133 Publisher: Mia Feroleto Guest Editor: Leah Poller CONTRIBUTORS Elysabeth Alfano Jayson Amster Ben Barson Marnie Benney Adriano Berengo Alberto Bisin José Luis Corella Antoine Desjonquères Lisa Di Donato Magdalena Gómez Mafe Izaguirre Salem Krieger Chun Wan Li, PhD Wei Ligang Lu Mei Vik Muniz Mario Murua Maria Giovanna Musso Leah Poller Nidra Poller Lyle Rexer Judy Rosenblatt Naomi Rosenblatt Federico Salvitti Steve Schapiro Lisa Streitfeld, PhD Dorathea Thompson Pang Yongjie Silvio Wolf REAL ≠ REALITY The Transgression of Fact "There are no facts, only interpretations." —Frederich Nietzche RED SCREEN Silvio Wolf 133 PYRAMID LuMei Copyright © 2019, Lucio Pozzi Mona Da Vinci Justin Melkmann Terence Van Elslander New Observations Ltd. Mira Schor Mark Daley Alan Moore Stephen Westfall and the authors. David Shapiro Ana de Portela Robert Morgan Christopher Williams All rights reserved. Lynne Tillman Ken Deifik Joseph Nechvatal Martha Wilson ISSN #0737-5387 Frederic Tuten Paul Dickerson Shirin Neshat Elemire Zolla Marina Urbach Sarah Drury Bob Nickas Jody Zellen Publisher George Waterman Holger Drees Mignon Nixon Lisa Zwerling Mia Feroleto Lloyd Dunn Valery Oisteanu Legal Advisors Phillip Evans-Clark Wyatt Osato Back issues may be Guest Editor Paul Hastings, LLP FaGaGaGa: Mark & Saul Ostrow purchased at: Leah Poller Mel Corroto Stephen Paul Miller Printed Matter Inc. Past Guest Editors Frank Fantauzzi Pedro A.H. Paixão 231 Eleventh Avenue Graphic Designer Keith Adams Jim Feast Gilberto Perez New York, NY 10001 Naomi Rosenblatt Richard Armijo Elizabeth Ferrer Stephen Perkins Christine Armstrong Jane Fire Bruno Pinto To pre-order or support Front Cover Stafford Ashani Steve Flanagan Adrian Piper please send check or MINA© Vik Muniz Karen Atkinson Roland Flexner Lucio Pozzi money order to: Todd Ayoung Stjepan G. Mestrovic Bradley Rubenstein New Observations REAL REALITY Copy Editor Stephan Balint Serge Gavronsky Stephen Prina P.O. Box 335 Leah Poller Mark Bartlett Jeremy Gilbert-Rolfe Lise Prown Chester, VT 05143 Susan Bee Guerrilla Girls Sylvia Reed ≠ Proofreader Tiffany Bell Jennifer Golub Roger Riggins For additional Judy Rosenblatt Curt Belshe Peter Halley Kevin Riordan information and to The Transgression of Fact Maurice Berger Selma Holo Michael Robbins contact the publisher, Board of Directors Elena Berriolo Stuart Horodner Tim Rollins & K.O.S. please email Mia Feroleto ~ Chair Andrew Boardman Gary Indiana John Roloff [email protected] Karen Gunderson Mark Bobrow Ciri Johnson Michael Roscher Diane R. Karp Brian Boigon John Johnston Grace Roselli No part of this Erika T. Knerr Bruce Brand Muffet Jones Frank Rubino publication may be Leah Poller Ginevra Bompiani Gerald Just Babs Reingold reproduced, stored Lucio Pozzi Bruce Breland Shoshana Kalisch Steven Schiff in a retrieval system Alan Steinfeld Martin Bresnick Susa n Kandel Mira Schor or transmitted in any Annie Wenger-Nabigon Eva Buchmuller Steven Kane Joshua Selman form or by any means, Ana Busto Diane Karp David Shapiro electronic, mechanical, PUBLISHER: Mia Feroleto Editorial Consultants Michele C. Cone Alain Kirili John Shaw photocopying, recording Susan Bee David Carrier Hilary Kliros Berta Sichel or otherwise without the Martin Bresnick James Cathcart Erika Knerr Duncan Smith prior written permission GUEST EDITOR: Leah Poller Tricia Collins Theresa Chong Sabu Kohso Tracy Smith of the authors and Paolo Colombo Nhi Chung KK Kozik Alan Sondheim publisher. Jim Feast Charlie Citron Gene Kraig Susan Springfield Jeremy Gilbert-Rolfe Ronny Cohen Kim Larsen Alan Steinfeld Opinions expressed Peter Halley Collins & Milazzo Linda Levit Suzy Sureck herein and the validity George Herms Paolo Colombo Daniel Libeskind Frederieke Taylor of the information Diane R. Karp David A. Cook Dacia Maraini Lynne Tillman presented are the Joseph Masheck Regina Cornwell Grazia Marchiano Mike Topp responsibility of the Carlo McCormick Michael Corris Bunita Marcus Cindy Tower authors and not of the Richard Milazzo Lynn Crawford Carol Martin Bernard Trevisano publishers. Joseph Nechvatal Dorothy Cross Joseph Masheck Frederic Tuten Saul Ostrow Peggy Cyphers Harry Mathews David L. Ulin For more about us: Joan Pierpoline Nina Czegledy Carlo McCormick Marina Urbach newobservations.org MIA FEROLETO off from posting comments—in which I encourage others to stand up and express themselves politically and, within their communities, to become socially active—in fact, to become activists. Even in 7th grade I possessed a rebellious streak that has stood REAL REALITY me in good stead. I could not accept being told what to do unless it Publisher’s Letter made sense to do so. I was a Catholic schoolgirl. For the most part, I ≠ was educated by nuns, but my 7th grade teacher was a layman with “He’s lost control of the narrative.” a bulbous nose and terrible dandruff. I will not share his name here, —Dan Rather commenting on Donald Trump but I