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Jane Dickson in Times Square reveals the gritty, crime-ridden streets of NYC in the '70s and '80s

Artist Jane Dickson is a deep-rooted and central voice in New York City’s complex creative history. In the late 1970s and early '80s, she was part of the movement joining the legacies of downtown art, punk rock, and hip-hop through her involvement with the Colab art collective, the Fashion Moda gallery, and legendary exhibitions including the Real Estate Show and Times Square Show.

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Neon signs glow cyan and pink on a blue-tinted street facade featuring a "Terminal Bar" sign, with figures standing outside the illuminated entrance

In the midst of this groundbreaking work, Dickson lived, worked and raised two children in an apartment on 43rd Street and 8th Avenue at a time when the neighbourhood was at its most infamous, crime-ridden, and spectacularly seedy. Through it all, Jane photographed, drew and painted extraordinary scenes of life in Times Square.

These works, many of which have been reproduced for the first time, include candid documentary snapshots, roughly vibrant charcoal sketches, and paintings created on surfaces ranging from sandpaper to Brillo pads.

Launched this week is a new book celebrating her work, Jane Dickson in Times Square, which features a foreword by Chris Kraus and is a time machine back to a New York City that was truly wild: lawless, manic, sometimes squalid, sometimes magnificent.

"I was a flâneur, documenting this crazy scene: A painter, using the camera to take notes, trying to get some grip on what the hell was going on," says Jane. "One of my main goals is to leave a record of how the world looked and felt, in this place, at this time, to this woman. The female gaze is not disembodied – it is very much embodied and grounded within the female form and experience, here in my experience."

Jane Dickson in Times Square is published by Anthology Editions and available for purchase online. Or visit www.janedickson.com.

Figure wearing dark sunglasses and a yellow shirt against a backdrop of red and light blue neon signage reading partial text "PLES" and "IRS
A towering figure with an illuminated eye and gold-rimmed circular halo looms over a gritty Times Square street lined with neon signs advertising games, films and Pac-Man, with small figures of people below
Silhouetted figure stands in a dark alley between brick buildings, illuminated by a glowing red neon Hotel sign and blue Parking sign at night
Vibrant pink neon sign reading "PEEPSHOW GEM" glows above a person riding a bicycle on a gritty Times Square street at night
Photo credit: Dondre Stuetley

Photo credit: Dondre Stuetley

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