uncertain americans pt 3

An interesting aspect of the Uncertain States of America show is that it represents a European perspective of American art during a time when America’s reputation is at a low point. The European art world tends to look its American counterparts with a great deal of cynicism, and America’s recent political decisions haven’t exactly helped. The curators probably took a big risk in putting this show together, and definitely did there homework: “Uncertain States is the result of an extensive, two-year, research project by the curators, who conducted more than 500 studio visits throughout the United States, compiling over 2000 files on young American artists. Their selections reflect an astute, yet contentious, assessment of the current state of American art and culture. “The exhibition is not entirely American-influences come from everywhere,” state Birnbaum, Kvaran, and Obrist. “In a period where the official political culture of the United States is viewed with great skepticism on the other side of the Atlantic, it seems important to remind ourselves of this complexity. The ‘Uncertain States of America’ are not only uncertain, they are many.”

(american artists uncertain about which way the restaurant is)
So in a way, we are all sort of like a strange band of delegates or ambassadors. The New York exhibition was the second time that we have all gathered for the opening of the Uncertain States of America show, and marks the only planned exhibition within the United States. The first time in Oslo was a little weird; we were mostly strangers to each other and a little disorientated and jetlagged, but we quickly broke the ice and started having fun right away. Next stop is Iceland, followed by London, Denmark, and then hopefully Moscow and Beijing.
This time around things got a little nutty. We were all staying in the dorms on the Bard campus and it was like an art-school-flash-back. An odd theme that emerged this weekend was we were consistently trying to pack as many people into small spaces as possible. From a refrigerator to a Ford Taurus to a lecture hall hosting a panel discussion to a swimming pool, we often found ourselves smooshed together in confined spaces. We did manage to get 3 people into the refrigerator and 8 people into the Taurus (sorry, no counts on lecture hall or swimming pool.)

(Edgar directs and is positive we can get one more person in the fridge)

(Taft’s true love is roller skating / Tasha, Matt, Hannah, and Monica cruising top speed in a Ford Taurus)