Open Bar at Artists Anonymous
Written By: Romany Reagan on Mon, Mar 31st 2008
Art openings rock. Yes, there's art, and that's really great and all, but what's truly great about art openings is the Open Bar where wine (and sometimes stronger stuff too!) flows freely. And that's what initially brought me over to Cueto Project (551 W21st Street, NY) where Artists Anonymous had installed their latest show entitled "I Hate the World and the World Hates Me."
Imagine my surprise when I discovered the booze was the least interesting thing in the room!
As I wander through the hanging art and installations I am struck by an emotional rawness, an unhindered comfortability with the shocking and grotesque. A truly unnerving piece featuring a contemporary interpretation of Kali, the Hindu Goddess of Destruction, made me glad for the bright gallery lighting. This is one Goddess you do NOT want to meet in a dark alley. My other favorite piece was an installation of a black room. The walls, chair, floor, rug, computer, dog, rat and taxidermied deer head on the wall were all painted flat black. There was a large painting hanging on the back wall, painted gloss on matte black of a grinning clown. In this blacked-out world there was one thing untouched -- a tree. The tree is either swallowed and drowning in that black existence, or a ray of light illuminating the life of whatever poor wretched being calls the place their home. It held me for so long I had to sit on the floor and get comfortable. The natural next step was to look for the placard telling me who created this complex world -- but there was none to be seen. Then I noticed something was off, I began looking at all the pieces and there were no plaques in the gallery. No signatures on the art itself. Interview time.
I met a certain someone who is part of the collective and got some information on what they do. Artists Anonymous is a collective of five artists from Germany and England who have brought their show stateside to expand their audience. They are based out of London currently, but are in the process of moving their headquarters to Berlin. What's so unique about this group is they operate on a completely opposite ethos to every other artist I know -- they are all completely anonymous. No one person works on a piece by himself or herself, and therefore no one can take credit. While even the most retiring artist secretly longs to have their name on a gallery wall, this group has eschewed that motive to let the art, not the art of personality, take the credit. It speaks of a truer devotion to creation itself, and lets them be quickly filed under the "real artist" column as apposed to the Just-For-Famers that flood our city every year.
There were wine and vodka available, and as the wine wasn't speaking to me, I went with the sponsor of the evening: Christiania Vodka, product of Norway. It claims to be the smoothest vodka in the world, and while I am by no means a vodka expert, I do drink my share (usually Ketel One) and I have to say, it actually IS the smoothest vodka I've had. Nothing against my dear Ketel One, mind you. I could have simply been under the spell of the beautiful boys Dmitry Kritsky and Alex Malyshev who were serving me at the time, eastern Europeans always get me... oh, wait what was I saying?
Ah yes, Art. The person kind enough to talk to me gave me their card and spoke a little more about what they do back in Europe. The group produces live performances and houses even more art that is, naturally, harder to move across the Atlantic. I now have an open invitation to visit them in Berlin to see all they do there.
I would love to give the name of this helpful, talented person but I can't. I will say she's a super cute petite red head, but you didn't hear it from me. *shhhhh *
