Lauren Goldstein’s “Break Through” Opening Reception Feb 1st!

Break through
There’s a disconnection
From mind to body
Artist to viewer
From one to another
Plaster is a language in which I can express what I can’t put into words
The duality of the material
Displays disintegration or reconnection
Broken plaster that doesn’t fully create a body
The casts are never fully satisfied as a human form
I can control the plaster
But there’s always unexpected moments
Like my emotions sometimes leaking in
The segments of living plants
Breaking through
Filling the gaps
Becoming whole again

“Breaking Through” represents the parts of me that I rarely get to express.  This series of sculptures are a personal transition, symbolizing the empowerment in vulnerability that often gets repressed in society.  The display of these sculptures tells a narrative of the disintegration or rebuilding of the human body.  It shows us the duality of the connections and disconnections associated with human sexuality; the same duality that happens within my own mind.  There are tactile transitional aspects of the sculptures which are achieved through the use of plaster as medium.  Plaster mutates the realistic areas to the coarse texture, showing the tearing of insides and meshing of two textures; the disintegration and repairing of the emotional elements.  Plaster has become a language in which I can express what I can’t put into words; it’s something I can control.  Yet there are always unexpected moments like where the bodies allow plants to break through and fill the voids.  The plants play a part in the duality of the contrasting material; still captured life with living growing life creating a wholesome and balanced feeling.

____ Lauren Goldstein

Lauren Goldstein is a Brooklyn based figurative sculptor focusing on the human form and the connections people have with one another. With a BFA from the Fashion Institute of Technology, her sculptors mainly feature plaster forms, and more recently the incorporation of organic life. The life-size pieces leave the viewer with a very humanistic view and make you question the connections we make within ourselves and with the people around us.

Please join us for the opening reception:

Lucky Luna, 167 Nassau Ave. BK 11222

from 7-10pm on February 1st, 2016!!

Music, merriment, beverages and art! 

Facebook invite/info: https://www.facebook.com/events/210243102652251/

For more on Lauren: http://www.laurengoldsteinart.com/

Re-imagining Puerto Rico: Lucky Luna’s Cocina Criolla Supper Club

Bilí Ingredients/ Photo by Marin Watts

Re-imagining Puerto Rico

Lucky Luna’s Cocina Criolla Supper Club

7pm on November 17^th, 2014

Lucky Luna’s first supper club aims to complicate popular notions of Puerto Rican cuisine and re-imagining traditional dishes. The evening is centered around bilí — a rum that is  infused with vanilla bean, bay leaf, peppercorns and cinnamon that originated on the island of Vieques off the coast of Puerto Rico. In collaboration with Von Diaz,  writer, cook, and journalist, we bring you a sit-down dinner with recipes from her Puerto Rican food memoir and cookbook in progress, Gordita, complete with beverage pairings that feature bilí and other Puerto Rican flavors. Each dish will be presented within cultural and historical context, introducing diners to Puerto Rican ingredients and techniques. In an effort to keep the night intimate and allow for conversation, we are limiting the supper club to 20 guests. The $80 ticket includes the 5 courses with drink pairings.* Reservations are required, cancellations are honored though Nov. 14^th.

 Tickets can be purchased at: luckylunasupperclub.bpt.me/

For more information about this event, please email: info@luckyluna-ny.com

To learn more about Von’s project, please visit: Vondiaz.wordpress.com/cocina-criolla/

*Please review menu for allergies or dietary restrictions and note that we will be unable to make substitutions

The Menu

 

Bilí

dark rum, quenepas, vanilla bean, bay leaf, peppercorns, cinnamon, brown sugar

Sopa de plátanos fritos

fried plantain and beef soup

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Mas que un mojito

white rum, culantro, lime, raw sugar, vanilla, pineapple, mineral water

Pernil Bao with salsa aji-li-mojili

pork shoulder stuffed steamed bun

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Cono Sur Sauvignon Blanc

2012/Central Valley, Chile

Ensalada de Chayote, Habichuelas Tiernas, Tomates, y Aguacate

chayote, green beans, tomato and avocado salad

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Cono Sur Pinot Noir

2012/Central Valley, Chile

Conejo Estofado

braised rabbit with chorizo sofrito and chard

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Cafecito de Naranja

coffee, coffee liqueur, dark rum, orange bitters

Cazuela

pumpkin, sweet potato and coconut milk

Making Memories: In Body, Mind, and Belly?

Lucky Luna chats with

Priya Patel and Suzy Sorensen

about yoga, food, culture,

and life.

Memory plays an integral role in how we understand food, how we taste, how we smell— mixing and melting into our subconscious in swirls of flavors and nostalgia.  Our homes and heritage play a significant role in our relationships with cuisine.  School lunches, holiday dinners, life-changing travels to new lands or returning to those of our ancestors— all create emotional and gastronomical maps in our memory.  At Lucky Luna, our main focus is obviously on food and drink— the belly.  But we wondered how others, whose lives are devoted to the physical and mental being (and arguably, the spiritual– definition inserted to liking), viewed the role of memory in their lives and so, Lucky Luna sat down with Suzy Sorensen and Priya Patel, two local yoga instructors, to get their two cents.  And, yes, of course we talked about food!

LL: I think the classic profile questions ala “Hefner” style are still a worthy punte d’entre for interviews, so let’s start there (though not to suggest any association with the aforementioned 🙂 ).

Suzy and Priya, please share with us:

1) Favorite place in New York and why

SS: ONE of my favorite places is the Marble Cemetery in the East Village. I have a weird fascination with cemeteries in general. This one is special. It’s totally not scary, but you can really feel that it’s a sacred ground. When I used to live in the EV, my friends and I would go and picnic there – it opens up to the public a few times a year. You can also see a woman walking her white cat there. Sort of creepy?

PP: My apartment. It’s the one place where I can close the door in this crazy busy city, and do whatever I please.

2) Most recent embarrassing moment

SS: My dog barfed in the elevator because he ate too many leaves at the dog park. But I guess that’s more embarrassing for him than for me.

PP: Sometimes I feel like my entire life is just a series of embarrassing moments. Is that embarrassing in itself?

3) Last day on Earth, you have 24 hours, money is no object, what do you do?

PP: Have a delicious, leisurely meal with loved ones, probably do a little yoga, and have more belly laughs than ever.

SS: Spend the day with my beloved boyfriend, dog, and cat – frolicking, eating, and being near the ocean. And also say hi to my parents too. Are we all going to be obliterated together?

4) Most adventurous food you have tried and what’s your oddest craving?

SS: Oh, I don’t know. I grew up eating roasted and dried squid tentacles (oh-jing-uh). My mom would roast them on our stove top, and the whole house would stink wonderfully, and my dad would complain about it. I don’t really eat that stuff these days though. These days I stick to vegetables. I don’t know how adventurous you can get with that. Shiitake carpaccio??  My oddest craving… cucumbers with mayonnaise.

PP: Most adventurous food: blood sausage (meat mixed with blood). I have a secret craving for BBQ pork rinds and Coca-cola… more often than i’d like to admit.

5) Favorite yoga pose

PP: Love a good Dancer Pose. Feels like your entire body is opening up from your finger tips to your toes. Your chest opens up, your hips are releasing… so good.

SS: Crescent pose.  It makes me feel grounded and open at the same time. 

About This Category: People, Passions, and Projects

Lucky Luna has a large and diverse community of friends who are deeply committed to a variety of programs and projects that are in line with our values and interests.  This is the space they have to share, network, and educate.  Some of these passions include environmental actions, civic rights and education, youth services, art endeavors, and much more.