Self Defense to be exhibited in China

I was laughing out loud while performing another edit of, No More Kissing Frogs. At one point, I was worried that the book was a bit too risque to be published under my name. But if it can’t be published under my name in 2013, then things are worse than I thought.

­No More Kissing Frogs, is the story of a Black woman in Toronto who decides to date online after a long courtship that failed with an Italian diplomat. She meets various kinds of men but never falls in love and blames her failed relationships of the men she encounters, the advice she gets and a world she doesn’t understand. She never blames herself. Bitter would be an understatement. She has completely lost hope in romantic love. It is funny and poignant and clever.

I spent yesterday working on the screensaver to give as a token of thanks for investing in my art career via Indiegogo. The screensaver is almost complete. I showed it to a pal on Monday, and we both agreed that it might be a slight health risk due to the dynamic motion graphics. Sadly, my rusty old computer does not support, Screentime, the required software needed to complete it. Another delay due to technology in the technological age is a sad thing. Sorry about that folks! Soon come.

I’m considering boring myself to tears in an office job again instead of fundraising. I even wrote a long piece about artists who make that choice. If WARC happily accepts my submission, you’ll be able to view the installation called, Get Up, around the idea of ­– depression and the need for inspiration and perseverance. The piece was inspired by a visit with my Dad, conversations with pals and relatives. It was also inspired by working alongside Laurence Fishbourne on a tv set, who is now on the cover of Cigar Aficionado.

I have not given up on my dream of traveling to China to exhibit my art. I missed the television interview. Boo hoo. And still need to raise funds to ship the work and to prepare all the necessary legal documents required. Hopefully, I can meet the team along the way. The exhibit runs until July 10th, 2013.

You can help get me there by sharing, liking, posting and making a donation via the link below.

http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/simone-frank-ten-survivor-lives-with-lupus-there-is-always-a-way

Many people have asked me how the exhibition came to be. Honestly, I was aiming for Spain, New York, Italy, Japan, London or Iceland. I received an email from Shanghai Yude Exhibition Company inviting me to exhibit as a result of my website. They simply liked my work and asked me to participate in their 2013 Contemporary Art Exhibition. I was honoured and accepted not realizing how much work that entails.

CARFAC is an excellent organization for artists to join when faced with proposals that are beyond their knowledge base. There is also The Artists Network. CARFAC provided me with wonderful resources to help me orient myself in the world of International Art.

The exhibition that Shanghai Yude Exhibition Company chose to for the 2013 Contemporary Art Exhibition is called, ‘Self Defense.’ It was exhibited at BAND in July of 2012. Five pieces sold during those three weeks. Shanghai Yude Exhibition Company also chose some wire sculptures.

Okay, I’ll tell the story that made me run to confession, just in case word got out to my deceased Mom’s priest friends or the Catholic Women's league that I had sinned and become violent after her passing.

Black Madonna for Mom

I was out for a drink with my pal, R. We simply wanted to have a glass wine and catch up on a lovely Spring weeknight. There was this yahoo at the bar who found pleasure in verbally and physically abusing the patrons. 

Before I knew it, he was telling me how gorgeous I was. He loved my curves. It was a wonder I was single. Men must love me. And then he began to get vulgar. (The unedited version will be available once my book is published). I got up and walked away. To be honest, I walked away from him a few times. His friends pulled him away from me a couple times. 

Then he punched Rs boyfriend in the face and was cut off at the bar, but was allowed to stay. In my day, we sent the misbehaved ones home. 

Now, the yahoo, had a very attractive friend who asked me out to dinner. I was charmed and pleased. I accepted and then saw that Rs boyfriend and the yahoo were coming close to blows.

I ran in between them. I grew up in the burbs and hung out with a bunch of guys. I knew better than to let one man who was alone in a bar, fight a guy who was in a bar with five friends. So I ran in between them and joked around.

The yahoo threatened my life and explained in great detail how he was going to harm me. Instead of being afraid, I was enraged. When he raised his hand to hit me, I screamed, ‘Are you kidding me? You’re going to hit a woman!’

Dare

Now, I thought that I moved out of the way, but R told me later that I pushed him and he fell over on to a couple of bar stools. Then I remembered the look on his face and me standing there thinking, 'I don't know if I can take this guy, but there is no way I'm going to stand there and let a man hit me.'

For whatever reason, the entire population of men in the bar began fight. Furniture fell over, drinks were spilled. People lefts. People were fighting who had nothing to do with any of it.

Where was I? Off to the side yelling for them to stop.

The yahoo, when he finally got up off the floor from being pummeled, started throwing glasses at Rs boyfriend and I. R called the police. The yahoo was put in a headlock and dragged out of the bar by the Saturday night DJ who later said that something just came over him.

I wish I had not become violent. I could have made other choices, like leaving the bar.

I called the show, ‘Self Defense,’ because painting that series, was my way of healing and regrouping after the incident. My form of therapy. I asked a lot of people what they did to quell their rage – how they worked out their anger.

One pal, had a punching bag in her house. You’d never know it see her – elegant as she is. Another pal did Tai Chi. Qi Gong, was used by another. I had a friend who swam. Some people run. Some destroy things they love. I tried fencing once and liked that. But this, this worked for me. Painting seems to usually work for me. This series told the story and made me feel strong in a non-aggressive way. I am honoured that they chose it for the exhibition.

Now, the sad thing is, that attractive man never did call me to go out to dinner. Sad. But I didn't blame myself. I blamed the Adjustment Bureau.

'We actually tried free will before. After taking you from hunting and gathering to the height of the Roman Empire, we stepped back to see how you'd do on your own.

"You gave us the dark ages for five centuries, until finally we decided we should come back in. The chairman thought that maybe we just needed to do a better job of teaching you how to ride a bike before taking the training wheels off again, so we gave you, The Renaissance, The Enlightenment, The Scientific Revolution. For six hundred years, we taught you to control your impulses with reason. Then in 1910, we stepped back.

"Within fifty years, we brought us WWI, the Depression, Fascism, the Holocaust and capped it all off by bringing the entire planet to the brink of destruction in the Cuban missile crisis. At that point, a decision was taken to step back in again before you did something that even we couldn't fis.

"You don't have free will, David. You have the appearance of free will."  

George Nolfi (screenplay), Philip K. Dick (short story "Adjustment Team")

Be careful ladies and gents. Be a lover, not a fighter. It’s simply more attractive.

You can now find me on etsy: http://www.etsy.com/people/simone4king


Cheerio!

Simone