In the scope of New York City history, seven years isn’t much time. For the East Village art scene, though, it was a lifetime, and for artist Gordon Kurtti, it was an entire career. After a brief but bright formation in the East Village performance scene, Kurtti passed away in 1987, at age 26, of AIDS-related complications; twenty-six years later, a mini-retrospective at Participant Inc. acquaints us with his life and work. It’s an intimate memorial for Kurtti, but it’s also a story of community, and the meaning of comings and goings.
