LIZZI BOUGATSOS

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— I’ve been re-visiting these photographs as a way to clear my aesthetic of vulgarity, some how find a pure place that is pleasing to look at or create some sort of balance. These pictures were the ones that got me my first art exhibition with Colin de Land at American Fine Arts. He liked that my thumb was in the picture, as if it was part of the process. I think he also liked the sexiness of the carpet and maybe my nerdy interest in Books, particularly Anarchist culture. I had my show with Jess Holzworth and we were called Boug & Worth, another de Land driven name. He would secretly tape our conversations at the gallery and put them on Public Access Television. Our show was titled Fuck All Our Art Heroes/Assholes. I remember me describing the work to Rob Pruitt and I told him I was doing negative sandwiches in the darkroom. Anyway, Colin didn’t like the first show. He said it wasn’t what he had in mind for a Boug & Worth Exhibition, so with no money of course, we had another Boug & Worth exhibition right after. I guess it was the Summer slot so the gallery had no plans anyway. For that show, we painted our conversation on the wall. The last photograph was Colin in front of our piece. The title had something to do with the Germs and Negating space but I don’t remember. Those were the days…………..

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Lizzi Bougatsos was born in 1974, in Queens, NY. She lives and works in New York. Bougatsos is an artist and the singer for Gang Gang Dance. Selected solo shows include SLUT FREAK, James Fuentes, New York (2010); SOLO EXHIBITION, The Breeder, Greece (2009), STREET FEATHER, James Fuentes, New York (2007); THE NOBLE AND THE LAND, James Fuentes Gallery, New York (1999). Two-person exhibitions include FAILURISMS at Reena Spaulings with Kim Gordon (2005) and BOUG & WORTH with Jess Holzworth at American Fine Arts Co. (2000). Selected group exhibitions include: The NewBridge Project, London, England (2012); The Victoria Myhren Gallery at the University of Denver, Colorado (2012); American Contemporary Art from the Astrup Fearnly Collection at the 29th Sao Paulo Biennial, Brazil (2011); The Whitney Biennial, New York (2008); The Astrup Fearnly Museet for Moderne Kunst, Oslo, Norway (2008); IN/OUT OF ME, curated by Klaus Biesenbach for MACRO – Museo d’arte Contemporanea di Roma, Milan, Italy, and Kunste Werke, Berlin, Germany (2007); and CRISS-CROSS: SOME YOUNG NEW YORKERS curated by Klaus Biesenbach for P.S.1 Institute of Contemporary Art, New York (1999). Bougatsos is a recipient of the Rema Hort Mann Foundation grant (2003).

www.jamesfuentes.com