Because it’s been four days since I wrapped up four days of commuting into Toronto for all the art fodder I could get my grubby paws on, and all I’ve got is a bad case of writer’s block. I’d rather have the t-shirt.

Daniel Borins and Jennifer Marman at upArt Contemporary Art Fair

And while I could blame the countless hours of transit (some in truly deplorable driving conditions), the dizzying array of mind-numbingly bad art and the childish giddiness induced by other works, I’m quite happy to blame my present inability to express these experiences in words on Adrian Searle’s keynote lecture ‘Bribes, Threats and Making Things Up: A Critic Speaks’ at Art Toronto. In addressing a theme only briefly discussed during a preceding forum on Art Publishing in the Digital Age, Searle expressed a certain regret over the realities of art-writing in a deadline driven culture, particularly one exasperated by the immediacy of the internet. This generates a criticism of first impressions, which leaves little time for the transformations of opinion and impact that come from reflecting on an exhibition; a second thought may prove more fruitful, more correct than the first.

So rather than force the issue of my Art Toronto antipathy and my exuberant enjoyment of upArt, I’m going to take a lesson from Adrian and have a reflective weekend filled with fun-sized chocolate bars. Posting here will resume on Monday, and in the meantime I recommend a few doses of Adrian Searle’s Private View podcasts for The Guardian to fill the void: they’re wonderfully earnest and accessible narrations of the art-viewing experience and have the wonderful advantage of creating a slower pace for information, like listening to the radio on a rainy afternoon.

Enjoy, and Happy Hallowe’en to you all.

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