In 2019, a work by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan, entitled Comedian, was the talk of the town. If you don’t recall that particular piece, you might remember that it was a banana, duct-taped to a wall. The art, which sold for $120,000, was promptly torn from the wall and consumed by a performance artist named David Datuna, who filmed the snackage and flipped it into a piece of art called Hungry Artist.
If you’re hankering for those heady days when people didn’t worry about pandemics, instead musing over the meaning of a piece of fruit, then perhaps you’d like to discuss art and life over a cup of coffee?
Now through Sunday, the Art Plug art agency and Superlost Coffee are offering a $1,000 cup of coffee at the UR Special Coffee pop-up at the Bagel Club in Wynwood.
Related Stories
I support
Local
Community
Journalism
Support the independent voice of Miami and
help keep the future of New Times free.
Each cup will be served in a limited-edition cup emblazoned with a previously unreleased print by Coolman Coffeedan (AKA New York City artist Danny Casale).
According to Art Plug founder Marcel Katz, the coffee inside the cup isn’t your average joe, either. The beans are Superlost Coffee’s new Sidra variety, a bean from Colombia that will be introduced to the public at the Art Week pop-up. Katz describes the coffee as “exotic, big, bold, and fruity.”
Not only that, but each $1,000 cup comes with a certificate of authenticity, along with a hand screen-printed sack of coffee. Oh, and a bagel.
Then again, you don’t get a mug — the cup containing your coffee is paper. “If you smear lipstick on it, it’s even cooler,” Katz says when the possibility is suggested. “I love that! You’re contributing to the art by doing that.”
Each piece is supposed to be unique, anyway, he adds. “The beauty of the concept is that it’s supposed to get a little dirty. It’s supposed to provide memories. The more spillage, the better it will serve to remind you of an amazing experience.”
Katz says his team “kind of kidnapped Coolman Coffeedan,” who will be on hand during the pop-up to greet fans of his work. You might even be able to grab a coffee with him.
And if you can’t spare a grand for a cup of coffee, note that the pop-up will offer the special Superlost coffee in a generic cup for $35.
Other coffee options start at four bucks, and Bagel Club bagels are available too.
In the evening, the pop-up turns into “Coolman’s Intergalactic Sake Lounge,” pouring sake cocktails, wine, and beer, along with immersive art.
Admission to the pop-up is free all week, but BYOB (bring your own banana).
UR Special Coffee pop-up at the Bagel Club. 2400 N. Miami Ave., Miami. Through Sunday, December 5, from 9 a.m. to 2 a.m. Admission is free.
