Art which is also a disco - an interview with the Alex, David, Ingrid and Larry

Art which is also a disco - an interview with the Alex, David, Ingrid and Larry

15 July, 2011
by: Tom Jeffreys

Putting the 'art' in party: Tom Jeffreys talks to the brains behind the brilliant Art which is also a disco...

It's the art world's worst kept secret – that almost all of the visitors to an exhibition come only to the private view. A slightly better kept one is that most of those visitors are there not so much for the art – although that can be a bonus – but for the party. But now, finally, for the first time ever, a host of East London's finest are combining the two, by putting the 'art' in party, quite literally, in the form of the second instalment of the brilliantly named Art which is also a disco.

Subtitled rather aptly, "a disco, which is also art", the night at Villain Bar (upstairs from East Village) takes place on Wednesday 20th July, and is hopefully the start of a monthly series at the recently opened Shoreditch venue. Put together by the dog-loving art controversialists from the semi-legendary Decima Gallery, the whole concept, they tell me over a few drinks at The Hare in Bethnal Green, represents a kind of culmination of all their years in the art world.

“When we first had a gallery,” explains Alex Chappel, “we were quite conventional.” Those aware of Decima's shows – including Was Jesus a Homosexual and Fuckart & Pimp – may question the idea that Decima have ever been conventional, but what Alex means is in terms of structure. “We held exhibitions but nobody came apart from to the private view, so for the last gallery [in Hackney Wick] we only held private views. And now of course we don't even have a gallery so it's just the party, and not even at an art gallery.”

This focus on the importance of the private view clearly appeals to Ingrid Z, who runs the brilliant Residence Gallery in Victoria Park and is also DJing at Art which is also a disco: “I once did a show where there was no art. There was no actual art on the walls or anything. I just invited a load of people, but only put five or six of my closest friends on the guestlist. So when everyone turned up they had to wait outside, seeing us having a great time inside, but they weren't allowed in.”



These days, private views at the Residence are always great events in their own right, with a real party vibe, and Ingrid complements this fun-loving attitude with a belief in the inter-relationship between art and music. Patrick Wolf is a great friend of hers and a frequent figure at Residence openings, whilst her current show consists of an exhibition of ambiguously symbolic felt banners by singer-songwriter Joel Gibb. “There's always a soundtrack to what we do,” Ingrid explains.

This cross-over between music and art reaches its apex at Art which is also a disco. Some of the great works of art from the past two thousand years are being projected onto multiple monitors throughout the venue, paired with specific songs that relate to them in more or less ironic fashion. “This is a world first,” claims art historian, painter and Decima co-founder, Larry McGinity. “Of that I have no doubt.” Larry then gives a sneak preview of what we can expect: Sam Sparro's 'Black and Gold' to play alongside Gustav Klimt paintings of the same colours; Tina Charles' 'Dance Little Lady Dance' paired with the paintings of Fra Angelico; and, amusingly for art types, works by Gilbert and George and the YBAs to the soundtrack of Viola Wills' 'Gonna Get Along Without You Now'...



Other highlights include performances from Elle Revel, Luci Lu, Ashley Bailey, Alex Fear, performance poet Stephen Micalef, and Callum F Kerr pretending to be a drug-dealer, as well as a room containing a kind of Decima press archive, curated by Decima co-founder David C West. This will include media coverage of some of Decima's strangest projects, including ITV Central footage of Alex as a soap opera addict and David as his therapist. “It's quite topical with the News of the World closing,” David points out, “because most of it was just made up for the tabloids!”

The whole thing may be read as a reaction to a perceived lethargy in the contemporary art world. “The London art scene is quiet, it's dead,” says Larry. And Alex agrees:  “We've all just got tired of traditional performance art. It's usually stuff that you're demanded to look at – navel-gazing from an artist who doesn't really care about the audience.” But with Art which is also a disco, as Ingrid points out: “now you can star in the show alongside the artist. The whole thing is one big installation.”

The emphasis then is on both great music – “we just want to see everyone dancing,” says Larry – and great art: “People that hate art can have fun,” explains Alex, “and people that hate disco but like art can have fun too.”

“It might be possible,” Larry enthuses, “for people who really know and love their art to see out of the corner of their eye a painting flashed on a monitor or screen a painting that they see in an entirely new way. And that's worth it all for me.” And even if that doesn't happen, at least there'll have been a bloody good party.

Art which is also a disco is at Villain Bar on Wednesday 20th July, from 8pm to 2am. Oh and it's free!

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Tom Jeffreys