Paul Sevigny / photo by Justin Richards
When I first arrived at Milk Gallery for the Accompanied Literary Society's Art War II, the crowd was sparse and bombshell founder Brooke Geahan, wearing a wee red miniskirt, was being photographed in front of each installation like it was a hot rod.
"She's the head of an art society?" asked a New York magazine intern.
"A literary society," I corrected.
"I need to start joining more literary societies."
Although a literary element was not exactly clear on Tuesday night, the place soon filled up with a chattering mass of art socialites. The invited guests drank champagne from sponsor Moet & Chandon and teetered on avant-garde footwear while DJ Paul Sevigny pumped The Jesus and Mary Chain and Lou Reed. Geahan explained why she still viewed the party as a literary-tinged affair.
"The way that we contextualize art," she told me, "is by making people understand that art is not just people throwing previews and openings, but that people who work here also have incredible knowledge."
Art War II, a sequel to a paintball battle at Art Basel, claimed as its main event a Jeopardy-style quiz show hosted by White Columns director Matthew Higgs, in which teams competed to prove their art smarts. Once a painting flashed on the screen, contestants rarely let Higgs get a few words out before buzzing in with an answer.
"They were all quite noncommittal before it started," I was told by Higgs, whose resemblance to Drew Carey is betrayed by his erudition and British accent. "Once it started they became like rabidly engaged."
Sevigny, of The Beatrice Inn and ARE Weapons fame, was on the winning team, but he claimed no credit. "I had two ringers on my team that were banned from The Beatrice a week ago and wanted to get back in," he said. The ringers, Andrew Kreps of Andrew Kreps Gallery and Sam Orlofsky of Gagosian, said they'd like to see regular showdowns of this type "to see which gallery is the best."
After the game, guests continued to mill about the installations, big-budget Plexiglas affairs from artist Andrew Cramer that depicted mostly skulls and guns with an overt anti-war message. According to Milk director Jennifer Wirtz, the gallery was trying to interpret the collaborative underground spirit of '80s art spaces with a more "commercial" agenda.
Lauren Walker, a Parsons fashion student with bleach-blonde spikes and blazing pink lipstick, said she was glad not to see any black skinny jeans or weird beards among the crowd.
"This is very polar opposite and contrast to those arty people," she said.
"She's the head of an art society?" asked a New York magazine intern.
"A literary society," I corrected.
"I need to start joining more literary societies."
Although a literary element was not exactly clear on Tuesday night, the place soon filled up with a chattering mass of art socialites. The invited guests drank champagne from sponsor Moet & Chandon and teetered on avant-garde footwear while DJ Paul Sevigny pumped The Jesus and Mary Chain and Lou Reed. Geahan explained why she still viewed the party as a literary-tinged affair.
"The way that we contextualize art," she told me, "is by making people understand that art is not just people throwing previews and openings, but that people who work here also have incredible knowledge."
Art War II, a sequel to a paintball battle at Art Basel, claimed as its main event a Jeopardy-style quiz show hosted by White Columns director Matthew Higgs, in which teams competed to prove their art smarts. Once a painting flashed on the screen, contestants rarely let Higgs get a few words out before buzzing in with an answer.
"They were all quite noncommittal before it started," I was told by Higgs, whose resemblance to Drew Carey is betrayed by his erudition and British accent. "Once it started they became like rabidly engaged."
Sevigny, of The Beatrice Inn and ARE Weapons fame, was on the winning team, but he claimed no credit. "I had two ringers on my team that were banned from The Beatrice a week ago and wanted to get back in," he said. The ringers, Andrew Kreps of Andrew Kreps Gallery and Sam Orlofsky of Gagosian, said they'd like to see regular showdowns of this type "to see which gallery is the best."
After the game, guests continued to mill about the installations, big-budget Plexiglas affairs from artist Andrew Cramer that depicted mostly skulls and guns with an overt anti-war message. According to Milk director Jennifer Wirtz, the gallery was trying to interpret the collaborative underground spirit of '80s art spaces with a more "commercial" agenda.
Lauren Walker, a Parsons fashion student with bleach-blonde spikes and blazing pink lipstick, said she was glad not to see any black skinny jeans or weird beards among the crowd.
"This is very polar opposite and contrast to those arty people," she said.
