MAY 2004

Nails, Nails, Nails curated by Trong G. Nguyen

For three nights in May, come have your nails painted for free at Broadway Spa in a painting performance that will take artists out of their studios and into the world of the nail technician. Be prepared to offer up those tips as blank canvases to these creative darlings, who will surely deliver some memorable manicures. Artistic license is the order of the evening, with no rules. So be forewarned. First come first serve.

The custom of adorning nails with color dates back seven thousand years to the Egyptians, who painted the nails and hair of their deceased with henna before mummification. In ancient China, the color of nail polish was also an indication of social class. Royalty in the Chou Dynasty (600 B.C.) preferred silver and gold. Subsequent royals could usually be seen with bold black and red, while paler colors were associated with the working class. During the rule of Cleopatra in Alexandria, anyone caught wearing the Pharaoh’s favorite sienna hue was executed.

The art of polishing nails has continued to develop with its own trends, from the popular “Gatsby” manicure favored by silver screen celebrities in the 1930’s, to Rita Hayworth’s fully colored long red nails in the 1940s, to the Californian invention of the French manicure in 1975. Today, trade organizations and publications devoted strictly to the profession of the nail technician abound, offering everything from the latest industry techniques to sponsoring World Championship competitions.

Artists in the “art world” have produced everything from minimalism to action painting. In this temporal performance, Nails, Nails, Nails emphasizes the sidestepping, crossover nature with which art uses to conduct its fluid movement from one creative arena to the next. The participating artists are all accomplished painters and draftspersons who will bring their distinguished brand to this fun, levity-filled, conceptually heuristic event.

Schedule:

May 12-- Secretly Canadian Night (Wednesday, 8-11pm)
East coast? West coast? Forget about the flanks. Bring in the Canadians! Northern painters include Elaine Bowen, Tania Lewis, Jackson McDade, Jillian McDonald, Dan Rushton, Ehren Seeland, Sheri Shepperd, Sara Stracey, and Cindy Yip. With DJ A. Frog.

May 21-- Time Stereo Night (Friday, 8-11pm)
Time Stereo is a record label in Livonia, Michigan, comprising bands such as His Name is Alive, Godzuki, Princess Dragon Mom, and Ida. Painters will include Davin Brainard, Ronald Cornelissen, Warn Defever, Jamie Easter, Dion Fischer, Sarah Lapinski, Ida Pearle, and Hitoko Sakai. Live music performance by Electric Bear and His Name Is Alive.

May 26-- New York City Night (Wednesday, 8-11pm)
The hometown gang, including Sebastiaan Bremer, Katya Casio, Jennifer Coates, Rodney Dickson, Chitra Ganesh, Ryan Hixenbaugh, Elana Rubinfeld, Cory Stafford, Heather Troy, and Edwina White. Spins by The Well-Mannered Pillager.

Special thanks to Fabian Azoulay and Julian Attia at Broadway Spa, Frederique Beccari, Davin Brainard, Lorna Donohoe, Cindy Morales at Hpnotiq, Anne Rokahr for Red PR and Creative Nail Design, Elana Rubinfeld, and Cynthia Weisberg.

Event is free to the public, though "pay-what-you-wish" donations are accepted and appreciated. A portion of the proceeds will go to War Child.

For more information, please contact Trong G. Nguyen at 718-797-1645, or e-mail trong@cameandwent.com.

IMAGE ABOVE: Fritz Chesnut, Summer of Love (2002).