While in LA, I was astounded by a kind of linguistic jockeying that seemed to have taken hold. 

In discussing the effect of the economic downturn on the art world, I listened to person after person describe the situation with carefully crafted phrases guaranteed to ameliorate:

"Yes, it really is good because the art world had gotten too frothy..."

"It's the best thing for art.  We can get more serious now..."

"I no longer have to worry so much about sales; now I can give my attention to the work..."

"We needed to re-balance..."

"We'll have to learn a new way of living, a more spiritual way..."

"This will give us space for experimentation..."

On and on the dialogue went...the power of the spin. 

Days later, I arrived back in Paris and took a taxi from the airport.  The taxi driver could have doubled as Mrs. Doubtfire, without the wig.  She (?) sang out "bonjour" as I brought my suitcases over to the taxi, and I thought how well Mrs. Doubtfire sounded in French!  Despite the jet lag, I attempted to make conversation just to hear her talk - about the bad gasole she had gotten the other day; how much she liked les americaines especially les dollars; the balmy spring weather...

Coming off the Peripherique, a bus aggressively pushed us aside in the merge between two lanes.   Mrs. DF buzzed down the window and shouted "terroriste" at the top of her considerable lungs.  The r's rolled perfectly and the point on the final "t" was stinging.  It sounded hip and impossibly ‘now'...using that word as the ultimate signifier of disgust.  Only Mrs. DF could get away with it.  I am sure this word is being used in the most trendy of underground clubs and will soon hit the upper ground in all kinds of spinful ways.  

Then a few days later I found myself in the Jonas Mekas show at the galerie du jour, agnes b., and couldn't help but take a snap of this image:

(Image: Jonas Mekas)

Can an artist terrorize?  How? Do we quake in our boots waiting for the next image to bombard us?  Do we feel psychically or physically violated by art?  Does the violence propagated by artists have the wherewithall to influence politics?  Do we watch to make sure that artists aren't moving in next door?

In seriousness, as it is now a rather serious time, I love the juxtaposition of artist and terrorist...for it alludes to the profoundly powerful manner in which an artist can explode old ways of perceiving and acting.  Take for example, some of these moments of shock from the art world:

Marcel Duchamp 

Artemisia Gentileschi

Philip Guston

Theodore Géricault

Andres Serrano

But nightmares aside, how good it is to be back in the land where I don't understand what is going on.  It's best that way.  Sometimes.  And I've decided for the summer that I will take my café without froth, and spend a bit more time with the work.

-georgia

(All images @ the artists represented)