Metropolitan Magazine Winter 2021

METROPOLITAN

METROPOLITANmagazineny.com

WINTER ISSUE: DECEMBER 2020/JANUARY 2021

LUXURY MAGAZINE

RACHEL VANCELETTE Mobilizes the art world to support global pandemic relief $20.00 USD

Fashion | Luxury | Profiles | Features | Shopping | Travel | Art | Design | Auto | Food | Health

CONTENTS WINTER ISSUE: DECEMBER 2020 / JANUARY 2021 FASHION 16 24 32 44

KRISTINA VIIRPALU EROTIC REEL NICOLE MILLER ROBERT MAXWELL & MIE IWATSUKI

COVER

38 PUZZLES WITH PURPOSE

ENTERTAINMENT 56 62 64 66 70 72

BRIAN HAMILL SHANNON FIEDLER LORENA JUSINO CONSUELO VANDERBILT COSTIN CRISTA GIULIANI SHEP MESSING

TASTE 74 76 78 80 82

BOBBY VAN’S 54TH STREET DEMARCHELIER BISTRO IKRAA CAVIAR IL GATTOPARDO THE COOP

23 Hot Summer Cool Suits

Cover Photographed by Sophie Spinelle

CONTENTS 77

WINTER ISSUE: DECEMBER 2020 / JANUARY 2021 LIVING

84 LE LUSTRE 90 DAVE VITALLI

ARTFORM

94 WILLARD MORGAN 102 CHASHAMA 104 UEAST75 GALLERY 108 GABRIELA GIL 110 JOSE TRUJILLO 112 NICK GHAFARI 114 GARY KALEDA 116 ŁUKASZ BIEL 117 PATRICIA PEDRAZA

SOCIAL

118 NEW YORK SOCIAL SCENE 120 NEW YORK CHARITY SCENE

METROPOLITAN

LUXURY MAGAZINE

Publisher Chase Backer Editor-in-Chief Adam Kluger Assistant Editor Willy Nichter

FASHION ISSUE: NOVEMBER 2020

METROPOLITANmagazineny.com

Copy Editor Sean Buttimer Director of Marketing-NYC Jaime Backer Special Projects Editor Norah Bradford Lifestyle Editor Elizabeth Langevin

American Icon

NICOLE MILLER Photographs by Lilly Gabriel $20.00 USD

Fashion | Luxury | Profiles | Features | Shopping | Travel | Art | Design | Auto | Food | Health

Cover Editor Adam Kluger Features Contributor Jadan Horyn Luxury Editor Stephanie L. Howitt Editor at Large | Art, Culture & Fashion Rachel Vancelette

METROPOLITAN

LUXURY MAGAZINE

Fashion Photographer Matt Licari Profiles Editor Alexandra Appino-Tabone Social Editor

METROPOLITANmagazineny.com

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020

Clara Morgan Food Editor Andrea Correale Nutrition Editor Lindsay Brustein Rosen, M.S., R.D., CDN. Gold Coast Writer Monica Randall Digital Media Director Nancy Molina

American Chopper’s

PAUL TEUTUL SR. $20.00 USD

Fashion | Luxury | Profiles | Features | Shopping | Travel | Art | Design | Auto | Food | Health

Contributors Rachel Vancelette, D.D. Rice, Paul Prince, Peter Elston, Johnny Angel, Harry White, Victoria Crosby Contributing Photographers Matt Licari, Rene Bernal, tama66, pixel2013, MichaelGaida, Benno Klandt, Michael Paniccia, Jay Mathews, Filip Shobot, Chris Carroll, Lenny Stucker, Patrick McMullan, MA , Tom Fitzgerald and Pam Deutchman, Sandy Ramirez, Jan Klier, Mitchel Gray, Paul Prince, Kristiina Wilson

For advertisement info: 646.930.3007 info@25amagazine.com | 25Amagazine.com facebook/25amagazine

twitter/25amagazine

Writers, models, musicians and photographers, please inquire.

© Copyright 2018 by Metropolitan Magazine, All rights reserved. Metropolitan is published eleven times per year. Reproduction without permission of the publisher is prohibited. The publisher and editors are not responsible for unsolicited material and it will be treated as such and unconditionally assigned for publication subject to Metropolitan magazine’s right to edit.

PUBLISHER’S NOTE

“I hope I shall possess firmness and virtue enough to maintain what I consider the most enviable of all titles, the character of an honest man.” - George Washington It was our first president George Washington who helped forge a great new nation through the bitter cold of Valley Forge with character, courage, intelligence, strength, humility, and honesty. Stoic and resolute, Washington was beloved by his troops and the young nation he helped shepherd through the crucible of the Revolutionary War. What makes a great leader? The ability to inspire through one’s actions, through caring for others, and of course, strength of character. As we all go through a long cold Winter in this age of Covid together, it is incumbent upon each of us to follow Washington’s example of persevering against great odds, while leading, each of us, by our own example of caring for others. Wear your mask. Social distance. Trust in science and facts, not in political rhetoric. We will get through these challenges together.

My friend Dave Vitalli, a security expert, businessman, and budding politician is a special person who has dedicated his life to helping protect teachers, students, and his fellow Americans. He created a luxurious safe house in Upstate New York boasting Five Star amenities with anything a family could ever want, even a helipad for flying friends to and from Long Island and the Hamptons. Dave honors our Winter issue of 25A, as does cover star Mie Iwatsuki, styled by our magazine’s contributing fashion editor, celebrity stylist extraordinaire, and resident genius, Ty-Ron Mayes who previously styled such gorgeous supermodels as Carol Alt and Charlize Cotton on recent covers. Thanks also to jeweler Heather Stein for matching her Intimate Sea Jewelry with Nicole Miller’s recent line. Of course, a very great thank you to American Icon Nicole Miller for gracing the cover of our famous fashion issue.

Incredible!

Consuelo Vanderbilt Costin is a dear friend. A singer, composer, songwriter, actress, spokesmodel, entrepreneur, and philanthropist. Whether it’s forming her own record label, appearing on the Billboard Dance charts, or starting a networking website for a global creative community, Consuelo continues to carry on the tradition of the famous Vanderbilt family by connecting people. Anita Durst, another famous New York name, has made a name for herself in the arts community through her charitable non-profit ChaShaMa organization that provides artists with free workspaces.

Mobilizing the art world is what our own contributing arts editor Rachel Vancelette has done with her ArtXPuzzles: Puzzles with a Purpose project that has banded together such top contemporary artists as Kenny Scharf, Andres Serrano, Marilyn Minter, Eric Payson, and 100 others to raise money for Covid charities. We are so proud to feature Rachel on our Winter cover of Metropolitan for her many charitable activities as well as her daily pursuit of excellence in the arts. Enjoy & Stay Safe!

Chase Backer Publisher, Metropolitan/25A

From simple to intricate designs, California Closets systems are custom designed specifically for you and the way you live.

californiaclosets.com

@caliclosetsnyc

GREENVALE 25 Northern Blvd, Greenvale 516.334.0077 SHELTON 7 Progress Dr, Shelton 203.924.8444 ©2020 California Closet Company, Inc. All rights reserved. Each franchise independently owned and operated.

EDITOR’S NOTE

“Winter’s not gone yet if the wild geese fly that way” - William Shakespeare New York City is frigid outside right now and the best thing to do is hunker down and zoom-a-zoom-a-zoom-azoom. Get work done. FaceTime family and friends, read, write, paint, listen to music, watch Netflix, Yankee’s hot stove, the Brooklyn Nets with their three stars, let’s put the political circus behind us for now, and focus on rebuilding our lives, our city, our country, our world. With hope and determination, anything is possible. A good example of that is the incandescent Rachel Vancelette.

I first met Rachel Vancelette years ago at New York’s famed Armory Art show in the media tent with Director John Waters milling about and art-world Disruptor/Artist Eric Payson getting swarmed, as always, by beautiful art world denizens and ingénues eager to find out where the best art could be found or where the best after-party would be. I took notice of Rachel Vancelette as someone also quite “in the know.” An art dealer, curator, fashion designer, entrepreneur, and creative visionary. I was immediately taken by how effortlessly Ms. Vancelette could move and shake in the art world and generate buzz, income for others and promote talented art and artists. I was so honored when Rachel agreed to act as a contributing arts editor to our magazines. Every article, every photo, every detail has always been immaculate and of the highest level. I thrilled as Rachel let me tag along with her at auctions at Sotheby’s where she seemed to know everybody and was not astounded to learn about how galleries were vying for her to be their director and ask her to promote major artists from Bernard Aubertin of the Zero Group to Andy Warhol. So, when our intrepid Publisher Chase decided to honor Rachel Vancelette as the cover star of this month’s issue of Metropolitan, our entire team could not have been happier. Aside from the amazing work that Rachel does for our magazines, she is also an ambassador of the arts. When Covid struck in March of 2020, Rachel sprang into action with a bold plan to mobilize the art world (over 90+ contemporary artists to date) to band together to sell their artwork as limited edition jigsaw puzzles for isolated art lovers to enjoy, while also raising important funds for various great charities including the families of first responders.

Also helping to create art from chaos is the wonderful ChaShaMa arts organization led by Anita Durst and championed tirelessly by Erika Bogner. Consuelo Vanderbilt Costin is a well known New York name and famous friend of our publisher who has many famous friends. We are thrilled to share her latest project. Mie Iwatsuki, our incredibly lovely 25A cover star, is a well-known Japanese model and muse in the art world who has inspired the likes of photographer Robert Frank, painter Alex Katz, and now her current collaborator Robert Maxwell. Other notable creative talents in our spotlight include Williard Morgan, Lukacs Biel, and Nick Ghafari, to name a few.

We lost one of New York’s most respected newspapermen in Pete Hamill in 2020. His vast talent has bettered the lives of many a New Yorker, including his brother Brian Hamill, who shares how a shared love of boxing and the wisdom of an older brother led him on the right path as a photographer who would befriend some of the greatest boxers in the world including The Greatest. Muhammad Ali. But there was a sports star even bigger than Ali back in the ‘70s and my high school sports hero, Shep Messing of the New York Cosmos, talks all about what happened when Muhammad Ali met up with the world’s greatest soccer player, Pele.

Enjoy this amazing Winter Issue. Be safe, wear a mask, social distance and let’s all look out for each other!

Adam Kluger Editor in Chief, Metropolitan Magazine/25A

“White Tulip”

By Robin Koffler

artform

16 | MetMagNY.com | 25AMagazine.com

Kristina Viirpalu PREMIUM LUXURY COLLECTION

BY W. A. MULLER

K

V’s couture creations pay a deep homage to historic Estonian embroidery and knitting techniques. Romantic patterns, styles and ornaments are playfully mixed with contemporary sources of inspiration to meet the needs of a modern woman.

The highlights of the brand are the exuberantly intricate hand-knitted dresses created by the masters of this unique craft. These exquisite gowns and detailed couture pieces are inspired by the Haapsalu shawl, a preferred accessory of the Estonian upper class ladies of the 19th century. The shawl was knitted so fine it could be pulled through a wedding ring.

This delicate and fragile technique remains a living source of inspiration for our designer.

KV’s hand embroidered bodies are additionally inspired by the motifs and patterns of various Estonian folk costumes.

Most of KV’s elaborate pieces can be worn in multiple ways for different occasions, giving the wearer a chance to create a personal couture style many times over.

Winter Issue: December 2020 / January 2021 | 17

fashion

Materials All Kristina Viirpalu’s luxuriant knitted couture pieces are made from silk, fine wool or cotton yarn. Our delicately embroidered bodies are hand embroidered and -embellished with high quality pearls, laces, ribbons, beads and sequins. Most excellent yarns, gems and beads are used for creating all embroidered and knitted works.

Our craftsmen always work with the most outstanding fabrics. The wool for our coats, jackets and trousers gets chosen from the highest quality sources in the world.

Because of the intricate way the materials get used in the creation of our knitted couture pieces, even some of our most sumptuous dresses and bodies can easily fit into a small handbag.

18 | MetMagNY.com | 25AMagazine.com

The process The patterns and technologies used for Kristina Viirpalu’s knitted and embroidered couture pieces are unique and unknown in the rest of the world.

This makes our lusciously detailed garments also into precious pieces of art, and into living mementos of Estonia’s amazing folk culture.

Kristina Viirpalu’s embroidered bodies are created one pearl and stitch at a time, and take up to couple of weeks to finish. When the designer has come up with the design and pattern, she hands it over to our masterful embroiderer who creates the custom pattern using various laces, wool, beads, pearls and ribbons.

months to finish and three masterful craftsmen to give them their final, delicate form. At first, the gown gets hand-knitted by the craftsmen of this unique craft in Haapsalu. The dress is then sent to Kristina Viirpalu’s Atelier in Tallinn where the seamstress shapes it into the required shape using the finest fabrics. The last person to work on the dress is the embroiderer who adds the necessary amount of pearly exuberance to the gown.

