"It is awfully strange to think back on the recent past when going to see art in real life, socializing at art events, and moving from space to space were all the norm and often incredibly draining. The act of recalling these experiences, in the doldrum of my COVID-19 reality, can be a useful exercise in remembering—what I choose to emphasize and gloss over now that looking has been relegated to a screen. I often overly romanticize the experience, and even now as galleries slowly start to reopen I am fully—if not completely—engrossed in the act of looking, seeing, and moving around art, conveniently forgetting the humdrum routine of art viewing that my flâneur/art-world lifestyle allows me. But this exercise, more importantly, gives me the gift of gratitude—a reminder of why I appreciate and value such experiences.
This is true of my visit to Clotilde Jiménez’s studio in Mexico City last February during Art Week, an impressive mix of art fairs, satellite fairs, galleries openings, and parties. Although Jiménez’s studio visit was one of many attractions during these celebrations, it served as a momentary respite from the clatter of the massive event. I’m reminded of the sun-drenched studio located in an alleyway off a small street in el Centro—the space so large a great wave of awe and envy swept over me. It was filled with magazine cutouts strewn across work tables, boxes of Color-aid paper, small notebooks with sketches for soon-to-be larger works, and charcoal sticks of various sizes..."
