Friday, January 01, 2010

"To become worthy..."*

"Either ethics makes no sense at all, or this is what it means and has nothing else to say: not to be unworthy of what happens to us . . . Nothing more can be said and no more has ever been said: to become worthy of what happens to us, and thus to will and release the event . . . and to become the offspring of one's events and not of one's actions."

*from Gilles Deleuze's The Logic of Sense quoted in Robert Dewhurst's "The
 Repetitious
 Soul 
of 
CA Conrad's 
Frank
" (unpublished)

2 comments:

Unknown said...

Thom,

I just had my first experience of your writing, reading your explanation of M.Rosler's work for Museo; and I really find it to be clear in a way most art writings are not and so exceptionally informative.
Where other writers might stop at the paragraph that describes, you go further to make sure the depth of the work is revealed. Which I think is such a tremendous homage to an artist's work but so thoroughly helpful for instructors of art out there, which I believe every artist to be.
I only wish Museums and their interaction with the public (be in wall text or other future interfaces), could be so enlightened.
I thought it was some of the best art writing I've read in a long while.
Thank you.
I look forward to reading you more.

My best,
Jen Durbin

Thom Donovan said...

wow Jen! you just made my day/new year. so rare to get any feedback from any one--this is so welcome.
THANK YOU. I like what you are saying about a kind of criticism/writing about art that contests both institutional frameworks (museum exhibition) and "the review." and that art can/should be intrisically pedagogical. this is a very emancipatory view of aesthetic experience; one I would also like to nourish...
warmly, Thom