I Am Here You Are Not I Love You

I Am Here You Are Not I Love You follows the writer Aidan Ryan as he attempts to make sense of the work and clues left behind by the late visual artists Andrew Topolski and Cindy Suffoletto, his aunt and uncle, who passed away when he was a teenager. On one level, the short documentary presents a critical reexamination of Topolski, one of the greatest practitioners of postminimalism and a figure that advocates have long positioned for canonical recognition. In repositioning Topolski's legacy and vast body of work, the film makes compelling findings-relevant for artists in any medium-about the critical role of timing, networking, and institutional as well as interpersonal support in the making and breaking of artistic careers. At the same time, the project uncovers and presents a significant body of work by Suffoletto, an artist little-shown and never cataloged during her life. Ultimately, Ryan argues that the time is right for both to take up a privileged place among the great artists of their generation. The film accompanies a book of the same name that the the University of Iowa Press will publish in spring 2025.