Party Out Of Bounds: Nightlife As Activism Since 1980

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, John Walter, 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, Conrad Ventur, John Waters, Jessica Whitbread, David Wojnarowicz

Curated by Emily Colucci, Osman Can Yerebakan, Visual AIDS

Party Out Of Bounds: Nightlife As Activism Since 1980, curated by Emily Colucci and Osman Can Yerebakan, focuses on the intersection of the ongoing HIV/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.

Featuring 29 artists and collaborators working in a wide variety of mediums including photography, video, painting, sculpture, drawing and site-specific installations, Party Out Of Bounds presents both past and present nightlife scenes from Nelson Sullivan’s video documentation of late performers Ethyl Eichelberger and John Sex, to Jessica Whitbread’s No Pants No Problem Party, an underwear dance party exploring social gathering as a space of advocating for HIV and sexual/gender rights and combatting stigma. The exhibition also highlights archival materials including event flyers by artists Keith Haring and David Wojnarowicz, as well as ephemera from clubs such as MEAT and the Clit Club that merged activism, art, performance and parties.

By creating intergenerational connections between artists such as Peter Hujar, Kia Labeija, John Waters, Wu Tsang and Chloe Dzubilo, Party Out Of Bounds articulates the continual importance and influence of nightlife on different generations. Not only a celebration, the exhibition also acknowledges the losses due to HIV/AIDS whether artists, performers, nightlife participants or the closure of these event spaces themselves.

In line with the boundary-crossing nature of the title, Party Out Of Bounds will also hold a one-night satellite exhibition, Courtship Disorder, in London’s White Cubicle Toilet Gallery with an installation by London-based artist John Walter. White Cubicle is located within the Ladies Toilet of the George and Dragon Public House, Hackney. Courtship Disorder, to be held on September 29 from 8:30 PM to midnight, will be the seventh of 10 exhibitions at White Cubicle this year to celebrate their 10th anniversary.

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.