Alek Halem – In Memoriam

Personal Rendition of Zoe Leonard's "I Want a President" (1992)

I want to go to a gallery where I can be challenged by what I see and hear. I want to be under an impression or tasked to see in ways we don’t normally look. I want wall text that antagonizes and welcomes the audience. I want to go into a gallery with a deck of cards that tell me to focus on one color for each piece. I want a deck of cards that tells me what perspective I should use for analysis. I want to look at art from the corner of a room looking out. I want to look at art from the ground looking up. I want the presence of the artists to be a background thought. I want to have the artists lurking in the background. I want the security guards to be more informed on the exhibit than the curators. I want to walk into a gallery that makes diner food, with domino tiles and red leather bench seats. I want blaring music to drown out everyone so that it is just me and my thoughts. I want a round table to sit at where the audience can discuss their thoughts. I want to leave the gallery with a sticker that says “Art, yes! I tried that!” I want to leave the gallery with new ideas and perspectives. I want to leave the gallery with a friend I made along the way. I want to leave the gallery on a rainy day, with no coat or umbrella. I want to go back the very next day.

I want to start the process over again and again.