Tony Cokes' solo exhibition "SM BNGR2" at FELIX GAUDLITZ in Vienna centers on club culture as a space for celebrating life through love, desire, queerness, music, art, aesthetics, and moving bodies. The show de-marginalizes club culture by examining its significance for subcultures, activist movements, and political resistance through the lens of writers and academics.
The exhibition matters because it reframes club culture not merely as entertainment but as a vital site of political and social resistance, particularly for queer and marginalized communities. By bringing academic and theoretical perspectives into a gallery context, Cokes elevates underground spaces and their cultural contributions, challenging mainstream narratives and affirming the importance of these hubs for collective expression and activism.