New York City in 1979/1981

curated by Sophie T. Lvoff at La Salle de Bains, Lyon 2022

New York City in 1979/1981 is an exhibition of Anne Turyn’s black and white photographs made for the occasion of Kathy Acker’s edition of TOP STORIES. The photographs depict the street scenes of a New York slightly forgotten, but undeniably recognizable, like the gleaming of the Statue of Liberty and the translation of taxi cab yellow into grays. Turyn photographed to accompany Acker’s story about women who live on the streets and learn to survive the pimps, junkies, perverts and police. Acker wrote to Turyn regarding accompanying her writing with photographs, “Why not making it AMAZING as long as we’re making it?”.

List of works:

Anne Turyn, New York City in 1979/1981
Framed archival inkjet photographs

Inside the binders: facsimiles of archival materials from the TOP STORIES era (1978-1991)

Video: Peggy Ahwesh, Anne Turyn, 2021
Editing by Keith Sanborn. Concept by Yana Foqué. Produced by Kunstverein for the exhibition Top Stories, 2021. Courtesy of the artists and Kunstverein.

The exhibition was made possible thanks to Anne Turyn, Giselle’s Books, Kunstverein, Le Sonic and Flora Valentin.
Exhibition documentation: Jesús Alberto Benitez

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A Reading Party II
Produced by Sophie T. Lvoff
With Linda Zarah Rose and guests
Friday, June 24, 8PM at Le Sonic

A Reading / Party II celebrates the recent re-edition of TOP STORIES by Primary Information. All the issues of the chapbook have been re-released in a two-volume set, whereby Anne Turyn hopes that it can be used as a foundational reference of downtown writing, as it has been dubbed, of the 70s and 80s. Linda Zarah Rose and invited guests will read and perform a selection of TOP STORIES with a sonic presence by Elia David. Jokes, songs, and stories will be shared in a special nightclub moment that links the audience back to 1981 with contemporary voices.

Event documentation: Jesús Alberto Benitez