From Brooklyn Based, an interview with Richar Eagan, an artist who uses Coney Island as both a subject and a material. He currently has a show at Park Slope's 440 Gallery.
art.” Instead of following the predictable path of art school, his
career began with woodworking, then segued into art-making, followed by
shark training, beekeeping, and cross-dressing. In other words, he’s a
real Brooklyn character.
His artwork often references Coney Island, the fetishized,
nostalgia-steeped, and now culturally threatened seaside amusement
space not far from his lifelong home. It was under the canopy of
rainbow-tinged metal limbs that Eagan vacationed with his grandfather
as a young boy, partied with his peers as a young man, became involved
in the artistic community and co-founded the Coney Island Hysterical
Society, a group of 12 artists who resuscitated rides and infused
sideshow attractions with art.
The Where and When
Richard Egan
Show open through February 15
440 6th Avenue
Park Slope