Joseph Grigely Image & Video Descriptions

Bulletin Board, 2010
Bulletin Board II, 2012
Pigment prints
Editions 2/3
47 ½ x 126 ½ inches each

This piece consists of two identically sized photographic prints mounted on Plexiglas that are presented side by side. Both images are of bulletin boards surrounded by light wooden borders that frame the image on all sides. The print on the left shows a bulletin board crammed edge to edge with overlapping images of announcements for exhibitions at various galleries. At the top right corner is a poster depicting a woman with blonde hair holding a necklace in her hand while two other blonde women lay on a tarp on the ground. The printed name of artist Rosemarie Trockel is truncated by the overlapping flyer to the right, which features a painting of a starburst of orange, blue, red, and yellow. The text at the bottom reads, “Chris Johanson”. Below, to the right, is an image of a Black man driving a red car through a small town. Atop the hills above, the word “Afrobiotics” looks over the town like the Hollywood sign. On the right side of the bulletin board’s upper left corner is a poster creased horizontally and vertically; it is white with green paint and says “At Bürofried.” Below that is a word search with black letters on white paper. At the top, the words “Livres D’Artistes L’Invention D’un Genre 1960–1980” are outlined in red. Additional words circled in red include: Abramovic, Barry, Bochner, Douglas, Finlay, and Filliou. Some of the words are obscured by other overlapping postcards. Filling out the space are other posters, a selection of which advertise the 1997 Small Press Book Fair, and exhibitions by Douglas Gordon, and the esteemed ableist Sophie Calle.

The second bulletin board is a replica of the first, yet all the posters have been removed. The chaos becomes like a loss. The white naked surface of the bulletin board holds on to small bits of paper and staples that the posters have left behind. The board is refreshed and ready for the next smattering of exhibition ephemera.

White Noise (monochrome), 2020
Oval-shaped room, conversations on white paper, pins

This work exists in two conjoining similarly oval-shaped rooms. The first room is 26 x 19 x 14 feet and is covered from floor to ceiling with about 2,500 pieces of white paper of various sizes. A white gauze fabric hangs taut across the ceiling. Each piece of paper contains handwritten text, some on tablecloths, notecards, hotel stationery, or bits of scrap. Similar to how white noise is comprised of every frequency, this room is filled with things to look at, but from a distance none of it is immediately distinguishable. The notes contain bits of conversations and words with no obvious context, and some include drawings. The corners of these papers are backed by the white walls, causing the dark blurs of text to visually clutter and cluster. Once, if at all, the text comes into focus, the amount of information to process is overwhelming. The comparison to audible white noise is more than justifiable.
Sample texts include:

White index card-sized paper with writing in black ink. It reads: “Sam told me you asked him if you can make an installation in his glove compartment! What do you propose to store in there?”
White index card-sized paper with writing in black ink. It reads “Textual” after which there is a word scribbled out. Below that it reads “Torous,” and under that is a line drawing of a dinosaur-like creature with an open mouth, one dot for an eye, spikes across its back, and a long tail that ends in three spikes. It appears to only have three legs, and the front one looks a bit like an outline of the state of Florida.

Slightly off white post-it note-sized paper with blue writing. It reads: Here, the gallery is so big, so straight, so clean, But it’s not a deep and sensitive white space. It looks like a blank space.”

White index-card sized paper. At the top in red is printed “Manifesta 1;” under that in black is printed “Foundation European Art Manifestation.” The writing on the card is in blue ink. It reads: “Plastic icicle-pop makers v kitsch.” Below the text is a line drawing. It is a rectangular top with six ovals drawn in two rows of three, each with the top of a popsicle stick drawn into it. The upper right hole is empty, but an arrow points to it and next to it is a popsicle stick. Below the front edge of the rectangle three rectangular shapes protrude indicating geometric popsicles.

White Noise (polychrome), 2020
Oval-shaped room, conversations on colored papers, pins

The second oval room, slightly smaller than the first one, is 23 x 17 x 12 feet and features notes on a range of colored pieces of paper. The notes range across shades of red, orange, blue, yellow, and green, making it even more of a challenge to detach one’s focus from the wall. Note by note, pixel by pixel, each color demands attention equally, thus scrutinizing the overall importance of the written text.

Sample texts include:

Hot pink index card-sized paper with writing in black ink. It reads: “he said, and don’t forget about nascar.” Below the text is a rushed line drawing of a car that doesn’t look like it would go very fast.

