Party Out of Bounds & Fashion Underground: Guided Tour & Discussion

Two important exhibitions: Party Out Of Bounds: Nightlife As Activism Since 1980 and Fashion Underground: The World of Susanne Bartsch join forces on this guided tour to discuss the overlapping connections of art, fashion and activism in NYC nightlife of the 1980's.

The tour will begin with Fashion Underground: The World of Susanne Bartsch at the Fashion Institute of Technology at 10:30 am. Organized by Dr. Valerie Steele, Fashion Underground explores the creative links between Bartsch’s 30 years of sartorial self-expression and its influence on the global fashion scene. Susanne Bartsch has been a highly visible player in New York City nightlife since the 1980s. But life in 1980s New York was not just a party; AIDS was devastating the community. As her friends began dying, Bartsch notes that she “survived this period by becoming a fundraiser.” In 1989, she organized the Love Ball, one of the first and most important AIDS benefits. More info about the exhibition here.

The tour will continue with Party Out Of Bounds: Nightlife As Activism Since 1980 at La MaMa Galleria at noon, with exhibition co-curators Emily Colucci and Osman Can Yerebakan who will discuss the intersection of the AIDS crisis and nightlife from the 1980s to the present. Since the beginning of the AIDS pandemic, nightlife has been an escape, a community, a forum for information about safer sex practices and a center for activism. Taking its title from a B-52’s song, Party Out Of Bounds showcases the transformative possibilities of nightlife as an alternative form of activism.

Party Out Of Bounds: Nightlife As Activism Since 1980 features artwork by Nayland Blake, Elegance Bratton, Genesis Breyer P-Orridge, Luis Carle, Clit Club Archive/Julie Tolentino, Chloe Dzubilo, Scott Ewalt, Robert Getso, Keith Haring, Aldo Hernandez Archive, Peter Hujar, Kia Labeija, Marc Lida, Caldwell Linker, Lovett/Codagnone, Charles Lum, Joseph Modica, Hunter Reynolds, Eric Rhein, John Sex, Linda Simpson, Chad States, Nelson Sullivan, Wu Tsang & RJ Messineo, Conrad Ventur, John Walter, John Waters, Jessica Whitbread, and David Wojnarowicz

Emily Colucci is a freelance art writer, independent curator and co-founder of Filthy Dreams, a blog looking at art through a queer lens and with a touch of camp.

Osman Can Yerebakan is an independent art writer and curator based in New York. Osman, who holds a BA in Comparative Literature and an MA in Art Management, contributes to various online publications on contemporary art and curates exhibitions around NYC.