Gemini Season
Friends,
I’m a little late with this one, I know; I’ll spare you the excuses although I’m sure you can already guess them. A few of those I’ve been keeping in socially-distant contact with tell me they’ve recently hit their breaking point and maybe you did as well. While it doesn’t help that Venus entered retrograde two weeks ago on May 13, heavily affecting one’s sense of stability, safety, and self-worth for the next month and a half (!), let’s not shrug off COVID’s influence here. Even though states are opening up to various degrees, the virus continues to ravage communities and take a staggering number of lives that, even when compared to the atrocities of years past, fails to resonate with many. Combating an individualist worldview is the new battleground of this pandemic, leading the Times to state on Sunday’s iconic front page, that COVID’s victims “were not simply names on a list. They were us.”
We may have turned a corner but this crisis is far from over. And for artists, the path forward feels even more uncertain. Creative occupations and institutions are often pushed into the final phase of most reopening plans and, we wonder, will anyone feel comfortable in a well-populated gallery, museum, or performance hall any time soon?
On that note, I leave you with this excerpt from Artist Relief’s Conversation Series, featuring the brilliant Kristy Edmunds in dialogue with YoungArts’ Lauren Snelling. Edmunds’ advice is inspiring and, honestly, instrumental as we try to hold on to our sanity for these next few months (or, hell, probably for the rest of the year). Near the tail-end of the hour-long discussion, Edmunds says,
I think it's important for artists who are listening out there to know that your audiences and your viewers and your collectors and various other people, they're not forgetting about you. […] Every person that your work has either been affected by, moved by, perplexed by, made awake by—all of those things that you have already made, and extended, and given into our culture, are still in us. And so you have to know that your work continues to expand, even if it's inside of the archive of a living memory of your communities…I just didn't want you to feel despairing that if you're not making something new then somehow you're not making, because you often made work that is completed by the person who receives it, and they're completing the work as they change and rely on it differently now. And that is a chance for us, as an arts community, to be able to say, ‘While we do find the next way of making, it will be there for you, like you are going to need to be there for us. And we'll get there.’
xo,
Robert
Gemini
May 21 - June 20
Christo and Jeanne-Claude came into the world on the same day (June 13, 1935) and, although born miles apart, the stars made sure they would find one another. Meeting in their early twenties, when Christo was commissioned to paint a portrait of Jeanne-Claude’s mother, the two quickly became partners in every sense of the word. Madly in love, sharing everything with one another, Christo’s practice transformed into one of collaboration—even though Jeanne-Claude wouldn’t be credited for her role until the mid-90s.
The two became icons for their art and eccentric personalities, their extreme Gemini energy peeking through in almost every article or news bite about them—from the fact that they used to fly in separate planes (in case one were to crash), to the fable that their first kiss was so passionate that Christo chipped a tooth. And of course, there’s the insistence that their works, large swaths of environmental interventions, meant absolutely nothing.
For Christo and Jeanne-Claude, to ask of anything more in regards to their art was not just ill-advised but preposterous. Metaphorically painting with a real wide brush, Jeanne-Claude once said, “As with every true work of art, it has absolutely no purpose whatsoever: it is not a message, it is not a symbol, it is only a work of art. And like every true artist, we create those works of art for us and our collaborators.”
This outlook made Christo and Jeanne-Claude an easy punching bag, especially when looking at their projects’ high price tags and sometimes contentious response from area locals. But maybe this is our problem for taking the duo at face value. Geminis are known as affable jokesters, and one could argue that Christo and Jeanne-Claude are trolling the establishment and their critics—endearing themselves to the general public at a time when highly academic, specialized movements were populating the capital-A Art World.
A perfect example of the duo’s tit for tat strategy can be found in this interview transcript from, strangely enough, the Canadian Medical Association Journal. The reporter’s introduction sets the scene—one day before The Gates, Central Park, New York City, 1979-2005 was dismantled, a group of journalists gathered at Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s temporary NYC office for a somewhat chaotic conversation.
CMAJ: I’m Barbara Sibbald from the Canadian Medical Association Journal.
CHRISTO: We have an exhibit in Toronto.
CMAJ: At the Art Gallery of Ontario, yes. In looking at your art it seems to be a process of creating then uncreating, recycling everything afterward sort of like a Buddhist Mandela or the work of Andy Goldsworthy...
CHRISTO: Who’s that?
CMAJ: He’s a UK artist who works with dandelions and things like that. Afterwards everything is recycled, back to nature.
CHRISTO: No, not back to nature, it goes back to different purposes.
JEANNE-CLAUDE: We buy industrial material and after the removal it’s industrially recycled.
CMAJ: Okay, good clarification. It seems to be important to you to close this loop, between the creating and uncreating, I’m wondering if you can explain this process.
CHRISTO: No, no there is no process. We are only creating. That’s all. After that it’s part of the mechanics. We are not at all involved.
JEANNE-CLAUDE: We are not even here.
CHRISTO: We’re only involved in creativity. The moment The Gates were solved. We worked 26 years, we like to see our 7500 gates for 16 days. We work so hard. For that 16 days we make sure our workers have food, have clothing, it’s cold there —
JEANNE-CLAUDE: — that the garbage was picked up.
