COVINGTON, KY.- BLDG announces Soul, Sequins & Solid Gold a pop-culture infused exhibition celebrating the glitz, glamour, rock ‘n’ roll, disco and drama of the 70s and 80s, December 31 - January 30.
The experience begins with paparazzi-style photography of Gene Spatz (1942-2004), a social photographer obsessed with “New Hollywood” virtues and celebrity culture. A true paparazzo, Spatz’s pictorial anthology was a passion driven endeavor. The collection, virtually unknown to the public until recently is an untapped tale of American history. A story, at times captured by unscrupulous practices, secret handshakes, and an uncanny ability to ‘get the right shot at the right time.’
Confrontational by composition and design, the photographs in this exhibition document nightlife, parties and celebrities unencumbered by their social status. In a generation defined by baby-boomers coming of age that embraced new habits of cultural consumption, Spatz’s work provides a glimpse of the ornate and often gluttonous proclivities of the era.
Recognizing the influence of pop-culture in 21st century, BLDG enhances the exhibition’s experience by inviting twenty contemporary artists to reinterpret screen-printed versions of Spatz’s iconic images.
Jay Becker, partner at BLDG states, “The pure excitement from the collaborating artists has proven that Soul, Sequins & Solid Gold is more than just another group show.” These artists infuse their work with not-so-subtle cultural innuendos while reimagining a bygone era through the eyes of Xennials and Millennials.
International artists include: Andrei Cojocaru and Leslie David (Paris), Emma Dajska (Poland), Stinkfish (Colombia), The London Police (Netherlands), Prefab77 and Ben Slow (UK), Vinz (Spain), Fefe Talavera (Brazil), and Sammy Slabbinck (Belgium).
US-based artists include: Cash For Your Warhol (Boston, MA), RAE (New York, NY), Roni Feldman (Los Angeles, CA), Matt Hebermehl (Savannah, GA), Johanna Flato (Cincinnati, OH) and Lesley Amann, Jarrod Becker, Nick Dew, Zach Evans, and Chris Ritter (Covington, KY).
Becker continues, “With Spatz’s stunning imagery leading the way, BLDG brought together talent from three continents to reinterpret his relatively unknown body of photography. We feel that this exhibition could be the first step to making ‘Gene Spatz’ a household name.”
Soul, Sequins & Solid Gold explores deep affectations of celebrity culture, tantalizing audiences from one generation to the next with audacious depravity, cool-kid personas and flashy lifestyles. The paparazzi inspired works welcome pop-culture enthusiasts to lose themselves in a moment of history, enjoy opulence and become a star.
