Plaster Shoots: 2024 Christmas snowdown with Tiara Skye

Friday the 13th may be unlucky for some, but for the gallery-goers of Soho, Christmas came early at the opening of ‘ending soon!’, a show presented by Plaster and curated by Billy Parker and Seren Metcalfe. The exhibition, on view until 20th December, features works sourced entirely from eBay, encouraging viewers to question the value we assign to art.

Mirroring the eBay sales system, guests were invited to place blind bids on pieces in the exhibition. Hector Campbell was seen making a cheeky offer and peering over someone’s shoulder to size up his competition. As if that excitement wasn’t enough, more surprises lay in store. Tiara Skye (AKA Queen of Soho and Santa for the night), was due to make an appearance to dish out limited-edition merch from Plaster’s pop-up grotto – including scarves and lighters – to all the naughty boys and girls.

 

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Eagerly awaiting Tiara’s arrival, guests went feral, diving into the present boxes and shoving merch into their bags. Plaster’s managing editor, Harriet Lloyd-Smith, had to don her matron hat to escort frenzied guests out of the grotto before stock was depleted. As the clock struck 19:00, our Christmas wishes were granted as Tiara Skye sashayed in, elegantly dressed in a slinky velvet gown that bore a striking resemblance to a glass of Merlot. Chaos ensued. A mad rush crowded the staircase outside the grotto –  it was every man for himself. “Order!!!” Harriet exclaimed, as if possessed by the Christmas ghost of John Bercow.

Inside, guests were fervently vox-popped by Skye and asked to perform off-the-cuff tasks like: “name three lesbian celebrities.” Minds went blank and giggles erupted as guests handed over their dignity in exchange for merch – boys and girls, nothing’s for free. “She asked me to spell diarrhea!” one guest declared, half-traumatised, half-mesmerised, as she walked out of the grotto and straight into the blizzard of Freshers Week-esque foam being pumped from the third-floor of Plaster HQ. Talk about out of the frying pan and into the fire…

Photographer Colin Mullins captured the scene. Were you snapped?