I found myself feeling very wistful this past week learning of Vito Acconci's death. I had finished reading a series of wonderful articles only a week earlier related to the passing of Glenn O'Brien (New York writer, art critic, Warhol Factory regular-- in fact it is impossible to describe O'Brien, so I point you to this article), and then reading a great piece about Laurie Anderson and her life in the NYC art world, especially of the 1960's-80's (in the links this week), and it hit me that the era and associated artists that have had such a tremendous impact on the art world of the past several decades are etched into my imaginary as forever young. The fact that so many important artists are aging and passing should not come as such a shock, but I think it is a testament to how visionary and "modern" (in the here and now sense of the word) so many of these artists are, and then, were. Each year when I teach the sections on video and performance art in my contemporary art history courses, I screen Acconci's Theme Song and delight with the students in being seduced and simultaneously creeped out by Acconci's "come on" in his video work. And even though the piece was completed in 1973, it is even more relevant and present for today's audiences than it was over four decades ago. The notion of technology and the screen intersecting with an intimate and personal encounter was revolutionary at a time well before the invention of the Internet, social media, and online dating. And as a performance artist, Acconci pushed his audiences into the uncomfortable arena of the direct encounter, the spaces of interaction, and the consideration of the body as medium. I am glad that I can continue to introduce Acconci and countless other artists' works from the important period of the 1960's-80's and only hope that their avant-garde and countercultural legacy is as inspiring to a new generation as it was to mine. Have a great week, and enjoy the links :)