A Gala Not to be Missed

On an overcast evening in the Hamptons, Art Southampton’s Nova’s Ark Project brings artists and art lovers alike to an international modern, contemporary, and design fair. Located in Bridgehampton on a 90-acre nature preserve, the fair is one of the most extravagant art galas on Eastern Long Island, bringing thousands through the threshold.

  Image by: Stephanie Vitarelli

A personal experience:

After walking through what seemed like miles of parking space, I opened the doors to a refreshing and massive air-conditioned pavilion and began my journey of “art-seeing.” After a quick walk through, it was evident that the gallery had two major themes: literature and food.

The appeal to food began at Gallery Valentine’s exhibit, which displayed mixed media by Peter Anton, featuring Lime Ice Bar, Grape Ice Bar, and Ice Cream Sandwich, all bold structures of their food titles. Andy Warhol’s Chicken Noodle Soup Box was on display, as well as a UV Cast Resin of what seemed to be two very large cotton candy colored ring pops from Unix Gallery. On a more realistic note, Sarah Bahbah’s photographs of nude women, with donuts and pizza covering their bodies was an eye opener in the gallery.

It’s no surprise to see literature as a common theme for many of the works of art, as it is said that art is a form of literature. Books were the subject of many artist’s work, including Dung Su-LEE’s oil paintings, and Laina Hadengue’s Le Ballet De La Femme En La Rose.

As I walked around the gallery, I noticed some artists defied the norm in spectacular ways. Donna Rosenthal’s unique artwork, pictured below, is made of mostly vintage print, and was an eye catcher for many. Her “Memory Wear” was on display as well: hand crocheted pieces of art that resembled miniature jackets. One was especially significant to the artist; she named it “Mother-love” in memory of her mother, as the roses on it are symbolic of her memory.

Also at the Jean Albano Gallery Exhibit was Bonnie Star, displaying her acrylic pieces. Star’s acrylics were vibrant, yet at the same time subtle and soft, with a very dreamlike feel to them. The pieces were just waiting for someone’s imagination to take flight.

Art Southampton has been extremely successful for four years, and is predicted to be just as successful for the fifth year in a row. Check out Art Southampton’s Nova’s Ark Project July 7-11.

                                                    Featuring Donna Rosenthal’s He Said, She Said: You Are My Destiny, You Are My Soulmate