Exhibition and Events

Closing Reception: Sunday, October 22 / 3 – 5 PM

In an exhibition and series of events showcasing his entire career, Howl! Happening is proud to present FLLOYD’s latest body of work: DICKS and DIVAS. Veering between the iconographic, pornographic, and other sensual worlds, Flloyd unites his fundamental passions in one show. Unapologetic, persistent, and honest – Flloyd’s current work concerns itself with erotic desire, the muse, and modulation. Through a sequence wave of dots translated onto paper or canvas, each shape functions as a codex to create the image. Undulating forms of abstraction assemble into objects of fascination, beauty, and power, before dispersing once again into mystery. Each work can be enjoyed on the level of the image (the icon) and the level of the painting (the abstraction).

The exhibition continues through October 22nd and is highlighted by a series of events with special guests and screenings of his video and film work including The Channel 69 Triology hosted by Flloyd and Linda Simpson and a Premiere of his solo Performance, Flock of Slits. (see complete list below)

Flloyd is a performance artist, filmmaker, electronic music producer, and painter. Known for his unique ability to portray horror, beauty, and humor in a single moment, Flloyd is an inimitable presence and longstanding member of NYC’s Lower East Side and East Village art scenes. Among the likes of RuPaul and Lady Bunny, Flloyd was an early establishing force from the influential Atlanta drag scene that planted its roots on the Pyramid stage. He has presented his groundbreaking performances at several iterations of Wigstock and is prominently featured in the feature-length Berry Shills 1995 production. He has acted and done performance art off-Broadway at La Mama, the Kitchen, P.S. 122, Here, and the Guggenheim.

Between 1992 and 1995, Flloyd was a member of the Blacklips Performance Cult, presenting original plays such as Death, Tooth: A Disco Butoh, Trouble with Blacklips, and adapted for the stage, Nashville and Jem and the Holograms. He has also directed many short films and released in 2002 his first feature film which is an adaptation of a Blacklips’ play Jack the Ripper.

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SPECIAL EVENTS

Saturday, September 23 / 6–8 PM
Flloyd’s Channel 69 Trilogy: Hosted by Linda Simpson and Flloyd
A special screening of Flloyd’s breakthrough drag performances of the 1990s, followed by live commentary with Flloyd and Linda Simpson. In the early 1990s, Linda Simpson hosted Channel 69, a variety entertainment program which brought the East Village drag scene to public television. The series featured new and upcoming queens of the era, including Flloyd’s special dedicated episodes, where he presented his groundbreaking “Drag Trilogy.”

While many of the performances featured on Channel 69 constituted of regular drag performance, Flloyd’s “Drag Trilogy” marked a conceptual turn for the show, and for Flloyd as an artist. Prior to 1990, Flloyd performed as Felicia with his band The People Tree. Taking inspiration from RuPaul, Ethyl Eichelberger, and Lypsinka, Felicia soon transformed into a more daring performer who would go on to make a greater impact in the East Village scene.

Flloyd would go onto the develop the “Drag Trilogy” for Channel 69 the same year. The cycle is broken down in three 30-minute specials: “This You Won’t Believe,” “Sex Clown,” and “Facility Girl (A Tribute to National Secretary’s Day).” Each of the numbers bleed into each other conceptually, innovating and expanding on performative elements first explored by artists like Lypsinka, such as the inclusion of dialogue. Flloyd’s “Drag Trilogy” marks an outstanding breakthrough in drag history and for Flloyd as an artist.

The evening will open with Flloyd’s Wigstock Performance, following a screening of the complete “Drag Trilogy,” followed by a Q+A discussion with Flloyd and Linda Simpson to discuss the importance of these performances and their legacies within the community.

Saturday, September 30th / 3–5 PM 
Dicks and Divas Silk Screening event with Flloyd
You’re invited to Howl! for a Dicks and Divas silk-screening event open to the public. Artist Flloyd will provide the silk-screens, inks, and designs for attendees to silk-screen personal items in various sizes and designs. Attendees will be able to choose 4 design options, two dicks and two divas.

Saturday, October 7 / 6–8 PM
Directed by Flloyd: An Evening of Video and Film Work
In addition to his visual arts and performance art career, Flloyd is also well-known for his significant body of work behind-the-camera. In a single evening showing the highlights of films and videos directed by Flloyd, attendees will get a full view of Flloyd’s breadth and depth as a filmmaker.

The evening will begin with a summary of Flloyd’s short films and music videos, including a short film titled “Field Day” (4 min, 50 sec), music videos made for his band 3Puen, music videos made with his band Flock of Slits, the opening credits of Channel 69, and selections from Flloyd’s own public access TV show Gay Action News.

Following a short intermission, the event will culminate in a screening of Flloyd’s feature length film, Jack the Ripper. Directed between 1992 and 2002, Flloyd directed and produced a film adaptation of Blacklips Performance Cult’s greatest plays, Love Forever’s “Jack the Ripper.” Starring the cast of Blacklips, this all-black-and-white feature follows the story of local sex workers living under the black cloud of a serial killer of women lurking the streets at night. One by one, they are murdered in high stylized fashion by Jack (played by Flloyd).

Never released and rarely screened, Jack the Ripper remains a high mark in Flloyd’s prowess as a director and the entire cast of Blacklips, who provide their singular talents in this historic drag film.

 

CANCELED

Saturday, October 14th / 6 PM
Flloyd Presents: Flock of Slits: A Premiere Performance

 

 

Image: Flloyd, Sissy, oil on canvas, 2023.