Methodology by Charlie Schultz
As an art critic I like to be well informed, maybe even the most informed. Being informed makes me feel secure, security makes me comfortable but comfort, eventually, makes me complacent. So I’ve created this little experiment to do what I do in a more vulnerable manner and see what happens.
Obviously the most pure form of NAC (if you haven’t gotten a grip on what nudity means on this blog pop over the About page) would be complete serendipity and total newness. You would stumble onto artwork you’d never seen, or heard of, in a place you didn’t expect it to be. ZOWIE! Those conditions might be feasible in a controlled lab experiment, but for a working critic in NYC it’s just not likely at all.
So, this methodology is the next best thing: choose a neighborhood, one or two artists who you know, and one or two you don’t. Go see those shows. It’s imperative to refrain from reading any press whatsoever, no press releases or artist statements, and where the title of the work is not written directly on the work, that’s to be avoided too. Zero Text is the way we try to achieve Zero Extraneous Info.
Here’s the key: choose shows from Andrew Ginzel’s list. Ginzel puts this list together for the School of Visual Art; it’s ideal for NAC because the only info Ginzel gives is the name of the artist and the gallery. That’s all you need.