GAYLETTER

I’ll start with this — if you didn’t read that New York Magazine feature detailing every angle of why sex-work should or shouldn’t be legal, you need to get to it. It’s a hot debate that’s slowly but surely gaining traction. I’m still waiting for a politico to even touch the subject. Anyway, the realities of many lives spent in prostitution is making it’s way to the mainstream and the art world. Exhibiting works from 1850 through the last few years, Daniel Cooney Fine Art presents Scarlet Muse: Photography and Prostitution. The exhibition includes work from Larry Clark, Philip-Lorca diCorcia, Benjamin Fredrickson, Malerie Marder, Bob Mizer and more, though I have to point out that there’s only three women on the program, which looks pretty crappy. Here’s what the press release says, “Fredrickson revels in his dual role as artist/hustler with his provocative Polaroid self-portraits made while servicing clients. Punk rock legend Danny Fields shares his intimate living room snapshots of young Greenwich Village “Richies” in action circa mid 70’s.” 1850 was a long time ago, so check out the opening and see if you can compare what a prostitute looked like then as opposed to now. Then again, prostitutes have always been ordinary people.  —Chris Stewart

Art fairs are both exciting and exhausting at the same time. They’re a chance to see some of the world’s best art, from some of the world’s best galleries, in one fell swoop, but it’s often a lot to take in. Our advice is to just start walking, and leave when you get tired. Don’t beat yourself up if you don’t see EVERYTHING. Looking at art should be enjoyable. Once it starts to feel like a chore, just go, or at least take a break. At this year’s Frieze Art Fair there’s food from some cunty NYC eateries including Frankies Spuntino and Roberta’s Pizza, plus new additions including GAYLETTER favorite El Rey and Cosme. Beyond the art there’s also talks with important art people and the new Reading Room which “offers visitors the opportunity to browse and buy a curated selection of the world’s best arts publications, and attend an exciting daily schedule of events.” We think Frieze is one of the best art fairs there is, the art is really well curated and the people that attend are often cute. See you on the boat!  —tom

We've photographed many dancers in our magazine. We love working with them, because they're the best models, not only do they have great bodies, but they also have talent, and a depth that is so much more interesting than a model  with nothing but pretty eyes and high cheekbones. Photographer Nir Arieli feels the same way. His cousin is a dancer from Juilliard School. He's taken advantage of the connection by photographing many of the dancers from the school. His new show is titled 'Tension' and it's at Daniel Cooney Fine Art. In it are gorgeous images of dancers all piled on top of each other. This Thursday, April 21, from 6:00PM-8:00PM is the opening reception for the show. It'll be a great chance to see the photos in their large scale glory and also, hopefully, meet some of the dancers. Yummy.  —tom

Here’s a new exhibition for everyone who, like us and wasn’t around in the 70s. A lot of young millennials behave like they know it all and they ignore the fact that the older generation dealt with major struggles. Thankfully we have it easier, but never forget… The organizers explain what this exhibition is all about: “The 1970s: The Blossoming of a Queer Enlightenment explores the vibrant and liberating decade between the Stonewall Riots from 1969 until 1980, just before we heard the first rumblings of the AIDS crisis emerging, changing the nature of sexual relationships to the present day.” It’s curated by the staff at Leslie-Lohman Museum and features over 115 works from their collection. There’s photographs, drawings and paintings made during this important period in LGBTQ history. Some of the artists involved in this show are Paul Cadmus, Joan E. Biren (JEB), Jimmy DeSana, Marion Pinto, Amos Badertscher, Harvey Milk, Saul Bolasni, Francesco Scavullo, Diana Davies, Rink Foto, Tee Corinne, Neel Bate, Peter Hujar and many others. “The 1970s explores themes of political activism, body/self, fashion/style, and sexual freedom/expression.” Do not miss it!  —Abi

Thanks to GAYLETTER I’m constantly learning about new people, artists and things. It’s a nice perk of writing a weekly newsletter — constantly improving my queer education. For instance, I got an email from Brian Clamp from ClampArt gallery about this new show featuring this Venezuelan born artist, who photographs strippers, Jan Rattia, (I trust Brian’s taste in art, so I always pay attention). I was like oh, a Latino photographer for a change, you know I love supporting my people. I’ve never looked at Jan’s work before, but I am so into it. “Jan Rattia spent nearly two years traveling the Unites States — from Washington DC to Atlanta, Miami to Phoenix, and back to New York City — in order to photograph members of a singular and largely misunderstood fraternity: male strippers. Rattia addresses the often-fascinating dichotomy of the men who create fantasy personas for stuffed cash, and those same men who call their mothers for advice, go home to their wives (or boyfriends), and put themselves through college or medical school.” This is the opening day for this exhibition. There’s no opening party for it, but they’ll have a closing party on May 21st — Go and shut her down.  —Abi

Let me be honest up front, there’s plenty of shitty art at the New York Affordable Art Fair, like a lot. BUT. If you search hard enough you can find yourself a gem or two. The fair features 70 local, national, and international galleries with works of art (I use that term loosely, kidding) from over 500 artists. There’s bound to be something you can find in a collection that size. Prices at the fair range from $100 to $10,000. The art fair was started in 1999 and today it takes place in cities including Amsterdam, Bristol, Brussels, New York, Milan, London, Singapore, Hamburg, Seoul, Stockholm and Hong Kong. The art fair is open in Nw York City until April 3, 2016. It’s a cute idea. And just think, all the best artists today sold affordable art at one time.  —tom

This is the second event by the zine Straight to Hell at the Bureau of General Services - Queer Division. They’ll be featuring artwork from S.T.H. contributors and comrades. The event will feature photography and “special editions” from artists Anonymous, Luke Abbey, Michael Alago, Brian Brennan (Latino Fan Club), Matthew Burcaw, Walt Cessna, Wayne Coe, Thomas Dozol, Michael Economy, Greg Endries, Danny Fields, Ryan Foerester, Torrey Grobes, David Hurles (Old Reliable), Erik Hanson, Charles Hovland, Steve LaFreniere, Patrick Lee, Yeni Mao, Bobby Miller, Slava Mogutin, Bob Nickas, Josh Olsen, Christopher Schulz, Terry Smith, Daniel Trese, Jan Wandrag, Cornelius Washington, Jimmy Wright and more. I know I just listed a whole bunch of names, but trust me that’s a good thing — this will be a full on queer party. Expect a performance at 7:00PM. The show will remain on view until March 25th. I smell piss!  —Abi