Your First Look at First Look

TWO x TWO’s Annual Preview Party and Fundraiser presented by Headington Companies & Forty Five Ten kicked-off at The Rachofsky House

TWO x TWO for AIDS and Art hosted their annual preview party, First Look, at The Rachofsky House in Dallas on Wednesday, October 23. Guests were invited to preview 153 works of art and various luxury set for auction at the 21^st annual gala event on Saturday evening, while enjoying festivities inspired by the collages of Madrid-based artist Ella Jazz and her signature lip motif.

TWO x TWO Hosts Cindy and Howard Rachofsky and Lisa and John Runyon, and TWO x TWO Director Melissa Ireland, greeted 350-some guests including Tim Headington, Kristen Cole, Nasiba and Thomas Hartland-Mackie, Todd Fiscus and Ceron, Kaleta Blaffer Johnson, Nancy Rogers, Agustin Arteaga and Carlos Gonzalez-Jaime, Jordan Jones, Nish DeGruiter, Geoffroy van Raemdonk, Lana Todorovich, Jeny Bania, Christopher and Kelley Bass, and many others. 

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Artists and gallerists in attendance included: Erin Cluley, Nic Nicosia, Barry Whistler and Allison V. Smith, Nancy Whitenack, Holly Johnson, Tommy Fitzpatrick, Cris Worley, Frank Elbaz, Mungo Thomson, Celia Eberle, Ree and Jason Willaford, Meredith Bayse, and Eduardo Secci. 

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The lip theme was apparent in the décor and several fun installations throughout the evening, as podiums of “lipsticks” greeted partygoers upon arrival. Lip-shaped padlocks covered a glowing pink neon “Get Lip Locked” display, offering guests “keys” to Forty Five Ten to unlock prizes.

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Inside the party, the space was designed in lipstick colors, with gold piñatas and strands of glittering lights. Revelers could participate in a Kissing Wall–leaving personalized love notes; a “Zip Your Lips” game, in which golden lame adorned hands dispensed luxury prizes; a glowing Lip Sync Booth for interactive party photos; and a Lip-Reading Station. 

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A deliciously cheesy nod to Queso Beso, the soon-to-be-opened vibrant Tex-Mex restaurant located in the heart of Downtown Dallas by Headington Companies was seen throughout the evening via whimsical touches including a custom DJ booth, cheese-printed neckerchiefs worn by waiters, and wedge of cheese-shaped corn hole game boards. 

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The highlight of the evening was an interactive art piece by Rivane Neuenschwander titled “Bataille”. Bataille (meaning ‘battle’ in French) is an interactive installation that explores the empowering and transformative nature of language. Written in French, words are taken from protest banners, placards, and slogans of insurrection; each word representing an entire statement or a specific fight for minority voices. The mottos of freedom, resistance, utopia, and justice are embroidered onto clothing labels that visitors can freely re-compose on the board, take away, or pin to their clothes, so that they too become message-bearers of political poetry. As with much of Rivane Neuenschwander’s practice, the work is imbued with influences from her native Brazil. Here she combines the poetic tradition of repente, an oral form of improvised poetry, with concrete poetry. While there is a subtle ideological tone in the piece, at its core lies the idea that language can be freed from the constraints of syntax and, as the concrete poets believed, language should be considered as a ‘sensitive object.’

Guests departed the festivities with fresh churros from Queso Beso to take home.

CUISINE:

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• Americano 
• CBD Provisions 
• Mirador 
• Sassetta 
• Wheelhouse 
• Joule Catering
• Queso Beso – The soon to be opened vibrant Tex-Mex restaurant located in the heart of Downtown Dallas. The fast casual restaurant is slated to open November 8, 2019.

COCKTAILS BY:

• Midnight Rambler  
• Special sips included
  • Belvedere’s flirty The Kiss 
  • Casa Dragones featuring Cindy’s Margarita
  • Miraval Rose