These Cups are Making Me Thirsty

Tuesday was art tour day with Dan, my educated guide who gave insider scoops on all the hot Chelsea galleries, some more affectionately known as "Crime and Greed". Two shows really stood out for me. Tara Donovan's plastic cup landscape was a real sight, with both the ingenuity and playfulness that I had hoped I would find. A 5000 square foot space is completely blanketed by what must be millions of cups, placed and manipulated into peaks and valleys, all with a texture that resembled something more akin to pillows than plastic. Further down the street, Matthew Marks was showing an exhibit of encased and suspended rat and bear costumes by artists Peter Fischli and David Weiss. The stasis of the costumes seemed to me to create a conflicting distinction between mummification and a high tech production of suspension and Plexiglas. But enough interpretation, after three coffees what I really needed was a bathroom. Damn if I can't remember the name but a trip to an upstairs gallery with an inquiry about the location of a bathroom brought this puzzling response: (Dan) "Excuse me, but could you tell me where the bathroom is on this floor?" (Gallerina) "I don't know how to answer that question". Huh?

Party Like It's 1995

When I heard that Moby was going to be playing the Urban Magazine party, stars came to my eyes. I would consider myself a Moby fan. I thought Play was a great album. I even liked his duet with Gwen Stefani and I gave him credit for being a vegan tea drinker who didn't allow himself to get swallowed up in celebrity. Oh Moby, when did it all go so wrong? Instead of being treated to a danceable beat you played rave techno. Didn't the Trainspotting soundtrack come out 10 years ago? And your herbal tea? Replaced by Amstel Light. I just hope that wasn't your BMW SUV parked outside.

Chair Share

Apparently in New York, no opening is complete without a little chair tossing. Brooklyn Fireproof, a great Williamsburg gallery, was the scene for Friday night's Springer re-enactment. The rowdies were escorted out by painter Dan, who although he seems more interested with what's going on in front of him, did a good job of keeping damage to a minimum.

Three dollar beers in Brooklyn

Most nights in New York swirled into a blur, which meant photo documentation was a necessity. Exhibit A, the photo booth at Union Pool in Brooklyn, which in March doesn't have a pool, but does serve all the hipsters three dollar beers. If Blue Ribbon is looking for a new spokeswoman, sign me up. It tastes like piss in a can to be sure (word for word how the bartender described it to me) but it does the trick. I was just loopy enough to spend most of the night discussing art with new found friend and painter Dan Kopp, who in recovering from the previous week's art fairs was winding down with his dog Ames.

Attempts to post any new York information were thwarted by endless evenings and day long trips through most of Manhattan. Now that I'm back in the subdued environment of good old Vancouver, I've got all the time in the world to update on my New York adventures. First night debauchery pictured here. Ever heard directions to a club that go like this?: "Down the stairs and through the kitchen to the left". At L'Esquina, if you're lucky enough to find it deep beneath the confines of a take out taco stand, it's well worth the trip. Taking pictures inside was a big no no since it's a celeb hot spot (none seen on my night though) and photos are a big taboo. Too bad since the lair we ended up in looked like an underground bunker, complete with a solid oak bar, mosaic tile and white washed brick. Cheery owners too, one of whom offered up a bottle of tequila and an invitation to stay as long as we wanted, which we did until 5am.

Bright lights Date City

Well, I probably won't be going on any dates, but I am going to be making my NYC debut next week. Very exciting indeed. Any and all suggestions on things to do would be appreciated. Expect numerous posts with pictures....

xox
bubbs