BY SCOTT STIFFLER | Vegans will go hungry, but art collectors can nourish body and soul. London-based chain Burger & Lobster — where the menu is that and nothing more, at $20 a pop — has entered the US market with a Flatiron location that offers a playlist created in Soho (the one across the pond) and a program that showcases available-for-purchase work from local artists.
The inaugural installment of their Art Month series was curated in partnership with West Chelsea Artists Open Studios. Rodney Durso and Susan De Castro have already shown their work, and the month ends with a weeklong display of paintings from Satoshi Okada. The native of Japan has been creating work inspired by the “people, nature and varied cultures in New York City” he’s seen since moving here in 2004.
Okada says the Art Month collection, all from works in his “Reportage” series, came from observing urban scenes that “appear differently on different days. An unanticipated change, one of the ideas I wrestle with and explore, is a crucial part of my work. Creating affords me the opportunity to express my belief that every moment in the life we live is unpredictable. My subjects emerge from the circumstances and conditions, which make up my life.”
Thurs. Aug. 27–Thurs. Sept. 3. Reception Mon. Aug. 31, 6–7 p.m. At Burger & Lobster (39 W. 19 St. btw. Fifth & Sixth Aves.). Artist and venue info at satoshiokada.com and burgerandlobster.com. The West Chelsea Open Studios Art Walk, a self-guided tour, happens Oct. 17–18. Visit westchelseaartists.com for info.
