All Things Equal at Seattle University’s Hedreen Gallery is like a miniature Venice Biennale—sort of. There’s not much spectacle, and not any seduction. Rather, it’s mostly words printed on pieces of paper pinned to the walls. But each piece of paper represents an artist from a different country, and they hang alphabetically according to the name of the countries, from Angola, Barbados, and Cuba to Russia, South Korea, and the United States. In the midst of all these words, on the pages, are only a few scattered images: of “happy slaves” drawn by some 18th-century colonial artist, or Che Guevara’s ubiquitous face, or one big man stepping on a smaller man who is stepping on an even smaller man.
This is not really an art show, but it is the documentation and continuation of an art process. (Now that I write that, it sounds like an art show.) The process was this: Curator Catharina Manchanda asked artists from 23 countries to look up three terms (capitalism, socialism, terrorism) using reference books in their own languages. Her thinking was that all three of these terms represent contemporary issues that essentially span the globe, and that are enduringly trenchant while also being incredibly flexy.
After choosing their “official” definitions, the artists were instructed to translate them into English for presentation to a Seattle audience. They could do this any way they pleased or were able. Not all the artists speak English; some asked friends for accurate translations, some inserted the sounds of their own accents in English (“I am de nevv vorld,” wrote artist Lisa Liedgren, representing Sweden), others preferred the automated distortions provided by Google Translate, and still others—the American representative, poet Pam Dick, for instance—deliberately mistranslated the originals, or mismatched terms with definitions, chose obviously outdated sources, or just plain lied. “There is no entry for this term in the Canadian Encyclopedia,” it reads under the term “capitalism” on Canadian artist Ken Lum’s printout. Canada can’t be that cool, can it?
Manchanda—the new modern and contemporary curator at SAM (and a native of Germany and world traveler, with an easygoing and refreshing international bent)—got the idea for All Things Equal shortly after September 11, when she was working at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, which was just then acquiring a Gerhard Richter painting of German terrorists. As a 10th-anniversary show, All Things Equal is the opposite of the attacks: unspectacular, dense, slow, elusive. Not much to see here, it seems to say. But of course there is, if you look—see the Cuban versus the Israeli definitions of terrorism for a jolt, or the prophetic 1970s Soviet definition of capitalism, or notice that Canada is represented by two artists, not just Lum but Raymond Boisjoly, from the Haida Nation, who submitted this reminder from Haida leader Guujaw: “If all that there was to be known was available in books, we would have little need for each other, or anything else for that matter.” 
I just can’t not comment…
3 issues here:
a) this is so unbelievably corny and kitsch
B) why don’t you have the guts to call this crap out Graves instead of kissing ass?
C) could people stop name dropping the Richter/MOMA reference in every “hopeful. qualification” of what is quickly showing up as a big disappointment for SAM and most importantly the local contemporary art scene when referring to this new curator? It’s not looking like we got much in this deal-after all-the first race out of the gate is “artists around the world”-please- how about artists right here and now?
Simmer mystic.
1.) this has nothing to do with kitsch. nice try. go back to your art 101 dictionary and try another ignorant assessment (you’re bound to hit it sooner or later). try “Rococo” as in, “Man that new show at Hedreen is wack and so unbelievably Rococo!”
b.) if you saw 1/10 of anything you write about, you might not be so quick to judge. interweb potshots easiest thing for an armchair artist.
imaginary number) there are a number of local artists in this exhibition, most of whom do not have formal gallery rep. No ‘insiders’ to be found and proof the curator is certainly not ignoring the “here and now.”
pi) not once have you ever offered an alternative Mystic. you claim there are artists much more deserving of attention than what Jen covers. Name ’em. Direct all of us to their shows. We’ll actually go see the work (unlike you).
Gee, NWmystic, you’ve been B-slapped by someone equal and more answering your droll impotent defamatory apparent nonsense. There are moments when one senses you almost getting off cogently and almost expressing a complete and supported idea but, in print on this site, you seem destined to disappoint. You come so close to being interesting but why must we continue to wait for you achieving this? Come on; give us some complete thinking regarding what you seem to want to say.
@2. Not an artist and yes Virginia, KITSCH. (see Oxford Dictionary)
@3 …hardly, but a bitch she might be-your words. Look up the definition of insipid-sound familiar?
GROAN.
Ohhh, NWM. I knew you’d disappoint. But then I’m not the kind of target that would get your motor running. Being your own tooter makes it a little hard for anyone to get to you and engage you. Your writing pumps out such pugnacious conceit. I do find your use of ‘kitsch’ intriguing. Of course, you B-slap Graves so often you’d think it would leave marks or land you in the pokey. Hedreen has seemed to always have a kind of easy going kind of light approach it doesn’t seem to make much sense to knock their goods. Why the local art community can’t have a little fun, go easy and experiment and not have to drug into pejoratives is puzzling. That you exploit the Hedreen show to attack Manchanda makes clear your general need to feed your bitterness about the art scene. Are you like this to your mother? Why Jen has to be held to your apparent lofty standards and can’t be appreciated for her contribution and support of the local scene is also puzzling. Judging Jen’s greatness in what she does is not a place most of us should be put. Your ideas and mangled thought too often seem just plain tasteless and crazy. Still, I think many of us certainly are somewhat entertained by your comments if rather begrudgingly. Also, some of us would like you to get some help. You come off as such a mentally strange SOB. I imagine you think of yourself as a handicapped savior. If only you were in the pilot’s seat! I would love to see a movie about you or a reality TV show. I think it would be a hoot and maybe make some money. The life of northwest mystic is something many of us are rather curious about.
@5
I just gotta-cuzz-I-can’t-not… respond( now that I’m awake)
Firstly-you say bitter, I say realistic and disappointed.
Secondly-exploitation is exactly what is wrong with the “Manchanda show” (great new nickname- btw)and why it is bogus and very telling.
Thirdly-greatness?, GREATNESS?!?-you’re kidding right? Am I in the Twilight Zone? (although I guess we are Forks adjacent but I meant the other one) That’s about as far from reality as it gets, And as for ” contribution and support of the local art scene”-well-not exactly-but funny, very funny.
Finally-Speaking of havin’ a lil’ fun, easy goin’ times, and ‘sum sper-I-mentin’-well-that would not be high on my list if I wanted to make great art-but hey…hang loose dude. Far out!
And…sorry to disappoint but…DO THE WORK people.
Geez!