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Expos and Conventions

Art Basel Miami '14: Art, Commerce, & Champagne

Details: Parent Category: Expos and Conventions; Category: Features; Published on Wednesday, 18 February 2015 12:16; Written by Neil Wolfson

Seems like deja vu all over again as we return lemming like to Art Basel Miami 2014. We were surprised by an initial rejection of our press credentials by the accreditation folks in Basel (perhaps we had been too snarky in last year's coverage). A quick email righted the situation and we were properly certified.

We arrived from a mellow Thanksgiving in Delray and Palm Beaches on Monday, several days before the fair's official kickoff. Settling into our pal JJ's palatial pad at the Portfino, we spa'd out and steeled our self for the relentless week ahead.

Monday evening we attended the Los Angeles Nomadic Division (Land) 5th annual Gala held poolside at the venerable Raleigh Hotel. This worthy non-profit curates site specific public art exhibitions in LA and beyond. The crowd was moneyed, socially conscious and fashionable and the event featured an impressive art auction which raised considerable green for the org. On the way home, we encountered minor attitude at the gates of the Delano Hotel whose snotty euro door chick insisted we check our shoulder bag to enter the empty lobby. Suppose they thought we might lift an ashtray.

Tuesday evening we were invited to the press/collector's preview of the Concept Art Fair aboard the Mega Yacht Seafair anchored at Chopin Plaza in downtown Miami. With Remy Martin and a major champagne as sponsors, we expected a major fete. Amazingly we encountered a cash bar and food concessions. Don't the organizers of this satellite fair realize to make money one needs to properly feed and water the press and the swells who spend money on the art.

Performance Art Bass Museum Sculpture Garden South Beach

Wednesday morning we dutifully attended the opening press conference for Art Basel Miami at the Convention Center. After sitting through a few too many speeches by Miami Mayor Levine ( seemed like an Lexus dealer) and corporate wonks from UBS, touting sponsors from Ruinart Champagne, BMW, Absolut, and Davidoff Cigars, we were treated to warm champagne and canapes.

We then ran Pamplona style onto the convention floor to immerse our self in the exalted art. Art hosts P. Diddy, Swizz Beatz, Busta Rhymes and created media mayhem, mixing with the fossilized collectors vying for position to add masterpieces to their collections. The sheer volume of name brand seven figure pieces was daunting as we ogled and drooled over the massive expo. Champagne vendors lubricated the crowd, as the Dow soared.

The nearly full moon rose over South Beach like a rotten mango, as we sallied forth to the BMW event at the Botanical Garden. Yet more Champagne was swilled as the Roy Lichtenstein painted Bmer was revealed to the assembled revelers.

Next we ambled past an over crowded soiree at the Bass Museum to the W Hotel where our favorite bar mitzvah boy, Dejour Mag publisher Jason Binn was hosting a shindig. We suffered the indignity of waiting in line for a half hour beyond the start time to be herded into the pool area where the party hadn't begun. Next we were on another line and waiting to enter restricted area. Marginal VIPs like Russell Simmons and Sir Ivan Wilzig were held in the Klusterfuk like us commoners until security finally scanned us into the next level of hell. Here more champagne flowed but no evidence of promised canapes. An hour past and more confusion as we waited for admission to yet another restricted zone where we were promised a performance by a surprise artist. Finally we entered the promised land where the questionable artiste turned out to be brother in law (JZ) beater Solange Knowles. Enduring one song from this talentless wannabe,we beat a hasty retreat home. We expect more from Jason who usually is a much more congenital host.

After a good night's sleep and a productive day in the press room, we decided to go to the mainland and visit the Design District and trendy Wynwood neighborhoods. Piling into JJ's Lambo and crossing the clogged causeway in rush hour, we were happy to land in the heart of the Design District. Our last time here was three years ago and the hood has mushroomed with Gucci, Prada, Dior, Tom Ford et al representing in a big way. First stop was the Design Pub where the charming Jessica Acosta-Rubio was curating an Art Basel VIP fling showcasing new designers. Lacking amenities,we moved on quickly and touched down at a lavish reception at Design Japan where we found delicious sustenance, exceptional nippozoidal design and high end sake. Bullseye!

Back in the Lambo, we flew to Wynwood district which boasts 70 galleries and reminded us of NYC Soho when artists still lived there prior to the malling. The formerly mean streets were alive with hipsters and trendoids. Many had come to celebrate the birthday of Moishe Mana, the visionary moving company magnate who invested wisely and early in Wynwood real estate. Since 2010 the slick Israeli has been buying up warehouse properties to execute his master plan for a humongous art complex.