Full-sized sheet of faint yellow paper it has a light gray grid, vertical lines down each side, and one horizontal line across the top. The grid does not exist in the margins. On the left side are three holes and a bird logo with the text: National Brand, 42-182 100 Sheets Made in U.S.A. The text written on the sheet is done so in angular punk rock letters. It reads: “Even if I pass this class w/a C or somethin’ that’s ok – it’s been an educational term in a lot of ways.” Further down the sheet the word “ECLECTIC…” is in all caps. Below that it reads: “Need to finish it up this evening: has poems n’ stories by my pals (+ a couple strangers), 2 poems o’ mine, the ‘gothic word find,’ a coupla cartoons, my wee intro rant which incl. a ‘lil societal commentary + a list of good cheezy touist crap around MI (‘Kitschigan’).” Further down in all caps it reads: “GREEN DAY is punk rock?! No way.”

Orange index card-sized paper with writing in black ink. It reads: Knotty or Naughty? PINE

Full sheet of faint yellow paper that is hung horizontally, it has three holes across the top and with blue vertical lines, one red horizontal lines a third of the way down the sheet. The black ink text reads: “Do you know the joke about New Directions Press? Ezra P. used to call it Nude Erections”

Between the Walls and Me, 2023
Cast plaster and aggregate with damaged walls
Edition 1/3
15 x 12 x 8 inches

Resting on its side on the floor is an artificial stone bust of the artist. It has the effect of being made of marble and is in the style of ancient Greek busts. The features are realistic, showing the artist’s full beard, balding head, and surrounding hair in a horseshoe shape. The eyes are open, with detailed pupils staring ahead. The sculpture is missing chunks where it has been thrown at the surrounding wall, causing scratches and damage to the gallery walls and on the surface of the bust. An additional audio track of the artist smashing the head against the wall is included. In the track you hear labored breathing, banging, and debris falling to the floor.

This audio clip is of Joseph Grigely smashing the bust of his head through the museum walls while installing Between the Walls and Me. The sculpture is missing its nose, chin, and brows just like many classical busts, and now lays on the floor in a pile of debris made up of Sheetrock and sculpture bits. The wall is dented and broken with marks that are approximately at head height. Some of the holes reveal inner structure of the wall.

What the Stress Amounts To, 2023
Wine bottle capsules
36 ½ feet high

A thin multi-colored pole stretching from the floor to the ceiling is comprised of the labels and foil of over 500 bottles of wine. Perfectly stacked and sequenced in reds, whites, black, gold, oranges, blues, greens, and shades of cream, the pole appears to be holding the ceiling from collapsing and the floor from giving way. Each label seems to have been removed from its body with surgical precision, or perhaps meticulously reconstructed to retain their collective dignity.

How would
William Févre,
Louis Latour,
Chateau Mezain,
Cave de Lugny,
Latour Haute-Garonne,
Béatrice et Pascal Lambert,
Bouchard Père et Fils,
Chapoutier,
Louis Jadot,
Château Segonzac,
or Joseph Drouhin
feel if they knew that they now served as part of a load-bearing rod in some art museum?

That’s What We Live For, 2006
Painted urethane
AP
14 ½ x 12 x 11 inches each

On the floor are two white buckets upside down in lieu of chairs. They are the type purchased from a hardware store to hold large quantities of paint. They are positioned comfortably apart allowing enough space for each sitter to converse while ice fishing, waiting together for a wandering fish to bite.

Cold Comfort, 2006
Pigment print
Edition 4/10
9 ½ x 5 ½ inches

This image is a framed photo of a newspaper article, hung on the wall near the two buckets of That’s What We Live For.

Two men dressed in winter clothing sit on buckets across from each other. They are fishing on a large block of ice floating in a harbor. They each hold a rod at different angles. The man on the left looks to be inspecting the tip of his rod while the other man looks at a fish hanging from the end of his hook. It is assumed that they have cut a hole in the ice to drop their lines in, but one is not seen. In the background are a segment of the Chicago skyline, snowy ground, and high-contrast trees and other structures.

The caption from the news article reads: Bill McNamara (left) and Daryl Szyska, both of Chicago, ice fish for perch in Belmont Harbor Sunday morning. “People think we’re crazy, sitting out here on a block of ice,” Szyska said. “But relaxing out here, having conversation, that’s what we live for.”

