I'M BAD at Kiddie Pool

Judith Braun has never been one to follow the rules—besides her own.

Born and raised in Albany, Braun spent much of her career living and working on the Lower East Side of New York City. She made her debut in the big city in 1988 as part of Group Material’s Democracy exhibition, and with a solo exhibition at On The Wall Gallery in the East Village. 

Braun’s early work was shaped by her training as a figurative painter, coupled with a tendency towards rebellion. A distinct voice amongst third-wave feminist artists of the late 80s, Braun’s early work featured realistic painting techniques paired with provocative, tongue-in-cheek text. Since 2003, her practice has been guided by a self-imposed set of constraints: creating her work with carbon-based mediums and symmetry as her main tools.

“Braun’s work is vibrantly alive, like the carbon mediums that it is constructed of,” writes Karley Sullivan, who is curating Braun’s upcoming exhibition at Kiddie Pool—a residential “speakeasy” art space in downtown Albany. “[Braun’s] portraits are built of, even armored in, layer upon layer of collaged photocopies as the figures emerge from darkness, dusted in stars and draped in the detritus of the patriarchal gaze.”

I’M BAD pulls work from across several decades of Braun’s prolific career. From the eponymous I’M BAD (1988), a serious-yet-sexy self portrait, to her most recent works featuring women collaged and transformed into archetypes of sexuality, the exhibition highlights a throughline that unites Braun’s sprawling body of work— that feminine “badness” can represent a bold and defiant rebuttal to the masculine art canon. 

In Braun’s own words: “It’s about co-opting these symbols… it’s about getting down with your bad self.”

Emily Nola is an artist, curator, and arts administrator from Connecticut, based in upstate New York. She is currently the co-director of Troy’s Collar Works, a nonprofit focused on supporting emerging and underrepresented artists. She also works with The Green Lodge, an artist-run collaborative project space in Chatham, NY.

I’M BAD opens at Kiddie Pool on Friday, June 28, 6-9p. This is a speakeasy residential space so you must RSVP in advance. Bonus: The 518 publishers Phat & Karley will be hosting this event. Come say hello!