Though the name might not sound familiar, you know Leo Fitzpatrick; he was Telly in Larry Clark’s 1995 film KIDS. More recently Fitzpatrick has been trying his hand at the art world, with a current exhibit at Terrence Koh’s New York gallery ASS (Asian Song Society). His show Fuck Friends isn’t about casual relationships, but rather a collaboration with his inner crowd of creative types who include Gang Gang Dance’s Lizzi Bougatsos, artists Rita Ackermann, Gardar Eide Einarsson, Andrew Kuo, Hanna Liden, Neckface, and Miami Art Basel darling Dash Snow.
ASS is inconspicuously located on the outskirts of Chinatown in a repurposed storefront with nothing but an awning bearing the title “Kunst” (the German word for art). Far from the stuffiness of an uptown gallery and without the business feel of Chelsea , it was the perfect setting for New York’s downtown art elite to meet and mingle with gallerinas, skate punks, design school kids, models, interns, and movie buffs — who all came out for a glimpse into the creative life of Fitzpatrick. While the main space boasts an impressive number of paper works and sculpture collaborations, downstairs is more intriguing: Visitors must creep down a rickety staircase to the basement of the gallery, where a makeshift theater has been set-up. The films shown are video interviews Fitzpatrick has acquired over the years with Shannon Sossamon, Dan Colon, and others.
You could argue the real stars of the opening were the stars themselves — we came within striking distance of Mary Kate Olsen, there with her artist boyfriend and a Fuck Friend collaborator Nate Lowman, and spotted Mickey Rourke, James Franco, Larry Clark, and artist Ryan McGinley among others. TMZ-style photos here.
Maybe it was because it was the first warm night of the spring, but there was something special about the evening. Maybe it was Fitzpatrick’s well-known charisma. (Even Fitzpatrick’s start in acting was serendipitous; spotted skateboarding in Washington Square Park in the early ’90s by Larry Clark, Fitzpatrick was asked to star in Kids.) Maybe it was the thrill of seeing a modern day Tom Sawyer cash in. As the curator of Fuck Friends, he has successfully pulled the viewer into his world, and shown that there’s a good reason for running around town with well-known artists. Reciprocity. Or in his own words: “I was just being lazy. I just wanted my friends to do all the work for me.”
See Fuck Friends at ASS through May 5th.