The muchness of ‘Art Bash’

The San Francisco gala circuit seldom serves anything quite like Art Bash. SF MoMA’s annual soirée blew me away recently with six floors of entertainment, desserts, exhibits, and an open bar — not to mention plunging necklines and costumes that mingled alongside high-end couture and drag.

People stared at the art but I most often looked at them; I love seeing this much self-expression come out and play. Some descriptions said experimental Met Gala but on April 24, I probably saw more high-society Bay to Breakers — and that’s a compliment for a city born to stand out:

Too much happened to experience all of it, from performances by Philly rapper Tierra Whack and Alonzo King LINES Ballet, to a laid back lounge that was DJed by Alex Shen. FOMO typically happens at that party you missed down the street; At Art Bash, the one that got away was right above or below us.

My group camped on the museum’s fifth floor for much of the night, enjoying a robust drag lineup in between dancing, snacks, drinking, and hobnobbing on a rooftop outfitted for a high-end wedding. The nightclub SF Oasis has touched all corners of San Francisco this year with drag laureate D’Arcy Drollinger at the helm, this time carving her own slot at SF MoMA. Drag queens straddled avant-garde and risqué, serving tasseled nipples and butt cheeks; a Tron-like LED costume; and a scantily-clad Raya Light serving David Bowie drag with “Fuck Cancer” scrawled in glitter across his chest.

It is a party but also a fundraiser: They raked in $3.4 million through tickets and charitable giving this year, beginning at an affordable $95 for the after party and up to $10,000 for swanky dining. It is the largest cash pile amassed by this gala, and how do I put this? No shit. I probably mentioned Art Bash no fewer than 30 times after an amazing time last year, and everyone else undoubtedly did the same; This remains the reigning party to beat in San Francisco.

I typically insist on a dinner seat to report on the speeches and glimpse genuine high-end fashion — but there’s no need at an event this massive. It’s worth mentioning however that Mayor London Breed, Roman Coppola, and Daniel Paltridge, Valentino’s chairman for the Americas all made it to the dining portion I missed. At center stage this year was British artist Isaac Julien, known for his innovative and thought-provoking work in film and video installations.

Julien’s work Once Again … (Statues Never Die) takes us back to the Harlem Renaissance era with a focus on Alain Locke, a key figure known for his scholarly work, cultural theories, and close relationship with poet Langston Hughes. This again is a wildly different experience in a layered evening replete with choices, one that SF Chronicle absorbed on the second floor while we partied around them.

I lasted a solid five hours, with final lingering moments spent in pose, fashion walking and dancing on the fourth and ground floors. Everyone wants to talk to the man in a dress — me — so I glimpsed some amazing ensembles up close and caught up with nightlife elbow rubbers, including Meaghan Mitchell, Stuart Schuffman, Navid Armstrong, and designer Victor Puglielli, whose skin-bearing leather work I’ve actually followed for a little while. Puglielli served some tatted and pierced Berlin realness in a high-collar embellished coat, while their friend — and publicist, I take it — Simren Hundal served straight body-ody in a rhinestoned hip hugger that Puglielli also designed.

Talented Bay Area fashion designers are a rare breed, so meeting them is always a thrill. SF MoMA I know you’re reading this: When can we see a fashion show with local fresh blood? It would fit in seamlessly with the visual feast at Art Bash.

Saul Sugarman is editor in chief of The Bold Italic.

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Art Bash additional details

Experiences:

Solo to Symphony, a multidisciplinary installation conceived by Bay Area–based artist Richard Misrach.
Premium party lounge featuring Alonzo King LINES Ballet.
SFMOMA’s Gina and Stuart Peterson White Box presented painter and muralist Chelsea Ryoko Wong, bringing her painting Many Moons I’ve Dreamt of You to life with custom animations, a dance floor and lounge, together with music by DJ Alex Shen of Lower Grand Radio.
Cocktails crafted by the team at The Mushroom.
Grammy-nominated artist Tierra Whack — known for her creative lyricism as a rapper and singer — performed on the main stage.
Beats by Bay Area DJ crew Sazon Libre.
Drag shows by SF Oasis, featuring the following queens: Vanilla Merengue, Cassidy LeBlanc, Pseuda, Bonita Rose, Nicki Jizz, Evian, Raya Light, and Paige Turner. DJ set by Pumpkin Spice.