Lara Schnitger and I first spent great times together in the mid-nineties in New York which involved a generous amount of partying, Lara dazzling with her great sense of style. I opened UP&CO September 1996 – some six months after Anton Kern opened his gallery – illustrated by the fact that he is currently celebrating his 30th anniversary with a splendid group exhibition in his formidable gallery now on 55th Street.
Lara had her first solo show at Anton Kern Gallery as one of his first exhibitions and in 1999 we created a double solo show featuring Lara in both spaces – at Anton Kern’s on 20th Street and at mine in Tribeca. At UP&CO Lara’s white stocking-and-chopstick installation resembling a giant cloud floated across the whole space, while Lara simultaneously created a centerfold poster – inspired by Japanese manga – for my VERY magazine.
Since her relocating to Los Angeles (and me to London) I followed her meteoric rise in the artworld mostly from afar, apart from some unforgettable moments including entering the new millennium together in Mexico and being able to assist her 2014 Sister of Arp fashionshow in New York. Then, in 2017 I happened to be waiting in line at the bank in Palma, when a message flashed across my phone: Lara Schnitger opening in Palma,
tonight! Lara’s exhibition and great opening at Lundgren’s gallery that evening lasted all night and reminded us all of the good times had back in the Manhattan of the ‘90s. Hence, when getting ready for this special edition of TH.EVERYTHING, my first phone calls was – “Lara, will you be showing in Palma during Art Cologne?” How happy was I, when the answer came – YES!
Lara Schnitger’s great passion, wit and originality, sense of community, her daring and drive for change is a continuous source of inspiration. Originally from Haarlem NL, Schnitger has lived across the globe, spent time in China and Japan before raising their daughter Tingri in California with fellow artist husband Matthew Monahan, and all together they fended off the flames in the Los Angeles fires.
Lara Schnitger’s joyous energy is irresistible; her bold balance of big and beautiful, delicate and monumental, cheeky, sexy and witty, soft and hard, laborious and spontaneous, tongue in cheek and serious, lighthearted but deeply sincere and the sheer volume of her activities (which might involve hundreds of collaborators or unnumerable members of the public), are absolutely singular.