Vincent Gagliostro’s St. Gael Vernissage

Last Thursday night was the opening of my partner Vincent’s new art installation St. Gael. It’s a study in Vincent’s predatory and obsessive nature once he attaches himself to a new subject. The statement on the invitation says how it all started: In one predatory glance, ripping his image from the magazine, (thought) the most beautiful mouth I had ever seen. The mouth belongs to the Mexican actor Gael Garcia Bernal whose movies include “Y Tu Mama Tambien”, Pedro Almodovar’s “Bad Education”, “Motorcycle Diaries” and “Babel”. Years of surfing the internet searching for photos, then spending hundreds of hours watching his films, and afterwards manipulating the images to fit his own gay fantasy of Gael, result in a highly personal, revealing, and sometimes humorous show.

Six short films projected on a wall use the technique called sampling that usually recycles music, except here it’s done with images of Gael and other pop culture figures. The soundtrack is interviews with Gael interspersed with romantic ballads from Barbra Streisand, Vicki Carr, Noel Coward, and Nina Simone among others. The songs “Since I Fell for You”, “I Don’t Know How to Love Him”, and “Jesus Christ Superstar” amusingly convey the saintly pedestal Vincent has put his subject on.

The sensual and erotic color photos are images frozen from the video of “Y Tu Mama Tambien”, and small square white canvasses with simple line drawings are sophisticated yet almost comic book like in their interpretation.

One of my favorite pieces in the show is a pair of a little girls pink patent Mary Jane shoes with a sign next to them that says “This is what happens to little boys when they wear their sisters shoes”.

The owner of the gallery Bonnie Tchien Hy only represents female artists and this year she presented them with the unusual opportunity of each inviting a male artist to do a show and have them curate it. Artist Susan Shup (former Parisian of the month) chose Vincent because she loved the art and called it honest, fetishistic and sexy. Click here to read more about what Susan has to say about curating the show.

Many supportive friends came by to share a glass of wine and see the show. A big, fun dinner at an excellent Chinese restaurant in the 9th arr. followed the opening and toasts with Chinese beer were made to the artist and curator.

We all have an obsessive nature to some degree and Vincent proudly flaunts it with grace, guts, and glamour.

To watch videos click here
To see images from the show, click here

Saint Gael
Miss China Beauty
May 15 to June 9
3 rue Francaise, near Etienne Marcel, 1er
Open Tuesday to Saturday, 1:30PM –6:30PM
01.42.46.28.22
Metro: Etienne Marcel

Bravo le artiste!

I am pleased as punch to announce the launch of Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are 3-hour walking tours I will personally be leading. The Eye Prefer Paris Tour
includes many of the places I have written about such as small museums & galleries, restaurants, cafes & food markets, secret addresses, fashion & home boutiques, parks, and much more.

I look forward to meeting you on my tours and it will be my pleasure and delight to show you my insiders Paris.

Check it out at www.eyepreferparistours.com

Comments

[MadAboutParis]

Wow Richard...how cool is THAT!?! Vincent is obviously incredibly talented and insightful - who wouldn't love that show? Thanks for sharing such a personal story.
xx,
M