New York Shitty Day Ender: Hell, No!

Some of you might recall that my buddy (and cat woman extraordinaire), Lisa, tipped me off to the Hell, No! show at St. Cecilia’s Convent. Today I swung by to check it out. I honestly do not know what to say.

Well, actually I do. But speaking as someone who has five figures of student loan debt for a MFA in Sculpture— and in all fairness I did receive an excellent education, albeit whilst bearing witness to some of the best worst Sophistry bullshit I have ever had the misfortune to encounter— I’ll spare you the in-depth academic analysis. Or to put it more accurately: I want to be paid for it. Handsomely. In the meantime the following bullet points and slide show will have to suffice:

• Was it worth my time? ABSOLUTELY.
• Would I recommend this to my friends? Hell, Yes!
• Should people who espouse more traditional religious and/or gender roles see this show? Hell, No!
• What I particularly liked was how the art work dovetailed with its surroundings. I will readily admit I like neither galleries nor museums. Most of the previous have the feel of the New York City Museum of Natural History:  a mausoleum filled with taxidermy and artifacts for delectation by the living.
• Hell, No! has to be experienced firsthand to be appreciated. The interactive nature of the exhibit is, in my opinion, one of its strongest points. I thoroughly enjoyed being left at my own leisure to explore each nook and cranny for new discoveries. This is what art— especially public art— should be about!
• The odd references/homages to historic works of art were charming, not cloying. This is especially true of the shopping basket homage to Constantin Brancusi by Christian Dietkus.
• I lay the odds of this being picked up by the mainstream media as a source of outrage (e.g.; an affront to traditional family values and/or blasphemy) at 9:1 in favor. Not that the “objectionable content” of this show bothered me in any way. It didn’t. I rather enjoyed it.
  

Without further ado here is a slide show (with video clips!) of highlights from my visit to Hell. Enjoy!

HELL, NO!
April 30 – May 9, 2010
HOURS: Friday, April 30, 2010, 7-11 p.m.; May 1, 12-8 p.m., May 2, 12-6 p.m., Friday, May 7, 2010 7-11 p.m., May 8, 12-8 p.m., May 9, 12-6 p.m.
The Convent of Saint Cecilia
21 Monitor Street
Brooklyn, New York 11222

I have been told they will be having an evening of performances next Friday, May 7 starting at 7:00 p.m. Among the offerings are:

• Michael Mahalchick, fresh off his sold out run at the kitchen!
• RJ Supa – ongoing – “The Ironman”
• Fetchin’ Gretchen – performance installation on the third floor, 7:30-9:30
• Victoria Keddie, in an epic battle of Life and Death with Mikael Tarkela
• Hank Shedd on the third floor
• Jaeeun Lee in the basement
• Jeremiah Lockwood in the chapel at 10PM
  and some “surprises”

Check out David Louis Fierman’s web site for more details. Otherwise you can read the press release for Hell, No! by clicking here.

Miss Heather