PEREGRINATIONS • Kóan Jeff Baysa, M.D.

Grandsons Ikaika and Kekoa

2010-08-28T09:11:00.003-04:00

Kekoa - Natural rhythm at age 3

Ikaika - Master builder at age 4

From the family photo archives . . .

2010-08-04T01:03:00.001-04:00

Kanoa, Dylan, Elan, Nohea

From the family photo archives . . .

2010-08-03T17:39:00.002-04:00

Grandpa Ago, Ading, Grandma Mona

From the family photo archives . . .

2010-08-02T10:00:00.001-04:00

One of my favorite pictures of my sons Kanoa and Dylan

From the family photo archives . . .

2010-08-01T17:51:00.002-04:00

One of my favorite pictures of my youngest kids Aiyana and Nohea

072910

2010-07-31T09:41:00.003-04:00

NADA party at Bumble and Bumble; Boom Boom Room atop the Standard Hotel in the background

1996 - Philippines

2010-07-30T08:39:00.004-04:00

From the archives . . . artists conference in Negros Occidental

Bali

2010-07-30T08:33:00.002-04:00

From the archives . . . Bali, with the requisite sarong when visiting a temple.

Kayumanggi

2010-07-30T08:28:00.004-04:00

From the archives . . . curating the very first international exhibition of artists of Filipino heritage. The venue was the Honolulu Academy of Arts Linekona Center under the directorship of Carol Khewhok (now at the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art). Cathedral windows in the background by Paul Pfeiffer. (L to R: #2-Freddy Agriam, #5-Garren Fagaragan, #6-Jojo Legaspi)

Launch of Collectrium's iPhone app: the Shazam for art!

2010-07-02T14:59:00.002-04:00

Collectrium Intern Chantal Hauser demonstrating the app to young collectors at SCOPE Basel with Collectrium Founder Boris Pevzner and Toronto gallerist Katharine Mulherin looking on

Collectrium Customer Experience Manager Natasha Schoonbroodt and Intern Blair Driscoll presenting the app to art collectors at VOLTA6 in Basel

Hey, I'm just recently back from Basel, Switzerland, where I helped launch a terrific new product by Collectrium, a New York-based company that has developed this iPhone app that has been hailed as "the Shazam for art" (demo here). It debuted at the SCOPE Art Fair Basel 2010 and subsequently at VOLTA6, two international art fairs that ran concurrently with Art Basel. Check this out: you hold up your Collectrium app-enabled iPhone and take a picture of a work of art at SCOPE or VOLTA, and if it's in the rapidly expanding database, then info on the artist, attributions, even auction records and provenance is delivered right onto your screen! You can even browse the entire online catalogs for the shows. The key words here are "in the database," which is expanding exponentially due to Collectrium's contacting and contracting with 200+ art fairs around the globe. The app is so good that you only need to take a picture of a portion of the entire image in order for it to be recognized! Favorites can be bookmarked, saved, reviewed, and even sent to others (see demo here). This is an incredible tool for collectors and other fairgoers who previously had to take shots of the artwork, then the label, then the gallery signage, then at the end of the day, match all the bits and bobs to make sense of it all with scribbled notes and stacks of business cards. The gallerists benefit because they never miss an opportunity to share information with a collector. Versions for the BlackBerry and Android phones are currently under development and this app is just part of the next generation of tools that Collectrium is providing to the art community. Amazing! What's next? GPS and augmented reality enhanced experiences for navigating art fairs? Stay tuned!

082409 - Washing and Dipping in the Ganga, Rishikesh, India

2009-08-31T02:29:00.007-04:00

Some believe that the water from the Ganga cleanses a person's soul of all past sins; my ablutions were motivated more by a sense of ritual and a nod to Heraclitus's affirmation of change as integral to life: "No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it's not the same river and he's not the same man." If ever there was a river to step into, I felt, this was it. In Rishikesh, the Ganga descends to meet the plains. The river is 50-100 feet deep in places, cool, swiftly moving, and cloudy.

082309 - The Road to Haridwar and Rishikesh

2009-08-30T00:10:00.005-04:00

It was a conflicted decision to go to Rishikesh rather than Varanasi, but advice against the withering heat was well taken. Driving to Haridwar from Delhi takes approximately 5 hours. Rishikesh is about an hour further. I hired a driver for a Toyota van and insisted on 3 things: 1) an English speaking driver, 2) air conditioning, and 3) seat belts. I got 2 out of 3. My personable driver, Kashi (who was from Varanasi, whose ancient name is Kashi) and I communicated with single words and gestures. On the road, one marvels at the sundry ways people negotiate getting from point A to point B. Kashi used his horn freely to make people aware of his proximity. Alarmingly, the rules of the road apparently give pedestrians, bicycles, and motorbikes only about 30 inches on the left margin of the road. Drivers engage constantly in the nervewracking games of leapfrog and chicken, often serially and sometimes simultaneously, making head-on collisions a threatening reality.

081909 - India Art Summit Vernissage

2009-08-19T23:58:00.007-04:00

Encouraged by New York Aicon Gallery's ebullient director, Priyanka Mathew, I came to the India Art Summit without expectations other than surveying the global contemporary art scene representing works by artists of Indian heritage, meeting new individuals and seeing friends from around the globe. Having observed the trajectory of the Chinese contemporary art market, many are scrutinizing the contemporary Indian art scene with a cautiously giddy optimism.

081909 - Lotus Temple, Delhi

2009-08-19T23:16:00.005-04:00

Before heading to the India Art Summit in Pragati Maidan, Delhi's fairgrounds, we visited the Bahai Lotus Temple, one of six temples located globally for the youngest of the world's religions. Some relate to it as a enfolded version of the billowing "sails" comprising the Sydney Opera House, but this structure of three rows of nine petals represents an opening lotus flower, symbol of purity and peace, designed by Fariborz Sahba. It is a marvel of the power of manual labor, for due to the tight confines of the complicated structure, a chain of women each bearing 50 pound loads of concrete on their heads labored nonstop until the concrete components of the structure were completely poured.

