One STOP SHOP

“I think I might collect all those treated toys and lawn ornaments, as this sculptural process has activated something quite interesting in me,” says Item Idem’s Cyril Duval of AREAWARE’s STOP SHOP, a temporary store of fashion, accessories, homeware and furniture in midtown New York. “I guess it's another language to play with - plastic toys and ornaments; a great field to keep on exploring and crossbreeding references through.”

Open to January 2nd, the space offers the perfect holiday proposal - a one-stop bijou shop to blitz your christmas list, featuring a mix of designers such as Arielle de Pinto, threeASFOUR and Kenzo Minami along with more whimsical, skewed objects d’art.But what has perhaps become most interesting about the store is the fracas around it.

Located at the Port Authority Bus Terminal, Item Idem, working with Kalena Yiaueki, created a toxic installation of festive tat for the window. Having reclaimed cliché noël iconography from capitalism and, quite literally, melted it to within an inch of its life, the artist’s festive display did not settle well with authorities and Duval’s dark fantasy between gothic sensibilities and pop references was censored.

Out with the burnt, deformed Santa, melted Last Supper table, reversed Xmas tree falling from the ceiling and melted gold cabinets, in comes a selection of glowing plastic penguins and snowmen dressed-up in masks - a self-satisfied motley crew of discarded garden ephemera. The new proposal nevertheless remains a palette-cleansing, provocative welcome to shoppers, which mixes in American symbolism such as Spider-Man, Burger King and the Statue of Liberty.

Item Idem’s jolly lampooning, spurred by the contrasts in his French/Japanese background, adds a fistful of cinnamon to the increasingly saccharine festive season. And as a result, STOP SHOP ends up feeling like one retail experience where you don’t get mugged.

STOP SHOP, Port Authority Bus Terminal, 641 8th Ave (corner of 41st St. and 8th Ave)