Sheree Rose (born 1941) is an American photographer and performance artist. She is best known for her collaborative work with performance artist Bob Flanagan, and her photography documenting a wide range of Los Angeles subcultures, especially in relation to

BDSM BDSM is a variety of often erotic practices or roleplaying involving bondage, discipline, dominance and submission, sadomasochism, and other related interpersonal dynamics. Given the wide range of practices, some of which may be engaged ...

and body modification.

Early life

Rose was raised in a Jewish family in Los Angeles. She was married in 1964, and she and her first husband both worked as teachers. In the 1970s, after divorcing, she earned a master's degree at

California State University, Northridge California State University, Northridge (CSUN or Cal State Northridge) is a public university in the Northridge neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. With a total enrollment of 38,551 students (as of Fall 2021), it has the second largest un ...

and became active in socialist feminism, consciousness-raising groups, and the punk scene.

Career

Rose used photography to document the subcultures she participated in, and was the primary photographer at

Beyond Baroque Literary Arts Center Beyond Baroque Literary Arts Center is a literary arts center located at 681 Venice Boulevard, Venice, Los Angeles, California, founded in 1968.http://beyondbaroque.org/ The center is based near the beach in Los Angeles's old Venice City Hall, ...

in Venice, Los Angeles, where her photographic subjects included Exene Cervenka and

John Doe John Doe (male) and Jane Doe (female) are multiple-use placeholder names that are used when the true name of a person is unknown or is being intentionally concealed. In the context of law enforcement in the United States, such names are often ...

of X, Dennis Cooper, Ed Smith,

Amy Gerstler Amy Gerstler (born 1956) is an American poet. She won a Guggenheim Fellowship as well as the National Book Critics Circle Award. Biography Amy Gerstler was born in 1956. She is a graduate of Pitzer College and holds an M.F.A. from Bennington ...

, and

David Trinidad David Trinidad (born 1953 in Los Angeles, California) is an American poet. David Trinidad was born in Los Angeles, California, and raised in the San Fernando Valley. He attended California State University, Northridge, where he studied poetry wi ...

. Rose met Bob Flanagan in 1980, and the two began a relationship both as romantic partners and close artistic collaborators that lasted until Flanagan's death in 1996.

Sadomasochism Sadomasochism ( ) is the giving and receiving of pleasure from acts involving the receipt or infliction of pain or humiliation. Practitioners of sadomasochism may seek sexual pleasure from their acts. While the terms sadist and masochist refer ...

was central to Rose and Flanagan's relationship, and throughout the 1980s, the two focused on

community organizing and advocacy, including the formation of the Los Angeles chapter of the Society of Janus. Rose documented her life and work with Flanagan, and also photographed other performance artists, including

Genesis P-Orridge Genesis Breyer P-Orridge (born Neil Andrew Megson; 22 February 1950 – 14 March 2020) was a singer-songwriter, musician, poet, performance artist, visual artist, and occultist who rose to notoriety as the founder of the COUM Transmissions arti ...

(for the book Modern Primitives),

Ron Athey Ron Athey (born December 16, 1961) is an American performance artist associated with body art and with extreme performance art. He has performed in the U.S. and internationally (especially in the UK and Europe). Athey's work explores challenging ...

, and others. Rose and Flanagan's performance art, which explored BDSM, sexuality, death, and Flanagan's experience of living with

cystic fibrosis Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a rare genetic disorder that affects mostly the lungs, but also the pancreas, liver, kidneys, and intestine. Long-term issues include difficulty breathing and coughing up mucus as a result of frequent lung infections. O ...

, began in 1989 with the piece ''Nailed'', presented in conjunction with the release of the RE/Search publication '' Modern Primitives''. ''Visiting Hours'', Rose and Flanagan's most widely toured museum exhibition, specifically explored the convergence of illness and SM and was first shown at the

Santa Monica Museum of Art The Institute of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (ICA LA), formerly known as the Santa Monica Museum of Art (SMMoA), is a contemporary art museum in Los Angeles, CA. As an independent and non-collecting art museum (or kunsthalle), it exhibits the ...

in 1992, combining text, video, and live performance. Rose and Flanagan's life together is documented in the 1997 film '' Sick: The Life and Death of Bob Flanagan, Supermasochist'', and their collected archives are maintained at the

ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives ONE National Gay and Lesbian Archives at the University of Southern California Libraries is the oldest existing lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) organization in the United States and one of the largest repositories of LGBT materials ...

at the

University of Southern California Libraries The libraries of the University of Southern California are among the oldest private academic research libraries in California. For more than a century USC has been building collections in support of the university's teaching and research interests ...

. From 2011, Rose has worked collaboratively with British performance artist Martin O'Brien, continuing to explore themes of BDSM and cystic fibrosis.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rose, Sheree 1941 births Living people American women photographers American women performance artists American performance artists Performance art in Los Angeles BDSM people 21st-century American women