This work contains some adult language.

Blueberry Surprise, 2003
Pigment print
Edition 10/12
72 x 48 ½ inches

Blueberry Surprise, 2003
Vinyl wall frieze
50-foot wall

Blueberry Surprise, 2003
Audio performance of Blueberry Surprise: A Play for Three Voices at the Serpentine, London, September 22, 2017
Running time: 38 minutes, 6 seconds

The 50-foot wall is covered in a band of vinyl text which runs across the upper middle of the wall and spans 20 inches high. The text consists of a series of conversation fragments from different speakers and situations, which have each been removed from their original context and rearranged, creating gibberish. Each speaker change is indicated by a color change of either red, orange, or black. The text inscribed on the wall is only an enlarged excerpt of the original print that hangs in a white frame halfway in the middle the wall, hiding part of the vinyl behind it. It is recommended to use an ocular character recognition (OCR) app like Seeing AI in order to read this text since it spans so much of the wall.

For your listening pleasure and overall convenience, scan the QR code to access a dramatic performance of this text. The recording is approximately 36 minutes long.

8mm and 16mm film transferred to DVD
Running time: 7:33
Edition 2/3

This piece is filmed on Super 8, 16mm film, and video.

A white woman with wavy dark hair, bangs, and a ponytail looks out over the water. She is wearing a long dark coat, green shirt, red scarf, and gloves. She is filmed repeating the same actions over and over. Looking out over the water she turns around to face the viewer. She turns slowly at first, then completes her spin quickly, looking to the left, then the right, and sometimes crossing her arms or leaning on a railing as the wind blows her hair. The artifacts of the different mediums set the mood of her actions. At times the image is overexposed, and the colors are saturated and unnaturally bright. The black-and-white shots are dark and hide detail. These effects affect the meaning of each shot. Is she looking for someone? Is she impatient or anxious? Is she cold? On two occasions the screen splits into two. She then faces herself momentarily before returning to a single image. This video is not entirely silent; briefly, at one point, it includes aimless whistling.

Songs Without Words (Eartha Kitt), 2012
AP

This photo is black and white.

An older black woman on stage opens her mouth wide just inches from a microphone. With her eyes staring ahead she hovers her left hand before her chest, spreading her fingers open. Her right hand is lost in the pattern of her long lamé gown, a dark contrasting pattern of mushy and vaguely floral-like shapes connecting in all directions. The stage lights shine atop her head, distinguishing her curly short hair from the dark background.

Songs Without Words (Andrea Bocelli), 2012
Edition 2/3

This photo is black and white.

Standing amongst orchestra members, a white man with salt and pepper hair wears a dark tuxedo jacket, white shirt, and white bow tie. His eyes are closed, and his mouth forms a large dark circle. His arms are glued to his sides as opera singers are known to do. A conductor to his left leans towards him and gestures his baton. The conductor’s fingers are outstretched in front of his face.

Songs Without Words (Garanaca), 2020
Edition 3/3

A white woman with shoulder-length blonde hair in a black dress stands to the right of a theater set. On stage with her are three empty burgundy leather armchairs. The background is a muted purple. There is a door behind and to her right. Its bright white frame contrasts with the wall, distracting focus from the woman. She is grabbing her face at the temples, squeezing her eyes tight, and screaming, or perhaps singing, in anguish.

Songs Without Words (Julia Bullock), 2020
Edition 3/3

This photo is black and white.

Framed on the left of this photo is a light-skinned black woman with natural hair positioned behind a music stand. She is wearing a black long-sleeved top that blends into the background. Her hands are out before her at waist level. Each hand faces inward as if holding a large invisible ball. Her steady dark eyes focus on the back of the hall while her mouth is stretched into an oval as wide as it can possibly get.

Songs Without Words (Pearl Jam), 2023
Edition 1/3

This photo is black and white.

The image shows the profile of a man with long dirty hair and full beard. His head is tilted back, his eyes clenched tight, and mouth stretched projecting his voice into the microphone inches from his face. His hands grip the mic tight, as if they are fused to the stand. He wears a token flannel with the sleeves cut off and a black t-shirt underneath. A white stage light drowns out his left arm while beaming to the ceiling.

