Recently I went to Iceland and Denmark to screen my films and show my photography. I visited cities I’d never been to before, met interesting beautiful people, was on the front page of the paper, national radio, interviewed on national tv, called ‘a friend of iceland’ saw beautiful landscapes and felt snow falling on my face while floating on my back in a hot geothermal pool.
Getting off the plane in New York, the line I want to deliver: “I’m so depressed. I’ve eaten nothing but cheese and bread for a week. Europe. Good bread.” I don’t say this line, I’m not depressed (I’m just a little blue and distracted) and I’ve eaten almost every kind of food there is. Peas and Fish in mustard sauce. Lamb skewers. Chinese soup. Filet of reindeer. Skyr. I walked everywhere, I swam. I feel great.
DENMARK / Copenhagen
“Last nights artist talk by Katrina Del Mar was an amazing trip back in time to New York City 1988 and onwards. Alice Maude Roxby’s lecture gave insights in the subtle relations between the performance artist and the art photographer. Yoshiko Shimada showed excerpts of her work with Bubu de La Madelaine in the context of the live art scene in Japan in the 1990’s. Thank you to the many people who showed up and for the interesting discussion.” -Christian Van Schijndel
On the Edge of Society: Moments in Live Art –
LECTURE & PHOTO EXHIBITION
Public Event for Warehouse9
Curated by Jane Graham (UK/DK) Live discussion & artists’ talk, Friday 20 January
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Katrina del Mar & Dona Ann McAdams (US) present a series of films and photographs from the Golden Age of Performance Art (1988-2000) and discuss their impact on art history.
——————————————————–Katrina del Mar presents a series of approx. 200 images from her vast archives. These images show the New York underground in all its brash, bloody, colourful and outrageousness. Featured performers include Kembra Pfahler and her band the Voluptuous Horror of Karen Black, Chloe Dzubilo, Jayne County, Lunachicks, Antony Hegarty, Johanna Constantine, Michelley Queen of Queens, Sherri Vine, World Famous Bob and Karen Finley. Venues featured include many of the most happening spaces in the East Village pre-2000, like the Pyramid (home of Black Lips Performance Cult and Trip & Go Naked), Squeezebox, Limelight, Jackie 60…
Warehouse9 is in an old cattle holding area in the slaughterhouse district. The organizers Jorgen, Christian & Gritt are fabulous, they are all cool, accomplished and welcoming. Curator Jane Graham masterminded this show and she’s a sweetheart to work with. Gritt took me to the cool lesbian bars and a yoga class. I stayed at Carsten’s (fabulous gay) guest house.
I like finding and attending secret society meetings when I travel. Somehow I found my way up 11 flights of stairs to a tiny room in a tower where 25 or so people were talking about the benefits of meditation. In Danish. I didn’t understand a word. I found a seat in the back and eventually snoozed.
The curator and the other artist talk artists all went to dinner at a local Thai Restaurant called Porn Sak. I asked for the T shirt and the server informed me I would have to work there to get one.
Katrina and Alice Maude Roxby at Porn Sak photo by Yoshiko Shimada
While I’m in Copenhagen a debate roils on facebook. Betsy Todd thinks it’s ridiculous that any of my friends ought to suggest that I direct porn films. She says “So…after being in the photo/film game and being at the forefront of chronicling NYC underground queer and rock n roll culture for over 20yrs, the suggestion for KdM is to direct porn? Wow. Nice friends!”
Anyway, I think they’re all just joking. Right?
Looking at Art in Copenhagen photo by Katrina del Mar
On the Edge of Society: Moments in Live Art Katrina del Mar @ Warehouse9 Copenhagen
During the Artists Talk Yoshiko Shimada screened the video where she’s pulling a string of scarves out of a woman’s vagina. It reminded me of seeing Lady Hennessy at the Pyramid Club in the late 80’s; a night I shall never forget even though (strangely) I was without a camera and didn’t shoot a single frame.
As is stated above the show was based on photography of performance based art from 1988-2000 I spent weeks digging through my archives to prepare for the show and I found so much great imagery. I hope this body of work can continue to be seen and shown. Eventually I’ll post excerpts of the actual work here.
ICELAND / Reykjavik & Moesfellsbaer
Iceland was snowy, more snowy than it’s been in decades. People here haven’t seen this kind of snow since they were children. I thought about those global warming theories I’ve heard where they say it’s warming up around the equator and it’s going to get colder at the poles. Iceland is beautiful, just like they say. Eerie and moonlike, with rainbows and aurora borealis. Fairyland. While I was there, a blizzard occurred every night and it was gorgeous every day.
We swam in hot geothermal pools did saunas and then ran through the snow.
Oh and we had a film screening of my GIRL GANG TRILOGY.
I made front page news and national TV in this wild nation.
Interview with Katrina del Mar on Icelandic TV
The screening was well attended (especially considering it was such a bad blizzard the roads and the airport shut down the next day) we had a crowd of Icelanders who laughed loudly through the funny scenes. People either get my films or they don’t and these people got it. I was pretty happy. The cinema was gorgeous and the films looked & sounded great.
Hell on Wheels seen from the projection room Bio Paradis, Reykjavik
Katrina del Mar w singer Nana Alfreds at Radio RUV, Reykjavik
Trilogy of UNDERGROUND GIRL GANG MOVIES FROM NYC
Bio Paradis, Reykjavik
Bandaríska költ-leikstýran Katrina Del Mar sýnir þrjár mynda sinna og svarar spurningum gesta á eftir.
Miðvikudaginn 25. janúar kl. 20
GANG GIRLS 2000 Super 8mm / 25:20
Surf Gang Super8mm / Video 35 min.
Hell on Wheels Gang Girls Forever!! HD Video / Super 8mm film 35 min.
I didn’t once handle cash in Iceland. I was supremely hosted by wealthy lesbians. I have patrons there, it seems. As a result I felt a bit like a dependent child, content to sleep in the back seat of the car, to go where they wanted to go and eat where and what they wanted to eat. They were paying, after all. I said “I’m easy like Sunday morning.” They laughed.
Director Katrina del Mar w Icelandic Pals at Bio Paradis in Reykjavik
Vera Sölvadóttir interviews Katrina del Mar for TV
Katrina del Mar's Blog 