HUSH created a monumental, multi-media painting of three, semi-nude women, which spans a 35- by 16-foot wall. Vhils hand-chiseled two plaster niches to reveal a layer of brick anchor. Between the lounge and rickshaw room, Apexer drew cream-colored, New York-inspired lyrics.Įaton painted smiling women and the words “Fantastic Fantasy” over four custom bookshelves. Along the back bar, Barras painted a mural depicting hands walking across a globe. In VANDAL’s Secret Garden, Fairey wheat-pasted two large walls using his famed, propaganda-style posters. Together, we created a cohesive space to complement the eclectic street food-inspired menu Chef Santos has prepared.” Each artist has a signature style, which also establishes the different techniques defining street art. “I wanted to represent street aesthetics and show how artists take over spaces. “I wanted to bring the outside inside,” HUSH says. In addition to HUSH, famed artists like Shepard Fairey, Apexer, Tristan Eaton, Eelus, Vhils, and Will Barras all contributed the other six massive murals to the project. Celebrated for his own work as a street artist, HUSH organized seven massive site-specific murals throughout the restaurant, each reflecting the range and dynamism of contemporary, global street art, while paying homage to the Bowery’s rich artistic history. To bring the allure and energy of street art to VANDAL, TAO Group commissioned the U.K.-based artist HUSH to curate the restaurant’s wallscape. “It’s almost like the street turned inside out.” “The experience of VANDAL unfolds through a series of unique dining rooms each supporting site specific art installations,” Rockwell Group founder and president David Rockwell says. VANDAL features a secret garden, an intimate dining area inspired by natural elements and enclosed by glass garage doors a bar/lounge with a sculptural blue granite and lacquered wood bar sitting under the glow of pendants made from antique crystal decanters three dining rooms with dramatic site-specific artwork and a cellar-level lounge featuring a serpentine bar that allows guests to sit in groups surrounded by luxurious seating upholstered in a mix of neutral and saturated colors. Plush design elements, from leather sofas to delicate glass globe lights, are set against materials like concrete and exposed brick. “The experience of VANDAL will not be just of great food, drinks, and warm hospitality but also of a love affair of Chris’ extraordinary talent and world-class artists.” “The idea of bringing street food and street art together under one roof struck me like a bolt of lightning,” TAO Group founder Rich Wolf says. Once entering the space, each room boasts the work by seven “vandals” who have achieved world renown for their distinctive styles of street art. (The bunny’s Icy Grape color is a reference to the now discontinued Krylon spray paint color Icy Grape, which is still coveted by the street artist community). Entering through a minimalist flower shop/botanical gallery designed by renowned creative floral studio Ovando in collaboration with Rockwell Group, guests arrive at a long, vaulted brick tunnel where they are greeted by an 11-foot tall, breakdancing “Icy Grape” lacquered bunny rabbit-a custom sculpture by Rockwell Group. Designed to be playful and labyrinthine, guests will discover a series of private rooms, secret catacombs, and art installations. VANDAL’s bi-level, 22,000-square-foot space references both the gritty and lush moments found in outdoor urban locales. For his latest project, Santos and his executive chef Jonathan Kavourakis toured 14 countries, including Italy, Argentina, and Singapore to sample street food, and the resulting menu encompasses both this research as well as a lifetime of travels. “There are few things more telling about a culture’s cuisine than street food,” says Chef Chris Santos, who is credited with turning the Lower East Side into a premier dining, nightlife and cultural destination over the last decade with his establishments Beauty & Essex and The Stanton Social. Collaborating with the award-winning design firm Rockwell Group, the partners’ third project together boasts 360 seats and aims to capture the spirit of creativity, leaving a truly distinctive mark on a historic stretch of the Bowery. This past weekend, TAO Group founders Marc Packer and Rich Wolf, along with Chef/Owner Chris Santos opened VANDAL in New York City, a bi-level restaurant, bar and lounge showcasing the work of world-renowned street artists alongside globally inspired street food from destinations as varied as Peru, Vietnam, and Barcelona.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |