Pierogi, 2000, now just Pierogi gallery, has been in Williamsburg, New York for ten years. Hard to imagine for anyone who has watched the surprising, often ridiculous, always dynamic, transformation of Williamsburg from toxic wasteland to still basically toxic hipster Mecca. Here’s Francis Richard from Artforum.
So where are the next alternatives, and what will happen as the Williamsburg generation ages? One might as well ask where a new politics will come from, or what if Mayor Bloomberg’s administration really does replace the East River–side waste-transfer station with promised green space? As Ji warns, “The gallery is ongoing. It’s not history, and it’s dangerous to make a summary. Pierogi is very well positioned; its strength is that it’s close to the community and has people who understand the art-making process and have good eyes.” In other words, it’s the conversation that will
keep Pierogi and its environs vital. “The space was designed to be primarily a forum for exchange, and it has kept that quality even as it has evolved,” says another artist, Daniel Zeller. “One feels this upon entering—it’s high-minded without feeling that way. Pierogi is a place where art is the most important thing in the world, but not as important as the people who get to experience it, make it, and talk about it.” Check back in ten years.
