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| Click on images for larger views (Photo: Laurel Marcus) |
Last evening brought me to SoHo for the launch of creative duo Hunter & Gatti’s “The Series” at OPENHOUSE Gallery, 201 Mulberry Street presented by Julia Restoin Roitfeld. The exhibit is open to the public Wednesday and Thursday, November 20-21 from 9 a.m to 9 p.m. Hunter & Gatti have a background in advertising photography with campaigns and lookbooks for Massimo Dutti, Hugo Boss, Carolina Herrera and Marciano/Guess to name a few. Their artwork is a fusion of photographs they have taken for editorial or advertising purposes and then painted over with many layers of a wash of multi-hued acrylic giving the work a truly an arresting look blending perfectly with that old idea of art and commerce colliding.
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| Julia Restoin Roitfeld & Hunter & Gatti |
When I spoke to the art duo (who incidentally are good looking enough to be models in their own right) I asked them what their inspiration was and they said that the work seemed unfinished to them so they came up with this technique. In a back room they were also premiering what I call their “Lady Gaga” moment known as “CARNE” (meat in Italian). In all fairness to Gaga, they weren’t wearing the meat but it was all over the walls. The room featured two moving meat walls on film meaning that onto the walls a projector was showing a floor to ceiling display of writhing raw meat is the best way I know how to describe it. In addition there were works of art showing models with their skin was stripped away which were eerie yet somehow compelling at the same time. There was another wall of celebrity portraits featuring Bruno Mars, Poppy Delevingne and the Flaunt cover of Douglas Booth.
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| Guests mingling at exhibition |
I arrived fashionably late and the party was in full tilt with all the young, hip and impossibly attractive downtown denizens in their natural habitat. It was Andy Warhol redux where everyone could have their 15 minutes ; flashbulbs going off every few seconds making you feel like you were running the paparazzi gamut. In case you don’t know, Julia Restoin Roitfeld is a celebrity artiste, mommy blogger, model, and celebrity offspring of Carine Roitfeld the former French Vogue editor, which pretty much makes her your basic modern day renaissance woman. Many of her friends who are also in the fashion, art and music world came to lend their support hence the plethora of beautiful and interestingly dressed people. Those slated to attend included Stacey Bendet of Alice & Olivia, Dannijo jewelry designers Danielle & Jodie Snyder, Leigh Lezark who was DJ’ing and Timo Weiland. The Misshapes were scheduled to perform including Leigh Lezard, Geordon Nicol and Greg Krelenstein and I believe they were DJ’ing when I was there so I must have missed their performance.
