The Availabilists

The starlets of today’s flight of fancy are “availabilists” (coined by performance artist and musician Kembra Pfahler), whom “utilize everything, from shards of broken safety glass to abandoned lampshades to create the ultimate artworks of the period — themselves,” says artist and community activist Clayton Patterson. I became mesmerized by Patterson’s photographs at the opening of his “Pyramid Portraits” photography exhibition at the Esopus Space, which features the crème de la crème of the mid-80s New York Pyramid  club availabilist crop. Patterson masterfully captured his Queens in the dressing room of the Pyramid over the course of several years of Sunday night cabaret shows.

Grab a great big dose of inspiration from some of the stunning starlets of Patterson’s knockout show:

In addition to this exhibition, be sure to check out Captured — a great documentary film about Patterson showcasing his work from the ’80s up until now in New York’s Lower East Side.

Keep shoot’n on up —

Nitsirk