Arena Studios has been involved in the transformation of the New York City fetish scene for the past 14 years. Our performances and events, most notably the world famous Black & Blue Ball, keep us at the forefront of the bd/sm scene in NYC & beyond. Our studios have been used for a wide variety of photo and video shoots: high fashion to the entertainment industry, independent films to fine art viewings (client list provided upon request.) We offer 2 permanent settings for photographic and private couples’ rentals, both of which set a distinctive tone, as well as gallery exhibition space and prop rental.
Arena Studios is located at 407 Broome Street, Suite 7A - between Broadway and Lafayette. Art can be viewed by appointment seven days a week - please call the gallery directly at 212.889.1591 to make arrangements. Inquiries about the art itself can be directed to dacia[at]wakingvixen[dot]com.
Currently On View
In the 19th century, the term “Demimonde” referred to the world of the theatre, of bohemia and of high-end sex-work: where style was traded for money and class transgression was possible- though often at great personal cost. As the American safety net falls apart, we’re once again turning to the Demimonde for consolation.
Molly Crabapple’s “Demimonde” explores this half-world of sex, ambition and artifice. It also marks the debut of her new series of large scale works.
The show is on view from February 8 to April 4, 2008.
Here is a video shot during the installation of the show:
Past Shows
On November 9, 2007 erotic art and body modification meet in “Modified Eros,” a photographic celebration of bodies modified with tattooing, piercing, corsetry, and scarification. The show is curated by Audacia Ray, features photography from BellaVendetta.com, and runs through January 18, 2008 at Arena Studios, a non-traditional art venue, BDSM play space, and organizer of the Black & Blue Ball, located at 407 Broome Street, Suite 7A.
Some of the photographs in the show have previously appeared on Bella Vendetta’s eponymous website, where she showcases the erotic fantasies of people whose imaginations run on the taboo side. The pieces in the show represent not just the photographers’, but also the models’ predilections. “It’s hard to get a gallery to show images like this because they don’t see body modification as an art form and they don’t think of modified people’s bodies as beautiful,” says Ms. Vendetta.
Audacia Ray, who has curated $pread magazine’s “Sex Worker Visions” shows for the past two years, says, “The photographs I’ve selected for this show invite people to appreciate the erotic beauty of body modification, though some images, like photographs of suspension, blood play, and genital modifications, will make folks squirm a little too.”
During the run of the show, Arena Studios welcomes the public to view the art daily by making an appointment by phone at 212.889.1591 or via email: info[at]arenanyc[dot]com. Arena will also host an evening with Lolita Wolf, a BDSM player, educator, and TES Emeritus Board Member, who will present a hands-on workshop on play piercing in the gallery on Wednesday, November 28th from 7 to 9 pm. The workshop costs $25 to attend and will arm attendees with knowledge about tools, supplies, safety, technique, preparation and aftercare.
Inquiries about the art should be directed to Audacia Ray by email at dacia[at]wakingvixen[dot]com or phone at 718.554.1714.
