Where High Gets Low.
Spent yesterday at the Museo Pedro de Osma in the Lima neighborhood of Barranco admiring colonial religious everything, including Cuzco school paintings of archangels, inlaid mosaics of the Virgin and — my favorite — some truly awesome 18th century sculptures of heads. From top to bottom: Jesus, St. John the Baptist and an anonymous figure who I’m convinced could have been a member of Los Bukis.
P.S. I’m still in Peru. But you can find this week’s Gallerina guide to artsy goodness over at WNYC.
Peru has always struck me as a totally whacked out place for its extravagant fusion of cultures. But the city of Chiclayo has taken it to another level. In an area of the arid northern coast once ruled by the Moche (a culture known for its sublime ceramic sculpture), you can feast your eyes on a city park stuffed full of faux classical statuary made of the finest plaster fiberglass money can buy.
On a sort of related note: This is where my family hails from. Ciudad heroica, indeed.
Over the weekend, we took an epic 10-hour bus ride from the northern highland city of Cajamarca, to the Utcubamba Valley town of Leimebamba. (See a map here.) The most dramatic portion of the trip is the journey across the Río Marañón Valley. The fun begins when you come up over a high mountain pass and plunge into the valley, which is vertiginously steep — with mountains that rise almost 10,000 feet.
For the bus, it’s switchbacks all the way down. And then switchbacks all the way back up. Over the course of the ride, the climate changes repeatedly, from cutting highland chill to tropical heat to cooler but steamier cloud forest. The best part: It’s one-lane all the way, even though the road has two-way traffic. At times, the road is so narrow, it looks like a mirage. And naturally, there’s nothing in the way of barriers between the edge of the barreling bus and the precipice below. It is all kinds of freaky-gorgeous.
More pix and video after the jump.
Continue reading ‘Adventures in white-knuckle Andean bus rides.’
Yesterday’s itinerary:
All photos by C-M.
In Cajamarca, Peru. The city where Atahualpa, the last sovereign leader of the Incas, would meet his death at the hands of the Spaniards after being ransomed for a room full of gold and silver. (Photos by C-M.)
New York artsy goodness is now up over at WNYC. If you haven’t already, pleasepleaseplease check out Perfect City, my audio downloads on New York in the time of the Abstract Expressionists. It makes for easy listening while you’re cruising through the big Ab-Ex show at MoMA. While you’re at it, be sure to tune into to the vintage audio of Peggy Guggenheim—in which she refers to the Venice Biennale as a BORE. (Love her!)
I’m gonna be on the road for a bit, so posting will be sparse…See y’all on the other side.
Photo by -Kj.
DEAR ART NURSE:
I’m a New York City-based arts blogger who recently invested in a pair of righteous grey-felt sneakers — a purchase that may have been subliminally inspired by a recent visit to the Joseph Beuys installation at the Dia Beacon.
Well, on my first day wearing my smokin’ new kicks, I stepped on a giant wad of chewing gum. Not realizing that I was sporting this sticky parasite, I then paid a visit to a prominent Manhattan arts institution, where I stood on a brand-spanking-new rug that was intended as a fuzzy stage for all manner of cutting-edge relational aesthetics (i.e.: thing to sit on and talk). It was at this moment that I discovered that my foot was attached to the rug by a string of chewy chicle. In good starving-writer fashion, I quickly made for the exit.
My question is this: How do I remove the gum from the tight tread of my insanely rad footwear? And what suggestions would you have for the venerable downtown arts institution that may find itself with a mess of Double Mint smashed into their social sculpture?
Love your work,
Hapless in Brooklyn
DEAR HAPLESS:
First of all, you can’t write to me mentioning something as sublime as felt sneaks without a picture. So pony up and tell me also where you got them. [Hapless in Brooklyn has acquiesced with the image at right, though she refuses to reveal her retail sources.]
Secondly, in this case, ice is your best friend. Rub a cube on the gum until it gets hard, then take a knife and chip away as much as possible without hurting the rubber sole, of course. The residue can be cleaned off with ethanol (denatured alcohol) or acetone (nail polish remover) on a Q-tip. Test a discreet area first to make sure the solvent does not dissolve the shoe bottom.
The same is prescribed for the venerable arts venue. However, they will have to work around the fuzz (e.g. possible hedge-trimming) and might face issues of discoloration if using a solvent. It’s the type of tricky work, naturally, that is best left in the hands of a pro.
Rx,
San Suzie
Have a question for the Art Nurse? E-mail her at suzie [at] c-monster [dot] net.
