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 Ides
of March
@ ABC NO RIO
April 7, 2002 |
photos
by Imke Jensen
review by Erika Biddle |
| The third "Ides of March"
exhibition opened at ABC No Rio (The LES's reigning art and
performance space) on Thursday, March 14 at 7 pm. For the duration
of this biannual event (March 14-April 11, 2002), viewing hours
were Tuesdays and Thursdays, 5 to 7 pm. The "Ides of March"
began in 1998 as an opportunity to develop the organization
at 156 Rivington Street, and for dozens of artists to show their
work to the public -- and a very particular public indeed. |
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| ABC No Rio's mythology is wrapped
in its controversial, political beginning in the early 1980s
- when it existed as a squat cum art space. Indeed, the first
show was an illegal action where the group squatted a vacant,
city-owned building on Delancey Street, but only to publicize
the area's struggle to survive the oppressive forces of gentrification.
(At this point, artists had already been pushed out of Soho
and Tribeca, so this was their last stay.) The show was called
"The Real Estate Show," and garnered a huge, supportive
response from the media. This is how they came to call the four-storied
abandoned tenement in a decaying, largely Hispanic neighborhood
on Manhattan's Lower East Side "ABC No Rio," and home.
The collective legally took over the building at 156 Rivington
from the City of New York in 1980, paying a small rent for its
use of the space. The first floor was and is used for art shows,
spoken word performances, and the occasional live music performance.
In its heyday, it had weekly music shows in the basement, and
was the "no racist, no sexist, no homophobic bands"
alternative to CBGB's - performances were free, there was an
open hours policy, it was a place to feel safe, have fun and
listen to some indigenous punk music, view and make art, and
collaborate with the community on maximizing the area's unconventional
cultural value. |
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At another point in their history, the city stopped accepting
ABC's rent checks, making the tenants squatters by default.
It wasn't until the ABC No Rio Collective and a group of sympathetic
protestors staged a sit-in at the Department of Housing Preservation
and Development that they finally won their space at 156 Rivington.
The city struck a deal with the group whereby they only had
to pay $1 dollar for full ownership.
Thus was borne the reputation of ABC No Rio Lower East Side
as an institution fronted and backed by a group of artists
devoted to social change and political activism. To this day,
ABC No Rio remains open - to artists who want to change the
world, heighten awareness or the way art can reflect truths
and function as positive propaganda. Here, the art highlights
social issues and puts content before style. Friday April
20th was the opening of "Nothing Feels Good," a
group show about suburban dystopias. The works -- two-dimensional
drawings, writings and collages hung in the downstairs gallery
-- all felt authentically personal in their creation, yet
were somehow universal in their message. When's the last time
you were able to say that about contemporary art? ABC No Rio
also has regularly occurring poetry and open mic nights, there
is a computer lab, zine library and reading space, music events,
and political gatherings. It's also a great place to relax
and feel comfortable. For more information on the space's
history, interactivist network, as well as a listing of upcoming
events, go to http://www.ABC No Rio.org.
other art reviews:
Still Life with Dildos
: Marcus Harvey's
by Katie Stone
Daughters : Mika Machida
by Reiko Katakura
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