KATES-FERRI PROJECTS is proud to announce KIMBERLY PEPPERONI'S CLOSET, Kevin Sabo’s first solo presentation in New York City, on view during the 2022 Pride Month, between June 17 and July 23. Taking place as the culmination of his residency with the gallery, the show features the queer artist’s drag alter ego, Kimberly Pepperoni’s inner sanctum. Sabo’s queer figures burst out, both stylish and stylized, powerful and special, like the show’s namesake, Kimberly Hart–the kickass female Pink Power Ranger from the 1990s kids show “Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.”

Doubled as the glitz-out closet of a drag queen and the silent void queer folk were forced to hide, the CLOSET cannot hold Sabo’s characters inside of Kimberly’s vibrant handmade custom frames, the final touch of color that accents and completes his work. Daring us to stare and learn their cheeky spirit, they stand unabashedly in three-quarter-view poses in zigzagging lines or folding out like a bird-of-paradise flower in their outlandish outfits. Fitted with prints, platforms, and bright colors of the 90s pop music scene, the characters show off their unyielding personalities, like the artist’s life inspiration–musical star Britney Spears.

Cutting down the expected view of masculinity with bold feminine stances for his drag figures, Sabo represents today’s queer experience in his fierce surrealist imaginings as having the freedom to experiment with no physical or visual limitations. Thanks in part to the bravery of drag queens in the 1960s, the heart and the start of the Gay Rights Movement at the Stonewall Inn (1969), we find ourselves in the fruits of these forerunners’ toil. After kicking down doors for young queers, the older generation now also experiences the openness and welcome that the younger generation ushered. Queer culture has blossomed and that’s what Sabo strives to achieve in his work: evolution.

At the heart of KIMBERLY PEPPERONI'S CLOSET is Sabo’s largest work to date, titled Gooped & Gagged (2022, mixed-media acrylic on canvas, 80” x 50”). Central to the work of Kates-Ferri Projects is its residency program, which has generously supported its production. To be unveiled for the first time at the show, this monumental work pays homage to the long journey of joy and struggle within the queer community and welcomes the future generations of queer babies to the table. To celebrate this moment of unity during Pride Month, Kates-Ferri Projects hosts a special reception at the gallery on Friday, June 17, 6:00pm-8:00pm, with a musical set with DJ Vivacious, who appeared in the sixth season of RuPaul’s Drag Race, and a donation bin from Housing Works Thrift Shops, one of Kates-Ferri’s charity partners, will be onsite to collect gently-used clothing, shoes, and accessories.

About the Artists: Kevin Sabo (b. 1992, Virginia Beach, VA) is an internationally exhibited multi-media painter, who works with acrylic, pencil, ink, spray, and collage. Using the figure as a central playground for exploration, Sabo renders queer identity through vibrant colors, incredible joy, and courage. The work expresses his unique vision of the world, where his character foregrounds drag’s endless creativity through fashion as culture and storytelling. After graduating with a BFA in Studio Art from James Madison University (Harrisonburg, VA) in 2015, Sabo continues his practice in Richmond, VA. In October 2021, he took up a month-long artist residency at Bed Stuy Art Residency in Brooklyn, NY. He later launched his solo presentation with Eden Airlines Gallery (Richmond, VA) at the Untitled Art Fair (Miami, FL) in December of 2021. Highlight solo and duo exhibitions include the duo show with Juan Palacios in “Bimbofication Sensation” with POVOS gallery (Chicago, IL), and the solo show, “Who is She?” at Schlomer Haus Gallery (San Francisco, CA), both in April 2022. Notable group shows include “Strike Me a Pose” at Galeria Fran Reus (Palma de Mallorca, Spain; December 2021-March 2022), “Surreal So Good” at TW Fine Art (West Palm Beach, FL; April-May 2022), and “FUTURE PERFECT: Virtual Exhibition” at Kates-Ferri Projects in (New York, NY; February-April 2022).

Artworks on View   Available Works on Artsy