The attendees of Adidas’ 30th Anniversary party for Max Fish (right pic) alongside Black Sabbath Cover Band Rehearsal featuring (right to left) Mick Barr, Nick Zinner, Brad Truax, Angel Deradoorian and Greg Fox, 7/14/19.
Max Fish and Adidas celebrated 30 years of art, music and skateboarding on Sunday night with the release of the Lower East Side bar’s commemorative sneaker. Already sold out by the time the party started, the shoe’s release brought out notable fans of the Fish, like skateboard legend Chad Muska, actor Leo Fitzpatrick of Kids fame, and a Black Sabbath cover band fronted by Nick Zinner of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Interpol’s Brad Truax and former Dirty Projector vocalist Angel Deradoorian. The party was also a photo show curated by pro-skater Josh Zickert and featuring prints from Max Fish’s old location, which closed in 2013. More →
Attendees at Governors Ball’s main stage during The 1975’s set on Saturday afternoon (left pic) and moments after being told to evacuate after Nas’s set on Sunday night.
Legitimately dangerous weather marred the last day of this year’s Governors Ball, overshadowing what was otherwise an awesome event. Friday was gorgeous and the late rain predicted for Saturday never came. Whenever possible, attendees enjoyed the relatively mud-free man-made meadow on Randall’s Island’s western edge. But a mandatory evacuation on Sunday didn’t make anyone happy, and some thought its implementation was downright unsafe. More →
The attendees of Twin Flames’ opening in its main room inspired by The Shining.
Fresh off his solo show Cactus Dreamslast month, photographer Justin Aversano is back with Twin Flames, an exhibition of Polaroid and large-format-film prints of 100 pairs of twins. The expansive, lavishly presented show, featuring work taken over the past two years, has been wowing audiences during its two weeks at Superchief NY in Ridgewood. It closes Saturday night with a ballroom party hosted by The Bailey Twins, who also posed for Aversano’s project. More →
Essex Street Market’s customers with volunteers from the Lower Eastside Girls Club during its grand opening event, 5/18/19.
The new incarnation of Essex Market was so packed during its grand opening Saturday that one could barely walk down the crowded aisles of the modern, atrium-like space. Beyond the main entrance on the corner of Delancey and Essex, we were engulfed by the line for cupcakes at Sugar Sweet Sunshine, which now has a stall there in addition to their 16-year-old store on Rivington Street.More →
The vendors, staff and customers of Essex Street Market ringing the bells to close out the market’s original location at 120 Essex St., 5/5/17 at 6p. (Photos: Nick McManus)
With a champagne toast yesterday, the vendors of Essex Street Market said goodbye to their longtime home at 120 Essex Street ahead of its relocation across the street. Opened in 1940 in an effort to remove pushcarts from the street, the market continued to provide an affordable, diverse variety of food to its Lower East Side neighbors and beyond. More →
Moniker front desk staffers Madeline Philipp (left) and Kimberly Manguch (right) as they welcomed visitors.
Last night at Moniker’s opening party, we were greeted by unpretentious attendants. After posing for a portrait with the opening installation by muralists Yok and Sheryo, staff member Madeline Philipp told us why she was having so much fun: “I love all the humans I meet as they all have to come through me first.”
Cake Agency owner Beau Pate (second left) with artist Buddy Austin (second right) at their booth.
The booth belonging to Chicago’s Cake Agency is one of the first you see, and you need to see it up close to appreciate the details of the engraved watches, rings and pendants by artists Christopher Ser and Buddy Austin. Gallerist Nick Malloy said Seattle-based Austin’s engraved Rolexes and Cartier timepieces have a two-year waitlist. “It’s a young money type of thing and we want to bring something else to the table.”
Artist WK with assistant Dash (left pic, right and left) at his installation on Moniker’s main floor.
For those that don’t mind interaction, artist WK was snapping “mugshot” Polaroids of guests and then taking their fingerprints for a project he’s working on. WK’s young assistant Dash, a Parsons student, told us that working with the artist has inspired his own project about “young African-American men being targeted by police.”