081809 - Delhi, India

2009-08-18T21:49:00.017-04:00

Arrived in Delhi for the Indian Art Summit. Hosted here by the generous as-yet-undiscovered artist Kumar Kanti Sen. Spent hours today looking for a replacement digital camera battery charger at the Palika Bazar . . . more precisely in the subterranean smuggler's market. Did a bit of sightseeing at the Jantar Mantar observatory in central Delhi, built by the same Moghul ruler, Maharaja Jai Singh II of Jaipur, who build the Taj Mahal. Cheap travel is by autorickshaw, basically an Italian design moped outfitted with a passenger shell seating two comfortably; it's Delhi's equivalent of Bangkok's tuktuk.

050709 Secession

2009-05-26T10:39:00.007-04:00

The Vienna Secession was founded on 3 April 1897 by artists who objected to the prevailing conservatism of the Vienna Künstlerhaus with its traditional orientation. In 1905 Gustav Klimt and other artists, in turn, seceded the Vienna Secession due to differences of opinion over artistic concepts. The current installation is by Pawel Althamer who created a sealed hallway through the building, delivering the visitor entering the front of the building to the park behind Secession where installations and gatherings were encouraged. The interior of the building itself was inaccessible and lay cloistered behind the walls of the channel bored through the architectural space of the building. Whitney ISP classmate Ellen Harvey installed a piece here in 2002.

050709 Kunsthalle Exnergasse

2009-05-26T09:56:00.015-04:00

Installation shots. (W) Installation shot. (X) Entrance viewed from Restaurant Wiemar across the street where I had my first "official" melange. Unfortunately they were out of the famous sacher torte, so I settled for a Strauss torte, instead. (Y) View of Vienna from the roof of the complex. (Z) the awesome Kunsthalle Exnergasse staff: Klaus, Andrea, and Lina.

050709 Kosovo exhibition

2009-05-26T00:52:00.014-04:00

One of the greatest things about my experience in Vienna was the opportunity to learn about Eastern European countries to which I previously had very little exposure. Klaus knew one of the curators at this opening reception for artists and artwork from Kosovo.

050609 BAWAG Art Scene

2009-05-26T00:22:00.007-04:00

. . . but we dallied too long at the previous gig and missed Chicks on Speed at BAWAG Contemporary space, linked to the Austrian bank, so we hung out a bit with the locals.

050609 Wien Art Scene

2009-05-25T23:24:00.008-04:00

True to form, I hit the ground running. No grass grow under this curator's feet. Departure, the Vienna sponsoring agency headed by Christoph Thun-Hohenstein, asked several curators to organise exhibitions in spaces through Vienna, concurrent with Vienna Fair. One of the curators that he invited was Adam Budak, currently the curator for contemporary art at the Kunsthaus Graz am Landesmuseum Joanneum in Graz, Austria. I met Adam in NY and we stayed in touch over the years. He chose to use a ground floor vacated former market, rumoured slated for renovation into a Galerie Lafayette.
A) Vienna art crowd. B) Koan and Adam. C) (I thought this was an art installation for Virtual Alien Transport!). D) Klaus Schafler, friend, Adam Budak

050509 Paris

2009-05-25T22:33:00.004-04:00

Call me crazy, fou or pupuli (Hawaiian) . . . given the choice between a 2 hour or a 6 hour layover in Paris en route to Vienna where I was invited to give a talk at Kunsthalle Exnergasse by Klaus Schafler, I chose to take the RER from CDG to Les Halles to meet my kababayan Gaston Damag. We went to Colette, the design store that has become a template for others around the globe, had a coffee at a patisserie near Les Halles, then it was time to be on the RER back to CDG and on to Wien.

050209 The now-not-so-elusive Kogi Korean Taco Truck in LA

2009-05-25T21:14:00.007-04:00

For months, I heard rumours of a Korean taco truck in Los Angeles. It was allegedly phantom-like, unlocatable except through word of mouth, which then spread like wildfire. When Twitter became the mouth, the locator, the pursuit of the Korean taco truck became near child's play. Learning that the truck (there now are two, designated rojo and verde) was moored off of Abbot Kinney during certain evening hours, my mouth watered in anticipation of kal bi, bul go gi and kim chee nestled in tacos and quesadillas, quinessential dishes for Los Angeles, an anchor city for what some call the Asian Century. Disappointingly, they ran out of kim chee the night I went, so the hot dog and quesadilla were unavailable. I ordered the slider and a short rib taco (Korean-flavored meat, cabbage and lettuce, chili-soy vinaigrette, sesame chili salsa, cilantro, lime, and onion relish, sea salt, and sesame seeds. Personally I preferred the slider over the taco, probably because of my roots in Hawaii, and the play of spicy meat and crunch of vegetables against the softness of the bread and creaminess of the mayonnaise. Maybe my taste expectations for the hybrid taco were too high! I'm going to have to go back in to give the taco another shot, and for the hot dog and quesadilla . . . so back to Twitter to find the mobile al fresco restaurants ("we've turned the streets into our restaurant") . . . or the grounded restaurant space in Culver City, the Alibi Room.

050109 Leon Berkowitz at Gary Snyder/Project Space

2009-05-25T20:56:00.003-04:00

Collectors David and Alex Glackin gave me a tip me to the exhibition of Washington school Leon Berkowitz at Gary Snyder/Project Space. James Pilgrim wrote about the Cathedral series, " . . . Berkowitz establishes a pictorial format through which he could use light to create form. The narrow white triangle that s0polits the canvas acts, symbolically as a light source." The perceived changes in light intensity actually result from light reflecting off of the canvas through varying densities of clear and colored layers. Yokohama-based painter Shingo Francis has adopted a similar technique that impart his monochrome-like paintings with great depth.

043009 Younhee Paik at Tenri Cultural Institute of New York

2009-05-25T20:20:00.010-04:00

I'm duly impressed with the way that the large scale work of Younhee Paik was installed at the Tenri Cultural Institute, utilising the generous space to full
advantage by using the floor and ceiling and the space between, as well as the walls. The space is curated by Dr. Thalia Vrachopoulos. (L) Installation shot. (R) Koan, Younhee and her granddaughter.

043009 Neuhoff Gallery opening for Jeff Nemeroff

2009-05-25T19:19:00.007-04:00

Heidi Neuhoff of the eponynmous gallery asked me to write the online catalog essay for the exhibition for Jeff Nemeroff, longstanding art director for Architectural Digest. I've also written printed catalog essays for her artists, Norman Sunshine and Guido Albi Marini. (L) Jeff Nemeroff and Dr. Koan Jeff Baysa. (R) Artist Edward Bekkerman, Catherine and Jeff Nemeroff.

