The Artful Blogger

The "social sculpture" of Martin Bromirski.

That’s not to say that his blog, named Anaba, is all cantankerous, all the time. On balance, Bromirski dishes out equal parts praise and scorn. (Consider his recent highly favorable coverage of a lecture by artist Katharina Grosse, whose show at Plant Zero’s Solvent Space ends July 9.) But, perhaps as a true testimony to human nature, it’s his negative posts that draw the most interest and commentary. In his March 1 posting, Bromirski offhandedly suggested that the success of a certain emerging New York artist may have something to do with the fact that she’s married to a certain renowned Chelsea gallery owner. The intimation set off a deluge of responses, ranging from scolding to ovation, that came from a variety of sources, including fellow bloggers, anonymous artists with pseudonyms like “Enraged” and finally the said Chelsea gallery owner himself.

It is precisely this offhandedness (and occasional rashness) that makes Bromirski’s posts so interesting. Anaba is an unedited profile of an artist with his guard down, exposing the complicated mixture of legitimate complaint and pettiness associated with those trying to make it in the art world. Bromirski is known for exhibiting, side by side with his paintings, packets of rejection letters that he has received from various art organizations. His blog is an extension of this concept: that conversations about the pitfalls and triumphs of being an artist can become art itself. This fact isn’t lost on Bromirski — he sells printed and signed copies of his posts for $2 apiece. S

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