Fulton Ryder Gallery and Harper’s Books have a surprise up their sleeves
Fulton Ryder, the project gallery of Richard Prince and Harper’s Books had a few surprises in store for the opening night crowd at their four day pop-up event held at the Beverly Hills Hotel. For starters, the event was held in a bungalow located deep in the back of the property. Arriving guests made their way down narrow curving walkways in the dark searching until they came to the open door of 14A. It only took a few minutes to get there but it made your arrival seem like the end of a journey to someplace special.
Once inside, you were greeted by Richard Prince artworks and books as well as prints from Harper Levine’s collection all displayed in non-traditional fashion. Prints were arranged across the beds and on the chairs with magazines displayed on the floors and propped up against the walls very casually; encouraging you to interact with the work instead of standing back and viewing it.
Harper Levine and Fulton Ryder’s Fabiola Alondra were on hand to talk about the art to a crowd of interested viewers. Much of the work referenced the sixties and seventies with black and white nudes and rock/punk figures. For anyone who spent their days living in that haze, the contrast between the proper rooms of the hotel where much has been seen and the photographic tokens of those times made for a kind of second sight…at least for me.
The Deja-vu deepened when Kelly Madison, adult movie star, arrived to take up residence in one of the bedrooms. Removing her top, she invited the crowd to pose with her and interact as if they were all old friends. She was wonderfully good at breaking down the barriers between viewers and spectacle, helped by Fabiola who kept bringing guests over and saying “Kelly, corrupt them!”
The stated goal of this weekend’s event was to inject new life into an old process. The pop-up location, the unconventional display and the surprise happening all helped make that real. It will be interesting to see who picks up on this event and what they make of it. In the meantime, it wasn’t just another opening.
http://andyromanoff.zenfolio.com
http://www.fultonryder.com
http://www.harpersbooks.com