043009 Rare Gallery Benefit for Emmanuel Fremin Gallery

2009-05-25T18:52:00.004-04:00

The auction action was hot, hot, hot inside, but outside, there were some afterburners cookin' as well!
1. Golden tabis. 2) new friend, artist Edward Bekkerman, and fashion designer and painter Katya Leonovich. 3) Model, muse and entrepreneur Mie Iwatsuki, flanked by hedge fund heavies. 4) bevvy of beauties - vive la difference!!

043009 Diesel "Only the Brave" Fragrance Launch

2009-05-25T16:28:00.016-04:00

David Gensler and the KDU (Keystone Design Union), pulled off a big one, spearheading the launch for the new Diesel fragrance, Only the Brave. The concept of bravery was visually interpreted and exhibited by KDU members in the expansive exhibition space in NoLita. One of the most impressive was the wall-sized tiled works of Edgar (an Al Pacino ringer) in the second room. The original obsessive labor-intensive handmade work with pen and ink on paper is still in process, depicting global, national, and regional landmarks.
A) work by Edgar, B) work by Aerosyn-Lex Mestrovic, C) Artist Aerosyn-Lex Mestrovic and publisher John H. Lee of Theme Magazine, D) the ever lovely Portia, E) David Gensler and Koan, F) Edgar and Koan

042809 Ramen-Off With Zari

2009-05-24T20:28:00.013-04:00

Zari Awodein of Issey Miyake TriBeCa and I challenged each other to find the best ramen in Manhattan, and I threw down Ippudo on 4th Street to begin the ramen face-0ff. I went with the special that night. The dark broth was redolant, noodles the perfect slurpy consistency, and garnishes hitting the taste buds. Zari rated it an 8 or a 9 on a scale of 0-10 (10 being the highest score). Let's see what he comes up with to go toe to toe with Ippudo! Sharing in the evening's event was Edward Bekkerman, a NY-based painter from Sochi, Russia, who has enjoyed a sold out show in New York, participation in a prestigious show in the Russian State Museum in St. Petersburg, and is about to release a book, printed in Ialy, on his work. In a recent event paying homage to one of Russian ballet's greatest living teachers, Edward was present and astounded when he gradually recognized himself in a black and white photo of himself in the ballet studio, that was printed in the evening's brochure. Edward is the young boy in the center background of the photo. He will have a solo exhibition at Barry Friedman Gallery in Chelsea, New York, on 25 June 2009. I've written about his work in the past, as has noted critic and writer Jonathan Goodman; it should be a terrific show! Depicted: Spirits in Blue, oil on canvas, 42" x 52"

042709 - Joey (Beijing) and Eric (NY)

2009-05-11T05:52:00.006-04:00

I met with visiting Zhan g Z haohui, aka Joey Chang, a Beijing-based artist and gallerist, along with NY-based artist Eric Jiaju Lee at my favorite Malaysian restaurant, Jaya, on Baxter Street in New York's Chinatown. Joey brought his mirrored man performance piece to Times Square; along with Aileen June Wang, Eric curated the exhibition, How Chinese, at Gallery 456, that was part of Asian Contemporary Art Week 2009.

042709 - Doug (NY) and Linde (Bonn)

2009-05-11T05:49:00.004-04:00

We could hardly hear each other speak at The Alps Teahouse and were denied changing tables to a quieter section, so we left for the Red Mango yogurt palace on St. Mark's. Doug Fitch is an amazingly and diversely talented impresario whose venues range from the Santa Fe Opera to Tanglewood to the Charite Hospital in Berlin. The hospital project was organised through the lovely Bonn, Germany-based curator and dealer Linde Trottenberg.

042709 TT = TNT!

2009-05-11T05:46:00.006-04:00

I first met the dynamic indefatiguable Taliesin Thomas when she was the director of Ethan Cohen Fine Arts; she now brings her formidable interpersonal and language skills (Chinese, Spanish and others) to bear in her position as Director at AW Asia. "AW Asia is a private organization and exhibition space located in the heart of the Chelsea art district in New York City. AW Asia promotes the field of Chinese contemporary art through institutional loans and acquisitions, curatorial projects, publications, and educational programs." Concurrent with her position, she is pursuing a higher degree in art history with the eventual goal of being a university professor in the area of contemporary Chinese art. She's a great friend, but in our busy schedules we hardly get to see each other, even when we're in the same city or country. Once she was with her childhood friend-now-husband Orion traveling in Vietnam at the same time as me, and we smugly grinned, separately, on a specific day, knowing that we would be passing, in opposite directions, but not seeing, each other on the road between Hoi An and Hanoi.

042709 The Richardson-Dumont Crawl

2009-05-10T19:31:00.014-04:00

Sorry The Richardson didn't have PBR, Christopher. Come on, Clem . . . let's support family friend PBR heiress Helen Rubini in Newport Beach! BTW, Christopher and Andy just got engaged! Congratulations!!!! (L-R) Philip, Virgil, Christopher, Andy, and Lisa (Koan behind camera)

042709 - Yayoi Kusama Keeps on Rockin'

2009-05-10T19:15:00.005-04:00

Yayoi Kusama was born on March 29, 1929 and has experienced hallucinations and severe obsessive thoughts since childhood, often of a suicidal nature. Today she lives by choice in a mental hospital in Tokyo where she has continued to produce work since the mid-1970s. On 12th Nov 2008 Christies New York sold a work by her for $5,100,000, a record for a living female artist (WikiP).

042709 - Rising Art Star Hye Rim Lee

2009-05-10T19:02:00.008-04:00

Since moving from Auckland, New Zealand, where Jane Sutherland with Saatchi and Saatchi introduced her to me several years ago, Hye Rim rocketed to prominence, with her work appearing on the cover of a Berlin art magazine and being exhibited in Chelsea. Now teetering near the top, she is pondering her next step of continued success.

