Transcriptions
What Do You Like the Most About Me?
What do you like the most about me?
My lips?
My breasts?
My crooked nose?
My hands?
[arrow to leg]
My hips?
Do you like my brain?
Do you like my tears?
[inside heart]
Love
My heart?
Dear Diana I’m So Happy
Dear Diana I’m so Happy! I wish you could see me
I went to a lot of trouble
[text top to bottom, left to right]
went to “Alexandre’s”
and dyed my hair “witch red” $78
bought an uplift
transparent “jungle
queen” bra $15
am wearing “GUERLINS”
exotic eau verte
40$
an ounce
every night I use
ARDEN’S “Eternal
Queen bee” skin
cream.
35$ small
jar.
[on the fish]
FISH
Went to “Cordon bleu” cooking school
15$ a lesson took 8
Had a new “fatal allure”
make up job $25
[arrows to different facial features]
“empress green” eye
shadow
new “adorable”
lipstick
false
feather light
eyelashes $30
“smashing pink”
cheek gloss
bought a Marc Bohan chic mini dress
at Dior’s for 750$
[on book, left side]
BLACK 1966
VENUS
[on book, right side with arrow]
ART
Nana
by Niki
de Saint Phalle
(courtesy Whitney
Museum)
Read a pocket book on art .89¢
bought him
“Revolution” song by
the Beatles $9
am wearing the
latest black stockings
$10
and shoes 22$ for
slimmer legs
Here is my discreet Hermes crocodile
handbag $195
ordered a years subscription
to Vogue magazine $15
[on book]
MAO
Found out about politics .98¢
[on bottle]
NEVER
FAIL
Diet
Pills
They really worked! $10
[arrow to hand]
Here is my
shimmering green
fluorescent nail polish
$1.98¢
[in heart]
JOE
FOREVER
+
EVER
[arrow to face]
Here is Joe’s
photograph isn’t
he DIVINE?
And I finally won his heart!! Please write to me soon.
love
+ kisses Susan.
Dear Laura
Dear LAURA, hello! Many thanks for your letter. I’m tired! [arrow]
HOW CAN I IN ONE DAY FIND ENOUGH TIME?
1. [arrow]
to play and
be with the children
at least 4 hours a day
2. I do most of the cooking—1 ½ hours
Helmut does some of it
but you should see the
mess he leaves the kitchen in.
3. do exercise
½ hour before
breakfast
4. [arrow] the Kundalini
breathe and meditate for
another ½ hour
5. my five day a week
6 hour a day job
6. clean the house ½ hour
(I do the minimum)
7. [arrow] brown bread
[arrow] wine
[arrow] bananas
[arrow] oranges
share the shopping
with Helmut ½ hour
8. [arrow]
Be a tantric
goddess in bed
with Helmut
two hours or 3 or 4
9. IRON—20 minutes a day
10. speak to my
friends—at least 30 minutes
(or see them which takes much longer)
11. wash my hair
and make up
20 minutes
12. two hours
at least
[arrow]
Read
[arrow] listen to music
(as much as possible)
[speech bubble on left]
help!
My New Years
Resolutions.
1. [arrow] stop being my children’s maid
They are 8 and 10.
I will teach them to cook
clean and wash their clothes.
and iron. Be survivors!
2. [arrow] get Helmut
to help more
and grumble less.
much love from
your harried but
happy friend—Mary
My Love Why Did You Go Away?
My love why did you go away?
[text top to bottom, left to right]
without you the sun has turned black
without you all the flowers in the fields are wilting
what can I do to win you back?
I shall go to a magic witch tomorrow
to give me a secret powder to win your
heart forever. It worked for a friend
of mine.
[inside heart]
I love you forever
and my poor heart sheds more tears than the April showers
Niki de Saint Phalle Born 1968
[arrow]
When you come back
to me my love I shall bake you
a thousand cakes. I shall make you 100
children. and I shall never be mean to
you again I promise forever and ever.
Why Don’t You Love Me?
Why don’t you love me?
[text top to bottom, left to right]
Why do you love her? Do you know I love you?
Have you ever looked at my face?
I’m not so ugly
and my friends find me very
intelligent
[arrow]
I would like to touch you
[arrow]
Why do you love her?
I don’t find her so beautiful.
And the clothes she wears are
rather vulgar. I hate those
sexy stockings.
[arrow]
Others have
liked my body
why don’t you?
