Still lifes are, perhaps, not the first things that come to mind when hearing the name Roy Lichtenstein, but after viewing last Saturday’s opening at Gagosian gallery, there’s no question that the pop artist could paint fruit bowls and vases with the best of them. The first exhibition ever to be fully dedicated to Lichtenstein’s still lifes, the show features an extensive collection of paintings and sculptures the artist created between 1972 and the early ‘80’s, each of which maintain his signature cartoon aesthetic.

“When we think of still lifes, we think of paintings that have a certain atmosphere or ambience. My still life paintings have none of those qualities, they just have pictures of certain things that are in a still life, like lemons and grapefruits and so forth. It’s not meant to have the usual still life meaning,” read a quote from the artist in Gagosian’s description of the show. And there could not be a more accurate analysis of the works.

Such scenes as Lichtenstein’s own cluttered painting studio, a decorative silver pitcher next to a bundle of grapes and a wine glass tipped on its side behind a partially peeled lemon were pained with thick black lines, comic book Benday dots and pop-y yellow, red, green and blue accents. Sculptures of a steaming coffee cup, a water pitcher atop a table and a yellow apple were created in the same style, but were cleverly constructed to appear as if they had only one dimension rather than three.

A series of fractured images, including a yellow alarm clock with red roses and a mug next to a piece of cherry pie, were seemingly Art Deco in aesthetic, with their bold lines and strong mix of geometric shapes, and a cluster of works tucked away in the almost hidden front gallery featured fruits and indecipherable lines painted in a surprisingly soft, impressionist style.

Most interesting, however, were a selection of sketches and painted mock-ups that gave us a peek into the artist’s process. Cross-hatching appeared on a handful of miniature paintings that artist used to play with depth. Dimensions were noted in the artist’s own handwriting on sketches of the earlier mentioned sculptures and color studies and other experiments on paper were, dare I say, exhilarating to examine.

The show provided a fascinating look at a lesser-known side of the iconic pop artist and proved that, at least through Lichtenstein’s lens, the age-old still life can be a great deal of fun.

Roy Lichtenstein’s Still Lifes will be on view at Gagosian, 555 West 24^th Street, NY, NY through July 30th

Gagosian’s uptown gallery was quite a motley scene last Friday evening, as an unorthodox assortment of art enthusiasts gathered to toast and, of course, view Richard Prince’s latest exhibition, The Tiffany Paintings. A veritable social experiment: well-to-do Park Avenue types not-so-subtly investigated downtown fixtures like Max Snow while sipping wine in the back courtyard. Marc Jacobs and Lorenzo Maritone perused the works alongside Rick Owens and Mary-Kate Olsen, and Terry Richardson induced a frenzy upon arrival. A stealth Glenn O’Brien wove through the crowd while Rachel Zoe posed for the cameras and a nervous cluster of over-dressed (and very underage) prep school students at once tried to blend in and make their mark.

However, it was Stan Light, a Prince fanatic who traveled all the way from Dallas, Texas just for the opening, who caught my eye. Dressed simply in a yellow-checkered shirt and jeans, he pointed to his red degrader limited edition Richard Prince Vuitton bag. “One of the ultimate goals of my life is to have him sign it,” he said with a twinge of longing in his voice. Sadly, artist and admirer were star-crossed that evening  (Prince arrived just moments after Light’s departure). But his pilgrimage, however unsuccessful, is certainly testament to the almost rock star status Prince has come to achieve.

Despite the fascinating guests, it was, of course, Prince’s paintings that coaxed me so far uptown that evening. Further exploring his fascination with subliminal messages in print and advertisements, Prince exhibited a series of both large and small-scale paintings, each of which features a Tiffany and Co. ad from the New York Times in the upper right corner. The sometimes foggy, sometimes monochromatic canvases were a continuation of Prince’s nod towards the Abstract Expressionists, but with Truman Capote’s Breakfast at Tiffany’s cited as an inspiration, it was clear that these works extended beyond the obvious luxury gems and color fields. Beneath layers of black, purple, orange, blue or crimson paint lurked laser-printed news clippings. Prince highlighted headlines of artist’s obituaries and dark editorials to play off the heart-shaped baubles, dripping diamonds and platinum pendants within the Tiffany ads. And as I stared at one especially eerie black work, which pairs a holiday watch ad with the headline, “Driving from Ucross to Sheridan in the Depths of an Owlish Darkness,” I couldn’t help but see the similarities between Prince’s works and Capote’s Holly Golightly: both, at first, pleasing to the eye but suppressing dark yet intriguing stories below the surface.

