LADY PINK
Sandra Fabara, American
Born in 1964
Sandra Fabara, known to all by the vibrant names Lady Pink or simply Pink, was born in Ambato, Ecuador, in 1964. She arrived in the lively atmosphere of Queens, New York, in 1972, alongside her mother and sister, still a child, her eyes filled with distant Latin American horizons. At 15, fate took the shape of a spray can, which she wielded with youthful fervor. It was there, in the shadows of New York’s subway cars, that she etched the name of her lost love, who had vanished after a sudden arrest, as though by covering those metallic surfaces with her fleeting art, she was attempting to capture what had been torn away from her.
From 1979 to 1985, she became the elusive vandal of the underground, her colors bursting onto the moving shells of trains. She surrounded herself with a community, a pack, joining groups with war-like names such as TPA (The Public Animals) and TC5 (The Cool 5), their rebellious spirit blending with her own. Her first moment of recognition, the one that launched her as an essential figure in hip-hop culture, was likely her role alongside Lee Quinones in the iconic film Wild Style. At 21, her career shifted towards the spotlight: her first solo exhibition, Femmes Fatales, was held at the Moor College of Art and Design. Shortly after, she left behind vandalism, trading subway walls for the discipline of studio work. Her art then evolved into installations, murals, and public art projects, all while retaining the energy and vibrancy that defined her beginnings. Her participation in international exhibitions and collaborations with various cultural institutions attest to her ability to merge graffiti influences with the demands of contemporary art, solidifying her place among the prominent artists of the modern visual scene. Today, Lady Pink is recognized not only as a graffiti pioneer but also as a major figure in Post-graffiti.
« When I started painting in the 70s, women were constantly trying to prove they could do everything men could do. The feminist movement was getting stronger, and as a teenager, I think it influenced me. Without realizing it, I had become a young feminist. The more guys said, ‘You can’t do that,’ the more I felt I had to prove them wrong. I had to do it for all my sisters who were watching me… We defend our work with our fists and our courage. When guys disrespect you, you have to teach them a lesson, or they’ll keep walking all over you. I’m sorry, but that’s how it works there, and it’s not easy. But it also reflects what the art world is like in general: 80% white men. So, you have to fight tooth and nail, shout and endure, be heard and be big to earn respect.» – Lady Pink
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EDUCATION
1982 - High School of Art and Design, New York, USA.
1985 - Moore College of Art, Philadelphia, USA.
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2021 - Lady Pink: Graffiti Herstory, Museum of Graffiti. Miami, USA, March 5th – May 20th.
2020 - Figure, Foxy production, Lower east side, New York, NY, USA.
2015 - Respectfully Yours Lady Pink, Queens Museum (offsite). New York, USA, April 14th – August 14th.
1984 - Femmes Fatales, Moore College of Art. Philadelphia, USA, April 9th – May 10th.
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2022 - New York Street Style : création des années 80 – Ghost Galerie, Paris, juillet – septembre 2022. - Accrochage saisonnier, Ghost Galerie, Paris, France, Janvier-Juin 2022. - Expo Legends: Lady Pink et Speedy Graphito, Art Five Gallery, Marseille, France 2 – 17 Septembre 2022.
2021 - Ghost DNA – exposition d’ouverture – opening exhibition, Ghost galerie, Paris, France, 7th July – September 4th. - New York in the 80s : Selections from the Barry Blinderman Collection, Western Exhibitions Gallery, Chicago, USA, January 8th – February 20th. - Writing The Futura, Basquiat and the Hip-Hop Generation, Museum of fine arts, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
2020 - Speedy Graphito and Lady Pink, Art Five Galerie, Marseille, France, December 2nd – 17th. - Figura, Foxy Production Gallery, New York, USA, November 7th – December 20th. - Writing the Future, Basquiat and the Hip-Hop Generation, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Back Bay, Boston, USA, October 18th – July 25th (catalogue).
2019 - Beyond the Streets, New York, USA, June 21st – August 30th.
2018 - Swiss Institute Architecture and Design Series : 3rd Edition, Readymades Belong To Everyone, Swiss Institute, New York, USA, June 23rd – August 19th. - City as Canvas : New York City Graffiti from the 70s & 80s, Indianapolis Museum of Art, Newfields, Idaville, USA, October 7th, 2017 – January 28th, 2018.
2017 - Purple Haze, Charlotte Jackson Fine Art, Santa Fe, New Mexico, January 20th – February 27th.