CHRISTO: We were like the bosses.
JEANNE-CLAUDE: We were no longer artists, once The Gates were standing in Central Park. There was no creativity.
Not knowing Andy Goldsworthy feels more trollish than insisting that they are, “not even here…like the bosses.” Later on:
JEANNE-CLAUDE: We never create works of art unless it is a site that has been previously managed by human beings, for human beings, never for nature, never in the desert, so that immediately puts land art far away from us.
CHRISTO: For instance the Reichstag —
JEANNE-CLAUDE: — and the Pont Neuf —
CHRISTO: — and Central Park.
JEANNE-CLAUDE: Central Park is a very urban project.
CHRISTO: This is an entirely man-made park. When the City of New York bought that park 160 years ago it was only rocks.
JEANNE-CLAUDE: Masa [Yanagi, their media liaison] do you have that text I wrote? Can you make a few copies?
CHRISTO: It’s a history of the park.
JEANNE-CLAUDE: They also say we are conceptual artists and that is very funny because anyone on Wall Street will tell you that $21 million is not a concept. [Laughter.]
So, Gemini, what does all this mean for your year ahead? Well, in spite of the current crisis, it’s important to maintain your playful spirit and tap into your well of endless energy. Take the piss out of others when you have the chance. Those around you are depending on your levity, and the more you can offer, the more success you’ll find.
The year isn’t without complications, though. A boost in confidence has you feeling richer, physically and spiritually, and you’re ready to share the deepest parts of yourself with another person. (This after months or maybe years of retreat.) But I have to warn you, Gemini, the person on the receiving end here—a lover, artistic collaborator, dealer who becomes more of a friend than manager—may not be prepared for this next step. Christo and Jeanne-Claude worked so well because they were perfectly aligned, star-wise, and you may not be so lucky. It goes without saying that you’ll begin harboring resentment if the other in your relationship can’t match you in this regard.
Instead of souring a partnership that was perfectly fine as it was, turn inwards. Focus on what you can do to better yourself, and your practice, without the help of another. Our socially distant times are the perfect opportunity for this, as you can theoretically do more without the shame of being seen “going at it alone” (one of your biggest fears, I know). Attend virtual lectures, or artist talks, that only interest you. Click through a virtual exhibition of an artist you love but others despise. Work in a new genre or medium without judgement. In other words, find joy without looking for approval.
Once you come out of this funk, you’ll be newly committed and incredibly productive. Opportunities, commissions, or exhibitions will come your way more easily than they ever did before. You’ll learn that the scaffolding for your support system already existed inside of you Gemini; after all, your symbol is the twin! Your partner, your collaborator, your ride-or-die will come but, first, you’ve got to do some hard work on yourself.
Gemini Season
for those born under…
Cancer: Don’t give up. You’ll experience a surge of energy in the next few weeks. A chance connection this month could change everything for you. Remain open, and don’t be afraid to share your works or ideas.
Leo: Old acquaintances are coming out of the woodwork this month and, while you may be reticent, reconnecting is worthwhile. The conversation will help you flesh out a sketch of an idea or provide you with a resource you didn’t know you needed.
Virgo: Get your ducks in a row as soon as possible. Apply for those grants, residencies, and short fiction prizes now, as you’re going to fall into a depressive slump near the tail end of the Season. It’s okay, Virgo—when it comes, ride the wave. Give yourself time to grieve and heal.
Libra: You’ve been defensive and assertive lately, funneling your insecurities into a rash hot take or two. You’ve got to keep your cool, Libra—if you’re not careful, this attitude could ruin opportunities coming your way later this year.
Scorpio: The intense isolation coupled with your desire to be consistently productive has you feeling under pressure, almost paralyzed. Take some deep breaths. No one’s expecting you to move mountains.
Sagittarius: Somehow you’ve stayed cool, calm, and collected through all this. I’m jealous! Channel this into your workflow and practice, Sag. As someone who can see this situation with clear eyes, your work could be the defining art of our times.
Capricorn: Don’t get pulled in the middle of someone else’s drama—whether it be your friend’s poor relationship with their gallery or a faraway institution’s problematic budget cuts. You already have too much to handle, Capricorn. You’ll face extreme setbacks if you don’t focus on your own work and personal life right now.
Aquarius: The uncertainty you feel right now is good—you may not realize it but you’re outgrowing your goals. Recenter yourself, take some time to really think about where you want to go from here. Once your mind is set, the rest will follow.
Pisces: Reflect on all you’ve accomplished over the years. You don’t spend enough time doing this, Pisces, properly appreciating how far you’ve come. Revisit some unfinished works you set aside months ago—maybe you’ll see that you were on to something.
Aries: Things are finally looking up for you, thank God. A new friend, lover, or institutional partnership has you feeling supported, free, standing taller than Oldenburg’s Clothespin. Relish in this. If anything in the next month upsets you, take a beat and laugh it off. Not worth your energy.
Taurus: Always one to offering a helping hand, make sure you’re taking care of yourself, Taurus. Your well-being is important too. Put your phone on silent for a couple of hours a day and devote the time to your own practice. It’ll be good to get into the habit and remember how rewarding it can be.