An atheist in the church of art
Being a Dadaist in the art world feels like being an atheist in a church of invented languages. Motivation makes the difference.
Lynn Cole / Writing
Writing
Essays, thoughts, and technical notes.
Every artist is welcome
Every artist is welcome in Dada, including its detractors. This point is non-negotiable.
Fuck art, fuck rules
A public service announcement from Dada and a shadowy political interest that wants to live in your underwear.
There is no my-way-or-the-highway in Dada
There is no my-way-or-the-highway in Dada. Dissent, conversation and even enemies belong in the discussion.
You cannot gatekeep Nothing
Tzara, Picabia and the Berlin manifesto offer plenty of reasons you cannot gatekeep Nothing.
Why I never get tired of Dada
Dada’s serious social criticism and ridiculous play keep turning into one another. That is why I never get tired of it.
Reading Tzara and the Cannibal Manifesto
Tzara’s essays and contradictory translations of Picabia keep the primary sources alive as something to read and argue with.
Picabia, punk, and provocative speech
The provocative language of my Dada practice has roots in Picabia, the Cannibal Manifesto and later punk culture.
The surviving Sam Grinsborg paintings and the song Nothing
A reclaimed Sam Grinsborg painting may still survive on a houseboat. An old handwritten book has also returned a fragment of the song Nothing.
Keep making the art that scares them
Keep making the art that scares them. The existence of the work is already part of what it says.
Dada is a cheeseburger
Say “Dada is” and follow it with anything. A cheeseburger with beans, hot sauce and an internal sense of inadequacy will do.
Inverse Dadaism and deconstructing Nothing
Inverse Dadaism, recursive deconstruction and the implications of taking Nothing apart.