When I hear
a love song
I think of you
I would like to kiss you
[inside heart]
I love you
I would like to give you my heart
FOREVER
Will you ever love me?
MAYBE???
You Are My Love Forever and Ever and Ever
You are my love forever and ever and ever
[text top to bottom, left to right]
you are so handsome
you are my sun
[arrow] you are my tyrannosaurus Rex
[arrow] you are my star
je te chante une
chanson
[translation: I sing you a song]
[text written vertically]
I Love You
you are my flowers
Je t’e s’aurait
toujours fidèle.
[translation: I would have always been faithful to you.]
[arrow] you are my bad weed
[inside the heart]
take my heart
you are the biggest flower of all
[speech bubble]
JE
t’aime
[translation: I love you]
[arrow]
take me
in your arms
Abortion—Freedom of Choice (Population Explosion)
The world has now 6 billion people.
In 2050 the population will be 9+ billion.
Today in America 22 million are starving. In the rest
of the world 800 million are starving!
Help!
[text top to bottom, left to right]
I am 14 and
not ready to
be a mother
If you
are not
pro life
I will
kill you!
Abortion Clinic attacks
and murder
[speech bubble]
I have 4
children,
no money—
and an abusive
husband!
The French pill
Ru486 has been
approved by the FDA
and has been used in
France for over ten
years.
A woman has the right to choose.
[line graph]
[graph title] World Population 1950–2050
[vertical text on y axis] 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
One of the very first things the Bush
administration did was to cut funds for
[rotated text on the left] overpopulated countries
concerning birth control methods.
Abortion: Freedom of choice. That is the question!
Will those against abortion feed the extra people?
Global Warming
[text top to bottom, left to right]
Plants and flowers no longer live in their natural habitat.
[speech bubble]
They want to turn the
clock back and
promote more oil
drilling.
More money
$$ into their
pockets!
Rain, floods, storms, typhoons, hurricanes
Coral reefs are losing their ability to sustain life.
Unpredictable, unstable weather
for the whole world.
icebergs
melting
It is in our hands. Purchase cars which are more efficient on gas, vote for politicians who
will enact antipollution laws and use alternative energy, and new technology.
Stop the destruction of
MOTHER NATURE
leave the rain forests alone!
Plant a tree, don’t cut them down.
GLOBAL WARMING is increasing more than expected
Air Pollution is the cause for the Earth’s increased heat (car emissions,
coal burning). The ozone depletion increases CANCER!
Californian Diary (Telephone)
[text top to bottom, left to right]
There is an odd Mixture here.
The incredible trees, glorious
Nature, and underlying everything
This violence!
Why are there so many
crazies here in paradise?
Dear DIARY,
spent a long time talking to Paul on the phone
today telling him about
PARADISE?
Watching TV news. One HORROR story
after another…
RAPES
INCEST Child Murderers
GREED
Priests and Bishops accused of Sex Crimes
Violence terror
CHILD abuse
Does violence breed violence??
No act of generosity is ever shown
Last night in bed
in Ted’s flat
I saw a SHADOW
pass the window.
SCARY!
My HEART started
to pound!
Was it the PACIFIC
BEACH
RAPIST??
He’s already
violated 46
women!
and they haven’t
No, it was only a skunk!—
the bear of destiny
HELP!
AU SECOURS!
[translation: help!]
I’m terrified
by News on T.V.
Sensationalism
Shock value
SLEAZE
GORE
Perverse
excitement
[bottom center section, text curves in multiple directions with the design]
Why must flowers die?
I love seals
Campari Soda
Yes
Ovid Amores
Edith Wharton’s
biography
[arrow] saw a revoltingly huge
roach. What a coward
I am. I screamed
ugh!
felt sad
Claire is
so sick
amities
Why?
went walking on the beach again
felt I was a wave,
a grain of sand,
part of the rays
of the
sun,
a surfer
Niki the bad weed
Who is the monster you or me?
Tarot Garden
[text top to bottom, left to right]
card no.
[arrow] The falling tower
The sun card no.
[arrow] The wall
of the
Emperors
Palace
card no.
IV
[rotated curving text]
The High Priestess card no. II
[arrow] The
magicians
card
no.
I
Justice
card no.
[arrow] the hanged
man card no.
[arrow] Tree of life
The Empress card no. III
[arrow] The High Priestess
[arrow] the wheel of fortune
card no. X
[rotated curving text]
Strength card no.
