Stephen Tashjian(born 1959) is an Americanmultimediaartist. Hisdrag queencharacterTabboo!became first known at thePyramid Club[1]in theEast Villageunderground art scene ofNew York Cityin the 1980s.[2]He is also apuppeteer,painter, and singer.[2][3]
Biography
editStephen Tashjian was born in 1959 and raised in the central Massachusetts town ofLeicester.[3]He is from anArmenian Americanfamily.[3]Tashjian attended theMassachusetts College of Artin Boston[4]where he became friends with fellow studentsNan GoldinandJack Pierson.
He moved to New York's East Village in 1982 to pursue a career as an artist, and became a regular performer at thePyramid Club,[5]appearing next to other drag legends likeRupaulandLady Bunny.[6][7]Tashjian also performed several times at the annualWigstockdrag event, and appeared inWigstock, The Movie,released in 1995. He also appeared as a contestant inHoward Stern's 1994New Year's Rotten Eve Beauty Pageant.
Tashjian has painted murals on city buildings and exhibited his paintings in many galleries internationally. Under the name Tabboo!, he designed flyers, record album covers and advertising for underground venues. One of his better known artworks is his graphic design for the album cover ofDeee-Lite'sWorld Clique.The curly lettering on the album cover became an iconic image for the band and the rave culture of the early 1990s.
The photographerNan Goldinincluded photographs of Tabboo! in her books,[8]and he is featured on the cover of her bookThe Other Sidein drag.
Tashjian continues to perform in New York and shows his paintings in art shows, most notably a 2006 group show curated byJack PiersonatPaul KasminGallery in New York, featuring dozens of camp art pieces from his private collection. The show featured works byMatthew Barney,Nan Goldin,David Armstrong,Jack Pierson,andMark Morrisroe.
In 2004 Tashjian's work was documented in theNew Museum's art exhibitionEast Village USAand in 2006 atNew York University(NYU)/Grey Art Gallery's 2006 art exhibitionThe Downtown Show: The New York Art Scene 1974-1984.
References
edit- ^Brian Butterick, Susan Martin, Kestutis Nakas (eds.)"We Started a Nightclub": The Birth of the Pyramid Cocktail Lounge as Told by Those Who Lived It,Damiani Books, p.14 & 15
- ^abJovanovich, Alex (September 21, 2017)."Tabboo!, aka Stephen Tashjian, talks about his life and art".Artforum.com.Retrieved2022-03-13.
- ^abcSmith, Roberta (2022-03-10)."Tabboo! Paints a Valentine to New York City".The New York Times.ISSN0362-4331.Retrieved2022-03-13.
- ^Liebmann, Lisa (March 1997)."Nan Goldin".ArtForum.Bnet: The CBS Interactive Business Network.RetrievedAugust 14,2011.
- ^Brian Butterick, Susan Martin, Kestutis Nakas (eds.)"We Started a Nightclub": The Birth of the Pyramid Cocktail Lounge as Told by Those Who Lived It,Damiani Books, p.17 & 98
- ^Trebay, Guy (2022-03-10)."Everything Here Is Tabboo!".The New York Times.ISSN0362-4331.Retrieved2022-03-13.
- ^Mellyn, Sean (July 1, 2013)."Tabboo!: The Art of Stephen Tashjian by Sean Mellyn -BOMB Magazine".bombmagazine.org.Retrieved2022-03-13.
- ^"'Jimmy Paulette and Tabboo! undressing, NYC', Nan Goldin, 1991 ".Tate.Retrieved2022-03-13.
External links
edit- Stephen Tashjian,The Name of This Show is Not Gay Art[permanent dead link],Paul Kasmin Gallery,Summer 2006
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