Terence Koh's guide to New York City

Presented by Las Vegas

 The acclaimed artist and art dealer chats about a few of his favorite sights and sounds.

Name: Terence Koh

Age: 28

Profession: Art Dealer

City: Shanghai, Vienna, New York

Relationship Status: Single

Sexual Orientation: Bisexual

What are some of the things you love most about New York City?

In Shanghai, the streets, in Vienna, the people, in New York, the people and the greatest freedom of choice of any city.

What are some of your least favorite things about New York City?

I try not to be negative, so I only see the best of everything.

What gym do you like most in New York City? Why?

The YMCA on Bowery and Houston 'cause it's mostly senior Chinese folk, and I consider myself almost like a Chinese grandpa.

What are some great restaurants for a night out with gay friends in New York City?

I am only going to consider New York where I am most, as it's too hard and too much for my fingers to answer for all three cities. You mean, what is a gay-friendly restaurant? All restaurants in central New York City are gay-friendly. I like to go to restaurants in the heart of Chinatown, on Division Street. That's where I gay out with my mostly gay Asian friends on Tsing Tao beer, 'cause most of my friends are gay Asians.

What are some great restaurants for a romantic gay date in New York City? What about these restaurants appeals to you?

The Four Seasons restaurant, The Carlyle restaurant, and Masa. They are all quiet, so you can talk and look at someone.

What are your favorite gay bars and/or dance clubs in New York City? What do you like about them?

I love going to Splash, Barracuda and Gym bar. I love the music, the party people, the disco lights, the sense of freedom, and the sense of happiness.

What are your favorite gay parties or events in New York City, if any? What is the crowd or scene like at those places?

See above.

Where is the best public place for a gay person to make out in New York City?

The Strand bookstore, in the poetry section between Proust and Pound.

What is the gay community like in New York City? Do you consider yourself to be part of any particular "scene"?

The gay community in New York is strong and should be stronger. I consider myself to be more in the bisexual scene, so I go to all bars, straight, gay, wherever there is a drink.

Are you involved with any LGBT community organizations in New York City? Which ones? What do you like about those groups?

Unfortunately I have not been. But I have been asked to do an art installation at the LGBT Community Center on 13th Street, and I am seriously considering it. The first time I decided I was bisexual, I was attending a meeting of LGBT youths at the Center.

What do you think of the annual LGBT pride celebration in New York City? Do you usually attend? What are the highlights for you?

I love it: the colors, the joys, the parties. I attend every year. Also, Wigstock in Tompkins Square Park. We have not reached total acceptance in our society yet, and until we do, I vow to make myself and ourselves as visible and vocal as I can. We cannot stop till being gay or bisexual or transgender and all the beautiful shades in between is just as normal as accepting that we have a black U.S. president.

What do you like least about it?

Nothing, I'm always hopeful and happy.

Do you have a particular fashion style? Where do you shop for clothes?

I would hope not. I shop everywhere. I love going to the flea market the most for clothes, though -- the one in Chelsea on 26th Street.

Where do you go for other forms of entertainment -- live theater, concerts, movies, art exhibits? Are there any local gay performance groups, bands, or artists that you're a fan of?

I would hope never having to be a fan of everything. This way everyday you are open to a new discovery.

If you had gay friends visiting from out of town for the first time, what are some "musts" that you'd recommend they see or do?

I have never thought about that. We just go with the flow.

What city (or cities) in America would you most like to visit next, and why? Are there any specific spots there (theaters, nightclubs, historic sites, etc.) that you'd really like to see?

I would like to go to Maui in Hawaii for the beach and the palm trees. Not for the sights, but the sounds, New York City has amazing sound, if you really think about it. It's not the visuals of New York City, it's the sound of New York City. So I want to see what Hawaii sounds like.

Koh, in tune with city sounds. Photo: Kazumi Asamura.

Terence Koh (Born 1980, Canadian) rose to prominence in the mid-1990s, under the nom de plume asianpunkboy, for his eponymous website and 'art-porn' zines. His sprawling body of work, which includes paintings, photographs, sculptures, drawings, and performances, quickly drew a large following in the queercore underground and in the larger art world. Since 'killing off' asianpunkboy in 2004, he has concentrated on producing room-sized installations and performances. In 2005, along with gallerist Javier Peres, he opened Asia Song Society, an exhibition space in New York. Koh lives and works in Beijing, New York and Berlin, and is represented by Peres Projects, Los Angeles and Berlin; and Thaddaeus Ropac, Paris and Salzburg. Solo exhibitions include: Flowers for Baudelaire, Richard Avedon Studio, New York (2008); Love for Eternity, MUSAC, Leon, Spain (2008); God, de Pury and Luxembourg, Zurich (2007); Captain Buddha, Schirn Kunsthalle, Frankfurt (2008); Terence Koh, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York (2007) and Kunsthalle Zürich (2006); and Gone, Yet Still, Vienna Secession (2005). The artist has also been featured in such notable group exhibitions as the 2004 Whitney Biennial and 2008 Yokohama Triennial, and was a finalist for the 2008 Sobey Award. For more on Terence Koh, check out his website: http://www.asianpunkboy.com.

(Photo: Kazumi Asamura)