The curators assembled more than 300 objects under this hopeful, if scattered, rubric. They clearly have not embraced the anti-DEI backlash that's so au courant in much of the rest of the America. Many of the works, including the "Soundsuit" (2011) by Nick Cave(right) were created by people of color, women and gay men. The docent instructed us not to step on Lita Albuquerque's "White Pigment Rock Removal" (1978) as if we were in elementary school.
The Bunker eschews wall labels, encouraging visitors to reach their own conclusions about the art. I don't consult the printed brochures which identify the works until after I've taken them in. I never would have guessed John Ahearn created this monochromatic sculpture
"Open House #2" (1999)
. . . or that this colorful wall hanging was by Faith Ringgold even though I've seen fairly comprehensive retrospectives of both artists' works.
"Feminist Series: Of My Two Handicaps #10 of 20" (1972)
Kyle DeWoody and Zoe Lukov, the daughter and goddaughter of the collection's owner, remind viewers that the name of the exhibit harkens back to the early days human flight, when safe landings weren't always assured.
This pendant looked as if it belonged in the recent hip hop jewelry exhibit at the American Museum of Natural History.
"Ode to the CMB (Cash Money Brothers) by Hank Willis Thomas (partial, 2006)
Unidentified
One of the oldest works on view is also one of the most striking. The German-born artist eventually settled in California where she wrote The vibration of this light, the spaciousness of these skies enthralled me. I knew there was a spirit in nature as in everything else, but here in the desert it was an especially bright spirit.
After the success of Anora(hooray!) and the shout-outs sex workers got from this year's Best Actress and Best Director Oscar-winners in their acceptance speeches, it was very cool to see their work represented in the Bunker, too. This provocative installation by Catalina Ouyang dates back to just before the beginning of the "Me Too" movement and the first election of you-know-who, despite his recorded misogyny.
"Devotion" (2016)
A victimized schoolgirl rends a garment
. . . while staring at a series of selfies from the ex-lover who raped her. I still can't get "Devotion" out of my mind. It's almost the art world equivalent of a Blumhouse production.
Snakes
This playlist satisfied more perhaps because it's so shudder-specific for most people. Has there ever been a more effective Hollywood elevator pitch for a horror film than Snakes on a Plane? Well, maybe Psycho!
Medusa, my favorite mythological figure, figures in several compelling works, including one which alludes to the murder of Gianni Versace by a gay serial killer.
"The Severed Head of Medusa" by Damien Hirst (2015)
With Mar a Lago just two miles away, it's tempting to think Jenny Holzer, one of America's most political artists, foreshadowed today's chaos by choosing the hair color of our current monarch for her anti-snake screed. The appearance of the serpent signifies all is lost. He is a symbol of our failure and our fate.
"Black Book Posters AKA Inflammatory Essays" (1988)
"Modernist Design & Garden Snakes Who Love It" by Patte Loper (2004)
As much as I enjoy visiting the Bunker, I'm sometimes confused by the display of works (often in the bathroom) without identification of any kind. Gay knowledge proved helpful in several cases. This joyful water color captures the Stonewall trailblazer a lot better than the mosaic water fountain in the Pines!
I'm pretty sure this is a film still featuring Cliff Gorman from The Boys in the Band. Although straight, he played the queeny (and hilarious) Emory with perfect pathos. Gorman also proved to be a mensch IRL; he and his wife cared for one of his cast mates while AIDS ravaged the gay heartthrob.
Huh? Not that there's anything wrong with art that produces this kind of response. Love the Twister-style carpet.
"Licked, Sucked, Stacked, Stuck: A Confectionary History of Contemporary Sculpture" by Paul Shore & Nicole Root (2010)
Unfortunately, I didn't record the name of the sculptor who inspired this crazy homage.
Sixties
Let me say just this about a playlist I anticipated loving: much of the mostly abstract art exhibited would have been a lot more appealing printed on fabric worn by models or Hullabaloo dancers than painted on canvas.