“I think they’re very witty,” remarked Larry Gagosian. “They’ve taken something kind of obvious and turned it into something quite mysterious.”

But for Jeff Koons, a steadfast Prince fan and long-time friend of the artist, it was the paintings’ dueling messages of death and optimism that were most captivating. “The two [ideas] opposed each other the between the [Tiffany] advertisements for things which are celebrating weddings or engagements and show a meaning of attachment to letting go. When one dies you let go.”

Richard Prince’s Tiffany Paintings will be on view at Gagosian’s 980 Madison Avenue Gallery through June 19.

Spellbinding songstress Alexa Wilding has released her very first music video: a completely mesmerizing three-minute 16mm film. Shot by frequent collaborator, fashion designer and Love Contemporary editor Paola Suhonen, the film features a simultaneously naïve and all-knowing Wilding as she sings Black Diamond Day, in a black-and-white world of pop-esque polka dots. The film is a dark, sweet and almost eerie reflection of the wonderland that exists in Wilding’s head, so who better to describe it than the singer herself?

“Black Diamond Day is a song exploring the theme ‘be careful what you wish for.’ A young girl is curious and has an object of her affection. She pursues him—ha, with her binoculars—gets him, and then is taken on a journey that is a disturbing mistake. Paola suggested polka dots instead of diamonds, since diamonds would be too obvious. I loved this, since polka dots hint back to ’60s pop art and cinema, and we both love the work of Yayoi Kusama, for whom the video is definitely an homage. My songs are innocent and sweet on the surface, but a dark current runs beneath them, so we were intrigued with using the polka dot—often a symbol of purity and girlhood—and having it take on a life of its own… Its like at the end of the “trip” our heroine—me—has been attacked by the very thing that got her in trouble, her innocent self in polka dots. ’60s pop art, Yayoi Kusama and a bit of Clockwork Orange, too, were our inspirations.”

Alexa will be performing with Mike Bones this evening, March 17th, at the closing of Paola Suhonen’s concept shop: the IVANAhelsinki and Love Contemporary Pop-Up Store at 9pm: 238 Mulberry (between Prince and Spring).

Alexa by Gustavo Marx for Dossier

If there’s one thing New York City and Phillips de Pury have in common, it’s a knack for reinvention. Perhaps this is why the avant-garde auction house’s Manhattan division chose New York, New York as the subject for its latest unconventional approach to art auctions: themed sales. Featuring a diverse selection of over 350 works that were either inspired by, or created in New York, last Wednesday’s opening reception was a hopeful reminder of our fair city’s unparalleled creative energy and artistic influence.

There was, of course, a room dedicated to Warhol, the highlights of which was a signed assemblage of 15 album covers with those unmistakable banana stickers from the King of Pop Art’s collaboration with Nico and the Velvet Underground, a surreal print of dancer Merce Cunningham standing at a tilt with a chair strapped around his waist and Burt Glin’s black and white print of Warhol, Edie Sedgwick and Chuck Wein “voguing” out of a manhole.

The parade of New York icons continued with a Basquiat print, a minimalist white and grey Ellsworth Kelly lithograph and a geometric Jasper Johns etching which called to mind the Manhattan Grid on a grey day. Russel Young’s screen-print of Frank Sinatra’s mug shot with an overlay of the lyrics to “New York, New York” written in diamond dust epitomized our city’s reputation for bad boys and glamour, and just for good measure, a De Kooning lithograph was included in the mix.

Cityscapes, photographs of street scenes and unconventional images of the Brooklyn Bridge by the likes of Hiroshi Sugimoto, Ruth Orkin and Richard Bosman were displayed in expected abundance, as were interpretations of street art (Crash’s spray-painted mini-mural was especially appealing). Naturally, the Guggenheim was found in a variety of shapes, sizes and mediums, the star of which was Erwin Wurm’s white resin rendition of the museum melting in a creamy puddle, but it was the less literal representations of New York that made Phillips’s carefully curated selection of lots come together. For example, Red Grooms’s delightfully campy paper sculpture of a red tugboat fighting through the waves of what one would assume was the Hudson was a child-like ode to old New York’s scenery. Several pairs of gold Tiffany’s “sand dollar” earrings designed by Jean Schlumberger in the 50s transported onlookers into an antique 5th Avenue fantasy and an Art-Deco esque mirrored screen by design team Benjamin Aranda and Chris Lasch resembled a cluster of glass skyscrapers as they reflect the blinding lights of Times Square.

