Dennis Hollingsworth

Kindness Shattered

My two little paintings have finally arrived in Berlin, and much to my initial shock and dismay, they were in a much altered condition. Over the years, I have been sending works on paper to my galleries abroad via the US Postal Service, in cardboard box constructions held together with hot glue... all successfully, rarely with damage. This time, the relatively light weight of the small paintings (the supports constructed from heavy paper, wrapped in gessoed canvas) did little to allow the single heavy hot glue spot at the center of each from shearing off and leading to internal collisions to alter them. I was informed that Customs had opened the box, and perhaps the inspectors had been compelled to pull one painting off the mount to see what was underneath it. Whatever the case, my confidence in our postal system is shattered somewhat.

However...

After reviewing the jpegs sent by my gallery, I have decided that the changes to this one aren't all that bad. I like it enough to be inspired to entertain its emulation it in my next painting. As such, I allowed it to be exhibited in the upcoming "Palm Paintings" show at my gallery in Berlin, Andr? Buchmann. As I wrote to my gallery this morning: "... I actually like what happened to the 'Kindness' painting. Such a random insult from the shippers adds a layer of irony to the piece. I hold the memory of Duchamp's large glass* to fortify this decision."

In February, I will be traveling in the EU to visit ARCO Madrid and my other galleries too. I will be bringing two other palm paintings from Tossa (that I had been working on over last summer) to Berlin to add to my offerings for this show.

What a strange feeling, such a mix of disappointment and an odd surprise that is pleasant after all.

*Link (scroll to 1926).