Club Bar at Below Grand
Curated by Marissa Graziano
53 Orchard St., NYC
After a very long Saturday navigating Frieze, then the Independent art fair, I remembered that Below Grand had an opening for a show called “Club Bar,” curated by Marissa Graziano. Since it wasn’t far away from the Independent art fair, a friend and I hopped in an Uber, eager to see what the show was about and to relax a bit after a long day saturated with art and exhausted legs.
I have been to Below Grand many times and was amazed by the dedication, physical labor, and complete transformation of the space into “Club Bar.” Upon entering, I was transported into an immersive artistic expression that mixes performance, painting, video, and sculpture into a story completed by the guests themselves. Right as you walk into Club Bar, there is a pool table with its own party going on. Guests were laughing, looking at the artwork, and actively participating in a pool game that looked pretty fun. With free beer and hot dogs flowing, the highlight of the room was trying to figure out what was artwork and what wasn’t—keeping the viewer guessing and questioning the very nature of contemporary art, including the rug itself, which had its own presence and kept the noisy vibrations to a minimum.
The most fun and interesting part of “Club Bar” was the white roulette table in the back, cleverly dealt by artist Sam Guy. During his opening night shift/performance, I watched a well-known writer bet it all with his last few chips; he actually hit his number and won big, bringing a massive surge of excitement to the game and feeding the exact energy needed to make the show a blast. After seeing that, I jumped in with the $25 entry fee and started playing. The concept is unique: guests gamble to win tickets for an art raffle. As a gambling man, I was completely in.
By the end of the night, I was full of hot dogs and beer, and maybe a few dollars short, but I left with a big smile—the perfect end to a long day. The show and raffle feature works by Alexis Akua, Thomas Bohm Jr., Alex Cassetti, Angela Dufresne, Carolyn Forrester, Dan Gausman, Samuel Guy, Lizzy Lunday, Julian MacMillan, Andy Marlowe, Blake O’Brien, Mack Sikora, Scott Vanderveen, Camilla Villa Zertuche, Andrew Woolbright, B. Wurtz, and more. Wish me luck, Papa needs a new painting.
Club Bar
$25 suggested donation = 5 plays and 5 raffle tkts
Individually: $5/play and $5/raffle tkt
All transactions thru Zelle and Venmo
Pool = 1 play
1 rack, 15 min max
Maze = 1 play
unlimited tries for 5 min
Roulette = 1 play
The dealer will give you 25 chips/ play
Cash out anytime for raffle tkts
25 chips = 1 raffle tkt, 50 chips = 2 raffle tkts …
Open bar until 7:30 pm
Cash bar 7:30 — close
$5 beer, $5 seltzer, $5 hotdogs
Every eligible work will have a number next to it
Raffle tkts should include a name, email/phone, and the associated
number of the piece they’re pining for
*RAFFLE STAYS OPEN FOR DURATION OF SHOW*
Winners announced via IG live at 6 pm on July 20