Before reaching Mana's heaven, we were received at an uber cool gallery called Lu lu where a DJ spun world music and food/champagne flowed freely. The art was contemporary tabloid (a favorite of ours) and it set the mood perfectly for Mr. Mana's birthday bash.

Fully fortified, we walked round the corner to find no less than 30 food trucks and a raging street rave leading up to the Mana art complex which is massive in scope (a gazillion sq. ft. the size of several super Walmarts).Gaining access, we entered the raging birthday party where several thousand guests danced, drank, and raved among the multiple mega scale mixed media art installations. Even the jaded we was gobsmacked by the sheer scale and energy of the freakazoid scene. A toast to the birthday boy and home James.

Following a revitalizing ocean swim and shvitz, we started our friday visiting the Architectural Digest Oasis at the posh James Hotel on Collins. God bless the Conde Nastys for providing the working press ( and numerous crashers) with a daily sumptuous buffet, open bar, massages, and manicures to ease the arduous journalistic tasks at hand.

We had our annual early dinner (avoiding the masses) with JJ and pals at the eternal Joe's Stone Crab. The gang feasted on the pricey crustaceans and seafood while ever the frugal contrarian , we horrified everyone and ordered calves liver with bacon and onions ($10.95) and chopped steak ($5.95),the real heart stopping deals on the menu.

Krysten Ritter Ocean Drive Art Basel Party

Bursting at the seams, we cabbed it back to the W Hotel for the Ocean Drive Niche Media party. There we encountered the Miami vampire real estate/ aspirational over-sized watch crowd. Also in the house was the mag's cover girl, cutey Krysten Ritter whose memorable smack OD scene on "Breaking Bad"(best TV show ever) is forever seared on our pop culture memory. We do miss the glory days when Jason Binn ran Niche Media and threw way better parties.

Saturday dawned and we opted to skip the overdone Sagamore brunch which in recent years has been infested by too many NYC scareys fighting over weak bellinis and under-cooked crepes.

We rested up for tonight's main event, the Marc Leder/Marc Bell mid life crisis fete at SLS. These two fat cats love a good party and spare no expense in their quest for decadent fun and punani. Mr. Bell (net worth $500M) has porn ties and was founder and CEO of the Adult Friend Finder site (swingers and adult personals). He is CEO of Penthouse Magazine and his diverse portfolio includes investments in NYC's club Lavo and Artichoke Pizza. Mr. Bell also sits on the board of his alma mater NYU.

Marc Leder (net worth $400M) gained notoriety for lavish Hampton's parties at his summer rental where he was unjustly pilloried by stuffy neighbors, corrupt local government and Page Six. He is currently in contract to purchase a $22.9M pad in Sagaponack where in can party in soundproofed peace.

We arrived with posse at SLS Hotel fifteen minutes before zero hour. A large crowd was vying for the attention of Amy Sue, Mr. Leder's assistant who was in tight control of the thousand person guest list .She graciously allowed JJ a plus 2 and we, after minor jostling entered the poolside wonderland.

The not terribly original party theme was monopoly and masked unidentified (Ala Banksy) LA graffiti artist Alec Monopoly had cranked out large quantities of Richie Rich, Scrooge McDuck and Mr. Monopoly pieces said to be inspired by the Bernie Madoff scandal. Scantily clad women twirled above. A women floated mid pool on a gigundo bed of roses.

The demographics of the party was wide ranging and included a large contingent of Natashas extremely focused on landing the big fish private equity guys like our hosts Marc and Marc. In Miami and NY punani is a commodity and the Russian girls understand this veddy well dressing and acting accordingly. Both Marcs have large roladexes and can summon up bevies of mercenary beauties at the drop of a Rolex. Early on the fire marshal shut the door, and lots of invited guests were denied admission. An angry mob seethed outside the velvet ropes as we made our exit around 11.

And on Sunday we rested. Seeking extreme peace and tranquility we brunched lavishly at the paradisaical Fairchild Tropical Gardens and plotted our triumphal return to Art Basel Miami 2015.

