The Unknown Hipster

A tribute to Paola Pivi’s Untitled (donkey) 

I was drifting along Madison Avenue, looking for inspiration to write a poem on the world of Luxury, when I saw bright lights coming from a manicured corner building on 73rd Street.

The good thing about having long hair and a beard is that everybody takes you for a celebrity in hiding, and I was immediately greeted inside by the PR assistants checking their lists.

Soon I understood that I was at the preview of Paola Pivi’s inaugural show at Galerie Perrotin, and remembered that I had actually been invited.

Following is my special report, brought to you more than two weeks after the event.

At Unknown’s headquarters, we don’t think information should be Tweeted in a hurry, but rather we pride ourselves on patiently knitting our posts together with organic wool, just like a long winter scarf or an oversized beanie hat.

Paola Pivi’s installation « Ok, you’re better than me, so what ? »

Viewers accustomed to more esoteric works were mesmerized

by the polar bears’ happy colors.

Paola Pivi

Knight Landesman’s orange suit was challenging the art.

Todd Eberle and Knight Landesman were accidentally wearing matching orange. A blue polar bear suspended from the ceiling somehow reminiscent of Yves Klein “Le saut dans le vide“  made a transition to « Audible Presence » the inaugural show at Dominique Levy’s gallery on the upper floor featuring Yves Klein, Lucio Fontana and Cy Twombly.

Woodkid,  J.R.,  Swizz Beatz and Pharrell Williams.

Maurizio Cattelan wearing a teeshirt with the words « failure by design »

Xavier Veilhan high-spirited although straight off a Paris flight.

Half Gallery Bill Powers (right) and NY Times Bob Morris (left) taking live notes on the battlefield for his review now published more than two weeks ago. If you haven’t read it yet, click here.

Emmanuel Perrotin, dressed in Lanvin.

The egg-shaped object in the corner couldn’t be identified by our freelance fact checker: loud speaker, air purifier, sculpture, or all at once?

Emmanuel Barbault in front of a Jean-Michel Othoniel.

Paola Pivi Money machine (true blue, baby I love you)

The metal sculpture was spitting out one dollar bills and coins to the delight of art world guests and patrons. A reminder that no other investment throws back money more spectacularly than art (if purchased and sold in a timely fashion).

Art conversation.

Cutting through the crowd, I tripped on a bear’s rear paw.

Although apparently made out of plush feathers, I was nearly knocked down by a low kick in the shinbone by the angular steel bar structure of the bear leg.

In case I had been tempted to cuddle Paola’s sculptures, I was abruptly reminded that true art stands in discomfort when it doesn’t simply hurt.

Natacha Polaert

KAWS and his KAWS Companion

A claw game gave guests a chance to walk away with a small Takashi Murakami

Luisa Moraes, an actress and a photographer.

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Cleopatra’s Bridget Finn, seen in the after party’s light.

André Saraiva, with a friend

The Hole gallery’s Kathy Grayson with her unnamed dog.