Thermophilia
Medusa's origin story, cheeky table settings, and hot sauce.
July 2023
In the immortal words of Nelly, “It’s getting hot in herre.” For those among us who accumulate sweat-staches in mere moments while waiting for the N train uptown (raises hand), the thick of summer can be a time spent feeling like a swamp witch and trying to beat the heat. But…what if we didn’t avoid it? What if we embraced nature’s reminder that we’re flesh and glands and appetites? What if we invited spice? Relished in our sticky thighs? Rode our more fiery emotions like the (surprisingly terrifying) Cyclone? At Neophilia we’re going hedonist for the month. “Can’t nobody stop the juice.” So sharpen your senses and get fresh with me.
Live Performance
Ballet X, Philadelphia
Can a ballet company have groupies? It can when it’s Ballet X. Their world premieres are surprising, irreverent, cheeky, heartbreaking, raw, elegant–in short, everything you long for from contemporary dance. There’s a refreshing authenticity to the way they approach their mission to “expand the vocabulary of classical dance for all audiences.” From the diversity of their dancers/choreographers to the non-uniformity of their ensembles’ physiques to their pitch perfect use of same gender and gender swapped partnering, Ballet X is a masterclass in how to carry our artistic traditions forward while adapting them to our modern values. While you can find Ballet X at parks and pop ups across the city, their home at the Wilma is the ideal intimate setting in which to be seduced by the company’s signature sensual style. The sonic tension present in the slow drag of a pointe shoe across the stage, the rhythmic inhales and exhales of dancers breathing in unison, the glimmer of perspiration highlighting (let’s just say it) beautifully sculpted muscles. What’s addictive about this ensemble is that they don’t make ballet look effortless, they let it be powerful. And it’s sexy as hell.
Follow them @balletx and head to their website to snag your tickets for their upcoming Summer Series running July 12th through the 23rd.
Page-turner
Women in the Picture: Women, Art, and the Power of Looking, Catherine McCormack
What’s hotter than a hot take? How about a whole feminist art history book full of them, written by a mother, curator, and educator at quaint little institutions called Sotheby’s and Oxford (perhaps you’ve heard of them)? I don’t mean to imply that this book is some stuffy academic soap boxing, or a kind of quippy extended twitter rant. In truth reading it feels more like watching your smartest and most charismatic friend hold court over a happy hour cocktail, nonchalantly schooling another friend’s heinous bro-y boyfriend about every un-articulated thing you know in your bones about being a woman but don’t have the research to back up. If it sounds deeply personal it’s because it is. McCormack scaffolds the book so deftly that by the time you journey from Venus, through Dead Damsels to Medusa’s origin story you’re fully primed to run away and become an Amazon. Or at least watch Practical Magic three consecutive times. This is a book I think of often, that has provided me with questions that have guided both my art-making and my art-teaching since reading it over a year ago. Not just a must-read but a please-read.
Order a copy for yourself, and one for your Dad/husband/teenage son. For extra credit, read while making midnight margaritas.
Culinary
Rowdy Rooster - East Village NYC
Think fast casual can’t feed your soul? Think again. At this tiny fried chicken joint you can treat your tastebuds to a big bang of Indian street food spices, a symphony of textures, and a parade of chutneys–all for the cost of a burrito plus guac you-know-where. So, who can we thank for this bright spot in our grab and go rotation? Unapologetic Foods, of course: the group of self proclaimed “rebels and outliers” dedicated to using their bevy of restaurants as a way to tell stories that expand the vocabulary of Indian cuisine. At my birthday dinner this year at their much awarded Dhamaka, we joked that if anyone muttered the phrase “tikka masala” a trap door would open under their chair. Chicken is the main event at Rowdy Rooster, however, and the most important decision is their choose-your-own-adventure spice level. With five stages of burn from Rascal to Rowdy, my (humbled) advice is to give yourself less credit than you think you deserve. You might be too white to go Rogue (like me), but you can still be a saucy and satiated lil Ruffian.
Any place that gives you a handful of moist towelettes with your food deserves a follow: @rowdyroosternyc. To round out your meal, don’t forget to grab a can of spiced Indian cola or yes, we’ll say it–a mango lassi. (No trap doors, I promise).
