David Wojnarowicz “Untitled, (Buffalo),” 1988 platinum print
James Alefantis. (Photo by Greg Powers)
JAMES ALEFANTIS Restauranterur, producer, collector and Transformer board president. What made you fall in love with each piece?
David Wojnarowicz’ photograph was offered to me by a stranger, a year after Victoria Reis and I, through Transformer gallery’s front window, began to show a video by the same artist, which had just been censored by the Smithsonian and started a national outcry. As soon as I saw it, I knew Mia Feuer’s “Suspended Landscapes” would look
amazing in Comet Ping Pong, where it defies gravity by jutting down out of the ceiling!
Pong; fascinatingly, this work is really now a piece of public art!
What makes each important?
What is unique about each piece, both in general and in comparison to works by the same artist?
“Untitled, (Buffalo)” is arguably the most important work in my collection. It is a small photograph, taken by the artist in 1988 of a diorama from the Museum of Natural History of buffalos being driven off a cliff, which came to symbolize a protest of the government and a time of extreme cultural division. “Suspended Landscapes” embodies all the sense of awe and play that I showcase at Comet Ping
Mia Feuer “Suspended Landscapes,” 2010 foam, zip ties, aircra cable, dimensions variable
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This 1988 platinum print, regarded as one the artist’s best works, was printed by master printer Sol Lopes. “Suspended Landscapes” is an early work by an artist who has achieved great notoriety in the contemporary art world (including being represented by Conner Contemporary Art.) How do people react? So far, I have not shown “Untitled, (Buffalo)” to anyone! My first reaction
was that it is so important I should donate it immediately to the National Gallery of Art or the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, but I calmed down and decided to keep it for a while to see how my feelings evolve, since living with a work always changes the way you see it. With Mia’s piece, it’s awe – that it can stay up, then smiles and fun!
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