This playlist hit the sweet spot with a variety of interesting takes on an increasingly prevalent aspect of modern life now that everyone is equipped with a camera phone. Ryan Murphy definitely should devote a season of American Crime Story to Patty Hearst. While working as a publicist for Crown Publishers early in my career, I met her ex-fiancé, Steven Weed, a math teacher who was about to cash in on the relationship he had with his former prep school student by writing a tell-all book, My Search for Patty Hearst. Men can be gold diggers, too. Who could predict that John Waters (whose rubber snake "Slimy JW" [2006] is also on view) would cast Hearst in a couple of his films after she served two years in federal prison, before being pardoned by President Jimmy Carter and marrying her bodyguard?!
"Patricia Hearst: A Thru Z" by Dennis Adams (1979-90)
Something about this strange painting (is the man missing his legs?) by Lucky Debellevue delivered a subliminal charge. Turns out the New Orleans-born artist was pals with one of Rainer Werner Fassbinder's lovers, which explains the title reference. Gaydar works on art, too! And no, Franco Nero--one of my earliest crushes--is not paraplegic--he might even have a third leg! Only Vanessa knows for sure.
Given the fetish value of Erwin Wurmk's oversize "New York Police Cap" (2010), it provided a loaded back drop for posing housemates. Does the cork pattern on the floor allude to sound-proof rooms?
The phrase behind me on the blackboard in "Two Way Mirror" by Jim Hodges (2006) is missing from my vocab. Notice the tiny surveillance cameras embedded in the wallpaper. Kudos to the exhibition designer.
"From the Series: The Pleasure Is Back" by Gretchen Bender (partial, 1982)
This video includes works by Ted Riederer ("The Cosmos Record, " 2020); Sanford Biggers ("Mandala Co-Option," 2001); and Jimmy Raskin ("God Car," 2023) from both A Wing and a Prayer and Surveillance.
The Library
Signs ask you not to touch the books at the Butler but you're welcome to peruse the relevant knick knacks cleverly arranged on the shelves.
Andy Warhol dish towels!
This cartoon about the owner of the Bunker's art collection (caption: I would like to conclude my Powerpoint presentation by summing up the gallery's entire business plan in one easy-to-remember phrase.) reminds me of a corollary joke: What does a 500 pound parrot say? Polly wants a cracker. NOW!
No seating is provided inside the Bunker.
We had a couple of hours to kill before our early-bird dinner reservation so we crashed the pool at the Colony Hotel. It took only a single "Monkey Business" cocktail--it's also the name of a yacht that brought down a presidential candidate, when extramarital affairs mattered to voters-- to vanquish my feelings of imposter syndrome.
An 80something chainsaw groupie appeared to catching up on his homework. "How is it?" I inquired, disingenuously, when he shuffled past our table. "It's really helping me understand how he has accomplished so much in so little time," the man replied, sincerely.
Gays may no longer be encouraged to flock to the Colony on Thursday evenings but during the afternoon it welcomes weirdos with open arms. Like Cher in Clueless, this gentleman did a couple of laps around the pool before committing to the only location that also could accommodate his rambunctious pooch.
Christine treated us to dinner at Oceano, the finest restaurant in Lake Worth Beach.
I was skeptical of the beef tartare toast until I tasted it. Those white buttons are difficult-to-cultivate Hon shimeji mushrooms.
The chef imported an oven from Modena to bake this superb finocchiona pizza with fennel-flavored sausage.
But nothing, NOTHING could compare to this lemon bar with strawberry sorbet, crowned with a melt-in-your-mouth sweet biscuit! The husband and wife team who own the place--she's the pastry chef--have managed to increase the size of their restaurant exponentially without sacrificing quality.
Leave it to Thom. "This is what I thought retirement would be like EVERY day," he commented. Thanks again, Christine!
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