Kristina Viirpalu’s jackets, coats, trousers and skirts are the pinnacle of meticulous tailoring. All items are unique luxury garments that are handmade in our Atelier in Tallinn’s Old Town. @kristina_viirpalu_couture

Each of Kristina Viirpalu’s couture dresses is unique. One exquisite gown usually takes 2 -3

Winter Issue: December 2020 / January 2021 | 19

fashion

20 | MetMagNY.com | 25AMagazine.com

Winter Issue: December 2020 / January 2021 | 21

fashion

Winter Issue: December 2020 / January 2021 | 23

fashion

Erotic Reel B Y L U C I A N A PA M PA L O N E

24 | MetMagNY.com | 25AMagazine.com

Winter Issue: December 2020 / January 2021 | 25

fashion

26 | MetMagNY.com | 25AMagazine.com

Winter Issue: December 2020 / January 2021 | 27

fashion

28 | MetMagNY.com | 25AMagazine.com

Winter Issue: December 2020 / January 2021 | 29

fashion

30 | MetMagNY.com | 25AMagazine.com

Winter Issue: December 2020 / January 2021 | 31

fashion

32 | MetMagNY.com | 25AMagazine.com

Nicole Miller SS21 lookbook

Winter Issue: December 2020 / January 2021 | 33

fashion

34 | MetMagNY.com | 25AMagazine.com

Winter Issue: December 2020 / January 2021 | 35

cover

Jewelry by Intimate Sea by Heather Stein Photographer | Andrew Zaeh Model | Charlize Cotton

36 | MetMagNY.com | 25AMagazine.com

Rachel Vancelette Photo by Sophie Spinelle

works on the puzzle is going to have the same experience I had in making the painting.”

cover

“Callisto” is one of the vibrant pieces selected for the Art x Puzzles initiative, which features more than 100 contemporary artists from around the world. It was art expert Rachel Vancelette’s inspirational idea on how to reconnect people with art, and hopefully help people cope with the anxieties of the pandemic while galleries and art fairs remain closed.

Donald Baechler

Rachel Perry

“It occurred to me that the benefits and joy which puzzlers seem to get could be extended and expanded in some way to connect with international artists worldwide and uplift the art world in such a terrible moment,” said Rachel Vancelette, Founder of ARTXPUZZLES: Puzzles with Purpose.

The puzzles range from $65 to $450, and the sales are divided between the artists, artist relief initiatives and other charitable organizations, including Black Lives Matter, the Animal Welfare Institute, First Responder’s Children’s Foundation and several other Artist Charity Choices. While Gumby has been a fan of puzzling since childhood when his grandmother always had a puzzle on the dining room table, it made participating in the causes a no-brainer.

Robert Farber

Alteronce Gumby

PUZZLES WITH PURPOSE PUZZLING THROUGH THE PANDEMIC WITH ARTXPUZZLES

BY ALYSSA FISHER

I

n 2018, artist Alteronce Gumby, selected by AXP’s first curator choice Alaina Simone, was working on a series of iridescent paintings inspired by how color materializes on Earth when he paused for a lunch break and headed to the bodega. It was a sunny day, and his eye caught a puddle of broken glass by the bus stop, shimmering with the colors of the rainbow. It reminded him of the pigments he was working with, and of how Sir Isaac Newton discovered rainbows refracting through a prism.

Inspired, Gumby took two buckets of glass back to his studio, and over the course of a year he incorporated it into his paintings, placing each piece one-by-one, determining where it fits.

It feels like a full-circle moment, he said, that

38 | MetMagNY.com | 25AMagazine.com

one of his pieces from the series, Callisto, was reproduced as a puzzle for ART x PUZZLES: Puzzles with Purpose, a project designed and launched exclusive limited collector edition jigsaw puzzles in close collaboration with artists from across the globe. The project launched officially in Fall of 2020, to support artists’ studios, existing wider artist relief efforts, and causes of personal, social and economic concern to participating contemporary artists during the Covid-19 pandemic.

“If I were to teach a seminar on how to make one of my paintings, we would probably start with putting together a puzzle without looking at the box,” the New York City artist said. “It’s heartwarming to think that everyone who

“Being an artist of color and someone who cares deeply about their community and who stands against police brutality, I immediately thought it was a great idea,” he said.

Christopher Eamon, AXP’s 2nd guest curator for December, said the artists “have been very excited and very positive about it.” They’re not just donating a piece, he explained. “It’s a reproduction, it’s a multiple, it’s more accessible.

They like it, it’s quite innovative in that way.” He paused for a moment. “The word innovative comes up a lot,” he said, and we both let out a laugh — puzzles, we know, have been around forever (the first was said to be made in the 1760s).

Yet at the height of quarantine, when uncertainty and fear were pervasive, people around the United States turned to puzzling for activity, distraction and of course, some much-needed fun. NPR reported that in the beginning of March, sales at Ceaco, one of the largest producers of jigsaw puzzles in the country, were up 300 percent compared to the same time the year before.

Eamon recalled his social media feed was full of photos of friends who fled the city for their country homes, either attentively piecing together a puzzle or showing off the finished product.

Carrie Moyer

Idris Khan

Spencer Tunick Winter Issue: December 2020 / January 2021 | 39

cover

Helina Metaferia 40 | MetMagNY.com | 25AMagazine.com

AXP doesn’t produce your typical puzzle… while Eamon noted friends were building standard images — landscapes, autumn days, and quarantine puzzles such as clowns - The Collector Edition Art Jigsaw Puzzles by AXP include the striking pieces by top contemporary artists such as Carrie Moyer (Marshmallow Squash Blossom, Rosewater and Brimstone 2020), Donald Baechler (The Kiss), Spencer Tunick (Big Color), Rachel Perry (Lost in My Life), Winston Chmielinski (Bodies of Water), Robert Farber (Laundromat), Marilyn Minter (Wet Kiss), Will Cotton (Cotton Candy Cowboy), Idris Khan (The Old Tune) and many more which are the perfect addition to any art and/or puzzle lovers collections.

with art, and also just the spirit of play, and playing together, and puzzling as stress release is something that I love,” said Connolly, AXP’s guest curator for February. “It’s positive, it’s uplifting, it also helps artists.

“My whole career has been about sharing the story of artists,” she continued. “[Art] tells a story of our time, it adds joy, and if we can help support Covid19 relief and some of these artists who are struggling during this time, why not. And give us all sitting at home something to do with our time and our hands while we’re sitting here, rather than

biting our nails and pulling our hair out. Why not puzzle together.”

Valentine’s Day and the Chinese New Year are serving as Connolly’s curatorial springboard for her AXP selections and she’s eager to highlight the work of more Asian artists. Christopher Eamon and Alaina Simone, AXP’s first two guest curators, similarly took their time selecting artists, searching for works that were vibrant and appeal to puzzlers and art lovers of all ages. All the curators have been intentional in their choosing, even considering the

While Eamon’s was writing his Curator Choice statement, he remembered the dismal figure of museum-goers spending an average of 15 to 30 seconds in front of each piece, taking delight in knowing those who acquire the puzzles will have a unique opportunity to stare, to concentrate, to visually focus on each piece for an extended amount of time.

The last time Megan Connolly, AXP’s 3rd curator choice sector, viewed art in person was at the Armory Show in New York, during the first week of March. And then in an instant, she was sheltering at home, breaking out every board game, playing Rummy (“my game is hotter than it’s ever been”) and puzzling. She said “I’m craving this interaction

Will Cotton

Marilyn Minter Winter Issue: December 2020 / January 2021 | 41

cover

Christopher Makos

artists’ practice and how it relates to puzzling. They took their time selecting artists, searching for works that were vibrant, by artists of a range of ages, that would make for a puzzling time.

Curator Alaina Simone also reached out to Helina Metaferia, an artist and professor at Brown University whose process of collaging is different, yet similarly embodies the joyful mechanics of puzzles. Metaferia’s piece is titled ‘Headdress 6’, part of her ‘By Way of Revolution Series’ that she started in 2018. Typically, Metaferia’s artistic practice uses different research materials such as contemporary photographs, she puts them together in a way that’s like “an unfolding of a new story or a new history.” For artwork titled Headdress 6, Metaferia photographed a former student, who became the central image. The artist went through archives of the Black Liberation movements and collaged images taken from multiple historic protests. The result is powerful.

She enjoys the fact that her art is accessible, that anyone can experience it.

Sometimes, she said, the art world can feel like a mystery. “It’s really timely actually for all the 42 | MetMagNY.com | 25AMagazine.com

things that we’ve experienced in 2020,” Metaferia said. “It’s really appropriate to have this in the hands of everyday folk who want to remember this time period, remember where we are and where we continue to be when it comes to issues of social justice.” “In this time when galleries and institutions are having to make different changes according to social distancing — and a lot of times that includes closure — [AXP is] giving people an opportunity to experience art at home, to think about culture, to think about the role of the image and the art in social movements,” she said. “I do think this is an appropriate project for everyone and hopefully people can find time, now that we have ample time to enjoy a puzzle.

ARTXPUZZLES: PUZZLES WITH PURPOSE artxpuzzles.com | Instagram:@artxpuzzles ARTIST CHOICE CHARITIES: First Responder’s Children’s Foundation 1strcf.org Animal Welfare Institute awionline.org + more can be found at AXPs website.

Matthew Day Jackson

The AXP CONTEMPORARY ARTIST VOICES: “When Rachel approached me with this idea, I immediately was taken to it, I have always loved the idea of taking my photos, and dealing with them ways other than just a static piece of paper, and to that extent, my puzzle is clearly not static, but quite a daunting challenge for anyone that might try to assemble my photo. This has been such a terrific experience, hopefully there will be more to come!” - Christopher Makos “Puzzle is about fitting — when two and more puzzle pieces are separated they are useless, lost, and only together they make sense, they work.

These are puzzling times, no doubts, but one thing is clear — it’s time to stick together, help each other, what exactly ArtXPuzzles: Puzzles with Purpose and its curator Rachel Vancelette do” - Veronika Georgieva “Get it together!” - Kenny Scharf “It’s never been harder to find the beauty in the challenges the universe delivers than in 2020.

‘YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL’ is about never forgetting how beautiful you are, and not being afraid to let

Tatyana Murray

Kenny Scharf

your true colors show. When we celebrate the intrinsic beauty in ourselves and in each other, the world is a better place. I can’t think of a better mantra to meditate on while puzzling!” - Michael Angelo May ‘Tree of Life’ shine ‘light’ on these ‘dark’, challenging times and create a sense of hope and connectedness as the puzzle is assembled. United, we will get through these stormy times, like the defiant trunk anchoring itself as the branches and leaves dance in the wind and at times are thrown around by gale forces. At the heart of this movement lies a calming, meditative space where the puzzler can breath and catch their breath - Tatyana Murray

Rachel D. Vancelette Vancelette Global Art Acquisitions Instagram: @rvancelette www.vanglobalart.com ARTXPUZZLES: PUZZLES WITH PURPOSE Instagram: @artxpuzzles www.artxpuzzles.com

Michael Angelo Winter Issue: December 2020 / January 2021 | 43

fashion cover

Black wool coat with pleated belt and accordion pleated black and white skirt, Jose Luis González Black wool tights, Wolford. Black ankle boots, Vince Camuto 44 | MetMagNY.com | 25AMagazine.com

Robert Maxwell & Mie Iwatsuki FOCUS ON PHOTOGRAPHER ROBERT MAXWELL & COVER STAR MIE IWATSUKI

BY ADAM KLUGER PHOTOGRAPHED BY ROBERT MAXWELL ST Y L I ST | T Y- RO N M AYES LO C AT I O N | I D E A L G L A S S STUDI O LO C AT I O N S CO UT | ER I K A B OGNER M O D EL | M I E I WATSUKI

Mie and Robert, how did you two meet?

Mie: We first met on social media the last summer, Robert wanted to do a photoshoot with me, I think he knew I collaborate with a lot of artists.

So usually, the first thing I do is to research the artist’s work. I looked up his works at https:// robertmaxwellphoto.com/portraits and I immediately thought his work is compelling and spoke on the phone with him for a few hours. Later I found that most of my photographer friends all knew his name and as the photographer or the legend who shot all the celebrities in Hollywood.

We decided to meet for a coffee to discuss the shoot a week later, and I noticed that he was very humble, he prohibited me to call him a legend.

Then we spoke like hours because we have many crossovers and experiences in life between fashion, art, photography, modeling, and we each exchanged so many interesting stories that are never-ending... and that is still continuing today.

RM: I don’t remember. I probably saw her photo on IG or Facebook and knew right away this was someone special. We met for coffee, then sat in the park and I watched this beautiful creature float for six hours. Google Marc Chagall, Bella floating.

He described exactly how I felt. I knew right away

P HOTOGRAP HY ASSI STANTS | AI TUAR NUGMETULLI N AND HUAHAO LUO MAKEUP ARTI ST | TAKASHI MATSUZAKI HAI R STYLI ST | SERI NA TAKEI

that I’d met the most beautiful, interesting, and diverse talented individual that I’d ever met. Only Gordon Parks Jr. comes close.

Why is there such strong creative chemistry between the two of you?

Mie: I think we trust each other now. I know I can feel relaxed walking into his studio and expect something magical to come out each time we shoot, even if I do not try or prepare so much.

I think he feels the same way with me, we are always happy about our end product. After communicating with him in detail, we now know what we are looking for and not in our works, and I think in the end it is the “trust” in each other’s eye, we usually end up feeling the same and agreeing on the same about which work we feel is best.

And these days, even if Robert suggests doing something that is outside of the box which initially I didn’t think would be a good idea, I now start to rethink to trust that idea or his instinct also, because he is usually right! (laughter!)

RM: I think she likes and appreciates my work. I think Mie is the most beautiful woman I’ve ever laid my eyes upon. So it was good for both of us.

Winter Issue: December 2020 / January 2021 | 45

fashion

46 | MetMagNY.com | 25AMagazine.com

G

oogle Marc Chagall, Bella floating. He described exactly how I felt. I knew right away that I’d met the most beautiful, interesting and diverse talented individual that I’d ever met.

Only Gordon Parks Jr. comes close.” - Photographer Robert Maxwell

What appeals to you both the most about working together?

