(Photo: Daniel Maurer)
Okay, so I can’t say with total confidence that MoMA PS1 threw the best Halloween party on Saturday, but as a lover of geodesic domes I can’t imagine who could’ve topped the gigantic one in the Long Island City art museum’s courtyard (seriously, check out its installation).
The theme of the party was White House of Horror and indeed burlesque legend Dirty Martini was wandering around wearing almost nothing but a Trump mask (maybe she was going as the naked Trump statue?). Elsewhere, stylist Gazelle Paulo was also dressed as Trump, with a “pussy” fashioned by Patricia Field designer Scooter LaForge. Behind me in the massive line to get in, Hillary kept Bill on a leash.
(Photo: Daniel Maurer)
But other than all that, nods to the election were blessedly few and far between, and the vibe was instead chaos meets coquetry. Sure, there was talk of things being rigged, but it was about the swings hanging from the roof of the dome. There, performers cavorted and contorted above a catwalk throbbing with drag queens and club kids.
Among the hosts were glammy clubland veterans like Susanne Bartsch and Kenny Kenny, East Village performance artist Kembla Pfahler, electro act Casey Spooner, Warholian style guy Glenn O’Brien, PS1 director Klaus Biesenbach, and outrĂ© designers Eckhaus Latta and BCALLA. Given that pedigree, it was no surprise that the costumes looked like something out of the Disco 2000 parties. (Can you say, “Pickle Surprise”?) In addition to all the club kids, there were hundreds and hundreds of just-plain kids, who probably considered this an extension of the PS1 Warm Up parties.
Of course, there was plenty of Instagram bait, including an ice penis that you could do vodka shots from (sponsored by condom brand Lelo Hex) and, as part of the Mark Leckey exhibit, a phallic sculpture a la Clockwork Orange. Those who weren’t doing shots from a dorsal vein were guzzling Vice’s new beer.
Via Instagram, here’s a look at the best dressed.