MIZUNO CLASSIC MZA243 JAPANESE ONLY
24 June 2007, Cervera de los Montes
I ordered a black Mizuno Classic MZA243 baseball bat. I'll paint on it "Japanese only", the text I saw in Tokyo at the doors of hostess bars and massage parlors. I don't know if yakuzas use baseball bats to beat people. I should see the new Beat Takeshi gangster film.
The Japanese Only club will be part of my Let's Happy Life - Sparkling Girl Brings about a Revolution solo show at Korjaamo, Helsinki, in August. The title is typical Janglish - sounds cool but the meaning is vague. The walls of the gallery will be painted light purple and I'll decorate them with the Louis Vuitton monogram pattern. I think Louis Vuitton + Baseball = Japan.
This is going to be my best show ever but maybe it should be in Tokyo and not in Helsinki, where they don't even have a Louis Vuitton store.
LOVE OF THE MOTEHRLAND
20 June 2007, Cervera de los Montes
Ilona confirmed that Kiasma, the national museum of contemporary art in Helsinki, has bought seven drawings from the show at Anhava.
It's the dream of every Finnish artist to have his work in that museum but it is particularly important to me. During my studies I worked there as guide and later I was working in a big educational project. The museum has a tough hierarchy and even after many years some curators didn't say hello to me. I wanted so badly to demonstrate to them that I'm an ambitious artist and not just a simple guide.
Another episode was when the museum reserved half of the paintings of my show at Krista Mikkola in 2003 and finally didn't buy anything. Now I don't care what has happened in the past, finally, I feel that I'm appreciated in my motherland.
CAMPEONES
17 June 2007, Cervera de los Montes
Real Madrid is conservative, commercial, corrupted, colonialist, presumptuous, arrogant, greedy, narcissistic, boastful and almost fascist but I love it. My heart is white. Real Madrid won tonight its 30th Spanish League championship. The liberal and politically correct FC Barcelona finished second.
The British Film director Ken Loach says that to support Real Madrid is like supporting Coca-Cola.
JUDAS, THE ELEPHANT AND MISS SPAIN
15 June 2007, Cervera de los Montes
I got a picture of my elephant wall in Beijing from Judas. I think it looks stunning. Much better than what I could paint. I really don't know to paint. So it's a kind of perfect but maybe I'd like to have more control of my work. At least see it better than in a small jpeg. Three of my four wall paintings this year have been painted by assistants when I've been at home.
I met Judas very briefly many years ago in Cuenca. He didn't remember me few weeks ago when I contacted him as his fan. I love his paintings and attitude. We haven't met again but we have a great cyberfriendship. We both like beer and Kippenberger.
I wish I were in China but I like being in Spain today. This is a cool country. Now mothers and transsexuals can be crowned Miss España.
A BLUE ELEPHANT WITH A HAND GRENADE
14 June 2007, Cervera de los Montes
Yesterday, I was sure that there was not going to be my wall painting in the Dream Palace show in Beijing. Today, I got an e-mail from my Spanish friend Judas, who lives in Beijing and participates in the same show. They are painting it.
The Chinese painter fell down from the scaffold and got hurt but now it's Judas himself who paints it - for free. Or this is what I've understood. Which is not too much.
I think they do on the wall my blue elephant holding a hand grenade. The image is from a Chinese educational children's game.