It’s PLAYTIME at the White Room Gallery

The Hamptons and Luxury have been bedfellows for years. And no doubt if bedfellows wasn’t just an expression of companionship and there was in fact a bed, you just know it would have some really nice sheets. 

Forbes Magazine summed it up well – “One hundred or so miles to the east of New York City lies the verdant playground collectively known as the Hamptons. It boasts some of the finest beaches in the world, elegant restaurants, multimillion-dollar estates and, during the summer season, thousands of the most wealthy and beautiful people in the world.”

The toys. The bling. The beauty. Everything the Hamptons is known for is what PLAYTIME, the upcoming exhibit at The White Room Gallery, celebrates. Together with renowned artist Seek One who the Gallery has represented for years and whose collectors include Quavo, Meghan Trainor and Tony Robbins, the Gallery has created an exclusive luxury line called PLAYTIME. Rolex.  Dom.  Chanel.  Porsche. Louis Vuitton Air Jordans.  Cities of fame and fortune like NYC and Paris. And more. All extolled in vivid mixed media works on wood and paper with the artist’s signature style of graffiti-infused fine art. Some of the pieces showcase one image like a label or a bag while others are brought to life in a layered collage style using a blend of acrylics, oils and vintage media. Interestingly, the concept for the line came from a series of commissions to immortalize a few prized toys of different collectors, namely a Ferrari, a Porsche, a Rolex and a Patek Philippe. Kind of like getting that favorite baby portrait.  

The finer things in life are just that. Finer. How cool is it that Rolex makes their own gold so that they can control the process and once Rapper Wiz Khalifa realized that time is money he went out and bought one.  And Roger Daltrey of the Who with his own champagne label. What? That’s a far cry from the Southern Comfort stage dayz. How about the fact that Mona Lisa receives so many love letters each year that she has her own mailbox at the Louvre, the only piece of art to have one. Or that Steve McQueen raced a Porsche 908 at the famous “12 hours of Sebring” and almost won even with a cast on his foot? (Fun fact – McQueen broke his foot in a motorbike race two weeks prior and even with a broken foot he got back on the bike and finished the race. Talk about hard core.)  

We have all heard the warning, all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. Not sure who the Jack was in the original proverb and ignoring the scary interpretation in The Shining, the sentiment holds true for both Jack and Jill. Adults like toys just as much as kids, they just prefer more sophisticated playgrounds. 

Artists Pollack and Krasner came to the Hamptons in 1945 and others soon followed but once all the celebrities started to flock to the east end the Hamptons was given the moniker Hollywood East. And that moniker holds true today. And who plays better than celebs?

Would you be impressed or depressed if you found out that Jay-Z drove a broken-down pinto or Rihanna was sporting fake diamonds at the Grammys?

Noel Coward said, “Why do I drink champagne for breakfast?  Doesn’t everyone?”  Sir Winston Churchill said, “My tastes are simple. I am easily satisfied with the best.”  

But here’s the good part – you don’t need to own a Porsche, a Rolex, a really expensive pair of sneakers or have your own champagne label to appreciate an artistic homage to those finer things. PLAYTIME is just another way to say time to play and all are welcome. The opening reception is Saturday, May 6^th, 5-7.  Seek One will be there and not to worry, no one will be checking for Rolexes at the door but if you are sporting one you will not be turned away.