will say he definitely had a thing for me—and not in a good The Transgression of Fact during an interview on CNN. 10/20/19 way. I was the only girl in my class to receive an “F” in conduct. Not an easy thing to explain to your parents when you are 12 years old. Publisher: Mia Feroleto I Guest Editor: Leah Poller Christmas came early this year. That is how I felt as I looked through Decades later, I find myself still sorting daily through illusion and the draft of #133, the stunning issue assembled by guest editor Leah lies. Just as I was banned from YouTube, I received an email stating Poller and designed by Naomi Rosenblatt. that my Gmail account was to be canceled. I spent two days saving The contents of Issue #133 cover both the inner and outer realms all of the contact information in my email account so that I would be of what is considered “real,” from kundalini power to Donald Trump’s Mia Feroleto 4 Publisher's Letter able to continue working to organize conferences and publish New multiple daily lies. The former represents our highest kind of energy, Observations Magazine. To date, my Gmail account is open, but I am while the latter indicates the profound loss of truth in our world. Leah Poller 6 Guest Editor's Letter vigilant about what I write in my emails. As publisher of New Observations, I encourage others to develop Our contributors to Issue #133 understand the threats posed by their innate spiritual gifts, and to express themselves from that core. Lisa Di Donato 7 Darkness Above, Light Below fake news, suppression, surveillance, and censorship—if we con- My spiritual life is the center of my universe, and I believe that in- tinue down this path. Guest editor Leah Poller, for example, spends 9 Reality Always Wears the Colors of the Spirit tuition and creativity enable us to grow and thrive, individually and Antoine Desjonquères time in China, where the people are being graded with a point sys- collectively. We are not meant to follow the spin and propaganda be- tem for good behavior that affects their credit rating, ability to travel 12 And So The World ing disseminated around the globe. Individuals in countless countries Magdalena Gómez and other privileges we have taken for granted for most of our lives. are waking up to the reality that control has been layered over their Yet, sharing information and ideas is one of the most important 14 The Unknowable Reality: Machines That Feel cultures in the form of fake news and fake facts that are designed to Mafe Izaguirre things we can do for each other, to keep our vision clear and our confuse and manipulate us. The more we are connected to our cen- ability to discern fact from fiction alive. 17 Truth in the Time of Trump tral core of being, the more difficult it is for others to influence and Naomi Rosenblatt I spent the past few weeks sorting through the inventory of back control us. issues of New Observations and mailing sets and partial sets to mu- Silvio Wolf 20, 28, 51 The Pillars of Truth, Parts I, II, and III While “fake it till you make it” has become a social norm, art re- seums, art schools and public libraries around the country so that mains a force of truth. Artists, in general, are somewhat deviant and students and the general public can enjoy the extraordinary work that Lisa Streitfeld, PhD 22 Eros As the Unifying Force of a New Modernism willful people who are connected to their inner life and to higher countless artists and writers have produced over the past 35 years. realms of thought. Artists, as individuals, are difficult people to con- Following in the leadership of past publishers: artist and magazine Lyle Rexer 27 Crow Experiences Unreality trol. Issue #133, Real ≠ Reality explores the thoughts, ideas and con- founder Lucio Pozzi, Vice President of the Holt-Smithson Foundation cerns of a group of artists and writers who are grappling with what Diane Karp, and artist Erika Knerr. I took over as publisher in July of Nidra Poller 30 Reality Beyond Realism: So Courage & Gypsy Motion “real” means—to what extent does our subjective perception create 2018 and have not looked back. “reality"? How does our understanding of reality change in authoritar- Perception is the Only REAL That Matters Our goal in 2020 is to create a free, online digital library of all back Federico Salvitti/Alberto Bisin 33 ian states? And how does artificial intelligence (AI) influence human issues of New Observations with new issues being added to the col- reality? Real Dolls Never Say No lection as they are published. Some major institutions are involved in Maria Giovanna Musso 34 To this last point, Elon Musk warned almost two years ago that helping us to accomplish this goal. Print copies will continue to be we had four years remaining before we reached the point where AI Ephemeral Permanence: available at Printed Matter in New York City and on Amazon through Chun Wan Li, PhD 36 would overtake humanity.