Is it presumptuous to call your own work a masterpiece? Maybe…but many artists have work of their own that they secretly admire and lament the lack of interest from others. Let’s admit it, being self-centered, attention seeking and lacking emotional control are common traits found among the artists. I think most artists, whether famous or not, have had moments when they felt overwhelming satisfaction and excitement with their creations.

This image of a piece called “Madonna of the Altar” which had been made of plaster and sugar in 1996 (or maybe it was 1997) is another “graveyard image” I recently found on the internet. I remember being almost satisfied (very Japanese way to appreciate your own work) and quite excited when it was finished. The piece used to sit in the back room of my old studio at 68 Jay Street in Brooklyn, and my neighbor who liked to call it a masterpiece often brought visitors from other part of the world just to show the piece. The piece was the culmination of series of sexually charged and sacrilegious sculptures that I made in the ’90s, and it is one of the few pieces that I still like.

In 1998, then New York City Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani began the most aggressive crackdown on go-go joints and porn stores. Harmoney Theater, New York Dolls, the doors of the bars in Tribeca that I frequented to look for models were closed for good. In a way, it was the saddest event that took place in New York City since I had moved here.