November 11, 2009
Blart
What it is: Colin, Sucher & Sons Star Wars Store, Aberdeen, Washington (2007), photograph, by Eirik Johnson Where it is: Henry Art Gallery
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Courtesy G. Gibson Gallery
This boy, named Colin, stands at the center of the Sucher & Sons Star Wars store (is he one of the sons?) like somebody frozen at the lip of a black hole just before disappearing. This photograph was taken in Aberdeen, after all: all past, no future. The place from which Kurt Cobain made his escape. Another disappearing Northwest town that was once all sawmills and whorehouses and saloons and gambling joints—even an aborted nuclear plant. Colin is frozen here so that a moment can be taken to ask: Where is this kid going? 
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1
I grew up in Aberdeen. Actually, I spent a good deal of junior high school at the old location of that store hanging out with one of the relevant sons.
That is just background information for the following statement:
This photo and accompanying article just flattened me.
That is just background information for the following statement:
This photo and accompanying article just flattened me.
2
Sure, I grew up in a small town (Vashon Island) too. I was completely mesmerized by this photo. There's a sign behind the kid that says "everything half Off today" or something like that. Really awesome. Coincidentally, I'm now wearing a pair of slacks that I found thrifting in Aberdeen the last time I drove through on the way to the ocean; 25 cents at SVDP.
Sincerely,
Paul Pauper, Curator
Form/Space Atelier
Sincerely,
Paul Pauper, Curator
Form/Space Atelier
3
@4
Hi Paul,
I’m so happy you came on board and gave thumbs up to Heide. She’s something, isn’t she? All these attacks here against her work really surprise me. I may understand their reactions to her work. When I first experienced her work my first response was what is this crap? Clearly, I didn’t get it. But then I listened to her explain herself and work. It blew me away. I loved the experience of her thick German accent and apparent difficulty with our language. This surprised me too for I found that in listening to her she had, regardless, a remarkably keen sense of doing art. (That Euro centric understanding of art probably has something to teach us.) As she went on, it became clear that there was a profound sense of the contemporary art world in her and that she was not just producing amazing tongue in cheek art objects but was confronting us with something really deep but made of crap. I’m thinking she’s an art superwoman and it’s easy to miss it. So much is ephemeral and so much made of junk and so much understated but ass kicking art wise.
GaryyyyyyyyFinholt
Hi Paul,
I’m so happy you came on board and gave thumbs up to Heide. She’s something, isn’t she? All these attacks here against her work really surprise me. I may understand their reactions to her work. When I first experienced her work my first response was what is this crap? Clearly, I didn’t get it. But then I listened to her explain herself and work. It blew me away. I loved the experience of her thick German accent and apparent difficulty with our language. This surprised me too for I found that in listening to her she had, regardless, a remarkably keen sense of doing art. (That Euro centric understanding of art probably has something to teach us.) As she went on, it became clear that there was a profound sense of the contemporary art world in her and that she was not just producing amazing tongue in cheek art objects but was confronting us with something really deep but made of crap. I’m thinking she’s an art superwoman and it’s easy to miss it. So much is ephemeral and so much made of junk and so much understated but ass kicking art wise.
GaryyyyyyyyFinholt
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