The Hi
Californian Diary (Black is Different)
[rotated curving text]
I saw a fat woman on the beach today and she reminded me of a great pagan godess
Dear Diary,
BLACK
is different.
I have made many
Black figures
in my work.
Black Venus, Black Madonna,
Black men, Black Nanas.
It has always been an important
color for me.
Today, walking on the beach
I watched a small black child
5 or 6 years old playing with his father.
He was so cute. It was
a revelation.
Black is also me now
with my great grandson Djamal. This is new
and I like it.
Djamal is: French, American, Vietnamese,
Greek, Belgian, Irish, English, African,
Scottish, Russian, Italian, Jewish, Cuban.
= American
Black is also me now.
Californian Diary (Order and Chaos)
[left text]
The Goddess of
Liberty
In her right hand
the fire of CHAOS
exploding, creative
purifying
The book? Order?
I am convinced
she is connected to
the Spirit of the Tarot,
Rota, Tora.
She Holds Her
Book (Word) of Inner
Secrets in her left Hand.
Will unravelling
(what inner order is about)
protect me from being
Consumed by the Exciting
and Scary Fire of CHAOS??
Who is the GODDESS
of Liberty?
THE HIGH
PRIESTESS?
She shows me how
to IMAGINE
my life
[right text]
ORDER AND CHAOS
are united by Eternal
Movement and Time?
Dear Diary, [clock] March 94, La Jolla
What is Time?
Time Past, Time Present, Time Future
Time Unknown. All the other times
I don’t know about.?
Order/Chaos (I am chaos)?
Which Came First?
Do they exist side by side??
I want to Control and Explain
instead of just Surrendering
to the Mystery
BANG! BANG!
All my Creative Momento come out of CHAOS.
EXPLODING PAINTINGS
FIREWORKS FLAMING RAINBOW
Californian Diary (Shamu! Killer Whale)
DEAR Dairy SHAMU!
ORCAS
KILLER WHALE
[text in curving waves]
Saw a breathtaking spectacle at sea World. Visions of Jonah and the Whale—Indian LEGENDS
Moby Dick Raced through my head the whales radiate a
tremendous fatal POWER
The trainers were Women. Sexy good looking amazons EROS
and THANATOS
Beauty and the Beast. Between them I saw an Intimate Dangerous Relationship…
The trainers Dominated and Manipulated these glorious Creatures commanding them
to Leap and Dive.
There is always a Menacing edge. A slight mistake can be Perilous. Seems a few years ago a trainer was EATEN!
WHO is SHAMU? enigmatic, strong, weird. Is SHAMU ME? No! He is my Destructive Creative Potential
my Metaphysical self. He is my Guardian and my Jailor My link to FATE.
Californian Diary (Queen Califia)
[text clockwise, beginning at top left]
DEAR DIARY
Marina Has Arrived. I took
her to the Borrego desert
There we saw the wonderful lines, rocks,
crevices of the desert
We had an extradinary vision. There was
the mighty AMAZON QUEEN who ruled
California
in
Legend.
HERE
SHE
WAS.
Califia
feels forgotton.
No one is
asking her
protection.
When she
is angry she
sends quakes.
She told us
she wants a temple
built in her
honor.
Her Magic Rays
penetrate
the Land. the
fearless queen
tames animals.
Queen Califia
Makes friends
with the god
of the underworld.
Queen Califia, attracted islands and bits of
continents to drift together and assemble. The new
found land became CALIFORNIA.
[figure captions, left to right]
lord of the underworld
blue dog
Queen Califia
funny animal
scary spider
ganesh
God
of Luck
ambrosia
Californian Diary (Temperance)
TEMPERANCE
CARD No. XVI
temperance
is about Energy flowing
with love and tolerance.
What do people
mean by “Politically Correct”??
They talk about it
all the time. (brain washing)
It seems to me that Nothing
that is Political is Correct
and Nothing Correct is Political.
I would like to Make a Sculpture
Representing TEMPERANCE on a campus.
Temperance is Not FANATIC. NO RULES.
A concept of UNIVERSALITY
Not in the head
HEARTFELT
Dear Diary,
Jan. 13, 94
I am worried about any Society that suppresses individuality and puts Pressure on people to think and act in the same way.
(NOT FOR ME!)
[rotated curving text on right side]
I am a fanatic anti fanatic
[text on left side with arrows to body]
tolerance
equality
balance
compassion