Summer 2008 I spent two weeks in China, before the Beijing Olympics. This was my first time going abroad. The trip was organized and hosted by MassArt, and traveled through Shanghai, Hangzhou, and Beijing. While there, in the wake of the devastating Sichuan earthquakes, I got involved in a group exhibition that was customizing kids shoes and dedicating them to earthquake relief. Then I enhanced my shoes with a pair of “heel-wheels” I purchased from a street vendor in The Bund. (After learning the delicate art of negotiating prices). There is this wild psychedelic tram that goes under the Bund Canal. My pal John and I took it for a spin and were astonished by there high-tech-metaphorical-light-displays and wacky-waveable-inflating-tube-men. Also, with purchase of tram ride, we also gained entry to an Aquarium and Sex Education exhibit. We happily discovered lucky rotting sea mammals that people had placed money on in the aquarium, and a deluxe array of perverted sculptures in the sex exhibit. I was struck by the juxtaposition of ancient culture and modern kitsch. That’s basically what the painting above is about. When visiting The Great Wall, we found a giant slide roller-coaster built off the side. That type of defilement to a national treasure, in the name of tourism, had me thinking… Here are some things from my sketchbook.