“As a kid, I thought women artists, who made it, were serious and wore no makeup.”
I have to admit, growing up, I didn’t think “women artists, who made it” wore makeup either, but when I first discovered Niagara Detroit, all my ideas of what a women artist should and shouldn’t be went out the window.
Hailed as “The Queen of Detroit Pop Art,” Niagara Detroit is drop dead gorgeous. Her name alone is cool. She walks with a feminist swagger and also happens to be Punk Rock royalty. This lady can rock eyeliner and vocals like it’s nobody’s business—and her art—breathtaking!
Get familiar with the iconic Niagara Detroit in today’s brief but image heavy Art HERstory post, after the jump!
Niagara Detroit was born August 23, 1956. In 1973, while attending the University of Michigan, Niagara formed the punk band, Destroy All Monsters. She was the lead vocalist while they were active until 1985, earning big attention due to the presence of former members of The Stooges and the MC5. Niagara soon after fronted the super-group Dark Carnival (also with Stooges guitarist Ron Asheton). Niagara still does occasional rock performances in Australia and Tokyo.
Niagara utilized her art school experience in creating album and promotional art for Destroy All Monsters’ /Dark Carnival performances. Combining an illustrator’s hand with some collage and pop iconography, Niagara’s style began to take shape during these years, and by the early 90’s she was beginning to show in small exhibits and cafes around the Detroit area.
Niagara teamed up with the Detroit gallery for her first exhibits “All Men Are Cremated Equal” (1996) and “Faster Niagara, Kill…Kill” (1997). They were breakout shows that gained her much praise. Soon art mags like Juxtapoz were calling her “The Queen Of Detroit” and many successful exhibits would follow in other cities like Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Sydney and Tokyo to name but a few. “The Niagara Girl,” who appears in many female guises, would come to represent feminist swagger with drop dead gorgeous looks and an equally dangerous demeanor. Hard-boiled, tough talking gals who would rather dispatch a man than put up with any of his shit. Her bold and colorful post-pulp comic strip style of femme fatales in various depictions was culturally solidified by Callie Khoury’s Thelma and Louise, which shares a kindred spirit with Niagara’s subjects, along with the bad side of 40’s and 50’s film icons such as Bette Davis, and Lauren Bacall.
In 2002, Niagara’s work began to stray away from the gun-toting, booze swilling Femme fatale to a more intricate “Opium Series”. Still decidedly feminine, but the violence was turned inward, as world-weary, flapper-esque beauties are depicted in druggie repose amidst swirling opium fumes, full of Chinese patterns and applique make the series her most detailed and introspective work to date.
In 2006, a career retrospective of her art and music was chronicled in her coffee table book “Beyond The Pale” on 9mm Books.
On the tail of her sold out Japanese tour and her Hysteric Glamour release - the Detroit city pop art Queen returns to Australia for more impressive art touring at the Outré Gallery. Niagara “From Detroit with Love” is showing in Melbourne from Saturday, February 16th until March 11th, 2008.
If you’ve already fallen for Ms. Niagara and want even more of her, drop by PussycatMagazine.com to read their interview with the queen of Detroit. Also, check out Niagara’s amazing website. It’s jam-packed with visuals and information and I promise you’ll leave the site feeling empowered (I’ve bookmarked the site for future inspiration!)—NiagaraDetroit.com!
NOTE: All of the images posted are prints available for sale via the Outré Gallery website.
Wow. She’s amazing! I think Hysteric Glamour did a collection a while back with some of her art on it.
Sorry, that woman(Niagara) only had a musical “career” because of who fucked her. How dare you detract from the genius of Mr. RON ASHETON and the MC5 guys and Carey Loren by crediting her as leading those bands!?!?! Just as, how dare Niagara delusionally accuse Debbie Harry, Madonna, and Chrissie amongst others of ripping her off(on her website)?!? And calls herself the “Queen of Detroit”. Being the Queen of Detroit is about as easy a as shitting your own pants, but not merely as cool. ANd why does she need a body guard, anyway?(according to her website)
And you open the article with a line about how “gorgeous” she is. I guess that’s all that really matters, huh?
Speaking of rip off, you call that art? Soem of it is cool. But, ever seen a a “Pulp” fiction cover from the 40’s-60s’? Andy Warhol ring a bell?
As a female rocker, I can adamantly say that the only influence Nigara as ever had on me(as a role model and I had never heard of her until I moved to Detroit)is what not to be: A coke head whore hack whose ego is bigger than her brain.
oh, and 60 year old and claiming to be 32?! WTF!