The lots, which were auctioned off on Saturday, showed art, and New York, in all their forms. They reflected each of the city’s identities from the past, present and future and after experiencing room after room of Phillips de Pury’s Big Apple treasures, one couldn’t help but feel that there’s nowhere quite like New York.

Spending a night in Roger Ballen’s Boarding House is not for the faint of heart. Since the 1970s, Ballen has built his artistic career upon twisted, soul-wrenching photographs that depict South Africa’s pain and poverty through a distorted, dream-like lens and through his new book, named for an abandoned Johannesburg warehouse-turned-impoverished residence he dubs “the boarding house,” Ballen succeeds in revealing yet another side of the human condition. Shot between 2004 and 2008 on location, the book’s 70 black and white photographs of the warehouse’s cave-like sketches, hanging wires, severed doll heads and ghostly models pull the viewer deep into a surreal purgatory, which, according to Ballen, is the product of his mind, reality, and the magic of the camera. Its release coincided with an exhibition of Ballen’s Boarding House photographs at Gagosian Gallery (on view until December 23rd), the book is currently available at Clic Bookstore & Gallery. Below, Ballen talks to Dossier to give us a deeper understanding of the hellish haven he captured on film.

Can you give us a bit of background about the book?

These photographs were taken between 2004 and 2008 in Johannesburg, on the eastern side of the city in a place that I called “the boarding house.” The boarding house building is a building built at the turn of the century to house various objects and equipment from the mines. As one might know, nearly half the world’s production of gold came from the Johannesburg area so there are all sorts of big gold dumps everywhere. The boarding house building is between two big dumps. At some point, I don’t know when it happened, the mine decided to abandon the warehouse and various people came and started to live there and make a life for themselves in this place. And that’s why I called it the boarding house.

How did you stumble upon the building?

I did a book called The Shadow Chamber and the shadow chamber building is quite near the boarding house, so when I was working on that project I found this building.

And why were you attracted to this place?

I don’t really know. Why do you like red more than green? You can’t really explain why. Why do you like peppermint more than spearmint? It’s just a basic premise.

But was there a certain quality about the boarding house that jumped out at you either beforehand or while you were working there?

Well, it was quite an interesting melting pot. It reflected so many aspects of the human condition. People came in and people had this problem or that problem, or this anxiety or that anxiety, sort of the whole debris or the whole human experience was expressed in this place in all sorts of ways. It was like being on the street in Africa somewhere. Just the whole human predicament was there.

Can you speak about your use of symbolism in the book?

I don’t really work with symbolism. I think the pictures have very complex metaphors – metaphors that are really purely visual. It’s really hard to say they’re about one thing or another. I always tell people that you can really get mixed up with words. An easy example is when someone in the morning says, “How are you?” and you say, “I’m fine.” And then you think: “What do I mean by fine? I’ve got a headache, I’m worried about this, my wife’s mad at me, I didn’t like my lunch,” so really, you’re not so fine. It’s the same thing with these pictures. They don’t always mean one thing. And a lot of what they mean can’t be put into words and the words are wrong anyway. I don’t do it out of not wanting to do it, but the one thing I don’t do is talk about the meaning of the work because it’s not about one thing. It can be funny and tragic, so what is it then?

When people view these photographs, where do you hope they go?

I think the purpose of art is to extend people’s consciousness in some way or another. I think sometimes if they get upset about the pictures, it’s probably a very good thing. It’s like going to the gym and being sore after a decent workout. You probably needed it. So if people are disturbed by the pictures, it probably shows that they need to expand their own consciousness. We see so much art and most of it doesn’t move us at all so I think if somebody can remember the pictures or they’re moved by the work, it means that the work is effective as an art form because it’s staying with people. It’s living with people. And that’s what art should be doing. It shouldn’t just be stuck on a wall to tell somebody that you bought a ten million dollar painting. It shouldn’t be to show how smart and wealthy you are. That’s not the purpose of art.

And where did you go when you were shooting these photographs and compiling the book?

I went to the boarding house five or six days a week!

