John Armleder

� John Armleder
Galerie Van Gelder
Furniture Sculpture 189, 1988
acrylic on canvas:110 x 270 cm /
silent drum kit: 91 x 86 x 66 cm

JUDD FOUNDATION: MARFA, TEXAS

From it's website:

Marfa, Texas
Located in West Texas approximately 200 miles southeast of El Paso, Marfa is situated near the Chinati mountain range of Presidio County, the second-largest county in Texas.

Judd Foundation holds and maintains artist Donald Judd�s private living and working spaces in Marfa, Texas. Comprised of a total of 15 spaces, these include studios installed with artwork�by Judd and others�living quarters, ranch and architecture offices, and libraries.


Architecture Studio
101 North Highland Avenue
Purchased by Judd in November 1989, this prominent building in downtown Marfa was formerly a bank, which Judd renovated to create an architect�s studio. The building contains early paintings and drawings by Judd that have been installed throughout two stories and more than 15 rooms. An extensive collection of modernist furniture and paintings by prominent 20th- century artists and designers are also featured in the building.


Cobb House & the Whyte Building
104 West Oak Street
The Cobb House and Whyte Building and their gatehouse were renovated by Judd in the early 1990s. The Cobb House is installed with early Judd paintings dating from 1956 to 1958 along with Judd�s collection of early 20th century Swedish furniture. The Whyte Building holds four important paintings from 1960 to 1962 and furniture pieces by Rudolf M. Schindler, which were commissioned by Judd in 1991 specifically for this space.


Architecture Office
102 North Highland Avenue
Across the street from the Bank Building is the Architecture Office, which was purchased by Judd in January 1990. The street level of this two-story structure was renovated for use as an architecture office. The building contains furniture and objects designed by Judd, as well as plans and models of his architectural projects, including the Basel Bahnhof and his former Swiss residence, Eichholteren


La Mansana de Chinati/The Block
400 and 416 West El Paso Avenue
As Judd�s residence and studio in Marfa, The Block is the site of some of his first large architectural projects and installations. It measures one full city block. Donald Judd first used The Block in 1973 when he rented one of the two former army buildings and began installing the property with his art. In 1974, he bought the entirety of The Block, which also includes a rectangular two-story home, formerly offices of the U.S. Army�s Quartermaster Corps. The property is enclosed with adobe walls, which use local construction techniques, as is the interior courtyard, which is landscaped with cactus gardens and Judd furniture. Also on the property are a Judd-designed swimming pool and private garden; two large, permanently installed spaces that house the artist�s studio; and a personal library comprising more than 10,000 volumes.


The Print Building
104 and 108 South Highland Avenue
Donald Judd purchased this large, two-story building, formerly a hotel during the 1930s and �40s, with the intention of creating a print museum. He intended to install the complete collection of his prints, spanning the years from 1951 to 1994 in the thirty rooms on the top floor. The fa�ade of the structure has recently been restored.


Art Studio
124 West Oak Street
In March of 1990, Judd purchased this former Safeway grocery store and converted the facility into an informal studio. The open area contains long worktables and shelving, which display Judd-designed prototypes and samples for fabrication. These materials and installation make it possible to trace the artist�s concept development and work process.

Vanessa Beecroft

�VB 50�, 2002
� Vanessa Beecroft

Plaza de Toros Mexico city: Ol�

Although I would rather see a bullfight in the immense Plaza de Toros, it was still refreshing to experience the energy of 50,000 people doing the wave and chanting Ol�. The event was international motorcross freestyle. While the crowd heckled the American extreme sport athletes (a Swiss won the competition), it wasn't surprising for one American athlete to stick both middle fingers up. As if that wasn't enough, he had to grab his crotch for added effect. The announcer sympathized with him. He said: "it's not your fault, it's Bush."

ICE CANDY

My name is Sanjay Ramaswamy. Though there will be millions of people who would have never heard of me, I am sure there will be thousands of people who know a lot about me and at least a few hundreds who are inspired by me. I was after all, one of the richest men on the face of this planet.

I am a success, in every conventional connotation of the word. It has been that way ever since my very birth. My dad used to tell me how I was one of the healthiest babies the doctor had ever seen. Born into an upper class aristocratic family, I never had to undergo any sort of failure in my childhood. The best schools , the best colleges , branded clothes , custom made footwear and of course , the silver spoon were all part of daily life for me . I did my schooling in a very posh boarding school atop a hill station and my family used to fly down to meet me every month. A truckload of goodies were normal expectations on these visitations. A protected childhood it was .As soon as my schooling was over, I was packed off to Britain for my graduation, and then, the States for my post graduation. I was my dad's lifetime achievement, his showcase trophy and heir to his kingdom, Sanjay Industries Private Limited.

I spent two years learning the ropes, patiently waiting for my chance on the throne, which I knew would come to me. With a business degree from the Sloan school, I was all set to take over the company on my 25th birthday, when my dad signed over everything to me. All 3.2 billion dollars worth of property. For those who are weak on exchange rates, it converts to approximately 12800 crore Indian rupees. Ours was the only company in the Indian top 10 richest companies which was completely privately held. And it was not too far away when it would become the richest in India and break into the world's top 10. India was the perfect setting for me. Cheap labor, gullible people and a corrupt political system. I went from strength to strength and as I foresaw, I soon became a household name in India. I was the employer of close to 900,000 people and contributed graciously to the campaign chests of almost all the political parties. I traveled in custom built limos and pricey private jets. Vacations were spent on private islands, with preposterous yachts to play with. But I was not happy. As with most stories, this one too, involves love .

