8 Outrageous Art Moments That Defined Events

Welcome to a gala under the artistic direction of performance artist Marina Abramović. At the 2011 event, performers wore black turtlenecks and rotated on cushioned lazy Susans beneath the rectangular dinner tables. They were allowed to communicate with the guests—but only nonverbally—and were required to keep eye contact.

In 2010, the Brooklyn Museum turned to food artist Jennifer Rubell to reinvent the menu at its annual ball. Highly nontraditional food stations included one that had a hanging cheese sculpture shaped like a human head. The "head" slowly melted onto piles of crackers during the cocktail hour.

During the cocktail reception at the February 2012 fund-raiser in Chicago, dancers dressed in Soundsuits from artist Nick Cave shimmied through the crowd and playfully interacted with guests. The suits were made with fabric, plastic, metal, hair, and other materials that make sounds when rubbed together.

Here's what BizBash editor at large Ted Kruckel had to say about last year's benefit in the Hamptons: "As you can see, the Watermill Center gala exhibits are not for the meek. Yes, that is a giant butt plug (a 60-foot inflatable piece by Paul McCarthy), and yes, that is a giant red phallus with the body-painted-but-otherwise-largely-unclothed women performers of the 'Voluptuous Horror of Karen Black.' Eventually the phallus was mounted (ahem!) on a stage, some guitars slung over shoulders, and the ladies gave a spirited, if confusing, show. The work was authored by Kembra Pfahler."

In December, Lords South Beach hotel provided a dramatic location for several events during Art Basel, including the Shhh...Special Basel Edition party at Lords South Beach. The hotel turned itself over to artist Desi Santiago, who created the Black Lords installation in which the all-white hotel was painted black and a massive, inflatable dog named Gypsy looked down over the property.

At the 2011 event in Orlando, two bicyclists costumed in skeleton bodysuits flanked the walkway into the facility. The performers were meant to represent Dali’s eerie painting “Sentimental Colloquy,” which has similar imagery.

In October, more than 150 art installations took over the streets of Toronto for the all-night art festival, which had an apocalyptic theme. In the parking garage of City Hall, light and sound installation "Quasar 2.0: Star Incubator" changed with information collected from live data streams that included oceanic temperature and weather.

In 2011, the Boston Museum held a 24-hour party to celebrate the opening of a new Modern wing. A work by performance artist Amanda Coogan, called "The Passing," was meant to symbolize the strength of the human spirit. The performance saw Coogan moving up and down the museum's stairs in a red dress. The piece—appropriately—lasted 24 hours.