I’ll Keep It With Mine
ICP Talk, DEVOTION Book Launch & April’s Angel-of-the-Month
She heard there was a lake that suddenly became dry and empty, as if by magic. Even more remarkably, it would slowly refill again in time, only to vanish later, on some irregular cycle. Nobody really knew why or how, but there were records about it back to the 19th century. She wanted to go to see it, and convinced the cute archeologist it would make a good second date. So off they drove, two hours in a big white pickup with a canoe strapped on top and no air conditioning — just two young lesbians falling in love, listening to a Loretta Lynn cassette. And it looked just like what you’d imagine if you’d ever imagined the sloping bottom of a lake miraculously without water caught naked in the November sunshine. The Earth receded into a deep depression — strange sinks where the water must have escaped, but how could it all possibly go down there? And to where? There were a bunch of rednecks milling around too, talking about how they wanted to go “speelunking.” It seemed to her at that moment like everything in the world was obsessed with pussy, like she was, and they all wanted to dive right in, to lose themselves in its great mystery.
—excerpt from “Between Mermaid and Cosmonaut: Another Past is Possible” the introduction to DEVOTION, the book I edited last year for PUBLIC in Toronto. It’s filled with beautiful work by so many great artists and writers, circling the emotional dimensions of queer archival work.
DEVOTION is finally getting its launch in New York City next Saturday, April 8th, at the International Center for Photography, in their beautiful new space at 79 Essex Street, New York, NY!
This will begin at 2pm with “The Only Way You See Me”—a public talk with photographer Ian Lewandowski where we’ll weave together two projects:
1) “Art Groupie” my essay in the catalog for Face to Face, —the current ICP show, curated by Helen Molesworth, —which is partly about the experience of Ian photographing me and Candystore.
2) “Light Your Name” Ian’s contribution to DEVOTION, pairing his images with interviews he conducted about the legendary East Village dance club The Saint.
Our discussion will be followed by a book launch in the ICP bookstore/cafe around 3-4pm.
The talk is free with the admission to ICP and tickets can be purchased in advance on their site.
And, finally, I’m proud to introduce April’s Angel-of-the-Month:
That's the kind of Lesbian-adjacent Lesbian that I am! The whole world obsessed with pussy.
wonderf..Jarrett...see you Saturday...PUBLIC is amazing and so are you!