Songs Without Words (King of Dembow), 2023
Edition 1/3

A black man with cornrows braided back holds a microphone in his left hand. His mouth is open in the shape of speech and not song. He is wearing a thick green leather jacket with a furry white collar. Diamonds on the shoulders reflect the stage lights as they highlight the emerald Louis Vuitton logos. He is wearing a gray shirt. Around his neck are three 1-inch gold chains resting on his collarbone with gold dog tags hanging from longer links. Projected behind him are large abstract circles soaked in violet and pink. Lines of black, bright pink, and white alternate horizontally, creating the impression of a graffiti-tagged security door. There is a large letter “M” in a stylized, angular font that resembles two triangles jutting out towards the corners of the man’s head.

Dog from “Riva Degli Schiavoni,”, 2003
Painted fiberglass
Edition 5/5
27 x 29 x 9 inches

On the gallery floor stands a life-sized sculpture of an adult dog. It is painted entirely white and has the texture of rough fur. The breed is undetermined, and since it was sculpted based on a painting by the eighteenth-century Italian painter, Canaletto, some of its body is purely speculative. The dog’s rear is up, and it leans its front legs forward, ready to pounce or play. Its tail is straight up, with the tip curling forward towards its back. It has cocked its head to the left. It’s poised as if it heard its name, a squirrel, the doorbell, or someone dropping a biscuit. It rests on a short plinth raised slightly above the ground.

Remembering is a difficult job, but somebody has to do it, 2005
Two-channel video installation with sound, artificial palm trees, c-prints
Edition 5/6
Room-sized installation

In this dark room, a video of foamy ocean waves is projected on the wall and flanked by two tall fake palm trees. There is a smaller plant on the floor to the right with a small vintage TV on the floor next to it. Three framed photographic stills from the projected video hang on the adjacent wall to the right so that the horizon line of the landscape depicted aligns rather than the tops of the frames. Outside of the room hangs a small framed black and white photo of the cast of the 1960s TV show, Gilligan’s Island. In the image the cast is gathered around a portable radio, heads tilted in listening. The man nearest to the center cups his hand to his ear. On the bottom right corner, the photograph is signed: “To Joe! From Gilligan’s Island, Bob Denver ‘Gilligan’.”

The video shown on the TV is as follows:

The artist Joseph Grigely enters from the left and sits at a table. A microphone on a stand leans in from the right, and a glass of water is waiting on the left. He is wearing a dark long-sleeved shirt. His brown hair is a little messy. He is wearing glasses and has a brown and gray beard. Throughout the video, he holds and fidgets with a pencil between both hands. Off-screen a woman asks him three questions: “Do you remember exactly how it goes?” How about without the words? Do you remember the music?” and “What about any others? Do you remember any other?” When his interviewer speaks, a small window containing an ASL interpreter appears on the upper right. The window is only on screen when the interviewer is talking. The artist sings. While singing the first song (the theme to Gilligan’s Island) he places the pencil down and uses his hands to emphasize the words “Crash! Bang!!” then picks up the pencil on “Crack!” When humming the next songs (various TV commercial jingles), he taps out a telegraphic rhythm with the forefinger of his right hand. He then goes back to playing with the pencil as he sings the rest of his songs. He then exits to the left. The video fades to black. The title appears in white text: Remembering is a difficult job, but someone has to do it.

Projected on the wall of the room, between the palm trees behind the TV, is a silent, slow-moving video of two looping scenes. Every 40 seconds or so the scenes rotate. A crystal-blue body of water surrounded by icy banks swaps a different view of itself. In the opening image the lower left corner of the shot features a white landscape with bumps and jagged edges. The shadows that are cast resemble the surface of the moon and seem just as lonely. Across the bay are similar white banks. They are the horizon separating the blue water with a lighter shade of sky. Dozens of icebergs spot the water. Some appear as tiny white dots and others as passing ships. In the second shot the bank in the foreground is no longer there, and the positions of the icebergs have shifted slightly.

Craptions, 2023
Pigment prints
Edition 1/3
16 ½ x 23 ½ inches each

These pieces are hung horizontally in black frames, without mounts, which makes them look like TV monitors. There are no individual titles for this work.

Left to Right

A screenshot of the YouTube web browser shows the face of a male singer. He has short black hair that is receding at his forehead, and a full beard. The collar of his shirt is white. He sings into two gray microphones. His mouth is wide open and his eyebrows slightly furrowed. He looks ahead. His face, microphones, and collar are lit. Everything else is dark. On the lower right of the video is a label in white. It reads: “subtitles/closed captions unavailable.” On-screen text below the video reads: “Caruso bracket the most powerful end bracket.”

