by Stephen Tashjian (Artist), Jonathan Katz (Text by (Art/Photo Books)), Eileen Myles (Text by (Art/Photo Books))
Three decades of luminous cityscapes from downtown New York's legendary painter-performer
Multidisciplinary performer, designer and artist Tabboo! (born 1959) rose to prominence during the 1980s through New York City's underground drag scene. When Tabboo! first moved to the city at age 23, he fell in love with the electrifying, scrappy downtown environment and began to paint cityscapes for the backdrops in his drag performances. Forty years later, the city has altered drastically but the artist's ardor remains (he even lives in the same apartment in Alphabet City).
The sweeping cityscapes gathered in this volume are reminiscent of Tabboo!'s early backdrops. Dramatic color fields render the city in moments of transition, from day into night and back again. Gleaming windows are sprinkled with glitter, scattering the sun's brilliance as it sets. An indelible energy soaks these cityscapes, many of which depict the view from Tabboo!'s apartment window.