Laughing Skulls Motorcycle Club
Robert Brush
Flatfile Artist-in-Residence
April 7—April 29, 2017
From March 3 – April 29, 2017, you might spot the Laughing Skulls MC at cultural events and social spaces in New Haven, New York City and neighboring towns. Members are identifiable by their insignia jackets, which feature an open-mouthed skull with wings. The Club was initiated several years ago by Robert Brush, an artist currently based in Beacon, NY, who invited five friends to join him in the Club’s founding. Each member is a visual artist who is also involved in some aspect of performance.
The Club’s insignia and aesthetics play off the stereotypes of American motorcycle clubs and communities, which are often associated with a counter-cultural lawlessness and iconoclasm. The LSMC plays by its own rules and interests, planning interventions, making artwork, defending the constitution, and the disenfranchised as well as, eating, drinking, traveling, and attending cultural events. When the Club attends a public event, their presence is often seen and felt by the host and guests. They view these events as loose containers for art and performance.
From March 10-April 7, LSMC will turn the Project Room at Artspace into the Club’s temporary meeting space. They will add furniture, books of interest, a TV, bar, mini fridge, personal photographs and assorted ephemera to create a comfortable space. Brush will select and install a group of works from Artspace’s Flatfile Collection that work within the context of the Clubhouse, including works by Jason Asselin, Monique Atherton, Gary Duehr, Keith Johnson, Adam Niklewicz, John O’Donnell, and Miguel Trelles. You can view the Flatfile exhibition here. During this time, the Club will hold weekly meetings to write their Manifesto. While these meetings are closed to the public, LSMC will release the Manifesto when completed.
From April 7-29, viewers may relax in the Club house, where the Manifesto will be on display, attend an LSMC hosted event at Artspace, or follow The Club on an off-site outing. Most events are free and open to the public, but guests must pay for the events that have admission fees.
