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Honest to God, I walked into New Langton Arts not intending to bid on
a thing. They were having their annual art auction, and I wanted to
see what kind of stuff was up for grabs, see what the kids were
making these days. I've been to a couple of auctions but never one
at New Langton. The actual auction was days away, but they had the
gallery open with pieces on view for silent bidding and so I could
see the stuff I could never afford to buy.
As I said, I was intending to treat the show like any other art
exhibition in a gallery where I go in, admire the pieces, think
longingly of a day when I can buy such art, and then leave again.
I should have known better. Sure, there were the expensive pieces
downstairs (Damien Hirst, Dan Clowes, Laurie Reid, Ed Ruscha), but
in the gallery proper there were a ton of things that were in my
price range. So much fantastic stuff too. Before I knew it I had
purchased a bidder number and was scribbling it on the wall next to a
few things.
My favorite was an untitled etching by Jenny Herrick that depicted
the layers of a city in sparse black and white. I love etchings to
begin with, and this one was such a gorgeous evocation of sprawl.
Lot of intricate little lines to follow with your eye. I fell in
love with it on the spot and bid more than I've paid yet for a single
piece of art. I also staked my claim on a beautiful C-print
picturing a tumultuous cloudscape taken from the Bay Bridge by Maizie
Gilbert and a plexiglass and aluminum conceptual piece by Eliza
Barrios. I didn't realize until later that day all of the art I was
drawn to was almost completely devoid of color. It must be winter.
I'm freaking out a little about how much money I'll be spending if I
win all three of those. It's like having buyer's remorse before
you've actually done the buying. I keep telling myself it's such an
excellent cause, that I love New Langton and this is totally the
economic climate in which I need to support the arts organizations
that I love. I promise to keep my bids right where they're at now
and not go any higher. I promise not to attend the auction on
Thursday in case I get caught up in the excitement and bid on the
Ruscha.
Then I start picturing the Herrick on my wall and it's all good. I
love the tiny little collection I have at home, and I've certainly
been getting the itch lately to expand it by an item or two. Art is
probably the only area in my life in which I totally and completely
trust my instincts.
I bet you I don't win anything at all.
Past fun at
New Langton
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Heidi J. De Vries
