10:24:24
I think Polanski’s Chinatown (1974) is based on the Chandler family dynasty. Recall that pedophilia is also at the heart of that story.
Kirby Sommer, Chasing Chandler
Sommer’s Substack post on Rachel Chandler
Some comments on Marina Abramovic:
All the usual suspects. Why are they all so close to Abramovic? Wha is the appeal for them? What real—serious—artist is so completely subsidized, promoted, embedded, and beloved by Hollywood, DC, Bg Tech (Microsoft), and the music industry?
“I was young (18) and was so broke and legit homeless and living on my friend’s couch in NYC. I was working at a chocolate shop in NYS so I could legit eat. ( I could eat as much as I wanted during my shift ). One day I was working and a diplomat came into the store. He knew the owner or something of the shop so there was a connection. I was encouraged to talk with him, and let him take me to lunch. He was fatherly. He was much older and seemed harmless. Instead He brought me to marinas art event and he was so obsessed- he walked me through her whole show. I was honestly creeped out. She had piles of cow bones and videos of her washing them. Her cutting herself , all this honestly dark stuff He then brought me to her. She was sitting in a chair in the middle of the museum. People were waiting to sit across from her. He insisted I sit with her. I did . She stared into my eyes in the most deep ways. I honestly felt my soul was being trickled out. I got up after 20-30 seconds . Idk she didn’t say anything- it was part of the exhibit. The diplomat was giddy & wanted me to go back . Sit longer. I left with him and we sat in the park. I vaguely remember the convo but it started to get odd He started saying odd things, prying, wanting to know about my situation, if I was talking to my parents- even made some comments about them not understanding and how it’s ok to cut them off ( honestly that was when it got odd) wanted me to come to live with him, that he had an apartment I could stay in. He wanted me time to come see it, see his art collection or something. I just pretended my mom called me with an emergency He got angry and grabbed my hand- like I don’t remember exactly but he grabbed at me the minute I told him I had to go. I was so weirded out. I ended up leaving, and I quit my job shortly after ( a few days after ) for unrelated reasons… ( my friend’s roommate essentially kicked me out . I left NYC. And just took a train back to my parents . Anyways strange . I really felt maybe I was in danger.”
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(Note: Many years ago, I heard a similar story from a female friend, a young art student. She was approached by some older man at her student show. He brought her to the Abramovic MoMa show, a hugely celebrated retrospective I went to see in 2013 with my parents, who are both well known art historians, theorists, and critics. We all hated it. My female contemporaries/peers, like Kate Zambreno and Ariana Reines, were all over Abramovic during this period, proclaiming her a “genius” every chance they got. No surprise. You have to praise and align yourself with the “right” people to have a successful career in this world. This was another reason I couldn’t stand any of these people—my peers, who were nouveau riche hicks with no real taste, critical faculties, or true sophistication. I was always being lumped in with them at events and readings because we often had the same publishers and were women.)
