Kembra Pfahler
Kembra Pfahler (Born August 4, 1961 in Hermosa Beach, California[1]) is an American performance artist, rock musician and actress.
She is best known as the lead singer of the cult glam-punk band The Voluptuous Horror of Karen Black,[2] and for the often sexual nature of her exhibits. She is well known in fashion circles spanning the fine line between cult and haute.
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Biography[edit]
Kembra, daughter of surf pioneer Freddy Pfahler, was a child actress who appeared in several TV commercials for Kodak film. She became a major figure of the 1980s East Village scene, and has acted in low-budget horror and softcore porn films.[2]
Pfahler also does film and video work. She follows the artistic philosophy of availablism, using what is closest at hand as both the inspiration for her work as well as the medium.
Music[edit]
Kembra sang backup on the song "Shoot, Knife, Strangle, Beat and Crucify" on the album Brutality And Bloodshed For All by GG Allin And The Murder Junkies.[3]
In 1990, Kembra and Samoa Moriki founded their band, The Voluptuous Horror of Karen Black. Kembra's on-stage performances have included cracking paint filled eggs on her vulva.[2]
The band's live performance of The Wall of Vagina appears on Disinformation DVD - The Complete Series.
Performance art[edit]
In January 2007, Kembra, along with Julie Atlas Muz curated a mixed-media art exhibition titled, Womanizer, at Deitch Projects. The show included works by E. V. Day, Breyer P-Orridge, Vaginal Davis and burlesque performer Bambi the Mermaid.[4] Kembra's contribution was an installation with a bed set that contains a skeleton and several plush dolls in multiple colors surrounded by walls plastered and colored with a thick red paste, as well as a video that shows her ripping the dolls out of a birthing canal with blood spurting to a soundtrack.[5]
As part of the 2008 Whitney Biennial and with support from the Art Production Fund, Pfahler and The Voluptuous Horror of Karen Black gave a performance in the Park Avenue Armory's Drill Hall on March 14, 2008.[6]
Personal life[edit]
Kembra was at one time married to her Voluptuous Horror of Karen Black co-founder Samoa Moriki.[2] Her brother is Adam Pfahler, the drummer of the band Jawbreaker.
References[edit]
- ^ "2008 Whitney Biennial" Retrieved from whitney.org
- ^ a b c d Georgina Cardenas (July 11, 1996). "Rocky Horror Stage Show". Miami New Times. Retrieved 2007-06-02.
- ^ GG Allin And The Murder Junkies - After Hours Volume 2 DVD
- ^ Womanizer at the Deitch Projects
- ^ Robinson, Andrew C. Post-Gender Pandrogyny "Gay City News, January 18, 2007"
- ^ 2008 Whitney Biennial
External links[edit]
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