Ok, ok, not literally. Where did you go, in a more figurative sense? Was it difficult for you at all, mentally?

Well, I’ve been at it a long time. I’ve been at this job a long time. I have a way of viewing the world and my way of viewing the world has been opened up and expanded in all sorts of ways, but it’s not something that came to me in the boarding house. It’s not something that sent me completely to the moon because I’ve experienced a lot of these things. I think what I did experience was more in my photography that I was able to take my photography and create a very interesting vision to other people and to myself. I think that was the real challenge, to take what’s in front of you and create a new vision. We’ve all seen endless photographs of poverty in Africa or Harlem or Timbuktu. It’s easy to photograph poverty but it’s harder to take something like that and make a new statement that goes beyond just everything that’s been said before. That’s the real challenge.  Otherwise I wouldn’t do it. I’m not a social political photographer; I’m not interested in poverty at all. I’m not even concerned about that as an issue in my work. It’s not about poverty. That’s the least of the issues. What do you mean by poverty anyway?

The backdrops in the photographs are filled with these eerie, surreal drawings and hanging wires – like something you’d find in Purgatory – is that something you staged? Or was it already there?

Nothing is staged. And nothing is already there. Everything is transformed through the camera. So what you’re looking it is not necessarily what’s there. The thing that’s there is the photograph. You’re seeing a photographic view of reality. Everything is transformed through my mind and through a camera. What you see is the photograph. The photograph, no matter what you do, is staged. You make a decision when and where to pull the trigger. There’s an act of subjectivity in every photograph.

What do you mean by “Nothing is staged. And nothing is already there?” Can you expand on that?

Everything is a product of my mind here. What you’re seeing is a portrayal of a place in my mind. And if you react to it, it’s a place in your mind also. It’s taking physical space, this photography works with light reflecting off of objects, and it transforms the physical work into a two-dimensional image using the laws of photography. And hopefully, if you create good art, the work becomes a place in its own. It becomes its own world.

So this place in your mind, do you visit it often?

I’m always there. I’m there all the time.

Is that exhausting?

No. I’m used to it. It’s like saying to someone who walks around with their fingers, “Is that exhausting?” No. It’s who you are. So you don’t get tired walking around with your fingers, or your ear, for that matter.

So is this book a milestone or just another step in the path?

I would hope it’s both. It’s a milestone. It’s a plateau. And it’s the base camp for the next mountain.

Do you have any musings about what that next mountain might be?

The next project is on birds. I found a building where birds are flying around and the guys don’t let the birds out of the building. They’re not allowed outside. So I’m working in this building. It’s quite an interesting project already. Quite well advanced. There are a lot of interesting metaphors coming out of this place.

When you imagine the work of a classically trained painter, portraits of transvestites in bedazzled bikini tops and garter belts don’t usually come to mind. But somehow, in a marriage of high art and cultural taboos, Serge Strosberg’s latest work, “Les Demoiselles de New York,” seamlessly unites these two unexpected components.

Born in Belgium and educated at Paris’s finest art academies, Strosberg has built an impressive career around his expressionistic realist paintings. However, after moving to New York in 2007 and absorbing our fine city’s never-ending eccentricities, the artist was moved to push his work over the edge.

“I wanted to do something more experimental, something crazier, wilder.”

He did just that. Intrigued by their bizarre beauty and eclectic sense of individuality, Strosberg named New York’s most infamous transvestites as his new muses. With the help of his soon-to-be models, Malik So Chic, Kenny Kenny, Jordan Fox and Chloe Bijoux, the painter immersed himself in the Chelsea club scene and embarked on a mission to understand his subjects.

“They’re creative people who transform into these characters at night. To me, it’s very fascinating,” said Strosberg of his muses.

This fascination was realized in “Les Demoiselles de New York,” a moody egg-tempera painting that radiates with the evening personas of Chelsea’s dancing divas. Inspired by Picasso’s “Les Demoiselles d’Avignon,” the groundbreaking piece was presented alongside other related works during a recent one-night vernissage at Strosberg’s Soho Studio.
Curated by Stacy Engman, the show and its premier work functions on many levels.

“The use of a centuries-old medium-egg tempera-elevates the Chelsea Clubs (and their stars) to an iconic level,” said Engman.

