KENNY SCHARF'S COSMIC CAVERN

The Cosmic Cavern was Kenny Scharf’s neon fantasy made physical — quite possibly his largest existing art installation, and for years it lived in an undisclosed East Williamsburg basement, accessible only by private invite.

Every surface glowed. Neon-colored dolls, toys, kitchen utensils, plastic garbage, and furniture hung from the ceilings, walls, and floors, interspersed with Scharf’s signature murals. Black lights transformed the space into something alien and electric. Guests had their faces painted with Day-Glo paint by Scharf himself upon entry, collapsing the line between visitor and artwork. With disco pumping and bodies moving under the neon haze, the cavern conjured the spirit of New York in the early 1980s — the downtown art world at its most unhinged and alive.

The installation has since been packed up and is no longer accessible.

Location: Undisclosed, East Williamsburg, Brooklyn