A Weekend in the World
by Maxwell Williams
Art in Odd Places 2022: STORY was an eclectic and exciting cast of talented artists from across the globe. Scattered across 14th Street there was so much to see throughout the weekend. For me the weekend kicked off when I first saw Yu-Ching Wang’s performance “Breathing in New York”. I was at the 14th Street Y and I was immediately stopped in my tracks by the angelic crispness of the artist’s all white outfit with nothing but a red key foods logo staring back at me. The public like myself found themselves stopping, looking, and turning around. From my interpretation Yu-Ching Wang’s work tackles identity in a world currently encouraging and discouraging a response to obscure that identity with that of a mask. The work evokes the paranoia and confusion surrounding the initial COVID-19 breakout and the subsequent plastic bag ban. I found my weekend scattered with appearances from her performance and it was always a breathtaking experience.
(photo by Maxwell Williams 2022)
(photo by Maxwell Williams 2022)
Up next on my Art in Odd Places journey was a public work at the iconic Union Square Park. Artist Ana De Orbegoso was standing at the bottom of the steps with brightly colored “Power Vests” with striking embroidery of powerful feminist phrases. I approached Ana asking to try on a vest and proceeded to have a pleasant conversation with her about the message she was conveying. The vests had a comforting weight to them, however the heaviest weight was the messages embroidered in a bold sans font across the font. Issues such as domestic abuse, violence against women, and equality for women truly had a profound power. Wearing one was truly a transcendent experience.
(photo by Maxwell Williams 2022)
The second day I had the pleasure of encountering Christopher Kaczmarek drifting through pedestrian traffic. Kaczmarek’s project “Carry On: The Labor of our Burdens” was an “At Large” project which meant encountering one felt like a happy little surprise. A moment where everything else feels still and all you can see is a man carrying the burden of a 7 foot hand fabricated replica of a house (kind of hard to miss such a sight). The public responded in such a delightful way to this project from giggles to looks of stunned confusion. I feel that Kaczmarek was intending to communicate the weight of existing in this world and this cut-throat city.
(photo by Maxwell Williams 2022)
Directly after this I was able to meet up with my mentor and the talented curator of AiOP 2022: STORY Jessica Blinkhorn. We strolled down the North side of 14th Street agreeing to see as many artists as we could during the Critical Mass portion of the event. We ran into Shana Robbins preforming “Slowness is Velocity” work. Powerful and simple Robbins, dressed in all green would strike a chime making a pleasant and centering ring. It was a much needed break from the chaos that is Manhattan. It was really interesting to see Robbins react to the spaces around her, from admiring the echo of a parking garage to appreciating the facade of an abandoned building. She clearly has a knack for appreciating the subtleties of life.
(photo by Maxwell Williams 2022)
(photo by Maxwell Williams 2022)
Next we came upon the outstanding performance art of Wes Holloway. Holloway’s work “Community Ties” was essentially a conversation about ableism. Holloway tied a tie around my neck which I was completely blown away by. It was interesting to see how he maneuvered his movements to get a half Windsor knot only asking my assistance for the pinching and pulling aspect of the final product. I felt Holloway’s work puts life in perspective illustrating the subtleties of being a disabled person that are rarely discussed. At the end of my participation he asked me to tie the tie to a fence and I obliged.
(photo by Maxwell Williams 2022)
(photo by Maxwell Williams 2022)
The beauty of Critical Mass was that it was possible to see the STORY art happening in a few blocks radius. Following that impressive performance was Lone Aka Bryan Pettigrew’s “Blockhead: A Roamer’s Delight” in which a strange blockheaded figure was roaming around seeming lost and exploring the space around him. It seemed like I was watching TV with a remote control in my hand. His work references the digital world in which we currently live and potentially the direction where we are headed – the nature of technology to update and leave everything else obsolete.
(photo by Maxwell Williams 2022)
Last for the day was Nick Daniels DANA Movement Ensemble, and the project “American Safari”. Truly a powerful piece, I had missed the live event but was fortunate enough to catch up with Daniels after the performance and was given an exclusive recap via phone recording.
(photo by Maxwell Williams 2022)
In this piece Daniels was repeating a phrase illustrating how Africans were brought to the Americas via ship while contorting his body with ropes. Even from a humble phone screen the impact was heavy. It is important to understand how this fact still affects the world in which we live today. Though his dance was straightforward, I was blown away.
Art in Odd Places was a spectacular event with so much to do and see throughout the weekend. It was incredible to see the variety of work in public space. I am hooked and will be attending future festivals. This is a pen and ink drawing I sketched shortly after seeing “Breathing in New York” in my composition notebook where I took all of my notes.
(photo by Maxwell Williams 2022)
Max Williams is a tattoo artist and illustrator based in Queens, New York. Originally from Atlanta, Georgia, he is a self taught artist whose focus is observational drawing with a rounded cartoonish edge. Developing his unique style as a student of AiOP 2022: STORY curator Jessica Blinkhorn he says, “When I’m not drawing or tattooing you can find me cycling to the far edges of the city”.
