In their practice, Tyler Matthew Oyer investigates and pays tributes to historical figures of queer cultural activism (particuarly in the context of the HIV/AIDS crisis), and seeks to establish an artistic bridge between their legacy and our contemporary moment. The figure of the "diva" thus serves as a way to establish the feminine genealogy of this work. In Calling All Divas: TASKASKASP, Oyer metaphorically opens a set of Russian dolls with performed identities: Tyler is disguised in a look recollecting the emblem-
atic attire of his mentor, Kembra Pfahler, who, in her appearances as lead singer of the glam punk band The Voluptuous Horror of Karen Black, painted her nude body and wore black, over-the-top wigs and heels with bows. The band was named in homage to the actress Karen Black, who was particularly famous for the intensity of her monologues, among them, that of Portia in Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, which Oyer recites and reinterprets in this video. - Simon Wursten Marin
screened at:
Last Tango, Zürich, CAMP FIRES exhibition
UV Estudios, Buenos Aires, CAMP FIRES exhibition
Emalin Gallery, London, curated by Kembra Pfahler
Kunstnernes Hus, Oslo, curated by Trollkrem
Afterglow, Los Angeles, curated by Harry Dodge and Aimee Goguen
&NOW Festival 2015, curated by Maggie Nelson
installation images from CAMP FIRES at Last Tango, Zürich:
installation at CAMP FIRES, UV Estudios, Buenos Aires: