Olan Montogmery's Mom & POP comes to Soho

From left to right: Sage Salzer, Kenny Kenny, Olan Montgomery, Gazelle, and a party-goer

The opening of the month-long “Mom & POP” exhibit at Soho’s Ward-Nasse Gallery -- featuring works from pop artist Olan Montgomery’s new book POP: Art inspired by New York’s own subcultures from celebrity to subway -- was a mob of art fags and scene queens, many of whom have been the subjects of this downtown painter’s oeuvres.

Montgomery gained notoriety for his photograph commemorating the closing of the iconic Meatpacking district restaurant Florent. “That was a real pig’s head we used!” said Gazelle, the drag artist from the photo.

“That looks like me!” squealed former club kid and nightlife queen Kenny Kenny, referring to the “Prima Ballerina” shot in Montgomery’s coffeetable-topper. Inspired by photographs, the artist paints other big celebs like Alan Cumming, Jack Nicholson and Rufus Wainwright, but also local dignitaries like Amanda LePore, Richie Rich, and Kevin Aviance, who made an appearance donning earrings bigger than my head.

“He’s so humble, people don’t know how big a deal he is,” exclaimed Sage Salzer, the plus size model who added “Courtney Love has one of his paintings, apparently she hunted him down and was like ‘I love this shit!’” Also making an appearance was Paul Alexander of The Ones, who let me know that the group’s latest album drops sometime in November and will include collaborations with Nomi Ruiz of Hercules and Love Affair as well as Byron Stingily of Ten City.

While most sampled heavily from the buffet (coconut shrimp is the summer rage-of-the-moment), Village Voice columnist Michael Musto left a half-eaten pretzel on a pedestal -- “It’s as hard as a rock,” he said. The writer has a portrait of himself by Montgomery hanging in his living room, he informed me. “These are the artists of our times,” said Montgomery of his subjects, reveling in the friendly and hip downtown crowd that came to celebrate his body of work, bound and headed for coffee tables starting August 18.

-- JOSEPH ALEXIOU

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I was great to see you with my "GIRL" real name Side Show, at Ward-Nasse in Time Out magazine, September 3rd issue.
Jo Owens Murray