“The Usual Suspects” opening at Spire Studios.
A Visual Diary
Words and pictures by Will Walker
Saturday night’s opening at Spire Studios brought the usual
mix of artists, curators and the like to the informal studio/gallery in
droves. New faces made their debut (artist
Alexis Elton ran a bar from her lovely corner studio while showing a collection
of made and readymade sculptures) while Spire’s veterans were invited to place
their work in the informal central gallery.
The theme of the show, “The Usual Suspects”, gave alumni
from the waterfront studio the chance to come together and display the
diversity of their processes and ideas. A quick glance around the room indicated that Spire is a painter’s
studio, reflecting the history of the Hudson Valley as a refuge for painters from the city. Curiously, most of the work present seemed to eschew the traditional
subject of the area, the landscape, in favor of abstracted figuration or pure
paint pushing.
However, an opening is no place to seriously view art. What makes Spire’s opening’s so special is
the way that they segue seamlessly from gallery opening to party, featuring
bands and late night dancing. For the
stream of fresh New York emigrants arriving from the city, Spire provides the attraction of a late night
party scene, with hardcore dancers often hanging out until 3 in the
morning. Below, check out some moments
from the party.
Brooklyn’s M. Shanghai String Band
rocks the crowd through two sets.