Where can I start talking about the legendary Kembra… I shall begin with how I first met her a few years ago at London’s Frieze art fair and how I was completely hypnotised by her and her artworks (a series of colored prints of her bottom) presented at Emalin’s booth at the fair. We then became friends in three seconds. Sometimes you don’t need much time to recognise one of your pack.

I shall first mention Kembra’s extraordinary practice as a visual artist, performer, musician, actress and filmmaker. Influenced by Viennese Actionism and low budget horror movies, she is kind of goth punk pinup, some even call her the queen of horror. She was sewing her vagina as part of  Richard Kern’s radical 1992 film, Sewing Circle. Performing at the CBGB with her band, The Voluptuous Horror of Karen Black, (a dead-rock project she started with Samoa Moriki in 1990). Modelling for Helmut Lang, playing with Lou Reed and hanging with Lydia Lunch. Her long term collaborations with Bruce la Bruce, Nick Zedd and of course taking part in our beloved Matthew Barney’s Cremaster 2 cycle in 1999.

So, born in Hermosa beach, California in the sixties Kembra grew up in a sporty family on a surfing board. About 20 years later she moved to the Lower East Side, NY and there has become an icon for New York City art punk culture. She is now a muse for everyone from Rick Owens – whose new book, Legaspi: Larry Legaspi, the 7Os, and the Future of Fashion, features Kembra on the cover – to Mugler’s designer Casey Cadawallader, who tapped the artist for the brand’s  SS20 runway.

Walking into Emalin’s Gallery space last week or so I had the pleasure of visiting my first Kembra’s show. At the entrance next to the most extraordinary Kembra’s shop (Emalin Vitrine) created by the artist, selling some polaroids, cups,  t-shirts and mini sculptures of liberty holding a faced down pentagram. There I already sold my soul to the devil, as a big fan of merchandising at gigs I thought it was a brilliant idea to bring punk into the gallery space. Trying to carry myself away from that vitrine, entering the gallery I then found myself in front of a screening of a performance. Participant Inc  2021 was live streamed in NY that year during the pandemic. The video showed Kembra and her girls wearing black bushy wigs, painted colours and naked singing on stage. While observing I had a very trash glamour sensation.