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PRESS RELEASE It is well known, and has been a matter for much complaint, that women often alter strangely in character after they have abandoned their genital functions. They become quarrlesome, peevish, argumentative, petty and miserly; in fact they display sadistic and anal-erotic traits which were not theirs in the era of womanliness. -Freud Kenny Schachter ROVE is pleased to announce the opening of Kembra Pfahler's File Under "V" The Vocabulary According to The Voluptuous Horror of Karen Black, the artist's first solo show in London. Pfahler is the founder and leads singer of the band, The Voluptuous Horror of Karen Black, which has produced records and toured America for the past ten years. Pfahler grew up in Southern California, the daughter of a famous surfer and was early on exposed to the West coast punk movement. She would later be informed by the work of the Viennese Aktionists Herman Nitsch and Rudolph Schwarzkogler, particularly their theatrical use of the body and its visceral qualities. Pfahler founded an art movement self-titled "availabism" which was based on the idea of working with the most readily available materials. Combining craft with performance, her image and props were heavily influenced by early horror films, as well as a "surf-goth" style adopted from her roots in California beach culture and the punk music scene. Pfahler termed "anti-naturalism" to describe her aesthetic of total artificiality, and began making films, music, performances, and images in a situationist context, in both nightclubs and alternative art venues. In 2000 her work was the subject of a documentary by Richard Metzger's series "Dis.Information" which premiered on the BBC. She recently had a one-woman show at the legendary American Fine Arts Company in New York City. File under V is a sort of visual tutorial in Pfahler's personal mythology. These ersatz signifiers of death and horror ironically configure for her a psychic meaning, in which spirituality is experienced through absolute hedonism. In the spirit of Sade, these pseudo-rituals lampoon our collective taboos, while celebrating their powers to transform and free the mind. * Pfahler will perform live at the opening. Recently re-located from New York to our new home in London’s East End, ROVE can be found at 33-34 Hoxton Square, in a building that will soon be the location for architect Zaha Hadid’s first UK based project. During this re-development ROVE will be located on Britannia Street WC1 in a space renovated by the acclaimed artist and architect Vito Acconci, and located opposite the recently opened Gagosian Gallery.
- For press enquiries please contact Simon Parris on +44 (0)7789 348 584 / simon@rovetv.net |
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