• Donate

  • PARTICIPANT INC


  • Donate

  • Archive

  • Mission & History

  • Support

  • Information

  • Estates

  • Coalitions

  • Press

  • Future Fund



  • AFTER DARK


  • Search

Vaginal Davis
HAG – SMALL, CONTEMPORARY, HAGGARD
Nov 4–Dec 16, 2012

Vaginal Davis, *HAG – small, contemporary, haggard, *Installation view

Vaginal Davis, HAG – small, contemporary, haggard, Installation view

PARTICIPANT INC is delighted to welcome Vaginal Davis back to New York City for her first major solo visual art exhibition, HAG–small, contemporary, haggard. The name HAG in part refers to a subset within the Queercore movement of the eighties, which reclaimed the negative connotations associated with the term HAG. The croan, the skank, the slattern, the fag hag, and the veritable sea hag all took on new states of exaltation within this movement. Although HAG had proponents on both coasts, it was more active in Los Angeles, where Ms. Davis was hatched.

This exhibition is in tribute to and inspired by the original HAG Gallery (1982-1989), which Ms. Davis opened at 7850 Sunset Blvd. in Hollywood, California. The new, botoxed HAG will function as a fractured gallery within the space of PARTICIPANT INC. As Davis puts it, “my medium is the indefinite nature of my own whimsy.” HAG will feature new work that Davis has made while living in the Rote Insel section of Berlin, including her signature cosmetics-and-tempera paintings of women trapped in the bodies of women, lesbian domesticity wallpaper collages, and totemic bread sculpture, which Davis describes as Rapa Nui Moai monuments vs. the Venus of Willendorf. 

Vaginal Davis, *HAG – small, contemporary, haggard*, 2012. Ames room: wood, sheetrock; vinyl letters, cardboard, pink light bulb

Vaginal Davis, HAG – small, contemporary, haggard, 2012. Ames room: wood, sheetrock; vinyl letters, cardboard, pink light bulb

Vaginal Davis, *HAG – small, contemporary, haggard*. Installation view

Vaginal Davis, HAG – small, contemporary, haggard. Installation view

Vaginal Davis, *HAG – small, contemporary, haggard*. Installation view

Vaginal Davis, HAG – small, contemporary, haggard. Installation view

Vaginal Davis, *HAG – small, contemporary, haggard*. Installation view

Vaginal Davis, HAG – small, contemporary, haggard. Installation view

Vaginal Davis, *Various Hags*, 2012. 64 paintings on cardboard, matchboxes, letterheads, envelopes; including makeup, glycerin, tempera, watercolor pencil, food coloring, mascara, nail polish

Vaginal Davis, Various Hags, 2012. 64 paintings on cardboard, matchboxes, letterheads, envelopes; including makeup, glycerin, tempera, watercolor pencil, food coloring, mascara, nail polish

Vaginal Davis, *Various Hags*, 2012. 64 paintings on cardboard, matchboxes, letterheads, envelopes; including makeup, glycerin, tempera, watercolor pencil, food coloring, mascara, nail polish. *Lesbiana Domesticity Wallpaper*, 2012. Hand silkscreened paper, wallpaper paste

Vaginal Davis, Various Hags, 2012. 64 paintings on cardboard, matchboxes, letterheads, envelopes; including makeup, glycerin, tempera, watercolor pencil, food coloring, mascara, nail polish. Lesbiana Domesticity Wallpaper, 2012. Hand silkscreened paper, wallpaper paste

Vaginal Davis, *HAG – small, contemporary, haggard*. Installation view

Vaginal Davis, HAG – small, contemporary, haggard. Installation view

Vaginal Davis, *Dirty Mariah*, 2012. Whyte bread, transparent Paverpol, 50 x 30 inches, Courtesy of the artist and Grandaisy Bakery

Vaginal Davis, Dirty Mariah, 2012. Whyte bread, transparent Paverpol, 50 x 30 inches, Courtesy of the artist and Grandaisy Bakery

Vaginal Davis, *Timberlake*, 2012. Whyte bread, transparent Paverpol, 80 x 26 inches, Courtesy of the artist and Grandaisy Bakery

Vaginal Davis, Timberlake, 2012. Whyte bread, transparent Paverpol, 80 x 26 inches, Courtesy of the artist and Grandaisy Bakery

Vaginal Davis, *Various Hags*, 2012. 64 paintings on cardboard, matchboxes, letterheads, envelopes; including makeup, glycerin, tempera, watercolor pencil, food coloring, mascara, nail polish

Vaginal Davis, Various Hags, 2012. 64 paintings on cardboard, matchboxes, letterheads, envelopes; including makeup, glycerin, tempera, watercolor pencil, food coloring, mascara, nail polish

More from Season 11

Kembra Pfahler, *PENIS TOASTER WITH TEA SET. *Mixed media, hand-painted teapot and cups. 
Kembra Pfahler
FUCK ISLAND
Sep 9–Oct 14, 2012
Vaginal Davis
HAG – SMALL, CONTEMPORARY, HAGGARD
Nov 4–Dec 16, 2012
Katrina del Mar
GIRLS GIRLS GIRLS
Jan 13–Feb 17, 2013
Andy Kaufman entertaining at Jeff Citrin's 5th birthday party, circa 1964. Courtesy of Carol Kaufman-Kerman. 
ANDY KAUFMAN'S 99 CENT TOUR
Feb 12–24, 2013
Scott Ewalt
BACK IN THE NIGHT
Mar 10–Apr 14, 2013
Gary Indiana
GRISTLE SPRINGS
Apr 21–May 26, 2013
GORDON KURTTI PROJECT
Jun 2–Jul 14, 2013
Ron Athey
GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT: AUTOMATIC WRITING
Jul 23–27, 2013
Ron Athey
PLEADING IN THE BLOOD: THE ART AND PERFORMANCES OF RON ATHEY
Jul 29, 2013

© PARTICIPANT INC 2025