2016 - The Printed Room – Works Off Paper, SALTS, Switzerland, June 16th – July 22nd. - Code Mixing : From Concrete to Canvas, MACLA/Movimiento de Arte y Cultura Latino Americana, San José, USA, June 1st – August 14th.
2014 - City as Canvas, Museum of the City of New York, Harlem, New York, USA, February 4th – September 21st.
2012 - Purple : Younity, Causey Contemporary, Brooklyn, New York, USA, October 19th – November 18th.
2011 - Sélections : Robert Morris, Rosemarie Trockel, Jenny Holzer & Lady Pink, Spruth Magers, Berlin, Germany, April 8th – May 28th.
2009 – 2010 - Urban Archives : That Was Then This Is Now, Bronx Museum of the Arts, Bronx, New York, USA from October 5th, 2009 – March 9th, 2010.
2007 – 2008 - Graffiti Art and Fashion, Phoenix Art Museum, Phoenix, USA, September 22nd, 2007 – February 24th, 2008.
2004 – 2005 - East Village USA: Then and Now – The Art of Graffiti, New Museum. New York, USA, December 9th 2004 – March 19th 2005.
2000 - Mural Installation, La Sirena Astoria, New York, USA.
1999 - Welcome – Mural Installation, Astoria, New York, USA. - Mural Installation, Lindenwood Diner Queens, New York, USA. - Painted set for Madonna photo shoot, David LaChapelle’s studio, New York, USA. - New York Views, Museum of New York, New York, USA. - Urban Mythologies, Bronx Museum of Art, New York, USA. - Quick and company, Groninger Museum, Groningen, The Netherlands.
1998 - The Writing on the Wall, Herning Kunstmuseum, Copenhagen, Denmark. - Inner City, La Casa D’Arte, Milan, Italy.
1997 - Bullet Space, New York, USA.
1996 - Livestock Gallery, New York, USA. - Do you See What I see, Thread Waxing Space, New York, USA. - Tribu Universal, Thoughtforms Underground, New York, USA.
1995 - Just Above Ground/Off the Wall, AC-BAW Center for the Arts, Mount Vernon, USA.
1994 - Multiple Flavors, SpaceTime Light Gallery, New York, USA. - Urban Expressionism, Hudson Guild Gallery, New York, USA. - DYAD, 57 Grand Street Brooklyn, USA. - Sixth Congress Gallery, Tucson, USA.
1993 - Still Graffiti, Librije Hedendaagse, Zwolle, The Netherlands, August 28th – September 26th. - Pat Hearn Gallery, New York, USA. - Coming from the Subway, Groninger Museum, Groningen, The Netherlands, October 4th 1992 – January 10th 1993.
1992 - Self Portraits, Kleefeld Perry Gallery, New York, USA. - Graffiti III, Colleen Groco Gallery, New York, USA. - Malcolm X : The Portrait of a Legacy, Aaron Davis Hall/City College, New York, USA.
1980 - GAS: Graffiti Art Success for America, curated by John Matos CRASH, Fashion Moda Gallery. New York, USA, October.
PERMANENT COLLECTIONS
– Whitney Museum of Art, New York, USA. - The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA. - Brooklyn Museum, New York, USA. - Groninger Museum of Holland, Groningen, Netherlands. - The Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, USA.
Lady Pink fotografiada en Times Square, 1983. © Lisa Kahane
1982 - High School of Art and Design, New York, USA.
1985 - Moore College of Art, Philadelphia, USA.
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2021 - Lady Pink: Graffiti Herstory, Museum of Graffiti. Miami, USA, March 5th – May 20th.
2020 - Figure, Foxy production, Lower east side, New York, NY, USA.
2015 - Respectfully Yours Lady Pink, Queens Museum (offsite). New York, USA, April 14th – August 14th.
1984 - Femmes Fatales, Moore College of Art. Philadelphia, USA, April 9th – May 10th.
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2022 - New York Street Style : création des années 80 – Ghost Galerie, Paris, juillet – septembre 2022. - Accrochage saisonnier, Ghost Galerie, Paris, France, Janvier-Juin 2022. - Expo Legends: Lady Pink et Speedy Graphito, Art Five Gallery, Marseille, France 2 – 17 Septembre 2022.
