Despite the ferris wheels and free piña coladas, the real attraction at this year’s San Gennaro festival was Queens native Wayne Algenio. He dominated the eating contests by winning two out of the three, first devouring 38 cannoli in six minutes on Friday, Sept. 13, then stuffing down 54 zeppoli in the same timeframe less than a week later. The only reason he didn’t represent at the meatball competition? He had signed up for a mac and cheese eating contest the same day (which he won). More →
Love No Border: An Artist’s Call for Action
Opening Monday, September 23 at the Lower Eastside Girls Club, 6 pm. On view through November 30.
It’s always been common for art to intersect with buzzy political topics, for better for for worse. Of course, not everyone is just trying to capitalize on the latest news item; some artists have more noble intentions. One show that fits more into this category is Love No Border, a group show at the Lower Eastside Girls Club featuring artists from New York, Guatemala, Mexico, and New Orleans who are “questioning the value of borders in 21st century society.” The show includes a wide variety of artistic disciplines—from a sculpture of stuffed toys referencing ICE to a contribution by performance art activist group Reverend Billy and the Stop Shopping Choir—and there will be events throughout the run of the show to raise funds for immigrant aid organizations.
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If you noticed that Tim Heidecker has a new movie coming out and thought, “But I want Tim & Eric,” well: You can haz both. Not only is Heidecker starring in Mister America, opening Oct. 9, but he’s also doing a string of live shows with his longtime comedy partner Eric Wareheim. The Tim & Eric 2020 Mandatory Attendance Tour kicks off Jan. 15 in Australia and comes to Brooklyn’s Kings Theatre on Feb. 11. More →
Over 250,000 people took to the streets of downtown Manhattan Friday in support of the New York City Climate Strike. Many of these protesters were high school students, using their DoE-approved ditch day to march from Foley Square to Battery Park, demand climate reform and listen to activists plead their cases for the planet. More →
The single most elucidating moment of my very expensive liberal arts education was the time my sociology professor popped a VHS in the VCR. He didn’t do a word of teaching that day; whether he was hungover, hadn’t prepared a lesson that day, or just wanted to watch us trip out, the film he played blew my mind. It was Koyaanisqatsi. More →
“When an octopus gets too stressed out, it eats itself,” begins poet Ashley August in Don’t Be Nice, the feature documentary debut from filmmaker Max Powers. At this moment in the film, August is performing a poem about the (gendered, racialized) expectation that she be less intense, in direct address to the camera. “When you see me with my literal foot in my actual mouth, you can call that dramatic.” More →
THURSDAY
Boys I’ve Kissed and Hated: Slumber Party
Thursday, September 19 at Max Fish, 7 pm: $10
Sure, 7 pm is a little early for a slumber party, but this isn’t any ordinary slumber party. It commemorates comedian and writer Arti Gollapudi’s new book of poetry, Boys I’ve Kissed and Hated. Don your coziest outfit (it’s getting to be that time of year, after all) and enjoy some snacks and drinks as well as tarot readings and a photo booth, so you can capture the current moment and find out what’s in store for your future. And of course, this is a show, so there will also be performance by Gollapudi and Sadie Dupuis (of the bands Speedy Ortiz and sad13). Just try not to actually fall asleep there once the fun has wrapped up.
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As much as many New Yorkers love the annual San Gennaro feast for its endless amounts of sausage and peppers, meatballs and just about anything that can be deep fried, it’s a huge dolore al collo for some local businesses. Last year, a whopping 945,000 pounds of trash were collected over the 11-day feast, according to Mort Berkowitz, who runs the festival. And the pizza-stained plates and discarded piña colada cups are just the start of the headaches. More →
If you’re starting to grow weary of constant cold brew, and your typical drip or oat milk latte just doesn’t hit like it used to, perhaps a caffeinated change is in order. And that change could be cascara, a drink made from brewing a part of a coffee bean seen as both a superfood and literal garbage. Today, Colombian coffee shop Devoción officially opens their first cafe focused on cascara, located in Manhattan’s Nomad neighborhood.
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Glenn O’Brien: Center Stage
Opening Tuesday, September 17 at Off Paradise, 6 pm to 8 pm. On view through November 2.
Off Paradise, a loft located on Soho’s Walker Street, is both a new and old space. As a gallery, it’s brand new, and the exhibition opening Tuesday it its first. As a more general space, it’s been around quite a while—the show’s curator, Natacha Polaert, has been there for the past ten years. Off Paradise’s gallery debut celebrates the life and legacy of Glenn O’Brien, a producer, writer, and creative director who worked with Andy Warhol at Interview magazine, among other projects. The show features work by Warhol, as well as contributions by luminaries like Eileen Myles, Rene Ricard, and Richard Prince.
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