FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
THE BISHOP GALLERY PRESENTS “The 12th
STREET EXPERIMENT: PHOTOGRAPHY OF JEAN-MICHEL BASQUIAT”
Photographer Alexis
Adler Partners with The Bishop Gallery to Exhibit Rarely Seen Images of the
Young Artist from 1979-1980.
Brooklyn, April 22, 2019 – There are very few people that
were fortunate enough to have an intimate relationship with Jean- Michel
Basquiat and to experience the thought process behind his works. Photographer
Alexis Adler was one of those people. In the exhibition “The 12th Street Experiment:
Photography of Jean-Michel Basquiat”, Adler shares a series of
photographs showcasing Basquiat working in and around the apartment they shared,
in the East Village on 12th Street in New York City, between 1979
and 1980. The exhibit which also shows stills of never before seen artwork
opens on May 3rd and runs through June 13th at The Bishop
Gallery in Brooklyn, NY.
Adler, the former
girlfriend and confidant of Jean-Michel still resides in the apartment they
once shared. When asked about the candid images being showcased in the
exhibition Adler states, “some of them feel almost too intimate to show in
public.” The collection which includes images of original artwork, also
contains images of works that no longer exist. The photographs show a young
Jean-Michel before he became the accomplished artist and household name he is
today. Their vibrant East Village neighborhood served as inspiration for their
impromptu photoshoots and performance art sessions. Items found throughout
their neighborhood would also serve as Jean-Michel’s canvas as well as areas in
their apartment. He would paint on the walls, floors, doors, and even on the
refrigerator.
About the Artist-
Alexis Adler is an
accomplished Embryologist. Select photos captured by Adler are currently a part
of a museum tour, entitled “Basquiat Before Basquiat: East 12th
Street 1979-1980”. The exhibition has traveled to Denver, Detroit, St. Louis,
and is currently open at the Schunck Museum in
Holland. Adler’s photos have also been exhibited at a solo show in London, in
various group shows, as well as several publications including the New York
Times and the Wall Street Journal. Adler was also recently was featured in a
documentary about Jean-Michel entitled “Boom For Real”, by filmmaker Sarah
Driver. Adler contributed commentary as well as her photographs to the project.
About The Bishop Gallery
The Bishop is a contemporary art gallery
located in Bedford Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. Launched in 2012 by Erwin John and
Stevenson Dunn, Jr. The Bishop Gallery
aims to provide emerging and established artists with an intimate space to
connect with their audience, while the expanding the Brooklyn art scene. We
embrace artists of varying cultures, genres, and means of artistic expression.
We hope to forge a lasting relationship with the artists who show in our space
and the surrounding communities. Art can be a catalyst for bringing together
communities and inciting conversations of change and development. We want to be
the venue, where the ideas that bring about change happens.
Media Contact
If you would like additional information
about “The 12th Street Experiment: Photography of Jean-Michel
Basquiat” to schedule a private viewing, or an
interview, please contact us via email at info@bishoponbedford.com.