Upside-Down Promises

If you rotate a cube in your mind it becomes a sphere. Some people can’t rotate cubes, and when they see spheres they think of apples. Some people are like horses. Jim worked on these fourteen Spindles for nine months, using scraps from wood hoarded over the years. The paper mulberry was from a tree that blew down into his building’s backyard during a 2020 storm. The white oak was from the leg of his former roommate’s dining table. The “unknown” wood was firewood. The mahogany was from a table he found on the street. The redwood was from a decommissioned NYC water tower, as was the Alaskan yellow cedar, which swarmed with giant wasps when he cut into it. Kenny Schachter once said that Larry Gagosian is “as good in bed as he deals.” I should add that this was gossip, gleaned from a dealer ex of Larry’s at some art fair, but the point still stands — that wood is crazy. Jim turned the Spindles on a Powermatic 3520b wood- lathe. The colorful stripes were hand painted while the wood spun. The black stripes were burned with a wire heated only with the wood’s friction. Most of the faces were laser- engraved. Nothing prepared me for the level of conservatism and backwardness in the art world. There’s an amazing podcast between Jordan Wolfson and Beeple that Zwirner put out amidst the last bull cycle where Wolfson asked Beeple, “Are you happy?” Round n round.. The wheels on the coupe go round n round. I ain’t got no words for y’all... I would rather look at Beeple dick art everyday than see Refik’s washing machine rotation data visualizations ever again. If the art world rewards superficial gestures, the only real gesture left is to move against the grain. Slowly, precisely, and without apology. We all have the instinct to imagine two unconnected things as if they denoted two ends of an extraordinarily rich series, boundary stones of algorithmic precision. There is no exercise more pleasing to the mind than that of polishing and beautifying. Art has its Excellence, and those who apply themselves with Diligence to perfect their Talent are entitled to our Admiration. Make good on your promises, and the entire world is turned upside down. —Wretched Worm, Upside-Down Promises

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