Monday evening, a former meat market on the Lower East Side was pumped full of ’80s tracks and smoky incense, moodily lit to the rafters and punctuated only by rectangles of light centered on the goods for sale. This was no boutique opening or perfume launch, however. Instead, the goods were sixteen mixed media canvases by up-and-coming artist Nicolas Pol, who describes his motif as “emotionally moving music for a silent film.” Combining elements of street art, abstraction, and sketch cartooning, and with a visual energy akin to that of Basquiat, Pol is being promoted as the next big thing on the contemporary art scene. Follow along as we break down what it takes to orchestrate the buzz.
