This New Book Spotlights the Punk Provocateur, Kembra Pfahler
Published by Rizzoli.
Punk rockstar and performance artist Kembra Pfahler is getting published by Rizzoli. The upcoming book explores the life and work of the “godmother of modern day shock art,” through four decades worth of archival material, performances, illustration and photography.
Blending bondage with supernatural aesthetics, the provocative artist is known for challenging expectations of beauty and femininity. With blackened teeth, nude and covered in paint, the artist is hard to miss. Beyond the art world, Pfahler is also lauded by fashion tastemakers, including Marc Jacobs, Rick Owens, Helmut Lang and recently Supreme.
The forthcoming title follows Pfahler’s career so far, starting with her arrival in New York’s Lower East Side in the 1908s. It then chronicles her time in the underground Cinema of Transgression movement while working her day job as a dominatrix. The multi-hyphenate also founded The Voluptuous Horror of Karen Black, a horror-inspired, glam punk rock band that she fronts.
By the 90s and early 2000s, Pfahler began translating her cinematic artworks into creations better fit for a gallery. Spaces like The Hole and Jeffrey Deitch gave the floor to installations such as her famed butt-prints and performance works focused on endurance, with inspirations ranging from Japanese Noh theater to West Coast surf culture.
Kembra Pfahler is now available through Rizzoli and Dover Street Market. On March 20, Dover Street Market New York will also be hosting a talk and launch event with a special installation dedicated to the artist.
