Buy Weekly: Beaded Bodega
The latest from Rachel Berks, Gotham’s VP of Creative + Merchandising.
It’s not a mystery that most of us have lousy relationships to our phones and bad boundaries with social media. We spend a lot of our time yearning for likes, reshares and story views. A lot has been said about the toxic relationships we have through the thrill of the like, since it really is an addiction after all. As a gen X-er, I have refused to join TikTok, it is where I draw the line. I fear the holes I might plummet into, I am scared of not being able to look away. I worry about my brain turning to mush as I watch ASMR video after ASMR video.
My partner isn’t on social media and is maybe a little bit judgey about the fact that I am. I’ve long justified my relationship to my phone and Instagram as integral to my work, but I have personal guilt as well in the moments I endlessly scroll. But in truth, so much of my important work happens on social media. The deepest worm holes I’ve entered into have led me to some of my most important professional discoveries. I’ve followed insta breadcrumbs that lead from a fashion designer I know and love to a new jewelry designer I’ve never heard of. I dig deep into the visual vortex and end up discovering really exciting emerging talents who happen to pop into my feed.
Seeing Vi Nguyen’s (@beadedbodega) beaded junk food masterpieces late one night during a deep scroll, is truly a perfect example of this. I was immediately struck by Vi’s precise attention to detail in her sparkling creations. The visuals were all nostalgic and familiar: Lay’s Salt and Vinegar Chips, Funyuns and Andes Mints. There’s something so perfect in her handiwork, yet simultaneously off-kilter in their sense of folksiness.
When I first saw Vi’s work, I immediately sent a DM to Joanne Wilson, Gotham’s founder and CEO and she was as obsessed as I was. I noticed on @beadedbodega’s IG that “no artworks were for sale” and I nervously sent her a message. To my delight, she got back to me right away, and we planned a date for her first solo show ever at Gotham.
Curating art shows for Gotham has become a highlight of my work. I have been able to offer first solo shows to Stefanie Boyd-Berks (my lil sis!) and her intricate, embroidered paintings; Ella Emhoff (Kamala Harris’s stepdaughter) and her gorgeous knit artwork; and now Vi Nguyen and her beaded junk food works.
When I walked into Gotham for Beaded Bodega’s opening last night, I was absolutely thrilled to see the total transformation of The Mezz. Vi created the atmosphere of a modern bodega with her sparkling masterpieces as the focal point. The works are stunning, the details are precise: the sprinkles on a frosted strawberry Pop Tart; the spices on the Cool Ranch Doritos; the actual gummy bears mixed in with bright seed beads on the Haribo piece. I encourage everyone who is in NYC for the next month to come see the Beaded Bodega show. Even though I discovered these pieces on social media, the tactile, textural nature of them stuns and sparkles IRL. I believe Vi’s work is masterful folk art for a new generation.
Beaded Bodega will run through September 18th at Gotham’s Mezz gallery space. Take a closer look at more from Beaded Bodega here!