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MAIN EVENTS: September 7 - October 6, 2001 Stations: A Gay Passion Stations, a world premiere - paintings by DELMAS HOWE with mixed media work by JEROME CAJA and "Tumbleweed Town," a short film by SAMARA HALPERIN Reception: September 7, 2001, 6-9 pm DELMAS HOWE'S "Stations" paintings are inspired by European religious paintings, and depict gay S & M sexual theater. Howe links the influences of S&M;, its rituals, instruments, costumes, guilt/humiliation, and the relationship of compassion that develops between the executioner and the martyr to the Catholic Church. The set for these paintings are the piers as they existed in New York City's Chelsea District, and West Village during the 1970's. It was a time when sexuality was expressed publicly; and the piers were a place where this sexual freedom was celebrated. The piers were also a likely place where AIDS had spread to a large number of men from all over the country. The piers, as well as many of the men who played there, are gone now. The paintings refer to the gay community's tragic losses to AIDS, the Catholic Church's rejection and war on homosexuality. These paintings are both dark and compassionate. Delmas Howe has been widely exhibited and his work has been shown at the Phoenix Museum of Art, Bridge Center of Contemporary Art in El Paso; University of California at Irvine; University of Hawaii;, Museum of New Art Estonia; New Mexico Museum of Fine Arts. His work has been published in American Art Now, Movements in Art Since 1945, The Male Nude, by Edward Lucie Smith; The Sexual Perspective, Emannuel Cooper, Grand Illusions, Caroline Cass, Rodeo Pantheon, Edward Lucie Smith; Western Art Masterpieces by Thomas Watkins; Contemporary Art in New Mexico by Jan Adelman/Barbara McIntryre JEROME CAJA, the beloved artist and drag performer (1958-1995) used eyeliner, nail polish and other found materials to create fabulous detailed paintings. Praised as an "out on a limn visionary painter" Caja's work is both personal and quintessentially queer. His cast of cosmetic characters visually rewrite the destiny of the underdog and express unvoiced fantasies. The sexual subject of his work is both confrontational and rejoicing as his characters challenge sacred themes and delight in the destruction of all things demanding reverence or ideally nostalgic. Caja's work has been exhibited at Gallery Paule Anglim, The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, The Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the University Art Museum, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, and the University Art Museum in Berkeley. His personal papers are housed in the archives of American Art of the Smithsonian. SAMARA HALPERIN's "Tumbleweed Town" is a 16mm stop motion animated film made with toy cowboys. Gay cowpokes roam the Texas plains looking for love. "Corner Tour's" original soundtrack featuring Carolyn Cooley, Stomy Knight, Alicia McCarthy, Caroline Shanti add to the charm of this short. This film has been shown internationally and won a Frameline award. Halperin received her MFA in film from CCAC in 1999. Her films have been screened both nationwide and internationally, including SF Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, The Vienna Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, Inside/Out in Toronto and Outfest 2000 in Los Angeles. The exhibition was funded in part by The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Arts, Grants for the Arts/Hotel Tax Fund, The San Francisco Art Commission and the Queer Cultural Center. Jerome Caja's work appears courtesy of The Paule Anglim Gallery, San Francisco and with assistance and expertise of JAMES ORLANDO. 7pm Thursday, September 13, 2001 Special Event: Edward Lucie-Smith in conversation with Delmas Howe Long-time friends Edward Lucie-Smith and Delmas Howe will explore how pleasure and pain are at play within memory, visual representation, Christian mythologies, sexuality and contemporary life in the gay community. Howe's current gallery exhibition, Stations: A Gay Passion, portrays S&M; sexual theater as it was ritually practiced on the New York City piers immediately before the advent of AIDS. London-based art critic/historian, poet, photographer and international curator, Edward Lucie-Smith has published more than a hundred texts on art, craft and industrial design, including Movements in Art Since 1945 and Sexuality in Western Art, and Ars Erotica. (Co-sponsored by the CCAC Visual Criticism Graduate Program and The Luggage Store Gallery) REGULAR EVENTS: Every TUESDAY - 8pm, sign ups 7:30 pm Open Mike / Comedy Workshop hosted by MC Tony Sparks $3 suggested donation, no one turned away for lack of funds Creative Music Thursdays Press Contact: Ernesto Diaz-Infante tel: 415.386.3879 email: itzat@earthlink.net Laurie Lazer tel: 415.255.5971 email: luggagestore509@hotmail.com For more info checkout: http://www.bayimproviser.com/luggagestore OCTOBER CALENDAR: |