New MoMA exhibit travels back to the edgy, artsy East Village of the ’80s

Are you the type who romanticizes the gritty New York of the ’80s, mainly because you weren’t alive back then? Rejoice! This Halloween, MoMA has a special treat for you. Starting October 31, the museum is mounting a retrospective look at the East Village scene from back in the day. Opening tomorrow and featuring period posters, photos videos and artworks, “Club 57: Film, Performance and Art in the East Village, 1978–1983” centers on the eponymous dive on St Marks Place that became an epicenter of downtown mishegas during the late ’70s and early ’80s.

Artists such as Keith Haring, Kenny Scarf and Jean-Michel Basquait, as well as performers such as Ann Magnuson and John Sex, combined a DIY sensibility with a hey-kids-let’s-put-on-a-show attitude to create misfit events like "Monster Movie Club" and "Name That Noise: A Punk Rock Game Show.” It was a time when the rent was low, the crime rate was high and anything seemed possible. You can check out images from the show below.

Photograph: April Palmieri

Photograph: Courtesy the artist and Honor Fraser Gallery, Los Angeles

Photograph: The Museum of Modern Art, New York

Photograph: The Museum of Modern Art, New York

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