2021 - Ghost DNA – exposition d’ouverture – opening exhibition, Ghost galerie, Paris, France, 7th July – September 4th. - New York in the 80s : Selections from the Barry Blinderman Collection, Western Exhibitions Gallery, Chicago, USA, January 8th – February 20th. - Writing The Futura, Basquiat and the Hip-Hop Generation, Museum of fine arts, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
2020 - Speedy Graphito and Lady Pink, Art Five Galerie, Marseille, France, December 2nd – 17th. - Figura, Foxy Production Gallery, New York, USA, November 7th – December 20th. - Writing the Future, Basquiat and the Hip-Hop Generation, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Back Bay, Boston, USA, October 18th – July 25th (catalogue).
2019 - Beyond the Streets, New York, USA, June 21st – August 30th.
2018 - Swiss Institute Architecture and Design Series : 3rd Edition, Readymades Belong To Everyone, Swiss Institute, New York, USA, June 23rd – August 19th. - City as Canvas : New York City Graffiti from the 70s & 80s, Indianapolis Museum of Art, Newfields, Idaville, USA, October 7th, 2017 – January 28th, 2018.
2017 - Purple Haze, Charlotte Jackson Fine Art, Santa Fe, New Mexico, January 20th – February 27th.
2016 - The Printed Room – Works Off Paper, SALTS, Switzerland, June 16th – July 22nd. - Code Mixing : From Concrete to Canvas, MACLA/Movimiento de Arte y Cultura Latino Americana, San José, USA, June 1st – August 14th.
2014 - City as Canvas, Museum of the City of New York, Harlem, New York, USA, February 4th – September 21st.
2012 - Purple : Younity, Causey Contemporary, Brooklyn, New York, USA, October 19th – November 18th.
2011 - Sélections : Robert Morris, Rosemarie Trockel, Jenny Holzer & Lady Pink, Spruth Magers, Berlin, Germany, April 8th – May 28th.
2009 – 2010 - Urban Archives : That Was Then This Is Now, Bronx Museum of the Arts, Bronx, New York, USA from October 5th, 2009 – March 9th, 2010.
2007 – 2008 - Graffiti Art and Fashion, Phoenix Art Museum, Phoenix, USA, September 22nd, 2007 – February 24th, 2008.
2004 – 2005 - East Village USA: Then and Now – The Art of Graffiti, New Museum. New York, USA, December 9th 2004 – March 19th 2005.
2000 - Mural Installation, La Sirena Astoria, New York, USA.
1999 - Welcome – Mural Installation, Astoria, New York, USA. - Mural Installation, Lindenwood Diner Queens, New York, USA. - Painted set for Madonna photo shoot, David LaChapelle’s studio, New York, USA. - New York Views, Museum of New York, New York, USA. - Urban Mythologies, Bronx Museum of Art, New York, USA. - Quick and company, Groninger Museum, Groningen, The Netherlands.
1998 - The Writing on the Wall, Herning Kunstmuseum, Copenhagen, Denmark. - Inner City, La Casa D’Arte, Milan, Italy.
1997 - Bullet Space, New York, USA.
1996 - Livestock Gallery, New York, USA. - Do you See What I see, Thread Waxing Space, New York, USA. - Tribu Universal, Thoughtforms Underground, New York, USA.
1995 - Just Above Ground/Off the Wall, AC-BAW Center for the Arts, Mount Vernon, USA.
1994 - Multiple Flavors, SpaceTime Light Gallery, New York, USA. - Urban Expressionism, Hudson Guild Gallery, New York, USA. - DYAD, 57 Grand Street Brooklyn, USA. - Sixth Congress Gallery, Tucson, USA.
1993 - Still Graffiti, Librije Hedendaagse, Zwolle, The Netherlands, August 28th – September 26th. - Pat Hearn Gallery, New York, USA. - Coming from the Subway, Groninger Museum, Groningen, The Netherlands, October 4th 1992 – January 10th 1993.
1992 - Self Portraits, Kleefeld Perry Gallery, New York, USA. - Graffiti III, Colleen Groco Gallery, New York, USA. - Malcolm X : The Portrait of a Legacy, Aaron Davis Hall/City College, New York, USA.
1980 - GAS: Graffiti Art Success for America, curated by John Matos CRASH, Fashion Moda Gallery. New York, USA, October.
PERMANENT COLLECTIONS
– Whitney Museum of Art, New York, USA. - The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA. - Brooklyn Museum, New York, USA. - Groninger Museum of Holland, Groningen, Netherlands. - The Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, USA.
Lady Pink fotografiada en Times Square, 1983. © Lisa Kahane
EPOCHAL VISIONS: AN EXHAUSTIVE CHRONICLE OF WORKS BELONGING OR HAVING BELONGED TO THE GALLERY’S COLLECTIONS
