Press

House party environment captured in new exhibit

Review of The B Sides in The Star-Ledger
December 13, 2008

House party environment captured in new exhibit

by Dan Bischoff

Just as psychedelia had its look and disco had its look, so did house party music, and through March, Aljira, a Center for Contemporary Art, is hosting a show just for that glittery, befeathered, identities-in-a-blender subculture.

Called The B Sides, the exhibition features work by 28 artists and collectives, and it’s strong on photography and video, as you might expect. But it also features a remarkable amount of painting, sculpture, and elements of installation art, since most house parties of the early ‘80’s to mid-’90s naturally evolved into sprawling environments.

The House Party Spirit in All Its Glory

Review of The B Sides from The New York Times
January 10, 2009

THE HOUSE PARTY SPIRIT IN ALL ITS GLORY

by Benjamin Genocchio
The New York Times
December 28, 2008

Photographs of men in drag, erotic murals in the bathroom, and glittery painted stars hanging from the ceiling are all part of The B Sides, a new, boldly unconventional show at Aljira, a Center for Contemporary Art in Newark. It looks at visual art inspired by 1980s and early ’90s post-disco dance music, especially the pared-down genre known as house music.

The Next Big Thing: Newark

Newark’s gallery scene is popping. Reporter Heather Haddon checked out an opening at the Aljira Art Gallery in downtown Newark. The gallery threw an opening bash for a new show called the “B Sides” — 100 works of photography, video, sculpture and painting, all inspired by house music. She told us that Newark curators know how to make their openings into real happenings. And even on a freezing night, they bring out a crowd.