"Actually I'm Not Ok"

Miami Basel 2012

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Going to art fairs are challenging for me.  I love and hate them.  This year I was sent a VIP invitation and with no one to go with I decided to go it alone.  After a fairly soul-less dinner on the first night with an artist friend of mine desperate to sell work I was left with a hollow feeling inside.  I had arranged to meet him at the opening of Art Miami but inside I felt a mess.  What was I to do.  Staying in my hotel room wasn't going to help, but I couldn't face going out into the world with my 'Happy Face' on.  

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I had come up with the idea of wearing make up and smudging it a while ago, after a friend had had a crying fit, which meant her makeup was strewn all over her face.  I loved the way it looked, but she tided it up before going to meet a curator she was wooing.  I thought it a missed opportunity to wear on the outside ​what you feel on the inside, so this was my opportunity to play it out.

The result worked, by embracing my mood I met fellow sensitives, artists who could connected with the felt sense.  I sat on a table in one of the fairs and started painting and the three guys joined in, painting portraits of me.  I played with this idea at the opening of Basel, carrying my make up with me so I could change how I looked depending on how I felt.  Here are some images from that trip:

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