TURA! TURA! TURA!

I'm so effin stoked to be a part of this show
put on by the one and only Mitch O'Connell


Here's my painting of Tura Satana for the TURA! TURA! TURA! show in Chicago at the Tattoo Factory Gallery.


It's my interpretation of Tura from the CLASSIC movie Astro Zombies. I thought the dress was so fabulous compared to her all black Faster Pussycat Kill Kill catsuit.







Snippet from the article in the Chicago Sun Times



additional article on Tura in the Chicago Sun Times.

article on Tura in the Chicago Tribune.

Bust Magazine Blog on Tura Show.

Here's all the pertinent info about the show.
Check out the list of amazing artists involved!!!

Thursday, October 30th from 7 to 11pm, the Tattoo Factory Gallery located at 4443 N. Broadway in Chicago presents along with Pabst Blue Ribbon,
"Tura! Tura! Tura!" a group art show happening celebrating the stunning, inspiring and kickasstastic legendary icon, Tura Satana!

Tura was born in Japan but when still a young child after WW II moved with her parents (and grew up) in our windy city, first setting up residence on the west side of Chicago at 911 South Ada St.. She attended Jacob A. Riis Elementary School and soon learned to sing and play piano. At 7 she sold newspapers at the corner of State and Van Buren where many of her customers were the dancers from Minsky's Theatre. She went out on her own leaving McKinley High School and home at 13. Tura lived briefly in L.A. performing as a singer dancer at the Tropicana Club, but came back to Chicago in early '54 setting up on the North Side on Ainslie Avenue working as a 21 dice girl. Her next job was as a Spanish dancer at the Rendevouz Club in Calumet City. Soon after, she became an stripper in the late '54 and started her burlesque career as an exotic dancing sensation earning the title "Miss Japan Beautiful. In Chicago Tura worked at the Brass Rail in '57-'58 and the Follies Theatre off and on from 1956 through 1964. Of course she toured and became famous all over the country.
Her talents lead her to guest appearances on many top television shows of the 60's including Hawaiian Eye, Man from U.N.C.L.E. and Burkes Law. Movie roles followed in Our Man Flint, Irma la Douce and The Astro Zombies, but her greatest cinematic superstar achievement was as the baddest ass Varla, the leader of 3 thrill seeking stripers in Russ Meyer's legendary masterpiece,"Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill!". John Waters (Hairspray) called it "beyond a doubt, the best movie ever made. It is possibly better than any film that will be made in the future!"

Gallery owner Paul Collurafici (and owner of the adjacent Tattoo Factory) is kindly donating the space and will not be taking a commission, so all profits earned hosting the event will go to Apna Ghar, a domestic violence shelter serving primarily Asian women and children and Susan G. Komen for the Cure, a breast cancer charity. Fundraisers will include selling show posters, personal donated Tura items and 20% of the money made through sales of the art.
More excitement (as if you needed it) includes- DJing by the incredible Joe Black's Midnight Spookshow! Performances by the amazing Chicago burlesque troupe The Flaming Dames! Fire-breathers! Searchlights! Lot's of PBR beer!
And the best part?
The drop-you-dead gorgeous Tura Satana WILL BE THERE IN PERSON!



All ready the cream of the crop of the lowbrow art world have signed on to contribute jaw dropping masterpieces!
Mark Braun
Shag
Rod North
George Lindmark
Terry Beatty
Pilar Alvarez
Thorsten Hasenkamm
Jeremy Scheuch
Bill Reinhold
Brian Johnson
Marc Nischan
Vicious Velvet
Phil Cisco
Mike Maas
Frank Fruzyna
Shane Swank
Kirsten Ulve
Steve Walter
Tom Laura
Mike Noland
Lisa Petrucci
Mark Atomos Pilon
David "Netherland" Van Alphen
Stephen Anderson
Travis Lampe
Brian Morris
Mitch O'Connell
Casey Sass
Lou Brooks
Ron Murphy
Glenn Barr
Kirsten Easthope
Niagara
Megan Besmirched
Extremo
Aron Gagliardo
Tyson McAdoo
Molly Crabapple
Marcus Kuhn
Charlene Lanzel
Mister Reusch
Krystof Nemeth
Cori Carani
Fiona Smyth
Dave Dorman
Nathan Fox
Steve Ellis
James Brunner
Alex Wald
John Mulder

Also, to coincide with the gallery show, the Music Box Theatre will be screening "Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill!" the night before on Wednesday, October 29th! More charity fundraisers are planned, a showing of some of the Tattoo Factory exhibit paintings and a Q&A with Tura before the movie conducted by Rusty Nails. The Music Box is located at 3733 N. Southport Ave.