042609 - Grandsons Ikaika and Kekoa in Beacon NY

2009-05-10T18:55:00.004-04:00

042509 - Christie's VP Japanese Soiree

2009-05-10T18:41:00.010-04:00

This is was a lovely reception at the home of Katsura Yamaguchi and his spouse. The room was warm with friendship, body heat, and the active kitchen where the chef repeatedly put out amazing dishes, announced with great fanfare by the host Katsura. The pile of shoes at the door reminded me of growing up in Hawaii, where you knew there was a party inside with jumbled rubber slippers, sandals, and shoes left outside the door. I was able to catch up with many Japanese friends that I had not seen for awhile!
A) the hostess, Mrs. Yamaguchi, next to an antique piece in their collection. Mr. Yamaguchi is the Senior VP of Japanese and Korean art at Christie's NY. B) Me, clutching a cool brew next to the early Warhol. C) kawai woman, Mie, Hyewon, Katsura. D) Artist Emily Chen and photographer Go.

042409 - HomeBase IV Project - New York

2009-05-10T18:37:00.017-04:00

The link to being invited to curate an evening event for HomeBase IV in New York was Dafna Shalom, an artist in the residency program, who recommended me to Leor Grady who arranged the evening, and Anat Litwin, the founder of the organisation. In considering the broad concept of home, I thought I would approach it obliquely and brought in a panel of several artists who stretched the context of home to include the future home as hospital (Virgil Wong); the forced occupancy of prison and torture cells ( Rodney Dickson); one's history of living through the Chinese Cultural Revolution and how that informs the peronalised concept of community as home (Mary Ting); the perspective of someone whose heritage reflected the makeup of the LES/Chinatown area (Mei-Ling Israel) whose father is Jewish and mother, Chinese. From my perspective as a physician in the South Pacific and American Southwest, I showed examples of entire extended families of patients being accommodated within their hospital rooms, contributing to the healing environment. Discussion ensued during courses of a communal pot-luck homecooked meal (middle image).

Top photo: HomeBase IV resident artist and Virgil Wong. Bottom photo: Mary Ting and Mei-Ling Israel

042509 - Deitch Projects LIC - Gelatin

2009-05-03T00:31:00.012-04:00

Adjacent to the Mathew Barney studio in LIC, Deitch Projects opened a group show that included Gelatin with their sculptures displayed amongst other gallery works, notably Koons. The space has soaring interior spaces and stunning views of Manhattan from the dock and deck area right on the water.

1: Artist Ethan Shoshan; Edwin Ramoran, director of exhibitions and programs at Aljira, a center for contemporary art in New Jersey.
3: Artist Rafael Vargas-Suarez Universal; Gelatin installation with taxidermy and coffee beans.

041909 - Michael Petry in NY

2009-05-02T23:59:00.010-04:00

Distinguished as the first artist-in-residence at London's The Sir John Soane's Museum, the Texas-born, London-livin' artist just opened a group exhibition in Buffalo, that will travel to the Museum of Arts and Design on Columbus Circle, New York. He teaches at the Royal Academy of Arts in London and has perfected an innovative technique that now allows molten glass and metal to bind together in remarkable sculptures, depicted in the recently released book Contemporary Glass. Michael Petry is represented in New York by Sundaram Tagore Gallery, in Houston by Devin Borden Hiram Butler Gallery, in London by Westbrook Gallery and just received a commission for a large glass installation in the famed Ivy Restaurant , London. Congratulations, Michael!!

23 April 2009 - Alex Katz Vernissage at Pace Wildenstein Chelsea

2009-04-24T11:48:00.007-04:00

Mie is one of Alex Katz's models and the paintings in which she is depicted were recently shown in Paris. Not be outdone by his friend Alex, Chuck Close invited Mie to model for him as well, in May.

1. Alex Katz and Francesca of CHARTA that published 3 books on the artist
2. Mie and gallerist Emmanuel Fremin
3. Mie and Chuck Close
4. Ada Katz, Mie Iwatsuki, Hyewon Yi, doctoral candidate and director of the Wallace Gallery, SUNY College at Old Westbury, New York
5. Mie and Alex Katz

21 April 2009 - Saatchi and Saatchi Reception for MoMA's Compass in Hand

2009-04-23T10:19:00.021-04:00

Thanks to kiwi powerhouse Jane Sutherland, I was able to invite Mie, Tu and Edward to the very fun post-opening reception for MoMA's Compass in Hand at the Saatchi and Saatchi building on the west side in Manhattan. Fine wines from Te Awa Winery in Hawke's Bay, New Zealand flowed; pairings of Chianti with salami and other amuse bouche were offered.

1) Model/entrepreneur Mie Iwatsuki, artist Hye Rim Lee, painter Edward Bekkerman, Koan
2) Mie, Jane Sutherland, Hye Rim
3) Mie, New Zealand sculptor Anton Parsons, Jane, Vietnam corporate event organiser Nguyen Viet Tu, Hye Rim, Koan

22 April 2009 - NY Asian Symphony Orchestra - Puccini's 150th

2009-04-23T09:50:00.016-04:00

I am grateful to Mie for allowing me to invite several friends, including Edward, Virgil, and Tu to this event at Alice Tully Hall honoring Hideki and Masao Matsui on the event of Puccini's 150th birthday. Watching the movements of the NYASO young musicians from the center 2nd row was a treat. I was especially impressed with soprano Yunah Lee and her powerful, crisp, and emotional delivery of excerpts from Turandot and Madame Butterfly. I was struck by opera as a medium in which people know the characters, arias and scores so well, and are certainly aware of the typically tragic outcomes, but are nonetheless powerfully moved anew with each production. (L to R: Virgil Wong, Nguyen Viet Tu, Mie Iwatsuki, Koan Jeff Baysa)

The Unsinkable Zworl Quern (aka Janet Wolfe)

2009-04-17T10:56:00.021-04:00

Janet Wolfe and I developed a loving long term friendship that was kindled several decades ago with her inviting me to her home after a serendipitous meeting on a bus headed to Port Authority from JFK. Shortly thereafter, a description of our encounter appeared, chronicled in the Talk of the Town column in The New Yorker magazine that regularly trolled and mined her adventurous life for engaging tales. She was once known for being sawn in half by Orson Wells . . . and the adventures have never really stopped. I recently caught up with the famous female fatale cum notorious nanogenerian at a cafe near MoMA. In the short time it took for us to consumer our shared corn and black bean salad, half glasses of Pinot Grigio, and toasted pound cake with hot fudge and vanilla ice cream, Janet had obtained the business card of a Mexican mathematics professor from Vera Cruz, had sung a short duet in Spanish with him, had a picture taken of her and his hijo Mario Miguel, attempted to "fix up" two nonconversant strangers of opposite sexes who were sitting at separate tables facing each other (she correctly intuited that they were both Irish), got up and demonstrated a few slick rhumba moves in between the tables in the cafe, showed pictures of her with Luciano Pavarotti, with Bono, in Bill Clinton's lap, with George Soros, with Mario Cuomo, of her amazing fraternal twin 5 year old grandsons, Sam and Jake, and then chatted up the waiter from Lahore. Not bad for 95!

