Photos yesterday by Steven
Twenty-five artists set to participate in a group show this past Friday night arrived to find the East Village venue papered up and their art locked inside.
The four-day event was to take place at the East Village Art Collection (EVAC) at 215 First Ave. between 12th Street and 13th Street. The artists reportedly have said they have yet to receive any notice from the gallery. Attendees who bought tickets for the event received notices and refunds from Eventbrite minutes before the start of the show, per comments on EVAC's Instagram account.
Here's what some of the artists had to say to PIX 11, who first reported on the gallery ghosting:
"We came here with a purpose to get our work out there and to make something of ourselves, and they took advantage of that and they stole from us,” said Charlotte Art, a Flint, Michigan-based artist. "I had a lot riding on this. And I'm a mother of four. 'How dare you' is what I have to say."
"We got a notification one minute before 7 p.m., and the event was at 7:30 last Friday," said Melissa Driscol, whose brother-in-law’s art was part of the exhibit. “Not an email, not a phone call, not a text, just to tell the artists, 'Hey, this event isn’t happening."
"We've been calling and Instagramming and emailing and phone numbers have been disconnected," said Christine Ditolvo, whose friend from Vermont had art in the exhibit. "It's really sketchy."The EVAC Instagram account described the event like this:
The Immersive Art Experience is a 360ยบ, digital, physical, and musical art exhibition in NYC with East Village Party Vibes.THE EVAC invites you to step foot into the expansive universe of art to be surrounded by paintings, canvases, holograms, photography, fractals, and sculptures.Live Music and drinks for this special night.You as the guest will be able to connect and experience art on a different level like never before. The East Village Art Collection is unlike any gallery in the world. We focus on quality and unique art experiences. We are the opposite of boring. Art is everywhere!VIP doors open at 7:30 PM VIP entitles you to a private viewing prior to doors opening to the general admission. Upon your entry, you will be greeted with a cocktail of your choice, where you will be able to interact with the artists in a more intimate setting. You will also have access to the downstairs VIP lounge area with a couch.
After the weekend, a sign arrived on the EVAC's front door noting, "Due to an unforeseen medical emergency, the gallery is closed at this time."
The small print reads, "all artwork will be returned as soon as possible."
Per the artist in the comment:
So now they have our art. Paintings and photographs ranging from $5,000-$10,000 each in value. The gallery's phone goes to a voice mail, and their personal cells have been disconnected. No one knows why. Did they go out of business? Did they have an emergency? Or are they just scum bags? All I know is there were lots of broken hearts and dreams last night mixed with embarrassment. We all had invited peers, friends, and art collectors to this event to see a mess of us just standing on the sidewalks, looking at each in disbelief.
The EVAC website features a ticker with daily cryptocurrency prices by market cap. It states that it is "dedicated to providing a quality gallery space for artists of all mediums while merging physical art with the rapidly growing digital world."
The venue debuted in April 2021 under the guidance of Steve Hirsch, whose LinkedIn profile described him as EVAC's director of operations, having a 25-plus-year career in apparel design and merchandising and being "an industry innovator."
East Village artist and entrepreneur P.J. O'Rourke, with the help of Hirsch, had established his FlyeLyfe brand at this space. However, as we reported, O'Rourke found himself locked out of the space after one day in business, with the venue pivoting to the EVAC.
O'Rourke told EVG contributor Stacie Joy: "I went back to get my stuff ... Not only had they locked me out, but my belongings were also inside, and my partner told me it was his. They papered up the entire store, and a couple of weeks later, they are trying a fly-by-the-seat art gallery while leaving my livelihood at stake."
Hirsch would not comment on this sequence of events, stating at the time, "Mr. O'Rourke's statements are not facts."
As for the canceled show this past weekend, the artists told PIX 11 that "they are now out thousands of dollars for their artwork and travel expenses, as well as a $500 submission fee."
"We just want the art back," Driscol told the station.
21 comments:
Actual art galleries never charge admission fees to show your work. Giant red flag.
Used to happen back in the day in soho, collect money from desperate artists and skip town.
"Immersive Art Experience" just another bad marketing trend like the NFT. Prices beginning at $5000 is another bad sign.
This is so sad, scams are all over the place.
Calling this place an art gallery is a stretch. You've got a bitcoin ticker in the window.... sketchy is as sketchy does. Sorry for the artists, but I fully expect they'll get their art back.
How can people do this? and actually have any sort of conscious is beyond me. Lets hope these artists get their art back ASAP
This place always screams sketch to me.
Sounds like an average craigslist scam. Especially with all the out of towners involved. Im surprised that they were selling tickets though. Really testing the gullibility waters with that.
Any "art" exhibit that sells tickets, like the Banksy show on Bowery recently is a profit making enterprise for a cadre of collectors who certainly do not give back to artists, the family of a dead artist or, like this, an outright scam. PSA: Museums sell tickets so that is something to think about. Go to museums during free hours, get tickets free through your local library and Culture Pass https://www.culturepass.nyc/ and then there is that law that some NY museums cannot charge admission to residents, like the Met. https://www.nyc.gov/html/dcla/downloads/pdf/Website%20-%20Venues%20with%20Free%20or%20Suggested%20Admission%20August%202014.pdf
Vandals deserve vandalism - or a call to the landlord, at least.
Seems like an arrest warrant might be in order, b/c this certainly appears to be a form of pre-meditated fraud. Let's be clear: anyone with a genuine "last minute medical emergency" would NOT ghost others the way these losers are ghosting the artists.
In any case, Steve Hirsch's name is mud now.
At the very least, someone in "charge" (that would be you, STEVE HIRSCH) needs to show up at this location, open the doors, hand the art back to the artists, and also hand each artist a MINIMUM $500 in cash as well.
And IMO, after that, all the fuckers who are involved in this scam should be arrested and held without bail on Rikers.
PS to artists: Don't EVER pay to be in a "show" - that's not how it works. Seriously.
Wow, they were sending me messages to apply to be in shows. The names of these people need to be made public knowledge to stop their activities.
Steve Hirsch and who else?
Very sad so many artists and, I guess from the sound of it, ticket buyers, were scammed. Most reputable "art shows" and gallery programs do not charge artists a submission fee, nor do they charge guests for admission to gallery openings or showings. Those are red flags. As are people with little or no art experience who say they are developing bitcoin or NFT "art businesses." There are bad actors out there, so people should beware.
Artists are generally a trusting group who have little knowledge concerning the sleaze who continually make promises about promoting their work.
I lived around the corner on 13th. I remember when they opened. Would walk past all the time and I got a sketchy vibe from them, didn’t seem like an art space, more like a business. The ticker in the window was weird. They also would leave their door open and their dog inside unleashed- and their dog was aggressive to mine when we would walk by. So I asked them please don’t do that nicely and the person I talked to repeatedly lied straight to my face - saying their dog was never off leash. Didn’t like them. Sucks that they ripped off so many artists. I hope they get it resolved!
100%. As someone who works in the art world it becomes clearer and clearer what the actual art market is versus this fluff
I had an email from EVAC which felt like a scam, I’m sorry for those who got caught up in this when all they wanted to do was gain exposure and share their work. I hope you all get your work and money back.
Another reason to be very, very untrusting of bitcoin, NFT's and anyone claiming they are going to make you money that way.
How many times do people have to be fleeced before it sinks in that bitcoin is bullshit?
Me too, in 14th Street. DEFINITELY sketchy - they looked like a fly by night from the get-go. The quality of work in there too for the most part incredibly amateurish. I'm an artist and they invited me to show there. I asked them, where did you see my work? Of course, I got crickets!
The whole of the art world is a scam for artists!!!
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