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There are very common threads that run through the my performative work; a desexualization of the female form employed by the ludicrous and/or repulsive, and a challenge of the notion of high and low art. My performance is always based on comedy.
 Photography by: Hannah Ross |
I AM SIMON 2008 I AM SIMON is a hilarious photography/performance project that challenges the notion of the machismo of abstract painting, as well as the tortured troubled alcoholic artist as genius. It also presents the idea that abstract painting's traditional idea of "painting for painting's sake" may be an obsolete concept in this day and age, and I feel a conceptual premise is necessary to further this practice. We watch Simon, a male abstract artist in his process of artmaking, in which smoking and drinking are an integral part. We never actually see what Simon is painting, and although they are action shots, there is not actual evidence that he has made anything- the idea of the artist is more important than the actual works made. It examines femininity and masculinity. The ridiculous performance becomes the conceptual premise in a process that is often devoid of ideas. It brings narcissism to the forefront in a practice that can be sometimes looked at as narcissistic. We accompany Simon through his moods of elation and sadness until his decline into passing out. Below are a sampling of the many photos taken during this performance. 
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FLUIDS MASCOT 2008 For the Overflow project at the Getty Museum as part of the LA Art Girls reinvention of the Alan Kaprow Fluids piece, I dressed as a mascot for the ice structure and carried a twirly sign to direct visitors to the sculpture. Referencing the new twirly sign craze advertising Condo Open Houses as well as the anthropormorphic business mascot, this piece attempts to bring funny, pop culture and advertising references to a very serious and high art environment.  More information on this project is at www.laartgirls.com. |
 
FLUIDS FOTO-OP 2008 For the Overflow project at the Getty Museum as part of the LA Art Girls reinvention of the Alan Kaprow Fluids piece, I also created a Photo Back drop for visitors to pose and in which to take photos in front. Due to liability issues in these litigious times, the contemporary re-creation of the 1960's Kaprow piece at the Getty was forced to exclude the visitors and "community members" which were so important in the making of the work of Alan Kaprow. Thus I created a funny tourist style kitchy backdrop that visitors could step up to and pretend to build the piece, thereby creating a participartory element which was so crucial to the original piece. |
2008
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At the LAAGAFBLA08 (LA Art Girls Art Fair Biennele Los Angeles 2008 at Phantom Galleries), it only seemed fitting to present the LA Art Girls with their Contemporary Artist of the Year Award for 2008 as my participation in the show.
The piece entailed the Trophy, and a headset which announced the award to the group.
from the Press Release: LAAGAFBLA08 is the LA Art Girl's world premier international art show for contemporary works, and will be Los Angeles' cultural and social highlight for the summer. The exhibition recognizes the individual within this unique artist collective. Work by 26 artists, from our cutting edge generation of emerging stars, will be contained in two spectacular downtown spaces. The exhibition includes the highest- quality paintings, sculptures, drawings, installations, photographs, and video. This prestigious exhibition combines a selection of top art works with an exciting program of special performances, parties and crossover events. Exhibition sites are located on 6th Street on the corners of Main and Los Angeles, in the city's beautiful Historic Downtown Old Bank District. The exhibition is within easy walking distance of The Standard Hotel, and driving distance of the beach. The show will be a vital source for art lovers, allowing them to discover new developments in contemporary art. A tour de force, LAAGAFBLA08 is the favorite summer meeting place for the international art world. More info at laartgirls.com. |
 2nd Annual Deitch Art Parade, 2006 Photo Credit: Tricia Romano, Village Voice 
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THE EGG 2006 Since the Egg's birth in 2006, The Egg has been a guest at such prestigous Events as The Getty Center's Movement in the Visual Arts , the 2nd and 3rd Annual Deitch Art Parades in New York, and was featured in the Indianapolis Museum of Art's exhibition On Processsion.. The Egg has also appeared in the Comedy world, performing at Josh Fadem's Acid Reflux Hourin Hollywood, California. The Egg hopes to become a leading figure in the Art, Comedy and Entertainment Worlds. |
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WHEEL DRESS LACE, 2006 with the LA Art Girls When the LA Art Girls were invited by Lace (Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions) to suggest a contemporary read of 60's Fluxus performance pieces, the Girls decided to perform a Fluxus Fashion Show based on an original Fluxus dresses, such as "Build a dress made enitrlely of envelopes so people can put items in or take items out". I built a dress out of wheels, and performed thoughout the gallery by rolling around and spinning. We dressed in 60's inspired make-up and hair as a nod to the era out of which fluxus was borne. A beautifully crafted, yet completely uncomfortable dress that obstructs all feminine parts via a box, the Wheel Dress was poking fun at fashion and model society as well as haute couture, all genres that are based solely on money and beauty. More information on this project is at www.laartgirls.com. |
 Photo Credit: Bartholomew Cooke 
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 Photo Credit: Pamela Buchwald  Photo Credit: Pamela Buchwald |
THE WIENER GIRLS 1998 - present The Famous Wiener Girls is a collaborative project of Sydney Croskery and Katey Rafanello that started out as a photography show placed in a popular hot dog stand, The Wiener Circle in Chicago. What started out as little more than an art world prank, surprisingly became a very successful project receiving much press and invitations for shows, including Performance Week at the Jack Tilton Gallery in New York and the American Pop Culture Gallery in Nashville, Tennessee. From their inception, the Wiener Girls have been famous, and some time around 2007, they achieved World Famous Stardom. The Wiener Girls have performed in galleries, staged interventions, attended art openings, been kicked out of the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago, were cheerleaders for a bowling team, were in a slip-and-slide-fashion show, danced on top of the bar at the Hogs and Heffers Bar in NYC, and MC'd the weekly Drunk Rednek Variety Show in Chicago. Their artwork was also stolen and later held for ransom. Most recently, the Wiener Girls, after an eight year hiatus, celebrated their ten year reunion at the Deitch Art Parade in New York, performing their revoltionary health routine, The Wiener Workout. They also came out with the historic The Wiener Workout Video so that participants could excerise with wieners at home. The Girls are currently producing a series of new photographs slated to exhibit in Hot Dog Stands in 2010. The Wiener Girls are a G-rated X-rated pseudo sexual repulsive machine that take on everything and anything in their path. While the original Wiener Girls website is extinct, you can view it in its entirety here. 
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