The Question MARK Show

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Echos of the punk renaissance, for better or worse. Controversial and intriguing, mysterious and wondrous dream objects once lost, now found and on rare display. Experience the slow-motion dazzle designed to stimulate the air-conditioned mind. This visual circus is for the invited few and for a limited-time only.

This show is part of an anonymous collection recently uncovered in the desert, a snapshot of the prolific downtown NYC 80s art scene. The show takes its name from the fact that some pieces on display have never received authentication papers. Curator Kai Eric made the choice to show them despite that fact. The eccentric collector had documentation for many, but not for others. The odds of getting authentication are slim as many committees have disbanded and the art universe is a suspicious one rife with deception. This show is a mix of the unquestionably real interspersed with pieces that exist in a purgatory outside the universe of authenticated works. Enjoy.

Question MARKS

TO OUR ART LOVING GUESTS

We thank you for the privilege of being able to share with you here today a selection of art works which have been part of a collection of Urban and Contemporary Art.The owner has devoted the better part of his life to painting, the study, writing and teaching of art history and the collecting of paintings, drawings, sculptures.His passion for Urban and Contemporary Art was kindled by his friendship and association with a number of the artists and dealers responsible for the evolution and wide-spread acceptance of this art movement, and by the fact that his own painting and conception of Art was much influenced by what he observed first hand.

The owner collected for the pleasure these artworks brought him and because they kept vibrant and fresh the memories of friends and colleagues during his own formative years as an artist and art historian. It is his desire to impart to you some sense of the unique and wonderfully provocative kinds of expression and technique adopted by artists who were a part of this utterly unconventional, highly democratic and still very controversial movement.

Please bear in mind therefore, that what is shown here has not been lab-tested, scrutinized, studied, vetted, poked, prodded or certified by any art foundation, academic, auction house, dealer or member of an artist’s family or estate to establish provenance, authenticity or marketability. No representation of any kind is being made by the owner, by curator Kai Eric, or by the Pidgin Palace Arts Gallery as to whether any of the artworks shown are the bona fide creation of the artist to whose or in whose name the artwork is ascribed.

These artworks are not being shown for sale!

We hope that seeing these works of art give you as much pleasure as the pleasure the owner has had in being able to show them. \

Kai Eric & Pidgin Palace Arts

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Curator Statement

On the front edge of the pandemic I was self isolating in the high desert. When I emerged from that magic bubble I was introduced to a charming eccentric man who had heard about my involvement and interest in the punk renaissance that occurred in downtown Manhattan in the early eighties. An introduction was made and I was invited into a set of condos overlooking a mesmerizing bluff. Once my eyes adjusted, I saw rooms that were filled with assorted pieces of art that represented a very comprehensive snapshot of the East Village art universe at the cusp of the eighties. In that room I saw pieces attributed to the “godfathers of street art”, Basquiat, Haring, Hambleton, but there were Warhols and many more. I was a bit overwhelmed. However, and unfortunately for my host, he did not have authenticating paperwork for many of the pieces that in today’s art world would make them both noteworthy and very valuable. Like many others, he had never felt a need to approach the authentication committee as he collected for his own pleasure. And so today many of his pieces exist in a purgatory outside the universe of authenticated works. The authentication committee for Basquiat disbanded many years ago making any pathway to certification extremely limited. In addition, in the time since Jean Michels death, the art world has been rife with stories of forgery and attempted fraud. Of course, there are many pieces in his collection with paperwork from notable artists who are alive and well, Kenny Scharf for one and Peter Schuyff another. So this presents an odd conundrum. He has tried to get the unauthenticated work assessed, but has had little luck. Now, in his later years, he has decided to provoke thought on the authentication process itself, or the lack thereof, while sharing an overview of his collection. He invites you, the audience, to contemplate and to view his question marks. Question marks that he takes great pride in and has enjoyed living with for many decades.