The Evolution of FORGET ABOUT THAT SWEET FUCK BABY

April 5, 2017

From Poem to Audio to Film to Tribute to Must-Have Tee

In case you’re wondering… The trajectory of the FORGET ABOUT THAT SWEET FUCK BABY tribute starts with a photo of Arleen by Toyo Tsuchiya from his No Se No series taken in 1983 (and shown at Howl! Happening in 2016). In it, she is captured wearing a FORGET ABOUT THAT SWEET FUCK BABY T-shirt. When Quintan Wikswo, SSB Director of Artist Programs, saw the photograph, she said, “This is brilliant! We really must redo this T-shirt!” And so, curious about Arleen now, Toyo introduced us to educator and filmmaker Stuart Ginsberg, who is making a documentary on Schloss’ life and work, and who co-curated this evening for Some Serious Business. Howl! Happening—always game to help an artist—immediately jumped on board.  

Schloss gained attention in the 70s as a critically acclaimed performance artist and has gone on to create groundbreaking work in a variety of mediums including film, video, sound poetry, new music composition, books, and mail art. SSB was founded in the conceptual 70s and Arleen’s influences are our influences too: Fluxus; John Cage and “chance operations;” the DIY loud, experimental music scene; and especially the flourishing of performance art.

T-shirts for sale or BYOT to benefit Arleen:

We’ve printed a limited number of tees for men and women, or you’re encouraged to bring your own shirt and we’ll silk-screen it for you at the gallery. T-shirts are $25 with all proceeds going to Arleen.

Always anti-conventional, boundary-blurring, and experimental, the line “Forget about that sweet fuck baby” morphed from an 86-page poem about her breakup with a boyfriend to an audio work to a public performance, and finally as part of the film How She Sees It by Her (1981). The title of the film is derived from a story of the same name, a 58-page written journal of personal observations scanning life and survival in New York City in the early 80s. The film mixes her voice with footage from the time period.

We’re honored to have a panel discussion moderated by Ginsberg with director/producer Roberta Friedman, Whitney Museum curator Christiane Paul, and archivist Sur Rodney (Sur) following screenings. See you there!

—Susan Martin, Some Serious Business  

FORGET ABOUT THAT SWEET FUCK BABY: A Tribute to Arleen Schloss

Friday, April 7, 2017 / 7 PM / Free

Location: Howl! Happening: An Arturo Vega Project (6 East 1st Street, Storefront, NYC, 10003)

 

 

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