Frieze Magazine

So I sent out a submission for the 2008 Frieze Magazine Writer's Prize for art criticism. The basic idea was decent, but I can already see two or three very ugly sentences. Grrrr...!

Here's an excerpt from an early draft - probably the only section I really like:

Her “scalp” is covered with a crown of cigarette filters, a found-object simulation of a hairstyle achievable either through chemotherapy or, as the subtext implies, extreme neglect. The sculpture is one of two child-sized figures entitled Young Americans by Marcus Kenney. Despite her proportions and cartoon features, the woman depicted is certainly an adult. Her skin – also made from cigarettes – looks like the hide of some impossibly pale reptile. The sculpture is a caricature, although quite possibly observed from life, of what is known in the US as a “cracker” or “white trash.”

To be honest, I was really nervous through the whole process. It wasn't nearly as fun as the writing I do here.

But I'm interested in starting over and possibly retooling the whole thing. Maybe for a regional publication? I wonder if I'm a little too late for that now...

We'll see. : )

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