Exhibition takes fans through a history of punk rock in NYC
Since May, the Hall of Punk, in partnership with The Great Frog and The Morrison Hotel Gallery has showcased The Birth of Punk, an immersive history of the rise of punk in New York City. The exhibition, which takes the visitor on a journey through this incredible, historical time via photography, artifacts and music and stories, has been extended through August 31st, and will now feature additional works by photographer, songwriter, guitarist and co-founder of Blondie, Chris Stein.
Co-curated by Marcelle Murdock, Gallery Director of The Morrison Hotel Gallery and Chris Thompson from The Great Frog, The Birth of Punk: A journey through the rise of Punk and the city that helped forge it features an impressive collection of iconic photography layered with text, video and ephemera to document the movement known as Punk, which emerged from the rubble of a city on its knees and was defined by a DIY attitude of pure expression and driven by a lack of anything better to do.
In addition to photography by Chris Stein, the exhibition also features works from Glen Craig, Chalkie Davies, the Doors Archive, David Godlis, Lynn Goldsmith, John Holmstromm, Ebet Roberts, Norman Seeff, Allan Tannenbaum and Barrie Wentzell, among others. Visitors are guided around the exhibition via an audio narration which is accessed through Spotify together with the music that created the scene.
The exhibition is located at 25 Fulton St between Water St and Front St in New York City. Hours are from noon until 8 pm ET Wednesdays through Sundays through August 31st.
Blondie’s 11th studio album, Pollinator, was named one of Rolling Stone‘s 20 Best Pop Albums of 2017. Stein’s photographic work has been featured in galleries and press around the world, and published in many successful books, including Negative: Me, Blondie, and the Advent of Punk (Rizzoli), and Point of View: Me, New York City, and the Punk Scene (Rizzoli). Beyond his era-defining music with Blondie, he has collaborated with a host of artists over the years, including Andy Warhol, Basquiat, William Burroughs, Devo, Glenn O’Brien, and Shepard Fairey.
Stein’s next project, Giger: Debbie Harry Metamorphosis, will be released on November 11th in North America by Titan Books. The art book he curated chronicles the extraordinary collaboration between Stein, Debbie Harry and H.R. Giger for Harry’s 1981 solo album KooKoo.
Additionally, KooKoo is being reissued on 2 LP vinyl on October 7th. The album contained two hit singles, “Backfired” and “The Jam Was Moving.” The iconic sleeve design by Swiss artist H.R. Giger, known for his work on the Alien movie, has been restored and represented here as a limited edition lenticular sleeve design showing Harry with and without Giger’s art.
