The Armory Show exhibition, Booth 915:
She Get(s high)

The Starns have been commissioned during the Obama administration by the US State Department to create the street level facade of the new United States Embassy building in Moscow. 100’ long glass work created with ceramic melting transparent colors is being fabricated in Munich, and is scheduled to be installed in June. The artwork in the embassy has been curated around the theme of exploration of the cosmos, from the space race of the 60’s up to the current collaborative explorations in the International Space Station.

The artwork at Wetterling Galley’s booth is a twist on the work for the embassy, instead of outer space exploration, this work is about the inner explorations through drugs and rock music that was the backbone of the counter culture that rose during these same times. The doors of perception that were opened and not closed again, and the corresponding pushback from the conservative culture censoring and jailing the mind pioneers. The rules of behavior had to be rewritten and were written in the music of the times. The power of the rock stars and the influential power of music are protectors and give strength and inspiration to generations onward. The paintings hover in front of the album covers like mirages, popular music is a lens we see the world through. The records are in the covers and are to be taken down and played on the turntable, the portraits are to be turned around— playing between figuration and abstraction and cultural icons. The title of the exhibition She get(s high) is a reference to the censorship of the lyrics to the Doors song ‘Break on through to the other side”. It was the first song on their first LP in 1967. All issues of the song, until the 1990’s, censored Jim Morrison’s accolade of the heroine of the song.

but, one fine mornin’ is a re-working of the center portion of the Moscow embassy wall, instead of an astronaut’s face, the Starns substituted the face of eleven year old Georgia Najarian as made up to be David Bowie's Aladinsane* for a Girls Rock Camp Foundation fund raiser. Girls Rock Camps around the world empower young girls through the creative strength of making music.

*as photographed by Carli Davidson for Girls Rock Camp Foundation www.girlsrockcampfoundation.org
Empowering girls through the creative force of rock music.