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New York Magazine takes a closer look at elusive street artist, Dash Snow. Cell phone and email-less, the only way to get in touch with him is to yell from the street below his Bowery apartment. "Lorax-like, he won’t come to the window to let you see that he sees you: He has a periscope he puts up so he can check you out first." If that fails, you could get in touch with one of his best friends, Dan Colen and Ryan McGinley, who have helped perpetuate the myth behind the man.
McGinley took a photo of him called "Dash Bombing" which was part of a show at the Whitney. It shows "Snow out on a ledge, tagging a building in the night sky, Manhattan spread out below him. It’s an image of anarchic freedom, one that seems anachronistic and almost magical in this city of hermetically sealed glass-cocoon condo towers. It’s as if Snow were an animal—prevalent in the seventies, now thought to be extinct—that was spotted high over the city." A pretty good description of the 25 year old. But by far, the best part of this article describes a scene from a hotel room on Piccadilly when the two were in London for a show:
"They had to flee it in the middle of the night with their suitcases before it was discovered that they’d created one of their Hamster’s Nests, which they’ve done quite a few times before. To make a Hamster’s Nest, Snow and Colen shred up 30 to 50 phone books, yank around all the blankets and drapes, turn on the taps, take off their clothes, and do drugs—mushrooms, coke, ecstasy—until they feel like hamsters."
We're speechless (just like hamsters). But like it or not (and we kinda like it), Snow is an integral part of Downtown New York, as much as he is a part of the art scene. Check out this piece he wrote for his downtowny friends at Paper magazine in 2005. It's accompanied by photos he took with, "a camera that I made of wood, palm leaves and cocaine. It takes film, which I make myself as well, and it works wonders."
Not exactly something you'd expect from a kid who's family includes a brother named Maxwell who dated an Olsen twin and a mother who has charged the highest rent ever for a Hamptons home ($750,000 a season). But of this part of his family, he says he is cut off, or more accurately, “Cut off. Scumbags.” But according to McGinley, his art world grandmother "is the best...She’s always taking care of us...Getting us drunk.” And when Snow says he doesn't really talk to his dad, McGinley chimes in, “You do talk to your dad! We’ve all hung out with your dad!” So the confusion behind Snow continues, it seems, and we also kinda like that. More on the whole scene at New York Magazine's current "Warhol's Children" issue. We shredded ours to make a Hamster Nest, see you in four days.
Above photo via NYMag
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My best wishes to the three of them for winning a Darwin award in 2007.
Actually, it's exactly what I'd expect from a kid like that.
How is this clever? How is it new? This type of behavior, misunderstood as "art", has already been explored in our culture's sordid past (que VH1: Behind the Music). He really just sounds like another spoiled, eccentric, selfish kid. It's not appealing, it's just an annoying story.
behind every wacky, anarchist, drug-taking artist type is a mommy and daddy with deep pockets. of course.
How is this clever? How is it new? This type of behavior, misunderstood as "art," has already been explored in our culture's sordid past (cue the eternally repetitive "VH1: Behind the Music"). He really just sounds like another spoiled, eccentric, selfish kid. It's not appealing, it's just an annoying story.
Why does the article not point out that he's basically part of the fashion world, appearing in cheesy ad campaigns for jeans and the like. His art is not the point. His cheesy rock star posturing is.
rip, rip, rip... shred, shred, shred... making Hamster's Nest in office... not the same without the drugs...
post some more news and get these dipshits off of your front page. what is wrong with you people?
yawnn yet more over hyped chic fashionable art, here today way gone tomorrow, i miss the henry dargers of the world, they are an ever disappearing breed, not the derivative drugged up turds falling from warhol's ass
sheesh. why did i read that?
children of the ruling class will always have the neccesary means to be "artists." And hangers-on and harpy shills will always puff-up their existence.
"Where the spirit does not work with the hand there is no art" -Leonardo DaVinci
I second dug's (#12) comment, and go further to ask why Jen Carlson posted this. If you ignore him, he'll go away. (we hope!)
very cool
I find this story to represent New York in it's entirety, HYPE. The journalist, obviously a pro at colonic irrigation, is as boring as the Three Stooges who are 'keeping downtown alive'. The depth of this entire expose including the works these boys produce couldn't drown a flea. You scratch the surface and what do you get, more surface. VOMIT!
Nine pages of this shit?
