Arts and Culture

The Kiss (1935) by Man Ray

I

The first dream is of a dry kiss. Her lips touch mine but something does not pass in the process. It was a hesitant affair; we were waiting on the sidelines, waiting to be taught. I have failed to imagine how she looked at me afterwards. How dissatisfied were we?

I think now, we hadn’t been taught to kiss.

II

[Read Parts I, II]

[Read Part I]

Walking through the Museum of Modern Art I was stopped short by "The Tribulations of Saint Anthony," an 1887 oil on canvas by the Belgian painter James Ensor.

["Lost Objects of Desire", Basel Abbas & Ruanne Abou-Rahme, 2010, installation]

“War is no longer declared,

But rather continued. The courageous

Has become the everyday. The hero

Is absent from the battle. The weak

Are moved into the firing zone.

The uniform of the day is patience,

The order of the merit is the wretched star

Of hope over the heart.”

– “Every Day,” Ingeborg Bachmann

For Rana Jabbour & Gregory Buchakjian

[Hale Tenger, Beirut, video, 2005-2007]

We're two episodes into the Situational Junta and it's clear that the original mission is starting to come true, but maybe not in the way the creators fully intended (though will no doubt embrace with enthusiasm). Two months ago the folks behind the Junta asked: what happens when artists are empowered on a large enough scale to disrupt the status quo?

A recent survey reveals that NSA surveillance in the United States is having a stifling effect on many journalists and nonfiction and fiction writers. Out of concern they're being watched, writers are passing on public events, redirecting research, and muting some communications. Perhaps worst of all, self-censorship is becoming apparent. Learn more in this exclusive interview with Suzanne Nossel, the Executive Director PEN American Center.