Pancakes, anyone?

BY JENESSA KENWAY

“I always think I want pancakes, but what I really want is the syrup!” confessed artist Bryan McCarthy. He and collaborator Todd VonBastiaans greeted guests arriving to the pancake breakfast opening at Trifecta in matching blue pin-stripped pajamas, occasionally pausing for photos ops in front of a gigantic white paper plate with stack of fake flapjacks to either side

Lingering doubts over attendance at a 7 a.m. gallery opening melted away like butter on hotcakes as guests wandered among the piles of pancakes, munching on miniature and edible counterparts (with a side of sausage).

“This is phenomenal!” exclaimed local artist Alex P. Huerta. “I love how [Trifecta owner] Marty [Walsh] does things different. It’s so different having a morning opening.”

“It works out perfect for me,” added Sarah Johnson, assistant manager at the Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art. “You can stop by on your way to work; then, if you’re looking to buy, you can think about it all day and come back in the evening.”

The giant-sized plates being used for pancake support and decoration were the sculpting project of artist Jessie Smigel. When delivery of supplies for the plate project was late, Smigel pulled an all-nighter to get the plates made in time. But that didn’t keep him away from a plate of pancakes at the opening.

Classic slim pancakes mingled with stacks of the thicker, more haute couture variety, the sides of which were sporting a variety of fabric textures from faux leopard to sequins and flannel and even cow spots. The wild siding pushes the pancakes from beloved breakfast food towards absurd pancake fashion show.  The entertaining notion of pushing doughy pancakes into the anorexic realm of high fashion makes for a droll contradiction.

Art consultant Naomi Arin perhaps summed up the work best: “If Claes Oldenburg were gay, this is what he would be doing.”

Trifecta Gallery, inside The Arts Factory, 107 E. Charleston #135. Through July 29.