New York, NY, April 26, 2009-Lower Manhattan Cultural Council Swing Space grantee Lara Allen presents, I, Daughter of Kong.

Artist and curator Lara Allen has assembled an exhibition based on a contemporary myth, the previously unknown existence of the love-child of King Kong and Fay Wray, a being born part starlet and part gorilla… I, Daughter of Kong.

The exhibition includes video interviews of different experts regarding the scientific and societal impact of a being whose existence inevitably calls into question our assumptions about human and animal rights, feminist theory, the history of media, and the very nature of nature.

I, Daughter of Kong also includes a scent developed for the exhibition by artist/perfumer Alexis Karl, as well as an original soundtrack written and recorded by ragtime blues wrangler Craig Ventresco. For one night only on the May 8 opening, there will be a screening room alongside the exhibition space for underground filmmaking legend George Kuchar’s Queen Konga On Friday, May 8, 7:30pm, live performances include the drum/acrobatic duo of Lone Wolf and Cub. Cub (Suzanne Rogalski) will perform on a site-specific jungle gym built by sculptor Matthew Lusk. Lara Allen will perform ragtime songs, a cappella.

Exhibiting artists include: Lara Allen, Adam J. Ansell, Anna Betbeze, Matt Borruso, R. Crumb, Georganne Deen, Per Frykdahl, Amy Hicks, Alexis Karl, George Kuchar, Matthew Lusk, Kyp Malone, Jason Mecier, Cynthia Mitchell, Baker Overstreet, Pablo the Chimp (courtesy of Darby Bannard), Duke Riley, Shadow, Christine Shields, Anjali Sundaram & Jade Townsend.

Brooklyn-based artist Lara Allen’s work includes painting, performance, film, video and site-specific multi-media installation. In 2005, she completed a Masters degree in painting at Yale, where she also she worked as an assistant curator of Historic Sound Recordings in the University Library. She has lived and worked in San Francisco and in collaboration with several other Mission District artists; she helped establish an alternative exhibition space within cultural landmark Adobe Books. She has exhibited paintings extensively, including the 2006 Liverpool Biennial and San Francisco City Hall. She is a recipient of the National Academy Museum of Art’s Abbey Mural Fellowship and the Brooklyn Arts Council DCA Grant. Allen performes include Deitch Projects in 2008 and Chelsea Visits Havana, the Havana Biennial, 2009.

I, Daughter of Kong is made possible by Lower Manhattan Cultural Council’s Swing Space program. Project Space is provided by Lower Manhattan Cultural Council. Adjacent to LMCC’s offices on the second floor at 125 Maiden Lane, the Project Space (formerly known as Redhead) is a raw white gallery-style space ideal for small-scale exhibitions and installations, or studio projects in development.