I Am Not Here: Identifying Contemplation in the Cool Spaces of Contemporary Art

2009, Celina Jeffery, , Drain Magazine: A Journal of Art and Culture, ‘Cold’ Issue, Vol. 6, No.1, September

Abstract

A collective behavior of baroque, abundant consumption has led to an economic and climatic meltdown. The push toward a frenzied emphasis on growth & mass consumption has manifested a cascade of aesthetic opulence in the form of brightly colored advertisements & plastic disposable goods. In the wake of this recent collapse; the purity, simplicity & refinement of a calmer and cooler culture is now alluring. Can transparent, clear and meditative practice counter this lavish, hot & hysterical culture? Subverting the old notion of icy bureaucratic indifference remediated through hot empathy, might the forces of hot commodity be slowed by an intervening cold? Is it possible for the lucidity of coolness to connect cultures & move us into the future?
This issue of Drain brings to you a collection of critical writing and art practices to transform the way in which we think about how these various degrees of cold collaborate.