The Weirdest Toys You Have Ever Seen at NY Comic Con

Details: Parent Category: Expos and Conventions; Category: Features; Published on Thursday, 17 October 2013 19:39; Written by Renzo Adler

Toys are a bit of a loaded subject. For some they conjure up images of bygone youth and joy, for others they’re an embodiment of arrested development, and plenty of people find their stiff poses and rictus grins to be just creepy. At the 2013 NY Comic Con there were an abundance of talented creators presenting figurines that gleefully combine all of the above to create toys and figures unlike anything you have seen before.

All photos by Renzo Adler except the photos from Velocitron, courtesy of Ricky Wilson.

Madknits founder Kaitlin Juarez presented her hand knitted and stuffed monsters, which look like a mash-up of Where the Wild Things Are and Ultraman. Juarez’s Madknits come with a comic book chronicling the creatures, expats from space, as they adapt to life on Earth. According to Juarez’s website, she began creating Madknits after combining the knitting techniques her grandmother passed down with her love of doodling monsters in her notebook. www.madknits.com

fags Sculptor and illustrator Andrew Scribner presented Cry-Borg, a miniature cybernetic baby that was reminiscent of the M.U.S.C.L.E. toys from the 1980’s along with some of his expertly sculpted figurines. One of Scribner’s new projects is F-A-G-S (Fucking Awesome Gay Sculpts), a series of über-campy homoerotic themed figurines, with names like “Feeling Cocky” and “Hanging Out.” Scribner unveiled a prototype of a figure called Keep the Cape On based on a certain Caped Crusader who looks like he left his Utility Belt at home. www.aftermidnightstudios.com and www.aftermidnightstudios.com/F-A-G-SHome.html

Yakimon are ceramic monsters made by Miles Nielsen that evoke the vinyl Godzilla toys of Japan’s past with a heavy metal flare. Creatures like Mutton Chomper, Dokuro Ape, and Kappa tower over many figures at over 10 inches tall and have spectacular detailing and painting work, while also having an iconic and simplistic appeal. www.yaki-mon.com

Velocitron, run by Ricky Wilson, is a distributor specializing in some truly nightmarish figures. Featuring works by independent Japanese artists and sculptors and vinyl toy makers Maruyama Gangu, these figures are hand-painted and often times created especially for onetime events, making each bizarre creature stand out in its own way, but also making them exceptionally scarce. Velocitron's figures look like they were torn from the fever dreams of someone that has seen too many horror movies while on a flight to Tokyo. www.velocitron.org

Presented alongside Velocitron's toys where figures from Lulubell Toy Bodega of Arizona, which mold creatures with themes borrorwed from Japanese folk lore and popular culture, and blends them with a psychoitc and horrific appeal. http://www.lulubelltoys.com

Edit: Several toys feature in this article were incorrectly captioned as Velocitron products, when in actuality they are from Lulubell Toy Bodega. The corrections have since been made.

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Cosplay on Parade at NY Comic Con 2013

Details: Parent Category: Expos and Conventions; Category: Features; Published on Wednesday, 16 October 2013 17:35; Written by Renzo Adler

The New York Comic Con returned to the Javits Center on October 10 - 13, 2013, bringing with it a cavalcade of costumed comic aficionados. Recently the subject of cosplay has become a very contentious one. Some people argue that cosplay is about petty one-upmanship, or "attention whoring” or that the people making these costumes have no real investment in comics and cartoons and that they just want to be seen. But at this years' NYCC, none of that cynicism was apparent to me. I saw people of all ages and backgrounds who truly love the wellspring of imagination that is comics, and wanted to express that love through deft craft.

I offer to you a small sampling of these costumed fans. I also offer the reminder that fandom is not about competition and ostracizing, it's about community and acceptance. There is no "fake nerd girl" hiding in your closet to steal away the legitimacy of your identity. We must work to forge an identity based on mutual love and appreciation of all things weird and “geeky.” You have your way of expressing your fandom, and these people have their way.

All photos by Renzo Adler.

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Inaugural Portland Comic Con Delivers the Geeky Goods

Details: Parent Category: Expos and Conventions; Category: Features; Published on Thursday, 28 February 2013 14:12; Written by Matt Oakes

Geekery and gadgetry reared its proud head this weekend at the First Annual Portland Wizard World Comic Con in the shuffle of one of America's most idiosyncratic cities -- Portland, Oregon.

Between cult celebrity superstars and droves of salivating fans anxiously awaiting their opportunity to just catch a glimpse of their favorite personalities and characters, Comic Con Portland was a madhouse (mind you, a palatable madhouse) of toys and panels, comics and artistry, games and autographs and lines, lines, lines.

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