James Cullinane is an artist with a B.F.A. from Cooper Union. Everyone I worked with at 1071 fifth ave was an artist of some kind most of us trying to pay the bills and make our own work in the big city. A lot of friends were made as we labored to install the latest show at the Gugg. I thought of them as coworkers at the time. Looking back now I consider most of them friends. James was part of a core group that was my introduction to the Guggenheim and I would work with him in some way whenever I was back up town, all though out the 90s. It really doesn’t seem like that long ago. I remember James sharing the word of the day. He once had shirts printed with the phrase “possible blame opportunity “ on the back. If you’ve worked in certain types of environments then you understand. I promised to buy one but never did. Sorry about that. To really survive as a freelance art handler you have to juggle several jobs. James has done just that. He’s still doing that, or up until the quarantine he was. Mr Cullinane was kind enough to give me a call. This is me and James catching up after over 20 years. Listen up.
Salome, 2012, map pins, collage, paint and silkscreened paper, 46”x46”
Rainforest Blues, 2020, ink on paper, 31 x 23 inches
Patroclus and Achilles, 2018, photo collage, paint, map pins on panels, 30”x30” each
Stone’s Throw, 1997, silver and black pushpins on wall, 25’x16’
steel pushpin detail
Sarcophagus Blues, 2020, ink and paint on paper, diptych: 41 x 56 inches overall
Twins for Luis Buñuel, 1999, black pushpins on wall, 18’x14’
Sand Town (For Freddy Grey), 2015, ink on panel, 30”x28”