Jennifer Calandra in front of her altar (Photo: Nicole Disser)
On Wednesday night the Living Gallery in Bushwick was abuzz with punk kids and curious passersby who had stepped inside to soak up the atmosphere of Collective Delusion / Mass Hysteria, a new all-female art exhibition. “Pretty much everyone is involved in the punk or noise scene in some way,” Jennifer Calandra, who curated the event, explained of the participating artists. “They’re mostly ladies I know from the scene here and from going to shows in different states.” The exhibition arrived just in time for the annual punk fest, New York’s Alright, which kicked off last night with shows at the Acheron and Tender Trap and continues throughout the weekend.
“I knew everyone would be here,” Calandra explained of Collective Delusion‘s timing. People are coming in from all over to attend the fest and the participating artists also draw from near and far. “There are three people from Canada, a lot from outside LA, St. Louis, Boston, and Texas,” Calandra said.
(Photo: Nicole Disser)
And the work on display, though united by a loose theme of “the experience of being a woman,” is as varied as the artists’ homes. There are screen prints, paintings, digital prints, installations, and photographs that confront a wide range of issues and themes: a woman in hijab masturbates, photos document what were apparently really rad parties, and another work depicts the moon. But sexuality, female empowerment, and the body are all foregrounded here, something unique to female-centric punk art as opposed to male-dominated punk art which is heavily homosocial.
By Thursday, things at the Living Gallery had calmed a little bit, but this is Broadway under the J, people, so of course a dude trying to troll walked in reeking of K2 and mumbling barely above incoherence. “That’s a shitty picture of a moon,” he said decisively.
(Photo: Nicole Disser)
Calandra kept her cool and smiled at him, calmly answering any and all of his space-case questions. We walked over to Calandra’s own installation at the back of the room. A plaster cast of her roommate lies on the floor under a lacy white veil, she’s surrounded by candles and trinkets and a bunch of old-timey black-and-white photos. “It’s kind of crazy, but since I was a kid I’ve been collecting photos of people who look like they could be related to me,” Calandra explained.
Of the show as a whole, Calandra explained it was a natural coming-together. “I just thought all these women are so amazing and make such great work, and no one puts on punk art shows for women.”
We asked her if Collective Delusion was maybe a response to Bad Company the art show that opened at the newly reopened Tender Trap last night, which is also a New York’s Alright-minded exhibition. Calandra schooled us in pointing out that, actually, she’s participating in that show, too (which will be up until April 25).
(Photo: Nicole Disser)
(Photo: Nicole Disser)
At least one of the participating artists, Jess Poplawski, will be playing the fest. She’s in Anasazi, a local gothy punk band headlining a sold out show on Saturday at Saint Vitus. “New York’s Alright is better this year, there are a lot of female bands playing,” Calandra pointed out. “It’s finally starting to even out.”
Collective Delusion / Mass Hysteria closes today, but is on view from 1-5 pm at the Living Gallery, 1094 Broadway in Bushwick. Pick up a copy of the zine made special for the show while you’re at it.