The Bell, Mannahatta, was a site-specific installation and performane by artist Eric Wesley staged precariously in the lobby of the NADA New York art fair in 2018 as a self-contained structure. Referencing present day New York, The Bell, Mannahatta comprises intersecting facades of a Taco Bell and Pizza Hut that form a crux, or cross. A KFC bucket-shaped bell completes the trifecta of Yum! Corp. Visitors will also see – and be seen by – two crows, Heseeus and Sheeseus. At times there will be cake.

Part-sculpture, part-performance, the project was conceived as a sequel to The Bell, Cahokia(2016), a project from Bortolami’s Artist/City program that transformed a former Taco Bell in Cahokia, Illinois into a venue for art and performance. For the second rendition of the project, the focus is dessert. “Eat your cake and have it, too” becomes literal – a formalist statement on matter, infinity, and general physics. The Bell, Manahatta extends the legend of The Bell.