Mie: Working on the photoshoot knowing that I am going to get the most amazing images each time and all the time. He is one of the best photographers I have worked with before and he never betrayed or disappointed my trust in this regard. And thanks to him, there are more and more great photographers in the world starting to approach me these days because of seeing his work (of my portraits). I feel so lucky to have met him, but I hope he feels the same! (Laughter!)

RM: A continuous unpeeling of the most interesting “onion” I’ve met, her infectious laughter, kindness, and humbleness. In my career, I’ve worked with 10-15 super-models. Mie is on a different level. This woman floats.

What is the special bond between an artist and a Muse all about?

Mie: I think when an artist and a Muse creates masterpieces, there has to be a certain kind of chemistry in between them all the time. It is not necessarily having a relationship as the old age discourse, but what I mean is that the chemistry also exists between people, good friends or someone who you respect, trust their work, having strong admiration for their activities, works, personalities and it could be just an atmosphere they bring out--One of such feelings or qualities may be elegance, grace, poise, intelligence & experience that never bore you and let each other to keep gazing, I can not explain this in detail only by words. But after working with many artists, masters, and legends in the art world, this

is something I was also told, and I now can say so strongly this “Chemistry” has been one of the important factors the artists have created such timeless portrait pieces through the centuries.

RM: I’m not sure. This is the first time in my career where I felt the need to shoot someone more than once or twice. She’s like a drug and I’m the addict.

Robert, what’s the secret to creating timeless images?

RM: Being honest and true to your craft. Not all the noise surrounding it. I’ve pissed many people off over the years because for me it was always about the photo, not ego.

Mie, why is the relationship between an artist and a muse so interesting to you?

Mie: It is the humanistic experience. Why we even create art, let’s start from there. We crave for something lasting impression in humanity, we all know that one day we are all gone, but in what we create the spirit of our soul will always live there I feel. I want the viewers of 1,000 years from now to also experience and feel what I am feeling today from the artwork. I just happened to have studied art, art history, and familiar with artists and artworks from curatorial experiences, and today I hope to be some sort of A shaman who can connect the viewers of today and the future to the soul of the artists I love and collaborate in my life through the voice of a model. Robert Frank once said, --”There is one thing the photograph must contain, the humanity of the moment. This kind of photography is realism. But realism is not enough, there has to be vision, and the two together can

make a good photograph.” I now feel that the master already knew. If vision is by the artist, this humanistic experience is by the invisible factor, “Monad” created between the subject or model and the artist. This relationship in moments is the key to making a lasting impression in art history.

Who are some of your artistic and creative influences?

Mie: For me, definitely the long working & personal relationship with the legendary photographer, Robert Frank, and master painter, Alex Katz, The numerous sittings and having opportunities of conversations with such masters have helped me to gain significant insights and ability to distinguish what is really good work. They both have “reached” to the point where whatever they would create is always masterpieces, without the need for explanations. Have you encountered any artworks that make you cry just by visual experience? It takes usually, some decades for artists to get there, it is really hard, but the key being honest, being themselves, true to their vision, and having beliefs and having humanistic experience, I have always believed in this. Actually, this just made me recall that recently there were some people who contacted me and have said that they started to cry by just looking at a picture of mine, and it was one of Robert Maxwell’s portraits of mine in which I am wearing a fur hat. . So, I also want to say this.

I feel that Robert Maxwell is also one of such rare artists who can leave a lasting impression by his timeless work.

RM: Edward Weston, Walker Evans. Disfarmer was my favorite though.

Winter Issue: December 2020 / January 2021 | 47

fashion

Pink long sleeve dress with pleated overlay, Jose Luis González for Soid Studios New York. Black platform shoes, Joe’s 48 | MetMagNY.com | 25AMagazine.com

Winter Issue: December 2020 / January 2021 | 49

fashion

Sheer blouse with corset, Moschino (Vintage). Black vinyl panty, Jose Luis González. Hoop skirt, Chantal Thomass. Hosiery, Wolford. Shoes, Mix

50 | MetMagNY.com | 25AMagazine.com

White jacket, top and ruffled dress, Jose Luis González. Black tights, Wolford. Silver boots, Soid Studios New York

Winter Issue: December 2020 / January 2021 | 51

fashion

M

die Iwatsuki is more than just a model.

She is the embodiment of serenity and elegance. She is like a walking installation of fine art that was curated by the muses. Once I discovered her vast knowledge of art and love of architecture, Mie inspired me to style her in this unconventional layout. In a story that crosses pop culture, Asian influences, and avant-garde clothing, even under the most rigid lenses Mie Iwatsuki stepped out of her comfort zone and made my styling and story come alive.

- Celebrity Stylist Ty-Ron Mayes

52 | MetMagNY.com | 25AMagazine.com

Winter Issue: December 2020 / January 2021 | 53

fashion

How has the art world and art/photography changed over the years?

Mie: It has been the same in the art world for few decades, it has been increasingly hard for artists to create new work. I think only 2-3% can make it, and they say only 5% of 500 galleries are making money. I think the same applies to photography.

Especially now the Covid impacting a lot of artists friends in NYC or elsewhere. But I do believe good art sometimes comes out from their struggles, and they never stop creating. Once the female artist I respect, Robert Frank’s wife, June Leaf has told me in a conversation that “Artists do not create work for money, they create because they have to create.”

--This resonated in my mind so deeply, and I wanted to cry when I heard that. I feel for artists usually, and they can also feel me sometimes. Even if the world has changed, artists will always be here.

What do you both do for fun? What else are you both passionate about?

Mie: I think Robert will say cooking, and he is a great cook. Once he created Japanese lunch for me and my makeup artist, after I learned the recipe from him, I ended up cooking the same dish over and over at home. He is a better cook than I am, and I like to cook these days especially during Covid, I do not go out to eat, so I cook a lot.

Robert has inspired me to cook Japanese food!

(Laughter!) but true. And my other passion is to write, write my experience working with artists or photographers I collaborate with. I think artist lives in me also, I used to paint, play piano, so I can feel what artists are feeling sometimes. My other passion is traveling, taking my parents to travel around the world, and let them also experience what I have experienced. Since my father prohibited me from going study abroad alone and told me that he would not finance me and he would only agree if I go on my own, I had to save money and pass a scholarship exam to come here, but I still feel guilty leaving my parents when I was young. I feel I hope to give back something to my parents so I take them on trips abroad every year, (for example Hawaii, Cambodia, Cebu, Paris, Taiwan, Bali, Korea, Vietnam, Okinawa, etc) When I tell this story to people they all say they want to ask me to be their daughter! then I would tell them then they need to give me a monthly allowance. (Laughter!)

RM: Cooking and riding my motorcycle around this beautiful city Any interesting art/celebrity anecdotes?

Mie: Well, I already talked about what Robert

54 | MetMagNY.com | 25AMagazine.com

Burnett New York

Frank and June Leaf said in the prior conversations, So I would like to share what Alex Katz has told me before. He said he thinks people see things in their cultural backgrounds. And then their personalities are different, all people see things differently inside the culture, outside the culture. Ernst Gombrich said that African art is symbolic and Impressionism is realistic. And he would say, ‘”To whom?” to an African, an Impressionist painting is not realistic.

And their art is realistic. It’s a different culture and a different way of seeing. -- This opened up millions

of ways of possibilities for me to see things. and this is why, I would like to be inside of artists’ brains or philosophy, understanding their personalities and experiencing their realities. There are so many possibilities in art, artworks, artists, and art history in humanity. So, I hope everyone does not stop creating.. and I will keep writing about my collaboration & experience with them.

RM: I have a ton of stories. Wouldn’t be correct to share.

Burnett New York Winter Issue: December 2020 / January 2021 | 55

entertainment

56 | MetMagNY.com | 25AMagazine.com

Photographer

Brian Hamill REFLECTING ON SOME OF BOXING’S GREATEST

BY ADAM KLUGER Brian, how did you get interested in boxing?

My dad and my older brother Pete were both fans of Floyd Patterson. He was from Brooklyn as we were. Pete took me to see the first Patterson Johansson fight which was I believe in June of ‘59 and Floyd got knocked out and I was really upset and started crying because I had been a fan. I had just turned 13. Well that summer I started to hang around with a bad crowd in Brooklyn and Pete was kind of worried about me and he wrote Floyd Patterson a letter and this was before Pete was a reporter. Pete didn’t become a reporter until 1960. Floyd invited Pete and me to come up to his training camp because he was starting to train for the second Johansson fight in Connecticut. And we bonded with Floyd Patterson. Floyd would call me to the side and talk to me about how he had gotten in trouble because he ran the streets in Brooklyn and he didn’t want that to happen to me. I stayed there for a couple of days and helped clean up the gym, set up the

chairs for training and it was a big deal. When the rematch with Johansson came around we had ringside seats. Floyd gave them to us and he won spectacularly. He knocked Johansson out in the fifth round and we went into his dressing room afterward and at one point he put me on his shoulders...and I do remember seeing Liz Taylor and Eddie Fisher in the hallway and they were very upset because they were Johansson fans. so that was my first taste of it and then Pete told me about Cus D’Amato and the gym on 14th street.

So how did you first meet the famous boxing trainer Cus D’Amato?

So one day I took a subway over to the Gramercy Gym and I went up the long rickety wooden stairs to the gym and I looked around and I had seen pictures of Cus D’Amato in the newspapers and read some pieces about him. He was talking to some fighters and after about five minutes he walked over to

me and Cus said “What can I help you with?” and I said “I want to learn how to box.” and he said, “where’s your dad?” and I said “where’s my dad? he’s back in Brooklyn.” He goes, “you came here by yourself?” I said, “yeah.” he said, “oh good...that’s a good thing...you’ll learn how to box.” I learned later that he discouraged dads from bringing kids into the gym because it was usually more the dad that wanted the kid to become a fighter. So, he and I became friends. I remember him saying to me once, “the thing about boxing is if you don’t think you can be champion of the world there’s no point continuing on in it. “ I had a couple of amateur fights which I won. I started boxing and I went to the gym all the time and I sort of got away from the tough crowd I was hanging out within Brooklyn and I’m glad I did cause most of them are dead or went to jail or died early. But I always stayed in touch with Cus. I trained for a couple of fights which I won and then at one point I had to decide what I was going to do and so I decided I was going to

Winter Issue: December 2020 / January 2021 | 57

entertainment

58 | MetMagNY.com | 25AMagazine.com

go to college. I asked Pete who bought me my first camera when I was 16 if there were any schools for photography. Pete thought my photos even at the age of 16 were very good.

Pete was an artist before he became a writer so he had a good eye for composition based on his art training. Anyway, I ended up going to RIT to study photography.

How did you first become friends with and photograph a young Mike Tyson?

Cus (D’amato) calls me and he tells me about this great fighter he’s got...” you got to come up and you got to see him in training”, he had already moved to Catskill I said “alright I’ll come up in a week or so,” and he goes, “no no no you got to come up and see him tomorrow he’s going to be sparring with Marvin Stinson.”

Stinson was the main sparring partner for then heavyweight champion Larry Holmes.

I said “ok.” and Cus said. “This kid’s going to be like the Heavyweight Champion of the world someday.” So, I said alright I’ll come up tomorrow.” He said “good.” I get there and I look around the Catskill gym and I see Cus

and then I see this young kid and I thought that couldn’t be the kid that Marvin Stinson is going to train with. He’s like a kid. So I ask Cus, “Where’s the fighter and he says, “over there.” I said, “That kid? how old is he?” Cus said, “He’s 15.” So, Cus introduced me to Mike Tyson and Cus only had him for a couple of months. But anyway I watched him spar and it was amazing to watch this young kid, he really “tuned up” Marvin Stinson and it was all Cus’s moves too. Moving his head side to side, peek-a-boo style hands high. Cus didn’t like the expression peek-a-boo style, he just said,” hands high protect your chin move your head, ten different combinations move your head after the combinations,” those were Cus’s basic things. So that’s when I met Tyson when he was 15.

What makes a boxer great?

Cus used to always say that character is the main thing. If you have good character no matter what you do if you have character and heart you’ll succeed. “Heart” being courage.

In boxing when you say somebody has

heart it means inner courage, inner strength.

Muhammad Ali although he did a lot of things wrong like pulling back from punches, he had such a good sense of anticipation and he also had this legitimate self-confidence.

Who was the greatest boxer you ever photographed?

So the two best fighters that I ever saw were Sugar Ray Robinson, I watched his fights on TV with my dad, and then Ali. I photographed Ali about four or five times. Including in 1968 when he got stripped of his title in 1967 because he wouldn’t go into the army so they took away his livelihood for three years. The first time he fought professionally again was against Jerry Quarry in Atlanta where he stopped Quarry in three rounds. But at the start of Ali’s career, he fought everybody. All these bruising guys including Sonny Liston two times. Everybody feared Liston after he destroyed Floyd Patterson in two different fights. I got very friendly with Floyd and very friendly with Jose Torres who was the Light Heavyweight champion and he was also one of Cus’s fighters and he became Winter Issue: December 2020 / January 2021 | 59

entertainment

best friends with my brother Pete. At one point they were even roommates. Jose was very smart and full of character... he was a great fighter including when he won the title from Willie Pastrano which was the first pictures I ever got published in the Saturday Evening Post. That was a big deal! I was still a student. I just shot them on spec because I was just a spectator I was still at RIT, and Pete wrote the article.

What was your take on Muhammad Ali the boxer and the person?

I met Ali a bunch of times. I met him initially in Puerto Rico in 1965 and he couldn’t have been nicer and funny. He was the greatest fighter who never ever feared anybody including a guy like Cleveland Williams who was knocking everybody out and Liston who was knocking everybody out.

