Another late start (these posts don’t write themselves, you know!) so we had a late lunch/ early dinner at the café at Miami Project which is relatively new to the scene and I think a pretty fair fair – no, better than fair, a GOOD fair. Eric Firestone Gallery’s booth was right up front and I knew to check out my pal Charles Lutz’s new Vuitton Brillo boxes there. GOD, I want one of these. Charles produced a huge cardboard Brillo box series for New York’s Armory show last year, and I have my signed one, t/y v/m but these are covetable. They had lots of Tseng Kwong Chi photos of Basquiat in his studio back in the day, along with Keith Haring. (I miss Kwong and Keith – Jean Michel I didn’t know as well.) In the back room, much to my shock and amazement, was a large print of Keith drawing on glass wearing a Bad Boy t-shirt that I designed for my sordid private party of the same name at Danceteria, back in the day (where two certain World of Wonder founders used to to DJ every month – Ahem!) but I’d never seen this picture. Helene Necroto, Firestone’s gallery director, was instrumental in introducing me to a former dealer, so I was happy to see her and chat. Great booth. I really love Wayne White’s work (My own work has been flatteringly compared to his, but he is MUCH better painter.) He had 5 new pieces at Western Project that were again, covetable. A text-based theme at Miami Project was emerging. My friend, Michael Pollack (yes, him again, he knows EVERYONE) introduced me to New Orlean’s Dan Tague’s folded dollar bill photos that work on a few levels for me. Outside, between Art Miami and Context Art Fair’s tents were 6-7 paintings by Herr Nilsson of Disney characters doing bad things, my favorite being Pooh. After a fast dinner, it was off to the a nightclub Adoré at Boulan… on the way we ran into Kenny Scharf who was headed to a party for The HoleGallery. Once we arrived at Boulan, though we couldn’t find the the club. Apparently, it hasn’t even opened yet. (Maybe it’s just me but if you invite someone to a party, there should actually BE a party.) Der. What a waste of time, so then we headed to – WHERE, boys and girls? Yes, Twist where the Art Basel crowd was out in full-force. There, I ran into one of my favorite artists that I know only slightly, Nick Cave. Click hereif you want to know about his work. He’s a really one of one of the nicest guys. Photographer Jeremy Kost showed too up with my next door neighbor, Chelsea gallerist Andrea Rosen I chatted with old pal Ricky Clifton who revealed that he just got a HUGE commission to design a mega-dealer’s Manhattan mansion. (Can’t say who, but I’m happy for Ricky. Cha-Ching!) We also got a visit with Wowlebrity and Drag U Mama, The Lady Bunny, in a wig that could have been a blonde rat’s nest for two reasons; because it was THAT teased and THAT big. There was a LOT more nonsense going on, but what happens in the back room of Twist… you know.
Photos: Miami Project, Tsend Kwong Chi’s self portrait, Kwong Chi’s Keth Haring Bad Boy, Lutz’s Brillo stack, Mel Bochner, Wayne White, wordy neon, Dan Tague’s “Living the Dream” photo, & Herr Nilsson’s Pooh bear)