In regards to how the work portrays the transgendered community, Engman believes, “it demystifies what’s happening in the Chelsea nightlife scene. It celebrates the New York vernacular, New York’s love of characters. It’s very relevant…and depicts each character as an icon.”

But the work wasn’t just a validation of transvestites’ role in New York’s cultural history. Strosberg’s work pushes beyond his muses’ risqué lingerie, feathered boas and platinum wigs to express something more personal, more profound.

“The show is about identity,” said the artist. And through his subjects’ softly painted eyes and lively faces, Strosberg captures not only their identity, but their humanity.

“Throughout this project, I have met some extraordinary individuals from a marginalized part of society. Beyond the eccentricity of those New York icons who live the night at its fullest in Chelsea’s clubs, I have found that they are more human, more open minded, and feel more genuine emotion than most ‘normal’ human beings.”

“Les Demoiselles de New York” is a celebration. It celebrates some of New York’s most outrageously flamboyant characters, but more importantly, it praises the courage of these utterly unique human beings to bare all of their fabulous selves.

Photo: Seana Cavanagh

EVA just got a little sexier. Last week, the Bowery Street store (and sometimes gallery) hosted an opening reception for its latest art instillation. Across from Vivienne Westwood digs and Bliss Lau’s draped chain jewelry, hung the provocative prints of Brazilian artist Rodrigo Lima in an exhibition curated by Hikari Yokoyama called “Perverse Package Size.”

Combining textured paints, graphic prints and snippets of vintage porn, Lima’s instillation tests our reactions to low doses of naughty imagery while titillating our senses with voluptuous shapes and explosive shades of neon. On view until June 1st, Lima’s pornographic prints provide a stimulating backdrop for the always-edgy EVA Boutique.

Bobby Long is the real deal. At the ripe old age of 22, this London-based singer/songwriter has already contributed to the soundtrack of a blockbuster film, released a chart-climbing single and amassed an adoring international fan-base. Until recently, his career revolved around bedroom-recording sessions and open mic nights, but all that changed after a chance encounter with Twilight’s vamp-hunk, Robert Pattinson.

“I was playing open mic nights in London and he was playing at one. There was a mutual appreciation for our music…he really loved my music.” And Pattinson really did love his music. Not only did the two quickly become close, but Pattinson presented “Let Me Sign,” a song Long co-wrote with friend Marcus Foster, to the crew at Twilight. An instant hit, the song skyrocketed Long into the heart of Twilight-mania.

But Long’s talents span far beyond those of a tween idol. Somewhere behind the Brit’s dashing good looks and sheepish English charm is a perceptive wordsmith. He channels his deepest fears and hopes into soulful folk tunes that both uplift and move to tears.

Influenced by the likes of Bob Dylan, The Band and especially Elliot Smith, the talent’s first single, “Left to Lie,” blends uncanny wisdom and youthful uncertainty in a poignant reflection on death:

“I didn’t mean to write a depressing song about death it just kind of came out that way. And only afterwards, analyzing it, it was like that. But I think it’s just life really you know. Death is kind of like a vehicle; sort of a way of explaining other things.”

Last week, Long presented his acoustic melodies to his first New York audience. After playing two sold-out shows, one at Lakeside Lounge and the other at the iconic Arlene’s Grocery (think the Strokes, REM and Jeff Buckley), Long admits he was happily overwhelmed by the American enthusiasm.

“The English are quite reserved, but over here people just come up to you and they’ll say ‘Hey! Can we have a photo?’ and I’ll go ‘Yeah sure.’ And it’s like I’m being grabbed out of the way and people are being sick and passing out. But it’s hard to get your head around. I mean, there were people from Philadelphia at the show yesterday; they traveled all the way from Philadelphia. And in London, they’re traveling from Germany and all these kind of places and that’s just hard to get into your head, that people come down to see your show.”

And while he’s humbly grateful for his fans’ support, Long stresses that he wants to be known solely for his music.

“All I want to do at the end of the day really is just write a song and play it. I’ll do an album, I want to be a musician but it’s a whole other world to what it is in my bedroom.”

But he is ready for that other world. Come July, the musician will commence a multi-city U.S. tour and talks of an album are in the air. However, like the modest English boy that he is, Long bashfully downplayed the excitement:

“I’ve got like a ten track…just a collection of songs. It’s not like an album. It’s more like a big EP that I recorded in my bedroom. It’s very good, honest music. Yeah it’s great.”