Mashonda with a work by SWOON.
Mashonda Tifrere walks in Pen + Brush’s gallery just as a tall poster of a black lobster with 24-karat gold bands around its claws is hung from the gallery ceiling. It’s too low, she says to the two men by the 10-foot ladder. It needs to be just a couple inches higher and perfect for the exhibit’s opening. Works from various artists are placed around the room, waiting to be put in place before Thursday evening. There’s a topless portrait of model Ericka Hart bearing her double mastectomy scars with pride, along with a topless portrait of Tifrere, which she posed for atop a castle in Long Island.
Last month we shared a Q&A with the directors of 
