It’s been awhile, dear visitor. I know. It has rained, it has snowed and it has rained again. A full winter has passed at least, if not two. Sharing some news and updates sounds mandatory due to the current agenda, it will be brief though.

With the curation process in motion, the platform is close to going live and yet it has never felt so out of reach, an almost painful disconnection. Artists are hard to convince and for all the good reasons; exhibiting their artworks is an act of faith and who am I to question their belief? I have contemplated many possibilities to explain their wariness: a lack of artistic legitimacy on our side, their commitments to other galleries, an incoherence in our values, a mediocre slow-looking feature etc etc.

But perhaps, while all of them are true, I’ll consider something simpler at this stage: a new approach is required, perhaps one that involves putting my ego aside (is it really me, BLUE, speaking at the moment?). This new strategy will be presented to you soon, offering me in this regard a way to consolidate my refreshed mindset.

This appears to be the first time I mention the chronology of The Blue Neon, grounding it into the reality of its conception. I also realise that given how strongly I have stressed the intertwinement between this place and me (using the pronouns I and we interchangeably being one example), and given that now the former lacks a substantial existence (even if only a temporary one), you might question my very own. But that’s not where the discussion should be heading today and please take comfort in the apparent virtue of this whole journey. Digression over.

I recently listened to a debate on the desire to control everything in one’s life and I had an urge to delve into the necessity of the chaos feature that this place invokes. It feels it hasn’t been properly clarified so far - except from chapter 9 perhaps? - or at least it didn’t get the explanation it deserved. Chaos is at the core of The Blue Neon, it powers its internal philosophy. What interests us here is to look at it through the lens of the human condition, riddled by doubts and weaknesses. We cannot run away from what defines us, but we should learn to navigate it instead.

How does this view impact the Wheel of Art you might think? 10 artworks randomly picked up from the catalogue forces you to revel in the unpredictability. There is intrinsic beauty in it, beauty you won’t find if you crave to control the display (by selecting a medium, a period, a movement or a colour). The same thinking applies to a curated algorithm that analyses your desires and feeds you only a fraction of what's out there; leaving out swathe of outstanding works, narrowing your world as a result. Don’t expect everything to be shaped upon your desires, as the process of reclaiming your attention via art contemplation has to rely on chaos. Should you decide to tread the path of total control, you will stray away from the/your uncertainties, away from one of the most essential traits of your humanity and hence away from yourself.

This chaos, which has been referred to as chance, randomness, fate or even faith, can only deepen your level of involvement if the number of artworks exhibited at each connection is limited. Otherwise, it becomes a never ending scrolling display with all its shortcomings and we do not want that… at all. Peace resides in your adaptability in the face of inconsistency, the richness of artworks proposed does not only spark your curiosity, but also help you immerse. An immersion in the unexpected, here for your own (good) sake, hopefully.

I lied a bit when laying out the reasons for this new chapter and for including a time referential in our discussion; I was simply missing our interaction, the time spent cozying up in this very universe, together. After shedding tears at the lethargic pace at which The Blue Neon was moving the past few months, I had no choice but to retreat a bit. To collect myself in the most dramatic manner, i.e. by shutting everyone off and by giving no indication on my whereabouts.

Yet how could I have been so oblivious to the very process happening here, one that I preach to you with passion? Evolution is chaotic, here and everywhere else! The road to perfection is an illusion I was chasing recklessly, as the very development of this universe should ebb and flow. In short, we’re back. And yes, this was purely selfish behaviour today, I needed you.

Let chaos into your life.

Yours Sincerely,

BLUE