Beyond The Streets Presents “Let There Be GWAR”, A Monumental Retrospective Celebrating Four Decades Of Intergalactic Chaos Opening September 13 In Los Angeles
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Beyond The Streets proudly announces “Let There Be GWAR,” a sprawling retrospective showcasing the 40-year legacy of the legendary art collective and shock rock band, GWAR. Opening September 13 and running through November 2, 2025, this exhibition is a free-to-attend deep dive into the outrageous universe that GWAR has spent four decades constructing through music, performance, and subversive visual art.
Born from a group of punk musicians and visual artists working out of an abandoned dairy building in Richmond, Virginia, GWAR emerged in 1984 as a hybrid of heavy metal theater and absurdist sci-fi mythology. Hunter Jackson, a VCU student crafting costumes for his film Scumdogs of the Universe, joined forces with musician Dave Brockie — and what began as a one-off stunt evolved into a full-blown, blood-splattered empire of art, performance, and chaos.
“Let There Be GWAR” chronicles this intergalactic saga through the most comprehensive assembly of GWAR artifacts ever seen. The exhibition features handcrafted costumes, instruments, weaponry, and stage props, as well as video installations, monumental set pieces, spew tanks, a monster toilet, artwork, and rare ephemera. Every square inch of the gallery transformed into the GWAR universe.
With characters like Oderus Urungus, Techno-Destructo, BälSäc The Jaws of Death, Beefcake The Mighty, Slymenstra Hymen, Jizmak Da Gusha, Berserker Blothar, and even a crack-addicted T-Rex named Gor-Gor, just to name a few… the band has not only carved out its niche but obliterated expectations for what a musical performance can be.
The band comments: “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.”
GWAR’s legacy includes two Grammy nominations, appearances on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert, TEDx, Beavis and Butt-Head, video games, comic books, and even a GWAR-themed bar in their hometown. With millions of concert tickets sold and dozens of self-produced films and documentaries, their cultural footprint extends far beyond music.
“This isn’t just a music exhibition,” says curator Roger Gastman. “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” is a celebration of DIY creativity, artistic rebellion, and collaborative world-building. Whether you’re a lifelong Bohab (GWAR fan) or simply curious about a band that makes splattering the audience with blood (is it fake?), tasteless jokes, decapitations of world leaders and pop stars and aliens’ part of their live set, this is the definitive gateway into the wild, weird, and wonderful world of GWAR.
Along with the exhibition, Beyond The Streets and GWAR will be releasing a co-branded collection. Including a new expanded version of the sold-out 400-page book – ‘Let There Be GWAR’ that comes with a limited edition 7” record, a collection book of GWAR’s classic Mind Control Monthly newsletter, apparel, limited edition prints, and much more.
Founded by Roger Gastman, Beyond The Streets is an art-driven cultural and educational movement celebrating mark-making. Celebrated for its immersive exhibitions and boundary-pushing programming globally across Los Angeles, New York, London, and Shanghai, Beyond The Streets believes in art as resistance, as storytelling, and as a powerful force for connection. Beyond The Streets pushes the very idea of art beyond any preconceived boundary and is THE DEFINITIVE VOICE OF SUBCULTURE.
Equal parts historian and disruptor, Roger Gastman is a curator, urban anthropologist, collector, and filmmaker. He has dedicated his life to educating, entertaining, and solidifying the cultural importance of graffiti as a significant contemporary art form. Gastman served as a producer of the 2010 Academy Award-nominated film Exit Through the Gift Shop, and the co-curator of the first and largest graffiti exhibition, Art in the Streets, held in 2011 at the MoCA in Los Angeles. He has published magazines and produced over 100 books. He is the founder of Beyond The Streets, the premier exhibition of graffiti, street art, and beyond. Rolling Like Thunder, his latest documentary, which highlights the Freight Train Graffiti movement, is currently airing on Showtime.
(Source: www.blabbermouth.net)
