There's a spot south of Canal where you can pick up a few Xanax, prescription-free, for five bucks a pop. If the price seems cheap, it seems fair to admit that these pills are about six times the size of their regular counterparts. They're also crafted from an earthy red clay, as are several of the items for sale in COMPANY, Fawn Krieger's current show in the storefront gallery at Art in General.

The non-profit contemporary arts organization recently pulled out price tags because, for COMPANY, the gallery is functioning equally as a store and performance space. Krieger is interested in the effect objects have on consumers' desire; you, a salesperson and the merch are all a part of her store-as-stage. That Xanax is a bargain, and for bigger spenders, there's a clay iPod (40G!) for $299. More adventuresome patrons can purchase a two-foot-long intestinal parasite, an oversized MacBook, or a pair of contact lenses sized, although not numbered, for a cyclops. Even the cash register is for sale!

Art in General sits on the border of Chinatown and Tribeca, and Krieger's fully-functioning shop is a reference to area businesses and a throwback to The Store, a space run in '60s Manhattan by the artist Claes Oldenburg, where he sold various goods made out of everyday materials. Like Oldenburg's, Krieger's constantly changing wares include commonplace items, but she has also scattered items like glacier chunks and dinosaur eggs among the giant leather band-aids and foil eyeglasses.

All purchases from COMPANY come with an officially stamped gallery receipt, and the two to two-thousand dollar price range means that it's easy pickings for all budding art collectors. Even better, all of COMPANY's proceeds are put toward the support of new product lines in the same space. The show is open until April 26th, and who knows, at some point, Krieger may even make markdowns!

Store hours are from 12 to 6 p.m. Art in General is located at 79 Walker Street, (212) 219-0473.

- Susannah Edelbaum

Similar Topics:art, gallery, shopping

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