This image shows a white male singer with short black hair and some stubble on his jawline and upper lip. He wears a blue suit and shirt. He holds the black mic up to his open mouth. His eyes are shut, and he has a slight furrow in his brow. He wears a small inner-earpiece. The background is an abstract blur of orange and yellow, with a center of light blue and a few black blotches. The blue captions are at the bottom left of the screen in a black text box. They read: bracket “singing foreign language” end bracket. There is one musical note above the first bracket.

At the bottom and off-center are the words “pterosaur bellows” in round brackets with musical notes above. A winged creature soars above a distant, dark tree line. Its head partially obscures the low, hazy sun, and only the creature’s silhouette is distinguishable. The featherless creature’s long neck, head, and straight, pointed beak vaguely resemble that of a crane or a pelican; the perspective of the creature is unclear. Its silhouette may indicate that the creature’s body is quite short in comparison to its wings and head.

On-screen text at the top left of the screen reads: “The Victoria Derbyshire Show, BBC, BBC Live, Windsor.” At top right, a white logo reads: “The Sun.” At the bottom, partially obscured by the caption hashtag, the text reads: “Victoria live, Princess Eugenie’s Royal Wedding.” In the center, a white woman in a white bridal gown ascends a wide stairway. Her dress has long sleeves, a full skirt, and a train about twice the length of her skirt. She has brown hair and an assumed tiara on her head. She lifts the front of her skirt as she steps. The light-colored stone stairs are lined with colorful plants and flowers in place of a banister. Five men in dark suits all look in different directions sizing up the area. One member of this security detail is straightening the end of the train. Another bends over inspecting the hem of her dress. A woman in red stands by taking notes with a clipboard. At the bottom and centered, the blue caption reads: “Not sure… What a beautiful breast. Absolutely fitting her.”

On-screen text at the bottom of the screen reads: “CNN Democratic Presidential Debate hashtag DemDebate. Topic: Political Revolution vs Improving the System.” Below the CNN logo on the right is the time stamp of 5:45 PM PT. Two white men in black suits stand behind blue podiums with white frames. They both have white hair. The man on the left has on a red tie. His face is obscured by the caption reading: “Why don’t you tell the truth. we all make mismistakes” (in white writing in a solid black text box). The man appears to be facing forward, toward the camera. The man on the right wears glasses and a blue tie. He faces toward the other man. Mouth open in mid-sentence, he gestures toward his debate opponent with a loose, open palm. Behind the men is a blue stage with a red floor. The wall is lined with a deep blue backdrop with the red CNN logo repeated across it. There are other logos repeated, but they are unrecognizable.

Travels with Tess, 2023
Pigment prints
Edition 1/3
23 ½ x 16 ½ inches each

Each piece contains four photographs of text messages displayed on iPhone screens, with a woman’s hands holding them. The images are taken from several points of view in which the phone is being held out for the photographer to view. Each piece is divided into quadrants of images, featuring one phone and hand per quarter. They are framed and hung on the wall in portrait orientation.

A selection of this work has been recorded. The complete written description is available on the exhibition’s website.

1. Upper left phone:
You missed a
very engaging
conversation
between the
people behind
us at security
about what
glass they
decided to use
for their chicken
coop

Upper right phone:
Did you see
that choice.
Wine water…
water wine…

Lower left phone:
Barely
I can’t turn it off

Lower right phone:
Not today

2. Upper left phone:
your bread (this text is cut off half way at the top)
lol I walked very
confidently into
the men’s
washroom

Upper right phone:
I’m getting
confused
typing for so
many voices haha

Lower left phone:
Shit.

Lower right phone:
I’m hiccupping

5. Upper left phone:
Did you get a
wine for our
wine free night?
Pierre is getting
cheese

Upper right phone:
I think we are
perfect poles
between
meaningful mess and
meaningful order

Lower left phone:
I’m having fun
but maybe the
good mood is
delirium.

Lower right phone:
I think there are
ways to make
intentional
chaos that are
easier to read

Portrait series
R-prints
3 x 5 inches each

This series consists of photos of other people’s hands, each framed in black and hanging side by side along the wall. The photographs are taken from many angles, but each is closely cropped in on the hands in the middle of writing, drawing, or signing. Some of the text is illegible, and some of the drawings are challenging to make out.

