What could be better than a cookie? Not much, right? Well, to my lesbian friends and my more outrageous gay brothers I offer you this:
The Palm Springs Fine Art Fair begins next week and it aims to enchant fairgoers on its Valentine’s opening night preview with an art installation inspired by the work of Pop Art pioneer Mel Ramos.
According to the show’s organizers regional artist Lisa Provenza-Bebar (in conjunction with Cathedral City based Share Kitchen) has envisioned Cookie, Be My Valentine as part sculpture, part performance and 100 percent edible. The installation features a six foot diameter vanilla sugar cookie on an easel, emblazoned with a replica of Ramos’ 2012 porcelain painting Cookie, rendered in edible icing upon a layer of smooth fondant. A live model in a seductive frosting costume – reminiscent of Ramos’ prototypical pinup painting subjects – will ascend a ladder nine feet to break off cookie pieces to serve and delight passersby.
How’s that for a cookie!
Leisa Austin, owner of Imago Galleries, who represents Ramos’ work, comments, “What better way to celebrate the feast of St. Valentine than for an art-hungry crowd to devour a life-size rendition of a work titled Cookie by famed Pop icon Mel Ramos – recreated in a medium none other than cookie dough? I can’t think of a more unique fashion to kick-off an art fair. But then again, Palm Springs is a special place.”
Rick Friedman, president of the Hamptons Expo Group, the fair’s owner, playfully muses on this unparalleled art fair experience, “We’re making history, combining the clever sexual innuendos of Ramos’ work with Valentine’s Day opening excitement for a truly interactive audience experience.”
The installation punctuates an entire slate of visual treats gracing the Valentine’s Day opening preview party, including a featured exhibition of work by Ramos, an installation by artist Shana Mabari, and a life-like 1950s café installation by artist Rachel Lee Hovnanian in which waitresses serve up mud pies and chit chat with guests. The first 500 attendees will receive a rose in recognition of the holiday date.
So, why not take your honey on a romantic road trip out to the desert this Valentine’s Day and look at and then nibble on some art. What could be sweeter?
Enjoy free day passes for the Palm Springs Fine Art Fair courtesy of San Diego LGBT Weekly
