Art or Not Art?

Art or Not Art?

4. New York City. I'm writing this on my phone as I sit on the upper deck of a bus, somewhere between Penn Station and Central Park. My anxiety is making it hard to forget that the upper deck is often the most dangerous deck of a bus. The city is cold and windy tonight, and few people walk the streets of what looks like an abandoned neighborhood. The woman next to me keeps touching my arm with her arm. Not art.

3. “Evan Almighty.” You have to give Tom Shadyac credit where credit's due. To muster the courage to sequel a mediocre comedy film by replacing Jim Carrey with Steve Carell is bold in itself. Carrey is an iconic figure in both cinematic and standup comedy (and even did a decent, albeit disconcerting, job playing a reticent, sad man in "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind"), whereas Carell looked most comfortable playing Emma Stone's dad. For a minute, forget the fact that "Evan Almighty" was the most expensive comedy ever made at the time of its debut. Forget the animal abuse controversy and the Rotten Tomato scores. Instead, consider what Picasso's legacy would have been without his daring exploration of Cubism. Imagine if Shostakovich hadn't flown in the face of oppression with his Fifth Symphony. In order to move, an artist must be bold. Shadyac never forgot that before other people proved him right, Galileo was just a crazy man with a telescope. Art.

2. The sculpture in the middle of the Square that they are finally removing. Not art.

1. Your lips. I can see them, thin, reclining parentheses pressed so firmly around the shadow of words, molding them with aching clarity. I tried to find room, fit myself in the cracks of your bitten flesh, but you were too precise to me, excising me with practiced hands. It hurts to pretend. When I am with you, I breathe like I am lighting my last match. When the wind catches your voice and makes it hard to hear you speak, I wish I could think of anything other than how beautiful your lips look when they move. Art.

—Staff writer Se-Ho B. Kim is the incoming music executive. Yes, he is single. He can be reached at sehokim@thecrimson.com.