Monthly Archives: February 2012

1st class

It’s  Alive! Attended pre-opening tour of the Tobacco Project at the Aldrich Museum (Ridgefield CT) lead by Richard Klein and was unprepared  for the impact of 1^st Class, conceived by the renowned Chinese artist  Xu Bing, and still in process of assembly when I saw it.

You simply have to enter the second story gallery where it resides and the piece begins to act on you. First of all, the fragrance! How often do we experience this with a piece of art? It’s a beguiling scent, and also one that’s associated with a societal enemy: tobacco.  It draws us in with its fragrance.  And we begin to connect with the centuries old seductive power of tobacco, the world’s first global commodity.

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