Come on.
i'm sorry that i actually spent about 15 minutes of my life reading that lame article. what a bunch of assholes. if smearing semen on cut-out NY Post articles is art, then I'm going back to school- oh wait I don't have rich parents to subsidize my lifestyle! my bad.
What a profoundly contemptible little shit this 'Dash Snow' is. What an empty article. Why, why was this published. Good god, I found reserves of contempt I didn't know I possessed. I could say that I hate him, but hate is not the right emotion.
I wish very much to see 'Dash Snow' broken and weeping and realizing how incredibly empty and pathetic he is. Although he would probably die of old age before he had anything close to awareness of anything beyond his own infantile ego.
People like this and their hangers-on turn my stomach.
didn't bother reading the article, but here's the vice article about a hamster party:
http://www.viceland.com/issues/v11n5/htdocs/hamster.php
this dude sucks, but that article is hilarious.
"Dash" and Dan are in serious need of an ass-kicking.
Dear New York Mag Readers...
Stop complaining and go back to the UES, get a life.
Dear New York Mag Readers...
I though it was a rather good article, Dash's art is slightly boring however Ryan's photography is very good. Regardless, an entertaining article. If you dont like it go back to your UES apt and hit up the Met.
how exciting and totally new! these guys are the future.
ha. amateurs.
Wow. Did that just happen. Did i just actually read this? Did you?Ariel Levy really should not be writing articles for magazines.
Oh god I expected to read next day this was a "Spinal Tap" sendup of "art". It wasn't. Oh ish. There are street artists that do beautiful beautiful work. These are not those.
Ryan is seriously the only one whose respected as a "serious" and talented artist. He should be more wary of the superficial company he keeps. Dash Snow's work is really just dreadful. So tired of this Brooklyn based art about people in skinny jeans with trust funds. Gimme a break.
and might I add that Dash Snow has a gold tooth? I've seen it in person. Wasn't irony a postmodern strategy? Aren't we post-post-post now? Yet, galleries and "respectable" institutions like the Whitney are just eating up this vacant hipster art garbage. For all the correlations that are drawn to Warhol, lest we forget he and his work were consciously vacant, and didn't aspire to be anything other than what they were-- mere representations, little else. Problem is with folks like these artists, again McGinley excepting, is that they're completely oblivious to to being walking talking working voids. Again, a break. I NEED IT!
You know IMHO, I'm as downtown artworld as it gets and I know a good dose of boho shuckn'jive charlatanry when I see it (A.R.E. Weapons). This shit is going for the title! Move over Mimran, Orlan, and Eva and Adel, we've got a contender: Worst Artist Ever! For Stephania to have picked up this Moron just proves how Euro-clueless she is. and for the New Yorker to have printed it just shows there is no coverage a powerful dealer can't buy. If she could only queer him up a bit more he might make the cover of AdForum!
Dear art world,
Was the paper compositionally correct?
hehe :P
nobody cares about us poor bastards :-\
Ryan is sweet and a genuine working artist. The other two spend their time cultivating their bad boy images, doing more press than shows, sucking dealer's (both art and coke) balls and writing wikipedia articles about themselves...of course leaving out the most noteworthy piece of information, Dash being the heir of the de Menil family: Super rich oil family who happen to own the art world. This article is delightful because everyone in New York finally get to agree on something...these guys are tools.
oh I had little Dash Snow in my class when he was 10 and he was sweet, and smart. This is so sad.
all you assholes who are throwing out your dumb comments about this article and these young artists lives clearly have limited brain capacity, so let me put it to you all like this: this article was great. and these people that you claim are not artists...have more fuckin' talent in them then you could ever dream of. Because your definition of art is different from theirs doesn't mean they are talentless wastes of human beings, it simply means your ignorant bitches. Your blue collar jobs and life styles might not agree with the choices that certain people make, but to say the shit you all are saying about Snow,Colen and McGinley is a waste of breath. Simply because it doesnt matter what you narrow minded fools think, they are looked at with respect for their art. You may not like a certain peice of art work but you can't deny its good.If you read the article and now your bitching about how it was a complete waste of your time...all I can say to you is that it was your choice..I'm sure there wasn't a man there next to you pointing a gun to your head forcing you to read the article...you could have turned the page at any time. Save your bullshit comments for another time,because it just doesn't apply here.
touche!
Noel, problem is I've heard your "argument" so many times before -- it is deeply elitist. Good luck with that attitude in your daily life.