FUTURISTS ARE INVADING THE HAMPTONS

The East End is going high tech this summer! Welcome to the future of NFT drops, Metaverse madness, art shows with a robotic dog that can paint, and both virtual and IRL concerts. Prepare to totally geek out! Here’s what you need to know.

BY PETER DAVIS

Peter Davis this year are going to be more expensive…the events are going to be more lavish,” D’Alessio promises, adding, “And the personalities and egos are bigger than ever.”

In the more traditional, nonfuturist Hamptons, mother and daughter team Susan and Amanda Seekamp are opening their wildly popular Beach Hut gourmet food shack on Main Beach in East Hampton. The Beach Hut, which offers

Beach Hut on Main Beach

CJ Bøøgatti

Full-on futurist CJ Bøøgatti, who started out as a DJ and club owner in Shanghai, is debuting the “MTRX Meta Mansion” in the Hamptons this summer. “We are renting an estate for a series of events,” Bøøgatti tells me enthusiastically. The Meta Mansion, for starters, will host a tribute exhibition to iconic Hamptons painters like Jackson Pollock and Willem de Kooning, as well as a show of new work by buzzy French artist Idriss B, whose ginormous geometric animal sculptures recently took over Park Avenue in Murray Hill. But the techie stuff is really what makes the Meta Mansion so new and exciting. “We will have XR, musical performances, some exclusive NFT drops, and AR features,” Bøøgatti reports, sounding more surfer dude than computer nerd. For the ludites: “XR” is mixed reality, NFTs are non-fungible tokens (unique cryptographic tokens that exist on a blockchain and cannot be replicated), and AR features are augmented reality experiences—think visual, sound, and other sensory stimuli that are achieved through technology. Stay tuned for the opening in August.

Another artistic futurist storming the Hamptons: Polish painter Agnieszka Pilat, who creates bright, colorful portraits of machines and technological gizmos. She sells her work to the likes of telecommunications billionaire Craig McCaw and John Krafcik, who was the CEO of Waymo, Google’s selfdriving-car. Pilat has been called “Silicon Valley elite’s favorite artist.” Her constant, semicanine companion is Spot, her yellow robotic dog. Both Pilat and Spot will be in Montauk this summer at The Surf Lodge,

Agnieszka Pilat

where she will show new pieces. “Spot is a machine celebrity of sorts,” Pilat explains in an Eastern European accent she hasn’t shaken since moving to America in 2004. “Surf Lodge is a place where a lot of celebs hang out, so Spot totally belongs there.”

Hunting for the perfect beach house? Hopefully your cryptowallet is full! Post-pandemic (isn’t it nice to say those words?) real estate prices continue to soar in the Hamptons. I caught up with power broker Bianca D’Alessio, who also steals the show on discovery+’s Selling the Hamptons, for some inside scoop. “The market has been on fire, and with inventory at record-low levels, there’s no sign of things cooling off,” D’Alessio reports. Expect lots of real estate porn and realtor catfights on Season 2 of Selling the Hamptons. “The homes breakfast and lunch with ocean views and prime surfer stalking, started in Amagansett but has become all the rage on busy Main Beach. Think crispy fish tacos and farm-fresh watermelon and feta salad, plus a free concert series on Tuesday nights at 6:30 p.m., all with the help and blessings of Mayor Jerry Larsen. Last summer’s concerts, in tandem with Amagansett’s legendary venue Stephen Talkhouse, included Nancy Atlas and Winston Irie.

“My mom has always had an appreciation for food and cooking,” says Amanda. “She’s traveled the world and finds inspiration for our menu in different places she visits. While she had a great run at Atlantic Avenue, we’re excited to grow our roots at Main Beach.”

See you at the beach! T