When something goes well, like say, a movie, the parties responsible tend to want a follow-up. A sequel if you will. That can take some time, and in many cases, the delivered product fails to recapture the magic. But for Roberto Badillo, his first group art exhibit this past summer, Punx N Pix, proved to be too much of a success to wait a whole year to do again.
“The response was way more than we thought it was gonna be,” he tells PureHoney. “We expected a crowd, but we were shocked on how many came so we decided that we wanted to do it every six months.”
Applying the learning curve that he’s experienced from shoot to shoot, Badillo has high hopes for the next show and for the sense of community it has created in a scene that shares many people across art and music genres. (He’ll have his latest work on exhibit alongside returning artist and photographer Matthew Faciana.)
Photography’s been an integral aspect of punk rock since the beginning. Legendary East Bay photographer Murray Bowles, who documented the rise of bands like Operation Ivy and Green Day, passed away in December. Photographer Glen E. Friedman, synonymous with the nascent days of American hardcore on both Coasts, presented his latest book at the Miami Book Fair.
“Punk rock holds no value in and of itself,” says photographer and musician Monica McGivern, whose band Haute Tension is playing Punx N Pix 2. “It subverts the value system to define its own existence and sustains or decays through a DIY mentality. Sometimes community rallies behind it, and it often only lasts for a very short time. That’s where photographers are important. To provide documentation and historical context. Punk rock is the electric current. Photography is the feedback.”
Palomino Blond
Bruvvy
Haute Tension
Bruvvy and Palomino Blond will also perform at the second edition of Punx N Pix. Badillo’s excitement about the show revolves around the simplest of wants: To have a great time celebrating an awesome scene.
Punx N Pix 2 is 7pm Saturday January 11 at Laser Wolf in Ft. Lauderdale with visuals by Roberto Badillo and Matthew Faciana, and live music by Haute Tension, Palomino Blond and Bruvvy. robertobadillo.com ~ Abel Folgar
