GWAR Gets 40 Year Retrospective Showcase in Los Angeles

A huge exhibit showcasing the four-decade-long legacy of the mighty GWAR will be coming to the City of Angels (Los Angeles) starting next month, giving fans and passersby a chance to learn about — and recoil from — the antics that make the legendary art collective and badass metal band.

Opening on September 13 and running until November 2 at LA art collective and gallery Beyond The Streets, this exhibition will feature a smattering of GWAR artifacts (GWAR-tifacts?) that includes “handcrafted costumes, instruments, weaponry, and stage props, as well as video installations, monumental set pieces, spew tanks, a monster toilet, artwork, and rare ephemera.”

Attendees will also get a look back at the band’s humble beginnings as a rag tag group of wild minds, including Hunter Jackson and the late Dave Brockie. Attendees should expect to see references to some of the band’s most iconic characters, including Oderus Urungus, Techno-Destructo, BälSäc The Jaws of Death, Beefcake The Mighty, Slymenstra Hymen, Jizmak Da Gusha, Berserker Blothar, and Gor-Gor.

Looking forward to the installation’s opening, the band released the following statement:

“For 40 years, GWAR have mounted a misanthropic critique of American culture dressed up as shock rock. This collection of artifacts offers a sense of the unique punk-inspired anti-art aesthetics of underground comics, science fiction fandom, role-playing games, and satirical splatter flick nerdishness at the heart of the band.”

As for the chance to showcase the band’s rich history, curator Roger Gastman said this will be something fans will definitely want to check out.

“This isn’t just a music exhibition. GWAR represents one of the most successful long-term art collectives in American culture, and their influence on both underground and mainstream entertainment is undeniable. They came to destroy… and ended up creating something eternal.”

Let There Be Gwar will run at Beyond The Streets in Los Angeles from September 13 to November 2. Don’t worry, its free.