Jenny S., Detroit, 19 January 1996, 1996
AP

This image is a black-and-white photo of two hands, one writing on a piece of paper and the other holding it in place. The hands are white with short nails and rings on every finger. On the right hand is a large cocktail ring shaped like an eyeball with an iris and pupil worn on the middle finger. The ring finger has on it a large metal oval-shaped ring. A thin metal band with a small design is on the right pointer finger, and there is a metallic band with spiky components on the right pinky. On the left hand, a large metal cabochon ring is on the pointer, and two thick metal bands are on the middle and ring fingers. The designs on the bands are indistinguishable.

The hand is printing in capital letters with a black pen.

The message reads:
There’s a
Rock (star drawing) who
Demands to Photograph
Any fan who
takes a photo of
him or wants
an autograph
Pat Smea.

The final word is spelled S M E A. The pen remains at the end of the word as if they will continue to write.

There is also a fork on the table.

Paula H., New York, 20 December 1996, 1998
Edition 1/3

his image is a color photo of the fingertips of two white hands; one is writing in a notebook while the other holds it steady. The writer wears a gold ring on their middle left finger, with a round blue stone in it. They write in a book with sky-blue lined paper using a fine-tipped black marker that has bled through the paper. Part of the word “permanent” is visible under their hand. The notebook sits on a brightly colored piece of material that consists of a blush pink flower, sky-blue lines, and leaves on a golden yellow stripe, dark brown lines, and thick sage green lines.

The visible area of the page reads:
Gallery
store front
guess I have
clothes and a
boyfriend
Valedictor

The marker remains at the end of the word or name as if they will continue to write.

Chris O., Copenhagen, May 1996, 1997
Edition 3/3

This image is a color photo of two hands; one is writing and drawing on a piece of paper while the other holds it down. The hands belong to a Black person who has fairly short nails and a gold ring on their right ring finger. It is twisted away from the camera. They write and draw on a few pieces of folded white paper using a black, fine-tipped felt pen with a barrel that is blueish green. The folded papers sit on a moss-green table. A white dish hosting brown liquidy meal sits near the writer’s left hand. Some cutlery is neatly placed on the table, and beyond that is a semi-dirty plate. To the writer’s right is a white piece of paper with a piece of golden rod under it. The writing is almost unintelligible due to the lightness of the words, the angle, and the camera’s focus. It is also possible that some of the writing has bled through the other side. One word is obscured by the writer’s pinky finger.

The page reads:
Danish TV
What to film [illegible word] When he [illegible word] [illegible word, “out”] [obscured short word] his [illegible word, possibly bodied or buttered?]

There may be a final word on the last line, and/or another line of text, but they are quite faint. The busy abstract line drawing appears to outline the words four or five times, following the curves of the words. The lines go toward the bottom of the page, but the person’s hand covers it. There are a few words written parallel to the rest. The first two appear to be “one love” and are outlined in a similar style. Below that are more words covered by the hands.

Amy V., Ghent, 29 January 1997, 1997
Edition 2/3

This image is a color photo of one hand being held up. The photo may have been taken outside at night with a flash. The background is dark with an unclear series of white bars or a door frame. The person’s hand is at top left. Their elbow is out of the frame. The top of their upper arm and shoulder are along the bottom of the image. The hand appears to be white. It has short nails. The cuff of their moss-green sweater is visible under something, likely a wool coat, that is dark gray. The hand assumes the shape of an ASL sign for the letter “e.” The open palm faces us. The fingers are bent, and the fingertips rest at the top of the palm, on the upper end of the thumb resting across the palm.

Jenny S., Ann Arbor, Michigan, 7 December 1995, 1996
AP

This image is an out-of-focus brown-hued photograph with two hands and graph paper. The person appears to be wearing gloves with a metallic weave. The graph paper they write on is bigger than an average size of paper. It has a yellow hue. None of the words are legible, but the blocks of text appear to have been written from at least two different angles. A couple more pieces of paper, which also have writing on them, stick out from under the graph paper.

