The Other Pop
...On the Lower East Side, an exhibition of works by Desi Santiago titled “This Pop Is Perfection” inaugurates a new gallery space operated by Envoy Enterprises. On the opening night of the show, Santiago warmly welcomed visitors. I was curious about meeting an artist with a unique history of using his own body and persona as a mode of creative expression. But his days as the Club Kid and BOOB band member Desi Monster have given way to work as an artist and designer known for jarring installations and set pieces. Upon entering the gallery, black cubes called “Workboxes” beckoned the visitor to peer into peepholes revealing arrays of blinking lights and complex mechanical constructs. The smallness of these boxes can be contrasted with the massive neon pentagram that dominates the rest of the space. On opening night, fellow veterans of yesteryear’s Clubland joined Santiago, including Walt Cassidy (formerly Waltpaper), Ernie Garcia (formerly Ernie Glam), and Astro Erle, who emerged from the gallery joking that it was a “Disco 2000 reunion.” Whether or not it was intentional, Erle’s remark about the famous Michael Alig-Peter Gatien party alluded to the pentagram’s hue and the lime light it radiated throughout the space....
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