FASHION MODA FASHION MODA
This supplement is included to acknowledge the pioneering work of the
Bronx alternative space Fashion Moda. Founded by Stefan Eins in a storefront
at Third Avenue near 147th Street in the South Bronx in 1978, Fashion Moda
played a significant role-providing new energy and ideas -in shaping the
art of the 1980's. It was a laboratory where untrained artists and those
with art school backgrounds exchanged ideas, performed, exhibited and made
art-while the neighborhood joined in. Graffiti artists made their transition
from subways to canvas here. Jenny Holzer and Lady Pink collaborated, John
Ahearn and Rigoberto Torres met and began their portrait castings, and Tim
Rollins+KOS found an early venue. Neighborhood locations, ranging from abandoned
school buildings to empty lots, became the raw materials for artists and
their installations- Justen Ladda, Crash, Daze, John Fekner, David Wells,
and David Finn among the artists to use them. Over the years many artists
were a part of the installations and performances. In addition to producing
exhibitions at its South Bronx site, Fashion Moda was a collaborator with
Colab on the historical Times Square Show, exhibited at Documenta
7 in Kessel, West Germany, in 1982 (organized by Stefan Eins and Jenny Holzer),
and at museums around the country. A recent Lehman College Art Gallery exhibition,
Lisa Kahane: A Partial View of Fashion Moda, documented the early years
(1979-83) and the artists, exhibitions, performances, and life in the surrounding
neighborhood. This section also acknowledges an important piece of Bronx
cultural history.
Susan Hoeltzel
Director, Lehman College Art Gallery