Music from St. Cecilia, 2012
Edition 3/5
24 ½ x 19 inches each
Three framed prints of black and white sheet music

In this image are three pages of sheet music displayed. The pages look familiar and include the basics: clefs, musical notes on and between the staff lines, and other common sheet music iconography. There are also lyrics featured on these charts. They are as follows:

1.The Czar is Afraid of Everything
Lyrics by JOSEPH GRIGELY
Music by RICHARD RODGERS
arr. Ron Downs

Rain-drops on ros-es and whis-ky on kis-ses
Pine-y cold sa-kad and warm wool-y mis-sus
Brown pa-per bags_ got up_ with drink
Li-sa is one of my fa-vor-ite things
Cream-y ex–po-nents and news-pa-pers too_
gour-ments sleep-ing and chil-dren with sin-ew
Woo-gies that fly_ with moose on their wings
The Czar is a-fraid of e-ve-ry–thing
Ghosts in white tress-es and blue tat-tered tires_
So-phie and Ted and my goats in A–las–ka
Sil-ver shite wiz-ards that bond in–to sprigs
These are a few of my fa–vor–ite things
When the dawn barks
When the pea sings when-ev-er they de-cide_______
I slipped to Sep-tem-ber by ve–lour thighs
And then I don’t feel
so
bad__________________________________

2.Check Close Those Lucky Legs
Lyrics by JOSEPH GRIGELY
Traditional
arr. Ron Downs

Check close those____ luck–y legs Lips and hair are white
What the close is trying to tock When I’m forced to slip
John–ny was a bas–tard child Doo–sie wants a collie

Don’t fore–tell a sea–food dog_____ when I’m going to die
Tell the chip–pers brown and black the weather–er man is ripped
Nel–lie wants a sto–ry book______ She thinks dogs are falling

Ree–vy Ste–vens coughs up blue Now you see our mind_________
All the socks____ flip-pin’ fly Hang–ing in the road My
Ask for me my lit-tle bride In a flo–wer pot______

Whis–per wa–ter works for me Tell me if you lied
wom–an read the sto–ry once You’ll be sure to know
Do for me______ ho-tel lots When it’s thick it’s fried

3. Cy Licks Light, Holy Fright
Music by FRANZ GRUBER
arr. Ron Downs

Cy______ licks light, ho-ly fright Call his mom,
Sail-ling light! Rolls_____ in flight! Leop-ards make
Sigh-ing night, ho-ly sight Win-ters jaw

call his bride Round old Fer–gie’s mo-ther and child
hats at night! Lau–ra’s dream____ from hea–ven a–far
loves the night With the hon–ney hell_____ they’ll sing

O–il shi-vers so send her a smile Tell me eve–ry–thing
Eve-ry horse____ sings “Hal, where are ya?” Mike the Zeph–yr is
Hel–lo you______ to our _____ King Christ, the strange-er is

please_______ Tell me eve–ry–thing please
born_________ Mike the Zeph–yr is born
here_________ Cheese and sal–ad are here

We Need a Drinking Song, 2012
Urethane
Edition 2/3
29 ½ x 18 x 19 ½ inches

In the corner of the room sits the cast of a wood/coal-burning stove. The standard iron and soot are swapped for a frosted glass-like build. It can easily be mistaken for an Avon novelty Snowman bottle of cologne. The vent in the middle of its belly is circular with small triangular slots, a little handle, and a nubbin to shift the smoke. The body of the stove is split horizontally looking like 2 glassy hats stacked brim to brim. Vertical lines adorn its circumference. Atop the body is three quarters of a circle that is harboring a short blunt pipe. The pipe sticks out above the stove like a sawed-off periscope. The whole thing stands on top of 3 frosty bricks. It rests on a short plinth raised slightly above the ground.

Paula’s Birthday Party, 1998/2016
Digital pigment print on photo rag Hahnemühle paper
Edition 1/3
41 ½ x 41 ½ inches

A square white paper tablecloth is framed and hung diagonally. Its lower half is crammed with black and blue handwritten words and phrases. At times its legibility is tight and focused, and at others it’s loose and rushed. Some words are crossed out with a single strike, and others seem to have upset the author to the point of total redaction. Linearity is not a concern. There are words upside down and others piled on top of each other with no clear winner. The tablecloth is spotted with expected grease spots and smudges. A half-circle ring left from generic stemware bleeds into a red splotch. It’s not a merlot stain; it’s fruity like a strawberry daiquiri.

