The Phantom Bride Is Unveiled

The vision in white first referred to here as the Phantom Bride has lifted his petticoats and exposed himself, so to speak.

Several artists and editors who recognized the bride in a recent article identified him as Joey Kreb, a longtime L.A. performance artist. Mat Gleason, publisher of the art magazine Coagula, remembers Kreb’s guerrilla-style “street art” from the late ‘80s. Gleason said that while Kreb works outside the establishment, there is a certain integrity to his work and to his resolve.

And just as he had resolved to do when we last heard from him, this wily character stormed the Half Dozen Rose gallery in Venice recently for an impromptu performance. At the invitation of a mysterious caller, several photographers and videographers were on site to capture footage of the artist scuttling across the gallery with his distinctive eerie movements while the bemused curator, Sabine Gebser, looked on. Gebser said she had not been given notice of the performance but has known Kreb for several years from the art scene and is used to his idiosyncrasies.

In the middle of the performance, Kreb lifted his Kabuki-style mask to direct a videographer. His pale face was so chiseled yet elfin that it was nearly as eerie as the mask that concealed it.

The entourage floated out onto the Venice boardwalk, chosen as the stage because of the controversy over street vendors being stripped of their ability to sell without permits. In a statement, Kreb explained that “the bride’s nuptials wed radical protest politics to social moral activism.” And, he added, “you are all invited to the wedding.”