A) La Grande Dame, elle-même
B) ZQ and KJ
C) Janet with Federico Fellini and Roberto Rossellini who hired her as their Italian liaison; only some time later did they irately discover that she wasn't conversant in Italian!

Sucker Punch

2009-04-08T15:57:00.010-04:00

The Writing Life by Annie Dillard is a slim gem of a book, full of insights and anecdotes to which writers will nod and silently smile acknowledgment. Chapter Six was a marvel: the response to the question,"How's your work going?" posed to painter Paul Glenn was an unfolding narrative about Ferrar Burn in his rowboat, a floating tree trunk, and the tide. But it was Chaper Seven about the aerial shenanigans of Dave Rahm, a stunt pilot whose canvas was the sky, that floored me. It opened with a summary quote of the solitary arduous path of writing from Julian Barnes's Flaubert's Parrot: "It's easy, after all, not to be a writer. Most people aren't writers, and very little harm comes to them." I finished the chapter with my vision blurred by welling tears. It's a deceptive slip of a book laden with the emotional gravity of a dwarf stars and I fully expect to revisit these passages again and again.

One-two punch

2009-04-08T10:29:00.006-04:00

After the earlier cultural events of the evening, I settled into bed to watch a DVD that I had packed with me to pass time during my 12 hour flight from New York to Dubai, but never ended up seeing it. I'm glad that I didn't, for it would have ruined my trip. Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son about his Father (2008), a film by Kurt Kuenne about his lifelong friendship with and his and others' love for Dr. Andrew Bagby, is about betrayal and madness, of systems and futility, of innocence and evil. It brought me to tearful rage, shuddering sobs, and affirmations of my love for my family, children, and grandsons. Be forewarned: it packs a one-two punch, the second blow landing squarely below the belt.

040709 MoMA Panel Discussion for Tangled Alphabets

2009-04-08T06:34:00.030-04:00

(1) Ms. Schendel and David Medalla (2) Kababayans (3) Panelists Andrea Giunta and Guy Brett (Paulo Herkenhoff and Luis Perez-Oramas not shown) (4) Karl Saliter, David Medalla, Guy Brett

Last night, thanks to Reynolds (of Puki Parade fame), I attended a panel discussion on the current MoMA exhibition, Tangled Alphabets, organised partly by Pablo Helguera of MoMA's Education Department, that included former London Times critic and friend Guy Brett. It introduced me to two Latin American artists, Leon Ferrari and Mira Schendel, of whose work I was totally unaware. Certain Ferarri graphic works of veiled intents and meanings, made necessary by the repressive regime in his native Argentina that pushed him to seek exile in Brasil, are marvelously-executed entendre-laden encrypted glyphs. Brett mentioned David Medalla several times during his presentation, and afterwards, at the Q&A, the irrepressible artist, from the audience, spoke of his close friendship with Mira Schendel. Later, Schendel's daughter came up to Medalla and introduced herself to Medalla, himself an artist of note that the art world, in its not atypical blindsidedness has not yet fully weighed in. Brett has been one of his most fervent champions, publishing Exploding Galaxies (1995) about Medalla's impressive oeuvre and truly significant influences on generations of artists worldwide.

032009 - United Arab Emirates

2009-04-03T05:39:00.001-04:00

031909 - United Arab Emirates

2009-04-03T05:38:00.002-04:00

031809 - United Arab Emirates

2009-04-03T05:37:00.002-04:00

031709 - United Arab Emirates

2009-04-03T05:37:00.001-04:00

031609 - United Arab Emirates

2009-04-03T05:36:00.000-04:00

031509 - Grandson Liam

2009-03-16T18:01:00.007-04:00

My grandson (one of three grandkids), Liam Keoni Baysa, lives in Arizona, but is pictured here in Hawaii. His dad, Colter, teaches dressage at the Circle Z equestrian facility in Waimanalo, on the windward side of Oahu, the main island. On their ranch in Arizona, his mom, Juliet, conducts riding lessons as well.

0312-1509 Dubai Shenanigans

2009-03-16T00:25:00.005-04:00

Dubai turns up the heat on the art world, in more ways than one, with the Bastakiya Art Fair, Art Dubai, and the Sharjah Biennial all opening this week!

• Patricia, Celia, and Arsalan at the BAF rooftop afterparty
• KJ hanging his tag on Patricia Millns' Wishing Tree at BAF
• Colleen Quigley and Janet Bellatto in their room of artworks at BAF
• Deena, Janet, Colleen - all teach at Zayed University
• Patricia and Janet at a sidewalk cafe in Bur Juman

031209 - Zayed University, Ajmal, Tashkeel

2009-03-12T23:37:00.020-04:00

The knowledgable and helpful Abdul Basit at Ajmal fragrance boutique; my enthusiastic women Emerati students at Zayed University with their favorite fragrances; artist Patricia Millns showing her installation at a group exhibition opening at Tashkeel to a friend.

031109 Farjam Collection - Jamjar - Third Line Gallery in Dubai

2009-03-12T16:39:00.021-04:00

(1st image, L to R): Arsalan, Katrina, Johnny at Third Line Gallery, Dubai
(2nd image, L to R): at the Farjam Collection: Janet Bellatto Assistant Chair, Art and Design Dept, Zayed University, Dubai; Charlie Pocock, Director, Meem Gallery; Leon Chew, Chair, Chair, Art and Design Dept, Zayed University, Abu Dhabi

The wagons are circling for the coming art fairs in Dubai, the reigning cultural capital of the United Arab Emirates (over Abu Dhabi by just a nose). The events include the third Art Dubai (initially the Gulf Art Fair), the Sharjah Biennial, and the collateral events of the Bastakiya Art Fair (formerly the Creek Art Fair).

030909 - JFK to DXB/Meem Gallery - Direct!

