THURSDAY 11

A glorious queendom rules once more in The Drag Explosion, a photographic time capsule of New York City’s momentous drag scene from the late 1980s to the mid 1990s.  All of the photos were shot by longtime drag personality Linda Simpson, back when film ruled and it was the exception to hobnob with a camera.

The era covered by The Drag Explosion was a time of remarkable growth and surge in popularity for New York’s wiggy subculture.  Over the course of several years, drag would transform from an underground art form into a mainstream phenomenon.  During this time, Linda took hundreds of just-for-fun snapshots—vivid and intimate portraits of the most colorful characters of their day as they joyfully pushed the boundaries of gender expression. Check out the world premier tonight! 

Dixon Place, 161A Chrystie St bet Delancey and Rivington Sts, NYC, 212-219-0736, 7:30pm, $15

“20 Years” A Retrospective Of The Works Of Dave Ortiz

ARTNOWNY IS PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE A RETROSPECTIVE OF ARTWORKS BY DAVE ORTIZ, WITH A FOCUS ON HIS PAINTINGS AND DRAWINGS FROM THE LAST 20 YEARS. WELL KNOWN IN THE GRAFFITI AND STREET ART COMMUNITY AS AN ORIGINAL TEAM MEMBER OF ZOO YORK AND FOUNDER OF DQM, THIS EXHIBITION WILL BE THE FIRST SOLO GALLERY SHOW IN OVER A DECADE FOR THE LOCAL ARTIST AND DESIGNER, AND REPRESENTS THE OPPORTUNITY TO RECONTEXTUALIZE HIS FINE ART PRACTICE AMIDST HIS COMMERCIAL ENDEAVORS.

DAVE ORTIZ: THE 20 YEAR RETROSPECTIVE WILL BE THE FIRST OPPORTUNITY TO SURVEY THE ARTIST’S COMPLETE BODY OF WORK, AND REPRESENTS THE ESTABLISHMENT OF ORTIZ AS A FINE ARTIST IN HIS OWN RIGHT.

GROWING UP IN BROOKLYN IN THE 1980S ORTIZ WAS SWEPT UP IN THE GRAFFITI ZEITGEIST, BUT EVENTUALLY TURNED TO PAINTING AFTER REALIZING THE AESTHETIC POTENTIAL HE WAS ABLE TO DEVELOP IN A MORE TRADITIONAL STUDIO PRACTICE. LONG INFLUENCED BY THE CLASSICAL SCULPTURE AND IMPRESSIONISTIC WORKS HE VIEWED IN NEW YORK CITY MUSEUMS, ORTIZ FOUND HIMSELF DEVELOPING A VISUAL SHORTHAND THAT MARRIED THE SEEMINGLY DISPARATE WORLDS OF STREET ART AND FINE ART. HIS FIGURATIVE WORK IS EQUALLY INFLUENCED BY MATISSE AS CARTOON IMAGERY–WHERE THE ATTENTION-GRABBING COLORS AND HEAVY OUTLINING TYPICALLY ASSOCIATED WITH GRAFFITI WRITING IS COMBINED WITH REFERENCES TO GREEK ANTIQUITY IN THE MISSING LIMBS OR BROKEN BODIES OF HIS CHARACTERS. THE MIX OF MEDIUMS CROSSES BOUNDARIES AS WELL, WITH THE ARTIST EMPLOYING TRADITIONAL ACRYLIC PAINTING ALONGSIDE SPRAY PAINT AND THE PAINT MARKERS OFTEN ASSOCIATED WITH QUICK TAGGING.

ORTIZ’S WORK CAN BE CLASSIFIED SOMEWHERE BETWEEN THE FIGURATIVE AND ABSTRACT, WITH A BUSY, VIBRANT, AND CHAOTIC ENERGY THAT PERVADES ALL TOPICS AND GENRES. ELEMENTS OF SOCIAL REALISM ENTER IN HIS SERIES OF PORTRAITS DOCUMENTING THE PEOPLE IN HIS NEIGHBORHOOD: THE JUNKY, THE COLORED MAN, AND THE TRANNY ARE IMMORTALIZED BY ARTWORKS IN THEIR LIKENESS, A TRIBUTE NORMALLY RESERVED FOR THE RICH AND POWERFUL BUT HERE EXTENDED BY ORTIZ TO THE PEOPLE THAT HAVE INFLUENCED AND SHAPED HIS EVERYDAY EXPERIENCE.

ArtnowNY, 548 West 28th St bet 1oth and 11th Aves, 2nd fl, NYC, 646-535-6528, 6pm, free, July 11-20