Greer Lankton’s rarely seen photographs of her distinctive dolls are the focus of “Could It Be Love” at the Mattress Factory. Curated by Jordan Weitzman and Francis Schichtel, the exhibition presents an intimate selection of work by the pioneering trans artist and opens Friday, November 13.
The exhibition follows the release of Magic Hour Press’ first major monograph devoted to Lankton’s photographic work, edited by Nan Goldin, Francis Schichtel, and Jordan Weitzman. The book draws on the Greer Lankton Archive at the Mattress Factory, which includes more than one hundred photographs by the late artist.
Weitzman, who founded Magic Hour Press, an independent publisher based in Montreal and New York dedicated to preserving queer legacies, was introduced to Lankton’s work by his boyfriend, Schichtel.
Recalling his first encounter with Lankton’s work, Schichtel said, “I first came across Greer while working at the Peter Hujar Archive [in New York City]. I was struck by Greer’s presence, beauty, and glamour. I immediately started looking into her work. I became totally obsessed with it.” He added, “It’s just so intense and striking, and her craft is so gorgeous. The work just hit me. I then started seeing a lot of photographs of her dolls that were really beautifully shot and had an interesting edge to them.”
That interest soon led to the idea for a book. Weitzman said, “Francis kept on showing me these photos, just to share them with me, like ‘look at this!’ After a while, as he started discovering more of them, it became ‘this material needs to be a book.’ He started doing some research and discovered the archive at The Mattress Factory in Pittsburgh. They had thousands of slides. So, we contacted them.”
A visit to the archive brought Lankton’s photographic practice into sharper focus. Schichtel said, “Jordan and I went there for a visit, to see what they actually had. Going through her archive, it became so evident how prolific she was. We were really excited by how Greer’s work as a doll maker and sculptor was expanded by her own photographic vision, very much like Brancusi or Hans Bellmer, who both shot their own work in very powerful ways.”
Beyond her photographic practice, Schichtel emphasized Lankton’s place in the East Village art scene. He said, “Greer’s work was emblematic of the radical 80s East Village art scene. Her work is just so personal – it feels like it has a lot of truth in it, which I think is why it touches so many people. From our understanding, she was quite a star within the East Village scene.”
Weitzman also highlighted Lankton’s presence in the work of fellow artists. He said, “She was not only known for her work, but she was also a muse to artists like David Armstrong, Nan Goldin, and Peter Hujar. She was photographed pretty extensively.” He added, “Since putting out the book, so many people from that generation have contacted us to share their excitement about Greer and her work. She was definitely beloved.”
That affection is echoed in Nan Goldin’s description of Lankton as “one of the luminaries of the East Village renaissance: beautiful, glamorous, wild and hysterically funny.”
Weitzman described publishing Lankton’s first monograph as both a significant honor and a substantial responsibility.
Weitzman emphasized the importance of representing Lankton’s work faithfully. He added that, “When work on the book began, he and Schichtel were surprised that no monograph had yet been published.”
The exhibition highlights Lankton’s contributions as both a pioneering trans artist and a photographer with a distinct artistic vision. Her photographs portray unconventional figures, queer icons, and doll-like doppelgängers with glamour, melancholy, and wit, exploring questions of gender, beauty, and the body.
The exhibition reveals Lankton’s uncanny ability to imbue life into her sculpted figures as they lounge, gossip, and perform across New York’s gritty and gorgeous downtown scene.
For the Mattress Factory, the exhibition is also an opportunity to broaden understanding of Lankton’s work. Anthony Elms, Artistic Director at the museum, said, “As stewards of Greer Lankton’s archive, Mattress Factory is committed to supporting a comprehensive understanding of her multifaceted work across a range of mediums. Her complex approach to the body, what it is, what it means, and how it guides, is something newer generations are increasingly receptive to. Lankton’s photography has never been treated to focused attention; despite the care she took to working in various styles of photography and the volume of photographs she took.”
Turning to the emotional lives Lankton envisioned for her dolls, Elms added, “In this exhibition it is quite touching to get a glimpse into the lives of Greer’s dolls as she imagined them: living rich lives full of love, tedium, heartbreak, pain, and joy.”
“Could It Be Love” is produced in partnership with Light Work in Syracuse, New York. All image retouching and printing for the exhibition was completed by Light Work Lab, working from Lankton’s original slides, prints, and negatives. Following its Mattress Factory presentation, the exhibition will travel to Light Work’s gallery in Syracuse in 2028.
“Greer Lankton: Could It Be Love” opens Friday, November 13, at the Mattress Factory – Museum of Contemporary Art, 509 Sampsonia Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15212.