Wish I had the money to buy myself “legendary status” in both the punk rock and art worlds and to publish my own biography.
I dont know about her musical career or her personal life or what she has done in either to make you write such a negative post about her, but to call into question her artistic abilities is rediculous. “you call that art?”, yes i would and to question that escapes my wildest imagination. Yes i have seen the “pulp” covers, which while resembling her artwork (for good reason) are not even done in the same style. Those covers were done in a much more naturalistic style while Niagara’s work is paying homage to these feminine iconic images in a much more contemporary/pop medium. ughh, “andy warhol ring a bell?”, really? It is only once in a blue moon that a single artist comes up with an entirely new medium and style of expression. To expect this from any artist is asking too much. Where would we be artistically today if you were only considered a great artist if your artwork were completely original instead of be praised for your talent as well. Should michael angelo have given up because Da Vinci was breaking grounds first? Should he have stopped his work on the David because the Greeks had already been there and done that? Hell if your perception of art were valid then the entire rennaissance may as well never even happened. Bottom line is stick to what you know. As far as Niagaras personal life and musical career goes, i have no comment because i dont know of either. But as far as being an artist goes, she is very talented and has a very bold, fresh, and appealing artistic style.
Well put, Chris.
WOW….NICE JOB…..SHOULD CHECK OUR GOOGLE IMAGES MORE OFTEN. WE EVEN ENJOYED ”DETROITER’S”
COMMENTS IMMENSELY. AND I WOULD BE REMIS IF I DID NOT ANSWER. 1) AS NIAGARA’S ”BODY GUARD”
AND HUSBAND, I CAN TELL YOU SHE HAS A KNACK FOR GETTING INTO TENSE SITUATIONS…..NOBODY EVER
SAID, ”HERE COMES NIAGARA…..EVERYTHING SHOULD GO SMOOTHLY NOW.” 2) SHE DID NOT ”PUBLISH HER
OWN BIOGRAPHY” 9MM BOOKS DID. 3) NIAGARA DID NOT AUTHOR ONE SENTENCE ON HER WEBSITE, ALL
COPY IS DONE BY VOLUNTEERS. 4) WHERE & WHEN DID NIAGARA CLAIM TO BE 32 ? 5) NIAGARA IS GLAD
TO BE ”DETROITER’S ROLE MODEL” BUT REALLY WONDERS IF SHES TAKING THIS STUFF TOO SERIOUSLY. WE
WOULD LIKE TO THANK LADY LEXX AND ALL THE PARTICIPANTS IN THIS FORUM. WE WOULD ALSO LIKE TO
EXPRESS OUR REMORSE FOR OUR BEST FRIEND RON ASHETON’S PASSING. HE WAS TRULY ONE OF A KIND.
Colonel Galaxy: Thank you so much for dropping by our site and thank you for addressing Detroiter’s comment.
It’s an absolute honor to have you drop by our site. We definitely wanted to give Niagara some much needed shine!
Also, on behalf of M.I.S.S. Crew, I offer you and Niagara Detroit our sincere condolences on the loss of Ron Asheton. He is truly rock royalty and will not be forgotten.
Thanks again for the comment.
~Lexx
Well, well…if isn’t Dara Detroiter, showing the world once again how truly pathetic she is. You gave yourself away with all those typos and anti-Niagara diatribe. You really need to live your own life and stop obsessing over Niagara. I know you’re bitter because Ronnie loved Niagara most of all, but this hate tirade is merely a sad display of your jealousy.
I pity you.
Dear Detroiter,
It’s sad that your life is so boring that you feel the need to spend so much time talking shit about someone you’re obviously just jealous of. Niagara got to where she is because of her raw, undeniable talent. She is a musician and an artist that I have great admiration and respect for. Your comment does nothing but make YOU look bad. You are obviously ignorant and unhappy with yourself. Niagara is an accomplished, SELF STYLED artist and a veteran in the punk rock world. You, my dear, are nothing but a loser. Get a life and quit talking shit.
p.s. Niagara obviously needs a bodyguard to fend off assholes like you.
As for the comments about Destroy All Monsters, Ron Asheton certainly was the musical force behind that group, but Niagara provided the creative spark that transformed what otherwise would have been a set into a show. I know this to be true having seen the band perform many, many times.
As for the collection, thank you so much for sharing this retrospective. Ultimately, I think the most anyone can truly say about such works is what they mean to that particular person. When I look at them I am reminded of many things from Art Nouveau to Lichtenstein, Warhol and by purpose Gary Grimshaw.I like them, and the next time I’m in the States I’ll see if that book might still be available.