P·P·O·W is pleased to host a performance by John Kelly in conjunction with his ongoing exhibition at the gallery, A FRIEND GAVE ME A BOOK, an immersive installation showcasing a hand-illustrated, 182-panel graphic memoir the artist produced over the course of nine years. Activating the work on view, Kelly will perform an informal reading of the memoir in its entirety, incorporating spoken word, original songs (by Kelly and Carol Lipnik), and acoustic guitar to create an enveloping recitation of the traumatic event that inspired the visual diary and its aftermath. A student of both the American Ballet Theatre and Parsons School of Design, Kelly employs his understanding of three- and two-dimensional form to compose a vibrant one-act that brings A FRIEND GAVE ME A BOOK to life in the present moment.
Please join us for this in-person event at 392 Broadway on Thursday, February 12, at 7pm.
RSVPs will be required for all attendees. Email info@ppowgallery.com to reserve a spot.
Seating is limited and will be allocated on a first come first served basis.
The exhibition will be on view at 392 Broadway through Saturday, February 21.
John Kelly (left), photo by Steven Menendez
John Kelly was born in New Jersey and currently lives and works in New York. He has created over forty performance works, which have been commissioned by and performed at institutions including MET Live Arts, The Kitchen, Skirball Center, La MaMa, Lincoln Center, the Whitney Biennial, NY Live Arts, BAM’s Next Wave Festival, and London’s Tate Modern. Kelly is the recipient of numerous awards and grands, including two Bessie Awards, two Obie Awards, two NEA American Masterpieces: Three Centuries of Artistic Genius Awards, a CalArts/Alpert Award in Dance/Performance, a Visual AIDS Vanguard Award, the Ethyl Eichelberger Award, and a Mabou Mines ‘Ruthie’ Award. Two of Kelly’s films (THE DAGMAR ONASSIS STORY and THE MONA LISA) are in the permanent collection of The Museum of Modern Art, New York. In addition to his exhibition at P·P·O·W, Kelly will also star in the upcoming production of Bughouse, conceived and directed by Martha Clarke, and comprised of Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Beth Henley’s adaptation of the texts of outsider artist Henry Darger. Bughouse will run at Vineyard Theater, New York, February 18 – March 29, 2026.
Carol Lipnik · Photo by Albie Mitchell
Carol Lipnik is acclaimed as one of New York’s most individualistic and virtuosic singers. Stephen Holden of The New York Times called her an “Ethereal vocal phenomenon.” With her stunning four octave range, subtle wit, charismatic stage presence, and distinctive song-writing, she draws equally on '70s art-rock, theater music, Eastern mysticism, opera, and the decaying phantasmagoria of the Coney Island where she was born and raised. Carol has built a dedicated following through her popular performances at the East Village boîte Pangea, and at Joe’s Pub at the Public Theater in New York City. In 2024 Carol made her International Festival de Cabaret debut at The Teatro Bar El Vicio in Mexico City. She has released seven albums on her Mermaid Alley Music label, and has collaborated with and composed music for multi-award winning performance artist John Kelly's one man show The Escape Artist and his debut album Beauty Kills Me. Carol has been a five-time artist-in-residence at the Yaddo Art Colony in Saratoga Springs, NY.
