Karen Finley
| Karen Finley | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1956 (age 60–61) Chicago, Illinois |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | San Francisco Art Institute |
| Occupation | Performance artist, musician, poet |
| Employer | NYU Tisch School of the Arts |
| Known for | Performance art |
| Website | KarenFinley.com |
Karen Finley (born 1956) is an American performance artist, musician and poet. Her performance art, recordings, and books are used as forms of activism. Her work is notoriously known for being controversial, due to her use of nudity and expletives. Finley incorporates depictions of sexuality, abuse, and disenfranchisement in her work Karen Finley is currently a professor at the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University.
Karen Finley wrote various books that focus on controversial topics. She wrote Shock Treatment, Enough Is Enough: Weekly Meditations for Living Dysfunctionally, the Martha Stewart satire Living It Up: Humorous Adventures in Hyperdomesticity, Pooh Unplugged (detailing the eating and psychological disorders of Winnie the Pooh and his friends), and A Different Kind of Intimacy - a latter collection of her works. Her poem "The Black Sheep" is among her best-known works; it was displayed as public art in New York City for one month. Finley's poetry is included in The Outlaw Bible of American Poetry.
Finley was born in Chicago and raised in Evanston, Illinois. She is a relative of the American humorist and writer Finley Peter Dunne. Her father was of Irish and Scottish descent and her mother was of Native American, Romani, and Jewish ancestry.
While Karen Finley was a student at the San Francisco Art Institute, she became immersed in the Bay Area's punk music scene, witnessing the emergence of the bands The Dils and the Dead Kennedys. In 1977, Finley performed in underground art galleries and music clubs such as Mabuhay Gardens and Club Foot, which hosted poetry readings, punk concerts, and alternative performance art acts. Finley's performance Deathcakes and Autism included a dancer, called "Laurie", from the Condor Club. The work's narrative juxtaposes the shattering psychological impact of Finley's father's recent suicide with a study of the female nude. Having received an MFA from the San Francisco Art Institute, Finley procured her first NEA grant and moved to New York City. She quickly became part of the city's art scene, collaborating with artists such as The Kipper Kids (Brian Routh — whom she married/divorced — and Martin von Haselberg) and David Wojnarowicz.
...
Wikipedia