Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Art in the East Village











"It was very bohème," Pascal said, referring to the East Village 20 years ago. He stood, legs crossed one in front of the other, his salt and pepper curls tousled atop his head. Not that there was anything less bohème  than all of us gathered at The Phatory, a contemporary art gallery in the heart of the East Village. We were artists, musicians, filmmakers and stragglers alike, drinking organic wine out of Dixie cups.

Pascal Benichou, an artist in the truest sense of the word, is a choreographer, photographer, dancer and more recently, industrial furniture designer. There was something very inviting about Pascal. His easy going demeanor, soft spoken yet totally French sensibilities were a delight. As was his love of bread. On his last trip to Portland, he had amazing bread at Pearl Bakery. Pascal's installation, "Of Spirit and Matter" where he explored the human body in relationship to the earth, is hauntingly beautiful. Ethereal, almost. While it was not the current installation in the main gallery area, it was definitely my favorite one.
 









A digital photograph by Pascal Benichou

1 comment:

MA Shumin (馬淑敏) said...

glad you could come !

next event is 1/23