THEATER OF THE GROTESQUE IN ARIEL’S APARTMENT

The apartment was in itself an art piece, a very personal one; not a copy of a Mondrian or the latest fashionable architect, much less a furniture store showroom. As one walked into the foyer there was a big copy of a Mapplerthope photo, an imposing portrait of a black man, standing guard, watching the visitor. The print was hung over the shelves, holding his always on music equipment. He loved disco music. The foyer led the visitor into a two level living room, typical of the 1940’s building. He built a platform next to the spacious windows where he had a small table and two chairs, facing the notorious and iconic Chelsea Hotel. For a few years, the Living Theater troupe had its headquarters there and often we were entertained by their street performances; few of them intended to represent life as a dreamy fairy tale. After Guillermo’s death, his lover -an architect- of many years, he changed the place, and with the exception of two or three Ikea pieces, he built the rest of the furniture. Two of his big canvas, recreating the universe, hung on the living room walls. The place was comfortable, inviting to observe it and relax, until the false sense of peace was shaken. He placed around different corners, angles, a wall here and there, underneath a chair, crawling into a lamp, plastic copies of insects, a roach or a beetle, a small line of ants; and in the bathroom, next to the sink and on top of the toothbrush and paste cup, a case holding an extensive set of different types of teeth he had gotten from the dentist who had an office in the first floor of the elegant and period piece building. After Guillermo’s death he rarely invited people, but it was always a great pleasure to see their reactions when they realize (conscious or not) they were on stage with the Theater of the Grotesque.