Ice Cream and Animosity

When you’re visiting the average gelato joint, the most provocative thing you might expect to encounter is a scoop of jalapeño chocolate, blackberry Cabernet, or rambunctious rhubarb crème fraîche to spice up the vanilla. But at the Gelato Station Gallery, a dose of controversy seems the flavor du jour.

Frenchman Guy Le Houx has converted a room in the back of his frozen-treat boutique into an alternative space for local artists to shop their wares and customers to bone up on culture. “I had a space and wanted to promote local artists and this show, featuring paintings by a serious artist; seemed like it would be interesting to the public,” he gushes. Hyped as the “Freedom of Speech Tour: Censored Artwork in Post 9/11 America,” Victor-Hugo Vaca unfurls fifteen of his poke-you-in-the-eye confections, including paintings from his World Trade Center Tribute, The American Tragedy, and Freedom of Speech series. “Some of these paintings were part of a Hurricane Wilma installation damaged by debris someone heaped on them because of their political nature,” Vaca fumes, adding the work is scheduled to go on tour to promote political awareness.
May 8-June 30