Feminine Anger, A ‘Futile Orgasm,’ and More Art This Week

Crimes of the Gods
Opening Wednesday, May 23 at Steven Harvey Fine Art Projects, 6 pm to 8 pm. On view through June 29.

The mythology of Greek gods have been around for ages, and usually comprise a large chunk of one’s education, whether that be in grade school or college theater classes. But something that is often glazed over or diminished in seriousness is the deep-seated misogyny inherent in many of these powerful characters, and how their actions may have laid a foundation for how our world operates today. Artist Susanna Coffey published an art book in 1988 centered around these tales of gods (men) taking what they want (women, usually), and woodcuts made from these images will be on view alongside self-portraits imbued with the same passionate feminine anger. “Now I see that the tale told in The Homeric Hymn is more of an ongoing truth than a myth,” Coffey writes in an essay included with the exhibition, and it’s worth wondering if the opposite will ever be true.

Death Becomes Her
Opening Friday, May 25 at Powrplnt, 6 pm to midnight. On view through May 31.

Some say everything in life is about sex and death, but head over to Bushwick’s Powrplnt space starting this Friday and you’ll find an artistic intermingling of death and something else: femininity. This multidisciplinary exhibition is helmed by Gigi Mead, e-v, vei darling, and Tomasyn Hayes, and uses various tactics to drum up a dialogue about how these two topics (deemed “two of the most polarizing concepts known to people everywhere”) intersect in ways both obvious and surprising. Gender and femininity is a multifaceted spectrum, and so is this show. In addition to the visual art component, there will be a performance and DJ set the night of the opening; plus a zine fair; panel discussions on topics like gender, spirituality, and activism; artist talks; poetry readings, and more happenings nearly every day.

This Is Not Here: Re 21
Opening Saturday, May 26 at 630 Flushing Avenue, 6 pm to 10 pm. On view through June 17.

Erin Davis and Max C Lee’s art show Re: has been happening time and time again within the hulking halls of the old Pfizer building where Bushwick meets Bed-Stuy, resulting in a wide variety of performance art, installation, and even gallery shows within gallery shows. Every new Re: brings something different. This week, they’re onto their impressive 21st iteration, and have brought in a guest curator, Efrem Zelony-Mindell. Through an open call focused on works that react to a physical space, a whopping 57 artists have been selected to fill the sprawling pill factory-turned-gallery. Zelony-Mindell’s curatorial statement for the show is entitled “The Futile Orgasm,” so surely some interesting creations await.

Update, May 23: the post was edited to correct a misspelling of “Powrplnt.”