But one of the things about him that made an impression on me was his humanity. I went with Ali and Jose Torres when he was still suspended by the New York State Athletic Commission up to Harlem. Ali wanted to go up to Harlem So Jose drove. He and Jose were good friends. Jose was the driver. Ali was in the passenger seat and I was in the back seat and I took photographs of Ali on 125th street. He had already declared himself as a Muslim and there were some Muslim guys checking him out. One of the pictures shows Ali with a walking stick. He’s walking down the street and then he did rope tricks for everybody. Then we visited Jose’s wife Ramona at a hospital in Brooklyn and it was September of ‘68 so we started driving down a Brooklyn street and I hear Ali say to Jose “stop the car, stop the car” and I hear Jose say, “why? what’s the matter?” and Ali says” just stop, stop...” and they both jump out of the car and I

60 | MetMagNY.com | 25AMagazine.com

thought what the hell is going on? so there was a black dude changing a tire, he had a flat and he was parked on the side and so Ali taps the guy on the shoulder and the guy turns around and he sees Ali and he was like in a state of shock...it’s Muhammad Ali...and Ali says “hey, brother can I help you change that?” The guy says “No, bro, I’m good but man, my wife is not going to believe this!” I thought it was such a humane thing, Ali was a very humane guy and funny and he had a good visual memory. Every time I photographed him and he met so many hundreds and thousands of people in his life but he would always just give me a little nod like he knew me, you know? I met him in ‘65, photographed him in ‘68 again in ‘71 for Rolling Stone, one of the first non-rock and rollers on the cover of Rolling Stone, it was before the first Frazier fight at the Garden.

What do you remember of that famous first Ali-Frazier fight?

I thought it was a close fight but what clinched it for Frazier was when he hit Ali with that left hook I think it was the 14th round and everybody thought that Ali wouldn’t get up but he not only got up but he finished the fight. That was a 15 round fight. He got up from that devastating punch and finished the fight. He lost by a unanimous decision but don’t forget he was off for three years during the prime of his life that was in ‘71 and he didn’t have that many fights leading up to that first Frazier fight. Ali just had a lot of character.

Most exciting fighter?

Who was the best most exciting fighter to watch and to listen to and whose character imbued

something in my soul? It was Ali. He was just a very special human being. Tyson was a totally exciting fighter in every fight he did and Ray Robinson was brilliant...he was unbelievable. I took photos of him in 1968. He would train every day at the same gym where I photographed Liston. It was a downtown LA gym. In Miami, Ali was at the Fifth Street gym.

Tell us about Sugar Ray Robinson.

I think the best pure fighter I ever saw, I photographed him years later, was Sugar Ray Robinson but he was already retired then and he had a youth program in Los Angeles. He had moved from Harlem to LA. He was a brilliant fighter and he was totally a nice guy who couldn’t have been nicer.

Any memories to share about your late great brother Pete Hamill, one of New York City’s treasured and legendary newsmen, who passed away this past year?

If it wasn’t for Pete I probably would have ended up in jail (laugh) I miss him every day. Every day something reminds me of him. He was a special man. He helped out a lot of people in the business that he was in. He ended up being a reporter, writer he bent over backward to help people to get established and get started when he was an editor of the Post and Daily News, he hired a lot of young guys he just did the right thing for people he was a very generous person. Besides being a very talented guy.

Winter Issue: December 2020 / January 2021 | 61

entertainment

Comedian

Shannon Fiedler THE BEST OF TIKTOK

BY ADAM KLUGER

Why comedy?

A: I’ve always been a performer, I acted as a kid, I worked a little bit I was a figure skater for many years...I was a dancer I did a lot of theater in college so I always had this sort of performing element in who I was...there’s never been a spotlight I didn’t like. After college, I really started to gravitate toward writing and creating instead of just taking someone else’s words and performing them. I started to want to write my own content and put my own thoughts into the world. I sort of stumbled onto stand-up and I was like “oh! this is perfect!” I’ve always loved to make people laugh How have you been able to come up with so many characters?

A: Being able to mimic is a study in observation. Mimicry for comedy is finding the smallest element or the sort of unthought-of truth and blowing that up and making it larger than life. To me, that’s where the comedy comes from by being able to say, for example, this New York City woman will have her eyes dart to her phone every three seconds because she wants to check

62 | MetMagNY.com | 25AMagazine.com

that email, so how can I take that and make it larger than life to sort of shed light on these little idiosyncrasies that we all are picking up on but perhaps not quite so acutely as I am when I am going out and trying to watch people and do what makes them who they are. I may be biased but New Yorkers are the most interesting people in the world because they live in the most interesting place in the world. From a comedic standpoint, New Yorkers are always going to tell it to you like it is they are never going to sugarcoat things, they are going to be 100% themselves at all times.

Why is your New York City woman on a first date so hilarious?

A: In some ways, a first date is all about dilly-

dallying, it’s just small talk, it’s just getting to know you, it’s just talking in circles and for a New Yorker that’s torture in some capacity because they’re thinking I want to get to the point, are you a good person do I want to date you I don’t know --Let’s just get this over with!

Your characters are all so spot-on and laughout-loud funny you would make a terrific cast addition to Saturday Night Live. Is that a goal?

A: Well, of course! Doing comedy is something that I love, and that I hope will be a part of my life forever. Right now I do stand-up and TikTok. I see myself as a writer-performer.

Who are some of your most popular TikTok characters?

A: Everyone seems to love Manhattan woman, Chicago girl and Connecticut girl who might be one of the most over-the-top parodies.

Why TikTok? A: I think TikTok is really about finding people with interesting talents or skills to share. What’s so great is that everybody has an equal chance to go viral on TikTok. www.shannonfiedler.com, @shannonfiedler13, https://www.tiktok.com/@shannonfiedler13

Winter Issue: December 2020 / January 2021 | 63

entertainment

Lorena Jusino TIKTOK’S FAVORITE BARISTA

BY ADAM KLUGER Lorena, your Calla Lily character is so awesome, how did you create her?

Since moving to New York I’ve heard people talk about Bushwick somehow like it is in the Calla Lily skit. A few months ago, my friend Dalí was describing Bushwick that way and told me to watch the SNL Bushwick sketch which I thought was hilarious and pretty accurate to some parts of Bushwick I know. A few days before I did the first “Bushwick Coffee Shop” video I went to a really cool coffee shop and the barista was really kind and had a really soft soothing voice. A couple of days later I told Dalí about that coffee shop and that it was just like she had described places in Bushwick. And then she made a comment that inspired the line “Do you want a bit of CDB oil?”. After that, I decided to make the first video. At first, I thought about making it an LA coffee shop because I thought it would be too far-fetched to make a coffee shop in Brooklyn like that. But I’ve never been to LA so I decided to make it more specific to my experience. After posting the first video I received a lot of comments saying it was accurate. I started visiting more coffee shops in Bushwick and that inspired me to make more videos. The video where I say that we don’t have egg and cheese bagels was based on a recent experience I had where I was craving one and the barista told me they didn’t serve those there. I was shocked that a New York coffee shop didn’t have eggs and cheese bagels. One of the commenters asked me the character’s name and I googled flower names and I thought Calla Lily was fitting. I think this character resonates with people because they either had similar experiences at coffee shops they’ve been to or because I’m talking in a very calm soothing way that’s relaxing.

I’ve received many comments that it’s like ASMR. And there’s also the outrageous comedic side of it.

What got you interested in comedy?

I’ve never thought of myself as funny. I loved doing funny videos as a kid but it has never been my intention to get into comedy. I always wanted to be an actress but I was too afraid to pursue it. I’m from Puerto Rico and when I was in college I came to NYC for a semester as part of a student exchange program. I took an acting class and fell so in love with it that I decided to pursue it as a career. After college, I officially moved to NYC to study acting at the William Esper Studio. It 64 | MetMagNY.com | 25AMagazine.com

was during my second year there that I did a couple of comedic scenes and people were saying that I could be really funny. After graduating from the studio was cast in a comedy sketch show called “A Sketch of New York”. After that, I was in a couple of other short plays that were comedic. I joined TikTok during the lockdown in March. Since I’m not a dancer and it takes me days to learn a simple 15-second dance I thought that learning TikTok dances would be a good way to keep me distracted and entertained. Then I discovered that you can use different audios and create a situation out of them or make them like memes. And eventually, I started getting ideas to create my own characters. I’ve been handling this year by taking it day by day. I eat healthily and work out. That really helps ease anxiety.

I’m introverted so I enjoy being home which helps. I’ve been reading and watching movies and series.

What do you think of TikTok? I love TikTok. There’s something for everyone. There are health experts and teachers educating people in really fun ways. I also follow a couple of therapists that give great advice. There are activists using TikTok to bring awareness and get their message across. And you have actors like me using TikTok as a creative outlet.

One of the things that makes me laugh the most is when people recreate famous movie scenes and they play all the roles. Two of them are @julianburzynski and @cocodevile. Other hilarious creators are @ flossybaby and @brodywellmaker. Then some of the ones that inspired the content I do are @kallmekris, @ jen_nicole33, @actressbecc, and @itscaitlinhello. My TikTok handle is @lorenazoejt and my Instagram is @ lorenazoe Cool! If I were to pick out some other terrific/hilarious TikTok stars I would also add @michaelrapaport for his political rants, @shannonfiedler13 for her impressions, @leresatee for her stand-up, and @ ameliasanson for her take on dating...

So Lorena, aside from serving up smiles and delicious coffee infused with the energy of moonbeams, any other with future plans?

My goal at the moment is to be a working actress.

I want to get cast on a film or series and once the theaters are open again I want to do plays.

Winter Issue: December 2020 / January 2021 | 65

entertainment entertainment

66 | MetMagNY.com | 25AMagazine.com

Consuelo Vanderbilt Costin ROCKEFELLER CENTER AT CHRISTMASTIME

R

BY JADAN HORYN | PHOTOGRAPHED BY LILLY GABRIEL

o c ke f e l l e r C e n t e r a t Christmastime - that quintessentially New York holiday spectacle. My Publisher warmly suggested I join the thronged sidewalks and walkways around Mr. Rockefeller’s famous tree for a photoshoot with a Vanderbilt and an eminent fashion designer.

my arm. I look up and there is a womanstriding towards me like Carrie Bradshaw on the catwalk in a lustrous green chartreuse knee-length pleated dress with a matching feather-trimmed frock coat and bright coral scalloped stilettos. She was radiant and smiling ear to ear. I relaxed, you can’t fake that type of joy, she saw my coat and laughed.

I must admit, at first, I was less than amused.

But Christmas in New York City can charm the Scrooge out of anyone. I donned my most outrageously ostentatious coat - metallic lilac - an item I’d first seen IG influencer Jay Gould wear, and set out on the town certain that I would be easy to find even amongst the holiday hubbub.

“Aren’t you striking” she says to me, a statement, not a question. “I love that coat, you look absolutely stunning.” She looks up at me, towering over her despite her gleaming stilettos and says you look like a Californian - I laugh. A common mistake. It’s the Florida tan and curly surfer hair.

As I walked down the five blocks of Fifth Avenue from my apartment to the tree, I did my best to enjoy the Christmas carnival and try to get into the holiday spirit. It’s not every day that someone meets a Vanderbilt - that storied family of New York, Newport, and Palm Beach, - or a polymath fashion designer.

Today I have the very rare opportunity of interviewing them both for a holiday song they did together.

A strange situation by anyone’s standards, even in 2020, but a highly intriguing one. I learned from my wife that you could not get close enough to the Rockerfeller Tree for a photo-op due to Covid-19 restrictions, so Lily, my photographer, and I scrambled to find a suitable change of venue.

Our quest led us into the crowds across from Saks Fifth Avenue, justling for a spot to take photos of the tree with my interviewees. Bah HumBug. I missed a call as Lily and I tried to line up the new angle for the shoot. Lily bumps

She smiles again this time even bigger, I turn and behind me is a man dressed head to toe in a beautiful shiny cobalt royal blue widelapeled suit brocaded with subtle palm trees and slightly upturned shoulders paired with bell-bottom trousers. He looks dashing with perfectly styled jet-black hair and a youthful face. He sees her and immediately starts beaming - a real smile - and suddenly I’m in the holiday mood.

Consuelo Vanderbilt Costin, or the rebel heiress as Page 6 as the society rags love to label her, is the 7th descendent of Cornelius Vanderbilt. She was named for Consuelo Vanderbilt - this part is important later, Consuelo has carved out a life for herself separate from her family’s heavy legacy as a singer and entrepreneur.

Malan Breton hails from Taiwan. He charged into the New York scene as a model, who then took up designing, then television, eventually starting his own fashion company, and lately he has branched out into music.

Their energy is palpable. They’re clearly

dear friends, and real ones. The photoshoot progresses from Rockefellerto Saks and then on Malan’s suggestion up to the Plaza Hotel and Bergdorf’s.

As we set up to shoot in front of Bergdorf’s, a gentleman walks out holding a Bergdorf bag. He says to me “they are famous”, another statement not a question. I say yes it’s Consuelo Vanderbilt Costin and Malan Breton. He informs me has seen Malan on TV and as for Consuelo, “She is named no doubt for Consuelo Vanderbilt who was married off to some British royal who never loved her, she missed her family dearly and always longed for home.”

New Yorkers never cease to amaze. But his remark sticks with me, after all, the holiday single they recorded together is “I’ll be home for Christmas.”

We hail cabs and head down to our lunch reservation in RockefellerPlaza.

We walk into Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse, one of the few remaining restaurants that take reservations for indoors and outdoors around the plaza. It’s cold out but not typical December weather. I check-in with the hostess and my subjects assure me they are comfortable with whatever I choose. I get us a private table in the back. I’ll need to hear this conversation.

