Death and Simplicity

After moving to Poughkeepsie two weeks ago, today I began working. I was recently hired on at Dia:Beacon as a gallery attendent. Basically, I stand around the gallery watching to make sure that people won't damage the art. It's a fly on the wall type of job, with not much really happening. Very quiet and solemn. Almost church like.

What is good about it is that I'll be around a lot of work. You've got many of the major names (Warhol, Judd, Smithson, etc.) So, it's nice to see these pieces and hear about them. Much of today was spent listening to other attendents talk about the work, most of which I know quite a bit about. Probably more that the people who were telling me about it today. It was interesting to listen though. Many of them gave an interesting perspective and counter point to what I would have to said. I just wanted to listen to them, which to few art people ever do. Most just want to talk.

Anyway, the work is interesting. Some of it is very boring and the reason's to justify it tend to lack substance, but overall the Dia:Beacon is an amazing place. What I kept thinking about as I was listening is how this work for me is past it's prime. At the time is was done, it was ground breaking. Now it just lives on in these narratives and massive galleries. For me it is good to see how much art has moved forward and not still living in redundancy of this work. It's just that the work now seems so miminal. I don't feel that I could make a piece in such a simple gesture. Actually, I probably should try to. It might make what I do all that much better.

With all that said, I just want to see these pieces activated in some way. I want them to be used or decay or something. The white walls of the gallery just take them off into to someplace that is so distant for me.