2009-03-10T02:12:00.018-04:00

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(Images, L to R: Janet, Arsalan, Celia at Zuma; Janet Bellotto, Gita Meh, Patricia Millns at Meem Gallery; Koan, Janet at Zuma

My experience of taking the new A380 Airbus on Emirates direct from JFK to DXB was a rather uneventful event, quite removed, I ruminated, from the lofty experience of those flying in first class in the deck above economy, with their individual cabins and access to an onboard spa. The chairs were comfortable enough but the ride a bit jiggly, related I would guess to torque on the immense length and size of the aircraft. Regardless, I was happy for the paid-for ticket, watching Changeling (good) and The X-Files: I Want to Believe (ho-hum), and choosing the paneer bhaji entree over the scrambled eggs for breakfast before landing. Although I unfortunately totally missed my VIP treatment by being missed by my greeter that was arranged through the university, I was picked up by my host, Janet, and we wasted no time making our way directly to Meem Gallery, for an art opening for Crows and Trees, photographs by acclaimed Iranian filmmaker Abbas Kiarostami, organised by respected gallery director Charlie Pocock. Afterwards, we hung out with Brits Arsalan and Celia at the new expat and local watering hole, Zuma, Dubai's version of a respectable Japanese izakaya, but serving up dainty nouvelle cuisine-sized portions (at least the beers were full-sized), replete with a live DJ's booming but uninspired spinning of his version of mood music (sic).

030709 - Friends, New and Old(er)

2009-03-10T02:10:00.002-04:00

030609 - Art World Circus Madness Weekend

2009-03-10T02:05:00.002-04:00

030309 - Santa Monica Sighting

2009-03-10T01:05:00.011-04:00

Blast from the past: by total coincidence, in Santa Monica, I ran into popular art professor and talented artist Abraham Cruz-Villegas, who I met in Mexico DF almost two decades ago when I was looking at contemporary art during my annual archeological site visits to Mexico, one of my most favorite foreign countries. Just having returned to Mexico after living in Paris for five years, he was in Los Angeles, meeting with designers and curators for his upcoming fall show at downtown's REDCAT. He recognized me on the street first; last I saw him, he was sporting a buzz cut and Doc Martens.

LALALand

2009-02-24T10:15:00.010-05:00

24Feb09 - Last night, I had dinner with my colleague and friend, the irrepressible LA-based uberartmensch critic and curator Peter Frank, at one of his favorite Asian food haunts on Sawtelle. The topics of discussion ranged from synaesthete wannabes to the immunological basis of Episodic Fatigue Disorder to the prevalence of hypomania diagnoses to Oaxacan cuisine in Los Angeles. It's always a rollicking fascinating fun time with Peter! He says that when out and about at art events, he has to move quickly, otherwise he gets surrounded by fans and well-wishers. Circle the wagons for him at the CAA events and panel discussions in Los Angeles this week and at The Armory Show in New York next weekend. As the chief editor of LA's THE magazine, Peter is helping to establish my presence as a writer and as a curator on the left coast. I asked him to view the work of talented Beacon, NY-based painter Steve Walls at the Rock, Paper, Scissor show at the Robert Berman Gallery, opening Saturday evening, 28 February, at Bergamot Station. Steve and his wife Sarah will be in attendance from New York.

Experiential Sensory-Based Exhibitions

2009-02-23T09:20:00.025-05:00

As you may already well know, my interests in experiential sensory-based exhibitions have been manifested in events like Dermatome (cherrydelosreyes, LA), Seven Deadly Sins (CSU, Cleveland), Fear Itself (Lance Fung Gallery, NY), Propriocept-Stereognost (The Lab Gallery, NY), In the Gloaming (The Fields, NY), One Hand Clapping (DUMBO, NY), Sonic Self (Chelsea Art Museum, NY). UK-based curator Robert Blac kson presented his exhibition of extinct and impossible smells, If There Ever Was, premiering at cuc hifritos where I participated as an artist with Patricia Millns. Chandler Burr, the fragrance critic for the New York Times, wro te about the show that subsequently opened at Reg Vardy Gallery (second image) in Sunderland, UK.

Tom and Barry are constantly in each other's faces . . .

2009-02-10T08:17:00.004-05:00

Still trying to wrap my head around this mockumentary of conjoined twins exploited cum punk rockers. Anyone else watch this?

A vastly underrated gem . . .

2009-02-04T23:02:00.010-05:00

You should all check out Ask a New Yorker, shepherded by steadfast friend Kennedy Moore from Hawaii. He's been at the helm of this informative online site for nearly a decade and it's at the tipping point of going international. Google loves him and frequently searches for individuals and items featured on the website will list AAN Y as one of the leading references. Here's Kennedy at Cafe Deville on 3rd Ave below 13th St, one of his favorite hangouts, since he's pals with the owner, Guy. While dining, ask for Danny, the most amiable waitstaff person there.

A heartbreaking image that I couldn't bear to bring my camera upon . . .

2009-02-04T02:17:00.010-05:00

020408 - It was snowing all day yesterday in New York; my friend Rafe had emailed me earlier saying that there was a foot of snow in London! En route to a board meeting to select the next group of artist-residents for Art Omi, I walked past a dark mass on 13th Street. A large stooped figure swathed in thin dark material, in layers that encircled and obscured the body beneath, including face and hands, was seated on a scaffold crossbar: a homeless person held an umbrella at right angles, leaning into the wind and snow flurries beating down the street from the east. The broken umbrella, the same dark color as the fabric gathered around the figure, framed this arresting sight. Strangely, reflections of a self-immolating Buddhist monk flashed then in my mind. A disquieting impulse rushed me back to offer that fellow human being assistance against the bitter cold and almost certain hunger, but the dark figure had already moved on from that post onto another in the failing evening light.

This oil on canvas painting, Granny (1990), is by Marco Sassone, a talented Toronto-based painter whose work has brought much needed attention to the plight of the homeless. His commendable efforts have been acknowledged by the president of Italy, who knighted him, and by the city of San Francisco, that named a day in his honor.

Caffeinophiles

2009-01-29T22:50:00.020-05:00

Check it out, caffeineophiles. My current favorite cappucino place is Ninth Street Espresso (Tomkins Square location, actually on 10th Street) Street with Gimme! Coffee (the one on Mott, below Prince) running a close second. The near-perfect blend of espresso with the soft caress of one's vermilion border by velvety cream is just the beginning of a heavenly affair. To be fair, however, I also admit that I also frequent Oslo on Bedford Avenue in Billyburgh, and the Mudtruck when it's parked at Astor Place. But I must confess that Ninth Street Espresso is ichi ban in my book, probably because the Tomkins venue is closer to where I live in the East Village, and doors down from the NY Public Library where I pick up my reserved books. And maybe also because it's just around the corner from two of my favorite places to eat, that happen to be on Avenue B: Gruppo, serving flavorful thin crust pizza, and Mercadito, with wonderfully presented Mexican-inspired tapas and drinks.

