Art Basel and Worker Explotations

Ah, that time of year that everyone waits for in Miami.

The time of year when South Florida is graced with the thousands of money hungry art pimps and whores.

This is when most of the locals make their money to survive for the rest of the year. I don't really care about that, since most Miamians that you encounter are greedy nasty people who will stab you in the back for a buck or points for their egos. And encounters of these people are either on the road in your car or in a store shopping, because everyone is so self, cell phone, car and money focused that they dare not be caught on a bus, walking or worst yet a bike (we love you Miami cyclists, critical mass!!)

But recently I was browsing Craigslist for work and what did I see? I saw post after post of galleries, artists and even institutions soliciting for free, yes FREE workers.

Okay let us summarize the situation:

For a year people have had none or very little work. People have lost their jobs and are desperate. Even Union workers are accepting non-union jobs because everyone knows that in times like this they can pay very little and get people to work and for ridiculously long hours.

So Art Basel comes into town and these galleries, curators and artists want people to "Intern"?!!

And they want you to have experience to "Intern"!? Isn't that the point of an internship?

You can afford a flight from London, to package and crate all your pieces, ship them, to rent a car or take cabs, to eat at all the fancy places, to stay in a nice hotel or rent a house for a week, but you can't afford to pay someone to hang the artwork on the walls? So you ask for "experienced interns"?

This matter doesn't even concern me personally, but when I see people mistreating or taking advantage of others, I call it like it is. Why don't people stand up for themselves?

Another occurrence that I have recently observed is in the film industry. My husband works in film and tries to screen his jobs by choosing to work with people who pay good and treat everyone fairly. But you would be surprised how mistreated these film crews are. For instance, Doritos, big USA company, product all over the globe, is doing a commercial in Miami. I think it was a photo shoot. Our friend was the art director and was given very little budget to build and dress and entire set. She needed an extra person to help her build and this person was paid $50 a day for two days working more than 12 hours a day!!

Another instance, a music video. Music videos are the worst, they expect to shoot an entire video in one day, they expect you to work over time without extra pay, they feed you junk, if anything and the amount of labor is beyond the amount of people they have hired. This isn't always true, but the majority would agree. Some R&B singer named Trina came into Miami at 4pm to shoot a video. The crew was called to be at the studio at 4pm. They built and shot three or four sets in one day, got paid for one day and didn't leave the studio until 5am.

The workers are afraid to join a union, they see that the union takes money out of their checks and that scares them. But they must be told that the union will protect their rights and wages. That it will force these companies and productions to treat people fairly!

It is strange to me that America calls its self the "land of the free" but everyone is slaving for the dollar. However, in Europe, everyone is protected and granted vacations, healthcare, lunch, breaks, good pay and job security. What is so hard about this that the US can not implement it?

Thinking to re-think

I haven't been doing much thinking recently. I've been concentrating on the doing aspect of existence. And without too much thought I began to worry that my mind may go or perhaps become out of practice. I have discovered this to be impossible, instead the mind becomes focused and sharp. There is no frivolous conversation needed. Your intentions become wholesome and true.

For instance, I have not attended any big social occasions such as an art opening, for a VERY long time. Now that Luciano is older and enjoys going out, we attended such an event. People want to talk for the sake of hearing themselves speak. They stand in circles with their mouths moving and their eyes wondering around the room behind you, occasionally peering over your shoulder. This is terrible engagement. I look in to a persons eyes when they speak to me and try to gaze into their soul and feel their energy and get a sense of who they are, where they have been and perhaps what experiences have brought them to say what they wish to communicate to me.

This is hard to find, even a friend who calls himself a Buddhist could care less about what you are saying to him and prefers to eye up everyone else standing around you.

I was considering this stupid credit and 401k believing generation that we come from and its progress in the context of humanity. There is a chart of human inventions through out the years and this chart shows a peak around the time of Thomas Edison and a recession thereafter. I attribute this recession to the mass consumption of, yes, TV among other useless time consuming activities, like working in retail, driving cars across town, talking on the phone endlessly, computer games and by now everyone knows what I am saying.

It is so hard to regain this mind frame. A mind free of brainwashing and conditioning. I suffer it, I know I do. Someone once recommended an Anton Wilson book titled Undoing Yourself. When money comes I might give it a try. I need everything to be a new, semi first time perspective. Un-fog my mind.

Otherwise, gaining complete discipline and self control is a start. But this becomes complicated when involved in a relationship and your partner perhaps isn't in the same place. It is like being vegan and your partner not, can you really eat separately and be connected, I don't think so. Progress must be made together and one must be careful not to out grow the other. And of course the desire is stronger in one then the other. But not enough to tread on that sacred line

every couple has that keeps them balanced together.

I finally started a new painting and some new photos:

Busy

Been being busy.

Change is in the air.