We sit down, the service is Covid slow, but we hardly notice. I am a new friend amongst old friends. The vibe is congenial and direct, the engrossing kind of conversation one can only have in the company of those with whom one enjoys comfortable trust.

I dropped awkward formalities and jumped right in, “This year sucks, is that why you did this song to provide some hope?”. Consuelo

Winter Issue: December 2020 / January 2021 | 67

entertainment

laughs and Malan does too, light and resounding. She says “well yes that is kind of the point right;” Malan dead eyes me and says “yes for others and ourselves.”

Consuelo shared with me that she “lived a very nomadic life while growing up and home was never really a place but an idea. An idea that gave such warmth and hope.

It was this idea of home that drew me to I’ll be home for Christmas.”

I’ll be home for Christmas is one of those Christmas songs that can be overwrought, cliche, and sappy.

To be sure, Consuelo and Malan’s rendition feels like it could go that way, yet it doesn’t. Opening with a warm brass instrumental, Malan’s voice punctuates it with an enunciation that is deep and resonates like a less jazzy Michael Bublé. Consuelo joins with a sultry timbre, and together, their voices provide rich yet contrasting brogues with distinct hints of their origins. The song hits the mark - but in 2020 it’s so much more than just holiday music.

It’s been some four odd years since Consuelo created an album. She was direct in admitting that she’d fallen out of love with music and found entrepreneurship more rewarding. Being a woman in business is daunting and Consuelo clearly enjoys a challenge. Her link to Malan is due to fashion; they were fast friends and became collaborators mostly in the business realm. Malan, ever the renaissance man, built his own multi-billion dollar company yet found he had to expand his passions. He is an accomplished pianist, one of the many talents this prodigious man has. 2020 happened, in all its destructive chaos, and both found themselves drawn back to music.

Christmas music.

We spoke for over four hours - Consuelo’s phone rang multiple times, Malan’s did likewise. Both stayed enraptured in the conversation as it moved from one subject to the next but maintained focus on the human aspects of their stories. It was a rare moment that I felt privileged to witness. In this most trying of years, two friends sought to provide comfort to themselves and to those around them. To use the authentic spark of love and friendship between them, combined with their skills as musical artists, to share something magical with a weary world.

Their kindness and their music are a gift to all those that hear it.

And a powerful reminder of what’s been lost in the many social distances of 2020.

I felt full of electric energy and Christmas cheer, and hoping that next year, we’ll all be a little closer together.

As for this year, “I’ll be home for Christmas...if only in my dreams”.

68 | MetMagNY.com | 25AMagazine.com

Winter Issue: December 2020 / January 2021 | 69

entertainment

Music Spotlight: Crista Giuliani LEAD SINGER OF DARK NIGHT BLOOM

BY W. A. MULLER

70 | MetMagNY.com | 25AMagazine.com

NYC based indie rock: Dark Night Bloom Dark Night Bloom grew out of singer/songwriter/guitarist/bassist Crista Giuliani’s long term indie rock band Automatic Children. AC played at the Studio at Webster Hall, The Knitting Factory, The Highline Ballroom, and CMJ Music Festival several times. d Vail plays guitar and bass and Andrew Thornton is on the drums. AC’s Adam Lippman played guitar and contributed backup vocals. Produced, mixed, and mastered by Grammynominated Oliver Straus at Mission Sound in Brooklyn, New York. There’s an inspirational quote about a seed surrounded by darkness but in fact, it is waiting to bloom. Thank you to friends and visual collaborators who have lent their time, energy, and spirit to plant these seeds: Devvon Simpson, Edy Moulton, Susie Kenny, Amber Sexton, Sofia Estrada, David Brandt, Rod Luzzi, and Blue Parallax Studios. Very special thanks to filmmakers Rafael Iglesias and Carl Fuermann. We are never alone. We are all one.

Spitz, into protective custody. So, for 24 hours we were held in protective custody and we were only getting bits and pieces of what was going on... only that terrorists had attacked the village. We got all our information from television. How do you describe the horror to other people if you are Jewish? You can’t describe it.

entertainment

Goal Keeper

Shep Messing WHEN THE NEW YORK COSMOS WERE THE BIGGEST GAME IN TOWN A CONVERSATION

BY ADAM KLUGER

Editor’s Note: Being a soccer goalie in high school was always fun and exciting.

My Freshman year at Horace Mann, I was even voted All-City and had a wonderful coach named Richard Remsen along with so many terrific teammates over the years always making me look good. As a teenager, I wanted to be like Shep Messing, the incredibly talented goalie for the world-famous New York Cosmos. All these years later I’m so excited to interview my sports hero, the legendary goalkeeper and broadcaster. -AK Shep, what are some of your high school memories at Wheatley? You were quite the allaround athlete?

I played American football, basketball, wrestling, and at the same time track and field and baseball and it was really just unbelievable circumstances by all rights that I ended up having a place in soccer. I never saw a soccer ball till I was 16. The soccer coach came up to me and said I need a goalkeeper, I know you’ve 72 | MetMagNY.com | 25AMagazine.com

never played but you are a shortstop in baseball you are a point guard in basketball and you are a little bit crazy, and so, I thought I would give it a try.

I ended up going to NYU and I was a walk-on, I just walked onto the field and I was an All-American the first year. I ended up loving it and because I was an All-American in college, they invited me to try out for the Olympic team. I sprained my ankle playing basketball but I begged and pleaded and got a second tryout in St. Louis. I slept in the airport. I’ll never forget waking up at the airport and I picked up the newspaper and there was an article on the Olympic team and I had been named to it. Our Olympic team was a pioneering team with a bunch of kids and it was the first time the U.S. team had gone through qualifying and made it to the Olympics.

So I graduated from Harvard in June, went to play in the Olympic games in Germany.

Tell me about the tragic Munich Games in 1972.

For me Adam, you go through life always not knowing what to expect. To actually get to the games and to Munich was one of the high points in my life. we were a bunch of college All-Americans playing against West Germany some professional players from Bayern Munich. My son tells me I have two Olympic records, one for most saves ever made in a game, 63 saves-- as well as the record for most goals allowed-- which was seven (laughs).

Still, the Olympic Games were a dream come true until I got a knock on my door at four o’clock in the morning. We were right across from the Israeli complex about 25 yards away. I opened my door and there were two German soldiers with machine guns and they said “, are you Shep Messing?” At first my instinct was to jump the bigger soldier because I grew up in the Bronx, I didn’t know what was happening but they showed me their police ids and said,”come with us,” and they took all the Jewish athletes on the U.S. team, including Mark

How did you become Pele’s goalkeeper?

I got home from Munich and found out I had been drafted by a team I had never heard of called the New York Cosmos. I was drafted by the New York Mets too and I was enrolled to go to law school. I started at Fordham law and my father was a lawyer and I told my dad, “ I really want to play one more year of soccer, what do you think?” He said, “Shep the last thing we need is another lawyer...go play soccer.” (laugh) The Cosmos to me were just love until one day there was a helicopter and it flew over the field and it landed and the whole world changed for the New York Cosmos and professional soccer changed when Pele joined the team. We were getting, Adam, maybe two thousand, twenty-five hundred fans at the game, and with Pele, two years after he had arrived, we were playing at Giants Stadium in front of 77 thousand people. New York in the ‘70s was rock and roll, Studio 54, we were owned by Warner Communications, Warner Brothers and Steve Ross so every game there were sell-out crowds of 75 thousand people. We would be whisked away in a limousine after the game to nightclubs in the city.

At Studio 54 there was Robert Redford, Mick Jagger they were all fans of the team. They were at games and coming to the city for the parties after. And if you know New York in the ‘70’s it was financially broke there was a blackout, Son of Sam in 1977 and it’s kind of what sports can do, it can take a city on its shoulders and raise spirits. I think the Cosmos, Pele’s final year when we were playing to sell-out crowds and winning the championship, we were bigger than the Giants or the Jets or the Yankees or the Mets.

We were the talk of the town in the New York Post, Daily News, magazine articles because of Pele and Beckenbauer and Chinaglia those guys were rock stars worldwide.

Was Pele the biggest name in sports at that time?

I’ll never forget I grew up and I loved Muhammad Ali and I went to all his fights and one day I went to the locker room in Giants Stadium and there’s Muhammad Ali he wanted to get into the locker room to meet Pele. Muhammad when he was outside he was being Muhammad Ali, joking and trash-talking, and then when he came into the locker room I was one of the few Americans on the Cosmos so I was like the social director so I brought Muhammad over to meet Pele and Muhammad was the most humble with his head down saying

to Pele, “ it’s an honor to meet you.” and then they became good friends. Muhammad used to joke around with Pele and say, “ hey, people tell me you’re more famous than me, I don’t believe it!” and Pele would say, “I think I’m more famous but you’re prettier.” They loved each other, they hit it off.

I’m still good friends with Pele, we have a business together he still comes to New York all the time to see his grandkids. we have dinner. What’s still amazing to me Adam is that Cosmos team when I go to Europe I can walk into any stadium in Holland and Germany and England and just walk up to the VIP entrance, tell them I was the goalkeeper for Pele and they bring me right in. That team got national publicity.

Why were the New York Cosmos so special?

I grew up in the Bronx and we were like the Bronx Zoo, we had a bunch of characters. Chinaglia, god rest his soul, he was my friend but he would get in fights in the locker-room. One day at practice we were scrimmaging and Giorgio has the ball and Pele starts to make a run near him and Giorgio starts shouting at him, “get away from me you’re drawing a second defender,” I mean who says that to Pele?

He yelled at Pele and he took a shot from like 45 yards out and Pele put his hands in the air like what are you doing shooting from out there and Giorgio starting yelling at Pele,” I’m Chinaglia I shoot from wherever I want to shoot from!” (laugh). If you dream of anything in the sport, this was living the dream the Cosmos had a collection of guys, the owner Steve Ross, Warner Bros. Rock & Rollers want to be athletes, and those were the people coming to our games.

And Warner Bros. General Counsel Marty Payson would sign all the checks?

The story goes that Steve Ross knew nothing about soccer. So, again I signed with the team before Pele and I was making 150 dollars a week, like a semi-pro league. So, when Steve started with the team he said he knew nothing about soccer so he asked, “who is the greatest player in the world?” The answer was Pele. Well Steve didn’t know who Pele was but he got Payson and he put him on a plane and told him,” don’t come back until you sign Pele.”

So, each time it was up to Payson. He was told, “go get Beckenbauer, put him on the corporate plane and don’t come back without Beckenbauer!” (laugh) So, Marty Payson was legendary. We all loved him.

You are a pioneering athlete and respected broadcaster. What are you most proud of?

I’m proud of what I did for American soccer.

Harvard, the Olympics, and goalkeeper for Pele. I was proud to be the first American drafted out of the college draft and signed by the Cosmos. I was the first player on the team that qualified to go to the Olympic games. I’m proud of joining MISL. I was the first player signed. I played on the New York Arrows.

With Steve Zungul another legendary goalscorer.

Yeah, my man Zungul. I’ll never forget how the crowd at the Coliseum called his name “Zunguuuuul!!”

You continue to be passionate about American soccer on your podcast and as a broadcaster.

How important do you see your role as a sports ambassador?

I try to have a social conscience and moral compass.

We would arrive in Rome and there would be 20,000 fans and Pele would sign autographs and every kid would ask Pele, “how do I become a great player?” and Pele would always say, “first you be a good person, don’t worry about being the best player in the world, you be a good person, do the right thing, and then if you love soccer that will come.”

Over the last couple of decades name some U.S soccer players who have caught your attention.

I’ll start with the women first because I am very proud of them and I was one of the first to have women soccer camps and I was actually on the committee that lobbied FIFA for women to have a World Cup in the 1980’s. So Michelle Akers, Mia Hamm, Julie Foudy, Briana Scurry in goal, I took so much pride in what they did by winning the World Cup because I knew some of them when they were just first becoming players and I still love the women’s national team and on the men’s side I liked Landon Donovan because he stuck to his convictions. He didn’t really want to play in Europe so he played most of his career here. I like Landon because he’s his own man. and of course Tim Howard is a favorite because I knew Tim when he was 18 years old and sitting on the bench for the MetroStars in New York and he would always come to me for guidance and what a great career he had. But the goalkeepers are a fraternity right? Kasey Keller, Brad Friedel, Tony Meola, and Tim Howard are the four that stick out to me over the course of the last 30 years.

What does it take to be a great goalkeeper?

To me, the best you can be as a goalkeeper is a combination of a few things that I always tell kids and even told goalkeeper Tim Howard when he was 17. You have to have the physical tools, you have to be agile you have to have good hands you have to be able to jump you have to have good reflexes but you have to be tough because physically it’s a tough position. Aside from the physical tools, it’s all mental.

It’s really Harvard physics, it’s all about angles and physics. You have to be able to anticipate the flight of the ball, you have to be able to cut down the angle.

You have to be tranquil like you are taking yoga.

You have to always be in command of the penalty area. The greatest goalkeepers in the world have the physical tools but it’s really the mental aspect of studying and analyzing and your brain is like a little computer chip and after you play so long at a high level, really there is nothing you haven’t seen so it’s anticipation and you want to be proactive you don’t want to be reactive.

Who is the greatest soccer player of all time?

For me, I can’t be objective about it Adam, it’s always Pele. I was told that I’ve played with or against five of the players who have been called the greatest soccer players of all time- Pele and Franz Beckenbauer, I was teammates with Eusebio, I played against Johan Cruyff but look, Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are in every conversation and Maradona, but for me, it is always Pele. He had 360 peripheral vision.

It wasn’t that his vertical leap was 5 inches higher than everybody, he defied gravity he was able to hang in the air longer than anybody and he had the ability to head the ball. Physically he was beyond belief but again it’s that genius you can’t quantify it.