Garey The Third retail director Aurora Fisher at her store’s booth.
Upstairs, Aurora Fisher was running a booth for the Garey The Third art boutique. For sale were books and apparel inspired by late artist LeRoy Neiman, famous for his modern expressionist paintings of athletes and celebrities, along with other vinyl collectables and prints. “We’re based on the West Coast,” Fisher said of the Los Angeles store, “but we have a demand here for our limited releases and we wanted to satisfy that.”
Attendees Sam Erenthal and NOT ART (left and right) with the installation by artists ICY & SOT.
On Moniker’s second main floor, in a spacious basement, an eye-popping 3D installation by artist Li-Hill was on display along with several of her paintings. The London-born, Brooklyn-based Li-Hill explained the installation’s message. “It’s about a potential dark future because we’re in a global crux. So much can be done to the world to make the positive change.”
Artist Tai Taeoalii at his booth for Analog Contemporary at booth for Moniker Int’l Art Fair.
Also on the second floor was Philadelphia’s Analog Contemporary, featuring the art of Bruce Jefferies Reinfeld and Tai Taeoalii. Reinfeld’s saturated photographs are printed on lenticular plastic; the 3D illusion makes them jump at you from across the room. “These photos of graffitied trains and trucks were taken all over the country, but I just started working in lenticular about a year ago,” Reinfeld told us. “My pieces can range in any size and I’m doing a large lenticular installation for Art Market Hamptons this summer.”
Artist PAID MSD (center) with Perseus gallerist Iana Safina (left) at their booth.
Two levels down in the building’s cellar, Sold magazine partied at their street-art installation while a discussion panel took place on a nearby stage. Titled “The War of Messaging: Ad Takeovers and the Fight For Your Attention,” the talk was moderated by artist and activist Josh MacPhee, who spoke with writer RJ Rushmore, street art photographer Luna Park and public space artist Jordan Seiler. They discussed the subversive methods some artists employ against the giant reach of billboard advertising and how replacing them with street art is a way to resist corporate monotony.
Fousion gallerist Jasmin Waschl (center) with her featured artist Miss Van (second left) at their booth
When a fellow artist in attendance challenged whether the street artist had the “right” to illegally change the ads, another artist chimed in to defend them. “Yes, in legal terms they’re not right to do that, but because they admit who they are, what they do and have outlined their cause I would grant them that right. They see the world in a different way than the law and I agree with that difference.”
The staff of The Sampler Bushwick (at left) with guests at their satellite bar.
After the panel, the audience hit up Moniker’s bar, which was embellished by artist SKEWVILLE and run by The Sampler Bushwick, a craft beer house owned by two firefighters from the neighborhood that relaunched 15 months ago. General Manager Joel Suarez explained how The Sampler, which also offers session cans and growler refills, doubles as a gallery and pop-up kitchen. “We have a monthly art show that follows Black History Month, Women’s History Month; we did an indigenous peoples show last Thanksgiving and we give artists 70 percent of the cut. It’s even better when he have guests chefs come use our kitchen because we give them 100 percent. Me and my staff come from the Bronx and we were all artists first so we know how it is.”
Moniker International Art Fair continues through the weekend and will be free to the public on Sunday from 11am-12:30pm.
The patrons and staff of Local 138 on its final night on Ludlow before moving to Orchard St, 4/28/19 at 4a. (Photos: Nick McManus)
It was the end of an era Saturday night as Local 138 closed out its Ludlow Street location ahead of its move around the corner to 181 Orchard Street next month. The move, prompted by the sale of its building to local landlord Delsha Capital, was announced last month on Local 138’s Instagram.
The family, friends and patrons of Gotham City Lounge on its final night, 4/12/19 at 10pm.
Here’s some super sad news: One of Bushwick’s quirkiest homegrown bars, Gotham City Lounge, has closed after 15 years under the M train on Myrtle Ave. The superhero-themed drinks den was a hidden refuge for neighborhood old-timers and comic-lovers alike.
