Review

“Glamour Is A Rocky Road” at John Steinberg & Associates Studio, Feb. 6 thru April 1, 2002

Joey DAMMIT! openings used to be about spectacle. You’d have to dodge fire-eaters and burlesque dancers to get to the chips and dips, while his collages threw a mass of images and icons defiantly in your face. Now there’s rare roast beef and a camera crew prowling around. Has time finally caught up to Joey D!?

Maturity suits him. There’s still his painting of a pope screaming in the back room, but the main space is dominated by lovely divas, the central motif of his show. “Twiggy,” “Rita Hayworth Gave Good Face,” and “Jackie Oh!” stare out from large canvases, faces calm and beautiful. But look closer and you’ll see the blood spattering Jackie’s face. It is something to behold: polished and restrained and all whispering darkness.