Opening At New Museum: "Cryptic"

I love contemporary art as much as the next guy. In fact I'm on the host committee of a contemporary art charity event, but at the gallery openings at The New Museum in the Bowery last night, I found myself more horrified and less introspective.

Let me start by saying that if they decide to have wine at an opening, just pour a full glass instead of making patrons come up over and over again for small quarter glasses... Also, to only let you have drinks on the main level defeats the purpose of serving them. The drink was poured and then you were on lock-down from seeing the rest of the museum! Also, it insinuates that the art on the main level was less valuable and "ok" to be spilled on.

Anyways, I showed up on the arm of my PR bombshell partner-in-crime Vivianne Lapointe to meet Channing Norton and Merideth Dicter. The art downstairs was very nice actually. Activism art. I dug it. It was the Persian Gulf floor that made my spine crawl. Projected on a wall was a video of 2 amputees completely naked helping each other bathe and walk, as one had no fingers and couldnt hold soap and the other was missing a limb. As hard as it was to watch, it was hard to look away.

Another gallery had a headless horse preserved by taxidermy hanging out of the wall backwards. And not far away a girl who was dressed very pedestrian was slowly writhing on the floor. Meridith and I joked "I wonder how much she's going for," and "wouldn't it be funny to go up and put a red "sold" sticker on her?"

All in all, it was a nice venue with good art, although certain pieces didn't seem to fit into the cohesive theme. I definitely advise to go and form your own opinions!