You always have been part of the American Underground. Do you feel a real “wind of change” since Obama’s election?
The underground always experiments before everybody else with the things that the whole society discovers later on. For me, there is no real change. I heard that now, in every dinner in town, there is a black person at the table…
What things do you find in New York that Paris doesn’t have?
A real melting pot. All the artists and beautiful girls come in New York to blossom or learn about themselves. It’s a city where people imagine their brand new worlds, and allow themselves to do some crazy things they won’t do in their own country. There is more freedom in New York.
With your club, The Beatrice Inn, did you see a different way to party in New York?
The Beatrice is a place of experimentation. My friend Agathe Snow used to cook there on Sundays. Every Sunday, she used to cook by spelling her name B.E.A.T.R.I.C.E; so the first Sunday, the food only started by a “B” , etc…
It’s a rallying point for artists. A place we created for friends. Otherwise, the ceiling is very low, so mean to tall people because of that they are not welcome. It’s an anti “bottles and models” club. Guys with bottles are not welcome!
What is your favorite city for street art and graffiti, New York or Paris? Do you feel a greater freedom of expression in New York, the place where the Graffiti culture originally took place?
I always felt more comfortable in Paris, I know all the corners there. In New York, it’s almost too easy! It’s like a set for graffiti.
What are your favorite New York neighborhoods, and why?
I like the Lower East Side, the melting pot of a real and popular New York.
That district is not “too clean” yet. And that’s the place where most part of my friends live.
There is a real artistic dynamism in New York lately. Is New York still the place to be for artists?
It’s a place with huge spaces to work. There is also a great ability to listen to Art. New Yorkers are very curious, and they support artists. So, yes, it’s a good place for artists.
Is your link to the American people is different since you married an American woman?
My English is a little bit better.
Do you have any projects in the United States, artistic ones or about opening new places?
I will open a new club soon on Bond Street, and am preparing an exhibit in the small gallery behind Lit.
Your top five best places in New York?
– My bedroom, in The Bowery Hotel.
– The Oyster Bar at Grand Central Station.
– The Beatrice Inn.
– Lit (best bar/gallery on the 2nd avenue)
– The Strand (The biggest bookstore on Earth)
AU REVOIR MONSIEUR.
BY MÉLANIE MENDELEWITSCH
