event in conjunction with show:
CLOSING PARTY for Bianca D'Amico's solo show, Sheela's Gig with Fiona Landers Performing
November 1st
4:00 - 7:00 PM

Singer/Song writer Fiona Landers was born and raised in Southern California and now lives in New York City. Her music is a quirky, eclectic blend of acoustic, bluesy, alternative pop songs with a feminist twist.
She has played many known and not so known venues all over New York City and Los Angeles, such as CBGB's Gallery, Bowery Poetry Club, Mo' Pitkins, Pete's Candy Store, Postcrypt Coffeehouse, Rockwood Music Hall, UCB, El Cid, Tangier and The Bitter End.

...

event concurrent with Bianca's show: ASAP Events at Sea and Space
October 31, 2009, 1:00 - 3:00 PM
HALLOWEEN!!!
The Costume and Contemporary Art

...

event in conjunction with show:
"Garden Sheela Na Gig" Workshop / Aka Vagina Craft Night
Sunday October 25th 4:30pm - 7:30pm

In this workshop we will be surveying a small portion of the history of the Sheela Na Gigs. Sheela Na Gigs are medieval figurative carvings of naked women with exaggerated vulvas often found on churches and castles in the British Isles. Their purpose and meaning remain unresolved. Some theories suggest that they are fertility symbols or protections from evil, while others believe that these grotesque representations of femininity portray the monstrous nature of female lust.

Participants will then learn how to create a Sheela Na Gig for their garden or home using a variety of both traditional and reclaimed materials. I will be providing samples of different kinds of Sheela's that can be made. Including Sheela's that can host plant life in their vulvas! or be used as scare crows! or suspended on the wall for some serious home decor status. Materials will be provided, however please feel free to bring your own favorite tools or treasures or plants to add to the mix. Good times to be had!

If you have any questions please contact Bianca at biancaqdamico@gmail.com.

...

Installation shots
Video Stills
The Costume and Contemporary Art, ASAP, Halloween. My Barbarian performing.
Fiona Landers Performing

Bianca D'Amico's Sheela's Gig stems from a recent love affair with the Sheela Na Gigs - medieval figurative carvings of naked women with exaggerated vulvas often found on churches and castles in the British Isles. Their purpose and meaning remain unresolved.  Some theories suggest that they are fertility symbols or protections from evil, while others believe that these grotesque representations of femininity portray the monstrous nature of female lust.

"When first discovering the Sheelas I was thrilled by the carvings' contortionist abilities and aggressive yet welcoming pose. The combination of their opening vulvas and the possibilities surrounding their signification felt to me like the perfect invitation - an 'open door' to jump into. An invitation to befriend, extend or create a contemporary narrative for these carvings.  My work deals with notions of feminism and the Sheelas have allowed me to visually reflect my emphasis on female sexuality and pleasure in a subversive yet playful way.  They're partners in crime, parading their sexual parts in a happy marriage with all the other characters in my art world."

Bianca D'Amico, a California native, received her BFA in Painting / New Genres from Otis College of Art and Design in 2005 and her MFA in Art from the California Institute of the Arts in 2007.

D'Amico's artwork and videos have been shown at such venues as Telic Arts Exchange, Gallery of York University, Toronto, ON, Canada, Democracy Forum at the National Center for the Preservation of Democracy, The Egyptian Theater Film Forum, Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery and Le Cinématographe, Nantes, France. D'Amico is an avid gardener and is currently working in collaboration with the Highland Park Seedlings to design and build a community garden in Highland Park.

For more information on Bianca D'Amico's work please visit www.biancadamico.com

download this Press Release