Artisan
Karla Sutra - Erotic tiles. Erotic Tableware. Paris
Whether you’re an emotional eater, an irrepressible foodie, an aphrodisiac aficionado, or all of the above, it’s undeniable that the act of filling our bellies does more for us than simply fuel our bodies. We all crave that sensuality and, according to Karla, we desperately need more of its influence. This creative manifesto led the artist to choose purposefully public mediums as her canvas to adorn with private parts. From tiled storefronts and fountains, to saucy ceramics collabs with restaurants, the influence of the Karla Sutra is spreading to cities across continents. Her style is loose and illustrative with a cobalt blue forward color palette and a deceptively straightforward application of pattern and mirror image so nuanced that you can find yourself halfway through your meal before you notice there’s a border of lemons and disembodied breasts circling your plate. It’s an anti-repression brand of French Girl Cool that’s so much more than just chic décontracté.
To upgrade your feed with some classy, yet NSFW content, follow @karla_sutra. You’ll also be the first to know about restocks in her Etsy shop, but sorry Americans–she no longer ships to the States!
Note-worthy
Lola Kirke - Lady for Sale
It was a day that none of my playlists were tickling my fancy and shuffle couldn’t be trusted to carry me through my commute. It was a longing for something that felt like a cool drink on a southern porch that led me, serendipitously, to an album that actor/musician Lola Kirke describes as all about longing. And it drinks like a spiked Arnold Palmer–a foundation of buxom, brash Americana shaken with tart-sweet magenta 80’s synth pop, topped with a little something naughty like a bartender’s wink. At just over a year old, this relatively new release strikes the balance all good unexpected fusions hope to achieve. It’s surprising, but not gimmicky. Nostalgic, but relevant. Tracks like Broken Families and No Secrets are melodic crooners made to be belted in a sticky-floored karaoke bar alongside classics by queens like Linda, Tammy, and Dolly. Meanwhile the self-deprecating bop If I Win skips effortlessly along with a driving percussion like the heartbeat of a top-down road trip through central California on a girls’ weekend. Think: Thelma and Louise without the cliff.
If you prefer your Americana straight up, go give New-Yorker turned Nashvillian Nellen Dryden a listen. Her buttery biscuit of a voice and dreamy songwriting are showcased particularly well on Elusive–a track that conjures fireflies (and feels).
Pastry
Lysée - A gallery of confections, Flatiron NYC
If a meticulous, minimalist m-o is your lust language, look no further than Lysée to start you salivating. Founder Eunji Lee infuses every element of her museum of edible art with a seamless mixture of her Korean heritage, French training, and appreciation of New York’s modernism and diversity. With signature patisserie, viennoiserie, and gateaux de voyage in their “collection” there’s something for every taste, occasion, and price point. Seasonal house-made hot and cold beverages round out the offerings, providing another canvas for Lee’s restrained and intentional flavor mixing. Precision and care resonate through the entire Lysée experience, whether upstairs selecting something to go from the gallery or indulging in the newly offered wine pairings while dining downstairs, but never at the expense of a lightness–a kid-in-a-candy-store joie de vivre. Nowhere is this more apparent than in their Teddy Bear Duo, a dark and milk chocolate pairing of madeleine’s with Honey I Blew Up the Teddy Grahams vibes. Don’t think I haven’t fantasized about biting off their little heads…
“It is my hope this special experience we’ve curated will bring you sweet happiness,” says Lee. For your daily dose, and to never miss the drop of a limited time menu item, follow them @lysee.nyc.
Community
Relative Arts NYC - Indigenous Futurism - Alphabet City NYC
“We’re so hot right now. That’s the big joke among all of us indigenous folks at the moment,” Liana Shewey, co-founder of Relative Arts, explains to me. The “joke” of course being the conundrum of culture becoming trendy and identity becoming marketable. But what Liana’s most proud of seems not to be starting a boutique retail business in a pandemic-era city where brick and mortars dropped like flies, or somehow doing that while simultaneously continuing their work as a kick-ass educator. She beams when talking about how the “youths have taken over” and sure enough, when I stopped by to browse a duo of college students were getting the run down from a third friend, who oozed a sense of ownership and connection to the space. It’s instantly clear that the shop is more than a place to pick up one of a kind indigenous-made cool shit (poetry zines, couture coats from a MET-featured designer, beaded Power Puff Girl earrings…). It’s an intergenerational neighborhood hub where the Indigenous community can come to not only relish in how hot they are right now, but where they can continue to envision, build, and share a future as subversive, exciting, and modern as the art they create.
The iconic I Heart NYC logo may be getting a controversial makeover, but that’s all the more reason to pick up Relative Arts’ version here. Then keep the love flowing by following them @relativeartsnyc.