Another effort to shift my studio activities further into the realm of a social practice less defined by the production of objects in solitude and moreso by the development and strengthening of the mesh network between myself and my peers. A note left for a friend, a harmless disruption of solitude, a humorous exercise in communication – Dialogue (1) offers a touchpoint for considering the rampant methods of corporate advertisement employed in 2023, the intricate social dynamics which influence how men communicate with one another, and the sanctity of the artist’s studio as a place for solitary activity. The artist’s studio is ordinarily regarded as a site which holds the indelible marks of the artist as an individual force – finalized works on display, works in progress scattered about, process detritus littering spare surfaces, assorted trash from food, drink, and levity mingling amongst the rest. One of the greatest Western myths regarding the persona of The Artist, that of the artist as a singular force (a masculine genius) is fed and reinforced by the tradition of artists housing their artistic processes within closed off private rooms. By forcing entry into the private studios’ of my closest peers without their knowledge and delicately installing an appropriated (ex-situ) commercial banner amongst the artifacts of their practice-in-progress, their studios temporarily become shared sites between us – even without their cognition or awareness until after the fact. Sneaking inside an artist’s inner sanctum, observing the state of their practice without allowing them an opportunity to clean or prepare, and leaving behind a note (an open invitation) evokes a degree of intimacy only rarely cultivated between men in contemporary American social spheres. At the very least, I want to remind my peers that I hope to see them soon in a non-art context (SEPTEMBER 16-17, GEORGIA INT’L CONVENTION CENTER) and that I’m willing to go the extra mile to make them smile.