FYI, one of my favorite coffees is made from beans harvested on the slopes of Mauna Loa in Hawaii, my birthplace. The small production numbers keep it exclusive and dear. My cousin Jeanette Baysa is in the biz with her Hilo Coffee M ill. Even smaller in production are kopi luwak (Indonesia), kape alamid (Philippines), and a version from Vietnam, that are made from coffee berries that have been collected after being eaten and passed through and out of the GI tract of the Asian palm civet. The barking deer of Malaysia similarly "produce" kopi muntjac. Cuppa doe? : )

High on a hill, it calls to me . . . (no, it's not San Francisco)

2009-01-29T18:08:00.009-05:00

The Getty Center is a hilltop cultural and educational oasis that overlooks part of Los Angeles and looks out over the Pacific Ocean as well. Taken to the Richard Meier designed complex by tram, the visitor can view ancient, modern, and contemporary art amongst fountains, gardens, restaurants, and cafes. It's the museum as destination. Depicted are Colin Mangham, ubermensch of Santa Monica-based branding thinktank The Daily Brand, in the center's restaurant, and Martin Puryear's sail-like sculpture viewed at sunset. The Getty Research Institute is where I do my curatorial and exhibition research on the west coast; on the east coast, the Metropolitan Museum's Thomas J. Watson Library is my research resource.

012709 Leaving Las Vegas

2009-01-28T10:27:00.011-05:00

I find Las Vegas one of the most fascinating and contradictory cities in the world. Where in the world can one see, in one gaze, Italy's Lago Bellagio, Paris's Tour Eiffel, Venice's Campanile, and a Luxor pyramid? Where the contemporary art world's mammoth wooly (sic) genius prize winner David Hickey teaches . . . in the university's English department. Yesterday, from McCarran airport one could see snow-capped mountains in the background mirroring the shape of the black pyramid below. The multitalented Nebraska transplant, performance/body artist-painter Aaron Sheppard is finishing up his graduate studies there. His April 4 thesis show will be a must-see!

Wintering in SuperCool Manhattan versus Wintering in UltraHip Santa Monica

2009-01-26T11:12:00.012-05:00

Winter coats in Southern California . . .
Brrr at 45F!!
Children's playground in Manhattan at 28F.

Second Image Contest

2009-01-26T10:48:00.009-05:00

Can you guess of what this image is comprised? And where was the image taken? The reward is a plate of Korean tacos at the hottest movable feast named Kogi, if we can find it (sic).

The answer to the first image contest (Mystery machine - 11/18/08 blog): it's a portable surface scrubber to remove gum and other objects from Tiananmen Square in Beijing, China.

The LA Art Show and Art LA do LA

2009-01-26T01:23:00.011-05:00

The fourteenth annual Los Angeles Art Show (21-25 Jan) in the downtown convention center and Art LA (23-25 Jan) in the westside Barker Hangar in Santa Monica were recent art anchors in the left coast metropolis. I analogised the first event to a university, with distinct groups of exhibitors, from student work from 7 major art teaching institutions (in Supersonic 2009) and emerging artists to design and fashion (Fredrick Fekkai), from modern and contemporary paintings to modern and contemporary prints, all brought under one roof. The westside art fair was more like a college, focused primarily on contemporary art, including installation and new media, and with several more art publication booths represented. I sensed an air of cautious looking, with modest sales of lower-priced works. The large Los Angeles Art Show seemed dwarfed by the size of the exhibition space whilst Art LA seemed cozy and intimate under its appropriated airplane hangar. The standout for me from the first show was the student work of Micha Cardenas from UCSD, a performance piece of a transgendering person within Second Life; at the second venue, the irrepressible Mexico City gallerist Elizabeth Diaz-Soto presented the cooly visceral text-based work of Emilio Chapela Perez, who incidentally won the Pulse prize in Miami last December. Depicted are Elizabeth East, Managing Director of LA Louver and David Eddington, my favorite LA-based hugely talented-but-under the-radar painter. (Eduardo Sarabia's painted plates hang on the wall behind them). Below are two other powerhouses to watch: LA-based writer and critic Rae Anne Robinet and Berlin-based artist and architect Elena Bajo.

MMVR17: Medicine Meets Virtual Reality 17; NextMed: Design for/the Well Being. 19-22 January 2009, Long Beach, California

2009-01-25T21:15:00.015-05:00

I was invited for a second year to curate part of The Salon, a component of the larger MMVR medical technology conference that is intended to promote right-brain-thinking-outside-of-the-box by the attendees who are largely immersed in hard science and high technology. Virgil Wong, Alessandro Marianantoni and Marcos Lutyens, and Jiayi and Shih-wen Young were the brilliant artist-scientists that I invited to participate in this exhibition. First image (L to R): Virgil Wong and Joyce Cutler-Shaw; Second image: Alessandro Marianantoni, Jiayi Young and Shih-wen Young. Third image: Brenda Wiederhold and Colin Mangham.

Emirati Women Artists in NY - Janet Bellotto's "No Such Place (2)"

2008-12-16T10:35:00.010-05:00

16DEC08 - Janet Bellotto's article in the online ArteNews at the link above includes her curated exhibition of Emerati women artists that I helped bring to Manhattan's Roger Smith Hotel Gallery (10 January - 30 March 2008). One of my favorite works in the show is depicted: HH Sheikha Lateefa Al Maktoum's digital print Ever-changing Landscape (2007). Also presenting photo-based works were Ebtisam Abdul-Aziz (Sharjah), Lateefa Maktoum (Dubai), Mazyoona Abdulla (Dubai), and Shamma Al Amri (Dubai). Everyone's looking forward to Art Dubai and the Sharjah Biennial, both scheduled in March 2009.

2008-12-11T14:20:00.008-05:00

My favorite most recently read book from the NYPL is Child 44, by Tom Rob Smith, a riveting story about a moral policeman "functioning" in a police state who puts his spouse, parents, and friends in harms way in order to find truth and justice within a system that could hardly give a damn about his noble pursuits. A pageturner till the end, it draws hints of darkness from Dexter, and allusions to a watchdog state from The Sum of All Fears, but with a distinctive flavor Soviet.