He just saw the play developing before it developed, you know, like a Wayne Gretsky in hockey. So for me, Pele is always.

taste

Bobby Van’s 54th Street DINING AT TRADITIONAL STEAKHOUSE

B

obby Van’s Steakhouse has earned its place as a venerable New York institution, thanks in part to a continued commitment to cooking techniques perfected years ago by the founding fathers of New York steakhouse cuisine. Bobby Van’s Steakhouse New York, located at 54th Street, is notable for its prime selection of superior steaks, distinctly excellent chops and incomparable seafood selection, invites you to enjoy the warm hospitality and quality fare that

74 | MetMagNY.com | 25AMagazine.com

BY PETER ELSTON the traditional American steakhouses of New York are known for.

The dining is spacious for social distancing, and their delicious fare is also available for takeout.

Situated in a building once frequented by Frank Sinatra and the Rat Pack, this is the quintessential place for the “steakhouse, New York” experience.

With its richly handcrafted wood walls and wellstocked bar, Bobby Van’s Steakhouse offers both private and conventional seating. Diners can enjoy the outstanding and award-winning wine list, which is personally selected by Bobby Van’s own sommelier.

The process of dry aging its USDA prime quality beef is key to developing the superior flavor of Bobby Van’s’ steaks. Once the team carefully selects wellraised and well-marbled steak, they age it in a specially-designed, humidity-controlled room for up to 28 days, which tenderizes it and enriches the flavor. Prime beef aside, the kitchen imports the majority of their seafood from overseas. The tuna

is flown in from the Maldives, the Branzino comes from Spain, and salmon from Scotland. Locally, Bobby Van’s seafood supplier has a fleet of 30 fishing boats providing the kitchen with the freshest fish and shellfish daily. The restaurant offers guests a wide variety of dining options outside of prime beef and seafood, including supremely-prepared pastas and wood-fired pizza.

In New York City, where restaurants tend to shine brightly then fade like a show on Broadway, Bobby Van’s Steakhouse has more than passed the test of time. Each night the restaurants clientele descends with Wall Street tycoons, famous athletes, New York’s political tycoons, celebrities, and others rubbing shoulders, soaking up the elegant yet safe atmosphere, and impeccable service. bobbyvans.com/steakhouse/54th-street Winter Issue: December 2020 / January 2021 | 75

taste

Demarchelier Bistro A TASTE OF FRANCE ARRIVES IN GREENPORT

F

BY ELIZABETH ELSTON

amily owned and operated bistro Demarchelier Restaurant has officially opened in November 2020 in Greenport, NY, bringing a taste of France to North Fork. Situated in the charming shopping village, the new incarnation of the Upper East Side classic is currently located in the heart of Greenport on Main Street.

marble top tables and the antique bar top (which was brought over from the former location) to the outdoor seating and colorful paintings by the owner’s father (famed artist Eric Demarchelier) on the wall, the atmosphere of Demarchelier makes it the perfect sojourn in North Fork for a quick bite to eat, a romantic rendezvous or a nice meal with your family and friends.

Unlike the Upper East Side restaurant that closed its doors after 40 years in business, the Greenport location is more casual and extremely cozy. From

Owner Emily Demarchelier explains, “Greenport is very much a village where people are walking around and shopping and stopping at several

76 | MetMagNY.com | 25AMagazine.com

different places, so I wanted to kind of attract that crowd of people that don’t necessarily want to sit for a whole meal, that wants to have a little bite to eat, taste a few things, have a few glasses of wine, and then go onto the next place.”

The bistro is not just your ordinary restaurant – in fact, there is nothing like it in North Fork dining. It has so much Parisian inspiration, Emily Demarchelier has heard people raving, “Wow this is incredible! It was like I just traveled to France!”

Imitating a café in France, you can expect to find small popular plates like Artichoke Hearts with warm goat cheese, Grilled Octopus with chickpeas, and Cheese Fondue. Specialty dishes include Roasted Salmon with mixed vegetables, Steak Tartare with pomme dauphine, Duck Confit with spinach. Last but not least, you can’t leave the bistro without trying one of the desserts like the Chocolate Fondant or Crème Brulée.

The menu, created by Executive Chef Michel Pombet, is paired perfectly with a wide range of predominantly French wines. Demarchelier has partnered with North Fork’s Macari Vineyards to exclusively carry their wines. Bottles range from $40$250. The Libations menu also includes cocktails such as La Provence Martini and Grapefruit Rosemary Mule, Aperitifs, Cider of Normandy, Beers, Champagne, and Dessert Wine.

For more information including the full menu and drink list, visit www.demarchelierrestaurant.com.

Demarchelier Bistro 471 Main Street, Greenport NY 11944 p: 631.593.1650 demarchelierrestaurant.com Instagram: @demarchelierbistro Winter Issue: December 2020 / January 2021 | 77

taste

Ikraa Caviar THE PERFECT INDULGENCE GIFT BROUGHT TO YOU BY ARTY AND ANNA DOZORTSEV

A

BY LILLIAN LANGTRY

rty Dozortsev who is a beloved New York character and a successful entrepreneur is following in his father’s footsteps by bringing the best sourced caviar directly to consumers. Joining him in this endeavor is his gorgeous wife Anna Dozortsev. Arty is well known around town for hosting dinner parties at the most glamorous restaurants in NYC. There are always tons of beautiful girls and European Playboys with long names and longer titles. He originally followed his father Eugene into the liquor business after graduating from college. They own a large distribution company called Dozortzev and Sons based in Elizabeth, NJ. They carry such Popular brands as Alarcan Tequila, Forever Young wines and Saint Arturo which you can find as Scarpetta, Tao Downtown and all NYC Serafinas.

But now let’s get to the caviar. It’s imported from different countries as production is no longer limited to Russia. Arty’s father Eugene was a pioneer in the caviar business when he took a chance by going to Russia’s Far East in the 1980’s and became one of the biggest importers of Russian Caviar in NYC. Eugene also owned , the awardwinning Caviar Russe for many years on Madison Avenue before selling it. Caviar runs in Dozortsev DNA. Anna , Arty’s wife who looks like a Grecian Goddess came from the Real Estate business but has taken to Caviar Business like a sturgeon to cold water if I could be allowed to use this pun. She handles the daily details of running the business. Anna has also been integral with launching new liquor brands such as Root Out whiskey for their successful distribution business, Ikraa Caviar enjoys a celebrity following, including actor Ray Stevenson and artist Domingo Zapata.

The hip brand will hand deliver a Caviar package to your place in NYC or the Hamptons. Their ViP package which starts at $1600 will be at your place within four hours of ordering it. The package includes Caviar, blinis, truffle butter and two mother of pearl spoons. There is also one for $4600 that includes A kilo of Golden Ossetra from Russia .

Bon Apetit ikraacaviar.com

78 | MetMagNY.com | 25AMagazine.com

Winter Issue: December 2020 / January 2021 | 79

taste

Il Gattopardo ENJOY TRADITIONAL ITALIAN COMFORT FOOD

BY CECILLE LANGTRY

I

l Gattopardo serves traditional Southern Italian comfort food that has been adapted for the contemporary palate without compromising the authenticity of the cuisine, which became a must to its loyal upscale New Yorker clientele.

They are committed to producing top quality Southern Italian gastronomy, to the use of authentic ingredients, and to keeping the tradition of Italian culture, and hospitality, vibrant and passionate.

Signature dishes include the Homemade Buckwheat Fettucini served with grilled

80 | MetMagNY.com | 25AMagazine.com

eggplant, scented with fresh basil; Panseared veal loin scented with fresh thyme, served with fingerling potatoes and porcini mushrooms; and Artisanal Ravioli filled with wild pheasant, partridge and robiola cheese in its own sauce.

Owned by husband-and-wife-team Gianfranco Sorrentino and Paula BollaSorrentino, and partner Chef Vito Gnazzo, Il Gattopardo opened in 2001, and still attracts a loyal clientele who come for both the authentic southern Italian cuisine and the warm, Italian hospitality.

Originally from Naples, Italy, Gianfranco Sorrentino carries over 40 years of experience in restaurant management from the Quisisana Hotel in Capri, Dorchester Hotel in London, Four Seasons Hotel in Tokyo, Bice restaurant in New York, Sette MoMA restaurant at the Museum of Modern Art of New York, and Union Bar & Grill in Great Barrington, MA. In September 2001, Sorrentino opened Il Gattopardo, just across from MoMA, and most recently (2011) the Sorrentinos embarked on one of the most rewarding journeys of their careers; the re-birth of the restaurant at New York landmark Hotel des Artistes.

Brazilian born and raised, of Italian parents from

Veneto, Paula Bolla-Sorrentino is passionate for art, design and Italian culture. With fashion and design background, she had the opportunity of traveling around the world with top fashion designers, as well as worked in one of the most prestigious design firms of New York, Pentagram Design, as Graphic Designer. Graduated from FIT, but with the hospitality industry in her heart, Paula runs all visual and organizational aspects of the company, from Art Direction and flowers, graphic design, and customer relations, to make sure that guests are not only exposed to a wonderful gastronomical event on the table, but to a whole sensorial experience.

Located in the renovated Rockefeller Townhouses, Il Gattopardo boasts a large indoor dining room, a heated outdoor garden, and now has added extra outdoor seating to accommodate for CDC regulations. Il Gattoaprdo is dedicated to serving finest quality dishes while maintaining the safety of its guests and staff. Buon appetite!

13-15 West 54th Street (Between 5th & 6th Ave) New York, NY 10019 ilgattopardonyc.com.

Winter Issue: December 2020 / January 2021 | 81

taste

The Coop FLOCK TO THE EAST END FOR A NEW TAKE ON CHICKEN

T

he owners of Southampton Social Club, Union Burger Bar, and Union Sushi & Steak are bringing a new concept to Southampton that has never been done before on the East End. Restaurateurs Ian Duke and David Hilty opened Southampton’s first ghost kitchen called The Coop. And, as food guru Ian puts it, The

82 | MetMagNY.com | 25AMagazine.com

BY HARRY BRADS Coop serves chicken that is simply “scrumptious”.

The Coop is operating out of Southampton Social Club, which is closed during the off-season but is still open for private events. The ghost kitchen concept enables customers to order delivery as well as offer Curbside Pick-Up for guests who order through the website or over the phone. There, in fact, are daily specials for those who order directly through the

restaurant’s website for Curbside Pick-Up. While there is no indoor or outdoor dining, The Coop is available for catering small gatherings and events.

“With the success of Union Burger Bar, it was absolutely part of crossing the idea of there being a ghost kitchen because of the sheer amount of take out and to-go business we’ve done these past

couple of months. A lot of people are staying inside and now that dining outside is nearly impossible, we think there’ll even be a further rise in people wanting to just pick up the phone and order delivery,” Ian Duke says. “We’re excited now because we’re keeping people employed and in fact, we’re employing more. We’re just trying to keep going through this horrible pandemic that we’re all suffering through.”

The Coop is available on Uber Eats, Grubhub and DoorDash. The menu certainly features chicken! A variety of fried and rotisserie chicken options are available with a wide assortment of sides. A few items to note that really separate The Coop from others include the Barbecue Chicken Sandwich with Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ sauce, chipotle mayo, cabbage, and apple slaw. The biscuits topped with fried chicken and covered in a rich sausage gravy are to die for, and the Fried Chicken Bowl brings mashed potatoes, fried chicken, corn, scallions, cheddar cheese and rich gravy together for a dish best described as simply awesome!

In addition, you can order as many as 100 wings for a party (the chef recommends the Mango Habanero sauce, but the others available include Louisiana Hot Sauce, Teriyaki & BBQ) and that comes with homemade bleu cheese, celery and carrots. The menu also includes a Chicken Caesar Salad and Hamptons Wedge Salad with applewood bacon bits. Altogether, there are a variety of sides to choose from including biscuits, both creamed and fresh corn, honey glazed carrots, mac & cheese, and sweet potato fries.

Beverages include ice cream floats, soft drinks, house-made sweetened and unsweetened iced tea, bottled beer, wine and sparkling cocktails.

“Ultimately I find people always have conflicting perspectives on what they want to eat. What we’re doing is incorporating the best of both worlds - we’re going to have ridiculously great tasting fried chicken and the mashed potatoes with gravy and creamy corn,” Ian says. “But we’re also going to have the healthy rotisserie chicken with fresh sides like Brussel sprouts and roasted broccoli that are all farm to table. The chicken that we’re using is cage-free, antibiotic-free, and hormone-free. So essentially, we’re going to encompass something for everybody.”

Located inside Southampton Social Club 256 Elm St, Southampton, NY 11968 631.984.1284 thecooptogo.com Winter Issue: December 2020 / January 2021 | 83

living

84 | MetMagNY.com | 25AMagazine.com

Le Lustre

WILL YOU BE THE OWNER OF THE LUX CHAMONIX HOME?

L

BY ANN GRENIER | PHOTOGRAPHED BY ADAM JOHNSTON

e Lustre is a private luxury home in the Chamonix Valley of the French Alps, an epicenter of historical creativity drawing in the likes of well-known mountaineers and poets. Le Lustre presents the perfect restoration with the backdrop of Mont-Blanc.

Modern Chamonix is a painting comprised of a palate of interesting facts - romantic poetry dating back to mid 17th Century when Chamouny was discovered, coupled with a carriage road built in the 1860s to link Geneva to Chamonix.

Add a railway line which first opened in 1901 and making history as the first Winter Olympic games debuting in Chamonix in 1924, to the fabulous art deco period all added to the texture and warmth of this beautiful alpine town.

