Seth Price at Reena Spaulings (a fake gallery)

Contemporary Art Daily's post today is on Seth Price's show at Reena Spaulings Fine Art, which I discovered was a block from my old apartment here, and half a block from my new one. Seeing it today reminded me of something I learned after attending the opening: Reena Spaulings is a fake.

It's a real gallery...but there is no Reena or Spaulings or Reena Spaulings. Typically, galleries are named after their owners. To explain (sort of), we have the New York Times, as fine a news source on a Sunday morning as any:

"Behind the Spaulings name stands...the collective known as the Bernadette Corporation. Formed in 1994, the collective has produced films, albums, magazines and books. One of its permanent members, John Kelsey, is co-director, with Emily Sundblad, of Reena Spaulings Fine Art on the Lower East Side."

So what the hell does that mean? "Reena Spaulings is a fictional artist, performer and art dealer," but do we know who puts on the shows and who decides the artists. Is Seth Price a member of the collective that shows its own works? I called the gallery, but the phone just rang forever, and the only time I've seen a sign of life in that unremarkable doorway was at the opening.

Ah, the mysteries of the art world. Ah, the mysteries of life, which are best pondered on a fine Sunday morning on the terrace with coffee. Perhaps I'll have more information for you after my afternoon nap.