethanfromold books. with the agreement ln ry97 | beganvolunteering at a facilityfor peoplewith mentaland physicaldisabilities, hasbeenutterlyremarkable.

In this work,I find that I wouldsketchduringthe quiethours.Theexperience and myselfsurroundedby what seemto be the originalfaces,faceslikethoseseenin Brueghel-unguarded withoutguile.Thesepeopleown atmostnothingin the world,but theyown theirextraordinary completely bodiesandha p p i tyma k en o o th e rc ta i m. my viewis theseindividuals, Afterobservingfor severalmonthsI beganto createportraits.In rendering as natural,ratherthan withoutjudgment.Thework seeksto portraythe subjectsand theirexistence pathological. lfanything,thereis a strangegracearoundmanyofthesepeople,and I havefoundno better way to represent this thanthroughtight. peoplearealmostmissing Howsurprisingit has beenin researching this workto find that theseremarkable fromour culturalrecord.Thetabooagainstlookingat them-recognizing them-is still so strongthat I've watchedmuseumvisitorsrun to get awayfromtheseportraits.Of course,it is my hopethat peoptewill see in thesepictures.As for myself,I haveslowlylearnedthat atl portraitsaresetf somethingof themselves portraits.Quitea few of my subiectshaveneverspokenand I'tl neverknowwhatthey'rethinking.WhenI've theytaugh. shownfinishedportraitsto thosewho canspeak,they oftenhaveno comment.Occasionally

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Emily, zoot Cont!crayonon paper 29 x 26 in. (1j.66 x 66.o4 cm) Beniamin,zoot Cont6crayonon paper 3,6x 29 in. (9t.44 x 3.66 cm)

CHn tsRu sH,Glo r ia , ry99, C ont6crayonon paper,79x 25 i n. (48.26x 63.5ocm)

TheDrowingCenteristhe only not-for-profit institutionin the countryto focussolelyon the exhibitionof drawings,both historicaland contemporary. lt was establishedin976 to provideopportunities for emerging and under-recognized artists;to demonstrate the significance ofdrawingsthroughouthistory;and to stimulatepublicdiatogueon issuesof art and culture.

Thisis numberz8 of the DrawingPopers,a seriesof publications TheDrawingCenter's documenting exhibitions and publicprogramsand providinga forumfor the studyof drawing.TheDrawingPapers publication seriesis printedon Monadnock Dulcetroo# SmoothTextand 8o# DulcetSmoothCover.

Thisexhibitionis madepossible,in part,with assistance fromthe BritishCouncil. the zoor-zoozseasonof possible, part, public Drawing Papers is made the in with fundsfromthe VisualArts Programof the NewYork StateCouncilon the Arts,a stateagency.

Boardof Directors DitaAmory,GeorgeNegroponte, co-choirmen Frances BeattyAdler,MelvaBucksbaum, Dittmer,ColinEisler, JamesM. Clark,Jr.,Frances Etizabeth Factor,BruceW Ferguson, WernerH. Kramarsky, AbbyLeigh,WittiamS. Lieberman, MichaelLynne,Elizabeth Rohatyn*,EricC. Rudin,Dr.AllenLeeSessoms, JeanneC.Thayer*, EdwardH. Tuck,AndreaWoodner Catherinede Zegher,Executive Director *Emerita

The DrawingCenter 35 WoosterStreet NewYork,NY1oo13 fel: zrz-zt9-2t66 Fax:ztz-966-2976 Adam Lehner,Executive Edito\DrawingCenterPublications Luc Derycke,Designer, DrawingCenterPublicotions @ zoozTheDrawingCenter