Seven years ago, a talented interior designer, Georgia May took over a project that had been at the center of town which had been lying dormant and unfinished for several years. “It was clearly going to be a long haul project, but I was captivated by the potential for the project, the extraordinary views and the history of the

building”. The first 24 months were spent acquiring additional adjoining spaces and peeling the whole construction back to “bare bones”. This involved removing an existing roof construction on the upper floor, and designing and erecting a new mansard roof, hand double pinch pleated in copper surrounds complemented with a 9m (27ft) bay window (looking up to Mont Blanc).

The design required planning approvals which received a positive audience once the planners realized how sympathetically the treatment of this unloved building was being brought back to life.

Winter Issue: December 2020 / January 2021 | 85

living

86 | MetMagNY.com | 25AMagazine.com

Winter Issue: December 2020 / January 2021 | 87

living

The building itself was constructed in 1928, and the design concept was to reflect the period of the late 1920’s and early 1930’s while retaining the integrity of the original features of the building.

The conceptual architectural design and the interiors were undertaken by Georgia working closely with two firms of architects — Alexander Stuart Design from Hong Kong and FedArch Studio in Chamonix (who played a key role in achieving planning consents and managing the project).

After achieving planning approval, Le Lustre moved from concept to reality over the course of two years. The result being a juxtaposition of art-deco meets contemporary-modern and includes a pneumatic lift which fits perfectly within the original art-deco staircase, as well as hidden speakeasy with vintage trap and bar and original iron and draylon bar stools. Additional quirky design elements which also play to that romantic art-deco era include carefully curated tiles and mosaic in all bathrooms, restored ironwork and beautiful hand-crafted wooden doors.

As Georgia puts it so well, “Le Lustre is a puzzle of extremes to make a truly inspirational and beautiful property”. “It is very much not ‘alpine-style’ design and this is what makes it so individual and special, coupled with 360 degree views of the Mont-Blanc skyline and Chamonix Valley”. “Le Lustre pays homage to the past and to the present”.

With nostalgia comes romance of the mountains as so well documented by numerous poets, one being Percy Bysshe Shelley who composed Mont Blanc in 1816 ……“Mont Blanc yet gleams on high – the power is there”. As it was then, so it continues today – a breath of fresh air considering the year we have all been through. sothebysrealty.com

88 | MetMagNY.com | 25AMagazine.com

Winter Issue: December 2020 / January 2021 | 89

living

Dave Vitalli A MAN WITH VISION

BY W. A. MULLER Tell us about this amazing house and property.

DV: Well it was built by Paul Rudolph the professor who taught architecture, it was designed as a safe house for the family originally. A safe house to protect against anything biological, natural disaster, war, or attack.

Why is this the perfect house for waiting out the current Pandemic?

DV: The house goes completely off the grid. It’s safe, secure. It’s a 15-minute flight from my helipad to Manhattan and it’s less than a sixty-minute drive. The house could be completely shut down for different parts of the family to be safe in it. It has three different air filtration systems in it. Even 90 | MetMagNY.com | 25AMagazine.com

though it is upstate New York it has its own beach it has any of the amenities you would get in any 5-star hotel and it’s a very unique property.

than sixty minutes drive you are here in Orange County New York and located exactly fifteen minutes from Woodbury Commons.

You had me at helipad. I like how you dropped that in casually.

What are some of the popular features of the surrounding area?

DV: Yes, it’s a 15 minute flight to the East or West side from my helipad which is in the front yard.

I have a pilot when we have guests or throw parties. So if we are bringing people in from Fire Island, Block Island or other parts of Long Island.

A lot of folks have their multi-multi-million dollars brownstones in Manhattan and have their places in Long Island, they are looking for a place where they can get away and be safe and not have to worry about what’s going on in the world. In less

DV: The property is amidst trees and horse farms. You have everything from hiking, skiing, snowmobiling, four-wheeling, horseback riding all within thirty minutes of this house. The place was made for entertaining and to have a homey feeling on the other side of the house. One wing was made for parties with everything from a ballroom to a cigar room to the other side of the house which has small media rooms and living rooms and sitting nooks, a wine tasting

Winter Issue: December 2020 / January 2021 | 91

living

area up in the loft.

Why are you selling it?

DV: In 2022 I will be running for the United States Congress in the state of Tennessee. I’m an Independent I’m running in a Republican Caucus.

I’m a Constitutionalist by trade. I tell my very dear friends who are Democrats that I am a JFK Democrat, which is a little bit different from what the Democratic party is today. I believe in doing things for the people not for a particular party. Poor has

no color I don’t believe in labeling people. I believe in rehabilitation. The criminal justice system needs a revamp. Police need to be revamped. I would like to do things that are fiscally responsible to get this country back on track. I’m not a cheering section for this recent administration of any administration.

So what’s the game plan?

DV: Well I have most of my financing coming out of the Northeast and if everything goes well I will go for POTUS in 2024.

Really?

DV: Yes. I’ve worked for the previous four administrations as a defense contractor and working with the department of defense for over 20 countries. I also opened up a foundation that protects school teachers and children called the Angel Watch Foundation. It’s an accreditation program for the safety and security of schools, children, and teachers, We are partnered with the American Red Cross and we are the only accreditation for the safety and security of children in the United States. From CPR to first aid to protecting against gun violence to antichoking devices that we designed. Medical Administration training. Interior and exterior threats. We provide over 20 different courses to the staff and we have different technologies that we put into the school to protect the children and also to protect the teachers and staff as well.

I own an environmental company called IEC, the International Environmental Corporation as well. Cleaning the planet. I’m from Orange County New York.

How did you become a defense contractor?

DV: I was going for the United States Marine Corp. then I was recruited to another government agency and then I became a government contractor. I’ve worked under the Clinton Administration, the Bush Administration, The Obama Administration and if need be the Trump Administration. Everything from security to security logistics to investigations, war-time theaters of war, maritime theaters of war.

So, why Tennessee?

DV: Tennessee is the fastest-growing state in the United States and Nashville is the fastest growing city in the United States. I also was invited to star in a TV show to help kids called My Dysfunctional Family on CMT. I’ve been asked to get into politics for over a decade now and I was resistant because I know how dirty it can be with backdoor deals. Then this past year I decided I would do it. My platform will focus on term limits for Congress, The Senate, and the United States Supreme Court. If you tackle that then you can tackle lobbying as well. We also want welfare reform, prison reform, and police reform. Two words should never go together: career and politician.

Any U.S. Presidents that you particularly admired?

DV: JFK, Ronald Reagan.

92 | MetMagNY.com | 25AMagazine.com

Winter Issue: December 2020 / January 2021 | 93

artform entertainment

Artist Spotlight: Willard Morgan CREATIVE RENAISSANCE MAN WILLIARD MORGAN

BY ADAM KLUGER Will, you’ve lived a fascinating life as a performance artist, musician, fashion designer, filmmaker, actor, and patron of the arts. What is the driving force behind this need to create interesting art?

WM: The driving force behind my need to create is primarily due to my background, being born into a artistic and bombastic family. My mother was a gifted opera singer who was a Metropolitan Opera semi-finalist. So when I was born, I came out of the womb into the equivalence of the fantastic musical drag show, that is opera . Suzy, my mom, was constantly singing and always surrounded by fellow theatre artists. My father, on the other hand, was a charming, handsome, rageaholic who most often took center stage. So 94 | MetMagNY.com | 25AMagazine.com

it was a highly theatrical experience growing up between these two divas! My need to compete and subdue this noisy household led me to develop some formidable skills of my own. Besides being cast as the ‘court jester’ in the family and life early on, at summer camp and at home, I was always juggling and conducting my own imaginary orchestra. Always looking for great cellists to collaborate with! Know any?

What does it mean to live the life of an artist?

You’ve traveled from Europe to Cuba and beyond seeking out inspiration. Can a lifestyle be an art form too?

WM: My lifestyle has been an art form, indeed, as I was born in Greenwich Village, and I was

surrounded by the artists and the bohemian at every turn. The poet, singer, and painter were championed in our neighborhood, from the White Horse Tavern to the Duplex, Max’s Kansas City, to The Bitter End, Washington Square Park, The Electric Lady Studios, the first Whitney Museum of American Art, The Village in the ’50s and ’60s was a mecca for the arts, compared with Paris in the ‘’20s. I was traveling in Europe at fourteen and fifteen, which was unheard of at the time.

I was always the youngest on the tours I was booked on. I went to high school in Lugano, Switzerland, studied in Madrid and Paris, and Dublin. I always had my bag packed and wound up speaking French, Spanish, and Italian to further my art and travels. Japanese still lies within my grasp, I keep telling myself.

Winter Issue: December 2020 / January 2021 | 95

artform

What was it like growing up in the Village of the 1960s? How have the New York Art/ theater/music/fashion scenes changed in NYC over the years? Any favorites stories about being a creative soul in NYC? WM: Everyone wanted to live in the Village and Downtown New York was a constant joy and inspiration for a performer. Every cafe was home to theatre, music, and art. New York of the ’60s & ’70s had endless opportunities to express yourself in countless off-off Broadway theatre dives, cafes, lofts, and in people’s living rooms. I wound up producing on Broadway and Off-Broadway. I still owe the estate of Harold Pinter for royalties on a production of one of his plays. In 1976, while producing on Broadway, street people would be watching from the wings, having wandered backstage from 44th Street. Over the years, of course, these venues disappeared in the wake of gentrification worldwide. It was certainly a lot more fun back then but now we all lead virtual lives. . When not producing music or film, I love performing, either live or live-streaming. I await a return to some of the great rooms I’ve played and aspire to others when Covid subsides.

96 | MetMagNY.com | 25AMagazine.com

Winter Issue: December 2020 / January 2021 | 97

artform

98 | MetMagNY.com | 25AMagazine.com

Winter Issue: December 2020 / January 2021 | 99

artform

Ideal Glass Studios is a gorgeous space that has been described as a multi-functional creative space that caters to television and photo-shoots. What’s your vision and mission?

WM: As far as the place and spaces I’ve owned and managed, I’ve always enjoyed collaborating with the circle of talented people I meet and invite to work with me, now more so than ever. Ideal Glass Studios are located on West 8th St. where I’ve created a Victorian parlor, living room, and garden which we call The Mansion as well as a magnificent sky-lit ground floor space, The Atrium. Below, there is a green screen and VR studio known as Fractured Reality created and directed

by Mike Mokerson and in The Parlor at present is Mexican designer, Jose Luis Gonzalez’ showroom of couture fashion. We all collaborate on projects such as podcasts, video content, and film production. My goal is to keep producing challenging work, pressing the envelope, and always bringing new talents into our circle of creators. Most recently, the Nigerian poet, dancer, and writer, Taiwo Aloba, whose new book, Surulere, Lagos is now available on Amazon, gave a live-streamed reading and performance here and continues to work with Mike Mokerson on her dance pieces. We’re working with talented local designers and presenting their work in a mall concept.

Come by www.idealglassstudios.com You have a fashion line called Vestiphobia, you’ve chased filmmaker Michael Moore around with your own camera, performed on stage, and dabbled in a variety of mediumshow fun is it to be Will Morgan? What are you most proud of?

WM: My present project is a horror film that takes place in the world of Fashion,. We’ve shot a portion and are now scripting and casting for Spring production. We have pop up clients resurfacing and coming to present in our spaces and productions are done according to the proper PPE protocols. Oh, in respect to my most memorable gig, I recently was a Tommy John underwear model in an advert that rant thousands of times on cable stations. I’m most proud of the artists’ work I’ve presented at Ideal Glass Gallery. Follow me on Instagram as Willard Morgan, Vestiphobia NYC, and Ideal Glass Gallery. Come visit our sites and join us on social media at @ willardmorgan, willardmorgan.com, Instagram & Facebook.

100 | MetMagNY.com | 25AMagazine.com

Winter Issue: December 2020 / January 2021 | 101

artform

ChaShaMa CREATING ART FROM CHAOS

BY ERIKA K . BOGNER

S

ince 1995 Anita Durst has been giving shape to the New York Art Scene through ChaShaMa, her non-profit arts organization that transforms unused properties into artist studios, exhibit, performance, and educational workshop spaces.

In 2020, ChaShaMa (meaning in Farsi, “to have vision”) recognized its 25th year in existence, though focus was not on their annual, over-thetop fundraising gala, and instead on how the nonprofit could not only prevail but excel amidst major city-wide shutdowns and new pandemic protocols.

“ChaShaMa is a great catalyst for recovery in the wake of the pandemic”, Durst says, seeing the opportunity to utilize the newly vacant properties left in the wake of the shutdowns. “We can be a bridge between the property owner, the artist, the small businesses, and the non-profits. We can help reignite the economy of New York and bring it back to life.”

As many flee from the City, ChaShaMa seeks to stimulate the economy and beautify communities, keeping the country’s cultural epicenter thriving and its people feeling engaged.

Starting out by transforming less than a dozen small Manhattan spaces into galleries, artist studios, and street window theaters, ChaShaMa has grown to working with nearly 50 different properties, including venues in upstate New York and Matawan, New Jersey.

So far they have collaborated with over 30,000 artists to create and present their work, believing in the rights of all artists to participate in New York City’s cultural exchange, regardless of race, age, gender, sexual orientation, or immigration status.

In reaction to the economic devastation that followed the nation-wide shutdowns in 2020, ChaShaMa launched the Enliven NYC initiative.

Enliven NYC was created to lead New York City’s cultural resurgence through partnering an evergrowing list of unused properties with artists, creatives, and performers. For Durst, it is her vision that the initiative, “will remind people of what

102 | MetMagNY.com | 25AMagazine.com

makes this city so unique: the ability to walk down any street and happen upon something magical.”

