Walking up the narrow staircase of Manhattan's Half Gallery, the townhouse-cum-art gallery run by Bill Powers, you're greeted with a small, framed drawing by Ed Ruscha, one of the several pop artists in the Ferus Gallery Group that frequented the walk-in Los Angeles artwork, The Beanery (1965). If you remember—the recreation of that nostalgic, dirty '60s American diner was not only a frequent subject of Ruscha’s drawings, but continues to be celebrated as a life-size installation by the late Edward Kienholz, complete with papier-mâché customers and the sound and smell of bacon frying.
Blair Thurman, the visionary behind Half Gallery's latest show, Rascal House, first discovered Kienholz’s installation as a child through his mother, the former director of the ICA Boston. After a recent trip back home, he began to think of painters Justin Adian, Stéphane Kropf, and John Armleder—a trio of friends who also happen to create pieces that relate back to Barney’s Beanery. Adian, whose canvases stretch over foam pieces reminiscent of diner booth cushions; Kropf, whose use of glow-in-the-dark paints create a texture similar to a wad of chewing gum on the bottom of a diner table; and Armleder, whose “furniture paintings” are based on the interior of diners.
Thurman decided to create a sculpture based on a diner booth, with each of the artists creating different sections. “It’s a collaboration with artists that fit together well. We all used to work together, assist each other. There’s stories and life connections here that may not necessarily be made with a regular curated project,” Thurman told Opening Ceremony, at the recent opening of Rascal House.
The diner booth—part neon, part glow-in-the-dark "gum wad"—with multicolored cushions and a glitter-and-resin tabletop, is the singular object on view. And in this particularly intimate setting, complete with fireplace and antique molding interiors, the installation gives off a surreal, domestic vibe—an ode to not only Kienholz' memorable work, but friendship as well.
Rascal House will be on view until February 4th
Half Gallery
43 East 78th Street
New York, NY
MAP
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The diner booth—part neon, part glow-in-the-dark "gum wad"—with multicolored cushions and a glitter-and-resin tabletop. Photo by Cecilia Salama
Blair Thurman, the visionary behind Half Gallery's latest show, Rascal House, first discovered Kienholz’s installation as a child through his mother, the former director of the ICA Boston. After a recent trip back home, he began to think of painters Justin Adian, Stéphane Kropf, and John Armleder—a trio of friends who also happen to create pieces that relate back to Barney’s Beanery. Adian, whose canvases stretch over foam pieces reminiscent of diner booth cushions; Kropf, whose use of glow-in-the-dark paints create a texture similar to a wad of chewing gum on the bottom of a diner table; and Armleder, whose “furniture paintings” are based on the interior of diners.
Thurman decided to create a sculpture based on a diner booth, with each of the artists creating different sections. “It’s a collaboration with artists that fit together well. We all used to work together, assist each other. There’s stories and life connections here that may not necessarily be made with a regular curated project,” Thurman told Opening Ceremony, at the recent opening of Rascal House.
The diner booth—part neon, part glow-in-the-dark "gum wad"—with multicolored cushions and a glitter-and-resin tabletop, is the singular object on view. And in this particularly intimate setting, complete with fireplace and antique molding interiors, the installation gives off a surreal, domestic vibe—an ode to not only Kienholz' memorable work, but friendship as well.
Rascal House will be on view until February 4th
Half Gallery
43 East 78th Street
New York, NY
MAP
The diner booth—part neon, part glow-in-the-dark "gum wad"—with multicolored cushions and a glitter-and-resin tabletop. Photo by Cecilia Salama