Hi-NRG pioneer Patrick Cowley remembered with unique art exhibit in Pittsburgh
And why Pittsburgh is a must for art lovers.
Mark
The late songwriter and producer Patrick Cowley is the inspiration behind a new piece of art coming to Pittsburgh this month.
The 707 Penn Gallery is part of the collection of neighboring exhibition spaces that make up the Pittsburgh Cultural District. From July 25 until November 2, it will host a piece of work entitled Hi-NRG by Pittsburgh-based multi-media artist Ben Schonberger.
This particular piece “draws on the visual culture of the gay underground and the sonic legacy of Patrick Cowley, a pioneering composer and producer who helped define Hi-NRG.”
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Schonberger layers together vintage print media to juxtapose images of authority and desire, reflecting on a time when gay rights made progress in the 70s before facing backlash in the 1980s with the advent of AIDS.
For example, one of the highlights is an old photo of a police officer in tight pants, clutching his baton. The image juxtaposes feelings of lust against the potential threat of authority. In Tito Way, an alleyway beside the gallery, Schonberger himself features on five large images clutching Patrick Cowley records.
It’s a direct way of bringing Cowley’s name back into public consciousness.
Who was Patrick Cowley?
Patrick Cowley was born in 1950 in Buffalo, New York. He relocated to San Francisco at the age of 21 to study music, in particular the workings of early synthesizers.
In 1978, he met the iconic late singer Sylvester, who invited Cowley to contribute to his music after hearing some of his synth work. The two created disco classics such as “You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)” and “Dance (Disco Heat)”.
Cowley also enjoyed solo success on the Billboard club charts with his own tracks, “Menergy” and “Megatron Man”. The former is a celebration of gay cruising culture (“The boys in the back room laughin’ it up, shootin’ off menergy, the guys in the street talk checkin’ you out, talkin’ ’bout menergy”). Cowley’s work was also used in many gay adult entertainment movies of the time.
Sadly, Cowley was among the first of so many San Francisco residents to die of AIDS. He passed in 1982 at the age of just 32.
Art in Pittsburgh
The Pittsburgh Cultural District occupies a 14-square-block area of downtown Pittsburgh. It was formerly the city’s red light district but is now a vibrant hub for culture, art, food and community. Encompassing several art spaces, every quarter the district hosts an evening gallery crawl. The next one is July 25, which is also the launch day of the Hi-NRG show. There’s also a wealth of outdoor, public installations, such as those in the picturesque Agnes R. Katz Plaza.
The whole area is overseen by the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, a non-profit arts organization founded in 1984.
The wider Pittsburgh district also offers plenty for art lovers. One of the city’s most famous sons was queer pop artist Andy Warhol. The city’s Andy Warhol Museum holds the largest collection of Warhol art in the world and offers a raft of special events throughout the year.
There’s more classical work to be found at The Frick Pittsburgh, a vast photo archive at the Carnegie Museum of Art, and contemporary pieces and installations at the Mattress Factory, among other venues.
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