Durst says that several major organizations have stepped up and given ChaShaMa large financial donations during the pandemic, including The New York Community Trust, CBRE, Fidelity National Title Insurance, Taconic Partners, and Turner Construction Company, among many others.

“We continue to be approached every day by artists and organizations that need space, and our partners will help make this happen” she says.

ChaShaMa annually gives $9 million worth of real estate to artists, subsidizes 200 artist workspaces, provides over 200 free art classes, and nearly 200 artists free space to present. chashama.org | @CHASHAMA e@erikabogner.com | @EXINEB nyceventpro.com | @NYCEVENTPRO Winter Issue: December 2020 / January 2021 | 103

artform

ATADECER BY JUAN LAZARO

UEast75 Gallery PRESENTING “MUSING AND MASTERING: THE ORDINARY,” AT UNION SUSHI & STEAK

U

pper East Side’s UEast75 Gallery presents “Musing and Mastering: The Ordinary,” an upcoming pop-up exhibition at Union Sushi & Steak in Southampton, NY. Featuring work from six world-renowned Latin and American artists – curator Alysha Marko, along with Juan Lazaro, Renelio Marin, Rodrigo Pedrosa, Lane Rudder and Carlos Vega – this art exhibit will be unlike any other you have witnessed in the East End.

BY ELIZABETH DARWEN “As this year descends ever so bittersweetly, we can all agree it has been one that has been far from The Ordinary. We have all been forced to some degree to experience what we have right in front of us much clearer. Artists have done it for centuries -- being stuck inside their mental and physical spaces, giving birth to works, beckoning the word ordinary to [come to light]. These moments are expanded here [in this moment]. We thank these artists for each of their unique imaginations within this subject,” Alysha Marko, owner of UEast75 Gallery, shares.

104 | MetMagNY.com | 25AMagazine.com

From December 10th, 2020 through January 18th, 2021, Union Sushi & Steak will be transformed into a one-of-a-kind experience where restaurant-goers will get to dine on exquisite food all while taking in remarkable art. Co-owner Ian Duke of Union Sushi & Steak teamed up with longtime pal Alysha Marko to bring some entertainment in the form of original art and canvases to the Hamptons this holiday season, rather than have New Yorkers, who have remained in the Hamptons these past few months, travel back to the city to shop for art.

Work from “Musing and Mastering: The Ordinary” will be up for sale (ranging from $400 up to $18K) and a portion of the proceeds will benefit NORD (National Organization of Rare Diseases). Now is the perfect time to pick up some amazing pieces for yourself or for gifts for loved ones, make a great investment in art and charitable donation, and add some eccentric decoration to your home.

“I’m thrilled. A lot of my clients who have second homes in the Hamptons haven’t been able to see my new work because they haven’t been coming into the city as much lately,” Marko says. “This new location is what I’ve wanted for a long time. The gallery in NYC, which is street level on 75th

Street off Madison, has seen much less foot traffic and walk-ins lately. Now, I’m just thrilled because this is the perfect market to have a pop-up gallery in Southampton.”

Duke adds, “Ultimately, Alysha and I saw an opportunity for us to work together, which we haven’t had the chance to do before, nor has it ever been done at the restaurant. There are a number of people out on the East End who can’t go in or won’t go into Manhattan to visit galleries, so we thought this would be a great opportunity to bring the gallery to them.

Plus, we thought this would create a very unique environment for people to experience art as well as a unique dining experience.”

ARTIST BIOS Alysha Marko, born in New Jersey, graduated with a B.A. in Psychology from Seton Hall University. She is a painter, performance artist, curator and gallerist. While an actress living in Los Angeles, she worked for James and John Cameron, who first introduced her to painting. She continued her studies in New York, taking courses at The Arts Students League while working for The Switzer Group, an architectural interior design firm. Design is a major influence in her conceptual works, and the methods of expression

artform

ALYSHA MARKO

and communication that she learned as an actor allows her to build narrative and construct scenes as a painter.

Renelio Marin graduated from San Alejandro School of Fine Arts in Havana in 1993. He received his Master’s in Media, Culture and Communication from New York University in 2011 and his Bachelor’s in Studio Art from the City University of New York’s Hunter College in 2009. Renelio’s work is in prominent collections internationally, and has had pieces in The Rubin Foundation collection and New Mexico Museum of Art. Renelio was recently mentioned in Forbes and The Times UK for his five mural designs designed for Arthaus Gemmayze hotel in Beirut, Lebanon. Check out the video of him working on the murals at Ueast75 Gallery’s press page!

Juan Lazaro lives and works in Havana, Cuba.

His body of works throughout his 25-year career have focused on the tangible world on his island.

Spanning from eclectic, potent portraits of his native people; bountiful, vital bouquets of local fruits; and most recently the process he refers 106 | MetMagNY.com | 25AMagazine.com

to as “meditations” of the beloved universal object, the Bicycle. Juan refers to them as bicycle transformers, which explores the oh so many feelings and intersections of life, energy, and rediscovering the whole object by its connections and motives.

Rodrigo Pedrosa is a painter and sculptor working in Rio De Janeiro. Among his public works are the monument to Zumbi dos Palmares in Caminho Niemeyer museum in Niterói, Brazil. In his diptychs, he seeks to investigate the relationship between the relationships and possibilities, or lack of, that pose a challenge for the future. His work stands side by side with contemporary artists, such as the British Banksy or the Turkish Ugur Gallenkus in the construction of images that confront utopias and dystopias, chronicles of a liquid, and uncertain time, while consistently imposing the question “How do we live together?”

Carlos Rafael Vega Pérez is a Cuban painter born in Havana, who lives and works from Orlando, Florida. His work began in 1987 when he won the first prize of Graphic Humor of the

Young Cuban Caricaturists. He then went on to graduate from the prestigious Academy of Fine Arts San Alejandro in 1993. His paintings have a surrealist style in which he melts the landscape of his city with the characters that inhabit them. This movement, which appears as if it will dissipate if we watch a few more seconds, shapes the physicality and imagination of the transparent performers the city intends to keep on display. He uses the classical technique from the study and inspiration of the great masters such as Antoni Gaudí and Raphael. He continues to publish his cartoons in newspapers.

Lane Rudder is an emerging artist based in New York City. Creating surreal depictions reality, the primary topic throughout Lane’s work is his personal encounters of addiction and loss. Expressing chaos and trauma through a whimsical lens is signature and his means of reconstructing dependance and grief into a pillar; onto which he now lays the foundation of his life. dineatunion.com

CANDYLAND BY ALYSHA MARKO

THE AFRICAN AND THE CAMERA BY RODRIGO PEDROS

Winter Issue: December 2020 / January 2021 | 107

artform

Gabriela Gil TIME AND SPACE

P

BY LILLIAN LANGTRY ainter, sculptor, and former dancer Gabriela Gil has announced her first New York solo exhibition. The Honduras-born, NYC-based artist will show the first volume of her “Time and Space” series starting Thursday, December 3 through Sunday, December 20, 2020 in Soho which will be shown in-person and virtually. Gabriela explains, “Timing is important in this project, because I am purposely taking advantage of the Covid lockdowns to present this body of work in creative ways.”

“I’ve been working on this series for two years,” Gil says.

“My previous work was more figurative, and this new series breaks away from the figure completely. This is making way to abstract work that explores line, color and rhythm.”

In volume one of the series, Gil will show roughly 20 highly detailed miniature sets, inspired by the handmade nativity scenes she saw as a child in Latin America, each with small paintings. The miniatures will then be displayed alongside large-scale paintings from the series.

Despite having worked on the project for years, Gil says that the Covid-19 pandemic recontextualized her vision.

She says that she is leaning into the fact that people have been exposed to high levels digital content during the Covid-19 lockdown – the time during which she created the second half of the series.

“We are all consuming content on this tiny screen,” she says. “So, the idea was to create a play on perception.

A lot of my paintings in this series are really big. I wanted the virtual exhibition itself to become an artwork.”

108 | MetMagNY.com | 25AMagazine.com

Gil has moved throughout South and North America for her entire life and that “constant migration” shaped her multicultural perspective and nurtured her “interest in art as a way to transcribe personal experience using a unique visual language.” This series is heavily inspired by Latin America - its colors, its textures, its dances, its nature, and its warmth. However, I wouldn’t say

this series encompasses my whole Latin American experience. Maybe another way to put it is that I am exploring my roots or going back to my roots with Time and Space, with the intention of building from there.

different place without really going?” she says.

“And if I can only show the content virtually, on the tiny screen, then why not flip it on its head, go all the way and do something that would be harder to do in real life at a physical showing.”

“I thought, if we can’t actually go somewhere physically, what is a way we can travel to a

gabrielagil.com

Winter Issue: December 2020 / January 2021 | 109

artform

Jose Trujillo AN IMPRESSIONIST PAINTER

BY W. A. MULLER

I

was born in Guadalajara, Mexico in 1982, and moved to the United States of America with my family when I was nine-years-old. I currently live in Tucson, Arizona with my wife and son.

I am a self-taught artist, who became interested in light, color, and motion at a very young age.

As a young artist, I began visiting museums and studying the paintings of the old masters, finding that I was drawn to the Impressionist’s “blurry” view of the world. Observing the color and style of these paintings transformed how I looked at my world. Once I saw the depth of color in the Impressionist’s view of the sky, I was hooked. After viewing the Impressionist artwork, I was unable to view the majestic skies of Arizona without spending hours contemplating their beauty.

I paint because I love nature and life. I love everything that surrounds us. A perfect day for me involves nothing more than looking at a subject until its true essence reveals itself to me as the colors become vibrant and I truly “see” the subject. I believe a painting should represent the subject and its relationship to the world— it should be a celebration of its existence in the universe in the best possible light. I hope I am able to convey this in my work, and strive to do so with every painting I create.

110 | MetMagNY.com | 25AMagazine.com

Winter Issue: December 2020 / January 2021 | 111

artform fashion

Nick Ghafari

N

ick Ghafari was born in Kabul, Afghanistan and migrated to the United States after the Soviet invasion of 1979. He was heavily influenced by German Expressionism early on in his career; paired with his experiences of war and migration, they have shaped his philosophy on life and expression as an artist. Nick currently resides in Los Angeles, California where he continues to evolve and refine his style of artistic expression.

112 | MetMagNY.com | 25AMagazine.com

Winter Issue: December 2020 / January 2021 | 113

artform

Stifle

By Gary Kaleda

114 | MetMagNY.com | 25AMagazine.com

JUSTINE

SANTANIELLO A fast-paced, interactive, and upbeat lifestyle program designed to inform educate and engage audiences. Through extensive Smart TV syndication, Lifestyle Today with Justine is viewable on all of the top networks around the world!

Saturdays at 3:30pm

WLNY is a part of the CBS Television Family

lifestyletodayshow.com

artform

By Łukasz Biel

116 | MetMagNY.com | 25AMagazine.com

“Snowy NYC”

By Patricia Pedraza

Winter Issue: December 2020 / January 2021 | 117

social

NEW YORK SOCIAL SCENE ARTIST GABRIELA GIL’S NEW YORK SOLO ART EXHIBITION “TIME AND SPACE”

By Clara Morgan

Painter, sculptor, and former dancer Gabriela Gil has opened her first New York solo exhibition.

The artist showed the first volume of her “Time and Space” series at a private opening in Soho: Gabriela Gil ©BFA

Maribel Liberman ©BFA

Consuelo Vanderbilt Costin ©BFA

Malan Breton ©BFA

Michelle Herbert ©BFA

Paula Rochette ©BFA

Beatrice Barletta ©BFA

Andrey Stanev, Anusha Ricci ©BFA

118 | MetMagNY.com | 25AMagazine.com

August Siman ©BFA

Winter Issue: December 2020 / January 2021 | 119

social

NEW YORK CHARITY SCENE COLLABORATING FOR A CURE & TASTE OF HOPE

By Clara Morgan

Samuel Waxman Cancer Research Foundation Michael Nierenberg at Samuel Waxman Cancer honored Leidos Chairman and Chief Executive Research Foundation’s Collaborating for a Cure Officer Roger A. Krone at its annual Collaborating Gala ©LMG for a Cure Gala Roger A. Krone ©LMG

Elin Nierenberg at Samuel Waxman Cancer Research Foundation’s Collaborating for a Cure Gala ©LMG

Marion Waxman, Samuel Waxman MD at Samuel Waxman Cancer Research Foundation’s Collaborating for a Cure Gala ©LMG

The American Cancer Society (ACS) hosted the 15th annual Taste of Hope virtual celebration. raising critical funds for cancer research and local patient service programs offered by ACS: Sting performing ©LMG

William T. Sullivan at Samuel Waxman Cancer Research Foundation’s Collaborating for a Cure Gala ©LMG

Honoree Chef JJ Johnson at the American Honoree Chef Michael White at the American Cancer Society (ACS) 15th annual Taste of Hope Cancer Society (ACS) 15th annual Taste of Hope virtual celebration ©LMG virtual celebration ©LMG

120 | MetMagNY.com | 25AMagazine.com

Vanessa Joy Walker at the American Cancer Society (ACS) 15th annual Taste of Hope virtual celebration ©LMG

“Mie Iwatsuki” Hair, Make-up, Styling & Photo by Takashi Matsuzaki

ROLLS-ROYCE PHANTOM

ROLLS-ROYCE GHOST SERIES II Rolls-Royce Motor Cars NA, LLC, P.O. Box 1227, Westwood, NJ 07675-1227 Tel: 1-877-877-3735 www.rolls-roycemotorcars.com © Copyright Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. The Rolls-Royce name and logo are registered trademarks.