Terminal Five
Reviewed by Armistead Johnson
Photographed by Evan Sung

Rachel K. Ward Photographed By Evan Sung

One of the most heinous crimes one can commit in this country is being truly thought provoking, groundbreaking and popular at the same time. Why heinous? Because we American’s absolutely will not stand for something that is truly amazing. No sir. We know our rights. We’ll get you, my pretty.

Just ask Martha Stewart.

Terminal 5 is amazing. And not just as an art show, but an experience. Curator Rachel K. Ward is making a career out of shows that are challenging to their audiences both artistically and logistically. Terminal 5 is at the JFK airport in case there was any mystery about that.

One can't help but "take a trip" when viewing Terminal 5, and not just because it is over an hour away from the more traditional galleries of SOHO, but because viewing the space used in Terminal 5 is like going back in time. The space, designed by architect Eero Saarinen, is literally the 5th terminal at the JFK airport, former home of TWA and owned for a time by the late playboy and tycoon Howard Hughes. The space has been vacant since 2001 so stepping in the building feels a little like stepping into a recently opened tomb of sorts; the visitor is immediately hit with the pleasantly naughty feeling that he really shouldn't be in there, but it is too exciting to turn back - like he is the Indiana Jones of the art world. The sweeping, expansive architecture of Terminal 5 is worth the trip alone, but the space is filled with work, in a variety of mediums, by artists like Fabrice Gygi, Just Another Rich Kid and Jenny Holzer. Their work is surprisingly at home in the space while not overpowering to the experience of the space itself. The non-traditional work is reminiscent of the work in Sensation, the exciting and controversial show hosted by the Brooklyn Museum several years ago.

What is the next step for Terminal 5? Who knows? The show was closed indefinitely the day after it opened. You read this right. It was open for one day.

The opening night party was a blast (I hear, I wasn’t personally there), so much so that art-loving, sophisticated party goers trashed the place, which at a post 9/11 airport is a big no-no. The Port Authority of New York has pulled the permits for Terminal 5, which had been scheduled to run through January 31st of next year. So for now, who knows?

As I write this I cannot help but feel grateful that I was privileged enough to see Terminal 5 before the public got their grubby hands on it and closed it down for now. Check out their website for updates on when it might reopen: http://www.terminalfive.com.