I caught a Semyon Faibisovich show at my school's art museum (Zimmerli Art Museum) not too long ago. I thought his work was whatever, but I was curious enough to learn more about him. 
Soldiers (from Train Station series), 1989, Semyon Faibisovich
Turns out he likes to focus on the mundane tasks that we all do every day (riding the bus to work, waiting for a doctor's appointment, eating breakfast, and all that jazz), which is something I think about a lot, so after reading that, I interpreted his art a whole lot differently.
For years, Faibisovich, who graduated from the Moscow Architectural Institute, worked in design offices while he tried to establish himself as an independent artist.
And he certainly did. One of his pieces, an original painting commissioned by TIME magazine for one of their covers in 1989, sold for $120,000 on Ebay this past April.
Beauty (from the Cycle workers festive march), 1988, Semyon Faibisovich
The jury at the Moscow Architectural Institute said his work, "[combines] astute social criticism with a subtle and sophisticated visual poetry. The influence of [Faibisovich's] architectural education can be readily felt in his meticulously conceived paintings and series, which often subject a disquieting urban landscape to the gentle irony of a wise observer of Russian society."
Photos courtesy of artnet.com
6/12/2008
Russian pride
5/08/2008
Secaucus, NJ and my hallway
My hallway, which I will only be living in for another week.
And Secaucus, N.J. just outside of the NJ Transit station in Secaucus.
Seemingly unrelated, but are they...?
5/07/2008
My neighbor killed himself
Arieh Diamond (top right) who lived two doors down my hall ended his life on Sunday afternoon, jumping in front of an Amtrak train at the New Brunswick train station.
A friend of ours told me she saw him crying in the stairwell a couple days before he died. She asked him what was wrong, but he said that nothing was. She said she would be in the basement lounge studying if he wanted to talk, but he never took her up on her offer.
Arieh was a practicing Orthodox Jew, and the Jewish community here, although mournful of his passing, was ashamed of the fact that Arieh's death was self-inflicted.
It's strange to walk past his door now. Since it happened, I've been thinking about his walk to the train station from his room. He must have passed so many familiar things on his way: the Hillel House, buildings where he took classes, the Center for Jewish Studies. This is the closest I've ever been to a suicide.
4/26/2008
Ray Rice headed to Baltimore
Rice went to the Baltimore Ravens with the 55th pick of the 2008 NFL Draft.
Good luck, big guy.
