Laura Parnes at Locust Projects

March 18th through April 22nd, 2006Locust Projects will show Laura Parnes: Jannie 1978-1982. Work from Blood and Guts in High School by Laura Parnes, a series of video installations that re-imagine punk-feminist icon Kathy Acker’s book of the same title. Every time the installation is exhibited new chapters are added, and Locust will premiere “Janie goes to Jail”, with the star of the series Stephanie Vella and Jim Fletcher as a policeman. The book was written from 1978-1982 during the rise of Reagan republicanism and the emergence of punk rock. In Parnes’ interpretation, each video-chapter presents a typical scene in the life of Janie, bracketed by US news events from the time period in which the book was written. Historical events are juxtaposed with power struggles on an individual level. These events saturate the character’s daily experience, shaping her adolescent, nihilistic worldview and her desire for rebellion. As the viewer looks back at pivotal historical events (Jonestown Massacre, Moral Majority, Three Mile Island etc.) connections are drawn in relation to our current political situation. Locust Projects will also present a series of life-size portraits of the role-changing protagonist, Janie. Each photograph exemplifies Janie’s multitude of appearances presented in the video, accentuating the iconic nature of her character. In addition, a reading display case presents elements of the book as interpreted through Parnes’ script. Laura Parnes’ videos and installations are informed by traditions and genres in both narrative film and video art, and seek to blur the lines between conventions of story telling and experimentation. Parnes has screened and exhibited her work widely in the US and internationally, including the Museo Nacional Centro De Arte Reina Sofia, Spain; the Whitney Museum of American Art, NY; Dunedin Public Art Gallery, New Zealand; Institute for Contemporary Art /P.S. 1 Museum, NY; Museo de Arte Contemporáneo Galizia, Spain; Miami Museum of Contemporary Art, Miami; Palm Beach Institute of Contemporary Art, Miami; Brooklyn Museum, NY; and on PBS and Spanish Television. Her work has been featured in solo shows at Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions, LA; Participant Inc., NY; Deitch Projects, NY; and in a two person screening at The Museum of Modern Art, NY. For more information, please call: 305.576.8570