arts
Close Enough
An acting teacher once told me the most intimate thing you can do on stage is touch someone’s face. You could …
Mourning
I’ve found bits of everyone in you. There is no more grass in my yard, only clover. Found a way through …
When We Wander Onscreen As Ourselves
Chris Gethard is a mainstay at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in New York. His anti-talk show, The Chris Gethard Show, …
The Rite of Spring
I went to see the turned-in feet of Le Sacre moving still, under the curtain. Pagan Russia still moving Nijinsky’s flatness. …
Spring Break
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From Water
“And have you seen the water that you drink? Is it you who brought it down from the clouds, or is …
Self-Aware Game
Look, You're Inside the Machine
Eminent game designer Tim Schafer recently asked himself a question: “Are games art?” His response: “Oh man, who cares.” But as …
Of Mindless Men
She has no photograph, but when Marie Jane recalls the morning the zombi broke down the side door of her home, …
From Water
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Hands on Rawhide
A Conversation with Sarah Bliss
When you see Sarah Bliss in line at the post office, you probably can’t guess what she’s thinking. Sarah Bliss has …
Having It All
A Conversation with Jonathan Lethem
“Genre bending” is a term that has recently come into a strange sort of critical vogue. In light of literary fiction’s …
Redux Dictionary
These words may be out of print, but if vintage is cool then archaic is next-level. Drop one of these babies …
Cairo 52
In between Cairo's high-rise hotels and dusty highways, riverboats lie anchored along the Nile, pumping Egyptian pop songs and multi-colored lights. …
Redux Dictionary
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French Connection, RI
Adulte Terrible Like any attempt to periodize an artistic movement in its contemporary, the phrase “New French Extremity” is only about …
Dear Edgar
The Life and Letters of Sarah Helen Whitman
Draped in the pale, empty elegance of lace, Helen’s look is haunting. It’s appropriate, against the cool, grainy darkness of the …
How to Save a Life
Talking to David Shields
The 2010 release of David Shields’s (B ‘78) Reality Hunger saw some of the greatest attention paid to a work of …
Hair
From follicles in the middle layer of skin, out sprouts the dead thing. Hair begins in the bulb-shaped organ called the …
Hog Wild
Imbolc, or the Festival of the Lactating Sheep This day, Imbolc,¹ splits the year between winter solstice and spring equinox. On …
Optimize Your Valentine's Day
A Communication Guide
You have champagne, chocolate, candles, and a copy of Casablanca. All the pieces are there, but now it’s go-time and your …
The Worst Kind of Punchline
“power fails and 49ers surge, but Ravens Win” - The New York Times. “Lights Out! Ravens Win the Super Bowl!” - …
Pitchfork Advance
Spanning Streaming’s Single/Album Divide
“Physical is best. Touch it. Smell it right after opening the shrink-wrap. Take it off the shelf to show to your …
Sissieretta
Sissieretta said: “The flowers absorb the sunshine because it is their nature. I give out my melody because God filled my …
Present Time
A Conversation with CAConrad
With painted fingernails and a large crystal hanging around his neck, he made a strong impression. A native of rural Pennsylvania, …
Collect and Disseminate
An Interview with Brian Shimkovitz
I met Brian Shimkovitz, the charming founder of Awesome Tapes from Africa (ATFA), a couple of summers ago. He was an …
“Benje een Buitenlander?”
Zwarte Piet and Blackface in the Netherlands
From mid-november until December 6, his grinning face was omnipresent. I saw him in the festively decorated windows of shops’ and …
Talking About Utility
Enumerating Art In The Western World
1. Episteme, from Ancient Greek: knowledge or science. An understanding of principles, know-how. Techne, from Ancient Greek: craftsmanship. Applied know-how, often …
The Problem With Portraits
Last month, the British National Gallery opened an hour early so that Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge (Kate Middleton) …
Optimize Your Valentine's Day
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Dispatches
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Dynamic Range
The Politics of Popular Dance
This is not about you. You will not Travolta across the dance floor, the neon lights on the lapels of your …
It Comes From Language
A Conversation With George Saunders
George Saunders is the man of the proverbial literary hour after the January 8 publication of his book Tenth of December—which …
Waiting For It
An interview with improvisors TJ & Dave
Every once in a while, an artist or ensemble emerges that reminds the medium of its own possibilities. Emerges is the …
The Openings
The galleries in Chelsea are white. Their floors are usually polished concrete. Galleries are modern. Their job is to highlight the …
The House on Broadview Terrace
A few days after hurricane sandy made her way, clumsily, morbidly, along the Atlantic Coast, a friend emailed my father a …
UNTITLED (2012)
A Retrospective
My last relationship consisted of me, my boyfriend, and Tom Friedman. My boyfriend and I used to look at a book …
Inventory
Suxist In the wake of two well-publicized condemnations of art journalism—art market writer Sarah Thornton’s list of “Why Writing in the …
Journaling: An Interview with n+1's Mark Greif
In the fall of 2004, the first issue of n+1 was released, a triannual literary magazine featuring essays, criticism, and fiction …
Landscaping Fine Arts
The promise of Art.sy's Genome Project
In 2011, the launch of Google Art Project brought the public instant access to seven billion pixels worth of artistic masterpieces …
Throwback Live
Nas, Lauryn Hill, and '90s Nostlagia
It would’ve been hard for me to pass up Nas and Lauryn Hill’s double bill on Monday night at Lupo’s. They’re …