Rushing around on Thursday

A few nights ago I ran into my next door neighbor, Andrew. He told me he had started working for a gallery in Chelsea and that they were having an opening on Thursday. He gave me a few flyers and invited me to go. The art was from China, and I recognized at least one of the names as a photographer I had seen at an ICP show. I thanked him and pocketed the card.

Yesterday I met up with Patty, David, and Shiao-lan. Shiao-lan came down from Connecticut with her daughter. I hadn't seen her daughter in six months and was amazed at how much she had developed in that time. She was walking, though not quite talking.

We had Mexican near Dave's house. The service was slow and so we were allowed a lot of time to catch up. When we returned to Dave's house, Shiao-lan's daughter pooped. David went to work and we went to the Asia Society for the exhibit on Indian jewelry and Mughal paintings. In the galleries, Shiao-lan's daughter pooped again.

Back at David's, Patty took a nap. Shiao-Lan and I chatted until her daughter pooped yet again. Shiao-Lan swears that her daughter never poops this much. She blamed it on the beans, though I don't remember her having any. I ran down for diapers. Patty woke up and we had giant cupcakes at a bakery cafe on Third before we had to go.

Patty and I rode the subway down together while she told me about a graffiti artist named David Choe, whose work she admires. Patty got off at 59th and I proceeded to 42nd to change to the shuttle to Time Square where I caught the E to 23rd. I ran to the gallery.

Four galleries were having openings; people spilled out onto the sidewalk. I wandered the street looking for the Plum Blossom gallery, finding it at the end of the block. I found Andrew and said hi before touring the show. He gave me a button designed by the group UNMASK, which reminded me of the logo on Chang Cheng-Yue's T-shirts.

Lillian appeared and after she looked around we decided to hit some of the other shows on our way back east. I was meeting Charlotte; she was working out. We had a glass of wine at one of the other galleries where she ran into a friend from Project by Project, a nonprofit for which she does volunteer graphic design.

I was running late and the galleries were closing. The groups of people who had been milling about on the street had left. We walked east to Union Square and I told Lillian that I was dropping by the Silkroad Cafe on Friday to see Johnny Hi-Fi. She said she'd call me later and then walked south to Lafayette.

I met Charlotte at Republic. She said the wait was 20 minutes. She had to meet friends at nine to watch the Apprentice. She said if the wait was too long we could always go to MacDonald's. I asked if there were any other places in the area. She suggested Steak Frites. Neither of us had been before.

The dinner took longer than expected and she was late to her show.

Links: Plum Blossom Gallery, David Choe, Project by Project, Johnny Hi-Fi
Photos: Plum Blossom gallery exhibit Posted by eku at October 23, 2004 2:25 AM