Akhila. Akhila Yadav. The one and only woman I ever really loved. I've had numerous flings with ravishing females, but most of them were behind my money and the strings attached to it. Akhila was the one who slapped me in front of a thousand people for flirting openly with her. The only one who told me exactly what she thought of me .The one I lost my heart to, and the one I never tried getting it back from . I couldn�t. She was Rakesh Yadav's wife. Married to a dynamic IAS officer meant she could get away with saying most things to most people. Rakesh being the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister's only son only added to her liberties. But the most people did not include me. I could have destroyed both her and her husband, and her dear father-in-law couldn't have done a thing about it .But even as I was watching into her angelic green eyes, I knew that I would have destroyed myself in the process. That's when I knew nothing would ever be the same again. But I refused to believe it. I couldn't stop myself for a woman, after all. I was Sanjay Ramaswamy, India's richest business man, and still in my thirties. I drove myself harder and harder after that, never leaving sight of Akhila along the way. I knew where she went, what she ate, what she bought, even her perfume labels. But the one fact that she was not mine and never would be served as a bed of thorns on which my life was being spent. For the first time in my life, I prayed to God. Sitting alone in my ridiculously large office praying, I cried.

All the crying and the numerous gods were of no immediate help for my quagmire. Slowly, though, the wheel of time took over and I all but forgot about Akhila. The boardrooms and bank accounts took over, but I was not the same happy go businessman I once was. The company was now worth ten times what it was when I took over. Newspapers flashed my name every day. I became tabloid news; even page 3 stuff .I was linked with n number of pretty damsels. Some affairs were true, but most were non-existent. The relationships were mostly physical and expensive gifts and silent threats made sure none of my private secrets were spilled out. Life moved on. I bought more companies, made more money, got into and out of politics. Every move of mine resulted in success. But I was not happy.

I knew I wouldn't find happiness in the rat-eat-rat world of business and politics. I had to get out. Only, no one cared to show me the exit. I waited patiently, knowing I would find it someday, somehow. And I got ready for it. Exactly four years back, Sanjay Industries went public. The IPO was a historic keynote in Indian business and a blazing success. I sold all my shares but one and stepped out of the organization with around 40 billion dollars. And nothing to do.

I started traveling, going from anywhere to anywhere with no fixed schedules. I started off with jet hopping from one country to another, but none of the infinite luxuries money could buy brought me satisfaction. It was not until I saw a show of Kalari-Payattu in Kerala did it hit me how little I knew about my own country's cultural heritage. So, next came all those exotic places in India. Cottages which came at one lakh rupees a day to local bachelor mansions at thirty rupees a night, ridiculously expensive massage treatments to one rupee shoe shines, exquisite escorts in historic palaces to cheap prostitutes in road side pubs -India sure was an eye-opener, and knowing about my homeland bought me some sort of consolation. But I still was not happy.

She was buying an ice candy for another kid. The kid was wearing only a pair of dirt-streaked shorts and no shirt to protect him from the scathing sun. Rough hair, bare feet, bruises all over the body and a million watt smile on his face, I felt jealous looking at the kid. For the first time in my life, I looked at another human with envy in my heart. My glare moved from the kid to the girl and I realized the kid was actually in a better physical condition than the girl. She couldn't have been older than thirteen or fourteen. Somehow, I knew for a fact that the ice candy stole away all of her pocket money. But she had a grin brighter than the kid's and was happy, while I was not .The traffic signal turned green , and my driver revved the Audi away ,but the scene I saw at the signal near the Dharavi slum in Mumbai etched itself onto my mind . Like an i-pod on repeat mode, I kept rewinding and forwarding it until I got frustrated of my own unhappiness. In this dark hour of utter desolation, the truth of it hit me like a tsunami. And I knew what I had to do to become happy.

That was the birth of Operation India Tomorrow. Forty billion dollars was a lot of money to give away and my precious education came back to help me in using the money properly. I put all my expertise, connections, political clout and the media to aid my efforts at educating the under-privileged kids of my country. In three years since then, we have come a long way. More than a thousand schools, close to a hundred colleges, not to mention the extensive Student Placement Network in place to make sure the kids don't join the unemployed. Being unmarried and no big family to boast of, I put all my self into the project and received back more from it. Seeing each kid smile in my schools made my heart flutter. Their parents bowing to me in respect made me feel real self-importance. We have taken more than a tenth of India's uneducated children away from the list. More than a third of the orphaned babies nowadays find their way into some or the other of my orphanages. I have managed to inspire enough people to join the organization, and spread their love among the less fortunate. I have raised India's hopes of become a truly prosperous country. But more importantly, for once, I am happy.

Throughout my journey of life, with mostly ups on a constant down, I have realized that only one thing matters. Your Happiness. Money, women, power may bring you happiness. But it's very much possible that they may not bring you happiness as well. That small girl buying an ice candy with all her money for another kid turned my life. From darkness to light, from listlessness to sanctity. She didn't realize it, but she was buying education for all her fellow faceless children living under poverty across our country. The world even, if by God's grace we can do it. And I am happy.

Gabriel Orozco

Mis Manos Son Mi Coraz�n, 1991

John Baldessari