Model Shop, Union: The Portrait Market

Please visit us in Tribeca for a special one-week piece by Kembra Pfahler inspired by the Jacques Demy film “Model Shop” (1969). For this piece visitors get to pose and draw and photograph Girls of Karen Black in costume in the gallery. Evoking groundbreaking performance pieces from Yoko Ono’s “Cut Piece” (1964) to Marina Abramovic’s “Rhythm 0” (1974) this work highlights the power dynamic between model and artist, actor and filmmaker, performance artist and gallery visitor, sex worker and john. From the artist: "Hello, my name is Kembra Pfahler. I'm an artist currently based in NYC and the founder of The Voluptuous Horror of Karen Black. I've wanted to re-do “Model Shop” for the last decade and I wanted to thank the Hole for letting me use the historical Walker Street space to start to iron out the cracks and add new ones... to the idea behind the actual "model shop" business illustrated in this film... but applicable to 2025. I was asked to write a one-page description but I always prefer to address you all in letter form, it's homier…. I'm grateful to Kathy Grayson owner of the Hole gallery, one of the very few female-run commercial gallery spaces in NYC. The fact that she's allowing me to experiment a little bit and invite you all to participate says everything. This happened very spontaneously and quickly... in great contrast to the bureaucratic mechanics of most shows these days. It's a testament to this gallery's beliefs... and the film it's based on... in a Los Angeles that no longer exists... saluting the divinity of the Jacques Demy movie... what we'll get to do for a New York minute around the Thanksgiving Holiday. Anyhow... see you soon...."