Momentum at MoMA
Night at the MoMa
The Problem Perspective by Martin Kippenberger
Projects 89 by Klara Liden
By Melissa Bent
(MoMa’s Klara Liden show)
Tuesday night’s brisk winds didn’t stop me and many others from an evening in mid-town. The event was two fold at the MoMA, Martin Kippenberger’s “The Problem Perspective” and Projects 89 by Klara Liden.
I began the evening at one of my favorite midtown haunts, The King Cole Bar in the St. Regis. I was greeted by collection of people pre Klara celebration. Emily Sundblad and John Kelsey, Klara’s dealers from Reena Spaulings Fine Art, NY, had organized the gathering for a quick drink and ample wasabi peas, mini pretzels and those impeccable nuts.
The motley collection including Carissa and Klara and Malin gathered steam for the quick walk to the museum and managed to disperse into the rather youthful moma crowd upon arrival.
(MoMa Lobby)
The coat lines were long and the wilted potato chips shrieked recession but my partner for the evening, Annabel Mehran, and I made our way through the throngs of listless art participants, running into a jet lagged Terence Koh who had just returned from Holland and was not wearing any white (perhaps dry cleaning is just too out of budget these days).
(Garrick and Terence Koh)
His boyfriend Garrick and him had already seen the show so we shuffled past and through and up and over and into Klara’s project space. Liden had created a giant white cube in the white cube and collected a variety of boxes and building materials that perched on top.
(Klara Opening)
Almost giving the effect of being in a giant manhattan mini storage loft area. A huge white cake with trash frosting.
(Klara Liden Installation)
The space was open and squished at the same time with the areas around the cube being thin and an enormous window at the south end of the room opening up the space enough for perspective. Klara had taken out the wall that usually covers the windows along the building giving the space a soaring height. The taxis from the street below were close enough to read the meters and an archaic black box for Klara’s newest video piece was sitting squatly to the side where people gathered to get a better look on the installation and chat. Emily’s band had made the music accompanying the video which showed Klara from dark till dawn skipping stones and heaving wood and other items into the East River under the slowing emerging Brooklyn Bridge.
The Kippenberger was massive and wild and overwhelming with posters, hotel stationary sketches, sculpture, paintings, installations. You name it and he did it and did it well. So well. A wonderful and exciting show that needs more than one visit to take in.
(Annabelle Mehran and Melissa Bent)
As we made our way down the elevators and into the lobby snatching the fresh yellow flower arrangements before they were chucked there was an improvised coat pile that people kept diving into.
(MoMa opening’s Coat Pile of Bodies)
It gave the momentary feeling of being at a rave. But we were not on drugs or drunk or had glow sticks. Everyone was wearing funny clothing though. Anyway we went to the fascinating Bombay Palace, or rather K-Lounge around the corner from the museum, which was very convenient for an after show drink and chat. One of my favorite former classmates from my alma mater Sarah Lawrence came too, JD (nee Jocelyn Samson). She was in pitch perfect mood per usual.
(JD, Malin, Klara)
(Rachel K at the Opening Dinner)
It was getting late and I was hungry. I headed to Harlem where I was directed to the nastiest hole-in-the-wall Chinese spot with the tastiest and freshest Peking Ravioli. Another hidden Harlem gem.
All of the photo documentation from this evening was taken by Rachel Chandler who was sending the photos to Klara’s sister Hanna who was stuck on an island in Sweden.
Thank you Rachel!!!
–Melissa
