Meet Kyle Regan—a masochistic reader who has vowed to do every single thing recommended by the Stranger Suggests (movies, galleries, bars, concerts) for the month of January. Look for his reports daily on Slog. —Eds.
The Meiro Koizumi’s exhibit in the Hedreen Gallery had ten or eleven televisions looping a different short film. This was my first time going to an art gallery so I was pretty nervous. I don’t try to avoid art, but my days tack toward video games or stupidity, not refinement. I don’t think I’ve even been to an art museum. The closest I mingle with art is collecting concert posters.
I tried to grab a brochure as I walked in and knocked the whole pile over. Keeping my stupidity under wraps wasn’t going to work: I stared at the screens like a tourist as about ten other people ambled around the room. The Hedreen Gallery is on 12th Ave, right next to Seattle U. The giant windows allowed passersby to gawk at this room full of weird videos. I felt trapped in the small room—like people on the street were staring at me for being in a room with eleven televisions worth of art while the art students in the gallery were staring at me for dressing like a hobo, knocking things over, and pacing nervously.
I’m not qualified to review of the art itself; it’s not my element. Me reviewing art would be Brit Hume reviewing the services at a mosque. But Meiro Koizumi’s pieces were powerful. I didn’t think that I would feel anything other than confusion when I first walked in—the first thing I saw was a Japanese man being choked with his tie by a screaming white woman—but I felt shellshocked by the time I left. The videos definitely elicited an emotional response, but no real ideas or opinions formed behind them. The shorts dealt with war, violence, and being Japanese in America… in World War 2… or some shit.
God I’m stupid.
Art outings are going to be the most intimidating events for me. I’m sure these are poignant pieces, but their depth is lost on me. Even if I didn’t get it, I enjoyed it. People go on about how art is supposed to be strange and challenging, and now I have a better idea of what they mean now. More art tonight; this better not turn me into a pretencious dickhead. Tonight I’ll dress like people in galleries do: a black dress jacket, a scarf, and maybe some crazy shit like a fedora.
You’re writing for the Stranger: you’re already a pretencious dickhead.
This review was awesome. While I can appreciate the commentary of a professional, nothing gets better than “maybe some crazy shit like a fedora”.
Don’t get down on yourself. Whenever you go to art of any kind, whatever you took away from it was the correct reaction.
It’s like listening to music in a foreign language–you might not have the vocabulary to grasp the whole thing, but you can still enjoy it on whatever level you like.
Great review. I hope the rest of the month is this entertaining.
This is gonna be fun. 🙂
Amusing and honest – keep up the good work.
Reminds me of when they sent Steven Bloom out to do weird shit like palpitate anal glands and yell at the Duckmobile.
I really love this series, and wish I could write a Stranger Suggests, so that I could suggest something that young Kyle should do.
Don’t succumb to the Man, Kyle. Wear whatever makes you comfortable and throw off the shackles of pretension.
Or, do it right and wear the most dandy-rific outfit ever. No middle ground.
there is a place outside the boundaries of capitol hill where people lust after sheryl crow, choose to go to 13 coins, and think fedoras are crazy. i like reading this view of the stranger world… this outsider criticism.
me and my husband were out last night and walked by that installation. we stopped few minutes, chatted a little, decided it was too intense for a casual viewing and then went to cafe presse a block north of there and had a dozen oysters with some sparkling wine..
Quickly and without expectation I have grown to love Kyle Regan.
Awww, Kyle. I feel exactly the same way in art galleries.
Wear an ascot tie and a stovepipe hat, that’ll show ’em.
Please wear a scarf. All men should wear scarves, please.
A fedora is not crazy shit. At best it is mildly crazy.
Either dress like a hobo if that makes you comfortable, or wear pink fake leopard skin or something. No half measures.
BTW: love these posts.
These are great. I’m always glad to hear about someone’s first experience with art, it’s always affecting in some way. Not knowing how to articulate your reactions to art is how it works. People who do have a vocabulary for it are just borrowing bullshit rhetoric anyway. It’s absolutely valid to not know what to think. Thanks for going out of your comfort zone! The first step is always the hardest. Perhaps you’ll find an art-lover under all that hobo-dressin’, video-game-playin’, non-oyster-eatin’ exterior!
I don’t mean to sound all snooty, but I honestly swear to god had no idea there were people (assuming they have at least some tiny amount of disposable income) in the urban centers of this world who had never been to an art gallery. Having grown up in russia, perhaps my standards are somewhat off. But where I come from, that would be unbelievably embarrassing. Basically unthinkable.