“Under the Big Top — Above the Clouds” looks at New York City as a real-life circus (photo by twi-ny/mdr)
UNDER THE BIG TOP — ABOVE THE CLOUDS
Burger Joint
33 West Eighth St. at McDougal St.
Opened Wednesday, February 19
Admission: free
212-432-1400
www.facebook.com/events
www.burgerjointny.com
Amid yet more animal rights controversies, the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus comes to town today, kicking off an eight-day stand at the Barclays Center, followed by stops at the Nassau Coliseum, the Prudential Center in Newark, and the IZOD Center in East Rutherford. (That’s right, there will be no circus at the Garden this winter — and no elephants marching through the Midtown Tunnel — just the Knicks and the Rangers at the World’s Most Famous Arena.) In addition, in a sad side story, it seems that there is a clown shortage, as the next generation doesn’t seem interested in putting on the crazy makeup and floppy shoes. Another, far more important, controversy involves just who makes the best burger around (not to mention the continuing case against red meat in general).
Well, all that comes to a head, in a way, at Burger Joint 5, the fifth art show organized by New York-based painter and Philadelphia Flyers fan Ari Lankin and Cole B at the West Village outpost of the popular Le Parker Meridien burger restaurant. “Under the Big Top — Above the Clouds” consists of more than forty works by a dozen artists interpreting New York as a real-life circus all its own; the pieces are spread throughout the heavily wood-designed eatery, where a burger, fries, and beer will set you back about sixteen bucks. The art on display is relatively inexpensive as well, with works going from $40 and $50 to $2,500 but mostly in the $100 to $300 range. Some of the artists stick to the theme more than others — yes, you should know that there are indeed some paintings with clowns, courtesy of Cole B. Paul Zepeda uses the subway as a major inspiration in his small works on canvas, while Flye Lyfe riffs on the New York sports teams in a series of playful hats and hoodies (the New York Bangers, the Brooklyn Cassettes). Lankin’s “Circus” features six framed one- or two-dollar bills that spell out the title, appropriately placed on a gold brick wall. While the quality of the works differs wildly, two of the standouts are street artist Joseph Meloy (Vandal Expressionism), whose oil and spray paint “Figurative Apparatus” evokes a robotic juggler, and Michael Serafino, who explores scientific themes in such dazzling encaustics as “Lunar EVA 5” and “Abstract Winter” and goes even more abstract in the oil-on-panel “Pull Painting One.” Art and meat? We consider burgers, fries, and beer to be a major art form, so it’s not really much of a stretch for other types of art to be hanging in a place that serves one of New York City’s deservedly favorite burgers.