Avenue Insider Alexander Hankin on the fashion, fun and (wild-style) art in Hudson Yards.
The annual Shed Gala—an unforgettable night filled with art and excitement (and a noble cause to raise funds for the Shed in Hudson Yards) is a major event on my (jam-packed) social calendar. I don a red Bode jacket and my date Polina Proshkina stuns in a black David Koma dress, accessorized with an Elsa Peretti Tiffany necklace.
The dinner unfolds on the top floor of the Shed, where an eclectic mix of tables and cozy couches create a carnival atmosphere. I reconnect with friends like David Rosengarten and Sarah Hoover. Paul Arnold sports a Tom Ford blazer, and Lauren Santo Domingo wears a dress by The Row. Also in the crowd: artist Nate Lowman, Leelee Sobieski, Jonathan and Lizzie Tisch, Colby Mugrabi, Souleo and Beau McCall, to name a few.
Kenneth Branagh, currently portraying King Lear at the Shed, treats us to a performance. “It’s an eternal struggle for art to be understood or accepted or experienced in the world as something real, necessary, and of value,” Branagh declares, highlighting the Shed’s pivotal role in this cultural journey. The energy soars when R&B chanteuse Miss Boogie graces the stage for two songs and then sashays though the crowd, getting everyone on their feet.
But the real magic of the evening begins the moment I step into “Luna Luna: Forgotten Fantasy.” I race from the dinner, eager to immerse myself in the spectacular show, born from the visionary artist André Heller. Luna Luna originally debuted in 1987 in Hamburg, Germany, as a mesmerizing artist-created fairground. The park’s treasures had laid dormant in storage bins in a Texas desert for 36 years, before being unearthed and painstakingly rebuilt and refurbished in Los Angeles.
Walking through the whimsical fair is like stepping into a dream—a visual feast featuring a Jean-Michel Basquiat Ferris Wheel, Kenny Scharf’s playful swings, and the crown jewel: a Keith Haring merry-go-round. Adding to the Pop Art spectacle are trippy costumed clowns and puppet creatures, all choreographed to the music of Philip Glass. I cannot recommend this exhibit enough—it’s a truly mind-blowing experience that transports you to another world. – ALEXANDER HANKIN
