World of Tabboo! Early and Recent Work, at Gordon Robicheaux
Ever since I arrived in the East Village in the fall of 1987, I have felt that Stephen Tashjian’s work has accompanied me during important moments of my journey.
During my first few weeks in town, I was taken to the Pyramid Club, where I would become a devotee of the Sunday night drag revue Whispers, emceed by Hapi Phace with a delirious stream of consciousness brilliance and animated by Sister Dimension’s eclectic, mind-warping deejaying.
I admired the flyers for the events, masterful collages and illustrations signed Tabboo!, Tashjian’s nom de plume. I clearly remember one time when the entire club was painted sky blue and embellished with free-flowing swirls and flowers for a series of nights called New Age Laboratory and admired his album covers for the La Palace de Beauté EP and the Deee-Lite World Clique LP.
Years go by and I remember one day walking by the gates of participant inc gallery and noticing a Tabboo! painting of a smiling sun on the steel gates. A state of reverie ensued….
About two years ago I met Stephen at a party at Eugene Fedorko’s, and he was telling stories about the photos tacked onto a wall in one of many rooms. Tabboo!’s wonderful show at Howl! Happening followed a few months after, and I was impressed by the confidence of the portraits on display.
A month ago, I stopped by to see his latest show, World of Tabboo! Early and Recent Work,
which closes today at Gordon Robicheaux. I had seen Stephen the night before at the after-party for the opening of Scott Covert’s The Dead Supreme at Fierman/Situations. Stephen said he would be at the gallery the next day, so I made sure to stop by.
When I came in to see the show, he was chatting with gallerist Sam Gordon. I greeted them and started taking in the paintings in the bright light of a sunny day. I was immediately drawn to the floral still lifes Daffodils in Black Vase and Orange Tulips on Black, and the snowy serenity of Snowstorm Out My Window (Bigger Flakes).
Tabboo! liked I commented on the florals and explained how the tulips were his take on the Dutch masters, and that he became a devotee of the look of bare linen as a base for his paintings when he was working at an art supply store and fell in love with the beauty of the fabric.
He also told he has done many paintings of the landscape outside his window, and that he tries to do a painting every time there’s a big snow storm. Explaining a bit about his technique for achieving the richly layered mottles of snow, Tabboo! said he paints with the canvas on the floor (which seems to be the preferred method of many artist friends) and lets paint drips fall on the surface to create the layers.
Ben Copperwheat walked in—lovely to see him again after he came to visit at Dietmar’s a couple of days before—and Tabboo! gave us an impromptu tour of the paintings. He pointed at the friezes—how the blue one flanking his paintings from 1982, done during his early days in New York, has the date duly noted (these friezes brought me back to the Pyramid and made my heart smile).
I was intrigued by the background color of the Keith Haring Sharpie drawing. The cardboard reminded me of the color of Rauschenberg’s assemblages made from mattress boxes. Tabboo! said he had painted the cardboard with house paint.
Sam pointed out there was a souvenir poster of the exhibit and Tabboo! signed a couple of them for me, and for Ben.
I wanted a photo to remember the day and Ben took the lovely picture you see here, where Tabboo! and I are holding hands. Means so much to me, as it reminds me that dreams do come true for all of us, and as the journey continues we become closer to what we truly love.
(On that day, I was wearing my curly maple glasses from Anni Shades, a vintage Romeo Gigli shirt, Jimi’s necklace, Wrangler jeans, and Ferragamo boat shoes.)
Photos: 1. Ben Copperwheat. 2-9. Jorge Clar. 10. Van Wifvat.
