Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/1094656
68 Go ahead and call me the least- techy Asian ever. I'm sure we could probably avoid all of the bad reception by going online via Skype, but I prefer old-school phones. I have very bad reception in my studio in Brooklyn — actually Long Island City, near Brooklyn, in Queens. How long have you been in New York? A little over 20 years. Moved here in 1997. A little about me. I did Diana Vreeland in reverse. She was at Vogue for decades, and when she was unceremoniously shown the door, she entered another chapter by working at a museum — The Met's Costume Institute. I, on the other hand, worked for art museums for over 20 years and last summer decided to write full- time. Thus, I do quite a bit of arts coverage. Of course, I know and admire Diana Vreeland and appreciate the analogy. Have you been to Dallas before? I went a couple years ago to the Dallas Art Fair — actually three years ago. I stayed at the Joule. I've been one other time. So, I've been twice. I really like the Dallas Art Fair. It's intimate. You can hang out with people you might not normally get to spend time with. Unexpected connections. Social connections, which are really rewarding. One of the best things about the art world is those interpersonal connections. This fair is really good at fostering that. The Dallas Art Fair is a really manageable fair, and Dallas is a very user-friendly city — unlike FORBIDDEN FRUIT Call him witty. Call him irreverent. Perhaps, you might even call him a magician. This month, New York artist Tony Matelli, represented by Marlborough Gallery, descends upon Dallas, bringing his seductive body of work to the Dallas Art Fair, with major plans to take over the Joule hotel, dotting its lobby with his hyper-realistic fallen-ruin sculptures. A few weeks before Matelli's arrival, our cultural savant Billy Fong chats up the artist in a candid conversation that bounces from his wild foray into Wellesley College to his recent installation on the Maison Margiela catwalk. Oh, and then there is his fascination with seductive fruit … Tony Matelli's Caesar, 2018 © TONY MATELLI. COURTESY OF THE ARTIST AND MARLBOROUGH, NEW YORK AND LONDON.