Located at 57 St. Mark’s Place in the basement of the Holy Cross Polish National Church during the late 70’s and early 80’s, Club 57 was a hub of unorthodox creativity. Home to an array of visual artists, performance artists and musicians on the fringe of the art world, it epitomized the spirit of the East Village counterculture prevalent at that time. Among those it attracted were several disillusioned School of Visual Arts undergraduates, including Keith Haring, Kenny Scharf and Frank Holliday.
Many of the visual artists who had exhibited at Club 57 have since achieved recognition within the art establishment. Several key ones have died, and others remain largely unrecognized. “Club 57: Film, Performance, and Art in the East Village, 1978–1983” — curated by Ron Magliozzi and Sophie Cavoulacos with Ann Magnuson — is a celebration of the art, film, performance, poetry and more that came to define Club 57. Pictured above is an untitled Shadowman, painted by the recently deceased Canadian artist Richard Hambleton. Several more images of the visual art on view in this multimedia exhibition follow:
Contemporary pop surrealist visual artist Kenny Scarf, Cosmic Closet, close-up from multimedia installation
The legendary Keith Haring, Cabinet Door for Joey Arias
Multimedia artist Stephen Tashjian aka Tabboo!, Self-Portrait, Acrylic on found advertising paper
Contemporary painter Frank Holliday, The Lingerie Family, Acrylic on masonite
Renowned sculptor John Ahearn, Eddie Moshier, Acrylic on plaster
In addition to the survey of visual art — including dozens of flyers — presented in “Club 57: Film, Performance, and Art in the East Village, 1978–1983”, films, videos, poetry readings and performance art are integral to this exhibit.
Held in the museum’s lower level, the perfect venue to convey the underground and interdisiplinary spirit of Club 57, the exhibit remains on view through April 1.
Photos by Lois Stavsky
