Philadelphia Weekly

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Though many artists donate art to worthy causes, they don't always donate brand-new work or favorite pieces. Christopher Veit, organizer of "HeartWorks," the week-long art show and auction, got a tsunami of dazzling works by more than 80 artists (many of them with national and international reputations) to land in Philadelphia.


Proceeds from the auction Saturday will honor and support Mazzoni Center, a local organization that administers medical care to the LGBTQ community. Veit says the Mazzoni Center saved his life when he almost died from HIV/AIDS in 2006, and this show--exhibited in the Crane Arts Building's Ice Box--is his thank-you note. 


Because many of the artists included care about the artist/curator and his cause, the caliber of work in the show runs high. Several of the best works were created specifically for the event.


"HeartWorks" is a big show of small works. From jewelry and unique clothing to paintings, photos, sculpture, drawings and video, what you get ranges from the beautiful (Jack Pierson's Cactus Garden photo and Virgil Marti's darkly gorgeous Untitled white skull and mirror piece) to the funny (Dufala Brothers prints and the Alex Bag drawing) to heartfelt or existential works by Philly's own Zoe Strauss, Shelley Spector, Gabriel Martinez, Eileen Neff, Alex Da Corte and lots more.


Veit built three little cabins in a row to house the silent auction works in Ice Box's white whale of a space. It was a great strategy for small, medium and tiny works that would otherwise be swallowed up in the vast Ice Box. The art hangs in the chambers according to a timeline that reflects Veit's friendships and influences. 


The journey begins in Cabin 1 with works by early influences such as his sister, cousins, and high school and college friends. Cabin 2 holds works by friends from his desert home in Joshua Tree, Calif., while Cabin 3 displays art created by more recent friends and artists he met in conjunction with the show.


The live auction pieces hang outside the cabins on the wall behind the auction stage. (Celebrity auctioneer Alasdair Nichol of Antiques Roadshow presides over Saturday's auction.)


Don't miss show-stoppers like Alex Bag's old master-sendup drawing Noli Me Tangere (Heathus/Mary-Kagdalene) depicting a Saint Heath Ledger and sinner Mary-Kate Olsen. Bag doesn't make a lot of drawings, but she created this one for Veit for the show.


Anne Magnuson's faux Basquiat painting with Philly references to cheesesteaks was also made specifically for this event. Chicago artist Jeni Spota, known for her cake-icing-thick paintings and miniaturized depictions of biblical scenes, pulled out the stops in a work titled Giotto's Dream, for Chris.


Red-hot photographer Ryan McGinley, also a friend of Veit's, donated an energetic photo of a nude roller skater, a celebration of skin and youth from his ongoing project documenting carefree, naked young people. Andrea Zittel, friend, neighbor and hiking buddy of Veit's, donated a starburst painting on birch plywood that's reminiscent of the colors, intensity and mesmerizing atmosphere of the desert. (This is the high-priced ticket at live auction, with the minimum bid at $15,000.) 


Veit says art enthusiasts are coming to the auction from all over the country and that interest is high on many of the works. So, many donated so much and with such love that "HeartWorks" is already a success even before the gavel strikes. 


For more on the Philadelphia art scene go to 
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