The Edge of Heaven, Written and Directed by Fatih Akin

2008-11-30T11:30:00.005-05:00

My favorite most recently viewed Netflix movie is The Edge of Heaven. From the online precis: "When his father accidentally kills a prostitute, Nejat seeks out the woman's 27-year-old daughter, Ayten, to make amends. Nejat focuses his search in Turkey, but Ayten, part of a closely scrutinized activist group, has already fled to Germany. Lives intersect in unexpected ways in writer-director Fatih Akin's multilayered drama, which won Best Screenplay at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival."

Thanksgiving 2008, Wisp Resort. Maryland

2008-11-30T10:37:00.009-05:00

Here are the grandsons, Ikaika (3), Kekoa (1), and Liam (1), one year after the first image on this blog was taken. Their aunt Samantha and uncle Neil arranged the stay at the resort, together with grandfolks Pam and John, great aunt and uncle Pat and Norm, Liam's parents Colter and Juliet, Ikaika's and Kekoa's parents Kanoa and Emma, and gramps. We enjoyed sledding, skiing, making snow sculptures, and lots of hearty food and drink. Our team lost at the game Cranium, partly because I had to hum "Mandy" by Barry Manilow, and I couldn't remember the rest of the tune after the first three hums। And I'm not much of a hummer. Bummer. Okay, you try it . . . : )

Victoria Lu and KJ at Richard Vine's booksigning for "New China, New Art"

2008-11-24T18:46:00.015-05:00

The peripatetic and vibrant Victoria Lu of MOCA Shanghai, Moon River Museum, and most recently, of Stage One in Beijing. We gathered for Richard Vine's booksigning event, launching New China, New Art, at Max Protetch Gallery in Chelsea.

The Ultimate Stairmaster

2008-11-24T09:17:00.013-05:00

16NOV08 - Climbing the Great Wall of China for the second time was markedly different from my first perilous ascent. I mistakenly thought that walking down the stone steps was going to be easier than walking up them. The repetitive jarring movements eventually took its toll on my opposing leg muscles, and after miles of walking The Wall, I was more than ready for a massage back at The Peninsula in Beijing.

KJ and black cameo joailliere Coreen Simpson at Ike Ude's booklaunch for "Style File" at Diane Von Furstenberg

2008-11-24T08:29:00.019-05:00

18NOV08 - Hours off the plane from Beijing, I got myself sorted and dressed for Ike Ude's booksigning party for Style File, published by Harper Collins. The event was hosted by Diane Von Furstenberg in her Meatpacking District store. Ude is an artist, writer, and the publisher of aRude magazine. Shown: KJ and Coreen Simpson.

John Kingerlee at the National Art Museum of China

2008-11-14T18:20:00.004-05:00

14NOV08 - (Image #4) I grabbed this quick shot of Irish documentary series filmmaker Paul O'Flynn taking a shot of one of the museum installation teams. He was amazed at the coordinated group effort of workers in suits installing a single piece of Irish painter John Kingerlee within the show that I curated at the National Art Museum of China.

Mao-cho Mao-cho Man . . .

2008-11-14T06:18:00.005-05:00

Did you know that Tian'anmen means Gate of Heavenly Peace? From 1945 to 1949, Tian'anmen was frequently the meeting place for members of progressive student movements. The square, one of the largest in the world, across the street was the site of protest that resulted in tragic bloodshed on 4 June 1989. With this shot I supplanted a new symbolic face of China onto the immense portrait of Mao, looming above the gate entrance.

Mystery machine

2008-11-13T16:52:00.002-05:00

Can you identify the location and function of this mystery machine? If so, you can claim a free drink with me at one of my favorite New York restaurants, Cendrillon, 45 Mercer Street in SoHo.

Late night munchies? A Beijing night food market offering!

2008-11-13T16:32:00.002-05:00

The popular Donghuamen night food market, several blocks long, adjacent to the tony Wangfujing shopping street, serves up delicacies including centipedes on a stick, sea horses, starfish, and these large black scorpions, among other more traditional and regional dishes.

A Perilous Ascent of the Great Wall of China

2008-10-26T09:15:00.002-04:00

This is a shot from atop part of the Great Wall of China, overlooking the dam and the lake it created that covers part of the wall underwater. Getting to this vantage point was perilous, literally life-threatening, but my friend Xing Lei kept urging Tian and me to the top, saying "More danger . . . more beauty!" and referred to the Chairman Mao quote that one cannot call oneself a hero until one has climbed the great wall. We spent an hour or more exploring the guard tower, imagining the daily routines and the strain/boredom of the sustained vigilance of soldiers who stood watch on this isolated serpiginous fortress.

Galeria Metropolitana

2008-10-18T09:17:00.004-04:00

I curated a show at Galeria Metropolitana, an amazing exhibition space, literally a metal garage in the middle of a residential neighborhood in Santiago. It has garnered international acclaim due to its dynamic directors, Ana Maria and Sapa, who are knowledgable, connected, and gracious.

At the edge of the Gobi Desert

2008-10-18T06:52:00.003-04:00

Having been in Beijing and Shanghai, I wanted to see another part of China and an artist-friend recommended Dun Huang: hours of flying, west of Beijing and north of Tibet. The caves, carved into the stone mountain, contain cultural treasures that are excellently preserved by the area's desert climate. Dun Huang was along the Silk Route, and has a rich history layered with Christian, Muslim, Hindu, and Buddhist influences.

Grandsons Kekoa, Ikaika, Liam

2008-10-18T06:45:00.013-04:00

I love my family, especially my grandkids (to date, I only have grandsons). While traveling and way from them, I feel like a sailor sailing out of sight of dry land until I get to see them again. Kekoa and Ikaika live in New York and Liam lives in Arizona. Amazingly, they were all born on the same day of different months. One of the few occasions when we can gather all of them together regularly is Thanksgiving. They were all together this past summer in Hawaii, visiting their great-grandparents, Danny and Pat Baysa, Mrs. Anne Main. We all miss granddad George Main. (B&W: Kekoa-Ikaika-Liam in Maryland, 2007; Color: Liam-Kekoa-Ikaika in Hawaii, 2008)