tags:Gilles gilles larrain art salon party lou Louda adrian b adrian buckmaster the cleaners kim wayman valerie geffner
Text by David Morgan/Photos by Delwin Kamara
If you are a transplant to New York, there is a good chance you are an artist of some sort. For years, the sleepless city has been perpetually infested with all the eccentricity, moodiness and vibrancy of some of the worlds most talented artists, in the broadest sense of the word. Much of New York’s intoxicating beauty comes from the convergence of these artists, the mixture of acrylic paint and acoustic guitars, and of ballet shoes and beatboxers. While some may say that New York is slowly turning into an overly homogenized lump of pre-packaged “edginess,” losing much of the electric charm of decades before, there are those of the city’s golden eras who still believe in the historic glory of artistic collaboration. Meet Gilles Larrain.
Having photographed everyone from Mikhail Baryshnikov to Billy Joel in the same Grand Street studio for over thirty years, Gilles Larrain is a first-hand witness to New York’s metamorphosis. His studio is filled with memories of past collaborations, images of Sting and Mile Davis floating throughout the inviting studio, mixed with his wife Louda’s dramatic and colorful textile work. There is a pulsing sense of excitement in the place, as if embedded beneath the walls. While high-end retail chains and ultra-chic cafes clutter the adjacent streets, the Gilles Larrain studio clings to the fervor of its past as if it never left. Each month, Gilles and Louda host Art Salon Parties to ensure it never does.
The Cleaners
Continuing the classic (Pre-Facebook) social networking events for artists that began in Parisian cafes in the early seventeenth century, the Gilles Larrain Art Salon Party provides an open space for discourse and creativity among New York’s imaginative minds. Young hipsters, old painters and everything in between mingle for this nighttime social, encouraged by a bevy of wine, spiced meats and rich desserts. It’s a classy affair, but completely unpretentious. Louda and Gille greet their guests with open arms, and the guests interact with the expectancy of meeting a new friend, not the expected cynicism of meeting a perceived inferior. “There is so much support here, and a very warm atmosphere” says Rachel, 31, a bright-eyed pixie with bouncy, brown locks framing her smiling face. An opera singer by trade, Rachel visits the parties often, not just as an attendant but as a frequent participant in one of the night’s many drawing sessions where she serves as a nude model. Yes, these parties are not just shallow social gatherings, but impromptu artistic mash-ups. And these sketching sessions are not quite like the ones in school.
Kim Wayman & Band
With Gilles playing passionate flamenco on his acoustic guitar, the models pose delicately on the soft stage. A small group of sketchers strain to capture their vision beneath the low light while spectators watch the canvases come to life. For model Diana, this is the more tempered portion of her work day. “I’m actually more comforted naked than dressed,” she says, casually lifting her shirt to reveal an uncovered lower half. Diana is known professionally as Goddess Diana, a BDSM dominatrix specializing in restraint and suspension. “I’m a method actress” she says, with all sincerity in her deep blue eyes. While posing, she puts her skills to practice, languidly moving as a crouched hunter across the stage, giving the artists a bit of a challenge to keep up. She provides a wonderful contrast to Rachel’s innocent demeanor, and is exactly the flavor that gives this smorgasbord its punch.
Curious? Attend the next Gilles Larrain Art Salon Party.
Visit http://www.artsalonparty.org/
Louda & Gilles
Valerie Geffner
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