that arrives from the street makes me feel good. Curtains, in the
southern European country where I come from, are considered
necessary in every home. Even in towns where everybody knows
everybody, it is important for homes to be individual islands or
sanctuaries. Curtains are like walls, they keep out envious gazes,
evil spirits and gossip. We have to hide what is happening inside
the home, which should never reach the prying eyes of outsiders.
‘Genti allena’, my grandmother said in our native tongue, to
indicate those who weren’t family to not lay eyes on us unless they
were invited, unless we had had the chance to prepare ourselves
for their coming”. Olya, on the other hand, has knocked down the
walls, raised the curtains, removed the barriers. She chooses to
live in one part of the apartment as though it was a constant
performance. She has accepted the idea that the gazes of others
can constantly alight her corner of the home with life. “It’s like
being part of the city, of its spectacle”, she says. “It is an
interactive way of living. We decided – my partner and I – to offer
this exhibition space to our friends. We organize theme dinners;
people have fun, and everyone gets a bit crazy at our parties.
Sometimes the living room wall becomes a screen, we project
works by young artists we love.
People pass by, they take pictures, lingering to watch us - as
if they too were guests, as if this apartment was simply part of the
spectacle of the city”. Olya arrived in New York twenty-five years
ago and she feels like a New Yorker. As a director of documentary
films, she knows that whatever the future holds in store for her,
NYC will always be the place she will return to. “This house has
been a microcosm of the city; it is as though I too could finally offer
something to this community that has given me so much art,
beauty and energy. I saw lots of apartments before this one, some
were designed by great architects, but none of them could offer
what this space does. The others were just beautiful homes, but
this is a unique place, a new performance with every passing day”.
Everyone can take part in watching her public, domestic spectacle.
Just go up to the High Line Park above Chelsea Market, walk a few
minutes and stop in front of Olya’s apartment. You’ll be ‘genti
allena’ but your gaze will be welcome, as if you had a hand-written
invitation.
District: Chelsea
Olya a New York.
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