a-squared...

i spent the day at the ann arbor art fair.... what a mass of people... almost reminded me of walking down the streets of harajuku or shibuya.  you just kind of "shuffle" along... forget taking normal steps... this artfair started out over 30+ years ago and has grown into 5-6 different artshows all during the same weekend, all within the same area... it's virtually impossible to see all 6 shows in one day....

came across a photographer with stunning photographs of primarily people (and some landscapes) from mongolia, tibet, yemen, and a few african countries... the colors and richness of texture were phenomenal and i went back 3 times trying to decide if i wanted to buy one.   yet there was one thing that i couldn't put into words until mi madre saw them as well and verbalized it for me - the guy was making a huge profit on people who come from third world countries, who live their lives in conditions that most americans could never imagine experiencing, much less live in.  i somehow doubted that the guy was sharing such profits with his "subjects"... i know, a bit critical perhaps, but really gave me something to mull over - motives, stewardship, education, exploitation...  in the end i didn't buy one... although it was tempting to purchase the one with the mongolian horse and rider staring across the vast plains.... mongolia, here i come.... i promise... next year...

(oh, and he did have a great shot of the statue of david surrounded by a bunch of pointing nuns...)