Maybe this is true for you too, but sometimes I’ll see something and think, “This was made for me!” It’s a greedy way of thinking, I suppose, but it’s more being really secure in my own essence. Recognizing myself in things that are outside of myself.
I easily connect with a lot of things; people, places, art, food, music, books... we all do. When I first passed the poster in the subway for the Guggenheim exhibit Hilma af Klint: Paintings For The Future, it was more than just a connection. I was transported. Like Alice In Wonderland, that poster was a throughthelookingglass-downtherabbithole moment for me.
My train was coming so I snapped back into reality. I took a photo, and I promised myself that I would see these works in person. I felt like these paintings were made for me and I couldn’t miss them.
That was around Thanksgiving of last year, and I knew I had until the last week of April to see this exhibit. It’s no secret that time moves quickly, even when winter seems endless. The Guggenheim exhibit poster has served as a little sunshine in my pocket on gloomy and uninspiring days. It’s a good trick to carry a token, a thought, a plan that is full with the promise of the future. When you’re stuck you can go there in the pocket of your mind and give yourself something to look forward to.
It’s my birthday this week so I treated myself to this exhibit. I have a practice of gifting someone else something special on my birthday to sweeten the day. So I brought along my friend Mike to share the adventure. If you’re coming to NYC or are lucky enough to live here, you’ve got until April 23rd to see this incredible collection.
The biggest take away for me was that these truly were paintings for the future. Lady Hilma, Swedish abstract artist and mystic, painted them with the strict requirement of them not being shown until 20 years after her death. And yes, there’s a whole list of artists who were not celebrated while they were living creators. It was only after they passed that their work was recognized. But Hilma made the conscious decision for them to be withheld from the public's view.
Hilma af Klint channeled these works through spirit guides. She felt she was being directed by a force that would literally guide her hand. She wrote in her notebook :
“The pictures were painted directly through me, without any preliminary drawings, and with great force. I had no idea what the paintings were supposed to depict; nevertheless I worked swiftly and surely, without changing a single brush stroke.”
They were truly made for another time.
And to see the paintings in person, they seem even more futuristic. (Painted in the early 1900’s, released in the 1980’s, resurfacing for an exhibit in 2019, and yet seeming like they’re from 2075!) They have an alien quality about them like some otherworldly creature designed them. Her work is full of whimsy, but with intention. It’s deliberate, yet seems very improvisational, like a child’s doodling. (Believe it or not, I actually feel like I cook this way.)
I don’t often think about legacy. I’m pretty rooted in my here and now. But this exhibit and my upcoming Birthday really has me thinking about what I’m creating for the future. How will I be remembered 20 years after I’m gone? Am I making the most of my time right now to impact the people that will come after me? Am I being vigilant with my dreams? Are you?
In the spirit of carrying sunshine in my pocket to inspire warmer and brighter days ahead, this yellow pepper and carrot soup had my kitchen beaming! I’m also headed to sunny California for two weeks so All Good Things will be taking a little late winter’s nap. We’ll be ready to welcome spring upon my return!
Yellow Pepper and Carrot Soup
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons peeled and grated fresh turmeric (or one teaspoon dried turmeric powder)
2 teaspoons peeled and grated fresh ginger (or one teaspoon dried ginger powder)
1 cup diced onion
2 cup chopped yellow carrots (if you can find them, orange is sunny too!)
2 cups chopped yellow pepper
7 cups vegetable broth
salt and lots of cracked black pepper (black pepper increases the good-for-you properties of turmeric by a large margin!)
Heat the oil in a big pot over medium heat. Add the first 4 ingredients, stir. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the vegetables, stirring to coat with the aromatics. Add the broth. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer for 20 more minutes. Remove from heat and let cool slightly. Puree in batches in a blender or in the pot with a hand blender until smooth. Finish with a few more cranks from the black pepper grinder.