An AI transcription of this upside-down rat’s nest is as follows:
, Retail
conference?
TALKING
ABOUT
3×300
darester What
for ément
3 YRS.
Tans .
Excellent.
geting
takside the authorid. And 15-20 19
N& 21 H 21 W/
This year
is so much
people werePCal, benker Feller,
3804
betton.
forstring”
LeKIN
0
here
debe everybodyare
Sie ( which is time)
GREAT
Your showet tedlike every bodyare looking
a 2 People
No bullshit
FALL CHICKEN
Thate
the
She had to get
HONG CHICKET
In
best wert
away from herfather
difficity
he’s done . B
It’s realy
Etckering
Ent how seed Hag MiNok-
Smithes il fartich
Hehás
Now!
The
YA
re-work
Love of
Ell persona
Helio
for fears
It’s het
isthat Jan was
special, I hope so farnes many
DessaNet
LIS IMPORTANT
Covered
nagged out
CHATY-FORKS
He’s a good. He mora lit
on Vinhacs 3 good
SIG That ERY the Kid
w/ bruises
snel Last month
GAUTE12: Watching?
MIL
I en liknouts
Black Riders
INKL.The
BiTett DIV
Warte #
altayant

Fourteen Untitled Conversations, 2001/2013
Pigment print
Edition 7/10
15 x 19 inches

This piece is comprised of multiple pieces of paper pinned with white round-head map pins inside a frame. They are arranged in four horizontal rows. They are described left to right, row by row. A selection of this piece has been recorded. The complete written description is available on the exhibition’s website.

Top row 1: A baby-pink note with blue ink. Note says: “But I like this fantasy over here. I thought that she doesn’t have a husband. Not the mother of 3 or 4? Nice body? (an arrow points to the word “or” in the line above. Nice body?) Do I have a nice body?”

Top row 3: A washed blue note, with blue ink. The note says: “human beings are wonderfully odd.”

Second row 1: A teal note with black ink. The note reads: “My mom was sleeping in my room in Brooklyn apparently (underlined), she snooped in my drawers which were filled with “UP THE ASS” porno hardcore . . . she put my lingerie on top of them . . .” Written vertically, in the right corner: “my revenge.”

Second row 2: orange note with blue ink. The note reads: “Whenever Howard holds the boy cat against his will—when he gets away he immediately mugs the girl cat. What do fish do to alleviate their frustration?”

Third row 1: A hot pink note with black ink. A drawing of an alligator is in the top left corner. His paws and claws stick out, and his eyes are widely excited; in the bottom corners of the note are two bald and round heads facing each other. Their eyes and mouths are opened wide. They are clearly frightened by the gator. What is not clear, though, is whether they are seals or humans.

Fourth row 2: A red note with black ink. The note reads: Two young moms @ a farm. If rabbits don’t lay eggs what do they lay

Fourth row 4: A white note with black ink. Drawing of a flower-like creature in a shape of maybe a dog with a hat and wings, a person, a boot, and a triangle. Everything is drawn in a way that almost makes it look 3D, and I don’t think the pen ever left the paper for the part that is the most pertinent in all the figures. I have no idea what these creatures or objects actually are, I’m just writing down whatever the fuck comes to mind when I’m trying to describe it. I honestly have no fucking clue though.”
—Meesh Fradkin, contributing describer

Untitled Conversation, 2005
Archival pigment print and lithography
AP
15 x 11 inches

This piece is a framed scan of a white sheet of paper with faint blue horizontal lines and faint pink horizontal and vertical lines. At the bottom in black ink there is a note that reads:

Men are assholes
get me some wine.
red.

Nine Blue Conversations, 2001
Iris print (offset version)
Edition 100
20 x 21 ½ inches

This piece is comprised of nine pieces of paper in varying shades of blue pinned with round-head map pins inside a frame. They are arranged in three rows. They are described left to right, row by row. A selection of this piece has been recorded. The complete written description is available on the exhibition’s website.

First row 2:
Line drawing in profile of an animal with open mouth, one eye and two circles near the mouth
She Scored
Some
Vikadin
(Pain Killer)
Mixed
w/liquor
=superfun
1 did some
pergadin+
whiskey+
had a great time

First row 3:
That’s not what
I’m talking about.

Second row 1:
(written horizontally along the left side of the paper, with a line that curves around the two bottom lines)
The Detroit News Now
Has Ads on the Front
Page
On the right is a drawing of a dog with three thought bubbles over his head, and the text “I want a thumb.” Over its right ear a rolled-up paper with gesture lines nears hitting the dog’s head, and on the right by its feet is a line drawing of a handgun.

Second row 3:
What?
Not in a bar!
I thought you said ASS

Third row 2:
Sex
Kitten?