Immigrant Punk Opening Reception: Saturday 20th October, 7:00 – 10:30pm
20 October – 10 November 2007
Black Maria Gallery: 3137 Glendale Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90039
Gallery Hours: Tuesday – Saturday, 12pm until 6pm (or by appointment)
Participating Artists: Bask, John Casey, Ken Garduno, Douglas Alvarez, Martina Secondo Russo, Nicoz
Balboa, Andre Firmiano, Hagop Belian, Pogo, Nina Nichols, Angela Penaredondo, Claudio Parentela,
Sam Saghatelian, Glynnis Reed and Jasko.
According to Black Maria Gallery director Zara Zeitountsian, the exhibition, whose title was inspired by a
song by the punk group Gogol Bordello, is homage to a particular facet of the immigrant experience.
“While immigration may be as American as apple pie, there are those individuals or groups who shape an
extraordinary reality as they reinvent themselves in a new environment,” Zeitountsian said. “It is this
constructive, hugely life-affirming aspect of immigration that our upcoming show celebrates.
“A veritable maelstrom of challenges awaits an immigrant in a new country: the language barrier,
unfamiliar rules and ways of doing things, different traditions and cultural approaches, the very imperative
of carving one’s own path out of an alien place,” Zeitountsian continued. “What’s significant is that certain
immigrants will plunge into that maelstrom with gusto, and will not only tackle all the challenges but color
the whole experience in terms of their own cultural roots and identity. I think there’s something of the
spirit of punk music and art to all this.”
“Immigrant Punk” will feature new and recent works by a number of local and international artists. A Black
Maria Gallery representative said that though not all participating artists are immigrants, most could
perfectly identify with the immigrant experience through the style and inspiration of their work or because
of their families’ deep immigrant roots.
Zeitountsian further commented on the parallels between punk and immigration. “Punk music and art do
not pertain strictly to a specific cultural movement that exploded in the 1970s and continued to evolve on
the fringe,” she explained. “Rather, punk is a certain attitude and way of seeing that doesn’t necessarily
come with props and a mohawk. It’s about the exuberance and joy of rejecting limitations and doing one’s
own thing, of following the call of an inner rhythm and bringing one’s own style to the mosh pit.”
“Immigrant Punk” will remain open until Saturday, November 10.
Black Maria Gallery:
3137 Glendale Blvd, Los Angeles CA 90039
Tel: 323.660.9393
web: http://blackmariagallery.com
Email: info@blackmariagallery.com
