Join MOCA and Catherine Opie for an unforgettable night of play-for-fun poker celebrating the 30th anniversary of her Dyke Deck.
Hosted by Adriene Jenik and Catherine Opie with special guest poker dealers and Claudette Sexy DJ.
Catherine Opie’s original Dyke Deck, released in 1995 and produced by MOCA, features highly stylized portraits of the artist’s queer community—both friends and strangers (the latter cast during an open call in San Francisco). Dyke Deck divides the images into four categories corresponding to the four suits: Couples are Hearts, Jocks are Clubs, Femmes are Diamonds, and Butches are Spades.
Lesbian Poker Night attendees are invited to take a seat at the table with professional and special guest dealers to try their luck at poker and special “Poke-Her” game variations created by Adriene Jenik. Attendees will have the opportunity to buy the Dyke Deck: Thirtieth Anniversary Edition, the brand-new Dyke Deck: Reshuffle Edition, the first printing of the Double Dyke Deck box set, and a poster featuring an “uncut” Dyke Deck of cards.
Alongside poker, the event will feature tables where attendees can play various card games with friends. This is an all-ages event—everyone is welcome. Food trucks will offer delicious snacks, and a cash bar presented by Sister Midnight will be available for guests 21 and over (please bring valid ID).
The dress code is 90s themed and dancing will be encouraged! Please note this is a play-for-fun community event; there is no buy-in and there are no prizes.
This event is made possible due to the generous underwriting support of MOCA Board Chair Emeritus Maria Seferian.
For over thirty years, Catherine Opie has captured often overlooked aspects of contemporary American life and culture. One of the most important photographers of her generation, her photographic subjects have included early seminal portraits of the LGBTQ+ community, the architecture of Los Angeles' freeway system, mansions in Beverly Hills, Midwestern icehouses, high school football players, California surfers, abstract landscapes of National Parks, and the Bel-Air residence of Elizabeth Taylor, among others. In 2018 Opie debuted her first film, The Modernist, a dystopic view of Los Angeles, a city that has figured prominently in her work over the years. Her complex and diverse body of work is political, personal, and highly aesthetic – the formal, conceptual, and documentary are always at play.
Adriene Jenik is an artist, educator and end-of-life doula who loves playing poker. An editrix of the legendary LA homocore zine Screambox (1991-93), her creative work has included pioneering telematic performance, internet street theater, and experiments in data humanization. These days, Jenik offers free climate future readings with her ECOtarot deck in public spaces around the world. She is Professor Emeritus of Expanded Arts and a PhD candidate in Sustainability at Arizona State University.
Claudette Colbert aka Claudette Sexy DJ was born and raised in Compton, California and began her musical career playing records for her local Catholic Youth Organization. After moving to Portland, Oregon, in the mid-1970s to join the Job Corps, she discovered her passion for DJing and began singing with a jazz band, performing with a theater group, and eventually creating her signature persona, Claudette Sexy DJ, a name gifted to her at a bachelorette party. Claudette’s career flourished in Los Angeles, where she became a sought-after DJ. She’s played at iconic clubs such as Carlos & Charlie’s, The Chateau Marmont, The Standard, and Girl Bar, as well as at Pride celebrations across the U.S. Celebrating 50 years behind the turntables, Lesbian Poker Night will be Claudette’s 69th birthday.
Watch Catherine Opie talk about the anniversary of Dyke Deck.
