Like the Spice gallery in Williamsburg hosted their third casual art dinner party last night and I thought I’d share some thoughts about a monthly affair that is sure to grow.
Catered by Paloma in Greenpoint, last night’s meal featured a talk by Jason Bryant, who is exhibiting at the gallery in a show titled, “Fleshpot.”
Comprised of cropped magazine and publicity shots, Bryant’s latest paintings are deceivingly simple. He spoke about his process…how he flattened the skin tones to reveal the landscape of drapery, how his minimalist sensibility pushes him to use simple fields of color as a backdrop and how his new work is different (he’s zooming in on clothing).
Personally, I thought his small black & white oval-shaped pieces were the most intriguing, since their size, shape and sexually-suggestive framing allowed me to focus on the skill of his drawing and less so on the image.
Paloma’s menu was divinely selected. Owner, operator and head diva Camille Becerra offered up Parmesan crusted talapia, grilled free range chicken, couscous/micro greens/sunflower seeds/lemon dressing, and a wide range of vegetables.
For dessert she infused chocolate with Pernod (the evening’s sponsor). Considering tickets for dinner/talk were $40, I thought it was an absolute steal.
We all had a chance to hear Camille’s life story. In addition to cooking for Buddhist monks in LA, living in a gay porn studio in Manhattan and appearing on this season’s “Top Chef,” she talked about being a mom, loving food and running a Brooklyn restaurant in a borough full of foodies. She’s one amazing person…oh, did I mention AM New York voted her NY’s “sexiest chef.”
If gallery owner, Marisa Sage has her way, the culinary nights are going to diversify…maybe a cook off? commissioning artists to design menus? The sky’s the limit.
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